Annie Laurie Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 What options are there for this for a 6th grader besides Writing With Skill and Jump In? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Two I've used that are written to the student at that level are Igniting Your Writing and Writing Strands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen+4dc Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I haven't used this one http://www.growingwithgrammar.com/1wwwProduct_Page.html But, I did use their grammar program and liked it. It was written directly to the student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Essentials in Writing: www.essenitalsinwriting.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Wordsmith Apprentice (gr. 4-6), or, Wordsmith (gr. 6-8) Winning with Writing (by grade level) Writing Strands (they recommend start with level 3; strong/confident writer? then skip to level 5) Essentials in Writing (daily DVD lesson and assignment) Kidswrite (basic or intermediate), a Brave Writer online class ___________________________ We used a lot of writing programs over the years. SWB's WWE and WWS came out long after we had finished those grade levels, so we never had a chance to try those. Self-directed programs that we used pretty much as written, were enjoyable, and material was retained: Wordsmith Apprentice, Jump In, and Wordsmith. Programs requiring mom/teacher time that we used parts of that were helpful: IEW, Scholastic Descriptive / Narrative / Expository / Persuasive Writing series; Write Source resources. Programs that were a real bust here: Writing Strands; Meaningful Composition. BEST of luck in finding what WORKS for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 IEW's Student Writing Intensive level B is for grades 6 - 8. It has video lessons on DVD and the writing assignment instructions are written to the student. We used parts of Jump In last year and it worked fine (for us) for what it says it does. But Writing Strands . . . oy, we tried it in 4th grade and we couldn't make it work here either. I really wanted to like it based on the S&S but the teeny, tiny incremental steps turned something that could have been good into drudgery. I liked the theory, but it didn't work with my real-life child. We use WWS1 currently and plan to stick with it until we finish the series, but I'm grateful to IEW SWI-B and really like it for late elementary or early middle school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Thank you so much for all of these great suggestions, I'm going to look into these further tonight when my kids are in bed. IEW's Student Writing Intensive level B is for grades 6 - 8. It has video lessons on DVD and the writing assignment instructions are written to the student. I hate to admit it but I own this, I've bought TWSS twice. Resold it once, tried it again years later. I find it hard to implement. Or something. I don't know what my problem is, but it doesn't click with me and it doesn't get done. My dd likes it, but I feel out of the loop if I don't follow along. I view this as a teacher intensive program, that is probably personality dependent. And my dd loves to write, so I'm concerned about some of the stylistic techniques changing her voice. I do like many things that Pudewa has to say in the TWSS and thought it would be a great way to teach myself to implement writing across the curriculum, but it hasn't worked out that way for me. I used WriteShop with my 19 year old, along with online clases, and he is a strong writer, but my dd wants something self-directed and I'd rather wait on an online class for writing for her for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 We couldn't make Writing Strands work here either - tried in in 4th grade. I really wanted to like it based on the S&S but the teeny, tiny incremental steps turned something that could have been good into drudgery. I liked the theory, but it didn't work with my real-life child. Thanks for mentioning that, it would drive my dd nuts then. I liked WWE but she really, really disliked it. She's a global thinker and doesn't like slow, incremental programs. I actually think she would enjoy Jump In but was a little put off that it's an Apologia product. But maybe I'm making it bigger than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I hate to admit it but I own this, I've bought TWSS twice. Resold it once, tried it again years later. I find it hard to implement. Or something. I don't know what my problem is, but it doesn't click with me and it doesn't get done. My dd likes it, but I feel out of the loop if I don't follow along. I view this as a teacher intensive program, that is probably personality dependent. And my dd loves to write, so I'm concerned about some of the stylistic techniques changing her voice. I do like many things that Pudewa has to say in the TWSS and thought it would be a great way to teach myself to implement writing across the curriculum, but it hasn't worked out that way for me. Yes, the TWSS is teacher-intensive. That's why they came out with the SWIs, to make using their approach possible in a non-teacher-intensive format. :laugh: I've heard your stylistic concerns from others who haven't used IEW. We used IEW for a year to prepare us for Writing With Skill and I didn't see those concerns come to fruition, but I was enough of a rebel that I didn't make my DS adhere strictly to ALL the rubric requirements by the end of the course. We limited it to the requirements that made sense to me. I wouldn't recommend IEW for several years in a row, perhaps, but a year of it didn't ruin my DS. :coolgleamA: You know your DD best, so if you don't think it would be good for her, then that's great! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I actually think she would enjoy Jump In but was a little put off that it's an Apologia product. But maybe I'm making it bigger than it is. I had concerns about that too initially. We are secular homeschoolers and, as I said, we used parts of Jump In without any issues. YMMV. There are threads on here about it that discuss/explore more deeply. Apologia publishes it, but Sharon Watson, the author, is a successful writing instructor/author in her own right, apart from Apologia. Here's her website if you want to learn more about her: http://writingwithsharonwatson.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 but my dd wants something self-directed and I'd rather wait on an online class for writing for her for now. Have you considered BraveWriter or their online classes? That might be your DD's cup of tea if she already likes writing and big-picture instruction. Or SWB's Creative Writer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Yes, the TWSS is teacher-intensive. That's why they came out with the SWIs, to make using their approach possible in a non-teacher-intensive format. :laugh: I've heard your stylistic concerns from others who haven't used IEW. We used IEW for a year to prepare us for Writing With Skill and I didn't see those concerns come to fruition, but I was enough of a rebel that I didn't make my DS adhere strictly to ALL the rubric requirements by the end of the course. We limited it to the requirements that made sense to me. I wouldn't recommend IEW for several years in a row, perhaps, but a year of it didn't ruin my DS. :coolgleamA: You know your DD best, so if you don't think it would be good for her, then that's great! Good luck! We have the SWI and were using it. I still think it's teacher intensive, even with the SWI, as I want to watch with my kids and be involved in the whole process, that's why I said I think that's personality dependent, because I feel like I need to do everything with my kids and I know she needs to start being more independent. If she had an open and go program that was faster for me to look over, I'd still feel in the loop but it woulnd't require as much of my time as IEW did, even with the SWI. None of my comments were meant to address your personal choices, no judgment attached. I wouldn't assume you ruined your ds, or that anyone who uses IEW is. My concerns are probably due to my own weaknesses as a teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Have you considered BraveWriter or their online classes? That might be your DD's cup of tea if she already likes writing and big-picture instruction. Or SWB's Creative Writer? Bravewriter would probably be a good choice for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Bravewriter would probably be a good choice for her. I don't find The Writer's Jungle to be open & go, and it's not written to the student. The Creative Writer is written to the student, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I have to say that I love the way Writing Strands teaches such that if I were homeschooling again, I would do everything in my power to make it work for my dc. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I have to say that I love the way Writing Strands teaches such that if I were homeschooling again, I would do everything in my power to make it work for my dc. :-) LOL, Ellie. Thanks for the guilt trip! :coolgleamA: And how would you go about implementing that? I would love to pick the brain of someone who has actually used it, even better if they stuck with it from elementary all the way through high school. I haven't found one yet . . . did you actually use it, or am I remembering that your kids were too old for Writing Strands by the time it came out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I don't find The Writer's Jungle to be open & go, and it's not written to the student. Right, Writer's Jungle is really for the teacher, not the student. Have you used any other BraveWriter products/packages, especially middle school or higher? If so, did you find any of them to be directed to the student? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Right, Writer's Jungle is really for the teacher, not the student. Have you used any other BraveWriter products/packages, especially middle school or higher? If so, did you find any of them to be directed to the student? You know, I have the High School program, but haven't looked at it in forever. My boys were too young when I got it (I got the package deal). I think I'll go dig it out--it might be useful right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 My 6th grader is using Blackbird & Co. Intro to Composition; it is written directly to the student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 My 6th grader is using Blackbird & Co. Intro to Composition; it is written directly to the student. This looks very interesting. Can you share any more info about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 School Composition, a free, vintage writing text available from Google Books, is written to the student. My dd loves it. You can buy a bound reprint for about $8 on Amazon. School Composition is followed by Writing in English (same author, William Henry Maxwell). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Thanks to Tara, my dd10 is enjoying School Composition too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 There is also a free textbook available from ck12.org called Commonsense Composition, and "Master Lu," a digital Buddhist monk, teaches (with a very serene voice) a free online writing curriculum (click on SIATech Collection's English Language Arts). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clear Creek Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 This looks very interesting. Can you share any more info about it? My daughter has only been using the program for two weeks, so I can only give you my impression of it - I have no success stories yet, lol. First of all, the student book (the big brown three ring binder pictured on the website) is designed to be consumable, and since I don't have a working printer right now to make copies with, I am letting my daughter write in it - that makes it a very expensive curriculum since I can't sell it when she is finished with it, but the way it is laid out the student really benefits from doing the work on the page or on a copy of the page, it would not work very well to have the student do the work in a notebook. There are some grammar exercises in the program, ones that remind me a lot of the Killgallon sentence composing book for elementary school. Since we just finished the sentence composing book before we started this program, the exercises are helping keep it all fresh in my daughter's mind. The program teaches the five paragraph essay throughout, but it is easy to use it as a base to expand upon - in fact, at the beginning of the student book when it tells the student to focus on three main ideas to support their thesis statement, I wrote in <or more> next to it, lol. I explained to my daughter that three should be the minimum, and to include all ideas that she felt were necessary to support her thesis statement. It teaches the student to use a hook as an opening sentence, but it gives them a wide variety of options to choose from so they don't have the same hook at the beginning of all of their essays (I once looked at samples of a writing program that included essays that students had written, and every single essay started with a question - that was the only hook the program taught at that level, which would make me bonkers!). The instructions for the closing paragraph with Intro to Composition are also good; it does not tell the student to simply re-state their three points (like so many other programs based on the five paragraph essay do), but instructs them to give a call to action or give a compelling reason for why the claim they made in their thesis statement was important - to leave the reader feeling like what they just read had some significance. The program also focuses heavily on the editing process. Before I ever see a rough draft my daugher will have done a fair amount of self-editing first. She has to have someone (not the teacher) read her rough draft aloud to her so she can hear her mistakes, and she has a two-page editing checklist that she has to go through that includes checking for variety in sentence structure (but not to the point that it is a formula), readability, transitions, proper use of quotations to support a point (including proper MLA citations), vocal creativity, and much more. Any other questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Following. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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