WTMA Expository Writing

[Nam2001]

I see that this online class is listed for grades 6-8. My child has only done a little of WWS 1 and will be entering 9th grade. How do you all feel about this class for 9th or even 10th grade? 

 

[Taffy]

My son is in 6th grade and is currently enrolled in Expository Writing I at WTMA.  I like the class because it forces us to stay on track with WWS1.  If I had to teach/facilitate the class myself, we would never finish the book.  As you probably know, the books is extremely word heavy.  Despite my 6th grader being bright and an eager writer, he does not have the maturity to independently wade through all of the instructions.  The teacher explains the writing concepts during class and walks through the lesson instructions for that week.  My son seems to enjoy being a participant in class.  He is happy when he gets to serve as class typist (like a secretary keeping notes as the class works through assignments together).  He also seems to enjoy the chat box and he hasn't complained that the chatting is out of control (though there is more chatting than I prefer to see).

So, to answer your question, I think the class would be fine for a 9th grader if the purpose is to have a teacher introduce the concepts and to help your child stay on track.  There are due dates and the work gets done.  If your child would be irritated by less mature kids speaking and/or typing then it might not be a good fit -- but, it's hard to say who will end up in his/her class that year.  Maybe the class will be filled with 8th graders....or he/she could end up with a bunch of 6th graders.

FWIW, I also have a kid enrolled in Preparation for Expository Writing and that class is a nightmare.  The teacher and class content are fine.  But there is at least one kid who is so disruptive that the teacher ended the class early on two occasions.  The kid(s) spam the chat box and draw on the white board despite being told to stop.  I've considered lodging a complaint, but my 7th grader has assured me that he's able to focus and it hasn't impeded his ability to learn. (He's really mature; he just happens to hate writing, so he's a level below his younger brother when it comes to writing.)  I have more important things to do, so I've chosen to remain silent.  But it irks me b/c we pay for the class and I want to be sure my kid is getting the most out of the class. 

Not sure if that helps you...

[Nam2001]

9 hours ago, Taffy said:

My son is in 6th grade and is currently enrolled in Expository Writing I at WTMA.  I like the class because it forces us to stay on track with WWS1.  If I had to teach/facilitate the class myself, we would never finish the book.  As you probably know, the books is extremely word heavy.  Despite my 6th grader being bright and an eager writer, he does not have the maturity to independently wade through all of the instructions.  The teacher explains the writing concepts during class and walks through the lesson instructions for that week.  My son seems to enjoy being a participant in class.  He is happy when he gets to serve as class typist (like a secretary keeping notes as the class works through assignments together).  He also seems to enjoy the chat box and he hasn't complained that the chatting is out of control (though there is more chatting than I prefer to see).

So, to answer your question, I think the class would be fine for a 9th grader if the purpose is to have a teacher introduce the concepts and to help your child stay on track.  There are due dates and the work gets done.  If your child would be irritated by less mature kids speaking and/or typing then it might not be a good fit -- but, it's hard to say who will end up in his/her class that year.  Maybe the class will be filled with 8th graders....or he/she could end up with a bunch of 6th graders.

FWIW, I also have a kid enrolled in Preparation for Expository Writing and that class is a nightmare.  The teacher and class content are fine.  But there is at least one kid who is so disruptive that the teacher ended the class early on two occasions.  The kid(s) spam the chat box and draw on the white board despite being told to stop.  I've considered lodging a complaint, but my 7th grader has assured me that he's able to focus and it hasn't impeded his ability to learn. (He's really mature; he just happens to hate writing, so he's a level below his younger brother when it comes to writing.)  I have more important things to do, so I've chosen to remain silent.  But it irks me b/c we pay for the class and I want to be sure my kid is getting the most out of the class. 

Not sure if that helps you...

Hmm....interesting points. I wish they’d have a section or two for older kids just starting WWS. 

[Nam2001]

Does anyone know if any other online providers teach from WWS? 

[RootAnn]

3 hours ago, Nam2001 said:

Hmm....interesting points. I wish they’d have a section or two for older kids just starting WWS. 

I put a 9th grader in the class that condensed WWS 1-3 in one year. I can't remember it's name. (This was several years ago & it was a horrible experience for so many reasons. But they've had years to fix those things they needed to fix.) It was older kids, mostly.

[Nam2001]

1 hour ago, RootAnn said:

I put a 9th grader in the class that condensed WWS 1-3 in one year. I can't remember it's name. (This was several years ago & it was a horrible experience for so many reasons. But they've had years to fix those things they needed to fix.) It was older kids, mostly.

Hmmm.....that doesn’t sound too appealing 😂

[Miss Tick]

14 hours ago, Taffy said:

there is at least one kid who is so disruptive that the teacher ended the class early on two occasions.  The kid(s) spam the chat box and draw on the white board despite being told to stop. 

Unless that class is a lot cheaper than I think it is I think you should at least give the provider a heads-up that you are dissatisfied (although it is awesome that your child is able to rise above!) I would think they could disable chat and whiteboard without much hassle. Do what is right for you, though, I just find that class disruption to be so frustrating!

[SoCal_Bear]

I don't think that one student should be allowed to ruin the experience for everyone else. That student's parent should be made aware of the issue and forced to babysit said child if the disuptive behavior continues in order to remain in the class. I would be mad if I spent good money on that and that was happening. Also, why is the teacher permitting access to chat box and whiteboard if it is being abused. That makes no sense to me.

 

Edited April 11, 2019 by calbear

[Taffy]

SusanC and Calbear, I know what you mean; and I totally agree with your sentiments.  

It's very unlike me to refrain from making my displeasure known when I believe my interests are not being well served.  I surprised myself by taking a very different approach with this matter.  I think the reason I didn't get worked up is because, despite the unruly kid, my son has made forward progress with his writing.  His ability to complete his assignments and meet his deadlines has not been impacted.  In reality, my son was probably amused by all of it.  He would log off and my other kids would excitedly ask, "What did [kid's name] do today?" - anxious to hear the tales of misbehavior for the day.

I reached out to the teacher after the first class shutdown, just to be sure she was taking the problem seriously.  She said she was going to speak with the dean and devise an action plan.  I felt sorry for the teacher and I didn't see a need to escalate the matter to a higher level.  Clearly, she was suffering enough.  To get things under control, she shut down the chat box frequently and she doesn't always enable the white board.  But the chat box and white board are tools that the class uses; so it hurts the rest of the class when she disables them.  (The class often types sample sentences into the chat box, and they highlight text using the white board.)

In the grand scheme of things, we got what we needed out of the class.  If the academy sends out a year-end survey, I'll provide feedback.

[SanDiegoMom]

Perhaps Preparation for Rhetoric Writing would be a good option? I am assuming the students would be older so the discipline problems would be less.  It would combine in a crash course all three levels of WWS so that a ninth grader could take it and then move on to the Rhetoric series for 10th-12th. 

[Nam2001]

4 hours ago, SanDiegoMom in VA said:

Perhaps Preparation for Rhetoric Writing would be a good option? I am assuming the students would be older so the discipline problems would be less.  It would combine in a crash course all three levels of WWS so that a ninth grader could take it and then move on to the Rhetoric series for 10th-12th. 

Thanks - I’ll look into that!