Homemama2 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 My ds will be in 5th next year (he'll turn 10 this summer). I just bought WWS and have spent the week pouring over it. I LOVE the looks of it!!! BUT..... I do NOT think my ds will be ready for the amount of work that they require independently. I don't think that it is an unreasonable amount for this age, just for this particular ds, iykwim. Should I wait until 6th in hopes that he becomes more independent in his studies, or should I go ahead and use it for 5th but give him the extra help he will need and try to gradually move him into independent work as the year progresses? (For example, if he's working independently he tends to skim directions and will miss major instructions. In his grammar, if I hand him his sheet, he'll miss half of the problems or MORE due to carelessness, but if I sit with him and remind him "Go re-read the directions. You were suppose to underline the verb twice, not once. And how do they want you to mark the subject?" Well, then he'll do fine.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Yes, wait. Dd who I would have said is good at independent work has found WWS challenging. The instructions in the second half of the course really get quite complicated. I wouldn't rush it. Save it a year until he can get the most out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I agree with waiting. My ds is really enjoying it in 7th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 Thank you both! This is what I was leaning towards too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jana Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 We started this year and had to stop; the second half got too complicated. We're going to try it again in the 7th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 my son is a bright and hard working kid. He did WWE 4 in 5th grade because he was older when WWE came out and year 2 in 3rd grade more suited his handwriting skills. I am SO glad we have WWS for 6th grade. It is a challenge but a healthy one. In 5th grade it would have been a slog. So, maybe do WWE4 in 5th? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 We started this year and had to stop; the second half got too complicated. After reading ahead in WWS, I'm thinking I am probably going to have to shelve it after week 11 and just work on those skills for a while with our own readings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 Thank you all! I had been thinking perhaps my ds was the only 5th grader that would struggle with this...glad to know that others are using it in later grades as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrightmom Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 Thanks for this thread. I've been planning to save WWS for 6th also and this clinches it for me. Breathing a sigh of relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 My ds is using WWS in 6th grade and it is a perfect fit. Although he could have done it last year, I don't think he would have gotten as much out of it. If you look at the samples in the k-8 writing workshop board, the older kids using the program are writing more advanced pieces in general than the younger ones, because WWS speaks to them in a different way. In contrast to math, a writing curriculum can work for kids at different levels. If you have any doubt, I would wait. The program ramps up reasonably quickly. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 What is there for "between" WWE & WWS? What if your student gets summary writing and dictation - really gets it, and is ready to move on - but isn't quite ready for the level of independent work and/or the complexity of the topos exercises in WWS? Is there anything for the 5th grader that advances their essay-writing abilities, in perhaps a gentler way, while you are waiting for the maturity that WWS may require? Just curious . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 What is there for "between" WWE & WWS? What if your student gets summary writing and dictation - really gets it, and is ready to move on - but isn't quite ready for the level of independent work and/or the complexity of the topos exercises in WWS? Is there anything for the 5th grader that advances their essay-writing abilities, in perhaps a gentler way, while you are waiting for the maturity that WWS may require? Just curious . . . :lurk5: I would think that following the fifth-grade writing and history recommendations from TWTM would be great, just with more help at first. My fourth grader is finishing up week 12 of WWS and doing well with it. We are about to finish up our year and take a break, and plan to finish in fifth, but we'll see how it goes. We may take some breaks at certain points to practice the new skills before moving on. The parts that are challenging are the topoi. The narrations and outlines are no problem, and those are recommended anyway throughout fifth grade in TWTM. As per the book, we are also continuing dictation and are doing the basic lit. questions when periodically writing about books he reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 :lurk5: I would think that following the fifth-grade writing and history recommendations from TWTM would be great, just with more help at first. My fourth grader is finishing up week 12 of WWS and doing well with it. We are about to finish up our year and take a break, and plan to finish in fifth, but we'll see how it goes. We may take some breaks at certain points to practice the new skills before moving on. The parts that are challenging are the topoi. The narrations and outlines are no problem, and those are recommended anyway throughout fifth grade in TWTM. As per the book, we are also continuing dictation and are doing the basic lit. questions when periodically writing about books he reads. Good point. That would probably be the best bet. We're in the same boat as you are - will probably finish the first 10 weeks or so before taking ~ 2 months off this summer, then starting back up at the "official" beginning of 5th. Same experience, too - the narrations and outlines are no problem, the topoi are a little intimidating. Right now my plan is just to go as slow as needed with WWS, and to do exercises from MCT Paragraph Town, too. If we hit a wall with WWS, we can always take a few weeks off and do writing-across-the curriculum per WTM. Might not even be necessary, I was just thinking it's good to have a plan ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) It is expensive, but IEW is in between the 2 in difficulty and independence. WWE: summaries, narrations, dictation IEW: key word outlines, story sequence chart as a way or rewriting stories, report writing from 1 and 2 sources, fused outlines, beginning essay writing. Copia with the style requirements. (If you work on it for >1 year or with older students, IEW goes beyond WWS in complexity). Parents (or the DVDs) teach the student directly. WWS: summaries, 1 and 2 level outlines, copia, descriptive writing, chronological narrative writing, beginning literary and poetry analysis, beginning research report, And her big focus throughout is choosing what to put into your report when there are lots of possibilities. Independence is encouraged with WWS as its instructional material is written to the student. IMHO, IEW definitely preps for WWS but does not overlap. HTH, Ruth in NZ Edited April 13, 2012 by lewelma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torikei Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 It is expensive, but IEW is in between the 2 in difficulty and independence. WWE: summaries, narrations, dictation IEW: key word outlines, story sequence chart as a way or rewriting stories, report writing from 1 and 2 sources, fused outlines, beginning essay writing. Copia with the style requirements. (If you work on it for >1 year or with older students, IEW goes beyond WWS in complexity). Parents (or the DVDs) teach the student directly. WWS: summaries, 1 and 2 level outlines, copia, descriptive writing, chronological narrative writing, beginning literary and poetry analysis, beginning research report, And her big focus throughout is choosing what to put into your report when there are lots of possibilities. Independence is encouraged with WWS as it is instructional material is written to the student. IMHO, IEW definitely preps for WWS but does not overlap. HTH, Ruth in NZ :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Thanks, Ruth. I was hoping you would weigh in! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 It is expensive, but IEW is in between the 2 in difficulty and independence. What would you recommend buying from IEW? There are so many things that are offered from them (looking in my Rainbow Res. catalog)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 What would you recommend buying from IEW?There are so many things that are offered from them (looking in my Rainbow Res. catalog)... I am also wondering which IEW to use next year. I was thinking of All Things Fun and Fascinating, but then I noticed the new Narnia writing program which looks REALLY fun. I would like to look through it though, to make sure it is not too advanced for my guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 There is also this program which looks like it is aligned with the classical model and would be particularly good as a bridge between WWE and WWS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) What would you recommend buying from IEW?There are so many things that are offered from them (looking in my Rainbow Res. catalog)... We just used TWSS (Teaching Writing through Structure and Style). It contains videos to teach you as the teacher, and then you teach your children using the subjects they are already studying. I believe it comes with lecture notes, but if it does not, I would buy them because they were definitely helpful (but are not stand alones, you need the DVDs). If you want your kids to watch Andrew Putawa and don't mind spending the extra money, then you need the SWI (student writing intensive). I think it is SWI-B for middle school. His student lectures are good, but not required if you want to teach your children yourself. IEW also has produced a number of subject specific materials that give the students the source material and workbooks (like Middle Ages). They cover the same material as TWSS and SWI just with content. We did not use these. We just used what the kids wanted to write about in science, history, and lit. Both my children used (or will use) IEW for 2-3 years before moving to WWS. But even a year would be excellent prep IMHO. HTH, Ruth in NZ Edited April 14, 2012 by lewelma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 We just used TWSS (Teaching Writing through Structure and Style). It contains videos to teach you as the teacher, and then you teach your children using the subjects they are already studying. I believe it comes with lecture notes, but if it does not, I would buy them because they were definitely helpful (but are not stand alones, you need the DVDs). If you want your kids to watch Andrew Putawa and don't mind spending the extra money, then you need the SWI (student writing intensive). I think it is SWI-B for middle school. His student lectures are good, but not required if you want to teach your children yourself. IEW also has produced a number of subject specific materials that give the students the source material and workbooks (like Middle Ages). They cover the same material as TWSS and SWI just with content. We did not use these. We just used what the kids wanted to write about in science, history, and lit. Both my children used (or will use) IEW for 2-3 years before moving to WWS. But even a year would be excellent prep IMHO. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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