This looks awesome!!! The purpose is definitely needed and I find that my older kids often has a purpose in mind that I can see when I read their writing!!! My kids probably could do it Independently but I’m not sure.
Thanks for sharing Rachel ❤️ this curriculum looks great and definitely will keep this one in mind once my oldest in older. I feel like I need to take this course 😅
Wow! Superb review! Thank you so much for this. Can I ask, what Writing curricula would you say is comparable to WWS or one that you did when you were homeschooled? Writing With Skill definitely looks intimidating.😅
Another big name in structured writing instruction for homeschool is IEW. They are different from Writing with Skill (Writing with Skill is more based on a classical homeschooling model), and I believe they can be less intimidating to implement, especially if you opt for the video instruction--where a teacher teaches the course to your kids via video. But, I have no experience myself with IEW, and I don't feel like I would be likely to use it myself, as highly structured writing instruction is not my personal preference. I made a video about the way I prefer to teach writing skills (targeted about 5th-6th grade and beyond) czcams.com/video/bboLksR-q90/video.html This approach works for me because I understand what makes good writing and I'm passionate about it (and structured curriculums feel like too small of a 'box' for me)...BUT, I understand that writing curriculums are very helpful tools for many parents!
Thank you for sharing! Level 1 sounds like it would suit my upcoming 5th & 8th graders. Could my 8th grader fall behind if she started at level 1? Would you recommend I purchase 2 workbooks? Also, do you have a preferred link for purchasing? Thank you!
I wouldn't be worried about falling behind for your 8th grader--this is really about building solid expository writing skills vs. necessarily lining up with a specific grade level--the output on the assigned writing projects will likely look different between your 5th and 8th graders because of the age difference, and that's very natural. If you want them to each be able to write IN the workbook itself, you will need to purchase two--unless you think they would do the activities as a team and work through them together, maybe taking turns doing the writing (different siblings have very different dynamics, so I'm not sure whether that would work, but we have sometimes done programs that way). There are a fair number of activities for writing in the workbook (not every day, but pretty regularly), and they aren't priced super high, so It wouldn't be too hard to just get them each their own workbook. We DON'T write in the workbook, and have had the girls re-write outlines in blank notebooks, etc, but that's because of our added challenge with living overseas and not necessarily being able to get new books very easily. You can buy these direct from the Well-Trained Mind--they may be available on other sites, I'm not sure, but I don't have any affiliate links with them. :)
Hi Rachael - I am curious to know your opinion if it is possible to start an older student 9/10Grade on this curriculum and where they would start given that they obviously only have limited time left before requiring to use these principles on a regular basis. Is it possible to start with level 3 in year 10?? My child is currently doing level C IEW Structure and Style however she has a long way to go and a limited amount of time left (Australian school year).
It's recommended to start at level 1 no matter the age/grade of your child. And I could see this being useful even if you didn't have time to finish all the levels, because all of it is based on organized, expository writing. However... I could also see starting an older child at an older level, especially if they already have a background in outlining and some level of expository writing. There is some terminology that you'd have to look into and explain if you jumped right into level 3, and that level includes all the "topoi" as already taught in previous levels--but there is definitely some simple "common sense" aspect to this form of writing, meaning that I don't think it's impossible to jump into a higher level. I would download the samples of different levels from the Well-Trained Mind site, to see what you can expect.
@@SevenInAll does WWS include sentence classication (children identify structure, purpose, pattern of sentences) or Analytical Tasks as in Classic Conversations Essentials of the English Language? I'm trying to decide between the two.
Are you still using the program? Do you recommend it for a reluctant writer? My daughter loves to read but we have not found a writing program that she enjoys. She is grade 7 although we don’t follow that consistently. Thank you.
My sister still uses Writing With Skill. I wouldn't call it the most "enjoyable" writing program but it's very solid for teaching expository writing. I personally have a different approach for teaching writing, I discuss that in this video: czcams.com/video/bboLksR-q90/video.htmlsi=zFKFQKT4W2aRviNv And my approach to giving feedback to help a student improve writing skills: czcams.com/video/sEwOP7VlVpA/video.htmlsi=ZX3xmLFwKlUlEaC-
For a slightly advanced 10.5 year old, it should work. I think it's recommended to start anywhere between 5th-9th grade, but not all 5th graders will be ready to handle it. 9th grade would seem pretty 'late' to start at this level, for me personally, but upper elementary or middle school grades should be fine.
Such a magical knowledge to share
Thanks for sharing. I love how in depth the advice and steps are.
Very in-depth instruction and step-by-step.
You have so much knowledge to share. Thanks for making this video!
Thank you, Sarah!
This looks awesome!!! The purpose is definitely needed and I find that my older kids often has a purpose in mind that I can see when I read their writing!!! My kids probably could do it Independently but I’m not sure.
Kids with good reading comprehension and good ability to follow instructions can definitely do it independently.
Extremely helpful! Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for all of the advice!
You are so welcome!
This was very helpful… and I loved the plug for subscribing 😄 thanks!!
Glad it was helpful! :)
Thanks for sharing Rachel ❤️ this curriculum looks great and definitely will keep this one in mind once my oldest in older. I feel like I need to take this course 😅
It's awesome that we get to get a second education with our kids! :)
Wow! Superb review! Thank you so much for this.
Can I ask, what Writing curricula would you say is comparable to WWS or one that you did when you were homeschooled? Writing With Skill definitely looks intimidating.😅
Another big name in structured writing instruction for homeschool is IEW. They are different from Writing with Skill (Writing with Skill is more based on a classical homeschooling model), and I believe they can be less intimidating to implement, especially if you opt for the video instruction--where a teacher teaches the course to your kids via video. But, I have no experience myself with IEW, and I don't feel like I would be likely to use it myself, as highly structured writing instruction is not my personal preference.
I made a video about the way I prefer to teach writing skills (targeted about 5th-6th grade and beyond) czcams.com/video/bboLksR-q90/video.html
This approach works for me because I understand what makes good writing and I'm passionate about it (and structured curriculums feel like too small of a 'box' for me)...BUT, I understand that writing curriculums are very helpful tools for many parents!
Thank you for sharing! Level 1 sounds like it would suit my upcoming 5th & 8th graders. Could my 8th grader fall behind if she started at level 1? Would you recommend I purchase 2 workbooks? Also, do you have a preferred link for purchasing? Thank you!
I wouldn't be worried about falling behind for your 8th grader--this is really about building solid expository writing skills vs. necessarily lining up with a specific grade level--the output on the assigned writing projects will likely look different between your 5th and 8th graders because of the age difference, and that's very natural. If you want them to each be able to write IN the workbook itself, you will need to purchase two--unless you think they would do the activities as a team and work through them together, maybe taking turns doing the writing (different siblings have very different dynamics, so I'm not sure whether that would work, but we have sometimes done programs that way). There are a fair number of activities for writing in the workbook (not every day, but pretty regularly), and they aren't priced super high, so It wouldn't be too hard to just get them each their own workbook. We DON'T write in the workbook, and have had the girls re-write outlines in blank notebooks, etc, but that's because of our added challenge with living overseas and not necessarily being able to get new books very easily. You can buy these direct from the Well-Trained Mind--they may be available on other sites, I'm not sure, but I don't have any affiliate links with them. :)
Hi Rachael - I am curious to know your opinion if it is possible to start an older student 9/10Grade on this curriculum and where they would start given that they obviously only have limited time left before requiring to use these principles on a regular basis. Is it possible to start with level 3 in year 10?? My child is currently doing level C IEW Structure and Style however she has a long way to go and a limited amount of time left (Australian school year).
It's recommended to start at level 1 no matter the age/grade of your child. And I could see this being useful even if you didn't have time to finish all the levels, because all of it is based on organized, expository writing. However... I could also see starting an older child at an older level, especially if they already have a background in outlining and some level of expository writing. There is some terminology that you'd have to look into and explain if you jumped right into level 3, and that level includes all the "topoi" as already taught in previous levels--but there is definitely some simple "common sense" aspect to this form of writing, meaning that I don't think it's impossible to jump into a higher level. I would download the samples of different levels from the Well-Trained Mind site, to see what you can expect.
Hi, I missed the age range/grade level that would correspond with the WWS level 3 book. Please advise? 🙏 THANKS
Roughly grades 7-10
@@SevenInAll thank you for such promptl response!
@@SevenInAll does WWS include sentence classication (children identify structure, purpose, pattern of sentences) or Analytical Tasks as in Classic Conversations Essentials of the English Language? I'm trying to decide between the two.
Are you still using the program? Do you recommend it for a reluctant writer? My daughter loves to read but we have not found a writing program that she enjoys. She is grade 7 although we don’t follow that consistently. Thank you.
My sister still uses Writing With Skill. I wouldn't call it the most "enjoyable" writing program but it's very solid for teaching expository writing.
I personally have a different approach for teaching writing, I discuss that in this video: czcams.com/video/bboLksR-q90/video.htmlsi=zFKFQKT4W2aRviNv
And my approach to giving feedback to help a student improve writing skills: czcams.com/video/sEwOP7VlVpA/video.htmlsi=ZX3xmLFwKlUlEaC-
Would WWS level 1 be suitable for a 10 1/2 year old?
For a slightly advanced 10.5 year old, it should work. I think it's recommended to start anywhere between 5th-9th grade, but not all 5th graders will be ready to handle it. 9th grade would seem pretty 'late' to start at this level, for me personally, but upper elementary or middle school grades should be fine.
Do you have a video comparing this to Writing with Rhetoric?
I'm sorry, I don't. We've never used Writing & Rhetoric, though I have heard good things about it.