Brave Writer Arrow single issues - good for co-op use?

[EKT]

I haven't used any Brave Writer products before, but I love Julie Bogart from what I've seen of her periscopes. Would the Arrow single issues lend themselves well to older elementary co-op classes? I'm having trouble ascertaining from the website exactly how many lessons? assignments? are in each Arrow single issue. Our co-op meets for 10-12 sessions each semester. So, I'm thinking of assigning the book (haven't decided which) to be read at home before co-op begins, and then doing the Arrow activities each week for the actual co-op classes I teach. (It would be a huge help to me to have someone else essentially plan my co-op class for me. But I can't tell if I can get ten classes out of each Arrow issue or not....) I also can't tell if the Arrow products are more about actual writing mechanics, or if they would work well to support a book club style co-op class with discussion questions about the book, etc.

 

Basically, any info you can give me about Brave Writer and/or the Arrow stuff would be really helpful and much appreciated! Thanks!

 

ETA: Sorry, meant to post this on the K-8 board. Hope nobody minds that it's here. 

Edited May 20, 2016 by EKT

[Farrar]

No, I wouldn't use the Arrow with a co-op. It's mostly just dictation/copywork, one passage a week for a month to go with a book you're reading aloud or having the child read independently. There's teaching to go with the dictations and guidance for talking about the book and a little assignment for enrichment, but it's not really good co-op stuff. It's all pretty routine. That's good for using at home, but not for a group.

 

You could probably implement Partnership Writing or one of the other writing project supplements from BW in a co-op though. I'd think that could work well for the right teacher and group.

[EKT]

No, I wouldn't use the Arrow with a co-op. It's mostly just dictation/copywork, one passage a week for a month to go with a book you're reading aloud or having the child read independently. There's teaching to go with the dictations and guidance for talking about the book and a little assignment for enrichment, but it's not really good co-op stuff. It's all pretty routine. That's good for using at home, but not for a group.

 

You could probably implement Partnership Writing or one of the other writing project supplements from BW in a co-op though. I'd think that could work well for the right teacher and group.

 

Oh, okay, thank you so much! (I really love Julie Bogart, but even after spending two hours on her website this morning, I'm still slightly confused by her products. They seem like they'd be great because she's great, but I look at the site and don't know where to start, lol. I'm having trouble figuring out how to use her curricula and in what order, etc....) 

 

So, if it's better for home use, would you say Arrow single issues might work well alongside another daily language arts curriculum (like say, WWE)? (For instance, I can see doing an occasional Arrow issue for a book my older daughter is reading--maybe a couple issues per year.) Or would Arrow, if you did 10 issues a year, be something that totally replaces a curriculum like WWE? (I love WWE, but love the idea of studying a single novel in a little more depth, too.) Thanks again for your help!

[Farrar]

I think a lot of BW things can work well alongside another language arts program. It just depends on what you want. Both WWE and the Arrow focus on dictation/copywork so I don't know if I'd personally use them together, but they have really different approaches so it would depend. I think if you like WWE and it's working, don't switch. Instead, get The Writer's Jungle and/or the project book for your dd's level (sounds like maybe Partnership Writing) and incorporate the other BW ideas into your routine, like movie day, poetry tea time, freewriting Fridays, etc. And maybe the monthly project. Of course, you could switch to the Arrow - and it might be worth getting a couple of single issues to see if you like it - but my guess is if WWE is working and you love it, that you'll find the Arrow lacking. It's just a really different approach to copywork - one book, studied dictation, less work, more scattershot (or, one might say wholistic or spiral) approach to grammar and mechanics.

 

Here's my breakdown of the BW products:

 

The Arrow/Boomerang:

Copywork or dictation passages with a book - meant to cover a little literature, a little writing mechanics and grammar through the dictation. The "quiver" and "pouch" levels are slightly easier for each one with "in between" books.

 

Jot It Down/Partnership Writing/Faltering Ownership:

The projects books, one project a month, plus an overview of what that writing stage is like and a suggested routine/schedule for the year that incorporates the other BW ideas like a day for poetry tea.

 

The Writer's Jungle:

The big picture overview of the whole thing. Includes suggestions for teaching and writing exercises and so forth, but is really a book for you about the philosophy, not a traditional, laid out curriculum.

 

Other stuff:

They have online classes, of course. And they have The Wand, which is for little kids and teaches some writing and phonics ideas with picture books. And there's Help for High School with is a book written to the student that teaches thesis essays.

 

 

[EKT]

I think a lot of BW things can work well alongside another language arts program. It just depends on what you want. Both WWE and the Arrow focus on dictation/copywork so I don't know if I'd personally use them together, but they have really different approaches so it would depend. I think if you like WWE and it's working, don't switch. Instead, get The Writer's Jungle and/or the project book for your dd's level (sounds like maybe Partnership Writing) and incorporate the other BW ideas into your routine, like movie day, poetry tea time, freewriting Fridays, etc. And maybe the monthly project. Of course, you could switch to the Arrow - and it might be worth getting a couple of single issues to see if you like it - but my guess is if WWE is working and you love it, that you'll find the Arrow lacking. It's just a really different approach to copywork - one book, studied dictation, less work, more scattershot (or, one might say wholistic or spiral) approach to grammar and mechanics.

 

Here's my breakdown of the BW products:

 

The Arrow/Boomerang:

Copywork or dictation passages with a book - meant to cover a little literature, a little writing mechanics and grammar through the dictation. The "quiver" and "pouch" levels are slightly easier for each one with "in between" books.

 

Jot It Down/Partnership Writing/Faltering Ownership:

The projects books, one project a month, plus an overview of what that writing stage is like and a suggested routine/schedule for the year that incorporates the other BW ideas like a day for poetry tea.

 

The Writer's Jungle:

The big picture overview of the whole thing. Includes suggestions for teaching and writing exercises and so forth, but is really a book for you about the philosophy, not a traditional, laid out curriculum.

 

Other stuff:

They have online classes, of course. And they have The Wand, which is for little kids and teaches some writing and phonics ideas with picture books. And there's Help for High School with is a book written to the student that teaches thesis essays.

 

Thank you, so much, for taking the time to explain that to me!! I am a "Big Picture" person, so I might just start with The Writer's Jungle and then incorporate those insights into what we're already doing...because WWE is actually working really well for us right now. But I do love Julie Bogart's joyfulness and would like to incorporate that spirit into our homeschool, too.

[desertflower]

I agree with Farrar.  I will add though I do use WWE and Arrow somewhat together.  I've only used 1 arrow issue and plan on doing about 3 more for the rest of the year.  Arrow does have a lot of copywork and dictation, but we skip those.  I like the French dictation and literary elements aspect of it.  For example, she picked a paragraph form Charlotte's Webb focusing on the word "look".  There were other synonyms to the word "look" in the same paragraph.  (observe, search, etc.)  I like the way she pointed that out and explained it.  I'm sure I can probably get this in another program later on down the road, but I like the combo for now.  I don't know if the other arrow issues are the same way, but I'm willing to find out.  :)