Re: classical writing curricula -- what is your preference and why?

[Janie]

Again, I'm in the midst of scope & sequence preparation; this time, writing. I posted here on the high school board because I approach S&S formulation from the top down, i.e. whatever we want our graduate to know must begin in the lower grades.

 

That said, materials must be classroom-friendly. While I homeschooled from twenty years, I found lots of great material perfect for a homeschool situation but difficult to use in a traditional classroom without more changes than it was worth.

 

Unfortunately, progymnasmata materials were just beginning to become available as I finished my hs journey. From what I've read and the little bit I've used, I really believe this is the way to go. So, I have been surveying curricula available and would like to hear your opinions of stuff you have found works.

 

Please add to this developing list of progym materials:

 

 

• Classical Composition
  (Selby)
  
  
• Writing Tales
  (Olsen)
  
  
• Classical Writing
  (Jaqua/Gustilo)
  
  
• Imitation in Writing
  (Whitling/Logos Press)
  
  
• Institute for Excellence in Writing
  (Muller)
  
  

 

 

Thanks!

[Janie]

bump

[Cleopatra]

We're using Classical Writing and I am beginning to see wonderful results. It was a bit of a learning curve at first but now that I'm familiar with the program, it allows so much flexibility to tailor it to the child. Classical Composition is very similar and originally I went back and forth between the two but ended up choosing CW as it seemed to have more support at the time, as well as online classes for the upper levels. Writing Tales is comparable to the Aesop level in CW but it doesn't go farther than that, so you have to be prepared to change programs around grade 5.

 

I don't think either Imitation on Writing is a true progymnasmata program and I know IEW isn't. It uses some progym material (like the book you linked) but doesn't necessarily follow the sequence. IEW was the first writing program we tried and DID NOT like it. It is too formulaic, the students' writing always appears contrived and IMO did not help the students find their "voice" in their writing. Very little reminded me of a progymnasmata program.

 

The Lost Tools of Writing is a program that claims to follow the progym but I've seen arguments that, again, it doesn't truly follow the sequence. There are many people who seem to like it and, honestly, I've never given it more than a cursory glance to give you a useful opinion. :tongue_smilie:

 

I've seen this mentioned on the boards before http://www.amazon.com/Composition-Classical-Tradition-Frank-DAngelo/dp/0023271418/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305302667&sr=8-2 and also this .... http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Rhetoric-Modern-Student-Corbett/dp/0195115422/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305302711&sr=1-1. The latter, Elegant Lion recommended (she always has good recommendations! :001_smile:) and from what I can see (and hear), it looks excellent, although it appears to be more a "how-to" book and not technically a program.

 

HTH a little! I'll be watching to see what others say ......

[FloridaLisa]

Of those on your list, I only have experience with CW and IEW.

 

IEW:

 

My experience: Used SWI-C at home with my dc, who then went on to use the Continuation Course in co-op that year. Also, SWI-B with middle-schoolers and American History with my middle schooler. So, in all, two years at various levels.

 

I liked our two years with IEW (wasn't my first choice to use in the co-op). I think it works best in two situations: for a reluctant or stuck student or for a reluctant teacher. NOT that IEW teachers are unskilled at all; just that *if* a teacher doesn't feel comfortable teaching writing, IEW is a good fit. You presumably wouldn't have that in a school. My child that needed the writing process broken down made great strides the year we used IEW.

 

IEW's strengths:

* Provides a model and structure, and then slowly introduces the student to style techniques.

* Models are solid.

* Instruction is encouraging, not overwhelming.

 

Weaknesses:

* Models, while solid, aren't necessarily Pulitzer prize winning.

* Requiring the style techniques in every paragraph leads the students to create some awkward (and sometimes grammatically incorrect) sentences.

* My fear was that using IEW year after year might create stilted, formulaic

writing.

* Expensive. Though, I'm not sure what the cost would be in a school situation, since you don't need the DVDs.

 

Classical Writing:

 

My experience: used Aesop/Homer for Older Beginners this year in co-op class for middle schoolers.

 

I fell for CW this year. It's been on my shelf for years, but I thought I didn't have time to implement it with my large family. Boy, how I wish I had started this earlier! My two sons are average writers with typically writing problems. I saw some really great writing from them this year and can't wait to start Diogenes.

 

CW's strengths:

* Excellent, rich models. The models exposed the students to great historical events and great literature and required us to think critically as we worked through them.

* Challenging (not overly) vocabulary worksheets (that require etymology, definition, synonyms and quote using the word).

* Challenging grammar exercises. We did most of this at home and it extended what my dc were learning in R & S.

* Excellent writing exercises. The Homer exercises get the students playing with words and sentences and paragraphs. Just good stuff learning how to condense, expand, change sentence type and structure and re-write with synonyms.

 

CW's weaknesses:

* No re-writes required until the last unit on style. I had my students re-write a couple of pieces throughout the semester. It's tragic to let the teacher comments just decorate the page. ;)

* Learning curve. This was much less than I anticipated and we hit a nice rhythm this year.

* Expensive. Again, not sure about the cost comparison in a school situation.

 

Two more not on your list that I used for Rhetoric with my olders are:

Rhetoric in the Classical Tradition, Winifred Horner

The Writer's Workshop, Imitating Your Wy to Better Writing, Gregory Roper

After progressing through CW, I'm not sure whether these will be necessary or not.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[TerriMI]

I believe that Classical Writing is being used in some classrooms. Why don't you ask Lene at the CW message boards about it?

 

I have used CW up to the Herodotus level in our homeschool and can speak a bit about the scheduling, the scope and the support. As far as school scheduling, it is very adaptable. The lessons are set up for 4-day weeks, but can be easily adapted to 5-day weeks. There is a lot to CW. So it may be even advisable to stretch some of the lessons out to two weeks, using 8 days to cover the scheduled 4 days worth of material. Some homeschoolers even decide to skip some of Aesop because there is much repetition. The Homer and Diogenes levels have less repetition. The Herodotus level has very little and I wouldn't advise much skipping of lessons there. In a classroom setting, could you fit it all in? I think for the first levels: yes, if you are flexible. Herodotus: it depends how committed you are.

 

As far as the scope of what they teach and how it is taught, I think it works well. Where appropriate, it integrates most all of the LA to some extent in each level. However, all but the writing instruction itself is meant to be review and application of what is learned in other courses that are focused on them. For example, even though there is extensive practice and some instruction of grammar (as in the eight parts of speech, diagramming, etc..) in CW's Homer level, the authors do not think it thorough enough and recommend that grammar be studied right along side of it. Logic is not covered until the Herodotus level (argumentative writing in the Ref/Con progym) and they recommend TLI to be studied along side it. Although rhetoric instruction is covered in each level, getting more detailed as they progress through the levels, in the Demosthenes level, they use Aristotle's Rhetoric as a text. The suggested readings get more difficult for each level too. I have two dc (14yo and 16yo) right now studying the Herodotus level and they have been progressing nicely in each level not only the readings, but the writing projects and concept reviews too. So even though there is an increase in challenge in each level, the progress of each lesson is incremental enough so that it is not too hard for my regular-ability children.

 

They already have thorough editing lists for students/teachers which they intend for, of course, editing essays but which could be used for a grading rubric. They have student workbooks that keep work together. They have answer manuals. The message board are available too. So I think support materials are good.

 

Maybe someone else could jump in with their thoughts.

 

ETA: The models used for analysis or imitation in CW are the ABSOLUTE BEST of the programs I have used or looked-at, which includes IEW, CC, and this: http://www.amazon.com/Composition-Classical-Tradition-FrankDAngelo/dp/0023271418 You should probably add this last book to your list of progym resources. It is a college text, but I used it satisfactorily for my HS-aged children before CW came out with their later levels. Follow this link to the bottom of the thread for a very short review of it: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=456787#post456787

Edited May 13, 2011 by TerriKY

[Janie]

Such positive responses for Classical Writing that I will have to give it another look. I am concerned, though, at its price for a classroom but will have to look into that more.

 

I have, in fact, a copy of CW on my shelf. It is actually from the first batch that came out years ago. But at the time, it was rather difficult to figure out even though I was familiar with a bit of progym. Maybe I just didn't try hard enough. I eventually used Composition in the Classical Tradition simply because it was easier to understand. I wonder what, if any, changes have been made between that initial book and the subsequent ones. Usually there are changes.

 

I'm also concerned with actually beginning to implement. It's so much easier in a homeschool situation because the loss is less if the material (or teachers:)) is a flop.

 

Further comments are welcome!

[FloridaLisa]

I'm also concerned with actually beginning to implement. It's so much easier in a homeschool situation because the loss is less if the material (or teachers:)) is a flop.

 

I had the exact concern b/c I was using it for my first run in a co-op class. I knew I could slowly implement and tweak if it was only my kids, but I felt like I needed to have a skeleton syllabus and understand the program from the first class.

 

My learning curve was shorter than I predicted. The Teacher Guides and Student books, written with help from Kathy Weitz, take clear away much of the mist. The TG lays out the lesson and directs the teacher to the exact pages in the Core to understand the lesson. And then the Student Book has pre-selected models, along with the vocabulary, grammar and writing worksheets/exercises.

 

I *think* that Kathy Weitz is working on co-op manuals. I saw mention of this, but when I e-mailed Kathy about it, she said it wasn't ready. I don't think a co-op (or classroom) manual is really necessary b/c everything is there in the TG, SW or Core.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[Janie]

Quick question, Lisa.

 

CW is available from Lulu for 20% off through May 16, so now is the time to get my stuff.

 

What ages did you use this with?

 

I will have 7th and 8th graders only of English next year so I can try all this out on them. The 8th grade group have good English skills, the 7th grade group doesn't.

 

Lotsa questions:

Which level would you suggest I begin with? Aesop, Homer, or Aesop and Homer combined?

Do students just need the student workbook? Or do they also need the core book?

Probably more questions to come. :)

 

Thanks!

[Cleopatra]

Quick question, Lisa.

 

CW is available from Lulu for 20% off through May 16, so now is the time to get my stuff.

 

What ages did you use this with?

 

I will have 7th and 8th graders only of English next year so I can try all this out on them. The 8th grade group have good English skills, the 7th grade group doesn't.

 

Lotsa questions:

Which level would you suggest I begin with? Aesop, Homer, or Aesop and Homer combined?

Do students just need the student workbook? Or do they also need the core book?

Probably more questions to come. :)

 

Thanks!

 

Since you haven't received your answer yet, I'll take a stab at it ..... :001_smile:

 

You would want to use the Aesop and Homer for Older Beginners. It zips through the skills Aesop teaches, which are quite simple, and goes through Homer at a pace that is reasonable for older students.

 

I would get the Homer core book for you (the Older Beginners does not have a combined core, so it's best to go with Homer) and then the students will need the workbooks. I would also suggest getting an instructor's guide for you because it will make teaching it MUCH, MUCH easier! The core is the "meat" of the program and the instructor's guide tells you how to implement it.

 

Also, in case you are interested, Classical Writing is offering an online class in July on the next level, Diogenes. http://www.classicalwritingtutorials.com/CWT/CourseMaximChreiaInAMonth.htm This class will cover both levels of Diogenes; it's for older students to quickly get the skills needed to move to the next level and for teachers who would like to teach the program. You may want to wait and get your head around Homer first, but I thought I would let you know! :001_smile:

[FloridaLisa]

What ages did you use this with?

 

6th-8th graders in a co-op class.

 

Which level would you suggest I begin with? Aesop, Homer, or Aesop and Homer combined?

 

I agree with Cleopatra that you should probably start with the Aesop and Homer for OB for both the 7th and 8th graders. I only assigned one Aesop because it is really just written narration and I wanted to move into the other sklls. I think there are only 4 Aesop assignments in the Older Beginner book. I found Homer plenty meaty for my 8th graders.

 

Do students just need the student workbook? Or do they also need the core book?

 

Again, agreeing with Cleopatra, that the Core book will be for you. It lays out the method that you will use to teach the material.

 

HTH,

Lisa

[PeterPan]

Janie, I have only one beef with CW, and you can take it as you will. It's not going to work for a broad variety of students. *Maybe* it will work in your student population. But much as I want it to, it's like pulling teeth to get it to work with my dyslexic. And it's not like dyslexics aren't in the general student population. And some students will find the models archaic, too long, or unpleasant. There's also a significant drop-out rate on the boards.

 

Writing Tales 1 and 2 are such a TREMENDOUS improvement for teaching and pleasurability in the CW approach. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any hope of follow-up levels. However a student who has done WT1 and 2 can comfortably go into CW Homer A. Even if you decide to go CW-straight, I'd still look at WT (pick the tm for 2), just to see how someone else approaches the same type of material.

 

As for where we're going, well I've concluded years on end of narrative writing ISN'T the only way to get to where we need to go. We're branching out, sowing our oats, enjoying a broad variety of writing, and we'll come back to rhetoric in high school via the WTM recs and MP materials. It's not like you *have* to connect them up front. CW is one way to get there, but you can still go through a sequence like MP's (Cothran) separately and then apply it to content work. At least that's what Cothran said they do at their school.

[TerriMI]

Janie, I have only one beef with CW, and you can take it as you will. It's not going to work for a broad variety of students. *Maybe* it will work in your student population. But much as I want it to, it's like pulling teeth to get it to work with my dyslexic. And it's not like dyslexics aren't in the general student population. And some students will find the models archaic, too long, or unpleasant. There's also a significant drop-out rate on the boards.

 

Ha! It looks like you have more than one beef with CW :001_smile::001_smile:

 

As far as models go, some people consider even old original works, and especially those of very advanced age, not as archaic but as works that have lasted generations because of their worth! Did you have specific CW models that you or your children consider to be archaic or unworthy? Some people consider many modern models to be full of pablum and pc.

 

I have a slightly dyslexic son and he has done pretty well with CW. Maybe the personality differences and his personal strengths have made up for his difficulty. Maybe he could have done even better if I had tried a different approach. Who knows? I still would not recommend that NO ONE who has a child with dyslexia could not succeed with CW. I know. You're probaby not implying that. :001_smile: Just wanted it to be clear.

 

 

Writing Tales 1 and 2 are such a TREMENDOUS improvement for teaching and pleasurability in the CW approach. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any hope of follow-up levels. However a student who has done WT1 and 2 can comfortably go into CW Homer A. Even if you decide to go CW-straight, I'd still look at WT (pick the tm for 2), just to see how someone else approaches the same type of material.

 

As for where we're going, well I've concluded years on end of narrative writing ISN'T the only way to get to where we need to go. We're branching out, sowing our oats, enjoying a broad variety of writing, and we'll come back to rhetoric in high school via the WTM recs and MP materials. It's not like you *have* to connect them up front. CW is one way to get there, but you can still go through a sequence like MP's (Cothran) separately and then apply it to content work. At least that's what Cothran said they do at their school.

I haven't seen WT and am just curious: Are all the levels of WT then, just the narrative level? What kind of analysis of the models does WT include? Does WT go at a slower/gentler pace than CW's narrative levels?

 

 

I wonder if you could explain in greater detail what MP (Cothran) meant. Do they teach the progym, but only as writing projects in a content class and not in a separate writing class? Is that what you intended to say? Just wanting to make sure I understand you right.

 

I don't think CW is the only way to teach writing. Nor do I think it is the only way to teach writing classically. It 's just the best way out of I've seen or used in my family. YMMV

Edited May 20, 2011 by TerriKY

[1Togo]

Also take a look at Classical Composition, another progym curriculum like CW. CC is easy to implement in any setting. The author and teachers at his academy have been using it in the classroom for ten years. No special instrutions needed for a coop setting. One Teacher Manual for you, and every student needs a Student Workbook. CC includes vocabulary and work with sentence structure.

[Tullia]

Janie,

 

One of my home school regrets was that my son was able to use Classical Writing only through Diogenes Maxim--he was working faster than the publishing schedule. We also used the first level of Lost Tools of Writing his final year in high school because I thought he needed more work with invention. Many of the examples in LToW were geared toward middle school, but we had no problem tweaking it to fit our needs. We did some tweaking with CW as well. I would be hard pressed to choose between CW and LToW.

 

Classical Writing has changed noticeably from the earliest editions. I purchased Aesop and Homer as pdf downloads before there were workbooks, instructor guides or schedules for older beginners. The newer editions and volumes are more user friendly and require less teacher prep time. As I've posted elsewhere, I give CW a lot of credit for my son's impressive reading comprehension skills and his relatively easy transition to college writing even though he worked through only Aesop, Homer, Diogenes Maxim, Beginner's poetry, and parts of Intermediate.

 

I did use Aesop in a co-op class for a part of one semester with middle school and early high school students. The class was small enough that it was possible to use a one-room school approach. The older students learned a lot, and the review of punctuation for dialogue was helpful for me. Their writing projects tended to be more sophisticated than those done by the younger students. That same class worked through the first poetry volume the next semester. I was pleased with the class discussions as well as the quality of the writing projects for both. For my son, the co-op class on Aesop was a repeat; he enjoyed being able to hear the other students read their versions of the fables.

 

If you're looking for something that helps you tie all the different language arts/literature threads together, CW is an excellent choice, but CW is incremental by design so it requires a long-term commitment in order to progress though grammar, logic and formal rhetoric. If you're looking for a curriculum that teaches stand-alone progym exercises, then Classical Composition might be a good choice. My impression of LToW is that it uses modern essay forms but teaches students the underlying rhetorical theory. Andrew Kern reads and posts here; he may describe the curriculum differently ;).

 

I have no experience teaching a dyslexic student, but do have some with pencil phobic reluctant boys who swear they can't think of anything to write. The progym exercises help overcome that difficulty, IME.

 

We've also used a couple of the Imitation in Writing books; I found the instruction good but not as detailed as CC, CW or LToW. My experience with IEW is limited to the Advanced Communication Series dvd packet.

 

HTH,

Martha

[angela in ohio]

I don't consider IEW in general (TWSS, SWI, etc.) to be progym. Imitation is one part of the progym, but it is also a method of teaching in itself, as in IEW, imho. The same goes for Logos' Imitation in Writing.

 

One specific program from IEW deals with the progym: Classical Rhetoric through Structure and Style.

 

I think if you want something for classroom use, there are two good choices: Classical Writing or Classical Composition.

[Janie]

Of course, it doesn't take much to overwhelm me right now; I've been treading water for days with many more days to come!

 

Just like years ago when Classical Writing first came out, I opened up the books to flip through at a cursory glance, and came away with that initial thought again........I CAN'T DO THIS!!!!

 

But I know I can with some time, focus, energy, and lots of hand-holding from you all! Actually, I'm confident in my ability to teach this stuff, it's just following the thinking pattern of those who wrote the program. Whenever I first glance at something, if it is not clean and clear, I tend to back away from it EVEN IF I know how to do it.

 

So, I will be devoted about a week soon after school is out to get down and dirty with this and see if it will be a viable alternative to teaching writing this year. With the comments from those of you WTMers who I've know from the beginning of the boards, I'm trusting in those comments about seeing great improvement in writing after beginning CW.

 

I may go ahead and order a copy of Classical Composition Aesop for definitive comparison purposes. If anyone has a copy of either teacher's or student's books and want to sell them, contact ASAP!

 

This is a giant step for our school. Having become acquainted with the progym approach years ago, it just seems so logical to to. To begin to get our teachers thinking along this line, I handed out an info sheet this week in a meeting with lower school teachers about what progym was and a brief scope and sequence. Next year, I will implement some form of progym in my middle school classes and hopefully success from this will allow an eager and easy transition to beginning progym in lower school. My head of school was in this meeting and told me later that he was blown away by the fact that I simply floated that idea. He said that the unfamiliar, big-word (!) terminology was enough to elicit a negative reaction, but he said all the teachers seemed to take it in stride and no one said anything. He said he thought he was the only one blown away. But he went on the say that after reading this brief fact sheet that progym made so much sense and sounded exactly like what we need to increase the writing skills of our students. What a great thing to hear from your head of school! I love the fact that he supports these moves toward classical education, but also supports all this in more than words only.

 

That said, please watch out some time in June when I post a frantic "I need help" post regarding CW. I anticipate the need for great hand-holding and guidance! I plan to begin reading the CW board to help acquaint myself with the whole concept and process. Feel free to PM me (I'll get it through my e-mail) since I check these boards erratically.

 

Thanks to all of you for such pearls of wisdom!

[PeterPan]

[/color]

I haven't seen WT and am just curious: Are all the levels of WT then, just the narrative level? What kind of analysis of the models does WT include? Does WT go at a slower/gentler pace than CW's narrative levels?

 

 

I wonder if you could explain in greater detail what MP (Cothran) meant. Do they teach the progym, but only as writing projects in a content class and not in a separate writing class? Is that what you intended to say? Just wanting to make sure I understand you right.

 

[/color]

 

Hi Terri--WT1 and 2 are roughly equivalent to CW Aesop A and B. They bring helpful teaching elements (fun games, etc.) that made the materials pop for us. I felt, after using WT2, I had become a better TEACHER and could go back to CW and use it more effectively and engagingly.

 

MP has a sequence of logic and rhetoric materials by Cothran that apply naturally to writing. I haven't used the materials, but he gave an interesting workshop where he explained how to use them, how it carries over to writing, etc. As I recall, CW assigns some MP logic reading, doesn't it? It's not the progym, but it's another way of getting there that would work for some people. When I asked him about it, Cothran said at their school they separate it out, with one teacher doing the logic/rhetoric classes and then another carrying the skills over in a composition class. I was looking for alternate routes, and it was a way to get there.

 

Hey, I just searched your posts and saw you used CWHerodotus with TL this year. So it fleshed it out? Very interesting. Yes, after Cothran's workshop I was very fascinated by his materials, because the application to writing was so obvious. But the point is you could do that with a student *without* doing CW's progression. Or you could do it with. Sounds like you enjoyed doing it with. The feedback I had read from someone else was less earth-shattering. So what did you find it improved by doing the two of them together? And how old or what grade were the kids?

 

As far as the dyslexia and what is causing what, I don't know. I mean we could get really technical. Throw in a little bit of dyspraxia (steam coming out the ears, initiation hump, difficulty getting out what's inside, typing helps), or maybe some 2E that makes her extremely bored. Or call me a bad teacher. I mean mercy, I've already felt that. I already scratch my head enough trying to figure out what to do, how to connect, how to keep her going forward. This is the girl who spits on SOTW that everyone else loves. When she was younger and we did WT2, we survived by trimming the assignments (only do one scene out of three, minimum page length, that type thing), which turns out to be a reasonable accommodation according to "The Mislabeled Child." You get these long, long narratives in Homer B, and it was just not working. I stopped giving her the accommodation (a guilt-trip thing, gotta do it "right"), and that was when it really blew up. And no, she didn't like the models. That's fine that every other child on the planet likes them; mine didn't. She reads adult biographies comparatively, so it's not like she's dumb. She's just picky I guess. And there's a point where you stop fighting and move on.

 

Can you tell any exasperation? I just went and looked at CW Maxim. It does look fun, like things she could do. I need to find out the total amount of writing and what the models are. I've heard it shortens up, doesn't it? She needs more analysis, less length. That we'd be good with.

 

So anyways, you can take anything you want from that. My point was that a school, a regular school, typically has a diverse student population (ESL, SN, etc.), and CW would have to be flexed a lot to work with that. They'd want teachers who wrapped their brains around it and found ways to make it pop (and had the time to do that preparation), or it could get really dry. If the student population is selective, they might not have that issue. They may have weeded these kids out. When I taught WT2, we played games with the grammar, drew pictures while talking about our models, took colored pens to the models to mark grammar, etc. etc. I have no beef with CW as being a good tool for some kids. My point was to look at how it would work in a school population as a whole. But my kid is not in the norm, so I guess don't listen to me. :)

Edited May 21, 2011 by OhElizabeth

[Janie]

Hi Terri--WT1 and 2 are roughly equivalent to CW Aesop A and B. They bring helpful teaching elements (fun games, etc.) that made the materials pop for us. I felt, after using WT2, I had become a better TEACHER and could go back to CW and use it more effectively and engagingly.

 

Thanks! Good confirmation!

[PeterPan]

Janie, did you get the regular or the co-op version of your CW stuff? I was just noticing on the Diogenes listing that they've been beta-testing a co-op/classroom/weekly version of the student workbooks and IGs. When we did our WT2 class I LOVED working that way. Thought that might interest you, if it's ready in time.

[Janie]

I got Aesop and Homer for Older Beginners. (That "older beginner" category is definitely ME!) If all goes well, we will continue with this next year. I'm really anxious about figuring out CW during one week in June!

[dovrar]

I've used CW on and off and most thoroughly enjoyed their Beginning Poetry book. Homer was overwhelming, but we're giving it another try this coming year. Just a couple of nights ago I went through the Homer Core book and highlighted all of the goals that were written out for each skill level of each day and copied them into a notebook in order to get a feel for what we're trying to accomplish with each of the exercieses, and how to know when we're ready to move on to another skill level. I plan to type them out and keep them somewhere for easy access.

[Create Your Ritual]

I am hoping upper level CW or CC users might be willing to help. We have been discussing the main difference between WWS, CC and CW over at the Logic Stage Board, and I mentioned that I had not seen upper levels of CC or CW writing. I would also be curious about LToW. Would anyone be willing to share a few samples at the High School Writing Workshop?

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3203969#post3203969

__________________

[Julie in GA]

I'm not sure what you mean about no "re-writes." We've always done a first and second draft of each WP, making necessary changes after going through the editing protocol. Or are you talking about something else?

 

Thanks,