Write On, Writer's Toolbox, or ?

[Sherry in OH]

I am looking for a resource that will help me incorporate additional writing instruction into my second grader’s language arts mix.   I would prefer a resource for me to use rather than an additional workbook for him.  

 

Ds’s language arts lineup is Junior English, Language Smarts, and Cursive Handwriting.  These resources seem to work well together.  But, none of them offer much in the way of writing instruction.  There is the added problem of my being unsure just what acceptable output for second grade should look like.   If I’m scribing, he willingly dictates a multi-page story.  Should we edit the story to make it stronger, or let it stand as first dictated?  If he dictates a five-sentence paragraph about himself, is starting every sentence with I an issue?  If he were a graduate student, I’d know what to tell him, for a second grader, I haven’t a clue.  (I had him copy it as dictated.)

 

I’ve looked at samples of Write On and Writer’s Toolbox.  The three-sentence paragraph in Write On looked like an option that could work with many of the Junior English writing prompts.  Getting ds to write three sentences without me as an intermediary might be a good goal for this year.  Browsing the table of contents, Write On seems to address other styles of writing as well.  While many of them are beyond his current level, I’d like a cohesive plan for future years.  Based on Amazon sample pages, Writer’s Toolbox looks like stories that we could read together.  While I am not sure a second grader needs to know how to write a research paper, we might glean some helpful tips.  Is one or the other of these resources more appropriate for use with younger students?