Diamond Notes
Diamond Notes was apparently "revised" for the 2007 catalog season. That revision contains numerous errors and is causing great confusion for customers. Thus, as of 11.9.07 we stopped selling the 2007 version, and began selling the 2006 version again. We will be contacting customers who purchased the 2007 version - more details to follow. (11.13.07)
Update: Once we receive sufficient copies of the revised (2006 edition) of Diamond Notes in the warehouse, we will send a replacement to all customers since 3.30.07 who purchased RL67 Diamond Notes and 2TLN (which includes Diamond Notes in the appendix). (11.13.07)
Update: (11.15.07) The following email will be sent to all RL67 and 2TLN customers:
Dear Friend:
We are pleased that you have chosen Sonlight's Diamond Notes as one of your homeschooling tools to teach creative writing. Since we introduced this unique concept two years ago, many families have expressed their pleasure with their student's progress and success. However, the version we have been selling in 2007 has not proven as user friendly. We sincerely regret any difficulty or frustration you may have experienced.
We want your experience with all Sonlight materials including Diamond Notes to be positive and your student to gain a solid foundation in beginning writing skills, so we will mail the 2006 version of Diamond Notes as a replacement for the version you have now. You should receive this package in the next week or so (it may take longer to destinations outside of the US and Canada).
You may want to simply take a break from the Diamond Notes assignments until you receive this replacement and our recommendations to transition to the revised version.
We believe this free replacement will provide better tools to enable you and your child to achieve even greater success at builidng a foundation for years of writing enjoyment.
(closing)
- Those customers who have purchased RL67 will receive the 2006 version with a cover letter.doc
- Those customers who have purchased 2TLN will receive the 2006 version of Diamond Notes with a 2TLN cover letter.doc plus a replacement Student Activity Sheet 10 for their LA IG.
Writing - Oral assignments up to 3rd grade
A reminder: the writing assignments up to grade 3 are intended to be done orally, with mom acting as the scribe.
LA 2 vs. LA 3 (Diamond Notes) Writing assignments
Most of the assignments in LA 2 include a day for discussion. This day is more a 'teach them what the assignment is about' day. All of the creative expression for LA 2 is meant to be oral. The focus is on creative expression, "to get the ideas flowing", not to focus on putting the ideas in specific sequences. The formal organization training begins in grade 3. The younger children need more oral discussion time. Think of it as thinking things through together. It is this discussion time together that will help you child with idea generation. Greater structure and independence will come later.
The two levels have different approaches because they are different levels for students with different abilities. The structure given by Diamond Notes is more appropriate for slightly-older students who are stepping out a bit more on their own. The same type of idea generation, however, will come about naturally through oral discussion at lower levels.
If you'd like to work on more structure with your younger child one idea would be to record some of the things they're talking about as they're talking about them on a white board or large tablet, rather than the computer, something that's easy for the two of you to see at the same time. I'd probably do this for an assignment like a book report, and simply use the dictation method for creative writing, where you don't want the words to get too much in the way of your little one's story-writing process! By using a white board for more structured writing, your child can begin to see how the things you are talking about begin to fit together, but do not have to do it on her/his own, like with Diamond Notes. However, as a caution, you want to take care not get too caught up in teaching the structure at this point. Focus more on getting the ideas, and recognizing main points, and then let the structure appear to fall together on its own for now, as you write ideas on the board. When you've finished discussing and idea gathering, you can read what's on the whiteboard in an order that makes sense, and perhaps this will help you both feel as if you have really accomplished something! And I think using this form of gentle exposure to structure and organizing thoughts will only better prepare your younger child for what she'll be asked to do in the next couple of years.
Writers Inc - WriteSource has released a new edition. We hope to begin carrying in August. 7.16.07