Needing a break from WWE, what would you recommend?

[Laura Cook]

DS9 will be finished with WWE2 this week. We love WWE and plan on doing WWE3, but would like to shake things up and do something else for the rest of this year. I have been looking at Treasured Conversations and CAP Writing and Rhetoric Fable. On my phone so I can't link! Which if these would be a good follow up? Or if you have other suggestions? Thanks!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Either one would be good, and a nice followup/bridge between the WWEs.  TC has a section on grammar - learning grammar through analyzing sentences - and then a section on paragraphs - understanding paragraph structure, outlining paragraphs, then writing your own, and then a section on report writing - reading a nonfiction passage, organizing the information about a main point and writing a paragraph.  These take you beyond the skills taught in the WWEs, as they explicitly teach paragraph writing.

 

W&R covers a lot of the same ground, but with more explicit instruction and more variety than WWE, and less explicit instruction in paragraphing than TC.  It has a lot of variety in its exercises, so it's good for kids who like variety or who have become bored with WWE.  By then end of Fable, you are meant to create and write your own fable, but the scaffolding is less explicit than in TC.

 

Really, either one could work for your purposes, but TC will get your kid understanding and writing paragraphs better than any other elementary program I've seen.

[SFM]

We also needed a break from WWE this past year so we started with Killgallon Paragraphs for Elementary School and my DS10 loves it. I do plan to go back to WWS maybe in the middle of next year but so far this has really helped his paragraph development and given him new ways to construct sentences. HTH.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We also needed a break from WWE this past year so we started with Killgallon Paragraphs for Elementary School and my DS10 loves it. I do plan to go back to WWS maybe in the middle of next year but so far this has really helped his paragraph development and given him new ways to construct sentences. HTH.

 

That's another good one!

[Laura Cook]

Either one would be good, and a nice followup/bridge between the WWEs. TC has a section on grammar - learning grammar through analyzing sentences - and then a section on paragraphs - understanding paragraph structure, outlining paragraphs, then writing your own, and then a section on report writing - reading a nonfiction passage, organizing the information about a main point and writing a paragraph. These take you beyond the skills taught in the WWEs, as they explicitly teach paragraph writing.

 

W&R covers a lot of the same ground, but with more explicit instruction and more variety than WWE, and less explicit instruction in paragraphing than TC. It has a lot of variety in its exercises, so it's good for kids who like variety or who have become bored with WWE. By then end of Fable, you are meant to create and write your own fable, but the scaffolding is less explicit than in TC.

 

Really, either one could work for your purposes, but TC will get your kid understanding and writing paragraphs better than any other elementary program I've seen.

Will one of these help cement narrations? He is hit or miss on doing good narrations. He can usually answer the questions in WWE fine, but sometimes I feel like I'm having to lead him through the narration. And I think he needs instruction in forming more coherent, interesting sentences. He is pretty good at dictation. Maybe we should just move on to WWE3 and then do one of these other programs. I don't know, I'm not even sure what I'm asking! Lol!

[Chrysalis Academy]

W&R does, to some extent, in that it breaks it down more - you ask them "What's the most important thing that happened at the beginning? THe Middle? The end? So you are showing them how to narrate chronologically.  You could do this same kind of scaffolding with the WWE passages, but W&R does make it a bit more explicit.  And the passages are a little shorter and easier in the early books.

[Guest]

Well, for something completely different, how about WriteShop Primary?

[Laura Cook]

Well, for something completely different, how about WriteShop Primary?

I don't think I've ever seen that, will go take a look, thanks!

[ALB]

We took a break from WWE (which turned into a permanent break, but now we're using a different program  :laugh: ) and just did copy work and dictation.  For copy work I just let Dd copy her favorite sentence each day from the books she was reading.  She loved this, and didn't just pick out the shortest sentences (although to be honest I could see my son doing it that way).  It taught her to notice descriptive language and beautiful words. She dedicated a pretty little notebook to it and still likes to go back and look at it.

[texasmama]

To toss out another option, Writing Tales. Dd9 is using TC this year but will move on to WT next year.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Another option - what we're doing at the moment  - is Write from History. It's a very fleshed-out way to do writing as part of your history studies, not as a separate thing.  You have historical narratives, poems, stores, and bios, and you read them and your student can do an oral or a written summary, there are models for copywork and dictations, with instructions how to use the models to analyze and study/review grammar.  This has been Morgan's exclusive choice for writing for the past month.  Of course, now that I publicly announce that she really likes it, she will decide she is tired of it and wants to do something else.  How does she know?  :tongue_smilie:  :001_rolleyes:

[EmilyGF]

We enjoyed taking a break with CAP W&R, but followed its schedule. I think you need to add additional revisions if you want to see an improvement in writing. My son enjoyed it, but I'm not sure he improved.

 

If I use it again, I'll schedule every third week as a revision and rewrite week. It is a fun change of pace from WWE, with some creative writing, but not enough to drive my analytical, color-in-the-lines son crazy. 

[TheAttachedMama]

Another option - what we're doing at the moment  - is Write from History. It's a very fleshed-out way to do writing as part of your history studies, not as a separate thing.  You have historical narratives, poems, stores, and bios, and you read them and your student can do an oral or a written summary, there are models for copywork and dictations, with instructions how to use the models to analyze and study/review grammar.  This has been Morgan's exclusive choice for writing for the past month.  Of course, now that I publicly announce that she really likes it, she will decide she is tired of it and wants to do something else.  How does she know?  :tongue_smilie:  :001_rolleyes:

 

I was just going to suggest Write from History too!   We also really needed a break from WWE.  However, I still wanted to keep up with the habit of copywork, dictation, and narration.   I believe in the WWE theory....I just needed a change.  I think a lot of it has to do with the time of year.   Things can easily become so monotonous this time of year.   And the kids and I just needed some type of change in our writing instruction.   So perhaps a lot of my needing to change was mental.  ;)

 

So--- we started WFH just recently.   I love it.   I find it is such an efficient use of my time.   Most of the selections are things I want to read to my children anyway.  (Literature, poetry, fables, and first hand documents that tie in with our history studies.)  WWE was a lot of excerpts from random books.  I read SO much to my children from other "for fun" books.  Do I really need to read random parts from other books just for the sake of narration?   It was starting to feel contrived and artificial.  So I feel a lot better about how my time is being spent now when we do WFH.

 

Also, as mentioned above, WFH is highly adaptable.   I like that about it.   I can CHOOSE which components I want to use and how I will use them.  

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Here is my plan for writing (although you may be a bit ahead of the game than me).   As you can see, I still have a lot of details to work out.   But I am sharing it in case it helps you some.    Sometimes just being able to bounce ideas off each other works wonders, you know??    ;)

 

One thing that has really helped me is to lay out my actual GOALS for the various years.  Sometimes I get so caught up in finishing a book or a curriculum component that I forget where I am actually headed in writing.  (I start to think like a zombie, "Must finish spelling book.  Must finish WWE 2.  Must finish FLL 2.")  lol

 

Basically, I put the cart before the horse!   So---backing up and deciding WHERE I want to get to helps a lot.  Then, I can look at the curriculum as a tool to get me where I need to go.  (Instead of the other way around.)   I ask myself, "What tools are out there that will help get my children where they need to be?"  

The following is my (personal) answer to that question:

 

1)  Current:  Our plan is to work on more "Charlotte Mason Style "narrations instead of WWE style narrations.   I'm also going to continue to work in spelling so they get a larger 'bank' of words that they know how to spell.   Spelling is a huge priority for me personally because my kids tend to be perfectionists. 

 

I am also going to continue copywork and dictation.  My goal with copywork and dictation is to help to strengthen penmanship, spelling, punctuation, hand endurance, and working memory.  They are "work horse" subjects!

 

Summation is taught early on in WWE.   I have noticed (personally) that it has effected my children's ability to narrate and "tell" a story in a negative fashion.    So we have started to include more "Charlotte Mason style narrations" at this stage.    (Summaries are taught in CAP W&R fable in a very systematic way IMHO.  So we will cover summaries later.)   For right now, I am happy to let them talk a story out and give them as many words as they need to formulate their 'abstract' thoughts into words.  

 

SO...for right now:    I read a story to the kids from WFH, and then I ask them to them to try to tell the store back to me using their BEST storytelling skills.  I challenge them to try to tell the story in an interesting fashion that will make people want to read it and listen to it.   I write down their stories as they watch.   Later in the day, I have each child read back their narration to the family.   This gives them a chance to show off their ability to tell a story.  Plus, I have noticed that they work harder to narrate well when they know it will be used for something. 

 

2)   This summer:   After we finish First Language Lessons 2, we are going to go through the first part of Treasured Conversations.    This will give us a great review in grammar, PLUS teach us to write strong sentences.    I don't see these skills explicitly taught in CAP W&R -or- WWE.   So I see a lot of value in these lessons.  I want to cover them as a base. 

 

I'm also going to go through the book "The Most Wonderful Writing Lesson" ever.   However, we will use this book to guide us through oral narrations...not independent writing at this point.    (This was written for public school teachers to use for independent writing instruction.   So I will modify it quite a bit.  Not perfect, but the best I have found in walking through the art of storytelling.) 

 

3) Next school year  (Fall 2015):   This will be the start of a new school year.   At this point, we are going to start the next level of First Language Lessons.  (I still want to teach diagramming.) 

 

My plans for writing are still a bit fuzzy.  

I think we will also start CAP W&R fable.  I feel like CAP W&R fable is pretty light.  So this will give us a chance to ease into our other subjects for the year.   (We will be starting Latin this year too, so I feel like a lighter 'writing' subject might be right up our alley as the kids adjust to the work load.)   I don't yet own fable yet, BUT based on samples, it looks like it teaches summation in a very systematic way.    (My kids thrive on systematic instruction.)   It will also work on elocution and other literary techniques not taught in TC or WWE.   Plus, it just looks fun!  

 

I am torn on what to do with Wrting from History.   I *may* include it in our regular history study and use it as a source for copywork/dictation.  However, I don't want to schedule in too much language arts.  (That is so easy to do!)  So until I see how our schedule works out. 

 

After Fable, I will probably start in on the second and third parts of TC.   My goal now will be to teach the kids how to write strong paragraphs and outlining/note taking.   This should take us to the end of the year and maybe into the summer.

 

4)  Summer of 2016:   After TC, we are going to start the second part of CAP W&R (Narrative 1).   Again, I feel like this program is light compared to WWE.    HOWEVER, it should give them a review of some of the things they covered in TC.  (TC seems to do a better job of teaching paragraph writing than CAP W&R IMHO.)   Plus, it will keep them in the habit of writing in the summer so we don't lose too much ground in those months.   My hope is that they can show off some of their new found skills learned in TC in Narrative I. 

 

Once the NEXT school year starts, I will probably keep assigning them writing projects as part of history or science study (using the skills previously taught in TC).  THEN, I will just keep on trucking down the CAP path for our formal writing instruction.  

 

That is MY tentative plan for the next few years.   However, it may change as I actually get into the thick of things.  You know what they say about "Best laid plans..." and all that.  ;)

 

[My3girls]

We took a break after WWE2 and are using CAP Fable. It was a tough transition for my 3rd and 4th graders as it required more thought and effort than WWE. They are doing well with it now, and we are about 1/2 way through it. I think we are going to stick with it for a while. I'm planning to get WFH soon to add in additional copy work and dictation, but it sounds like we can get more out of it than I was thinking.

[Reefgazer]

We alternated Writing With Ease and CAP Fable, and found that we like Fable much better, so we completely switched. I think Fable would be a good option to switch to for a change of pace.