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Writing Program help needed??? Which one??


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So I have read and read some more, but I still am undecided as to what writing program to use for my ODS.

 

About him:

He JUST turned 9, so here he would be in 3rd grade. He HATES the physical act of writing. He can dictate a novel, but needs direction to keep things flowing and characters developed, etc. Seriously he could dictate to me for hours with elaborate plot lines. We do copywork off the board each morning (part of our religious studies, so this will not be changed). His handwriting is improving, but slowly. I accommodated his dislike for physically writing till now. Now I force him to write out the words in fill in the blank type worksheets. For history, he dictates to me a summary of what he read. I want to move to him taking his own notes. He has strong grammar skills (we are using Easy Grammar) and his spelling is good when he slows down and takes his time (AAS). We are using WWW for now as it was not expensive and thought it would ease him in to writing a paragraph. He is reading at 5-6th grade level and reads willingly. His reading comprehension is strong and vocabulary large. As far as narration, he can retell a rather long chapter from a book we read, or what I read in a science book or history book. He could use some help in putting it in logical order, but he gets the main points.

 

Sooo...

About what I need:

Something "complete" , open and go, similar to AAS, etc (I kinda dismissed IEW for this reason, I don't have time nor a place to watch a dvd by myself. A list of needed reading would be fine.),

Something reusable for later kiddos (Buying a replacement workbook would be ok, i rather do that than photocopy),

PDF format is OK, I can print and put in binder,

Grammar review not needed, ok if mentioned in editing process, but instruction not needed,

Secular only (I do not want to spend time editing or trying to find a replacement assignment or passage to use),

Not toooo expensive(I guess I could always resell it if need be, but I never seem to be able to sell for any where near I paid for it)

 

Does this exist???

I saw Classical Writing and was intrigued, but is it secular???

Would WWE be a fit if we already do copywork, and his grammar is strong? If so, what level?

I looked at IEW, but I don't really like the dvd thing.

Mom involvement is ok, but would love to go over it with him and then he work on it himself.

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He may be a little young, but my 11-year-old (who also hates the physical act of writing) is in CC's Essentials and we also just started WWS1 at home. Esssentials is great for grammar, IMO, but the requirement to add every single dressup to every piece of writing is mind numbing (Essentials uses a form of IEW). I couldn't stand to read one more single word of that writing, so I am taking the handcuffs off for the rest of the semester and he will learn discernment regarding dressup usage.

 

Writing With Skill 1 is cheap ($40 for teacher guide and student workbook) and you can avoid the physical act of writing by having him dictate to you. My son is a fabulous typist due to Minecraft, so he hand writes his outline, then types the assignment himself. He prints it, we both proof and correct it, then he makes the changes, prints and puts it in his writing binder.

 

We will continue with WWS1, then move to WWS2. I have been drooling over Michael Clay Thomas' Fireworks Press catalog, so I think we will try some of his writing materials after that. We are reading Grammar Island and Grammar Town now, and we LOVE them. Seriously, why couldn't I have grown up with this stuff?

 

Next year we will not do Essentials. Two years is all we can take. We will, however, continue to work through the grammar portion over and over again until it's solid. For both of us.

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Hmm, I was kinda under the impression that one had to finish or do some of WWE to move to WWS, but looking over the WWS samples, it might fit.

I like the idea of handwriting the outline than typing the assignment.

 

Any other suggestions??

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Sounds like your DS has no problems with thinking of what to write, and is solid with the structure of writing and paragraphs, it's just the physical act of writing that is not going so well. Have you considered teaching him to touch-type, and have him start typing all of his assignments? He'll still have plenty of opportunity to practice the physical act of writing with copywork, and filling in his math, grammar, and other work pages.

 

 

Maybe it's just me, but at that younger age, with 2 DSs who either hated writing or struggled with writing, it seemed more important to do something that kept them from hating/rejecting writing, rather than really push hard for lots of output, or struggle through a formal writing program.

 

The answer at that stage for us was Wordsmith Apprentice. Great for "pencil phobic" writers. Open and go. Covers all areas of writing (descriptive, narrative, persuasive, expository). Short exercises and slowly works up to longer writing by the end of the year, and the exercises/assignments can be broken into as small of a "bite" of writing as needed. Written to the student, with a fun "cub reporter" theme, and a silly one-page comic of the Editor in Chief introducing you to each new section.

 

If you have your student do the exercises on notebook paper, then the program is reuseable. See it here.

 

Wordsmith Apprentice can be a fun break between more formal programs, or, it can be used as a supplement; do a unit of your formal writing, then take a break from that and do a unit from Wordsmith Apprentice that allows for more creativity, and is a bit lighter and more fun-oriented.

 

BEST of luck, whatever you go with! Warmly, Lori D.

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