Shelsi Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I know there's no one out there who can tell me what will work for sure but I'd love to hear suggestions or any helpful advice! Ds is 9 years old, 4th grade, a bit ahead in most areas except writing. We started WWE last year, starting with WWE level 1. We're now up to the beginning of WWE level 3. We also did MCT's Sentence Island last year but did not physically do any of the writing (we discussed instead) and this year he's doing Paragraph Town and doing really well. He likes WWE even though up until maybe 6 weeks ago he always said how much he hates writing. He's hated writing since he was a toddler. However lately he's had more short writing assignments from Cesar's English and Paragraph Town and he's done quite well, no tears, very little frustration. I'm pretty proud of the sudden progress. Generally: - He does not like creative writing at all. - He does well with DVD courses so that's partly why I thought IEW might work for him. - Tonight he announced school was too easy and he wanted more & harder writing (my jaw is still on the floor lol) - He gets overwhelmed easy. If I force him to only think about 1 sentence at a time he can write a beautiful paragraph. If I were to just give him the assignment in it's entirety he would panic, cry, and storm off saying it's awful and he hates school. Later he would recover, come back, and write the same beautiful paragraph. So what do you think? I thought that between WWE, Caesar's English, and Paragraph Town that we were doing great this year. But now he's asking for more and I'm certainly not going to ignore that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I don't have anything to add about curriculum. I just wanted to give you a small round of applause. You are obviously doing something right, and far too often people don't tend to acknowledge that when homeschooling. Bravo mom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 My son used IEW SWI-B last year. Based on the way you've described your son, I agree IEW might be a great fit for him. It has a reputation for working well for kids who are reluctant writers, especially boys, and for those with learning challenges, since you mentioned ADHD. The incremental steps and checklists kept my son from getting overwhelmed and really built his confidence. (Parts to whole, as they say. I think he has a brain wired for engineering, LOL.) There was not much focus on creative writing, nor free-form writing prompts, which was a plus for us. With the assigned topics and instruction in developing keyword outlines as a framework, my son didn't have to struggle with thinking of what to write about. But the IEW structure did still allow him a bit of creativity in adding his personal touch to the assignments, especially as he got further along towards the end, so that it wasn't stifling for him. The video lessons worked well here, but be aware, the videos aren't necessarily used every day. The videos may be scheduled for viewing over one or two or even three days, and then the student might spend several days doing the assigned reading, writing, edits, revising, etc. Choose the level based on your son's reading ability, not based on what you perceive his writing level to be. Look carefully at the samples on the website to help you decide. It works great for some kids but it isn't for everyone. If you haven't already, I'd advise you to look up some YouTube videos featuring the teacher, Andrew Pudewa, to see if his style/approach appeals to you and your son. (His quirky sense of humor isn't for everyone. :)) At the end, if you buy IEW, use it, and don't like it, you can still return it for a refund. IEW has a fantastic return policy. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Another Jen Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Question- Can we use IEW if the student never watches the dvd? I've got one that hates being taught through the television. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Question- Can we use IEW if the student never watches the dvd? I've got one that hates being taught through the television. Yes, you could watch the TWSS DVDs (or even the SWI DVDs, which are directed to the student) and teach the material to your student yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrayshire Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Have you looked at Essentials in Writing? My little guy likes the video lessons and short assignments. http://www.essentialsinwriting.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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