Anyone used CW, CC, or CAP writing for middle school and up?

[specialkmom]

I'm looking into writing for my ds 7th and ds 5th. My older ds has done CAP's WR books 1-3 and then we took this last year off to do IEW Following Narnia vol 1 in a co-op class. My younger ds did IEW's All things fun and fascinating this year. It was a nice break for my older ds but he expressed his desire to return to CAP and not do IEW again. There were aspects I liked but others I didn't.

I thought maybe we'd go back to W&R, skipping book 4 and picking up at 5&6. But then I came across MP's Classical Composition and then Classical Writing. I've looked a lot on this forum and other sites as well as samples and am wondering how far folks have gone with these programs. I know CAP's program is newer and probably no one has gone through all the books.

 

This year my older ds had a very full schedule and I'd like to not overwhelm him for next year. We live overseas in a rural area and I want him to have a life when the local kids aren't in school.

 

Classical Writing appeals to me since it ties in vocabulary and grammar. But I've had difficulty in viewing samples and getting a feel for it. Also 2 years to cover one book sounds like a lot of repetition and I think my younger ds would revolt. I would probably do Older Beginners for my older ds if I went this route.

 

W&R we enjoyed very much. But it seemed time consuming as well. I wasn't too impressed with how outlining was handled either. We loved the readings and the discussion and my ds liked the word substitutions for sentences. He enjoyed getting to make up some of his own characters and storyline within a model. But I don't know if I have the time to do that with both boys as I have other kids to teach as well. My younger ds is more of a "just give me the facts and let me do it" kid.

 

CC looks a bit streamlined in comparison. I wonder if my second ds would do well with this since the expectations are a little more clearly laid out. That was one of the things I liked about IEW and yet felt was a little overboard. All the dress-ups and having to have all of them. It made for some frustrating times. Often I would say, "I don't care if you are missing this one or that one. Your paper is just fine without it and to add it in would make it sound awkward." However, he did like having some clear expectations. But, I want him to actually think through his writing and not just check off boxes.

 

 

Anyway, I'd like to hear some success stories of folks who have used these programs long term. Or maybe some advice on which to go with.

Edited April 23, 2017 by specialkmom

[Amy M]

I'm eager to hear what others say. We're trying CW Homer for the first time this year with my 5th grader, after using CAP 1-2, so I don't have answers for your questions. I'm not sure how I feel about Homer. I think I'll like it for the writing component, but I am actually getting a little frustrated with how many other things like sentence diagramming, a ton of vocab work, etc., that are added in, because it takes a lot of time to teach and for him to do. I am teaching him typing, so at least he doesn't have to write out his papers. But there is an "analysis and imitation" section of work every day, as well as a writing portion. Both take some time. The teacher's book for Homer is excellent, but not very user-friendly. If I understood writing well and felt more confident, I wish I could just use that manual across the curriculum and teach my child how to write using CW methods with models from our other subjects. We also live overseas as missionaries in a rural area, so I can relate to your desire to not have their days too full with academics while the other kids are on holiday. CW, as written, probably won't give you that. But I'm considering cutting out some of the extra grammar work. We also use R&S for grammar.

 

ETA: I have considered, after my bit of experience this year with Homer A, doing CAP or CAP 1-2 plus WWS1 through 6th grade and then using CW Homer for Older Beginners before moving to CW for 7th-12th grades. So I thought that idea of using CW for Older would be good.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Amy Meyers

[specialkmom]

Thank you for your reply Amy.

 

Do you find Homer A to be much more time-consuming than CAP? Do you think the grammar work in CW is redundant with also using R&S? How much time do you spend daily on Homer? I'm curious what a week looks like in Homer. For some reason I can't view the samples on CW's site or the Lulu site.

 

I've just re-read through lewelma's older post of her thoughts after reviewing lots of writing curricula and am leaning toward CW Older Beginner with my oldest. Have you used their Poetry for Beginners? For my younger ds, I am thinking CAP 1-2 or CC Fable/Narrative before doing CW's Older Beginners.