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IEW or what for my 5th grader??


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My ds learned the following in Calvert Composition this year:

 

Topic sentences

3 paragraph essays or compositions with topic sentences

Adding and or using exciting adverbs, verbs, and adjectives

Varying Sentence Structure

Closing Sentences

How to use Shape Planners and Outlines to plan Writing

And several types of poetry

Story Writing

 

My current plan for next year was to use Daily 6 Trait. it covers some new material but it would be a step back. So I'm thinking about other options.

 

IEW seems to be overkill for me as I have no problem teaching writing, and find it a bit redundant, to have to buy 169.00 worth of videos and spend hours watching them. And I would prefer a writing program that has lessons and assignments, but still isn't extremely slow. On the other hand, I like the idea of having so much support in the theme-based lessons. I could use one almost every year, and if we got stuck, I could also buy a SWI later on down the road.

 

Any other ideas appreciated. I looked at Essentials in Writing but I'm not so sure about it. I don't think we need videos to teach us how to write. I had Writing Strands but it made ME want to cry, just looking at it. I could not imagine teaching writing in such a slow fashion.

 

I'm also looking at Write Shop, and would love feedback on that.

 

OR I can just stay with my plan of using Daily 6 Trait until we are ready for Wordsmith which looks like it'll be OK for my teaching style and my children.

Edited by Calming Tea
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My ds learned the following in Calvert Composition this year:

 

Topic sentences

3 paragraph essays or compositions with topic sentences

Adding and or using exciting adverbs, verbs, and adjectives

Varying Sentence Structure

Closing Sentences

How to use Shape Planners and Outlines to plan Writing

And several types of poetry

Story Writing

 

My current plan for next year was to use Daily 6 Trait. it covers some new material but it would be a step back. So I'm thinking about other options.

 

IEW seems to be overkill for me as I have no problem teaching writing, and find it a bit redundant, to have to buy 169.00 worth of videos and spend hours watching them. And I would prefer a writing program that has lessons and assignments, but still isn't extremely slow. On the other hand, I like the idea of having so much support in the theme-based lessons. I could use one almost every year, and if we got stuck, I could also buy a SWI later on down the road.

 

Any other ideas appreciated. I looked at Essentials in Writing but I'm not so sure about it. I don't think we need videos to teach us how to write. I had Writing Strands but it made ME want to cry, just looking at it. I could not imagine teaching writing in such a slow fashion.

 

I'm also looking at Write Shop, and would love feedback on that.

 

OR I can just stay with my plan of using Daily 6 Trait until we are ready for Wordsmith which looks like it'll be OK for my teaching style and my children.

 

I have done much writing in my life (it is part of my profession to do so), and nonetheless found IEW valuable, however, in exactly the opposite way from what you are suggesting. I currently plan to return the theme based part I got and keep at least TWSS, with in my view the SWI-A being next most valuable, though actually after just one lesson in that I started using IEW in thinking about writing "across the curriculum" and have not actually returned to SWI-A exercises.

 

WStrands was not a good fit here either. Wanting something that would be more self-teaching for certain moments, I ordered an Essentials, but it has not yet come (they are away at conferences, I believe). I cannot speak to any of the others you ask about.

Edited by Pen
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Thank you Pen. I certainly am not a professional writer. I just enjoy writing and I am not "scared of it." I find that my children are natural writers.

 

I love the idea of TWSS. Although I don't mind teaching writing, my personality and capabilities are such that I can't handle the idea of making up all of my own writing assignments and lesson plans. I need order, predictability, and structure.

 

I am seriously considering Meaningful Composition, though. I just re-discovered it as I was searching around the Internet in the last hour. MC seems extremely organized, and interesting. It uses good writing by famous or well known authors, and teaches the KWO method, as well as covering a minimum of grammar in the process. I think it goes all the way from 4th through 12th grade, and it's not too expensive. It's 70.00 per year, or 35.00 per level.

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I took a look and that looks interesting.

 

Understanding more what you are looking for, I also suggest you take a look at Zaner-Bloser "Strategies for Writers". It is solid, and lays it all out. You might also want to have a look at Killagon sentence writing; it is not a whole program, but might be a good thing for your children to have available.

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I took a look at it and liked the limited samples on their website. I see that you place a heavy writing emphasis in your homeschool. And you have experience with a lot of programs. I appreciate the ideas.

 

I'll let you know if I decide anything. Evan Moore's Daily 6 Traits is what I had purchased and it looks great- certainly easy to use. But I'm not thrilled with it. I wonder if it might be best just to supplement rather than buying a whole new program. I am planning to teach poetry using Evan Moore's Poetry unit and I have copy work and basic grammar covered with QLL.

 

So, thinking along those lines, I'll check out Killgallon and some other supplemental stuff.

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