What other Writing Program do you Love? (other than IEW)

[kathy_overman]

Given the recent writing posts, I am curious if you have a writing program you LOVE? (Other than IEW)

 

We do not. Do you? Have you found something, other than IEW, that really works for your family? What do you like about it?

 

Thanks!

[alisoncooks]

:lurk5:

[Chrysalis Academy]

I love what WWS is teaching my dd. I don't love every second of it, but I love the path we are on, what she is learning, and where we'll get to eventually . . . does that count as love?

 

Kinda like how I love brocolli? :D

[deeinfl]

I love IEW, but I know you don't want to know about that one. With that said, if I had to use another program, I would say that Format Writing is one of those programs that I feel fills a niche. I know some people consider it to be dry, but I don't, and well, it's format writing. This is the type of writing my daughter's college professors have asked for--writing with very specific order.

 

In between that, I would use something like Igniting Your Writing 1 and 2, as this program delves deeper into a student's style. It is on the more creative nature of writing, but very doable with any other writing program--or as a stand alone for a year or two.

 

These are two that I would definitely do if I couldn't afford IEW. :lol:

 

HTH,

 

Dee

[boscopup]

I loved WWE for 1st and 2nd grade.

 

I'm going a different direction for 3rd and 4th (with the curriculum that shall not be named :lol:), but I plan to use WWS in 5th, if my son is ready. If not, we'll use the curriculum that shall not be named another year, then try again in 6th maybe?

 

WWE/WWS are great products. My son just needed something a little different inbetween. :)

[Dolphin]

I love what WWS is teaching my dd. I don't love every second of it, but I love the path we are on, what she is learning, and where we'll get to eventually . . . does that count as love?

 

Kinda like how I love brocolli? :D

 

:iagree:

 

Same way we love R&S Grammar. :D

[Guest kiwis]

I've never found a writing programme that I love and would want to follow for more than a year at a time - and I've got a shelf full of writing programmes to prove it! After beating myself up about this, I've now decided that it is a strength since the kids get exposed to a wide range of ideas and approaches, leaving them in a good postion to take the best of each and thus develop their own style! Sounds good - right?! Having said that I reread Bravewriter each year. I've had good value from Write with the Best in the past. This year Writing with Skill worked really well for us. Dd conceded that she gained a lot from it but nicknamed it Writing with Stress so I don't know that she loved it! Next year (we school by calendar year and are coming to the end of this year's formal studies) will probably be a mixture of IEW's Medieveal writing plans as they tie in with history, some writing projects from History Odyssey and a mishmash of creative ideas gathered online.

[Pen]

:lurk5:

[Jennay]

never mind....

[Crimson Wife]

I've never found a writing programme that I love and would want to follow for more than a year at a time - and I've got a shelf full of writing programmes to prove it!

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

I like different writing programs for various aspects of teaching writing but I have yet to find something all-in-one that I *LOVE*.

 

I :001_wub: Killgallon for teaching sentence structure & variety.

 

I like EPS' The Paragraph Book series followed by WWS for teaching basic paragraph writing.

[sagira]

I haven't used it yet, but I really like the looks of Wordsmith Apprentice and Wordsmith. I'm planning on using that next year. We're using Killgallon's Sentence Composing at the moment, just two lessons in. If works well for a once a week course. We are also using ILL, writing across the curriculum, and History Odyssey.

[heritagelearningacademy]

We are using Essentials in Writing and so far I am pleased. It teaches grammar (basic) but also really moves to writing. F or example, in my 7th grade son's work today he was learning about basic paragraph structures and creating an opening/starter sentence for the paragraph.

 

WIth my 3rd grader, he is writing but it is more grammar.

 

To really push the "writing" aspect, I am trying to do Creative Writing Fridays where they get a prompt and have to write. I say try because we have been on vacation and have missed several Fridays. LOL

[Farrar]

I love Bravewriter. Love, love, love it.

[MerryAtHope]

Essentials in Writing is the first program that has worked very well for my family & that we will use for our 2nd year this year. I hope it continues to work well! Here's my review.

 

I hope you find a good program! Merry :-)

[jar7709]

I love Bravewriter. Love, love, love it.

 

Me, too! Changed my life. :)

[fractalgal]

My daughter, 7th grade, really likes Writing Strands. :) She has used books 3,4,5, and now beginning 6 (this year alternating with WWS1). She has written some amusing stories many pages long that I think are quite entertaining, and she prefers WS to other programs we've tried.

[jennyradmer]

We have liked Put that in Writing. It is very structured, which is not my typical teaching style, but it seems to be concrete enough and working well.

[5LittleMonkeys]

This is becoming the standard lineup for my dc not only because it works but because I love these programs:

 

WWE for 1-3

IEW for 4-5

WWS for 5-middle

 

I also love Killgallon that we sprinkle in throughout the year.

 

I'm new to highschool, so don't have a lot of experience with highschool programs, but so far I would say that The Lively Art of Writing is going to be a keeper if I can figure out how to get my dd to stop focusing on the out of date topics the author has chosen.:tongue_smilie:

[Guest]

Im no help. We have tried several things, and I :001_wub: IEW. It works so well for me, and my children.

[gevs4him]

We have taken a break from IEW and are using Winning With Writing - so far it is working out nicely.

[Hunter]

I was really liking the composition lessons in Climbing to Good English, but alas I'm finding that even doing just the composition and skipping all the grammar is taking too long with the tutoring students I'm currently working with, especially if I have the student redo the lessons several times. And I do better working from fewer books. Any book that gets left out in my study area is better studied by me, and then better taught by me. I've been trying to switch to multigrade or multi-subject texts. By doing this I'm finding out that what I lose in the details, I make up for in the connections between topics.

 

While the forum was down I organized all my ebooks and rediscovered Karen Newell's Write On! I've learned more about writing since I last used this, and have also changed my priorities. This one volume grades 3-8 book meets my needs right now. It's unit study friendly approach works well with the What Your Grader Needs to Know books I'm currently using.

 

I like that only every 5th lesson needs to be done to work from sentences to a thesis, and that the core lessons are meant to be done over and over, gradually moving from "learning to write" to "writing to learn". This is a very tweakable program. I like that the non-core lessons are often short and can be applied to the spelling lesson. It'll work for right now.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I am posting even though I did not like IEW.

For 4-5th I like Wordsmith Apprentice

For 6-7th Wordsmith

For 7-9th Lightning Literature 7 and 8

[....]

For 4-5th I like Wordsmith Apprentice

 

My son (4th grade) uses Wordsmith Apprentice (and really likes it). It's very open-and-go and reasonably priced. This just reminded me that I need to check out Wordsmith samples to see if he'll be continuing with that program.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

My son (4th grade) uses Wordsmith Apprentice (and really likes it). It's very open-and-go and reasonably priced. This just reminded me that I need to check out Wordsmith samples to see if he'll be continuing with that program.

We liked the Wordsmith but not Wordsmith Craftmam...this book had a lot on scheduling and notetaking. Maybe to use in addition with another writing program but not as a stand alone.

[scrapbabe]

Killgallon

Essentials in Writing

Bravewriter

[Tress]

I really like Classical Writing.

 

Last year I did Aesop A and B with my then 8yo. She loves to write and it was a bit easy.

 

This year we are doing Homer A. I'm only using the Core book, we are writing in Dutch, so I could not use the studentbook. I was a bit scared at first, but now think it is a good thing. I own the Homer for Older Beginners studentbook (I had planned to work through it myself) and it gives me a headache, so much jumping around. The Core is much more clear and I now have a good grip on what I want her to learn this year. This is our 11th week of the year and we are on Skill level 2, it's going well. After finishing Skill level 2 in the next two weeks, we are taking a break with CW Poetry.

[Laura Corin]

I did three things:

 

- Quick writes/free writes based on a book of writing prompts (no instruction in the book, just a list of topics). This freed up Calvin to write. I did this for about six months

 

- CGP Books SAT Buster writing books. These lead students through the format of writing a fiction or non-fiction piece. The SAT mentioned is an exam taken in England by 11yo children.

 

- At a more detailed level (sentence structure, good style, etc.) I just corrected/encouraged them myself.

 

I also used Galore Park English books, but they give prompts rather than writing instruction.

 

Laura

[mom31257]

Dd enjoyed Jump In Writing. I also like BJU's English texts for 2nd-6th grade because every other chapter is a writing lesson. They include lots of graphic organizers for organizing and each year has different types of writing. I am using IEW currently because I'm in a co-op that is doing it. While I love it now, I know I will want ds to have experience with other programs later. These are the ones that I will be choosing for him in later grades.

[Aurelia]

We've been using WWE, though we have also dabbled with Winning with Writing (I'm not a fan). I really like the skills DD is developing with WWE, but I'd also like her to learn to write creatively. I've actually been considering IEW, The Creative Writer, Connect the Thoughts, and/or Bravewriter, but I'm afraid it would be overkill.

[Zoo Keeper]

I've been using the guidelines in SWB's writing lectures (and literary analysis lecture) for six years now....easy to get done. Easy to adapt for an accelerated learner, to slow down for a reluctant writer.

[sassenach]

Love Bravewriter. I like WWE, Writing Tales, and IEW, also.

[newlifemom]

Lost Tools of Writing. Probably best for Jr High though. I love it.

[Mom0012]

Writing Tales, WWE and WWS. My son has taken an IEW class for 4 years and I had him start using WWS this summer and I have been really surprised at how much nicer his writing is with WWS. I think the instructions are so specific and everything is so incremental that he is able to "get it". I think he is also sometimes constrained at this point by the stylistic techniques that his IEW teacher requires. They were great for him in the beginning, but now he will try to write his sentences so that they conform to her requirements and it stifles his writing. I still haven't decided whether we'll drop the IEW class next year because I see where it has it's place as well, but we're plugging along in WWS in our free time and will make a decision about which direction to take sometime in the spring.

 

Lisa

[momto2blessings]

Currently loving Write with the Best: http://www.edudps.com/wwtb.html. I like that many lessons are fairly short (sometimes we'll combine 2-3 in one day, other days one lesson is full enough).This allows time to also write written narrations in other subjects. WwtB uses classic literature and seem thorough in covering what I want to cover, pretty painlessly. My7th grader is using it. I liked Writing Tales for around 3rd-5th. :)Gina

[Susie in CA]

WWS - hands down! It is the only program we have been able to work through consistently. We don't love every minute of it. And it is challenging at times. But we are making great progress with it.

[laughing lioness]

We like IEW- but we've also used WWE and WWS.

[Beach Mom]

^{WWE / WWS, like others said we don't love every lesson but I have seen all 3 of my kids' writing skills grow tremendously over the years.}

^{My DD completed 3 years of WWE, 1 year of WWS and has transitioned to a private high school. She is doing well on Honors English writing assignments and feels very comfortable with her writing skills.}

^{What I like about WWS vs IEW is I felt she found her own writing voice using WWS. I know it can be very effective, but we found IEW too formulaic and stifling. I will stay on the WWE/WWS path with my boys. I look forward to having}

^{another year of WWS to use.}

[serendipitous journey]

I'd like to add 8filltheheart's writing program to the thread :) . It is numbers 33 and 34 in this thread: it is free, straightforward, and child-paced.

 

We have taken a break from IEW and are using Winning With Writing - so far it is working out nicely.

 

 

I am liking this for teaching the basics & conventions. Mrs. Twain (board member) has liked, if I am remembering correctly, combining this with IEW for conventions + style.