TriciaS Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I have been reading this forum for an embarrassing number of hours/day for the last few weeks just trying to get an idea of what I want to do with my daughter next year. We are letting her finish her 1st grade year in PS in order for me to research, research, research! :001_smile: I know I will be using WWE next year, but I'm not sure what level to use. Her teacher says she is above grade-level in everything. I looked at the assessment pages on the WTM site, and I think she could pass level 2. My worry is that since this is a totally new way of doing things, level 3 might be too much too soon. Would it be better to start on level 2, and accelerate though it if it's easy? I am afraid of doing too much, and of not doing enough! :confused: Thank you for your help! Trish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I'd start at level 2. You can accelerate and give her confidence if she needs it, rather than possibly frustrating her from the outset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I have been reading this forum for an embarrassing number of hours/day for the last few weeks just trying to get an idea of what I want to do with my daughter next year. We are letting her finish her 1st grade year in PS in order for me to research, research, research! :001_smile: I know I will be using WWE next year, but I'm not sure what level to use. Her teacher says she is above grade-level in everything. I looked at the assessment pages on the WTM site, and I think she could pass level 2. My worry is that since this is a totally new way of doing things, level 3 might be too much too soon. Would it be better to start on level 2, and accelerate though it if it's easy? I am afraid of doing too much, and of not doing enough! :confused: Thank you for your help! Trish Are there sample pages? I ended up doing WWE 2 and FLL 3 with my 4th grader. The folks at the Peace Hill Press booth cautioned me about moving too fast into WWE. That was good advice. Remember that you will also be learning new ways of doing things in a lot of subjects. A little retrenching can help with the adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Kirsten~ Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Welcome! My daughter is a 2nd grader this year, and we tread very lightly with Writing With Ease. She is advanced in language arts, working through both grammar and spelling well above grade level and reading voraciously at about a 6th grade level. We will be finishing the 2nd level this week. Now, we do WWE at a "double pace," or two lessons at a time, and then we take periodic breaks to practice extra handwriting or to do other writing activities. She has a really strong memory, and so the narrations are quite easy, but I find the dictation really steps up by the end of the level, and it's definitely a lot to hold in mind at once, even with her memory (I can never, ever remember them, even with reading them to her!). Has your daughter done narrations and dictations? Those aren't really typical PS skills, so it might take her a little bit to get into the swing of them. Also, how does she do with summarizing the main idea of a story she hears? The 2nd level narrations include summary questions and then ask the child to share the main idea, NOT the details, in 2 to 4 sentences. The other question I'd ask is how is her handwriting stamina? Can you get your hands on the textbook that accompanies the workbooks? If by looking at the samples you feel reasonably sure that the 3rd level is the place to be, you may want to "practice" some of the 2nd level skills for a few weeks, using the text (or even pulling from your own passages), and then jump on into it. You can always back up, or save the third level for next year, if it's a struggle. But in your shoes, I'd personally start with the 2nd level. If it drags, you could double like lessons like we do, or just skip to the second half of the book. We love the program, really, really love it, but I find the skills really do build on one another and that being ahead in reading and spelling doesn't necessarily translate to being ahead in this particular area. Hope that helps a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriciaS Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 She has done some dictation in school, but I think it is probably better to start on level 2 and build a good base for her. This will be totally new in most areas, plus the adjustment of being home instead of in a classroom. She is reading on a 4th grade level, and really comprehending things, but I want her to learn to "think". I feel like so much of the reading they do in PS is shallow and geared toward just getting their phonics down. As I looked through the sample pages, I was actually a little sad to be reminded of some of the literature she hasn't been exposed to. These workbooks are based on great books! I've started making more of an effort to read some of those books to both of my girls (one is 3) in the evenings. My was complaining that "books are boring" until I started doing this! Thanks for helping me wrap my head around this! Now, on to planning everything else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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