Gailmegan Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 My 10 yo 5th grader is a reluctant writer. He has made amazing strides with WWS 1 this past year, but still struggles with some of the lessons. I have looked ahead and I think the later lessons will be really tough. To complicate matters I HATE using PDFs! I refuse to waste paper to print it all - especially since I'll be buying the book when it is published. I struggled more than ds doing WWS 1 the first half of the year in this format. So, I'm thinking of using Writing Strands for him next year then once WWS 2 is in book format - I'll go back to it with him for his 7th grade year (he'll be 12). Is there anyone who is familiar with both WS and WWS? I am not really sure if my plan is good - and if it is which WS level to go with. In WTM SWB recommends WS 4 for a reluctant 6th grade writer, but since ds has done fairly well with WWS 1, I wasn't sure if I should try WS 5. I'd appreciate any thoughts. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3boysmama Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I don't have an answer for you, but thought I'd give you a bump!! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 WS is not nearly the writing program the WWS is. If I used your plan with my own dd she would throw a fit. She really loves WWS, so it may be different for us. We used WS in the past and she just tolerated it, and it did not teach her anywhere near the skills that WWS has. My plan, should WWS2 not be available when we start the new school year, is to buy the Creative Writer book from PHP and center on creative writing for a little while until WWS2 is released. I don't know if you dc would like creative writing or not, but that is a legitimate option. And there is also dictation and writing across curriculum... Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 My daughters use both WS and WWS. We switch back and forth and complete both in the school year. WS is very different. It comes from the idea that people learn to write by writing. Not by grammar training and such. It's more creative and helps kids gain the ability to write what is on their mind - not imitation. It has a very relaxed tone to it. I have one daughter that really responds well to it and finds it to be a stress-free springboard from which to write. My other daughter likes it, but prefers WWS because there is a more black and white "right" way of doing things. But I use both to hit writing from both sides so my free spirit one will learn about structure and my structured one will learn to freely express her thoughts. My reluctant 6th is in 4 and I'm having my creative 5th start at 3 - but may move her up to 4 quickly. Picking a writing curriculum is the toughest! I hope you find something you are excited about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gailmegan Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 Thanks for the bump and the responses. He hates writing and sees everything as black and white. When I ask him to imagine something (for any situation, not just writing) he absolutely refuses to. He insists he is incapable of thinking about anything that isn't real. So I'm afraid creative writing would only create fights. He tolerates WWS, but wouldn't mind if we switched. Does WS just allow more freedom or is it creative/imaginative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorningGlory Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 I despised Writing Strands. And after reading your number theory answers on the high school board, I have a feeling you may despise it, too. :) Just my intuition. Could be wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Thanks for the bump and the responses. He hates writing and sees everything as black and white. When I ask him to imagine something (for any situation, not just writing) he absolutely refuses to. He insists he is incapable of thinking about anything that isn't real. So I'm afraid creative writing would only create fights. He tolerates WWS, but wouldn't mind if we switched. Does WS just allow more freedom or is it creative/imaginative? I'd highly recommend that you stay with the same program if at all possible, maybe give it at least another year before changing. I can understand not introducing him to creative writing under your circumstances, but you could push him slightly harder to cooperate with the lessons. The payoff up ahead could be enormous. And while waiting for WS2 to be released, why not focus on cross curriculum writing and dictation? We found WS to be lacking in teaching. It was extremely light and sometimes abstract compared to the excellent, meatier instruction in WWS. WS additionally leaves out the rich examples of literature and resource information found in WWS. For us, these things help illustrate how important good writing is, and also how to pull out information from resources successfully for the purpose of expositional writing. WS just isn't nearly the program that SWB has designed. I think it would be fair to compare it to the difference between a Ford Escort and a Cadillac. But that's just my opinion. :D Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gailmegan Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 I despised Writing Strands. And after reading your number theory answers on the high school board, I have a feeling you may despise it, too. :) Just my intuition. Could be wrong! :lol: I'm much more a math geek than a language arts geek. Lucinda - I don't want to change. I like WWS. I just think he isn't quite mature enough for it yet, so I wanted to fill the gap for one year. I guess I could do WTM-inspired writing across the curriculum. But I know my weaknesses and I'm not organized enough to pull that off. I need something that comes already planned. How about CW? Many here seem to like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I refuse to waste paper to print it all - especially since I'll be buying the book when it is published. I'm not sure how buying a book is less a waste of paper than printing off a pdf ... they both require paper, right? I'd use the WWS pdf and just have it printed at your local print store (assuming that it's not available as a book yet). As far as WS goes ... well, I'll just have to say :ack2:. I wouldn't bother with it. If you have lag time between finishing WWS1 and WWS2 being available, I'd say go back through WWS1 and have ds redo the exercises that were most challenging for him. You can substitute different source material if you feel so inclined, or you can use the material in WWS1 and have him compare his second go-round with his first. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gailmegan Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 All right. Clearly no one thinks WS would be a good fit. You all wore me down. We don't do enough to practice writing across the curriculum, so I will incorporate more of that and review WWS 1 lessons that he struggled with the most for the next year. Thanks for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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