Writing With Ease 3 - it works!

[bfw0729]

I want to share my positive experience using WWE. After a GREAT deal of research last year, I decided to use this program. It was my first year homeschooling and I had a 2nd grader and 3rd graders. I started the 3rd graders with level 3 and the 2nd grader with level 2 - made sense to me. I had them take those evaluations to make sure the levels were appropriate. They seemed to do pretty well so we went ahead with those respective levels.  

 

Anyway, we really struggled using this program the entire half-year. From day one, there were struggles (I completely ignored that red flag). I couldn't understand why they couldn't repeat the very first dictation lesson in WWE 3 using two repetitions. I mean, the book asked me to repeat it TWO times.  I thought my kids could easily do this. They are good students and work hard. Anyway, after repeating that same sentence several times, we finally got the content down on paper.

 

Finally, in December of 2015, I finally concluded that my kids needed to try a different level. I had read somewhere on this forum about Susan Bauer mentioning that it is really ok to drop a level and that one of her own children may have had some struggles with dictation. Once I read that, I felt less pressure about keeping them where they were. They then were all placed at the start of WWE 2. I dropped the 2nd grader half a level and the 3rd graders a whole level and a half. They had completed about half of WWE 3 and were then placed at the start of WWE 2. They weren't entirely happy about that, but their attitudes changed immediately.  

 

After the first week, the kids were SO MUCH HAPPIER. I was happier because there weren't any struggles - they were completely eliminated. And I had all three kids on the same level. 

 

I am typing all of this because I wanted to share that we started WWE 3 this week. I cannot believe how well they did today with the first dictation of Little Red Cap. I read the passage TWO times, just like the book suggested and they all got it! After we were done, I asked the 4th graders if they remembered how much they struggled on this exact exercise last year. They totally remembered and thought today's passage was easy.

 

I know someone who uses IEW and is always trying to convince me to switch, but honestly, I have really enjoyed the progress they have made in the last year and the approach to writing makes sense to me. I really love it. 

Edited November 30, 2016 by bfw0729

[bfw0729]

Oh, I also want to mention the narration of the bean, the straw, and the coal from yesterday's exercise was also light years better than last year's. I even had read them to my husband last night and he said they were very well done. I love that my kids could read something and come up with a nice summary. 

[mommysanders]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mama25angels]

Excellent!  Thank you so much for sharing because I was thinking of moving my 3rd grader to WWE2.

[TryingHardMom]

Hi, thanks for sharing this. This is so timely! May I ask everyone's opinion though about my situation. My son is already almost finishing WWE3. It was stressful for both of us so sometimes I would modify it - repeat the sentences more than suggested, just so it would match his level. Now that we're almost done, he seems to be 'getting' it. Not that it's already easy for him, but its now easier. I'm planning our curriculum next year and it had me thinking - should I still get WWE4 or should I just change it completely? Is WWE4 pretty much the same as WWE3? Because if it is, I'm already dreading it! :crying:

[Jacbeaumont]

Hi, thanks for sharing this. This is so timely! May I ask everyone's opinion though about my situation. My son is already almost finishing WWE3. It was stressful for both of us so sometimes I would modify it - repeat the sentences more than suggested, just so it would match his level. Now that we're almost done, he seems to be 'getting' it. Not that it's already easy for him, but its now easier. I'm planning our curriculum next year and it had me thinking - should I still get WWE4 or should I just change it completely? Is WWE4 pretty much the same as WWE3? Because if it is, I'm already dreading it! :crying:

I'm not there yet, my oldest DS is only on WWE1.

I was contemplating next year going without the work book and choosing our own literature. My only worry is that I may not choose work that is increasing in difficulty.

Since you worry that WWE4 would be too difficult, why not spend half a year (or more, or less if he improves) just choosing similar length exercises to WWE3 from his literature, history, science?

 

 

Sent from my U9200 using Tapatalk

 

ETA: also, thanks for sharing! I worry about dictations, as my DS can barely keep his one sentence narrations in his head long enough to repeat them.

Baby steps!

Edited December 21, 2016 by Jacbeaumont

[Miss Tick]

Hi, thanks for sharing this. This is so timely! May I ask everyone's opinion though about my situation. My son is already almost finishing WWE3. It was stressful for both of us so sometimes I would modify it - repeat the sentences more than suggested, just so it would match his level. Now that we're almost done, he seems to be 'getting' it. Not that it's already easy for him, but its now easier. I'm planning our curriculum next year and it had me thinking - should I still get WWE4 or should I just change it completely? Is WWE4 pretty much the same as WWE3? Because if it is, I'm already dreading it! :crying:

First, be sure you watch SWB's video, "Dictation with Dan", it is somewhere in the WTM site outside of the forums. The "repeat three times" instructions in the books are not a hard and fast rule. The point is for your child to gradually increase the words and thoughts they hold in their head, while their hands are busy transcribing.

 

That said, WWE 4 may not be for you! It us the same format add the third book but the dictations are longer.

 

In our house we alternated a few weeks of WWE4 with a few weeks of project writing or Sentence Composing by Killgallon. It was a nice year of still working on those topics but also including some other approaches. Sentence Composing was surprisingly (to me) helpful in our house, so we still do that a bit in the midst of WWS.

[SeaConquest]

We are using WWE3 now, but will skip WWE4. Since he is doing WWE3 in 2nd, we are going to spend 3rd and 4th doing a combo of Treasured Conversations, Writing & Rhetoric (we are finishing Fable now) and Killgallon books, and Bravewriter classes. We will pick up WWS in 5th.

 

ETA: We've seen so much improvement with WWE. We are big fans. We also repeat the dictation sentences as many times as necessary for him to have it in his head.

Edited December 17, 2016 by SeaConquest

[TryingHardMom]

We are using WWE3 now, but will skip WWE4. Since he is doing WWE3 in 2nd, we are going to spend 3rd and 4th doing a combo of Treasured Conversations, Writing & Rhetoric (we are finishing Fable now) and Killgallon books, and Bravewriter classes. We will pick up WWS in 5th.

 

ETA: We've seen so much improvement with WWE. We are big fans. We also repeat the dictation sentences as many times as necessary for him to have it in his head.

Hi SeaConquest, I looked into all the information you shared and I think it's a good plan. My son is also finishing up with WWE3 in second grade. I'm thinking of following your lead, but may I ask if I can do all that next year - Treasured Conversations, Writing & Rhetoric, Killgallon books, and Bravewriter classes? I mean, how do I do it? 

 

​What made you decide to skip WWE4?

 

​Thanks!

[....]

My teens used all of SWB's writing books - the Writing with Ease series and 2 levels of Writing with Skill.  They are both very decent writers at this point.  My son was taking a class earlier this year with public schooled kids and the teacher used his writing as the example (Lol).  Her programs work!

[....]

Hi SeaConquest, I looked into all the information you shared and I think it's a good plan. My son is also finishing up with WWE3 in second grade. I'm thinking of following your lead, but may I ask if I can do all that next year - Treasured Conversations, Writing & Rhetoric, Killgallon books, and Bravewriter classes? I mean, how do I do it? 

 

​What made you decide to skip WWE4?

 

​Thanks!

 

I'm not sea conquest....but you can even use WWE3 in 4th or 5th grade.  Mine were in 4th during WWE3.  SWB says somewhere that older kids can go from WWE3 to logic-stage writing if they are ready, so a lot of people skip WWE4 (we did, too).  

[SeaConquest]

Hi SeaConquest, I looked into all the information you shared and I think it's a good plan. My son is also finishing up with WWE3 in second grade. I'm thinking of following your lead, but may I ask if I can do all that next year - Treasured Conversations, Writing & Rhetoric, Killgallon books, and Bravewriter classes? I mean, how do I do it?

 

​What made you decide to skip WWE4?

 

​Thanks!

Hi! I decided to skip WWE4 after reading the forum for awhile. It seems to be largely repetitive of the skills learned in WWE3, which my DS doesn't have any issue handling. If I had a more struggling student, that needed some shoring up of skills before moving on to WWS, then I could see doing it.

 

My son much prefers more creative writing assignments, so I will be introducing some Bravewriter elements next year. But, to be clear, I plan to spend two years (3rd and 4th grades) working on TC (we will skip the first part since his grammar is solid from MCT and Latin), W&R, Bravewriter, and Killgallon. It's way too much for one year with everything else we have going on. Plus, he is a STEM kid, so writing isn't his passion. I plan to outsource WWS to the WTMA, starting in 5th.

[redsquirrel]

I'm just going to post the videos of SWB doing dictation with her son.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2016 by redsquirrel