radiobrain Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 So I am always tooling around looking for stuff, I am getting better at choosing but... :tongue_smilie: This is what I am toying with... but I want advice/opinions anything!! Jump in Writing... too religious? Or is it really workable? Worth it? Would I need TM? Stack the Deck series... specifically Flip & Check the deck.... TM, necessary? Writing with ease... what level? Foundation book or workbook? ARG! Or do I just stick with an occasional freewrite and those sorts of things? My boys are 10 & 9 with a very solid understanding of grammar, vocab etc. (thank you MCT!) but with questionable "actual" writing skills. Classic left-handed, boy, perfectionist, contrarian, challenging (gifted) types with varying degrees of each of these lovely qualities depending on the moment. So I have the super high understanding vs. terrible skill set (handwriting, spelling, motivation) with these two. Part of it is my fault, but I still believe that I have chosen to do the right thing in not pressing the issue until their hands could catch up to their brains. This is just that hard few months of jamming them together, right? anyway.. I want to place my rainbow order soon! Thanks in advance!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 He sounds to have been similar to your sons. Now, a few years later, he is writing a story for fun in his own time. I never thought I would see the day. There are four books in this series: two fiction and two non-fiction. The SATs mentioned are not the US version, but a UK school exam taken at age eleven or so. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 So I am always tooling around looking for stuff, I am getting better at choosing but... :tongue_smilie: This is what I am toying with... but I want advice/opinions anything!! Jump in Writing... too religious? Or is it really workable? Worth it? Would I need TM? Stack the Deck series... specifically Flip & Check the deck.... TM, necessary? Writing with ease... what level? Foundation book or workbook? ARG! Or do I just stick with an occasional freewrite and those sorts of things? My boys are 10 & 9 with a very solid understanding of grammar, vocab etc. (thank you MCT!) but with questionable "actual" writing skills. Classic left-handed, boy, perfectionist, contrarian, challenging (gifted) types with varying degrees of each of these lovely qualities depending on the moment. So I have the super high understanding vs. terrible skill set (handwriting, spelling, motivation) with these two. Part of it is my fault, but I still believe that I have chosen to do the right thing in not pressing the issue until their hands could catch up to their brains. This is just that hard few months of jamming them together, right? anyway.. I want to place my rainbow order soon! Thanks in advance!! I'd use Writing With Ease, esp. because of your descriptions of your kids. All you really need is the hardback book - workbooks are in case you don't want to pull all your own materials together - but you CAN do it with just the hardback book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezus Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 We have used Stack the Deck program and liked it. Our experience so far is with the Split the Deck level. It breaks up the writing process into manageable chunks. There is a lot of emphasis on the pre-writing stage, which is where my daughter always got hung up. We liked the variety of writing projects in the book. You could probably do it without the teacher's manual, but I did get the one for our level and found it useful. It has answers to the exercises and some suggestions for how to help your student with the exercises. It wasn't very expensive. When we move onto the next level I will probably get the teacher's manual too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 First of all, thanks so far for the suggestions.....:001_smile: If I could figure out how to quote (and am not in the mood to figure it out right now:)), I would but i will just address one thing... just to clarify!.... I don't find it frustrating to gather things, though it is nice not to, and I DEFINITELY don't worry about wether or not I am "doing it right".... I don't think that I have ever, and I mean, EVER followed any curriculum as stated. I am beginning to see the value in "scripting" but in general, I dislike it. I would probably get the WB though, for my own sanity. Although I like the idea behind WWE and most of SWBs materials, I have never been able to swallow her formatting. The books are always laid out very counter-intuitively to my way of thinking and teaching... not to mention my irritation with certain font styles (especially in OPGTR). It makes it difficult for me to get as much out of the programs as I should. I am super visual, and more than comfortable with expanding on any concept. I just am hitting a bit of a wall, just as I am starting to attempt it. I know that I will never find any curriculum that is "just right" ~ I mean, I am a MCT devotee and I STILL can't follow his stuff exactly. I still l modify it! :D But, if he had an elementary writing program I would be all over it. I do have the WWE "strong foundation" book, or whatever it is called, on my library hold list... so I hope to get a really good look at it soon. I have to go take the boys to deliver their paper route! Where did my day go!:lol: Korin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 My boys are 10 & 9 with a very solid understanding of grammar, vocab etc. (thank you MCT!) but with questionable "actual" writing skills. Hi, just curious - have you also been using the MCT writing books? I think I'm going pretty much with MCT across the board for my older two for LA next year, and I've been wondering if the writing component will be "enough". (I'm starting my 11yos back a level to Paragraph Town because we're jumping in the middle and I want to make sure they have a good foundation). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Although I like the idea behind WWE and most of SWBs materials, I have never been able to swallow her formatting. The books are always laid out very counter-intuitively to my way of thinking and teaching... not to mention my irritation with certain font styles (especially in OPGTR). It makes it difficult for me to get as much out of the programs as I should. I am super visual, and more than comfortable with expanding on any concept. I was going to suggest Wordsmith Apprentice w/ my usual caveat of "but i hate their formatting" --but maybe YOU'd like it, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I have really enjoyed Writers Jungle. The boys are putting out some good writing. It's fairly painless and best of all it's helped me RELAX about writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy C Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) I was also wondering whether you used MCT for writing I just ordered MCT for my sons and plan on using that for writing...and it was such a relief to think I could stop worrying about finding a writing program for this year! Amy Edited June 25, 2009 by Amy C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJH Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I used http://www.olsenbooks.com/index.html Writing Tales with DS for the last half of this year with amazing results. He went from barely writing a short paragraph (and not being happy about doing that). To writing 2 wonderful pages with ease, and no complaints. And all of this in about 5 weeks. I was showing my mom DS's writing just the other day, and she was amazed at the transformation too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Not to confuse you further, but have you seen Write With the Best? http://www.edudps.com/WWTB.html I purchased both volumes to work through next year with my middle son. He's going to be a young 7th grader next year, and I felt that he is just not ready for CW Diogenes Maxim. I purchased Open the Deck from the Split the Deck program, but for me, it's focus is mostly on creative writing, so I decided it wasn't what I was looking for. I found Write With the Best recommended on this board (it was in one of the hundreds of posts that I read through looking for other writing programs). I just wanted a bridge to get us back to CW, but I'm very impressed with this program and may use it longer than I originally intended. It comes in a loose leaf format which was good for me because I reorganized the pages. Each unit focuses on a different type of writing. Most units are 10 days long. However, unit 4 of volume 2 is about Writing Essays, and it is 20 days (or 4 weeks) long. There are guidelines on how to write a persuasive essay, a proofreading checklist, a literary sample of an essay, and 20 days of specific assignments culminating with a finished copy of the student's essay. All of the units are set up this way. I can't say that it has helped my son's writing because we haven't used it yet, but I like the way it teaches writing, and it is reasonably priced. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cslbda Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I don't have any experience with it, but we are going to use Writing Strands. After glancing through the books, I only saw one mention of church and it was just a passing reference- so I would say definitely secular. That said, the actual course itself seems like it will be very good in terms of getting the child to develop fully as a writer. I'll be starting my sons with levels 3 and possibly 5 or 6. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 Thanks all of you!!! I want to say a couple of things... as I can never seem to help myself anyway....:001_smile: I never really thought about using my MCT for writing. If you noticed before, I said that I have never used anything exactly as written. I think it's that I just dismissed it out of hand because my boys are totally capable of understanding all levels of the program, but the parts that you could use as writing exercises are at the same level, advanced... where my kids are still what I would call "beginning" writers. I will look at it again. I am now not only trying to decide *which* program I might go with... but if I even do one at all. I have an old copy of Bravewriter, I have my MCT stuff, a library, a pad of paper and a brain.... maybe I can save myself $30+ and wing it. I can buy the kids a sushi dinner after completing enough writing! :D Now does THAT sound crazy? Probably! Those other 2 programs sound great too! ARG!!! korin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Thanks all of you!!! I want to say a couple of things... as I can never seem to help myself anyway....:001_smile: I never really thought about using my MCT for writing. If you noticed before, I said that I have never used anything exactly as written. I think it's that I just dismissed it out of hand because my boys are totally capable of understanding all levels of the program, but the parts that you could use as writing exercises are at the same level, advanced... where my kids are still what I would call "beginning" writers. I will look at it again. I am now not only trying to decide *which* program I might go with... but if I even do one at all. I have an old copy of Bravewriter, I have my MCT stuff, a library, a pad of paper and a brain.... maybe I can save myself $30+ and wing it. I can buy the kids a sushi dinner after completing enough writing! :D Now does THAT sound crazy? Probably! Those other 2 programs sound great too! ARG!!! korin If you're going to do your own thing, you could also consider SWB's writing suggestions for 4th/5th grade. I'm not sure if it's spelled out as such in the WTM all in one place but at the Cincy Conference she talked about suggestions for each grade level. For 5th it was something like: Written narrations from science and history 2x/week, Literary essay (see writing prompts in the WTM) ~1/2 page - once/week, and level one outlining once or twice/week (?). Just another option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I am now not only trying to decide *which* program I might go with... but if I even do one at all. I have an old copy of Bravewriter, I have my MCT stuff, a library, a pad of paper and a brain.... maybe I can save myself $30+ and wing it. I can buy the kids a sushi dinner after completing enough writing! :D Now does THAT sound crazy? Probably! I don't think that sounds crazy at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchel210 Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Mine uses IEW. I dont see anything religious in it. I know they are not secular...but I dont notice anything in it. I find it a wonderful program. My 13ds is using the swi b. My 8 yo gifted dd is also using it. She loves it. Her writing has taken off. She has only done a few weeks of it. We had Jump in last year. I never got through it. I didnt find that religious either. I think that is an easy book to go through that teaches in steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellycbr Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 I thought IEW was secular. What are they then? Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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