HappyGrace Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 He needs simple and step by step. He can write a solid paragraph, but we're starting essays and he needs scaffolding. He is very literal (engineer-type mind!) I need hand-holding as the teacher too! Looking for a traditional essay approach (ie-not Bravewriter, WWS, etc.) that he can use across curriculum. Something that teaches how to do a solid 3-5 paragraph essay. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 What about WWS do you find to be non-traditional? Bravewriter I can easily see being described as such, but WWS is totally traditional as far as I know. I have nothing invested in convincing you to use it; it would just be easier to recommend something with that clarification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks for the excellent question! I used WWS 1 with older dd (in fact, we beta-tested it!) and use it in my co-op class, so I do love it, and will be using portions of it with ds. (outlining, narration, etc-mainly as a way to help him learn to read for information, find what's important in a passage, etc-he is not a strong reader) That being said---it's kind of convoluted for this boy for the actual writing portion. He needs a curriculum that is more like Jump In (which we used and loved last year), something that teaches how to write an essay like they would traditionally do in a classroom (topic sentence, supporting, conclusion)-but with a lot of scaffolding (reminding them to make sure to use transitions, etc.) It's hard to explain-does that make any sense? If not, I'll try to clarify more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Blackbird & Co. has an intriguing option called Intro to Composition: The Essay for grades 6-9. My "teaching writing" efforts have completely crashed and burned this year and I must begin again with DS6th grade. :) Not with essays though .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks for the excellent question! I used WWS 1 with older dd (in fact, we beta-tested it!) and use it in my co-op class, so I do love it, and will be using portions of it with ds. (outlining, narration, etc-mainly as a way to help him learn to read for information, find what's important in a passage, etc-he is not a strong reader) That being said---it's kind of convoluted for this boy for the actual writing portion. He needs a curriculum that is more like Jump In (which we used and loved last year), something that teaches how to write an essay like they would traditionally do in a classroom (topic sentence, supporting, conclusion)-but with a lot of scaffolding (reminding them to make sure to use transitions, etc.) It's hard to explain-does that make any sense? If not, I'll try to clarify more! Blackbird & Co. has an intriguing option called Intro to Composition: The Essay for grades 6-9. My "teaching writing" efforts have completely crashed and burned this year and I must begin again with DS6th grade. :) Not with essays though .... I am using Intro to Composition (the one linked above) with my 7th grader, and it does exactly what you wrote above in the bolded. I am extremely happy with the progress my daughter has made and will be using it with my younger children when they reach the same age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 HappyGrace, would it be alright if I ask a quick question within your thread? It would be a tremendous help .... Clear Creek, do you believe a student needs any particular skill level to begin Intro to Comp.? Would you recommend anything in preparation for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We started using IEW this year for my son who sounds very much like yours. We *love* it, and even on days he's not feeling the love I can definitely see the progress. We are using Student Writing Intensive B, intended for middle school and right on level for him despite his struggles. I highly recommend it for writers who need to put their information in tidy boxes. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks for the excellent question! I used WWS 1 with older dd (in fact, we beta-tested it!) and use it in my co-op class, so I do love it, and will be using portions of it with ds. (outlining, narration, etc-mainly as a way to help him learn to read for information, find what's important in a passage, etc-he is not a strong reader) That being said---it's kind of convoluted for this boy for the actual writing portion. He needs a curriculum that is more like Jump In (which we used and loved last year), something that teaches how to write an essay like they would traditionally do in a classroom (topic sentence, supporting, conclusion)-but with a lot of scaffolding (reminding them to make sure to use transitions, etc.) It's hard to explain-does that make any sense? If not, I'll try to clarify more! Oh My Gosh! Your ds sounds like a clone of my dd! We are using Jump-In this year, and dd is finally getting writing. She is finally producing some quality reports and narrations. We have so struggled with writing because of her literal and engineering mind set. She also need a lot of scaffolding in order not to get bogged down into what she considers ambiguity. I've purchased EIW for her next year because IEW is just so expensive. I'll only be using the writing part since we use IEW's Fix-It Grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 We started using IEW this year for my son who sounds very much like yours. We *love* it, and even on days he's not feeling the love I can definitely see the progress. We are using Student Writing Intensive B, intended for middle school and right on level for him despite his struggles. I highly recommend it for writers who need to put their information in tidy boxes. :) MEmama, my dd sounds like a carbon copy of Happy Grace's. The only reason I didn't go with IEW's SWI-B is because of the expense. Do you also have TWSS? I am under the impression that if you've never used IEW writing materials you need to first purchase and understand TWSS before doing SWI-B. There was no way I could afford to purchase both programs so I went with EIW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 I only bought swi-b for my kids. Mr Pudewa teaches the lesson. I listen along to know what to look for in their writings. In fact at convention they told me to just get that. And only one student pack to make copies from for my other kid! the twss teaches you to teach it. The swi teaches the kids itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Attuneup. I find it really hard to teach essay writing to my middle schoolers. So I use Attuneup. My 13yrs old daughter who really struggled with writing a year ago when we started using her program took the PSAT test and scored really high in writing. Like higher than 70% of sophomore high school students. My other twin seems more confident in her writing. My 11yrs old can whip out an essay without a whole lot of tears from either of us. Whatever keeps the peace in the house gets my thumbs up! This semester we are starting Essay Practitioner. Writing about the history of medicine. It is not a beginners writing program though. Beginners writing program is in the Fall. http://www.attuneup.com/ Amy is a gifted patient teacher. It is an online class, with regular assignments due and grades if you need to pay attention to those. Great feedback for the kids. She expects the kids to make the changes she suggests. So there is follow through. There is a webinar where you do need a headset with microphone. It is work but the kids learn history, science, writing, grammar, vocabulary, speech in this course. I have seen huge growths in my girls and their ability to express themselves and think critically. It is Christian but not sure how Christian. Pay as you go and pay what you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 He needs a curriculum that is more like Jump In (which we used and loved last year), something that teaches how to write an essay like they would traditionally do in a classroom (topic sentence, supporting, conclusion)-but with a lot of scaffolding (reminding them to make sure to use transitions, etc.) What about Schaum's Quick Guide to Wriiting Essays? From the description: ''Write the kinds of essays that will help you succeed in college and the professional world. Quickly and simply, this guide gives you clear, concise explanations illustrated by dozens of examples ÂÂthat show you how to: Choose a topic, state a thesis, and construct arguments that work Overcome typical writing obstacles Do effective research Learn by example, from successful sample topics, questions, and thesis statements Look to Schaum's Quick Guides for: Step-by-step guidance to help you move quickly through the essentials Dos and don'ts for avoiding common errors clear explanations and practice exercises Checklists and exercises for skill-building'' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Attuneup. I find it really hard to teach essay writing to my middle schoolers. So I use Attuneup. My 13yrs old daughter who really struggled with writing a year ago when we started using her program took the PSAT test and scored really high in writing. Like higher than 70% of sophomore high school students. My other twin seems more confident in her writing. My 11yrs old can whip out an essay without a whole lot of tears from either of us. Whatever keeps the peace in the house gets my thumbs up! This semester we are starting Essay Practitioner. Writing about the history of medicine. It is not a beginners writing program though. Beginners writing program is in the Fall. http://www.attuneup.com/ Amy is a gifted patient teacher. It is an online class, with regular assignments due and grades if you need to pay attention to those. Great feedback for the kids. She expects the kids to make the changes she suggests. So there is follow through. There is a webinar where you do need a headset with microphone. It is work but the kids learn history, science, writing, grammar, vocabulary, speech in this course. I have seen huge growths in my girls and their ability to express themselves and think critically. It is Christian but not sure how Christian. Pay as you go and pay what you can. I just did a quick search of this on the forum. This has some potential for DD. Just to confirm, there is a live class with Amy once per week, correct? And, is that a chat (typing in conversations), video (like Skype) or audio format? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Attuneup is wonderful but one needs to start the course in the fall. Essay Practitioner is for students who are proficient essay writers already. It is not instructive. Amy is evaluating and giving feedback to her students as they practice the essay skills learned in Time Capsule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thanks for the great replies so far, and hopefully this thread is helping others too! I am going to check these out-plz keep them coming! MEmama-a friend has IEW SWI-B that I could borrow BUT I have a question for you: ds did IEW for two years (3-4 grade) and it was just rewriting fables, story sequence, etc. I think maaaaybe there was a tiny essay thing for a couple weeks at the end. Does the SWI-B have a lot more essay writing than that? I am not seeing it when I look at the scope and sequence-looks basically like rewriting from key word outlines, which we did a lot of. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Attuneup is wonderful but one needs to start the course in the fall. Essay Practitioner is for students who are proficient essay writers already. It is not instructive. Amy is evaluating and giving feedback to her students as they practice the essay skills learned in Time Capsule. Good to know this since we are not at that step yet. At least now I have more choices this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 A few people on this board recommended the Lively Art of Writing to us. My daughter is in seventh grade and this curriculum has really been excellent for her; it's straightforward and teaches stepwise development of the essay. It is also relatively cheap - I think we got the book for five bucks on Amazon, and the supporting teaching materials are free online. We've been using it for a month now, and based on that one month's usage, I'm very happy with it and would highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 IEW made a huge difference in both of my DC's writing. DS who could barely string together 2 sentences let alone paragraphs is now writing "scenes" and doing research reports. He's dyslexic so this has been a huge step for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 MEmama, my dd sounds like a carbon copy of Happy Grace's. The only reason I didn't go with IEW's SWI-B is because of the expense. Do you also have TWSS? I am under the impression that if you've never used IEW writing materials you need to first purchase and understand TWSS before doing SWI-B. There was no way I could afford to purchase both programs so I went with EIW. I didn't use the TWSS and it hasn't been a problem. The DVDs are in a classroom format and Andrew speaks directly to the kids, so my role is support, encouragement, and sometimes modeling when I do assignments with him. I agree that it's expensive, but I was able to find it used which helped tremendously. Writing had become so stressful for him that I was determined to try anything that might work. Thankfully I think we've finally found it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 What about WWS do you find to be non-traditional? Not the OP, but in my opinion, WWS is very "can't see the forest for the trees." I think there is a continuum from "Write! Write! Write! Just do lots of writing and it will click!" (which I think is incorrect) and "Writing is a series of 2317 individual steps, and we will learn them all and then put them together for a finished product." I think WWS is more toward that end of the spectrum. Too wordy, too detailed, and, for us, needlessly complex. Maybe "traditional" in the thousand-year-old sense but not in the "what American school students traditionally do." OP, I suggest either Writing in English, free from Google books, or Commonsense Composition, free from CK12.org. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Maybe "traditional" in the thousand-year-old sense but not in the "what American school students traditionally do." This makes sense. To me, WWS is thoroughly traditional because it's akin to what much older writing courses taught, but it's very different from the modern American method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBJones Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 A few people on this board recommended the Lively Art of Writing to us. My daughter is in seventh grade and this curriculum has really been excellent for her; it's straightforward and teaches stepwise development of the essay. It is also relatively cheap - I think we got the book for five bucks on Amazon, and the supporting teaching materials are free online. We've been using it for a month now, and based on that one month's usage, I'm very happy with it and would highly recommend it. Not to derail the thread, but could you please point me in the direction of the online supporting teaching materials? This is the small yellow book (LAoW)? Thank-you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 Thanks for the great replies so far, and hopefully this thread is helping others too! I am going to check these out-plz keep them coming! MEmama-a friend has IEW SWI-B that I could borrow BUT I have a question for you: ds did IEW for two years (3-4 grade) and it was just rewriting fables, story sequence, etc. I think maaaaybe there was a tiny essay thing for a couple weeks at the end. Does the SWI-B have a lot more essay writing than that? I am not seeing it when I look at the scope and sequence-looks basically like rewriting from key word outlines, which we did a lot of. Thanks. We didn't use SWI-A so I'm not sure how they compare skills wise. We are half way through B and yes, there is a lot of focus on key word outlining and rewriting stories, so it does sound like that would be repetitive for you. It looks like they get on to collecting information from various sources and multi paragraph essays, but it might not be a big jump from where your son already is. Hopefully someone with more experience with B can chime in. Next year I'm planning to use their robots and technology themed book for more practice. C definitely looks llike it wil bee too advanced, but I think there's a level in between, too? Sorry I'm not more help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Not to derail the thread, but could you please point me in the direction of the online supporting teaching materials? This is the small yellow book (LAoW)? Thank-you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrayshire Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 You have some great advice already but I would just like to say that Essentials in Writing has helped guide my two reluctant writers to write. Video lessons are short, step by step, and to the point. http://www.essentialsinwriting.com/level-6.php As you see in my sig., my middle dc does IEW and EIW6(writing portion only). She does well with both but gets in a slump sticking to just one. EIW6 has given her the basics and IEW helps her dress up her writing. She always has her handy Student Resource Notebook from IEW in front of her while using EIW6. That book is a gem! She used SWI-B last year...... She needed more hand holding this year before stepping into the Continuation Course for B level. We may attempt that for 7th. It does have more essay practice. http://www.iew.com/sites/default/files/videocourse/fileattachment/SICC-B_Teachers_Sample.pdf My ds would not be ready for IEW SWI-A 's lengthy videos and not sure if he will by 4th grade either. EIW's videos are NOT lengthy and is doable for him at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 HappyGrace, would it be alright if I ask a quick question within your thread? It would be a tremendous help .... Clear Creek, do you believe a student needs any particular skill level to begin Intro to Comp.? Would you recommend anything in preparation for it? The student needs to understand how to write a sentence correctly, as well as how to construct a paragraph (topic sentence and supporting sentences, no off-topic sentences). My oldest used a variety of things that didn't really help before she started Intro to Comp., but the one thing that did help was the writing instruction in Rod & Staff grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I am using Intro to Composition (the one linked above) with my 7th grader, and it does exactly what you wrote above in the bolded. I am extremely happy with the progress my daughter has made and will be using it with my younger children when they reach the same age. I am intrigued, Clear Creek can you elaborate on your experience, most especially about the literary essay. I have used and will use again Thinking in Threes , a recommended text for Intro to composition. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 You might like Essentials in Writing. It's very no frills and straight forward. A word about Lively Art. I really wanted to like that book. It's just very dated. I had to change the writing topics. That didn't make it all that user friendly to me. But my biggest problem is just coming up with topics. That might not bother everyone. As an example some topics are things like why ladies like fine silver and why drag racing is dangerous. What the?! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Blackbird & Co. has an intriguing option called Intro to Composition: The Essay for grades 6-9. Blackbird and Company has some really beautiful curricula, but they are so darn expensive! I wish they would moderate their prices. They actually want $185 for a 30-week course if you buy their bundle. Crazy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Yes, it is very dated. Drag-racing? LOL! We just roll with the drag racing or change the topic to something to do with horseback riding. But the price is certainly right! You might like Essentials in Writing. It's very no frills and straight forward. A word about Lively Art. I really wanted to like that book. It's just very dated. I had to change the writing topics. That didn't make it all that user friendly to me. But my biggest problem is just coming up with topics. That might not bother everyone. As an example some topics are things like why ladies like fine silver and why drag racing is dangerous. What the?! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 But my biggest problem is just coming up with topics. That might not bother everyone. My dd hates being trapped into other people's writing prompts. One of the good things about School Composition and Writing in English, from her perspective, is that I am pretty free with letting her change the prompt if the one she is given is too dated or uninteresting. She wrote about hockey a lot this year. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I am intrigued, Clear Creek can you elaborate on your experience, most especially about the literary essay. I have used and will use again Thinking in Threes , a recommended text for Intro to composition. Thanks. The curriculum uses picture books to teach the literary essay, so none of the themes are too deep and it is pretty easy to find examples to support the thesis statement. It is a good middle school level introduction to the literary essay; it walks the student through looking for themes, understanding several of the more common literary devices, creating a thesis statement, supporting their points with quotes, using in-text citations, and creating a works cited page. It is very scaffolded, so the student is walked through the steps of creating the essay quite thoroughly. The only adjustment I have had to make (I figured it out during the lessons on the descriptive essay) is requiring my daughter make an outline on a separate piece of paper after she has come up with the different parts she wants to put together in the essay. The curriculum has the student basically doing an outline over several pages, but my daughter needs to see it put together on a single sheet of paper for it to be cohesive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Blackbird and Company has some really beautiful curricula, but they are so darn expensive! I wish they would moderate their prices. They actually want $185 for a 30-week course if you buy their bundle. Crazy! I only bought the student guide from them; I bought a used copy of Thinking in Threes on Amazon for a couple dollars and the picture books are available at my library. When I ordered it they actually had the bundle on sale for $139, and it still would have been cheaper to buy all of the extra books on Amazon than to order the bundle at the sale price. I do like their products, but wowzers, they have some high prices!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I contacted the Blackbird and company because I might want to use their materials mentioned here in a co-op setting. They are right now repackaging the composition course materials for the student into 3 separate workbooks. He is supposed to get back with me in a couple of weeks with more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I contacted the Blackbird and company because I might want to use their materials mentioned here in a co-op setting. They are right now repackaging the composition course materials for the student into 3 separate workbooks. He is supposed to get back with me in a couple of weeks with more info.Please let us know what you hear; I'm thinking of buying it for next year, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmama Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Following!😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Ignite Your Writing Jump In Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Essentials in Writing :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeriJ Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 I ordered and received Write On! this month, and love it. "From simple sentences to writing a thesis." is how they describe it. The lessons alternate between academic writing and creative writing. There is a lot of flexibility as to how to use it. The lessons are written to the student and are clear and concise with student examples included. You can easily repeat lessons or skip them depending on your needs. It's the first writing curriculum I've been excited about in a long time. Affordable, do-able and solid IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The student needs to understand how to write a sentence correctly, as well as how to construct a paragraph (topic sentence and supporting sentences, no off-topic sentences). My oldest used a variety of things that didn't really help before she started Intro to Comp., but the one thing that did help was the writing instruction in Rod & Staff grammar. Was there a particular level of R&S that was especially helpful with the writing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 This topic is so timely! Following along! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Was there a particular level of R&S that was especially helpful with the writing? The writing lessons in both the 4th & 5th grade books have a strong focus on paragraph development and writing different types of paragraphs. The lessons are basic, but they are very good at providing a solid foundation and teaching the student to focus on one topic per paragraph and not wander all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 So yes I highly recommend Time Capsule with Attuneup. This semester we are doing Essay Practitioner which is a higher level of writing. My older girls have done two semesters of Time Capsule. They gained great skills from both semester. The first semester was really just learning how to learn independently without me holding their hands. They learned how to use the computer more and formatting papers using Microsoft Word. They learned how to receive assignments online, do it and write a paper or do an assignment based on the reading ALL independently. They learned how to work the webinar program that Amy uses. Plus they learned writing, vocabulary, history and grammar skills as well. 2nd semester was basically refining their writing skills and reviewing the other stuff. TIME MANAGEMENT was a big one too. I also like the Four Square Method too. So do my girls. This method helps with writing prompts often given by schools or state writing tests. We did this over the summer. These two resources really made writing doable for my girls. We have tried IEW, WWE, WWS, R and S and a few other programs. None of them really made them feel confident as much as these two did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hands-On Essays by Bonita Lillie You can see all of Bonita's instructional videos for free. Sometimes we make the writing process too complex on this board. Bonita keeps it simple. It's a good, basic place to start and then you can go and build from the very basic foundation. I have a few nit-picky issues with some of the terminology, but overall this was helpful. There are still some first editions of the workbook and they are super-cheap. Also, never underestimate SWB's outlining instructions in TWTM. Mastering this and being able to identify main topics was a great skill to have polished when you start to write essays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hands-On Essays by Bonita Lillie You can see all of Bonita's instructional videos for free. Sometimes we make the writing process too complex on this board. Bonita keeps it simple. It's a good, basic place to start and then you can go and build from the very basic foundation. I have a few nit-picky issues with some of the terminology, but overall this was helpful. There are still some first editions of the workbook and they are super-cheap. Also, never underestimate SWB's outlining instructions in TWTM. Mastering this and being able to identify main topics was a great skill to have polished when you start to write essays. Would this work well in a co-op setting? I noticed there are 16 lessons. Our co-op meets every other week, 16 times a year. We'll have an hour for each class. Most of the kids did an IEW class last year. What is the age range? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Would this work well in a co-op setting? I noticed there are 16 lessons. Our co-op meets every other week, 16 times a year. We'll have an hour for each class. Most of the kids did an IEW class last year. What is the age range? She shows a wide age range in her classes. We used it in I think 5th or 6th grade at the latest. Watching a couple of the videos is the best way to gauge whether it would be appropriate for the class. They may be past it if they did IEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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