Kimber Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 (edited) After reading about the Lost Tools of Writing on this board (Thanks Karenciavo), I took the opportunity to drive a little and hear Mr. Kern speak, it was awesome. I really like the way the program is organized. I love the 3 weeks per paper. I love, love the invention aspect of it. Instead of a rewrite, it actually teaches children to think--tackling any subject in the context of ideas. It teaches style in a way that is modern and correct. I really like IEW, but the style in The Lost Tools of Writing is the style that modern writers use in real writing. As I understand it, writers try to avoid "ly" adverbs like the plague. (He doesn't say to avoid them, he just doesn't force them. Instead he focuses on clarity in writing and making the writing come alive. And the avoidance of ly, I got this little tidbit from a journalist.) Best thing about Lost Tools of Writing is that it can be used like IEW across the curriculum. It does in one level, what CW does in about 4. CW is still a good program, I still like it. I just don't have the time for all that's rolled into it. Lost Tools of Writing doesn't have grammar. And I like that too. It's easy to pull out a poorly written sentence and rewrite it or diagram it. Also, my kids will be getting grammar through co-op so, we don't need it in a writing program too. It's a Christian program, but can be used secularly because you apply the skills to any subject. Mr. Kern advises that 7 th graders use it for two years. (9th graders use it over one) He said that once a child can write a paragraph well, they might be ready for the Lost Tools of Writing. I mentioned that I am having my daughter rewrite historical narratives, from a 3 part outline, a beginning, middle, and end. He said that from there she would probably be ready for The Lost Tools of Writing. I couldn't understand how the program worked, but it's basically a program that teaches students to think, to organize their ideas, and to put it on paper in an affective way. I really liked what I saw. I'm thinking of using the tools with my co-op class in a couple of weeks. For now, I've only sat through a 7 hour workshop covering the material. But I really liked it and will be using this for our high school classes. Edited March 5, 2009 by Kimber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cajun.classical Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Thanks for sharing, Kimber. I continue to be intrigued as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoggirl Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I am trying to get a sense of the flow of this on a day-to-day basis. How much time is devoted to this each day of the week? How is it structured? Teach some then do some? How long are the CDs? Are they only for listening by the teacher? I tried to click onto some of the sample links on the website, but they weren't working for me. This curriculum junkie is always looking for more "stuff." :D I am thinking a break from IEW might be good for next year, and I am wondering if this would be a good fit for us. Ds will finish up SICC-B this spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Thanks Kimber. I am seriously considering this right now! I just finished listening to the CDs (the older version) and I am very intrigued. The one thing I don't feel like I have an understanding yet (and I have an email into Karenciavo :-)) is how a daily lesson looks in the curriculum. I really like some of the same things that you like: the no specific grammar, the invention stage, the teaching kids to think, etc. I'm seriously leaning towards getting this but I'm still curious about a few things with it. I don't have a great feel for exactly how I would implement it in conjunction with TOG. (I'm not doing the writing portion of TOG). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimber Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Well, I loaned out my cd's to our co-op coordinator. I figured she'd get a better feel for the program from listening to them than from me explaining the program to her. So I can't answer anything about the CD's. As you can see, I thought they explained the program. From the curriculum schedule, they suggest 2 sessions per week, student and teacher together. The other days are done independently by the student. How much time? I can't say. Karenciavo has posted a sample of her schedule, I think. The program focuses on three aspects of writing. 1. Invention (teaching kids to think by asking questions and teaching them to ask questions, teach them to answer these questions) 2. Arrangement (helps students to take information from the questions, sort it all out, prioritize the info, and arrange into an outline which will overtime cover the stages of the first 8 (I think its 8, I might be wrong) levels of the progym) 3. Elocution (teaches style via schemes and tropes--students practice via worksheets and then incorporate into persuasive essays above) What I liked about the style was the focus on clarity and modern writing. The focus seemed to be using the tools from the past but polishing the writing for today. I think the CDs are for the teacher for help prior to teaching. In which case, I'll need mine back. :-) As I said before, I sat through the workshop, but I haven't had time to implement. The theory is spot on. Loved it. But for more info about the application day to day--we'll need to ask Karen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Yes, the CDs are for the teacher. I'm really looking forward to hearing more from people who know! I'm definitely drawn to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Aaaaaah!!! I actually have LTOW. Actually, I have the old version AND the new verson. They are both sitting on my shelves collecting dust. Why? Because I really like CW and believe that the long term outcome of what CW teaches will be well worth the effort. But...I still want to find a way to use LTOW. And now that you've posted this I *really* want to find a way to use LTOW. Maybe over the spring/summer and then we'll see where we're at. Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I'm glad you got to hear him in person, I look forward to that pleasure one day too. :001_smile: I'll be back to answer question tomorrow evening. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bwithey Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 LToW is designed for ~2 hrs./week of instruction. Because it integrates into other curriculum those 2 hours will likely be a part of several other subjects. The audio portion is available at http://circeinstitute.org/demo_ltw.shtml . It takes a minute to load in QuickTime. 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.