Writing with Ease question....

[mommyto4QT]

We've not used Writing with Ease yet, but thinking about switching to it this fall.  After looking at the website, I am confused as to what I need to purchase.  There's a main book, workbook, and student pages??  Do I need all 3 at each level?  

 

I will have a 4th grade and 2nd grader I would like to start using this with.....so I know I will need 2 different levels.

 

I am also interested in finding any of it used that I can. 

 

Thanks

[Carla]

The instructor text explains the basic premise of the program, which you may already be familiar with if you have read the Well Trained Mind or listened to any lectures from SWB on the subject.  It can equip you to use the techniques with your students using literature and reading selections you already have (such as from your history or science reading).

 

The workbook is a scripted program with assignments for 4 days a week for 36 weeks.  It is all you need if you want something open and go.  The lessons you read from are in the front, the student pages in the back (perforated pages with pictures and lines for dictation and narration or copywork pages with the passage readily printed at the top).

 

The student pages are simply the student pages alone from the workbook for people who want to print them off for multiple students/years.

[StartingOver]

I would just purchase the http://peacehillpress.com/language-arts/the-complete-writer-writing-with-ease-workbook-1/, it is all in one.

 

The instructors guide is if you want to see the whole plan but use sources of your own, that is a lot of work to me, but not to others.

 

The student work pages can be purchased if you don't want to buy a second workbook, or want to preserve the workbook for another child. The teachers pages are in the front of the workbook, then the students pages follow. I like to get the PDF as I have two kids using the workbook, I hand them the loose leaf pages ever day, so I can keep my workbook in tact.

[smudge]

I would just purchase the http://peacehillpress.com/language-arts/the-complete-writer-writing-with-ease-workbook-1/, it is all in one.

 

The instructors guide is if you want to see the whole plan but use sources of your own, that is a lot of work to me, but not to others.

 

The student work pages can be purchased if you don't want to buy a second workbook, or want to preserve the workbook for another child. The teachers pages are in the front of the workbook, then the students pages follow. I like to get the PDF as I have two kids using the workbook, I hand them the loose leaf pages ever day, so I can keep my workbook in tact.

 

I bought this and we are into lesson 28 for my 8yr and 6yr olds. I took the book to Office Depot and had them cut the binding off. The front half of the book is the "teacher" part which I had them spiral bind. The back half is the "student" pages and those I had them 3-hole punch and I put them in a binder. We school for 6wks then have a 1wk break. So when I am prepping for the next 6 weeks, I just copy off what I need, using our printers two sided option. Saves space in the binder!

[kiwik]

If you don't want to print or pay postage (we have postage issues) the pdf converts well to kindle and exercise books work instead of the student pages.

[~Victoria~]

I bought the guide that lays out the plans for you and then you implement them with whatever text you want. I am excited to use it bc I can pick the literature I want and we can go as fast or slow through a book as we need to, still hitting the same concepts. Also, it was cheaper than buying all the workbooks :)

[PeachyDoodle]

We bought the instructor's guide only for this year. I intended to select passages myself from dd's literature/history/science books. I'm pretty organized and like to do things myself, but this was a disaster for us. Not so much the extra work, but I REALLY struggled finding things that were the appropriate length/level. I found WWE4 in a clearance bin for half off this past weekend and I think it's going to be so much better for us, although we will probably use it half-time and supplement with more creative types of writing. We started in the middle with WWE3 after pulling dd out of ps for third grade. She went from writing her own books to crying every time I said we needed to write. I clearly had no idea what I was doing, so YMMV.

 

SWB actually just posted her updated recommendations for using WWE and WWS on Facebook this morning:

http://downloads.peacehillpress.com/samples/pdf/WWEandWWSexplanation.pdf?utm_source=Catalog&utm_medium=Print&utm_content=Page%2B9&utm_campaign=2014%2BCatalog&page=10

 

If you haven't done much dictation before, I would highly suggest watching SWB's video "Dictation with Dan" on YouTube as well. I could have saved myself so much heartache and frustration if I'd been able to see dictation in action. Her technique doesn't translate well from the book, IMO.

 

Christianbook.com had some WWE in its Slightly Imperfect sale earlier today -- not sure which levels, but you might check there.

[La Texican]

I have the book "The Complete Writer". It pairs very well with my "Little Golden Book" collection. I have my son look up his copy work after I explain what type of sentence he should look for. It's sweet watching him skim through piles of books looking for the right sentence, or talking about which one of his books he's going to look in first that he thinks might have a sentence like that.