If you were going to breeze through WWS1 before WWS2...

[lisabees]

What would you do? For a strong writer, would you skip certain sections? Or would you skip over summary and outline sections?

 

For most of the year, we have done our own writing. The first section of WWS drove ds crazy - way too much hand holding for a strong writer. In preparation for a science paper, I decided to try WWS weeks 12-15. Well, ds may not be the biggest fan, but I LOVE it.

 

So - can I pick and choose what parts we do in preparation for WWS2?

[LJPPKGFGSC]

Is this for your 16 yo or your 13 yo?

 

(But I will still think about an answer while I work on dinner.)

[amsunshine]

You could try skipping to the literary analysis sections starting with Chapter 23, maybe? (I don't know why my reply text has an underline. I've tried to turn it off, but can't.)

[lisabees]

Is this for your 16 yo or your 13 yo?

 

(But I will still think about an answer while I work on dinner.)

 

For my 13 year old. :)

 

You could try skipping to the literary analysis sections starting with Chapter 23, maybe? (I don't know why my reply text has an underline. I've tried to turn it off, but can't.)

 

I think I recall Ruth (?) saying this section was much more thorough in WWS2. Thank you.

[LJPPKGFGSC]

So, here is my background. My son (who is currently 13) started WWS1 at the end of last year and is just about ready for the final paper. He is not a reluctant writer (he finished a full NANIWROMO novel with a few friends). However, he would rather write fiction. His sentence styling is acceptable for a middle school boy. His paragraphs are full bodied and on topic. However, we had never done anything more than paragraphs.

 

This is what I would suggest, if you think that you son can write good sentences, paragraphs that flow and outline an essay before he starts writing it.

 

Part One - Basic Skills / SKIP this whole section

 

Part Two - Building Blocks for Compositions / SKIP all narration and outlining exercises. The exercises called “Analyzing the Topos†are really important. And, in my opinion, what makes the curriculum so effective. SWB breaks down the topoi into the components so a student can write a good paragraph. Later, she breaks down essays into their parts so that a student can see how the different topoi fit together. If you skip the narration and outlining, that is about half of this section. So, you could do weeks 4 to 15 in about 24 days.

 

Part Three – Sentence Skills / SKIP all narration and outlining exercises. This is the section where SWB starts the copia exercises – basically sentence editing. I think that this is a topic that could be done much better. Perhaps there is just too much other content in WWS. You could easily skip it, if your son writes complex sentences. This cuts out about half the days, so you could do this part in about 15 days.

 

Part Four / Beginning Literary Criticism – Prose / Actually, I quite enjoyed doing this section, and so did my son. However, he enjoys reading, writing and talking about fiction. He is doing has done Omnibus II and III class at coop – and it is his favorite (academic) course. So, I would not skip any of these days, unless you are getting literary analysis through another curriculum. However, day 4 of each week are literary terms, and could probably be combined with the reading on day 1 of the next week. So, this could be completed in less than 16 days.

 

Part Five / Research – I would also do all of this, and do it carefully. The citations are picky and difficult, but to do this from the beginning would be an advantage for any teenager. However, the first week is all outlines, so you might skip this. However, this would be the section where it really gets hard. (I taught my son to make notes and physically cut them apart in order to make an outline just like my mom taught me when I was in junior high school! It made me appreciate even more how she taught me to write after school without a college degree herself.) Students need to write a longer essay in this part, fitting together a variety of topoi. Still, this could be done in about 16 days.

 

Part Six / Beginning Literary Criticism – Poetry – I did not like this section, but my son did. I think that you could easily skip it. I personally do not remember having to do any writing about poetry in college. Anyway….. my son liked this too! I would not skip the literary analysis in WWS1 if you intend to do the sections in WWS2. The sections in year two assume that you have done year one.

 

Part Seven / Final Project – And this is the end ….a paper combining a few topoi, on a topic that the student has chosen!

 

If you wanted, I think that you could pick out only the scientific topoi, to work on that sort of writing. Or, you could pick out only the historic topoi, to work on that type. I do think that WWS is really easy to adapt, and I am looking forward to teaching to again in a few more years to my younger children. I would not skip analyzing and writing any of the topoi in WWS1, as all those skills are assumed in WWS2. You could easily go through all the topoi and finish before the second book is ready in August.

 

The most difficult part of writing was having enough input. So, after a few weeks of struggle at the beginning, I found that I needed to have more resources available than just what was in the student book. So, before we started an essay, I would gather some easy library books (for the pictures) and find a video on Netflix. In that way, I tried to set up a bit more background knowledge and motivation. Once I started doing that, it was a lot easier for him to write, and it was a lot easier for me to help him edit because we had a bit more knowledge than just what was in the WWS student text.

 

Also, if you have a strong writer, perhaps the word counts are sometimes a bit on the short side. You might consider increasing the number of resources and the length of the finished product. At any point, if he needs a bigger challenge, he could write something from his history or science classes that incorporates two or more of the topoi that he already has learned.

 

I am sure that this is way too long! But, I love WWS and I hope that more people will use it! Please ask me questions if it helps you think this through.

[Chrysalis Academy]

So, here is my background. My son (who is currently 13) started WWS1 at the end of last year and is just about ready for the final paper. He is not a reluctant writer (he finished a full NANIWROMO novel with a few friends). However, he would rather write fiction. His sentence styling is acceptable for a middle school boy. His paragraphs are full bodied and on topic. However, we had never done anything more than paragraphs.

 

This is what I would suggest, if you think that you son can write good sentences, paragraphs that flow and outline an essay before he starts writing it.

 

Part One - Basic Skills / SKIP this whole section

 

Part Two - Building Blocks for Compositions / SKIP all narration and outlining exercises. The exercises called “Analyzing the Topos†are really important. And, in my opinion, what makes the curriculum so effective. SWB breaks down the topoi into the components so a student can write a good paragraph. Later, she breaks down essays into their parts so that a student can see how the different topoi fit together. If you skip the narration and outlining, that is about half of this section. So, you could do weeks 4 to 15 in about 24 days.

 

Part Three – Sentence Skills / SKIP all narration and outlining exercises. This is the section where SWB starts the copia exercises – basically sentence editing. I think that this is a topic that could be done much better. Perhaps there is just too much other content in WWS. You could easily skip it, if your son writes complex sentences. This cuts out about half the days, so you could do this part in about 15 days.

 

Part Four / Beginning Literary Criticism – Prose / Actually, I quite enjoyed doing this section, and so did my son. However, he enjoys reading, writing and talking about fiction. He is doing has done Omnibus II and III class at coop – and it is his favorite (academic) course. So, I would not skip any of these days, unless you are getting literary analysis through another curriculum. However, day 4 of each week are literary terms, and could probably be combined with the reading on day 1 of the next week. So, this could be completed in less than 16 days.

 

Part Five / Research – I would also do all of this, and do it carefully. The citations are picky and difficult, but to do this from the beginning would be an advantage for any teenager. However, the first week is all outlines, so you might skip this. However, this would be the section where it really gets hard. (I taught my son to make notes and physically cut them apart in order to make an outline just like my mom taught me when I was in junior high school! It made me appreciate even more how she taught me to write after school without a college degree herself.) Students need to write a longer essay in this part, fitting together a variety of topoi. Still, this could be done in about 16 days.

 

Part Six / Beginning Literary Criticism – Poetry – I did not like this section, but my son did. I think that you could easily skip it. I personally do not remember having to do any writing about poetry in college. Anyway….. my son liked this too! I would not skip the literary analysis in WWS1 if you intend to do the sections in WWS2. The sections in year two assume that you have done year one.

 

Part Seven / Final Project – And this is the end ….a paper combining a few topoi, on a topic that the student has chosen!

 

If you wanted, I think that you could pick out only the scientific topoi, to work on that sort of writing. Or, you could pick out only the historic topoi, to work on that type. I do think that WWS is really easy to adapt, and I am looking forward to teaching to again in a few more years to my younger children. I would not skip analyzing and writing any of the topoi in WWS1, as all those skills are assumed in WWS2. You could easily go through all the topoi and finish before the book is ready in August.

 

The most difficult part of writing was having enough input. So, after a few weeks of struggle at the beginning, I found that I needed to have more resources available than just what was in the student book. So, before we started an essay, I would gather some easy library books (for the pictures) and find a video on Netflix. In that way, I tried to set up a bit more background knowledge and motivation. Once I started doing that, it was a lot easier for him to write, and it was a lot easier for me to help him edit because we had a bit more knowledge than just what was in the WWS student text.

 

Also, if you have a strong writer, perhaps the word counts are sometimes a bit on the short side. You might consider increasing the number of resources and the length of the finished product. At any point, if he needs a bigger challenge, he could write something from his history or science classes that incorporates two or more of the topoi that he already has learned.

 

I am sure that this is way too long! But, I love WWS and I hope that more people will use it! Please ask me questions if it helps you think this through.

 

 

Not too long at all - that was an awesome explanation of how you have adapted WWS to your dc's needs! Thanks for sharing! :cheers2:

[lisabees]

If you wanted, I think that you could pick out only the scientific topoi, to work on that sort of writing. Or, you could pick out only the historic topoi, to work on that type. I do think that WWS is really easy to adapt, and I am looking forward to teaching to again in a few more years to my younger children. I would not skip analyzing and writing any of the topoi in WWS1, as all those skills are assumed in WWS2. You could easily go through all the topoi and finish before the second book is ready in August.

 

The most difficult part of writing was having enough input. So, after a few weeks of struggle at the beginning, I found that I needed to have more resources available than just what was in the student book. So, before we started an essay, I would gather some easy library books (for the pictures) and find a video on Netflix. In that way, I tried to set up a bit more background knowledge and motivation. Once I started doing that, it was a lot easier for him to write, and it was a lot easier for me to help him edit because we had a bit more knowledge than just what was in the WWS student text.

 

Also, if you have a strong writer, perhaps the word counts are sometimes a bit on the short side. You might consider increasing the number of resources and the length of the finished product. At any point, if he needs a bigger challenge, he could write something from his history or science classes that incorporates two or more of the topoi that he already has learned.

 

I am sure that this is way too long! But, I love WWS and I hope that more people will use it! Please ask me questions if it helps you think this through.

 

 

Oh my goodness! That was an amazing post. Thank you for being so thorough and laying out the entire plan for me. I am so thankful!!

 

Not only have you provided the guidance, you have provided the permission to skip some parts. What a weight off of my shoulders.

 

Your other ideas that I quoted above will also help me to adapt WWS. Thanks for sharing what worked for you.

 

I see that you're fairly new to the boards. A big welcome to you. And, please, feel free to share any other "long" posts that you'd like!! That was wonderful. Thanks again!

[LJPPKGFGSC]

 

 

I see that you're fairly new to the boards. A big welcome to you. And, please, feel free to share any other "long" posts that you'd like!! That was wonderful. Thanks again!

 

 

 

I would not say that I am new to the boards - only new to posting. So, thanks so much for your kind words!

[Chrysalis Academy]

I would not say that I am new to the boards - only new to posting. So, thanks so much for your kind words!

 

Well, we are glad you are diving in! Welcome!