Anyone NOT like Winning With Writing?

[HSinNH]

Why or why not?

 

 

I am thinking about this for next year. Thank you for your input!

[HSinNH]

:bigear:

[FairProspects]

I didn't like it. We tried level 2 and it felt like busy work- just filling out formulaic worksheets. It did not teach the thinking skills behind language and writing at all. Maybe that is not the intended purpose, but that I what I want in a writing program. It did not jive with my teaching philosophy of writing at all. That said, it was easy, got done, and ds liked it because he didn't have to think much. :tongue_smilie:

[mandymom]

I didn't like it. We tried level 2 and it felt like busy work- just filling out formulaic worksheets. It did not teach the thinking skills behind language and writing at all. Maybe that is not the intended purpose, but that I what I want in a writing program. It did not jive with my teaching philosophy of writing at all. That said, it was easy, got done, and ds liked it because he didn't have to think much. :tongue_smilie:

 

:iagree: I was not particularly impressed with the examples students were given of good writing, even in the higher levels. I was looking for something that taught a greater depth in writing.

 

The company's customer service was outstanding, however.

[serendipitous journey]

I didn't like it. We tried level 2 and it felt like busy work- just filling out formulaic worksheets. It did not teach the thinking skills behind language and writing at all. Maybe that is not the intended purpose, but that I what I want in a writing program. It did not jive with my teaching philosophy of writing at all. That said, it was easy, got done, and ds liked it because he didn't have to think much. :tongue_smilie:

 

:iagree: I was not particularly impressed with the examples students were given of good writing, even in the higher levels. I was looking for something that taught a greater depth in writing.

 

The company's customer service was outstanding, however.

 

Didn't like it, agree with above. We're using WWE, and I plan to add MCT Sentence Island (and prob. other portions of that program) next year, or to hold off MCT 'till third and focus next year on poetry writing & reading with "Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?" and the companion book.

 

For your 8- and 10- yo, if you want something more structured, people really seem to like the 6+1 Writing Traits. There's also this book of reproducibles that might make it more open-and-go. ... good grief, now that I look at these again I am thinking I ought to try them! :lol:

[Mommamia]

For those who have started WWW, will you finish or abandon it? I ask because we just started WWW and I'm not thrilled.

[txhomemom]

I am thinking about abandoning WWW. I hate when I change my mind and really don't want to spend anymore money on writing curriculum right now though. I am going to use it for a few more lessons and then if I still am not liking the vibe of it, I may just go back to implementing writing on my own. I got WWW thinking it would be something independent my dd could do on her own, but there is a lot of busywork and it does not have a lot of depth to it as someone else mentioned on this thread. It might be okay for the earlier years, but at the 7th-8th grade level I think my dd could be producing a lot more writing than what the book expects. Another reason I chose WWW was it seemed less complicated than other writing programs, but now I am realizing that it may be too easy.

[twinmami01]

We're keeping it! We especially liked the gentle approach to writing, along with the short clear lessons. We set aside WWE for a while and have just recently picked it back up, so we're doing both. If I were to stick with one, WWW is the one for us!

[mandymom]

For those who have started WWW, will you finish or abandon it? I ask because we just started WWW and I'm not thrilled.

 

We abandoned it after about 4 weeks. I just wasn't seeing the results that I was after. In fact, I was seeing the kids going backwards in their writing levels. They wrote things very similar to the examples given, but they had been much more eloquent before we started WWW. I just didn't want them to spend any more time following a model that I couldn't support. The mechanics of writing were all there, but the output from my kids was not what I thought it should be.

[serendipitous journey]

For those who have started WWW, will you finish or abandon it? I ask because we just started WWW and I'm not thrilled.

 

We jettisoned it.

[farming_mum]

We love it and both my children (DD5, DS6.5) have written their first sentences using their gentle prompts - and help from AAS! :D

[4maybabies]

As much as I 'liked' it, my dd7 did.not.retain.a.thing. She is awesome at knowing how to fill in the blanks, and give the answer they're looking for, without actually knowing what she is doing:glare:

We used GWG as well, and had to ditch that too. Problem is, SHE LOVED THE TWO programs!

[Mama2two]

As much as I 'liked' it, my dd7 did.not.retain.a.thing. She is awesome at knowing how to fill in the blanks, and give the answer they're looking for, without actually knowing what she is doing:glare:

We used GWG as well, and had to ditch that too. Problem is, SHE LOVED THE TWO programs!

 

I had the same experience, my kids liked it too, and where good at filling in the blanks

[Kathryn]

We use WWW and GWG in addition to WWE and FLL. The only reason I'm continuing is because DS loves it. We do the work orally at this point though (level 1).

[Mrs Twain]

I am using WWW2 and WWW3 and am definitely keeping it. I like the very clear explanations in WWW3 about how to write paragraphs and the different types of writing exercises.

 

That said, I use it in combination with IEW SWI-A (only the first half of the program this year) and WWE about once or twice per week. It think the combination works well, but I really needed WWW for the clear explanations and structure, especially for paragraph writing.

[parias1126]

I am using WWW2 and WWW3 and am definitely keeping it. I like the very clear explanations in WWW3 about how to write paragraphs and the different types of writing exercises.

 

That said, I use it in combination with IEW SWI-A (only the first half of the program this year) and WWE about once or twice per week. It think the combination works well, but I really needed WWW for the clear explanations and structure, especially for paragraph writing.

 

My DD is using WWW3 and she is really learning a lot! She is learning how to write different types of paragraphs with step by step directions. She has learned a ton and will be ready for a formal writing class in the Fall. She loves it.

 

My DS, on the other hand, is using WWW2 and it is much more basic. I think he is just getting good at filling in blanks. There is a huge difference between WWW2 and WWW3. If I had known, I probably would had kept my DS in WWE.

[foxbridgeacademy]

We are using WWW3 and it's going well, but it is not our only writing curriculum. We are also using a creative writing program and doing sentence modeling. WWW is meant as an independent type program. DC do not do it independently though. We go through each sentence to discuss why it is or isn't a good sentence. This often leads to discussions of how to make the sentence more interesting and flow better. We do the same thing for our creative writing and modeling.

[mytwomonkeys]

it's okay. we bought it before christmas. we do a lot of it orally to move through it quicker. up until this point, much of it is still covering things my son already knows. we are using the grade 2 book and he is yet to really need to write anything. the things we do orally are "fill in the blank" type things or multiple choice questions. we have had several lessons with "combining" sentences, but i didn't have him write those either because we've solidified that through R&S English - it would have been overkill, so we did them orally.

 

i think the information is good, the layout is okay, and the price is fabulous! my son is not an advanced writer at all (seriously, in no way!) and this curriculum is a little below his ability, so imo working a grade ahead may have been better suited (at least for us). or perhaps i should stop the busywork and just jump ahead in the book. i just hated to do that, as i know it builds upon itself and wanted it to make sense without missing anything.

 

anyway. final verdict? i don't feel it is the best curriculum for us, but it is definitely worth the cost. i'd say if you stick with it & tweak it as needed, it would serve as a well enough curriculum.:)

[elise1mds]

I'm using it as a supplement. It does a good job of covering the basics, but like others have said, it doesn't go very deep. I picked up a copy when DS got frustrated with his regular writing program, and we're using it to review and reinforce some concepts, but when it comes to actual writing production, we do separate projects. When he hits fifth grade, I will be switching to WWS (again, with side projects).

[mrshomework]

I agree with alot of those that dislike it. I am combining it with WWE 2 and use it more as a grammar review. We have not gotten that far into it I had been using WWE2 since Aug last year but just purchased WWW2 in Dec. because I wanted more of the logic and purpose of writing but so far it does not cover that just basic adding to details to sentences and fixing run-on sentences. We will probable finish this book but won't go on to 3.

[In2why]

I picked up a used copy to really look at it before I decided for next year, since my 7th grader is NOT a natural writer and IEW has become such a struggle, we wont be using it. At least not for him. I am on the fence with my 3rd grader and might use it with WWE.

[Stratford]

The jury is still out at our house....We've been using WWE/FLL quite happily, but picked up WWW3 when DS asked for some workbooks he could do independently. He's been using it for a few weeks and does it without complaining....not sure how much it is impacting his writing as of yet. We'll see.

[hsmom2011]

We started WWW part way through the school year. At first I loved it, but have suddenly decided to stop using it. I loved it because when we started WWW, suddenly no meltdowns, no complaints, and the work was actually getting done. I'm just not sure she's really learning anything from it. We use Hake for Grammar, so I have set aside WWW for this week and we are doing the writing assignments in Hake. At first I didn't think I liked the writing portion of Hake, but after trying WWW, and revisiting Hake I'm suddenly more imperessed with it. Decisions, decisions... We will see how this one goes.

[Aurelia]

We dropped it about halfway through level 2. It was too formulaic although DD liked that it was so easy. She was completing a week's worth of lessons in 2 days.

[CyndiLJ]

We are finishing WWW3 and are halfway through WWW6 with another. Is it a bare bones basic approach? Yes. That is exactly what I like about it...short, sweet, to the point lessons. Are the examples wonderful? Nah...but who cares? They are reading constantly so already have a feel for good writing. This is to teach them how to approach writing, and EVERYTHING is covered with their program. We use their spelling and grammar as well and I think they are excellent tools. There is really something to be said for something the kids don't complain about doing!

 

I think if anyone looks at their scope and sequence charts they will see it is truly a solid program. I really appreciate that there is nothing extra getting in the way of the instruction.

 

Cindy

[DarlaS]

For those who have started WWW, will you finish or abandon it? I ask because we just started WWW and I'm not thrilled.

 

I am planning on abandoning it. My ds can sit down and do a week or more in one sitting. He has completed 16 weeks of level 2 and I don't even bring it out every week (started it right before Christmas.).

 

I was planning to just have him finish it since he could do so very easily. Then it occurred to me that even that little bit of time could be put to better use.