Your video is by far the best one I have seen on this program. We tried IEW and the videos alone were so long and overwhelming. I want my 11 year old to enjoy writing and so far nothing has done that for her. Thanks so much. God bless ❤
I think it can be overwhelming at first. It isn’t for everyone, but many find a rhythm with it that works well for them. It does take some time investment and trial and error at first.
This is very helpful, thank you! I am working through one of the Darts now with my third grader. I really love everything about the program, but am struggling with the pre-planning involved as I would feel more confident in teaching with a bit more structure. For this reason I am also looking at a similar program like Lightning Literature, which is more open and go. So torn! In your opinion, does the pre-planning part get easier over time?
What part of pre-planning are you finding most difficult? The short answer is yes, it usually does get better over time. I think any time we move from curriculum that’s pretty open and go or that is less structured, it really takes some time to get in the grove of it. I would say I didn’t really start feeling comfortable until about my 3rd one, and even then, i still wasn’t 100% confident. We have figured out the structure and flow that works for us now, so that makes it MUCH easier, but it does take time to figure that out. One thing I’ve don’t in the past when making the switch to a less structured program is to alternate. So, for example, maybe a lightening literature unit and then a Bravewtiter, and back and forth. While you have the less prep of the lightening literature unit, you can evaluate your last Dart unit and see what you might change, and have a bit of time to prep for your next one. In the end, you can take the best parts of each program for your family and make the perfect fit for you. You may decide that one of those is perfect as is and that’s totally OK too. Feel freer to take time to experiment a bit. I think that’s always intimidating. Is that helpful?
@@TicketToLearning Thank you so much! I think it is just like you said - I am much more familiar with open and go curriculums, but I have wanted to move away from the “workbook” style on some subjects as I think it works better (and tends to be more enjoyable) for my kids overall. I tend to get overwhelmed easily if I don’t feel confident in what I’m teaching, so I really like the suggestion you made about alternating as a middle ground until we figure out the best fit for us. I also love the idea of having more planning time between BW units as I’m sure that will make planning less stressful for me with the extra time.😉 Thanks so much for your help!
Thank you so much for your thorough explanation! :-) I'm taking a big deep breath now because I actually bought the membership this last fall and I feel down because I haven't done any of it with my kids. I admit I felt overwhelmed and I don't know if it's because covid hit our home and I already struggle with fatigue, but I didn't even crack it open. I honestly LOVE the way Brave Writer does their program and so want to jump in. It's like I need to be brave to start this program. But after hearing you explain it, it doesn't seem as daunting as I thought. I'm wondering if your family chose every book (for the month) that Brave Writer put out? If not, my question has been- would the kids then miss some grammar, as in, does it all build on the next "Dart" or "Arrow"? Thank you again for your insight! :-)
We use the arrow/dart guides intermittently. When we use them, I have my kids pick the books and we haven’t had problems with grammar. There is a guide that comes with each level. In it there is a skills tracker. This helps you keep track of what you have covered and what needs more work. I wish there was a way to see which grammar concepts are covered in each unit ahead of time, but I don’t think there is. However, you can usually cover any grammar topic with any unit. For example, if you need to work more on verbs, but the unit you’re using covers nouns, skip the noun activities and find the verbs in the passage and discuss those instead. Does that make sense? It does feel overwhelming at first because the program is so flexible. You aren’t alone in struggling to start. Just think of it as one book or copywork passage at a time and prepare to tweak and adjust until you find the rhythm that works for your family.
@@TicketToLearning thank you so much for the encouragement😊, and for the great tip about tweaking grammar out of what we need. That helps a lot! God bless!
What would you recommend starting with? Dart or arrow ? For next year I have an incoming 4th and 5th grader. Would you say it would be easy for new curriculum users?
I think you would be fine with Dart or Arrow. I would choose based on he books you like. It can be a bit of a shock at first because there isn’t. Solid schedule laid out. Be sure to read the arrow or dart guide that comes with your purchase. Once you look it all over and figure out your weekly flow (there are ideas provided), it’s pretty easy. Is that helpful?
Are you looking at Brave Writer, or writing curriculum in general? If Brave Writer, I would suggest Partnership writing. You have to read through it and figure out your schedule (it’s flexible and comes with a great planning guide). Once you do that, it’s pretty straight forward. It isn’t an every day writing curriculum. It’s pretty open ended. If you want a highly structured writing program, there are other ideas, but this one is really good if you are looking for writing ideas that give your kids a lot of creative freedom.
Your video is by far the best one I have seen on this program. We tried IEW and the videos alone were so long and overwhelming. I want my 11 year old to enjoy writing and so far nothing has done that for her. Thanks so much. God bless ❤
I’m so glad this was helpful for you. 😊
Thank you for your thorough review! ….This seems like a very overwhelming curriculum.
I think it can be overwhelming at first. It isn’t for everyone, but many find a rhythm with it that works well for them. It does take some time investment and trial and error at first.
Thank you so much for the thorough explanation!!🙌🥰 Helped see and understand the program a lot better.
Thank you for sharing this!!!! I had so many questions. It was great to have you explain what all the different programs are.
I’m so glad it was helpful!
Thanks for this! Very helpful to have a look into a few of these components. Thinking of using more BW in our homeschool for next year.
I’m glad it was helpful. 😊 I hope you have a fantastic school year!
Great programs. Luv how you dedicated your time and patience. Great sharing. I'm Holly new here tuned in for more! Great sharing!
Welcome to the community Holly!
This is very helpful, thank you! I am working through one of the Darts now with my third grader. I really love everything about the program, but am struggling with the pre-planning involved as I would feel more confident in teaching with a bit more structure. For this reason I am also looking at a similar program like Lightning Literature, which is more open and go. So torn! In your opinion, does the pre-planning part get easier over time?
What part of pre-planning are you finding most difficult?
The short answer is yes, it usually does get better over time. I think any time we move from curriculum that’s pretty open and go or that is less structured, it really takes some time to get in the grove of it. I would say I didn’t really start feeling comfortable until about my 3rd one, and even then, i still wasn’t 100% confident. We have figured out the structure and flow that works for us now, so that makes it MUCH easier, but it does take time to figure that out.
One thing I’ve don’t in the past when making the switch to a less structured program is to alternate. So, for example, maybe a lightening literature unit and then a Bravewtiter, and back and forth. While you have the less prep of the lightening literature unit, you can evaluate your last Dart unit and see what you might change, and have a bit of time to prep for your next one. In the end, you can take the best parts of each program for your family and make the perfect fit for you. You may decide that one of those is perfect as is and that’s totally OK too. Feel freer to take time to experiment a bit. I think that’s always intimidating. Is that helpful?
@@TicketToLearning Thank you so much!
I think it is just like you said - I am much more familiar with open and go curriculums, but I have wanted to move away from the “workbook” style on some subjects as I think it works better (and tends to be more enjoyable) for my kids overall. I tend to get overwhelmed easily if I don’t feel confident in what I’m teaching, so I really like the suggestion you made about alternating as a middle ground until we figure out the best fit for us. I also love the idea of having more planning time between BW units as I’m sure that will make planning less stressful for me with the extra time.😉
Thanks so much for your help!
@@brenkm955 I hope it all works well for you and that you find the sweet spot for your family. :)
Thank you for this video! Seeing inside the curriculum was so helpful.
I’m glad it was helpful! 😊
Do any of you use or have you used Brave Writer materials for your homeschool?
Thank you so much for your thorough explanation! :-) I'm taking a big deep breath now because I actually bought the membership this last fall and I feel down because I haven't done any of it with my kids. I admit I felt overwhelmed and I don't know if it's because covid hit our home and I already struggle with fatigue, but I didn't even crack it open. I honestly LOVE the way Brave Writer does their program and so want to jump in. It's like I need to be brave to start this program. But after hearing you explain it, it doesn't seem as daunting as I thought. I'm wondering if your family chose every book (for the month) that Brave Writer put out? If not, my question has been- would the kids then miss some grammar, as in, does it all build on the next "Dart" or "Arrow"? Thank you again for your insight! :-)
We use the arrow/dart guides intermittently. When we use them, I have my kids pick the books and we haven’t had problems with grammar. There is a guide that comes with each level. In it there is a skills tracker. This helps you keep track of what you have covered and what needs more work. I wish there was a way to see which grammar concepts are covered in each unit ahead of time, but I don’t think there is. However, you can usually cover any grammar topic with any unit. For example, if you need to work more on verbs, but the unit you’re using covers nouns, skip the noun activities and find the verbs in the passage and discuss those instead. Does that make sense?
It does feel overwhelming at first because the program is so flexible. You aren’t alone in struggling to start. Just think of it as one book or copywork passage at a time and prepare to tweak and adjust until you find the rhythm that works for your family.
@@TicketToLearning thank you so much for the encouragement😊, and for the great tip about tweaking grammar out of what we need. That helps a lot! God bless!
What would you recommend starting with? Dart or arrow ? For next year I have an incoming 4th and 5th grader. Would you say it would be easy for new curriculum users?
I think you would be fine with Dart or Arrow. I would choose based on he books you like. It can be a bit of a shock at first because there isn’t. Solid schedule laid out. Be sure to read the arrow or dart guide that comes with your purchase. Once you look it all over and figure out your weekly flow (there are ideas provided), it’s pretty easy. Is that helpful?
We are doing Writing with Ease. I love it. We are ready for something else what do you recommend I like open and go. My kids are 3&4th grade.
Are you looking at Brave Writer, or writing curriculum in general? If Brave Writer, I would suggest Partnership writing. You have to read through it and figure out your schedule (it’s flexible and comes with a great planning guide). Once you do that, it’s pretty straight forward. It isn’t an every day writing curriculum. It’s pretty open ended. If you want a highly structured writing program, there are other ideas, but this one is really good if you are looking for writing ideas that give your kids a lot of creative freedom.