DB in NJ Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I love the look of this program, and I'm interested in using it for my ds next year (5th grade). It says it's for "middle school." Those of you who use it now, do you think that's too young or is the program flexible enough to use with him? He'll be 10 in April and starting 5th grade in September. He's very creative, but doesn't particular care for writing (not to mention the physical act of writing is something he can't stand!!). Thanks for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I love the look of this program, and I'm interested in using it for my ds next year (5th grade). It says it's for "middle school." Those of you who use it now, do you think that's too young or is the program flexible enough to use with him? He'll be 10 in April and starting 5th grade in September. He's very creative, but doesn't particular care for writing (not to mention the physical act of writing is something he can't stand!!). Thanks for your input! Just a suggestion, but I'd consider doing Wordsmith Apprentice first, and then doing Jump In -- for 2 reasons: 1. Wordsmith Apprentice (WA) is geared for grades 4-6. It is extremely gentle and makes for a very easy "intro" to writing for reluctant writers (both our boys), AND for those who don't like -- or really struggle with -- the physical act of writing (our younger boy). The "cub reporter" theme and little comic pages really appealed to both our boys (one did WA in 5th, the writing struggler in 6th/7th), and we really had NO complaints or problems! It is very easy to do as much or as little a day as you want -- with one boy, we sometimes did more than 1 exercise; with the other, we could break the exercises into even small "bites" if needed. 2. Age 10 might be a little young for the occasional mature subject in Jump In. Jump In (JI) is geared for grades 5-8. And JI is also great -- similar in informal tone to WA, with exercises easy to adapt for how much/little in a sitting your student can handle. I would call JI an expanded, more detailed, next gentle step up from WA. The reason I would suggest you consider waiting another year to do JI is that some of the writing exercises, and some of the examples of good writing, do occasionally include more mature subjects -- specifically mentioning pro-choice/pro-life, and abortion. This occurs in only a few places, but it is something to be aware of. Also, the program is evangelical Christian in viewpoint, if that might be a concern one way or other. We successfully used JI last year with our struggling writer son after having finished WA and some other writing instruction, and it was a great next step in writing instruction. You can see a number of sample pages of Jump In at http://www.christianbook.com Please ask away if you have any other questions about Jump In, or Wordsmith Apprentice! And BEST of luck in finding the best match for your reluctant writer! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I am using it with my just turned 10yr old 5th grader. I don't see why you couldn't. Maybe go with the journal option for the first year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thank you for your responses! They're very helpful :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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