Can I put them both in WWE 1 and call it good??

[violamama]

So. I have slacked off, apparently, and just woke up this fall to the fact that First Language Lessons (halfway done with book 2) and Spell to Write & Read are not the beginning of a complete LA program. Rookie mistake.

 

I have a 6 and 8 year old and want to start Writing With Ease.

 

If I just put them both in Year 1 will I be forever holding back the older one? 
If I throw them both in Year 2 will the younger one's brains melt out his ears in frustration? 

Will they be missing foundational bricks if I skip Year 1?

 

I did try the assessments with them. It seemed pretty easy for both of them to do year one and even much of year two. They both were a bit weak on dictation, but their listening/answering skills are good, they have large working vocabularies and they're fine with copywork. They actually seemed to enjoy it; they always love when we hit a story or poem day in FLL.

 

We are year-rounders, so I suppose even if I start them both in Year 1 now we could probably be caught up (?) by the time we finish Year 3 and are ready for the next thing (writing with skill?). I just don't mean to hold back the older one and/or underestimate him... 

 

Thanks for any input!

 

Edited to add: 
Splitting them is a far distant third choice because it adds more to our school time which feels balanced nicely right now. It is theoretically possible, but I'm reluctant. The younger kid is more school-oriented anyway, which makes it seem easier to keep them together. Input on that is also welcome.  

[Kuovonne]

So. I have slacked off, apparently, and just woke up this fall to the fact that First Language Lessons (halfway done with book 2) and Spell to Write & Read are not the beginning of a complete LA program. Rookie mistake.

I thought SWR had all the language arts I needed when DD was 6.

Why not start your older in WWE and let the 6 year old wait a year or two.

[MiMi 4under3]

Sometimes, following through on a less than ideal curric is better than not doing one at all.

 

In other words, the best choice is one that gets done. 

 

 

[shinyhappypeople]

What you're doing already is plenty.  Not sure why you think it's not?  You haven't made a mistake.

 

If you WANT to add something specific for writing (composition), I wouldn't bend over  backwards to keep them together.  WWE is pretty quick and easy.  I know it's more work for you (I sympathize!) but not much.   I'd meet each girl where she's at rather than try to force them into the same box.  

 

Good luck :)

[RootAnn]

So. I have slacked off, apparently, and just woke up this fall to the fact that First Language Lessons (halfway done with book 2) and Spell to Write & Read are not the beginning of a complete LA program. 

 

SWR isn't a complete LA program for K-2?  :huh:  Don't tell my kids. They'd revolt on the knowledge I'd make them do more LA everyday.

 

If you REALLY want to add WWE, you can combine both in 1 or both in 2. You can skip 1 without missing anything. You won't short-change your older by starting in 1. You can skip lessons (whole weeks of them) in either if you feel like the lesson it focuses on is already learned in your house. This is easier to do if you have the main book vs. workbooks, but it isn't too hard to do with the workbooks.

 

But you don't have to do WWE at all if you are doing a fairly thorough job with SWR. When my schedule isn't chock full, I've added it in - once as a fun way to introduce some stories/books they might not have seen otherwise & another as a craft opportunity for craft-loving, non-writing-phobic artsy children.

[blondeviolin]

TBH, the WWE workbooks are so open-and-go, it's really not a big deal to do two programs at once. I wouldn't put a 6yo through 2 since the dictation so towards the end and be somewhat lengthy.

 

ETA: You could do 1 with both but have your older take the copy work as dictation.

[violamama]

Well, to tell the truth, I have fallen out of love with SWR and I probably never did it completely right. I even took a training class and tried to hang with the Yahoo group. My first kid needed it and even the way I did it, it worked perfectly for him. The cursive helped his reversals, and having words strung together without pencil lifts helped his focus. Doing the fingers to tease out each sound was great. He didn't take off with reading until he was already 7 1/2 but MAN did he take off, and his cursive handwriting is beautiful. We made it to somewhere around lesson K and still review the 72 phonograms from time to time.

 

My second kid is sort of teaching himself how to read already and picks things up so easily compared to his big brother. I think the simplicity of ... something else? would be fine for him. I am probable going to do SWR in my own less-rigorous way through about level J with the little guy on the side just for a good base in phonics because it's what we have and know. 

 

Does SWR teach parts of speech, etc? I don't remember emphasizing that at all. It gave us lots of good understanding of words and how they're built, and they love to talk about etymologies probably in part thanks to that program and the way it takes the words sound by sound. Maybe the completion comes in the later sections...? 

 

I read in the prologue of FLL about needing to have more than just FLL and it being designed to go with WWE or something similar. When I was looking for a plan through high school (because BAM he's in 3rd!), I also saw the 4-options timeline of WWE use that SWB put out and noticed it starts in 1st grade. So that's where I got the idea that we could add that. I need to re-read WTM but haven't had time (new kid, etc.). 

Finally, most important (to me anyway) is that I feel we're missing something in our LA now that we have a 3rd grader. He loves the longer stories in WWE and I love the idea of him writing more, because he has fascinating stuff in that distracted head of his.

 

I love the conversations here, thanks again to each of you for commenting. Helps me clarify why I think I want to do something, and realize the spectrum of options.

[kiwik]

Lots of people don't start WWE1 until 2nd and you could combine so with all year you would get through one and two fairly quickly. They are supposed to read themselves the reading by level 3 though so you may have to split them before then. Or you could just buy the text and do copywork with one, dictation with the other an narration with both. When we do it we do that.

[violamama]

Great ideas about flexibility with the copywork vs. dictation from several of you. 

 

I like the idea of doing the whole program with them together from Year 1, but adding a level of difficulty by making the copywork a dictation for my older kid. 

[Tanikit]

I started my 7 year old on WWE2 and am making a week take 3 days (we do day 1 and 2 (narration and copywork) in a single day and then use a day for day 3's dictation and do the narration and dictation on the final day). She has coped fine with it and did not need WWE1. You can easily combine days in WWE which means you could do WWE1 possibly 2 weeks in a single week if you do not want to miss it. Or you could start WWE2 with both of them and work slower if need be.