writing programs your kids liked?

[dragons in the flower bed]

My boys wrote daily and enthusiastically for hours during NaNoWriMo. I hate to go back to forcing them through WWE again. Should I? Is there a writing program that won't make my sons hate writing again?

 

If you had kids who were reluctant writers, what programs did they tolerate? If you have kids who weren't reluctant, what programs did they love?

[Jane Elliot]

My boys wrote daily and enthusiastically for hours during NaNoWriMo. I hate to go back to forcing them through WWE again. Should I? Is there a writing program that won't make my sons hate writing again?

 

If you had kids who were reluctant writers, what programs did they tolerate? If you have kids who weren't reluctant, what programs did they love?

 

My reluctant writers loved IEW, especially the SWI and SWICC DVD's. They think Pudewa is hilarious. Some of my dc who grew up with IEW are graduated now. They still talk about how much they enjoyed IEW, and they think it prepared them well for college writing.

[higginszoo]

My dc found IEW entertaining, too ... but not enough to really WANT to do the assignments. The only writing curriculum that they've really LIKED is Igniting your Writing, it's only a semester long, though, maybe a year at most.

[hmschooling]

I have one that is really enjoying Igniting Your Writing. Write With the Best is great too.

 

IYW is definitely more than a semester or year long. There are 3 levels in each book and there are two books. You can go through at the start-up level one year and then move up to the intermediate or advanced levels the next.

[Halcyon]

The Writer's Jungle has changed my son's attitude towards writing. He was a good, if reluctant, writer, and free writing has literally "freed" him, writing-wise. He often uses Unjournaling.

 

We still keep up with WWE and narrations from history and science.

[Bloggermom]

Another vote for IEW. I start SWI-A in 4th grade. It works beautifully.

[freesia]

Another vote for the SWI. We did SWI-B with my reluctant writer and he eagerly did writing for the first time ever. He loves A. Pudewa, too. There are you-tube clips that you can show your dc and see if they like him. I showed my son and he practically begged me to get it. Although, I'd never say he LOVES writing, it is now pain free.

[In the Rain]

My youngest loves WWE. My oldest prefers writing incorporated into her subject areas. She was willing to work on paragraph structure when answering her Moving Beyond the Page literature questions. I bought Unjournaling this month, and she has been eager to start.

[Karen in CO]

Do you need to go back?

What are your writing goals?

 

My older dd loves to write outside of school. We've completely failed at writing programs. For now, I'm very happy to have her do copywork four times a week which she does to help learn her poetry. Other than that she outlines once a week from what she's reading for "Natural History," takes notes in history once a week, and writes lab reports in science once a week. Getting rid of WRITING has opened us up to more writing in more areas. Outside of school, she writes short stories, poems, make newsletters, writes recipes, and lots of other writing.

 

Youngest does copywork and writes in phonics for school. Outside of school, she writes letters and newsletters, makes lists and writes notes. She's even written a very short story.

 

My plan for now is to just gradually increase the amount and complexity of the writing for school without adding WRITING.