Struggling with writing

[kandty]

I am REALLY struggling with what direction to go with the subject of writing with my Ds, age 11, grade 5th. We started WWE about a year ago. We have worked in WWE 3 and Writing Tales 1 since August. He did fine in those books. He is not at the dictation level in WWE 3, but we do dictation with spelling and I don't have the goal of him doing it at the WWE level. Right now I want to continue with WWE 3 (a confession is that we only get to it once a week). I have no idea where to go from here (for our next school year)! :confused:

 

My plan is to use HOD next year, but I don't want to use the their writing suggetion of Mediveal IEW (but I am not completely against it). I have looked at WWS and it scares me. It is teaching stuff that I didn't learn until high school/college. I just can't imagine my son learning it now and being able to apply it. But, I have just glanced over the sample. I could do Writing Tales 2, but I don't like all the grammar. I felt like we did more grammar than writing. I have looked at other classical writing programs, but don't feel like that is the way to go with writing. I have looked at BraveWriter (The Writer's Jungle) and this looks interesting to me! I really think I am going to buy this to read. We are also planning on using MCT next school year and I do plan to buy the writing book. All I really know that he is not at the placement of HOD RtR in writing and I want him to be ready for that come August. He is a very reluntant writer. This is one reason that we have put off writing and just really started a year ago.

 

Anyone have any suggestions?

[julikins]

:bigear: Bumping for you because I'm strugging figuring out what to use for my 5th grader's writing component for next year, too.

[Bloggermom]

Why not let him do the IEW SWI-A? That way it is taught on video and Andrew is a REALLY fun teacher. If you don't want to go that route I highly recommend Killgallon -

Sentence Composing for Elementary School: A Worktext to Build Better Sentences

Story Grammar for Elementary School: A Sentence-Composing Approach

 

Grammar for Middle School: A Sentence-Composing Approach

Sentence Composing for Middle School: A Worktext on Sentence Variety and Maturity

Edited February 2, 2012 by Bloggermom

[kandty]

:bigear:

[frankcassiesmom]

If you want to farm it out my 5th graders will all be doing the new 5th grade writing program at The Potter's School. I LOVE what my 6th grader is doing this year with TPS Writer's Workshop and am thrilled they now have a class for 5th graders.

[Hunter]

Have you heard of Four Square Writing?

 

http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/taylorse/About/Writing%20for%20Everyone.pdf

 

Currclick has affordable downloads.

 

You might want to google "Step up to Writing". It teaches color coding of text rather than the graphic organizers in Four Square. At present, all of step up that I use, is to use the color coding to demonstrate elaborating from a paragraph to a multi paragraph paragraph essay. And to sometimes highlight text while reading. Otherwise I have fully switched over to four square for expository writing.

 

Step Up and Four Square are almost identical programs, using visual methods to organize writing instead of an outline. Their strengths are in preparing struggling students for high stakes testing. The main complaint is that they don't adequately cover all of the 6 traits of writing and that they produce robot writing.

 

I believe they are an EXCELLENT place to start and after mastering them, if and only if that is successful, THEN there is room to get stylish. I haven't reached that place with my own writing yet, so...I'll stick with Four Square and Step Up for now.

 

Understanding Writing is often available used at Exodus Books for $25.00. It teaches most of what needs to be learned about writing through letter writing. It is unabashedly conservative Christian, and focuses on the Hebrew/Quiver model of education rather than the Greek/Classical model. It's NOT going to be liked by many diehard TWTMers. I like it though :-0

 

CW Aesop if used as a creative writing supplement to the above programs, can be spread out over several years, instead of rushed through.

 

These are my current favorites along with SWR and Harvey's Grammar. All of this is ungraded and can be used leisurely and without a rush to finish the texts before the end of the year.

Edited February 2, 2012 by Hunter

[ChrissySC]

While copywork and narration are components of our studies, we do not use them as the focus for learning to write but rather to learn to communicate the inner voice.

 

For actual writing, that is more structure versus content, we use Writing Strand and Writer's Express Handbook(with Hewitt syllabus and student book).

 

I use the Best Series (Best Nonfiction, Short Stories, etc.) and writing is incorporated into the literature lessons as well.

 

I have found that while it is a twist on the traditional approach that we really like the straightforward approach to organization and structure.

 

HTH

[3peasinapod]

For a traditional approach, you could check out Winning With Writing. Just wondering why you are hesitant to go with IEW? I don't know much about it, just curious.