On the topic of writing...

[~Amanda~]

(you tired of me yet?) :lol:

 

This is all so overwhelming, its my first year, I was going to go with the "bare minimum so they don't fall behind and I don't go crazy" method, and then I'll come on the board and see someone talking about something I don't know, I'll look it up, and then I start wondering if its something I need to use…

 

So on the topic of writing, would you recommend something such as IEW (which honestly I can't afford the TWSS) or the WWE? My kids are 9 and 10, 4th and 5th grade, and they have been in PS up until this point. TIA!

[~Amanda~]

:lurk5:

[lauracolumbus]

I vote for WWE. I did WWE 3 w/my 6th and 4th grader last year and am looking into continuing w/WWE 4 or something else this year. They enjoyed it and it was a gentle start (esp. for me).

[~Amanda~]

how do you know which workbook to get?

[Dolphin]

I am enjoying WWE. It is my first year too, and I feel that it is not only teaching my ds writing, but it is helping me learn how to teach. Same with FLL.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Here are the evaluations.

 

http://wtm-pdfs.s3.amazonaws.com/wwe/wweevaluations.pdf

 

I would also recommend listening to these.

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/store/audio-products/audio-lectures.html

 

There are 4 of them that once implemented form a complete K-12 writing program. Even if you don't implement her plan you would atleast get a really good overview of the big picture for writing. You would need to listen to A Plan for Writing for elementary, middle and highschool and then there is also a literary analysis lecture.

 

I use these methods with my older dc in science, history and lit. but I am using WWE 1 for my dd7 and I have been using WWE 2 for my dd11 because she is writing phobic and needed lots of help with narration and dictation.

 

Hope you find something that works for you.:D

[~Amanda~]

thanks for all the help!

[Mallory]

I think WWE is a great program. I don't think at that age you need 4 years to get through it, but I think the skills of narration, copywork, and dictation will give anyone a good foundation for the rest of writing.

 

My 4th grader will be doing WWE 3 this year. I have the text, that covers all 4 levels, and we are going to be using our history book (SOTW), or literature for his writing. It is very possible to do this as laid out in TWTM. You don't "need" WWE. If you have narrations and copywork/dictation planned than that really is enough.

 

If you feel confident about teaching 5th grade writing- keeping up dictation and narrations, starting outlining and short history and science reports- then again you don't "need" a formal curriculum. But there are several age appropriate writing curriculums for this age and they can, at the same time, both complicate your day and also simplify your worries about teaching writing correctly!

 

I have also not even considered IEW because of the price. Right now I have Writing Tales 2 planned for my 5th grader, and I also really like Classical Writing.

[joyfulmomSDG]

Just a thought...if you are interested in IEW but can't afford it (same case here!) can you borrow the DVDs from anyone? I was able to borrow TWSS to watch. So that I wouldn't forget everything in the DVDs, I purchased the seminar binder used for around $10. I was also able to find a Student Writing Intensive set at a really good price as well. We are planning to us it this school year. I am not strong in the writing area - teaching or grading - so I am hoping this will help. It teaches the student directly. Both of your children should be able to use the same level together since they are close in age.

 

IEW has the theme based writing programs that are much more affordable and incorporate the same methods but in a laid-out format. We have one of the Medieval History-Based writing book...but I haven't actually used it.

 

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/catalog/theme-based-writing-1

 

BTW...I can empathize with your "overwhelmed" factor. We began to hs our daughter in 4th grade and she is entering 9th now. There were some years that I abandoned curriculum mid-year because it just wasn't working. Looking back all of our trial-and-error didn't really affect her significantly (pfew). It's probably a good idea to make sure the basics are covered and have fun with the rest...HTH!

[~Amanda~]

I don't know anyone local who has the TWSS; I've posted "ISO" threads but I don't see anyone loaning me their TWSS when they don't know me. I considered the "ancient" IEW cause that is what we are doing in history, but I was afraid of getting it, spending the money on it, and not being able to use it because I hadn't seen the twSS videos.

[~Amanda~]

and I like the idea of NOT having to use the workbooks; I feel like, yes, I can do it on my own. and then it can be about what I want it to be about, instead of stuff I wouldn't necessarily pick. However, it is nice to have it all laid out for you. Observe my panic. lol

[MSNative]

They are very different so I think you really need to look at what you're wanting.

 

I like IEW because it focuses on incorporating writing into other subjects, so I use the techniques and system in history, science, etc. You can use the theme based books without having seen TWSS. It is pretty easy to figure out. Plus, IEW books sell fast on the used market, so if you decide it's not for you, you won't have lost much. If you can find SWI used, I recommend it. My kids think Mr. Pudewa is a riot and don't mind doing writing nearly as much as they did with mean ol' mom.

 

WWE is great because you know you're doing it "right." It's spelled out very clearly. It also sells fast on the used market. I did it w/o the workbook, so I can't comment on that part of it. Felt like we got a lot out of it just using the textbook.

 

Good luck with your first year schooling. Don't panic. :) There is no right way to homeschool. You'll try a few things, realize some work and some need adjusting. I'm starting my fifth year and I'm still adjusting the heck out of it. You can do a great job. Take a breath and enjoy learning and being with your kids.

[Mallory]

If you got the WWE text (they are often for sale here), then there are

6 weeks spelled out for level 1, and 5 for level 2. Sure they will start very easy, but you would have at least 11 weeks to get a feel for your kids writing and mechanics (and would be a very gentle intro for all of you).

 

You might decide to blast right through level 3 (5 more weeks spelled out for you).

 

You could try planning some of your own weeks and streaching out level 3 a little.

 

By then you would know what to do about level 4, again there are 5 weeks spelled out for you. Maybe you'd want the workbook (36 weeks spelled out for you), maybe you'd just fill in the text to finish up your year, maybe you are ready to move beyond narration and dictation.

 

 

The other thing I would recomend about WWE- It is easy to grade. There is nothing subjective about copywork or dictation- it is wrong or right, and the short narrations aren't difficult to judge.

 

I know that, for me, knowing how to start really editing papers seemed really overwhelming at first (although IEW does have a very step by step process I think).

[~Amanda~]

revisiting this because I'm still not sure what to do; there's the IEW for Ancients I've considered, although I don't know how well I could do that without the DVDs to look at to know what I'm doing; now I've discovered the "classical writing" and wondering what are the thoughts on that? I've done a search, it looks like there really isn't a "great" writing program that makes very many people happy...

[4himalone71]

A Co-Op I am involved with had the IEW Structure and Styles Teaching videos available...we all watched them together this summer. We have varrying ages and writing levels...some with one child and some with several.

 

After watching the IEW S&S Training Videos...we were all on board. Since we were doing IEW as a Co-Op...we only had to purchase one training workbook and were able to copy it for the rest of the teaching moms. Now we all are just getting our own SWI (student writing intensives) level A, B or C videos and Student workbooks for our own kids.

 

There is a way the guy tells you how to teach the writing concepts to a group of kids of varying ages...the older ones will get the concept...and you send them off to practice the assignment. Then you re-teach the concept (on dry erase board or chalk board) and when the middle/grammar age kids grasp the concept...off they go...and reteach it to young ones 4yrs - 6yrs and instead of them writing the paragraphs...they do naration back of the stories based on keywords that the teacher writes down with them.

 

The program seems to be teaching basic writing concepts in a step by step way that takes the tears out of writing (or teaching writing)...and the differences in the levels A, B, C...are teaching the concepts with fiction books (A), non-fiction books (B)...or at a faster pace with both ©. Whether you purchase the levels A,B or C for the pre-designed assignment reading/writing practices...or you purchase a subject specific curriculum...you can probably just get away with borrowing the IEW style and structure teachers video and teach the concepts until your child masters them with your own normal school curriculum book reads (bible, history, science) as all have mixture of fiction and nonfiction stories to work with.

 

Hope this helps!