Writing Programs I Like

Posted on March 15, 2011
Filed Under Homeschool, Teaching Writing

As discussed in the previous post, Learn to Write while Using Excellence in Literature (EIL), students are able to learn to write by using the classics and models/learning by doing approach of EIL. However, if you have a student who will be using EIL in the next few years, there are several writing programs you may want to explore. I’ve seen good results from students who have used each of these, and I suggest choosing one according your student’s learning style and the amount of time you have available. (These are programs I’m familiar with and have seen results from. Other programs may be equally effective.)

The Elegant Essay: Building Blocks for Analytical Writing by Lesha Myers

The Elegant Essay Writing Lessons by Lesha Myers

I highly recommend having this superb teaching resource on hand no matter what writing or literature curriculum you use. Lesha Myers offers an elegantly simple introduction to essay writing, providing an introduction and specific instructions for each part of the essay. You can go through it from beginning to end, or simply turn to individual sections as needed. It’s useful even if you have other references on hand. Excellent for visual learners and those with an aptitude for writing.

Institute for Excellence in Writing Student Writing Intensive

Student Writing Intensive from IEW

This DVD course provides a structured formula for writing and is particularly good for auditory or kinesthetic learners or writers who have little confidence. Teaching parents appreciate the ease of evaluating work based on adherence to the elements of the formula, but gifted writers may find the structure a bit confining. (Learning to write using a formula is like learning to cook using a recipe. It’s a good place to start, and once a student is comfortable with it, it’s easily adaptable.) Boys especially seem to enjoy learning from Andrew Pudewa’s presentations.

T he Lost Tools of Writing: Rediscover the Craft of Composition by Andrew Kern

The Lost Tools of Writing by Andrew Kern

Fans of classical learning will love the newest edition of this beautifully structured, intellectually engaging curriculum. With the goal of cultivating wisdom and virtue through the practice of classical composition, The Lost Tools of Writing contains an audio overview of the curriculum, plus thirteen structured lessons with complete teaching instructions for the parent. The use of classical terms may seem daunting at first, but each term is well-explained and the teacher’s guide and audio CDs make it easy to follow.

WriteShop: An Incremental Writing Program by Kim Kautzer and Debbie Oldar

WriteShop: An Incremental Writing Program

“Step by step” is the guiding principle of the WriteShop approach. These ungraded manuals teach a variety of essay types using the building blocks of brainstorming, writing, editing, and revising. This flexible curriculum can be used with middle or high school students, and it includes a teacher’s manual with clear instructions and helpful information. WriteShop may be a good choice for visual learners who like the structure of IEW’s Student Writing Intensive, but find DVDs frustrating (this is the student who says, “Just give me the book and let me read/see it”).

With each of these programs, you’ll get the best results if you choose one that fits your student’s learning style and aptitudes. Learning is easier and retention is better for adults when we work with our strengths, rather than against them, and it’s the same with students. There’s so much to learn during these years that we may as well be as efficient as possible!

*With respect to FTC guidelines on material connections: My endorsement of these products is based on review of work from students who have used these programs, plus personal examination of each item. The Elegant Essay was a personal purchase, WriteShop was borrowed, and the Student Writing Intensive and The Lost Tools of Learning were provided by the author or publisher for review.

Comments

10 Responses to “Writing Programs I Like”

Laura on March 15th, 2011 9:01 pm

My kids and I went through some of IEW SICC before I chucked it: it sucked the creativity right out of them both. Following a Charlotte Mason approach of oral composition (narration) in the early school years followed by written composition at age ten, my teen daughter was an expressive writer before we started using the materials. Afterwards, not so much; and even she knew it.

Perhaps the materials work best in homes where the mothers/fathers have little writing experience and read not much good literature, leaving them feeling inadequate to teach..?

Our experience has made me hesitant to look further into the IEW catalog, although I was previously captivated by The Elegant Essay. I’m determined to use your materials regardless!
Janice Campbell on March 16th, 2011 7:13 am

Great points, Laura. We used Charlotte Mason methods too, and that’s what I always teach in my language arts workshops.

You’re right– these materials are most useful for parents who have little or no exposure to literature and writing. The Elegant Essay is a very nice reference/refresher, and Lost Tools is brain candy for those who love classical structure and terminology.

The big thing I discovered when teaching the online classes was that average or below average students seemed to work much better when taught with something structured. Above average students rarely needed it, and tended to be held back by it. This goes back to the foundational principle for teaching: Work with your student’s aptitudes and learning styles, and drop what doesn’t work. Time wasted doing the wrong thing isn’t redeemed by doing more of the wrong thing!

I hope you’ll enjoy Excellence in Literature–it’s meant to be engaging and adaptable, so feel free to use it in the way that works best for your family.
Misty on April 9th, 2011 8:55 pm

Perfect timing! I was just looking for some good ‘teaching writing’ ideas. We’ve been using Writing Strands a bit, but I’m trying to engage the kids a bit more. Looking for that spark that makes writing as enjoyable as reading a good book.

Thanks for the ideas,

Misty
Cindy on April 17th, 2011 8:30 am

We are using IEW for our 6th grader and find it to be an enormously valuable curriculum. To say his writing has improved tenfold would not be an exaggeration at all. I am looking into Write Shop as well to use as an alternate every other year as I feel that the two programs might piggy back well to provide variety and yet still keep with the same key points in learning to write.
Michele on May 3rd, 2011 2:18 pm

Just wondering if one can use the SWI programs from IEW without first watching and studying the TWSS program aimed at teaching parents how to teach their children.
Janice Campbell on May 3rd, 2011 3:19 pm

Based on what I’ve heard from parents at homeschool conferences, I know that there are those who do use them without first doing TWSS. I’m guessing it would probably be easier if you went through TWSS, but it seems possible. IEW results are pretty amazing, so it’s worth a try.
Cindy K. on May 3rd, 2011 3:36 pm

We did IEW for the better part of a year when my boys were 4th-graders. I have TWSS and have been through it quite a bit. It would have worked well for ME when I was in junior high or high school because I never knew just where to start when it came to writing. AndI am very left-brained when it comes to learning something new – I like it to be very sequentially laid-out for me. But the boys were bored with it.

As an adult, I know that the tons of writing that I do on blogs, Yahoo Groups, forums, and the like have really made writing easy for me. So I know that in order to write better, you have to write frequently. I have found, though, that my boys do better with a program that is somewhat systematic in its instruction, versus trying to get them to write written narrations. Due to various changing circumstances of the last couple of years, I have finally settled on a program that I think also “dovetails” very nicely with many of the components of IEW – it’s called Stack the Deck Writing.

We are in Unit 3 of the Open the Deck level (they are 7th-graders now) and they are doing very well with it. It uses different approaches than IEW as far as style mechanisms, but they are working on the same basic style *components*, just with different names. It has a fair amount of scaffolding as well (reminds me of Andrew Pudewa’s “give them as much help as they need” adage), not expecting the student to just sit down to a blank piece of paper and write. It’s very good at building them up to different kinds of writing. I like the rubrics they provide, too, even though I have never been much of a rubric person – very age-appropriate and makes it super-easy to focus on the GOALS of each writing assignment instead of trying to focus on *everything* at one time. I can really see how each unit builds on the previous ones! Oh, and this program is much less teacher-intensive and easier to teach than IEW, much less expensive, even if you get a student book for every student using that level and one for yourself to read through together with them. The teacher manual is smaller than the student manual and really amounts more to teacher “notes” to use throughout the program.

I don’t think the program gets enough visibility in the homeschooling community – yet – but I think it’s a great alternative to IEW, Write Shop, Writing Strands, and the other popular programs! My boys sure like it better than the others!
Janice Campbell on May 3rd, 2011 6:56 pm

Thank you for sharing that. It’s one I’ve never heard of. I completely agree with Andrew’s idea of giving them as much help as they need, and I like to see them routinely using reference materials such as a writers handbook. Professional writers do it, so students should definitely be doing it too!
Sharon Nelson on April 29th, 2012 8:04 am

I just read this post as I’m searching for a writing curriculum for my current 9th grader. Writing is not one of her strongest areas and I’m looking for something that she could use independently with little guidance from me (she rather work on her own). I also homeschool my 2nd and 7th grader as well as work p/t from home which is why my time is so crunched. I wish I could devote more time with them, but it is what it is. I was thinking about signing her up for an online class where she can get input from someone other than “mom.” She has a difficult time receiving from me. Any recommendations? Thank you!!
Janice Campbell on May 2nd, 2012 4:00 pm

I understand about receiving input from mom– it can be a challenge! There are some excellent writing classes offered through classical schools such as Memoria Press (http://www.memoriapress.com/onlineschool/), Circe Institute (http://www.losttoolsofwriting.com/), and http://www.pottersschool.org/. I’m sure there others as well, and there may even be a local co-op in your area that has something useful.

At minimum, The Elegant Essay is a good guide and could probably be worked through by the student with an outside evaluator. I know there are several people who evaluate, including Connie Schenkelberg, a retired teacher and homeschool mom and the author of Grammar Made Easy and Spelling Made Easy. If you’d like her contact information, please let me know.

I hope you find something that fits!