How long does it take your 1st grader to write 3 sentences? (x-posted in Learning at School)

[Daffodil]

Or, another way of asking the same thing: How much can your 1st grader write in 15 minutes? It takes my DD about 15 minutes to write 3 sentences, and I'm curious whether that's fairly normal for her age, or unusually slow. (She's homeschooled, and I'm not sure what's typical for 1st grade.)

[akwifeandmomma]

Hmmm... are you talking perfect punctuation, caps and lower cases, copy-work?
Or a fun, "write-a-mystery-story-for-your-best-friend, don't worry about the structure" assignment?

Because it makes a big difference here.

My 1st grade DS (6) will take five forevers to write just a short piece focusing on penmanship, doing his best writing. But left to write whatever and however he wants, he'll write pages and pages in a very short time.

[vancouverlori]

Well, mine doesn't write anything at all yet, so consider yours a genius! One day last month, he wanted to write cheetah, so I helped him spell it, but that's as far as it went. He's one of those kids that unless he wants to do something, I have no idea what it would take to get him to do it.

[Daffodil]

Originally Posted by akwifeandmomma

Hmmm... are you talking perfect punctuation, caps and lower cases, copy-work?
Or a fun, "write-a-mystery-story-for-your-best-friend, don't worry about the structure" assignment?

Because it makes a big difference here.

I don't think it would make a huge difference with my DD - she never does large amounts of writing, or goes very fast, no matter what she's doing. I recently wrote out 3 sentences for her to copy, with the idea that she would try to do a good job of forming the letters correctly and copy my punctuation and capitalization. That took her 15 minutes. Then this evening I got her to write for 15 minutes, and she produced 3 sentences, with periods in the right place but quite a few capital letters where she should have had lowercase ones.

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by vancouverlori

Well, mine doesn't write anything at all yet, so consider yours a genius! One day last month, he wanted to write cheetah, so I helped him spell it, but that's as far as it went. He's one of those kids that unless he wants to do something, I have no idea what it would take to get him to do it.

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by vancouverlori

Well, mine doesn't write anything at all yet, so consider yours a genius! One day last month, he wanted to write cheetah, so I helped him spell it, but that's as far as it went. He's one of those kids that unless he wants to do something, I have no idea what it would take to get him to do it.

that's where we are at too lol. We're just starting grade 1 (school is from feb-dec here) and he *can* write his name.. and some letters... I figure he'll get there eventually. My 8yo/3rd grader... it takes him 15mins to write ANYTHING!

[elizawill]

in grade 1, my daughter could copy anything perfectly, but she could not write independently or spell to save her life. but it wasn't something we worked on honestly. in public school here, they write a lot and everyday. it's a huge focus. my daughter didn't have that expectation on her at all, ykwim? she's now 8 and in grade 2, and coming along nicely. however, this year i have made writing more of a focus, so i think that's why. i wouldn't worry about it. hugs!

[kanga2roo]

Sounds fine to me! I am a former first grade teacher and now homeschooling Mom. The range at this age is huge. Some kids focus on spacing and letter formation and others never even give that a thought. Just be sure to give her both opportunities- free journal writing type stuff where you "dont worry about the correct spelling or anything- just write your thoughts or ideas" and some type of copy or careful writing where the mechanics are addressed.
If she's stressed, she'll hate or resist writing. Even doing one great sentence can be beneficial if its meaningful. Lots of people use a sentence of the day ( or message) ie "Today is Monday. Its sunny and cold. We will make muffins for snack"....that sort of thing. hth

[craft_media_hero]

Writing is a huge focus in the public schools here, too. DD hated it in K and just wasn't ready.

I don't push writing at all.

It would take her about 15 minutes to copy one sentence. She still mixes caps/lc when free writing (which she really doesn't do much *shrug*).

I just think that her mind/hands aren't really ready for it, and having her orally tell me stories, listening to great language through living books, and working on fine motor control through other activities (like modeling) is developmentally appropriate for her age/stage.

I think it will come when she's ready; and I don't want to traumatize her and make her hate writing (which is what was happening last year when she was in ps K).

I'm not worried about it at all. She's six. She will be able to write a cohesive composition sometime in the next twelve years or so.

So we do copywork maybe 1/2x wk (like "fairy dust is brighter far than any mortal colors are" and that's it)? And I'll ask her if she wants to do her Italics book, which she enjoys, but to me I guess it's kind of busy work because her penmanship and spelling is just not ripe yet, but I'm confident it will be great when she's ready for it.

We're going to start form drawing to help, I think that sounds like more fun than tracing letters. Also, she likes practicing her Greek letters and maybe a 5-6 letter Greek word. I figure, if the kid can write Greek, then she's certainly capable of writing English, so I count that as handwriting practice, too.

[kayla14]

She can't write more than one or two words :P But we don't practice much at all with her, unless she asks.

[meco]

My first grader is a really slow writer. She sounds on par with him.

He's not all that interested in it, and he tends to have spotty focus. I generally have to sit and guide him if it needs to get done faster.

[PGTlatte]

Ours does not write sentences independently yet, except for "I love you Mom" . He writes words but is not putting them together yet. He can copy short sentences but he tires very quickly when he is asked to write much.

[treemom2]

DD is 8 years old doing Calvert 1st grade. She can write maybe 2 sentences (without correct punctuation) in about 15 minutes. She's very easily distracted unless it's something she really wants to do. I think instead of looking at how much your child can complete in x minutes, maybe look at how much your child improves each time they do this.

[Daffodil]

Interesting. I knew there would be some homeschooled kids her age who weren't really writing much yet, but I didn't expect them to be in the majority. (Maybe the parents of the kids who are really good at writing refrained from posting, for fear it would make me feel bad about my kid.) Posts in the Learning at School version of this thread indicated DD's writing speed is totally average for first graders in school, which was kind of a surprise to me. I thought maybe she was having unusual difficulties with writing, but it sounds like she's doing fine, especially considering how little practice she's had.

[cappuccinosmom]

A loooooooong time.

For every word on paper there's about 5 words of whining about it.

That is for dictation/copywork

When he wants to write and feels inspired, he can whip out a few sentences in 5 minutes. But then it is not "perfect". I love his inspired writing. He writes great poetry.

[DaughterOfKali]

When my son is focused or likes what he's writing about, he can write a few sentences in just a few minutes. However, if he's not in the mood, it takes a LONG time.

In 1st grade, it's best to focus on quality instead of quantity. Getting them to write the letters properly; space properly; and use basic punctuation should be the focus.

Oh, and with my son, I have to constantly remind him to hold the pen properly. He has major trouble with that.