? for those doing upper HOD guides but their own LA

[SorrelZG]

Looking ahead, I'm torn between HOD as is and doing something completely different for LA (grammar & writing and no DITHOR). We're going with MP for Latin and I'm thinking of their grammar that is being designed to supplement their Latin and then maybe even their writing curriculum.

 

However, I know HOD's writing plans are ultimately worked out throughout the guide as a whole with writing across the subjects and the curriculum choices scheduled for writing were chosen with the whole picture in mind so I'm wondering: by using your own writing program, have you found an imbalance in writing and a need to alter activities within the rest of the guide?

[SorrelZG]

:bigear:

[Tenaj]

:lurk5:

[Sue G in PA]

We did our own writing program last year when we used RtR. IEW Medieval Based Writing Lessons was used and since it wasn't our cup of tea, we used Jump In! instead. I didn't find it to be overkill or out of balance at all. Your dc will do plenty of writing with HOD upper guides...dictation, narrations, copywork, poetry, etc. HOD chose their writing programs, I believe, in order to give upper level students a broad foundation in writing. It is a mix of creative writing and more formal writing so that each year the focus is something different. Make sense? Using your own program woudn't interfere with the flow of the rest of the Guide at all, IMO.

[SorrelZG]

We did our own writing program last year when we used RtR. IEW Medieval Based Writing Lessons was used and since it wasn't our cup of tea, we used Jump In! instead. I didn't find it to be overkill or out of balance at all. Your dc will do plenty of writing with HOD upper guides...dictation, narrations, copywork, poetry, etc. HOD chose their writing programs, I believe, in order to give upper level students a broad foundation in writing. It is a mix of creative writing and more formal writing so that each year the focus is something different. Make sense? Using your own program woudn't interfere with the flow of the rest of the Guide at all, IMO.

 

That's kind of my concern - that doing something different will cause an imbalance like too much of something already written into the guide, for example. I know Carrie said she specifically didn't choose Writing Tales because of too much overlap. That's what got me thinking - it says you can choose your own writing program but there is already going to e some difference to flow because Carrie has scheduled her chosen program three days per week in one guide, for example, while another program is intended to be used daily so now I'm already adding writing to days that didn't have it scheduled via the separate writing program that I'm replacing. Did that make sense? :tongue_smilie: lol

[Tenaj]

What writing curr. are you thinking about using?

 

I've been torn this summer and going back and forth. My soon-to-be 11 yods is using CTC this year and I've been flipping back and forth in my planning between just using everything Carrie has recommended for writing vs. using Writing Tales 2 this year and then WWS1 next year. My reasons for using WT2 is that I don't mind the overlap in the grammar department because he is very weak in grammar and I *think* the writing assignment in WT2 will be easier for him to handle than WWTB, mainly because in WT2 the assignments are very specific and in WWTB you have to choose the subjects to write about.

 

I'm also trying to decide about my 8yods. He's on week 23 of Bigger and I've finally decided to have him finish it out before starting Preparing but he's my advanced child and Bigger really isn't too much of a challenge for him in the LA department so I'm trying to decide whether to add WT1 onto his schedule. I know he could handle it but can't decide if it's really necessary.

 

Of course, I always have in the back of my mind, the little whisper that I should be using WWE with the youngers, also. :)

[SorrelZG]

Janet, I'm considering MP's Classical Composition guides. MP says R&S 2 is unnecessary on top of PL which I'm intending for DS to do this year and now they have their own grammar to compliment LC1 which apparently includes some writing for that stage also and after that they schedule R&S 4 alongside Class. Comp. (they may have continued their own grammar by the time we get that far). So, those we my thoughts for us as an outflow of the consideration that we would be studying Latin via MP.

[birchbark]

I think the only writing programs you're going to have overlap with are those that use copywork, dictation, or written narrations. (WWE, Writing Tales, etc.) There is a lot of practice of those skills already in the guides. An additional writing program is chosen because there is no specific instruction on how to write stylistically in the guide.

 

Personally, if I were doing CTC again, I would drop the writing program altogether. There is plenty of writing in the guide itself and I thought WWTB was better suited to Jr. High. I was happy with the CM skills alone for that age.

 

We did WT 1 for third grade (while doing Bigger Hearts) and I actually preferred Carrie's (HoD's) approach to teaching written narrations. We found the stories in WT just too long for the age group it was targeted for. Carrie has students starting with short narrations, just a few sentences long.

 

WT are really nice books otherwise though. :001_smile:

[Tenaj]

I think the only writing programs you're going to have overlap with are those that use copywork, dictation, or written narrations. (WWE, Writing Tales, etc.) There is a lot of practice of those skills already in the guides. An additional writing program is chosen because there is no specific instruction on how to write stylistically in the guide.

 

Personally, if I were doing CTC again, I would drop the writing program altogether. There is plenty of writing in the guide itself and I thought WWTB was better suited to Jr. High. I was happy with the CM skills alone for that age.

 

We did WT 1 for third grade (while doing Bigger Hearts) and I actually preferred Carrie's (HoD's) approach to teaching written narrations. We found the stories in WT just too long for the age group it was targeted for. Carrie has students starting with short narrations, just a few sentences long.

 

WT are really nice books otherwise though. :001_smile:

 

Oh, see, now you're throwing another option into the whole debate :) Hmmm . . . drop the WWTB all together - I'll have to think about this a bit.

[Tenaj]

Janet, I'm considering MP's Classical Composition guides. MP says R&S 2 is unnecessary on top of PL which I'm intending for DS to do this year and now they have their own grammar to compliment LC1 which apparently includes some writing for that stage also and after that they schedule R&S 4 alongside Class. Comp. (they may have continued their own grammar by the time we get that far). So, those we my thoughts for us as an outflow of the consideration that we would be studying Latin via MP.

 

That program has been on my radar off and on all summer, too. We're about half way through LC1 with both of the kids. It seems like that would all work really well with HOD.

[SorrelZG]

Thank-you, thank-you! :D This has been very helpful and encouraging. :001_smile: