christielee7278 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hi everyone! I'm trying to decide what writing program to get for my upcoming 6th grader. He was ps'ed until last year. I don't think the school he was in did any real kind of writing program with the kids in his classes and we didn't do any this past year as we were just trying to get the hang of homeschooling. What would be some good solid choices for a 6th grader really just starting out? Btw, he is not in any way interested in doing any kind of writing so I need some suggestions that would maybe make it more interesting for him. Thanks so much!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erinfontenot Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hi, after extensive research, I decided to use IEW with my 3 children that I home school. We started it at the end of the school year and they loved it. My weakness is writing too. Check it out on their website. You can actually see sample lessons. It is an awesome program and I can't wait to see the results this year. good luck with your research... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jentancalann Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Wordsmith Apprentice looks to be gentle on the reluctant writer. This is what I'm going with next year for my 6th grader. http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=683170 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christielee7278 Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 Thank you both! I will check these out. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 My 6th grader used Writing Tales 2 last year and did VERY well with it. I think it's great for a reluctant writer. 6th grade is a tad old for WT2, but once you get to the mid-way point in the book it really ramps up. I don't regret using it with him at all. Another option you could look into would be Classical Writing's Homer A. Much more rigorous than WT2 though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iammommy Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I also like the Just Write! Books. Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 For just basic writing mechanics we use 6 Trait Writing by Evan-Moor. Not fancy, not 'classical', but just an easy way to introduce the basics of writing. It includes information for the teacher and answers, if you buy the teacher's edition, and daily workbook pages and a suggested writing assignment at the end of the week based on the topic of the lessons. Also includes some grammar and punctuation basics. It covers ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency and voice. There is one book for each grade level which covers the same basic information at each level, just a little harder as you progress. You can buy it from Timberdoodle or the Evan-Moor website (where it can also be downloaded as an e-book straight to your computer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I used WA with my oldest, but it moved just a little too slowly for us. I'm much happier with IEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) We are using Write Shop for 6th-7th-8th. Here's my review: Write Shop website is https://www.writeshop.com/index.htm. We are using Write Shop 1 & 2 for 6th-7th-8th grade. We have completed Write Shop 1 and the 7th grade portion of Write Shop 2 so far. Write Shop 1 consists of 16/30 lessons covering descriptive, informative, and narrative writing. Write Shop 2 consists of 14/30 lessons covering reviewing the basics, expanding your skills, persuasive writing, and essays. Pros: Extremely detailed instructions for the teacher (this might be considered a con if the teacher didn’t need extremely detailed instructions) Extremely detailed instructions for the student Teaches a variety of methods for brainstorming Teaches many ways to make writing more interesting and varied and requires the student to use them over and over (ex. paired adjectives, present and past participle sentence starters, adverb sentence starters, similes, etc.) Helps the student use vivid words by providing them with thorough lists of words to choose from Strictly limits dull writing (to be verbs, weak words, repetitive words) Guides the student to edit their own work by giving them a checklist Guides the teacher to edit the student’s work by giving them a checklist Nearly secular Cons: Learning curve for the teacher Each Write Shop lesson contains: skill builders (review of synonyms, appositives, adverbs, etc.) pre-writing activity brainstorming/practice paragraph brainstorming/sloppy copy 1st revision final copy We spend 2 weeks per lesson, but that is working 3 days the first week and 2 days the second week. The first 2 days are the most teacher intensive, covering pre-writing lesson (which might involve looking at travel brochures and discussing how they are worded to entice the customer to visit) and the dreaded (for my son and I) practice paragraph. Writing is not my favorite task. Teaching writing is not my favorite task. I spend more time preparing for each writing lesson than I do preparing for any other subject. Writing is not my son’s favorite task, either. We spend more time together working on writing than any other subject. I have seen his writing improve tremendously with Write Shop. I have been able to teach writing and help my son improve his writing through Write Shop. The results have been worth the time and effort. Edited June 18, 2009 by Sue in St Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I have to 2nd IEW. We really like it. It is a bit pricey, however there is a money back clause if you buy it new. I talked with Andrew over the phone extensively before buying it and have been thoroughly satisfied. My extremely reluctant soon to be 7th grader is enjoying IEW. He really appeals to boys, uses lots of humor, and the pace is steady. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christielee7278 Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 Thanks ladies! I'll take a look at all the suggestions. I appreciate the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Writing Strands, Level 4 (the books are experience levels, not grade levels). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I like the pace of WA, but the drawings and theme drive me absolutely batty. I'm considering just going straight to WriteShop for my 7th grader next year, but I might try to be unbiased and see if he chooses WA instead ;) i hated IEW when we tried it up in NY years ago, but since there are plenty of people that like it, you might want to seriously consider it. Esp w/ a money back guarantee. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willowcreek Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I have used IEW, and it is very helpful for getting a child writing and writing increasingly complex and vocabulary-rich pieces. We had great success with that for a while, and are goin to do Bravewriter's THe Writer's Jungle this year. It has some great excercises and ideas, thought it is not a laid-out curriculum. I like the angle and think it would be a great "jumping-in" strategy to get a kid writing and finding their voice to produce in a less format-oriented way than IEW. www.bravewriter.com Just another option. Having also looked at Wordsmith Apprentice, it is an expensive option that a 6th grader could work through quickly, and I think with results and confidence. Much less teacher-oriented than the Bravewriter or IEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I was going to suggest Wordsmith Apprentice, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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