WWS1 for 8th

[SnMomof7]

We are using EIW 7 this year and I'm considering WWS1 for next year. We will also have completed CLE LA through to the end of 7.

 

MFW schedules 1/2 the book for 7th and 1/2 for 8th. Is it too much for a single year? I see quite a few people (even younger children) finishing it in one year.

 

Does this sound like a progression that would make sense? EIW 7 to WWS1? We are gearing up for MFW AHL in 9th.

[My3girls]

I don't know anything about EiW, but my dd13 did WWS1 over 6th and 7th grade. Yes, I think 2 years to finish is reasonable. Some lessons are easy and quick, but some take 2 or 3 days to get through. At least they did for my dd.

[happypamama]

I don't know anything about EiW, but my dd13 did WWS1 over 6th and 7th grade. Yes, I think 2 years to finish is reasonable. Some lessons are easy and quick, but some take 2 or 3 days to get through. At least they did for my dd.

Yes, to this. Two years is very reasonable. I found that in the beginning, DD needed a lot more hand-holding and assistance, and since that's also the year I had a newborn, we didn't always get to it. Then, last year, we started interspersing it with The Creative Writer, so she's finishing the last few weeks of it during the first few weeks of eighth grade. I have no doubt that she can do WWS2 and TCW 1-2 during eighth and ninth grade.

[SnMomof7]

So, would it be too much to finish in a Single year for an average 8ther?

[My3girls]

If they had an awesome work ethic then they could possibly get done in a year.

[KathyBC]

We did the first half of WWS in 8th. It seemed like enough. The brain needs time to absorb quality instruction.

[Reefgazer]

DD was able to finish WWS I in one year in 6th grade.  Although she is above average in language ability, it was a handful.  but I think it's reasonably do-able for the average 8th grader in one year.

So, would it be too much to finish in a Single year for an average 8ther?

 

[BlsdMama]

DS was in 9th when he completed WWS 1 in one year.  He's a dyslexic and loved it, so I don't see it as being too much for a motivated 8th grader.  My DD is an 8th grader and we're planning WWS 1 in one year this year. ;)

[JudoMom]

My middle son finished it in a year (7th) last year without issue. I think spreading it out to two years might only be be necessary if you were starting it in 5th or 6th.

[SnMomof7]

I guess we could see how it goes :).

[SnMomof7]

Thank you all!

[RootAnn]

I'm going at the pace my dd#2 gets it done. I'll admit to only scheduling about 30 minutes per day. I figure we'll get through about 60-70% of it this year. (DD#1 got through 75-80% of it in one year.)

[VANURSEPRAC]

We are giving WWS1 a try this year for a public school 7th grader and taking the delayed course. Fingers crossed is all I can say.

[kirstenhill]

At what point does WWS1 get harder/longer to complete? (Sorry to slightly hijack, OP)

 

DD11 did the first two weeks easily, and she felt well prepared from having finished Treasured Conversations last year. I'm just wondering how far in other people felt the lessons started taking more than a week to complete, especially for a young student.

[RootAnn]

Do you remember when PHP sent out the preview PDF for WWS1? I think it was a 7 or 8 week sample. I think it got harder after you got past that. 

 

Some sections take longer than others, though. I remember being relieved to do the poetry section after the research one. Not sure if the literary analysis sections are a break or a drudge. Suppose it depends on the kid.  :coolgleamA:

[Soror]

Do you remember when PHP sent out the preview PDF for WWS1? I think it was a 7 or 8 week sample. I think it got harder after you got past that. 

 

Some sections take longer than others, though. I remember being relieved to do the poetry section after the research one. Not sure if the literary analysis sections are a break or a drudge. Suppose it depends on the kid.  :coolgleamA:

Thanks, I found the old sample and I was going to work through that with ds, it looks quite doable up until then but I knew it was supposed to get harder, that's ok though we'll do that and see how it goes and pause and practice as needed, I thought there was no harm in trying the free sample.

[Chrysalis Academy]

The first 10-11 weeks were easy. It got more challenging after that.

 

You should keep in mind that in some cases, it wasn't the difficulty of the assignments that was the problem for people, it's that the very step-by-step, whole to parts way of teaching didn't work well with their kids.  If it clicks with your kid, you are probably golden and won't find it so difficult.

 

It's also the case that a 6th grader who as done TC would be so much better prepared than a 5th grader who had just done WWE! One of my issues when WWS was first released was that there was a big jump between what was asked of students in WWE vs. WWS.  WWS didn't spend enough time teaching paragraph construction, IMO.  TC really focuses on this, so a kid who has done TC would be in very good shape to thrive with WWS.

 

Some of the reading passages are challenging for younger kids, too.  More mature readers will do better with them than your typical 10 year old.

[Penelope]

The first 10-11 weeks were easy. It got more challenging after that.

 

You should keep in mind that in some cases, it wasn't the difficulty of the assignments that was the problem for people, it's that the very step-by-step, whole to parts way of teaching didn't work well with their kids. If it clicks with your kid, you are probably golden and won't find it so difficult.

 

It's also the case that a 6th grader who as done TC would be so much better prepared than a 5th grader who had just done WWE! One of my issues when WWS was first released was that there was a big jump between what was asked of students in WWE vs. WWS. WWS didn't spend enough time teaching paragraph construction, IMO. TC really focuses on this, so a kid who has done TC would be in very good shape to thrive with WWS.

 

Some of the reading passages are challenging for younger kids, too. More mature readers will do better with them than your typical 10 year old.

Agree with all of this.

 

Sometimes I chime in and say that my fifth grader completed WWS, but we didn't only do WWE beforehand. He already wrote solid paragraphs and hadn't only done narrations, but short compositions with several paragraphs. The first 10 weeks or so were simple for him at the end of fourth grade, but then we saved the rest for fifth grade.

 

RE: the parts-to-whole. I think there is a way around this for some if you otherwise really like WWS. If you familiarize yourself with the program ahead of time, you can show your students examples of more advanced compositions, for which WWS is teaching the building blocks. I didn't often do that the first time, other than more broadly discussing writing and learning to write, but I definitely am doing that the second time through. It's easier now that I've seen and worked through all three levels with one child. For anyone that hasn't done that, look for posts by lewelma on how she worked on some of the assignments with her son. Also her analysis of many different writing programs (a really huge thread, don't remember which board it was on). I particularly remember some posts about Scientific American and National Geographic that really made a connection for me.

[Butter]

So, would it be too much to finish in a Single year for an average 8ther?

 

No, I don't think so.  My son did WWS1 last year, in one single school year.  He was in 7th, age 13 most of the year, and has dyslexia and dysgraphia, so writing took 30-60 minutes a day, but he did it.  He's doing WWS2 this year.  I expect him to complete it in a year as well.