Anyone used WWS 1 or 2 with an older student?

[cowboyswife]

I was going to use WWS level 3 for my 15 yo daughter this year, but when I finally was able to look at the sample I realized she would be clueless without having done any of the other WWS levels.  I was planning to use the recommendations for tenth grade in SWB's thing about what programs to use for which grades, which recommended no lower than WWS 3 for a tenth grader.  My daughter's writing experience thus far though, has been one year of an IEW themed program.  

 

So, I can either do another level of IEW with her, or do a lower level of WWS with her.  I like the WWS better than IEW, just the organization and system of it all is much more to my liking than IEW, but as I looked at WWS 2 it seemed like that would even be a stretch for her. However doing WWS 1 surely would be too elementary for a tenth grader, would it not?  

 

Has anyone done WW2 or 1 with a high schooler and what was your experience? 

 

Thanks,

Nicole

[chiguirre]

Trinqueta is enrolled in the WTM Academy's WWS 1 class. She spends about 3 hours a week on it (2 hours in the class and about an hour to do the writing assignment). I'd venture to say a 10th grader could easily get through 2 levels in a year, 3 if you work through the summer. There is a lot of repetition in the assignments. I can see T's writing improve with each iteration, but I'm sure you're starting at a much higher point than the typical 6th grader. You won't need to do so many iterations of each type of writing to become good at it.

 

WWS isn't really as intimidating as it first appears when you read it. You just need to learn what each type of exercise requires because they are exercises, not typical essay assignments. You don't need to come up with a topic or research it in order to do the writing assignments. You're using a fact sheet that's provided and picking and choosing from those facts in order to write the assignment. It's a writing class, not an English class where you need to express an opinion or analyze a text.

 

Hope that helps!

[Reefgazer]

I haven't used the program with a high schooler, but am using WWS I with my 6th grader (we're finishing it up in 7th now).  Honestly, she was able to do the work without too much difficulty, but some of the assignments were deep for a 6th grader and took her quite a while (especially near the end of the book).  I can easily see this program being just fine for an older student, even the first WWS I.  There are so many useful skills the student would pick up from that book, regardless of grade level, and my feeling is to start her at the level where she is at.  She will reap benefits no matter where you start her, and starting her way above her level would be setting her up for failure. 

[Serenade]

I dunno, my 9th grader is doing WWS 1, and it seems just fine to me.  I don't think it is particularly simple or anything.  I think depending on the grade and experience, the student will produce different levels of work -- in other words, a 5 or 6th grader might do an assignment that looks to have been done by a younger student, and an older student will bring a different level of maturity to the same project.

 

I love WWS.  I doubt my son will ever make it beyond WWS 3, to the high school level, and that's fine with me.  I think even a thorough understanding of WWS 1 would put most kids ahead of their public school counterparts, even if that is all they ever did.  My opinion only.

 

WWS is a great and rare product, and one I feel so fortunate to be using.

[Serenade]

I haven't used the program with a high schooler, but am using WWS I with my 6th grader (we're finishing it up in 7th now).  Honestly, she was able to do the work without too much difficulty, but some of the assignments were deep for a 6th grader and took her quite a while (especially near the end of the book).  I can easily see this program being just fine for an older student, even the first WWS I.  There are so many useful skills the student would pick up from that book, regardless of grade level, and my feeling is to start her at the level where she is at.  She will reap benefits no matter where you start her, and starting her way above her level would be setting her up for failure. 

 

 

Yes, these are my thoughts, too. 

[bluedarling]

I used WWS1 with a 9th grader a couple years ago (along with his 8th grade brother at the time.)  He did complain about the amount of repetition...he got the idea of outlines quickly and didn't need to keep doing them, but when I offered to cut out assignments he said it would mess everything up, so I let him do every assignment rather than argue.  I would think it would be best to skip some of the repetition and complete more than one manual a year.  No advice on how to do that, though, since I didn't actually end up doing it.

[AllSmiles]

I'd start with WWS level 1.  There are a lot of basic skills in the book that I'm sure a student of any age could gain from.  I would, however, not make long term plans for the book.  If you want to get through it faster, skip those skills which seem mastered, and spend more time on those that need practice. . You could also get through the book faster if you did writing five days a week instead of four.  If you could get WWS levels 1-3 completed in 2 years, you should be in good shape.  That would leave WWS 4 for 12th grade.

[AllSmiles]

I'd start with WWS level 1.  There are a lot of basic skills in the book that I'm sure a student of any age could gain from.  I would, however, not make long term plans for the book.  If you want to get through it faster, skip those skills which seem mastered, and spend more time on those that need practice. . You could also get through the book faster if you did writing five days a week instead of four.  If you could get WWS levels 1-3 completed in 2 years, you should be in good shape.  That would leave WWS 4 for 12th grade.  I did level 1 and part of level 2 with a 10th grader, and I think he gained a lot.

 

[FloridaLisa]

Interesting discussion.  I jumped in with WWS3 this year with my 10th grader.  I really like it so far (we're only on the research paper right now) but there have been a few holes where the curriculum refers back to something taught in level 1 or 2.  We don't have those. So, I usually use some of my other resources to fill in the hole and it's been manageable. I didn't even consider starting with WWS2 as I thought it would be too young. WWS3 is right on the money for us and, if it goes as it has for the last 6 weeks, we're going to have a great year.  We used some other resources at the beginning of the year, waiting for WWS3 to be released.  

 

Lisa