StaceyinLA Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 what would you use? I'm thinking of going with Writing Strands because we used it some years ago and ds liked it, but I'm not sure (in 8th grade) what level to purchase. I need to get this boy writing more... Input?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Require daily journaling...write WHATEVER for a set time a day...you'll be amazed what 6 weeks of that will do...also I have to say I love Jump In to Writing by Apologia..it's basic enough to help you organize your thoughts and put it into essay form with good suggestions... Also getting your hands on "A" essays...various private schools will publish these for their students which are usually online at the faculty section...but the 5 minutes of non-stop writing, they can write..."I hate to write" if the like, but after a few of those you'll find them writing about other topics and their ideas will start flowing. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 You'd start with Level 4. If y'all really like it, he would do one level each year and it would take him through high school. (You alternate WS with literature.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Wisc Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 My 9th grader is using it this year. We had been using Writing Strands and Put That In Writing, but he struggled so to do well. Jump In is for the junior high kid or a high schooler who struggles to write. The 1st chapter is on Apologia's website, and you can print it out and see if it is a "fit." My son really likes it because it tells you exactly what you need to know and how to write. I give this program an A++ at this point--we are not quite half way through the book. Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 They cover interviews, scientific reports, more sophisticated papers on books, 5 para papers, and a few other things; in other words, the stuff you need for high school. They are very much like each other. You can do one, and then if you need extra practice, do the other. The trick to WS is to absorb the formula and then keep practising it. It doesn't work (at least it didn't work for us) to make those assignments the only writing you do. We had to keep using the various types of writing we had learned for other book reports or scientific reports or history or whatever. Writing Strands was a nice lead-in to great books for us, but I also did a few other things, like Format Writing, which is rather awful but did exactly what I wanted it to. -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titus.Two.Five Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Level 4 for a reluctant 8th grade writer and level 5 for average/advanced 8th grader writers, is the recommendation in WTM for writing strands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Jensen's Format Writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 I think my son would like the format. I'm fairly impressed, and the price isn't bad either... Since I was contemplating using, "Around the World in 180 Days," with him anyway, I think I'll just get both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 (edited) Here's a strange suggestion, and I'm not sure it will work, but I'll tell it to you anyway. I didn't go to college, went straight to work. After a few years, I got promoted to be the trainer. I had to write training manuals on how to do things at an insurance company. The manuals had to be EXACTLY correct and VERY logical so that all the other people in the company could open the book and properly do what they needed to do. THEN, after I had kids and quit work, I took a couple of college classes and you wouldn't BELIEVE how beautifully I could write a college paper! My thoughts were wonderfully organized and easy to follow. Start having him write training manuals for around the house. Have him write step-by-step how to do laundry, or make a bed, or program a VCR. Then you follow his instructions to the letter. It could be fun seeing if he forgot any important steps. This could be a tool to help his mind learn how to organize his writing by following logical steps and building ideas on top of each other. And also, buy a curriculum to support this. My idea is just for fun to help him on the side. Oh, and I also revised my training manuals and college papers a good 5 times before the final version. That's a big part of writing! Let him know his first two versions will probably stink, but after revising they'll get better. Edited November 13, 2008 by Garga_ too wordy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxxxxxxx Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Jensen's Format Writing. It is very formula driven but helped my dd who couldn't even write a simple paragraph.......most importantly we got rid of the tears and frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.