Only me Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I have to face it. I'm just not good at teaching writing. I've tried several different types of curriculum with my dd but nothing seems to work. We've tried Wordsmith, Jump In, Put That In Writing and others. I'm trying to find something that will prepare her for private high school next year where she will have to do a lot of writing. I need something that won't take all year. I want to finish it by the end of May. We tried an online course (Home2teach) and we were very disappointed. I'm thinking about trying another online course (one that only lasts 6-8 weeks) but I need to to cost $100 or less. Has anyone tried Time4writing? I would also be open to trying other curriculum but I need something that would work in that time frame. I'll also be honest that I don't want to try something like IEW. I just don't have the patience for the work involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I finally bought ALL ythese at the same time at the end of my older ds 7th grade year (after trying PTIW and IEW TWSS & SWI A) so I could have them in my hands & pick one: Wordsmith Apprentice Wordsmith Wordsmith Crafstman IEW US History based Writing Lessons v1 AND v2 I went with IEW US History Based Writing Lessons v1 and we ALL enjoyed it! I highly recommend IEW History Based Writing Lessons! They are open & go - no need to watch dvd's and spend hours prepping. No you can't finish one in your time frame but you could push through quicker and do most of one of them. My younger ds is currently using IEW Medieval History Based Writing Lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Honestly, I have felt that I have tried everything, too. I have an older daughter, who was a natural born writer. At the start of this year I was at wits end with what to do and use with my 15 year old. I ended up just getting the IEW's SWI C and we haven't looked back since. These 4 DVD's are geared for the student of that age and for them to watch and do. The packet that comes with the set is great and you can also download free supplemental lesson plans from the IEW website or yahoo group. She, finally, has a love for writing since using this. If you are uncertain, you can join the IEW Families Yahoo group and ask questions there, too. The ladies that moderate the group and more than helpful and want to utilize what you have invested in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela&4boys Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Agreeing with the other ladies. And, like you, I couldn't imagine doing IEW. However, I learned that you don't have to do the TWSS to start IEW. We just recently started with SWI A and will move to a one of the history themed lesson books that MIch elle mentioned. I couldn't be more pleased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browneyedgirl Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hey all I was just reading up on this thread because that is something we are seriously lacking in with my 7th grader. I can't understand all the acronyms and abbreviations though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 DS, 12.5, is currently on week 7 of Middle School Basics A (things like subject/predicate, nouns, verbs, capitalization) and on week 4 of Middle School Paragraph Writing. DS is enjoying these classes, and has done less complaining than with any other writing program we've tried. I'm less thrilled, however. My main complaint is that there is very little explanation and example given before the student is given an assignment or quiz to show what he knows. So DS often really doesn't understand the assignment, and I have to spend time going and explaining it to him, then helping him with the writing. I wasn't expecting that. If there was more explanation, more examples of what is being taught, and more direction, I would be quite pleased with the classes. For a child who doesn't need explicit direction, they would probably be fine. My guy needs very clear direction and lots of examples, though, so the problem might just be with us. The website says that you can expect each class to take around two hours of work per week, this is definitely NOT our experience. I'd say the Basics class takes around half hour per week, and Paragraph Writing an hour at most. Maybe their higher level classes are different. Anyway, I'm planning on using something else once we finish these classes. Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Only me Posted February 24, 2009 Author Share Posted February 24, 2009 How would you compare History based writing lessons to student writing intensive? Which do you think dd would get the most out of in the limited time that we had? If it works well I will use it for my ds too so it won't be a waste if dd doesn't use the whole book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 How would you compare History based writing lessons to student writing intensive? Which do you think dd would get the most out of in the limited time that we had? If it works well I will use it for my ds too so it won't be a waste if dd doesn't use the whole book. ... IEW TWSS and SWI-A - both moved so SLOW that they drove me and my dc crazy (sold them). I don't know about SWI B & C. WHich IEW history lessons would you use? US History is geared for older dc but the others could be used with younger dc. I have IEW Ancient, Medieval, US V1 & 2 history writing lessons. Look at the IEW history writing online samples - the first part - key word outlines could be done in 1 week; the other parts you could chose one writing assignment from each of the other 8 units to make a 12 week writing course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela&4boys Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Hey all I was just reading up on this thread because that is something we are seriously lacking in with my 7th grader. I can't understand all the acronyms and abbreviations though. IEW- Institute for Excellence in Writing Components of IEW: TWSS - Teaching Writing with Structure & Style SWI- Student Writing Intensive More info: http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/ Hope this is what you were looking for.... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I was clueless and so was my daughter. IEW has worked miracles here. I would suggest SWI B. You can get wonderful advice from IEW staff and users at their YahooGroups, IEWfamilies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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