WWS1: start in 5th or 6th?

[Maryam]

Can you all share your experiences with this? We’ve done WWE 1-3, and some IEW, all of which she’s enjoyed. She is an average writer, neither averse to writing nor passionate about it. Is 5th grade too early for WWS1? (And if so, please suggest what to do meanwhile in 5th). Thanks! 

[Noreen Claire]

If you Google "WWE and WWS Susan's updated recommendations", you will find a PDF with multiple progressions through writing programs, from 1st grade through high school. This might help?

[CAtoVA]

I was wondering about this as well. DD is an above average writer but she fluctuates between wanting to write often and not wanting to write at all. Last year (4th) she did IEW Student Writing Intensive A and Student Writing Continuation Course A. This year (5th) we have been doing IEW Continuation Course A and some IEW theme books using the Level B directions. I am looking at Writing With Style maybe for spring or starting next year. I don't want to overwhelm my DD and cause her to go into a period of "not wanting to write."

[CAtoVA]

We also are going through the Kilgallon books (Sentence Composing, etc.) and integrating the concepts into IEW compositions.

[Maryam]

4 hours ago, Noreen Claire said:

If you Google "WWE and WWS Susan's updated recommendations", you will find a PDF with multiple progressions through writing programs, from 1st grade through high school. This might help?

Found it! Thanks! 

[Maryam]

4 hours ago, CAtoVA said:

We also are going through the Kilgallon books (Sentence Composing, etc.) and integrating the concepts into IEW compositions.

After WWE 3 and some IEW, should she do Kilgallon Elementary or Middle? 

[aaplank]

I strongly recommend starting WWS in 7th or 8th grade. Both my kids are strong writers with a background in IEW and a mix of other things. We started WWS in 7th/8th and it was a perfect fit. At the beginning we consolidated a few lessons, but by Week 18, we had to slow down and take our time through the lessons. I love how they are growing in their critical thinking and analyzing skills and applying it to their writing.  

[librarymama]

I posted asking a similar question last year. My 11 year old did Kilgallon last year and started with WWS this year in 6th. So far it is going well, but we are taking it easy and only doing about 30-45 minutes, 3 days per week. I find that this pace keeps him feeling confident without overwhelming him and he actually is enjoying most of the book (with the exception of some of the passages which are dense, boring or a bit ridiculous). 

[Miss Tick]

Whenever you decide to start it, try not to get wedded to the schedule. Leave room for it to take as long as needed. The instruction and the results are good, even if it takes your student twice as long add is scheduled in the book(s). If you have school year left when you finish the books you could shift to writing across the curriculum.

[SanDiegoMom]

If you start early you can take more time to complete it. I fully believe that a lot of the day four assignments benefit from being 2-3 days in length. We took a year and a half for number one, only did part of number two and have just started number three now. Not sure how long it will take! 

[CAtoVA]

I currently am using Kilgallon Elementary mostly (the yellow book) and also the Story Grammar book (Elementary level). I have the middle school books on deck.

[umsami]

I bought it for my sixth and eighth grader.  While it's fine for the eighth grader, I think my sixth grader would kill me in my sleep--even though she's a great writer.

I'd hold off a year.  

ETA: I like the idea of stretching it over two years. 

Edited September 25, 2018 by umsami

[PeterPan]

Well my dd didn't do WWS1 till 8th, so I definitely think it's fine to wait. I think a dc would be pretty precocious to do it that early and that if you're asking it's probably a sign you should wait. We LOVED Writing Tales 2 back in the old days. Dd enjoyed Wordsmith Apprentice. We did activities from the Don't Forget to Write books, used writing prompts from the Jump In tm, outlined Muse magazine articles... Dd enjoyed the poetry series PHP is selling. Have you seen the Unjournaling book or Writing for 100 Days? It's a good age to do projects from the books by Michael Gravois. We used book projects from the Mrs. Renz site. (She won Disney teach of the year and her stuff is awesome!)

Basically go do other stuff and have fun. Make sure she can type. 

[alisha]

I got WWS1 for my 6th grader this year. But when I started looking through it, I got to day 2 and read the portion from "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" and there's no way my son would be able to read that without having nightmares (it's the part where a girl on a train by herself gets offered candy from a stranger, then wolves attack the train and one gets into her compartment and the stranger kills it). So, I put it away, and will get it out again when I'm planning next year to see it would work then.

[librarymama]

2 hours ago, alisha said:

I got WWS1 for my 6th grader this year. But when I started looking through it, I got to day 2 and read the portion from "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" and there's no way my son would be able to read that without having nightmares (it's the part where a girl on a train by herself gets offered candy from a stranger, then wolves attack the train and one gets into her compartment and the stranger kills it). So, I put it away, and will get it out again when I'm planning next year to see it would work then.

 

That story was the worst and the assignment really frustrated my son because it was so long and full of unnecessary details to weed through. He wrote at the end of his summary "This does not make sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". ?

I would just skip that day, or pick a different passage from a book you have to replace it. A few of the passages in the book are awful to be honest, but the program itself is working great for my 6th grader. Like others we are taking it very slowly and ignoring the breakdown of weeks/days and just doing 30-45 min at a time. 

[alisha]

26 minutes ago, librarymama said:

 

That story was the worst and the assignment really frustrated my son because it was so long and full of unnecessary details to weed through. He wrote at the end of his summary "This does not make sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". ?

I would just skip that day, or pick a different passage from a book you have to replace it. A few of the passages in the book are awful to be honest, but the program itself is working great for my 6th grader. Like others we are taking it very slowly and ignoring the breakdown of weeks/days and just doing 30-45 min at a time. 

Thank you!! That's a great suggestion-I don't know why I didn't think of it. Probably in the midst of so much other curriculum stuff I didn't take the time to think it fully through.

Good to hear, thanks!

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

3 hours ago, alisha said:

I got WWS1 for my 6th grader this year. But when I started looking through it, I got to day 2 and read the portion from "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" and there's no way my son would be able to read that without having nightmares (it's the part where a girl on a train by herself gets offered candy from a stranger, then wolves attack the train and one gets into her compartment and the stranger kills it). So, I put it away, and will get it out again when I'm planning next year to see it would work then.

LOL I guess it depends on the kid. My 7th and 9th grade DDs are doing WWS1 this year. I added the Wolves of Willoughby Chase to our library list the week after they read that passage. Usually, what I pick from the library has to be assigned or it’s not read but that book disappeared as soon as we got home and I caught a glimpse of both girls reading it. (Typically they’ll tried to hide the fact that they like one of my selections. ?) I guess I was right in my guess that it would be weird/intense/different enough that they’d like it. 

Edited September 27, 2018 by 2ndGenHomeschooler

[Lori D.]

On 9/21/2018 at 9:59 AM, Noreen Claire said:

If you Google "WWE and WWS Susan's updated recommendations", you will find a PDF with multiple progressions through writing programs, from 1st grade through high school. This might help?

It looks like SWB's chart suggests 4 different progressions for gr. 1-12. Here's the WWS portion of the chart for logic stage grades:

5th . . . ----- . . . . . . ----- . . . . . . ----- . . . . .WWS1 (half)
6th . . . WWS1 . . .  ----- . . . . . . ----- . . . . .WWS1 (half)
7th . . . WWS2 . . . WWS1 . . . . ----- . . . . .WWS2 (half)
8th . . . WWS3 . . . WWS2 . . . WWS1 . . . WWS2 (half)
9th . . . ----- . . . . . .WWS3 . . . WWS2 . . . WWS3

ETA: The chart looks like it boils down to starting WWS1 when the individual child is ready -- anywhere from 5th-8th grade -- with options of completing the WWS series in high school, and also the option of slowing any/all of the WWS levels down to do 1/2 per year. Looking at that last column, you could easily start WWS1 in 6th or 7th grade and do 1/2 per year and still finish WWS3 by 12th grade. Or stop the series at any time in high school and focus on what the individual student needs for high school writing.

As a side note: starting WWS1 in 7th or 8th grade much more lines up with where the majority of my *average* gr. 7-12 Lit. & Comp co-op class students are in their ability to think, analyze, and organize -- all skills critical to writing at the WWS level. Obviously, some students are ready earlier (gr. 5 or 6), and a few don't click until gr. 9 or 10. JMO!

 

3 hours ago, 2ndGenHomeschooler said:

LOL I guess it depends on the kid. My 7th and 9th grade DDs are doing WWS1 this year. I added the Wolves of Willoughby Chase to our library list the week after they read that passage. Usually, what I pick from the library has to be assigned or it’s not read but that book disappeared as soon as we got home and I caught a glimpse of both girls reading it. (Typically they’ll tried to hide the fact that they like one of my selections. ?) I guess I was right in my guess that it would be weird/intense/different enough that they’d like it. 

WWE and WWS came out long after our DSs graduated, so don't know what that excerpt from Wolves of Willoughby Chase looks like in WWS, BUT... that was a *favorite* of both DSs when they read it in 5th/6th grade! It's like a Charles Dickens novel for kids -- vivid characters, a cruel governess, a poor/ill granny, and a riches-to-rags-to-riches storyline. We must like odd stuff, too. (:D

Edited September 27, 2018 by Lori D.

[scholastica]

I started my then 5th grader in it last year. She is a very strong writer and we have been taking it at a very slow pace. I am also involved in a regular basis with her while doing it. She is just starting Week 22. It really depends on the child. I have found that trying to explain the purpose behind the assignments has been helpful with all my kids I’ve had use it.

[dsbrack]

I bought it for my 5th grader this year, started it, and he felt very unsure so we put it on the shelf to try again next year.  I really didn't want him to see writing as a burden and he was just so unsettled and losing confidence that I shelved it for now.