Streamline and Simplify

[Mommy to monkeys]

(Update at post 27)

 

I'm looking to STREAMLINE and SIMPLIFY our school year next year. I'm getting bogged down trying to teach everything well and then feeling guilty over not doing well enough.

I'm starting to really "get it". . .cover the basics and do more in the things they love.

 

I'll have a Ker and 1st grader next year: I've got that age down. 

 

I'll also have a 9 and 11 year old (who will be 10 and 12. . . How did THAT happen!?!)

I love my CLE math. simple

I like Core Knowledge's What your Grader needs to know books-helps me with my IHIPs and making sure we cover the basics. (Yes HUNTER, I LOVE your posts!)

My oldest is really into science, so I'll let him focus more on that. He LOVES to read about science and DO science experiments and he's old enough to be able to do them well. I've looked at some of the science textbooks I like, and he know most of that already, so I know setting him free with that is working.

My next oldest loves music.  She is VERY gifted. I'm teaching her piano. She also makes up melodies (with words), can find them on the piano, and is able to play it with the chords in the left hand if I show her how first. So, I'll definitely let her explore that.

 

Writing is our weak area, which makes sense considering that it is my weak area as well.  Yes, they've done copy work to death, but they're old enough that they need to be able to write better than they do.  They're excellent narrators, but their writing is not great. The grammar is almost almost always perfect, though. Their spelling is excellent, so I don't feel the need for that right now. I'm looking for something and some way to teach this efficiently without getting bogged down in grammar.  I still want SOME grammar, but I want writing with grammar mixed in as opposed to grammar with some writing mixed in. Does that make sense? AND I know if I'm pulling for several different things (one thing for grammar, another for one kind of writing, another supplement here or there), then we'll crash and burn. . .  What would ya'll recommend to really work on writing that still ties in with keeping things simple? I have 6 kids, so it really can't be super complicated or it won't happen.

[FO4UR]

Science in a Nutshell kits are great for the 12yo and 10yo.  You could probably even put your 12yo science-lover in charge of leading the activity guide if they have a good relationship.  If not, he could easily do it himself while you work with another dc.  These kits are very well done and easy to pick and choose in units.

 

 

Writing?  I'm in the same boat really, only my (almost) 11yo is my dyslexic and is not so great with spelling.  We are working hard on spelling & dictation.  My 8yo is advanced in LA and is ready for a leap.  I'm going to be asking them for written narrations several times per week. I will give them narration prompts from a book they are reading.  We will discuss them orally, and then they will choose one to write down independently.  Hopefully, the discussion beforehand will ease their way into written narrations. My goal is for them to be able to put on paper what comes out of their mouths (without crying), and take writing assignments from their teacher in addition to the copious free writing my dd does (without crying). Simple.  We will expand on that skill down the road.  These written narrations will be in addition to the other copywork/dictation that I have them doing.  I'm ramping up *quantity* this year.

 

Oh, and the Science in a Nutshell Kits have 3 student journals in each kit.  Those journals make for good science writing assignments.  I often write out their answers on the board and have them copy into their books. I'm hoping to reduce the amount of copying needed by my oldest this year.  

 

 

 

That's where we are.  I'm not sure that was helpful for you, but it helped me to type it out. :lol:

 

 

 

[Hunter]

For writing I would do these three free lessons for now, and read every word of the free TM.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/497831-why-are-public-and-private-school-kids-so-much-further-ahead-in-their-writing-skills/?p=5363617

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/497831-why-are-public-and-private-school-kids-so-much-further-ahead-in-their-writing-skills/?p=5363625

 

It sounds like there are no immediate grammar issues that need to be taught right NOW. Do these writing lessons now, keep doing what you are doing as it seems to be working. Then reevaluate after doing these writing lessons.

 

It really is okay to only teach writing OR grammar for months at a time.

 

Once we change ONE thing in a curriculum, it sets off a snowball effect of wanting/needing to change everything else. With what you have going now, this is the thing that will fit like a perfect jigsaw puzzle piece.

[Hunter]

I've used these 3 worksheets with adults.

 

I've supplemented worksheet 37 with some simple lists of ideas for writing introductions and conclusions. Don't look for the most complete lists! just find lists with some variety. And maybe ones with nice formatting or are trendy. I used to have a list with Little Red Riding Hood ideas, that were a big hit with students.

 

They can pick any topic to write about, but repeat the same model/method over and over. I had a Central American nurse wanting to take an English language test, that was reading children's books on diseases and using this model as book reports and she really liked it and found it helpful. She was a hard worker and would read a book and do an essay every day. We met at a soup kitchen/women's center, and over a free lunch, we went over her English writing every day, and she spoke in English and listened to me speak in English.

 

The familiarity of the lessons allowed her to focus on her English and writing, better than something with more variety. So much progress was made with these 3 worksheets and a couple more on intros and conclusions. I put them in page protectors because they were being handled so much, and it made it look like a more substantial curriculum.

 

This is my default "less is more" writing curriculum. Your daughter could do a series of essays on composers. Your son could do his essays on a series of elements, or animals, or buildings/structures.

 

When you see what they accomplish with this, then I think you might have a better idea of what you would like to do next. It's REALLY interesting to see where a student is at after a month or two of working through these lessons. I seldom can predict.

[Jenn in CA]

Do you really want simple?

Are you sure?

Have the 9 & 11 yos write a paragraph every day about anything. Dig up oodles of prompts if they want them. Correct mainly for grammar or if it doesn't make sense.

 

Work up to half a page, then a full page a day, by about 7th grade.

 

The end.

 

My boys were able to get As in freshman comp doing only this. Oh, they both took college freshman comp at age 15.

 

 

[Mommy to monkeys]

Science in a Nutshell kits are great for the 12yo and 10yo.  You could probably even put your 12yo science-lover in charge of leading the activity guide if they have a good relationship.  If not, he could easily do it himself while you work with another dc.  These kits are very well done and easy to pick and choose in units.

 

 

Writing?  I'm in the same boat really, only my (almost) 11yo is my dyslexic and is not so great with spelling.  We are working hard on spelling & dictation.  My 8yo is advanced in LA and is ready for a leap.  I'm going to be asking them for written narrations several times per week. I will give them narration prompts from a book they are reading.  We will discuss them orally, and then they will choose one to write down independently.  Hopefully, the discussion beforehand will ease their way into written narrations. My goal is for them to be able to put on paper what comes out of their mouths (without crying), and take writing assignments from their teacher in addition to the copious free writing my dd does (without crying). Simple.  We will expand on that skill down the road.  These written narrations will be in addition to the other copywork/dictation that I have them doing.  I'm ramping up *quantity* this year.

 

Oh, and the Science in a Nutshell Kits have 3 student journals in each kit.  Those journals make for good science writing assignments.  I often write out their answers on the board and have them copy into their books. I'm hoping to reduce the amount of copying needed by my oldest this year.  

 

 

 

That's where we are.  I'm not sure that was helpful for you, but it helped me to type it out. :lol:

 

I've looked at those science kits before and while I think my oldest would love them, my daughter really really doesn't like science beyond nature type topics. She and her older brother do get along but he's very take charge and she's very. . .well. . .easy going and flighty (I mean that in a good way.  She's just a free spirit)

For writing I would do these three free lessons for now, and read every word of the free TM.

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/497831-why-are-public-and-private-school-kids-so-much-further-ahead-in-their-writing-skills/?p=5363617

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/497831-why-are-public-and-private-school-kids-so-much-further-ahead-in-their-writing-skills/?p=5363625

 

It sounds like there are no immediate grammar issues that need to be taught right NOW. Do these writing lessons now, keep doing what you are doing as it seems to be working. Then reevaluate after doing these writing lessons.

 

It really is okay to only teach writing OR grammar for months at a time.

 

Once we change ONE thing in a curriculum, it sets off a snowball effect of wanting/needing to change everything else. With what you have going now, this is the thing that will fit like a perfect jigsaw puzzle piece.

I definitely don't want to change everything. We just need to handle writing.  I'll definitely print out these lessons so I can get a feel for them.

 

Do you really want simple?

 

Are you sure?

 

Have the 9 & 11 yos write a paragraph every day about anything. Dig up oodles of prompts if they want them. Correct mainly for grammar or if it doesn't make sense.

 

Work up to half a page, then a full page a day, by about 7th grade.

 

The end.

 

My boys were able to get As in freshman comp doing only this. Oh, they both took college freshman comp at age 15.

Oh mercy. My son's issue with writing is that he has a "get it done" attitude, so if I ask him to write a paragraph it will contain the shortest and least detailed sentences that the world has ever known (slight exaggeration) while dd just freezes and doesn't know where to start. 

 

Perhaps getting them excited about a prompt topic would help.

 

Could it be my lack of consistency that's killing it? They get frustrated. I get frustrated. Then we quit.  ((Sigh))

 

Between those sample lessons from write on and some prompts, hopefully I can get some writing juices flowing.

[Jenn in CA]

 

Oh mercy. My son's issue with writing is that he has a "get it done" attitude, so if I ask him to write a paragraph it will contain the shortest and least detailed sentences that the world has ever known (slight exaggeration) while dd just freezes and doesn't know where to start. 

 

Perhaps getting them excited about a prompt topic would help.

 

Could it be my lack of consistency that's killing it? They get frustrated. I get frustrated. Then we quit.  ((Sigh))

 

 

There's nothing wrong with get it done! The goal is to write every day. The goal isn't to write *something amazing or even good* every day.

 

Start with being thrilled with whatever they give you. A couple sentences. Even "I am writing but I don't know what to write. I can't think of anything. I hate writing." Yes, I got those. They usually only do that a couple times and then get bored with it.

 

The consistency of requiring writing, even when it's very bad, does help.

 

Yes, creative and even goofy prompts help. "If I were a basketball..."

 

And not criticizing the content helps a lot. Just circle the grammar/punc/spelling errors, and correct, but after they've made the same mistake a few times, just circle without correcting. Have them re-copy or re-do as desired, depending on the frequency of the errors.

[Mommy to monkeys]

I'm going to try and be consistent. My concern is that if I just keep accepting poor writing, they will get stuck and simply continue in that path.

 

They're both writing now, so we'll see what they come up with. I told them to write whatever they wanted, and they both gave me a "deer in the headlights" look. Soooo, I threw out some ideas.

 

 I'm still reading through the TM from Write-On. Hopefully I can finish it up tonight and start with a lesson this week..

[Mommy to monkeys]

DD gave me a very nice paragraph without any tears. DS had a single sentence written on his paper. He is so stinkin' intelligent, but he's soooooooo lazy. He's not stupid. I have six kids. I hate feeling like I'm DRAGGING HIM ALL DAY through something he could whip out in no time. This is why we quit. He's capable of doing as well as he feels like, but he doesn't like putting forth ANY effort.

 

Trying not to have a hissy fit. . . .

[Another Lynn]

I did something like Jenn in CA's suggestion one year with my oldest.  We were sick of narrations, but I didn't know how to move on to something else without jumping too far ahead.  So, for part of a year I required him to write a paragraph (up to a page) about any topic of his choice.  If he couldn't come up with a topic, I had a list for him to choose from.  He never used my list.  I wouldn't say he ever got "excited" over a topic, but he learned that writing did not have to be agony.  We didn't revise any of them, if I remember correctly.  I think doing that helped him a lot. 

 

On the other hand, if the free-writing approach doesn't work (and maybe it does with one, but not the other?) there's a series of workbooks called Writing Skills that could "get it done" painlessly.  It also covers a little grammar, so if you don't mind doing "grammar-lite" it could cover both for a season.  http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?subject=7&category=1653  If you decide you like it, I would consider Book 1 for your ds.  You don't need the teacher's handbook unless you want additional ideas for writing topics. 

[Jenn in CA]

DD gave me a very nice paragraph without any tears. DS had a single sentence written on his paper. He is so stinkin' intelligent, but he's soooooooo lazy. He's not stupid. I have six kids. I hate feeling like I'm DRAGGING HIM ALL DAY through something he could whip out in no time. This is why we quit. He's capable of doing as well as he feels like, but he doesn't like putting forth ANY effort.

 

Trying not to have a hissy fit. . . .

 

Yaay! It's a start. 

 

Remember that *you're* not dragging him all day... *he's* choosing to drag it out all day. I usually give out consequences for these types of poor choices, usually more work: "If you're not done your 3 sentences in 20 minutes, you will write another 3 sentences in 10 minutes" and keep piling it on until he does it. Usually only happens once. I had smart lazy boys once. The issue isn't usually the method, it's the laziness, so keep at it. 

 

Don't quit! All you need to do is outlast your kids. 

[RootAnn]

If he likes to read about science, can you have him write something about science?

Just pick a topic he knows something about (or has read about) and have him write something down. He's "teaching" you.

Don't give him a squirrely prompt if he'd rather write about volcanoes or aerodynamics or the chemical properties of water.

[3andme]

Another option if you want  something a little more structured with more direct instruction is Essentials in Writing. It is a relatively inexpensive DVD video program (about $40) which combines writing and grammar. There is a separate DVD for each grade level. It's gotten a number of fairly positive reviews here and on the Homeschoolreviews forum. 

[jmarchman]

DD gave me a very nice paragraph without any tears. DS had a single sentence written on his paper. He is so stinkin' intelligent, but he's soooooooo lazy. He's not stupid. I have six kids. I hate feeling like I'm DRAGGING HIM ALL DAY through something he could whip out in no time. This is why we quit. He's capable of doing as well as he feels like, but he doesn't like putting forth ANY effort.

 

Trying not to have a hissy fit. . . .

Over the past year, I had reached the point of hissy fits (both of us) with my (now) 11yo. I thought it was just laziness, but when it reached the point that my closest homeschooling friend and confidant began telling me that she was watching my relationship with my son deteriorating, we decided to consult a psychologist we trust. My son just completed 10 2hr sessions of exhaustive testing and came away with a diagnosis of dysgraphia and ADHD, though he is highly intelligent. I *never *would have thought we'd find ourselves in this position. He's starting medication this Friday, which he is very excited about.

 

My point isn't that this is your situation, but just to consider it : sometimes it is laziness, but sometimes it's not. If you find you've tried "everything" and you're still dragging him along, there might be something else going on. ... Because I could have written your post myself six months ago.

[Hunter]

I always assume an LD when things aren't going smoothly.

 

Testing and and medication have not ever been the cure all that it has been for some others, here. Myself, my children, and my tutoring students have not been able to access the best of a broken system.

 

Sometimes I'm too easy on students, because I fear an LD that might not be there. I just cannot push through those hard spots with shaming language and/or punishment.

 

And now that I have developed PTSD, and that my seizures have left me with brain damage, I'm extra sensitive to smart people that cannot get all the pieces together. Just today I was badly shamed by someone I care deeply for because that person thinks I can do better. I'm not a kid, so I got to curse at this person and walk away. And then I was able to take a long bath and make some tea and log on here to self-soothe in my favorite way--talk ABOUT topics instead of TO someone--yes, a bit of an aspie trait.

 

I'm not for advocating running straight to a doctor, for everyone, at the least sign of trouble, because for some people it only disrupts and provides little help. When trouble starts, I fall back on teaching like there is an LD. I narrow the curriculum, and teach what I do teach more explicitly. I SLOOOOW down and schedule in breaks for all of us to calm down; I pay more attention to pacing and rhythm and mental and spiritual health. And I leave a lot of room for open ended learning, so the student can set their own pace, and produce what they CAN produce.

 

I'm not sure there is such a thing as "lazy". There is depressed, over-scheduled, overwhelmed, angry, sick, scared, confused, spoiled, and so many other things. "Lazy" is such a vague and unhelpful word. I used to use it a lot, before my life imploded. Now I never use it. I don't know what it means anymore. The word is no longer useful to me.

 

Mommy to Monkeys, I'm really just talking out loud right now and not TO you. I'm worried about how YOU might receive my GENERAL post, because it touches on things you mentioned. I'm just talking out loud, though. It's been a rough morning. There is a reason the government pays me to sit on my butt and won't even invest in rehabilitation for me. Yes, I'm smart, but I'm not ever expected to consistently be able to get all the pieces together into anything significant enough to make me financially independent. And as for my friend, if that friend wants to be my friend, they better learn to accept me the way I am, because this is all I have to offer. Smart, but very broken, and more broken on some days than others.

 

 

 

 

[tjlcc]

My oldest sounds a lot like yours.  I'm having him read a chapter in The Story of Inventions each week.  There are comprehension questions at the end of each chapter.  I assign him to answer several of them in written form.  He is also enjoying Story Starters which surprised me, as well as Jump In.

 

For Grade 6, I would like to outsource writing and use an online class, but we'll see.  Writing is not my strength either.

[bethben]

 

For Grade 6, I would like to outsource writing and use an online class, but we'll see.  Writing is not my strength either.

 

I outsourced writing this year.  I felt like I had gotten ds to the best place "I" could get him and didn't know how to challenge him further.  We went with a Potter's school class and it has been wonderful!  I no longer have to be the bad guy and ds is challenged further than I could take him.  I highly encourage it!  They have a introductory writing class starting in 6th grade also.

 

Beth

[Mommy to monkeys]

Oh my. . .I just typed out a long response and lost it when I clicked post! Sheesh I'll try again and I'll save it first!
 
Yesterday was a hard day for him.  We had a chat about why he doesn't like to write. He says writing is work, and he doesn't like it because it's hard.  He also said that the more he thought about how he couldn't do anything else until he finished, the more upset he became. AND he has so many ideas but doesn't know what to write first and the order to put it into to make it "right".  (side note- I took him to a psychiatrist about 3 1/2 years ago for trich and came out with a diagnosis of MILD OCD)

 

Soooo. . .today we compromised. He can do his math and readings in the morning/afternoons and do his writing in the evening for the NEXT day, so that he feels ahead and not behind.  We sat down and brainstormed on 3X5 cards and he then proceed to write 2 paragraphs on tigers, 2 paragraphs on how to draw characters from Angry Birds, AND took a paragraph from a Paddington Bear book and turned it into a mad lib (<----not my idea!)

 

I downloaded some story starters and will definitely keep these programs in mind for the future, but I think no matter WHAT we use that right now he needs consistency, "hand holding", and to know that his best is good enough.

 

Hunter, I'm not offended in the slightest. DS is used to things coming easily for him and it's hard for him to do things that don't.  I do want that balance between pushing him too hard and selling him short by not pushing enough.

[Hunter]

Another trick I have learned for fearful writers is to assign a question specifically designed to be answered in a paragraph. So If I used the Write On! worksheets, I would ask 3 questions, each of which would become each of the 3 body paragraphs.

 

Oral compositions can be good for some students. You can teach them to cluster and organize their thoughts, without having to focus on punctuation and handwriting

 

There are so many skills that have to all come together in "writing". Some students need more time to focus on the individual skills, before being expected to combine them.

 

And students sometimes have a disability that makes multitasking very difficult in general, even when all the contributing skills are solid. Anxiety and OCD makes multitasking difficult in general. When anxious, the brain narrows and compartmentalizes and does other things that reduces context. "Just do it!" becomes impossible. A repeatable format can be helpful. That is why 911 phone operators, have checklists and forms to look at while talking to people on the phone.

 

I've eased up the tight formats I was teaching, as the formats were too tight to be used in real life, but I've substituted looser forms. I no longer teach the different kinds of paragraphs and essays, one by one. And I don't focus on topic sentences and sometimes don't even introduce the idea at all, or just as one tool that MIGHT be used. But I do teach 5 paragraph essays to early writers, as a repeatable writing EXERCISE.

 

So if you go back to the Write On! worksheets, I might ask the following 3 questions:

 

Where do camels live?

What do camels look like?

What are camels used by man for?

 

Then the next time, ask the same 3 questions about sheep.

 

Then ask 3 questions about an entirely different topic, like a person, or a building.

 

After weeks or months of producing this type of exercise successfully, the student is better able to tackle other types of writing assignments. It's kind of like running laps in a gym all winter, and being better prepared to run outside in the spring. Running on the busy streets is not the same, but at least the runner is physically conditioned, and thinks of himself as a runner, and has scheduled running into his day.

[ByGrace3]

For writing have you looked any at Brave Writer? The BW philosophy fits well into your idea of mostly writing with some real life grammar thrown in. The new Partnership Writing is a good introduction to the BW lifestyle and would be great for your kids ages.

[Holly]

I have 4 (soon-to-be 5) DC and have been making our day more efficient for the last couple years.  My suggestions are to combine as much as possible, make your schedule more efficient, and cut down on the extras.  

 

I've combined my DC for as many subjects as I can...history, science, literature, foreign language, etc.  I can even combine them somewhat for things like grammar and writing.  We are just getting started with The Writer's Jungle and I'm hoping that will help us with writing.  We're also using MOH, 106 Days of Creation (lots of science experiments), Prima Latina (we mostly do the lessons orally, but I have my older ones copy the new words and prayers once a week), SCM's Scripture Memory system.  I have a few grammar/writing resources we work from as well...these are geared toward my 11 and 9 yo DC.  

 

For our schedule, I generally work with them one-on-one while the others work independently.  These seems to work best for us.  For independent work, they do piano practice, math workbook pages, typing lesson, math fact drill, phonics (ETC or MCP), free reading, notebook pages, etc.  When we work together, it's usually a math lesson and phonics reading lesson (with my beginning readers).  My preschooler does a few of the LHTH lessons with me for her time.  The hardest part here is making sure the others are actually working when I'm not working with them one-on-one.  I try to keep them in the same room as me and they have a checklist to mark off when they are done with each subject.  

 

For cutting down on extras, I have a fine arts basket.  It contains all our current poetry books, artist study, Shakespeare book, history extras, and Bible study books.  I pick one (or two) each day for us to read from.  We are also currently listening to Chronicles of Narnia on CD for our literature study.  This has been a great way to fit in some of those extras without taking away from our regular studies.  We don't get to each book every single week, but that is my goal to strive for.

[Hunter]

People that I respect so much love Bravewriter, but I just cannot seem to make it work. Granted I have not downloaded the whole program and really worked at it, but the sample lessons and everything I see, just doesn't help ME as a teacher.

 

Some day when I am bored and have extra cash, I'm going to have to download and really read the program. I must be missing SOMETHING. :confused1:

[scrapbabe]

Do you really want simple?

 

Are you sure?

 

Have the 9 & 11 yos write a paragraph every day about anything. Dig up oodles of prompts if they want them. Correct mainly for grammar or if it doesn't make sense.

 

Work up to half a page, then a full page a day, by about 7th grade.

 

The end.

 

My boys were able to get As in freshman comp doing only this. Oh, they both took college freshman comp at age 15.

. Love this!!

[Jenn in CA]

 We sat down and brainstormed on 3X5 cards and he then proceed to write 2 paragraphs on tigers, 2 paragraphs on how to draw characters from Angry Birds, AND took a paragraph from a Paddington Bear book and turned it into a mad lib (<----not my idea!)

 

 

I love the mad lib idea!!

 

My boys enjoyed this one at your son's age: "Who Am I?" -- take a few sentences to describe a person (family member... celeb... historical figure... book character... anyone) then end with "who am I". The reader has to guess who it is. The one describing the favorite stuffed bear was precious.

[Alicia64]

I can't say enough about Brave Writer. It's transformed writing for my 10 year olds!

 

I like your simplify style!

 

Alley

[scrapbabe]

There's nothing wrong with get it done! The goal is to write every day. The goal isn't to write *something amazing or even good* every day.

 

Start with being thrilled with whatever they give you. A couple sentences. Even "I am writing but I don't know what to write. I can't think of anything. I hate writing." Yes, I got those. They usually only do that a couple times and then get bored with it.

 

The consistency of requiring writing, even when it's very bad, does help.

 

Yes, creative and even goofy prompts help. "If I were a basketball..."

 

And not criticizing the content helps a lot. Just circle the grammar/punc/spelling errors, and correct, but after they've made the same mistake a few times, just circle without correcting. Have them re-copy or re-do as desired, depending on the frequency of the errors.

. Jenn I am not the OP but I am in love with this!!! Thanks for putting into words what my instinct tells me I need for my kids. This is perfect and so simple. You're my new favorite person for today. ;)

[Mommy to monkeys]

Just wanted to give an update as we've been working steadily for a few weeks now trying to stick to the "simplify method".

 

I have to tell you, whoever mentioned Brave Writer, I love you! Seriously, you are my new. best. friend. :hurray:  I'm now on Julie Bogart's email list and I've been scouring that website and her blog and utilizing her ideas. My kids are so happy! I'm so happy! I really feel as though we're getting a better balance of copywork/dictation and composition done now.  We're doing copywork or dictation twice a week, Free write Fridays, Tea Time Tuesdays, and utilizing some of her other ideas on other days without pressure. AND because they're not getting bogged down and burnt out with their English workbooks, they've been voluntarily writing letters.

 

I found The Writer's Jungle at homeschool buyers coop at a discount and will be getting it soon.   :lol: