Is WWS necessary for grade 7?

[Flowergirl159]

What do you think of WWS? Does it work? I have attempted it twice with same child and it evokes frustration. I'm thinking of perhaps dropping it again and just going with written narrations. I feel like the program is telling her that she is missing the main points. Does she really need to be told this while in grade 7? Wouldn't it be better if we took that approach in say grade 9 or 10? I want to build her confidence here and I feel WWS may do the opposite.

[Milknhoney]

I love WWS. It is most definitely a challenge. It is probably my son's least favorite subject, but I am happy with his skill level. When he finished his final essay at the end of level 1, I was so proud I emailed it to all of his grandparents and they were all impressed.

 

I let him work through at his own pace, so it took us one year plus a quarter of the next to get through volume 1. If your daughter is frustrated with it, you might try allowing her to complete smaller chunks each day. It's much less overwhelming that way, because WWS is a lot of work. My son sets a timer for 45 minutes each day, and whatever gets done is what gets done. If I didn't allow that, he might spend up to a couple of hours trying to complete a step. 

 

Other than outlining, I personally did not learn the topics covered in this book until I was in high school (if at all). So in my opinion, delaying this curriculum until high school is totally reasonable. In my dreamworld, by the time high school hits I will be able to just assign him essays and he'll already have the skills in place to just do it. That's why I'm sticking with it now.

[mom2scouts]

Due to some issues at public school, I started homeschooling an extremely writing resistant child. I was worried I would never get him to write more than a sentence and we avoided writing because it wasn't worth the battle. We started using WWS this year for 8th grade and it's going well. It's still not his favorite subject, but the incremental approach is working well and I'm very pleased with how his writing is progressing. Like the previous poster, I think you can wait until high school to use WWS and still get a lot of value out of it.

[Miss Tick]

No not necessary, totally not. We (me, really) are loving it in our house, but you have to teach your own student, right?

 

I wonder, though what you mean by "the program is telling her she is missing the main points." Do you mean in outlining? Or is it something else?

 

If there is a specific skill she is struggling with the hive might have ideas about how to address it. If she just isn't clicking with the program itself, maybe try a different program?

Edited February 9, 2017 by SusanC

[2_girls_mommy]

I haven't started it with my 7th grader yet. We are doing outlining on our own from other sources. She does writing assignments from R&S English and creative writing from another source, plus she still does pen pal letters. 

 

My older dd is in 9th. We tried it a couple of times starting in 6th grade or so, but we were also doing all of the above, plus assignments for co-op classes and such, so we never had time to devote to it. Finally this year in 9th we are dedicating some time to WWS I, and it is going so well. She has really embraced it. So I am not stressed that we waited. We also didn't end up doing logic until this year for 9th grade, so she won't start the WTM style rhetoric studies until next year after having completed logic and writing. I am ok with that. 

[2_girls_mommy]

And yes, it's working. She is transfering the skills to other areas. 

[Targhee]

WWS is solid, but it can be solid like a brick wall for kids who learn more globally. My dd used it in 7th with much frustration and little reward because the proper context was missing. Again, I think it's solid and develops skills, is easy for a child of 12-13 to read and follow on their own (with support), very organized, but it alone was a waste for my dd. I brought in context as best I could but found I was complicating the streamlined program, so we switched.

[kolamum]

Necessary? No. :)

I have one who used it, & loved it, but I have another where it's unlikely to be a good fit for him. It is a lovely curriculum & I do love how it's put together & all that it covers, but you don't have to use it. :)

[Another Lynn]

I'm another one who tried WWS with one and decided it was a poor fit for him.  He finished his high school years in a private school, so I can't really suggest what to use in it's place, but the funny thing is he loves writing now and plans to major in English.  When he was in 7th grade, I never would have guessed that!   :laugh:

[Junie]

We have been using WWS as our high school writing curriculum.  At that age they are able to do the exercises almost completely independently.  (Dd14 would have been fine to start it in 8th grade, maybe in 7th.)  I really like using it for high school.  It is much more solid than the writing program (or lack thereof) than I was required to use when I was teaching high school English.  Or, for that matter, from my own high school experience.

 

If it is too frustrating, my advice is to just put it away and try again in a year or two.

[Upennmama]

Not necessary, but good. I started it when my DD was in 5th, and it was too much. Tried again for 6-7th and it was still challenging, and she didn't like it, but it made her a good writer. I saw solid improvement.

[homefree3]

I started WWS when my dd was in grade 6.  We did the first 7 weeks.   I loved the material BUT she was flustrated and angry at me.  That happened just before the WTM academy opened.  I quickly signed her up (translation****I turned my headache over to their on-line teacher).  My daughter loved it!!!  She struggle with the assignment for the first half of the year and then started sailing thru the book.  She is in the middle of year three with WWS at the  WTMA  and is writing essays that make me proud.  

[fourisenough]

Necessary? Nope

 

Excellent? Most definitely