Homemama2 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 My oldest will be in 5th grade next year (Logic stage! I'm terrified already! lol!) We just start Classical Writing this semester. I really like it...but tonight I was able to look through WWS at my local bookstore. I think this looks REALLY great as well. So, how could I go about using both :D without my son hating me forever and ever. :lol: (He does not like writing, no matter what I use.) I'll be using Aesop B with him next year. Should I try to get through that during the first semester, then move into WWS, and when that is finished move into CW Homer? Or do you veteran hsers think I should just pick one or the other of the writing programs, and if so, which would be best for 5th? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) Several mothers are combining WWS with other curriculum. Look for threads by Sadonna and also at lewelma's writing curriculum eval thread. Edited March 14, 2012 by 1Togo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 My oldest will be in 5th grade next year (Logic stage! I'm terrified already! lol!) We just start Classical Writing this semester. I really like it...but tonight I was able to look through WWS at my local bookstore. I think this looks REALLY great as well. So, how could I go about using both :D without my son hating me forever and ever. :lol: (He does not like writing, no matter what I use.) I'll be using Aesop B with him next year. Should I try to get through that during the first semester, then move into WWS, and when that is finished move into CW Homer? Or do you veteran hsers think I should just pick one or the other of the writing programs, and if so, which would be best for 5th? I personally think one of these programs is enough, esp. if you follow it all the way through or know how to fill in gaps if you jump around between programs. I also prefer WWS because I think it's simpler to implement, and I think it's simpler to understand - which is what both of my kids needed. OK, you said you were terrified of logic stage (I know you're joking, but I tend to joke when something is partially true about me, lol!), you're worried about your son hating you for doing both programs, and that he already doesn't like writing. I would be very hesitant about trying to do two programs with a boy like that. I would pick one, and follow through on it. My son was like yours at that age. He would never have tolerated CW. Yet, he is thriving with SWB's methods (that we used in grade 5-7) and with WWS. Oh, and my 5th grade daughter is thriving with WWS. Some of it is quite challenging for her, which is why I think CW would be too much for her. The other factor is that if you do both programs, you should be prepared to spend a lot of time preparing to teach, and to have your son spend more time in writing exercises. We are also busy learning math, grammar, spelling, logic, and Latin; as well as keeping up on reading in history/science/literature. My teaching and the kids doing all of this takes anywhere from 5-6 hours per day, 5 days per week. And I maintain time for chores/meals/read-alouds, and down-time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I have a reluctant writer as my eldest child. She's doing Writing Tales 2 this year as a fifth grader. (That would be like CW's Aesop B.) I'm going to take her through the first part of WWS this summer. I don't think she's ready for the full program yet, but I do think that she will benefit from doing some of it, so we'll start it. Wherever we get done, we'll stop. In the fall, we'll start CW Homer A. She would have a fit with more than one writing program, although HO/CHOLL are on my list for her this fall as well (tweaked so she doesn't have to do all the writing in both programs). I'm playing it by ear on whether we go back to WWS (in the summers, for example) or if we continue with CW. I do see the value in both. Good luck with your decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 (edited) We are using Kathy Weitz's workbooks with CW, and they have made CW very easy to implement and understand for both of us. We do the work and check the boxes in the Student Guides. Dd is thriving with CW. We did some work with the first two levels of the progym using Classical Composition when dd was young, laid it aside, and came back to the progym last year. I wish we had continued. I do agree with Colleen that it's probably best to choose one curriculum, and an idea of the CW workload may help with your decision. We recently finished CW Homer, and even though I am working with an older student, we could not have worked with another writing curriculum at the same time. Yes, I could have taught specific concepts/exercises; i.e. 6 Sentence Shuffle and Micro/Macro Editing, but the work in Homer kept us busy for the composition portion of our day. The full narrative sequence with 6 Sentence Shuffle, outlining, summary, precis, and additional copia work took over a week to complete. Now we are well into CW Maxim, and again, it is not possible to combine Maxim with anything else, especially since we are following CW's suggestions for reading and commonplace book entries. Combining may not be possible when the work becomes time consuming. Edited March 15, 2012 by 1Togo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Share Posted March 14, 2012 Thank you so much everyone! I think wanting to do both was wishful thinking, and I will have quite a full plate anyway next year. Sometimes it seems like it would be easier without so many good choices. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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