Writing Trails in American History...?

[pamjk]

After reading Michele's exciting post about IEW, I checked out the Fables link with curiosity. I've spent the past week searching for writing curriculum for ds 11 for next year. I know that eventually I'll end up using the IEW w/ TWSS and SWI, but it's not in our current budget. :)

DS isn't into Fables so much, but since we're using SL core 3 for history next year, I thought maybe Writing Trails would work for us.

Does anyone have any experience with this one? How about advice for choosing writing programs when ds has had minimal past writing instruction? I saw that Logos uses this for 4th grade, so I'm hopeful.

[AudreyTN]

I saw no one has answered yet...

I can't remember who said it, but someone said that this is the one to start with. I plan on using it with my upcoming 3rd grader.

Hope that helped some

[pamjk]

Thanks for your reply. I hadn't seen the post about starting with Writing Trails but that's good to know. I have to admit that now I'm a bit worried about using it with an 11yo though! I suppose that easier will be better for him since he's had so little writing in the past.

Thanks again,

[Beth in Central TX]

I use Writing Trails in American History in conjunction with SOTW Vol III & IV during 3rd & 4th grade. I think this program is too basic for an 11-year old. You read a short paragraph or two, prepare a key-word outline, and then rewrite the model based on the outline.

I use two of the Imitation in Writing programs (Writing Trails in American History and Men of Science) to supplement history and science in the early elementary grades, but I use Classical Writing as our main writing program. My 5th & 6th graders are working through Homer A and Poetry for Beginners A this year. I'm not sure what level this is comparable to in the IEW series, but Writing Trails in American History, Men of Science, and Aesop's Fables are well below a 5th/6th grade writing level. Of course, this is just my opinion based on our experience with both programs.

HTH!

[pamjk]

Now I'm really worried though! I should be concerned that the Writing Trails samples looked just about right, only slightly easy, for 11yo ds. I know he's a little behind- about a year based on testing. I have looked at CW many times and I freak out every time. I know that's WAY beyond his (and mine!) capability.

Oh well, I'll keep searching for the right writing program for him. I know it's out there somewhere! :)

Thanks again for your help.

[Christine]

Now I'm really worried though! I should be concerned that the Writing Trails samples looked just about right, only slightly easy, for 11yo ds. I know he's a little behind- about a year based on testing. I have looked at CW many times and I freak out every time. I know that's WAY beyond his (and mine!) capability.

Oh well, I'll keep searching for the right writing program for him. I know it's out there somewhere! :)

Thanks again for your help.

Hold up. . .

I shall speak from personal experience here a bit.

I frequently got tied into what's "age appropriate". Comparing my children to what others were working at.

I finally got an ounce of wisdom (actually, in reality, it was more that I threw up my hands and "gave up"), and went with the level my children were at.

So, as an example, my eldest started grammar three levels BELOW where he "should have been". He is now where he needs to be; and there was / is very little frustration on either of our parts.

This child is 15 and I'm just now starting IEW (because I couldn't find anything else to "fit" us). So, we are starting "behind" everyone else. Yet, he's doing fine.

I would say this, if you believe that Writing Trails would be a good fit for your son right now, go with it. You can adjust as you go along. (It would be nice if you could get the TWSS now, as it would make it easier for you to adjust; however, you can still give it a go.) Join the IEW yahoo group and maybe you could glean some tidbits there.

One last thing (because I seem to be on a soapbox). I own 3 levels of CW. I pull them out almost every quarter, and I put them straight back. Whether or not it's a good program, or whether or not it would fit my child makes no difference. . .it doesn't "fit" me. That's a hard thing to swallow, truly. I used to tell myself one of the advantages of hsing was that you could get something that works best for your children. However, if it doesn't work for you, the teacher. . .well, make sure you have plenty of shelf space (and that you like to dust. . .).

hmmm, I despise dusting. . .

[Beth in Central TX]

I was keying in on Pam's assessement that "Writing Trails samples looked just about right, only slightly easy." The program looks slightly easy for an 11-year old because it is written & used as a 4th grade program on the Logos School website. If this is where she thinks her son should start, then I agree she should start there. However, it seemed to me that Pam already sensed it would be easy for her son, and I was just agreeing with her initial evaluation of the program.

I really like the IW series; it's what I would have used if CW did not come out with the student workbooks and IGs.

Pam, if you really like the IW style & think its a good fit for your son, you could start with Aesop's Fables or Writing Trails in American History for your 11-year old. Since the books are affordable, I would do the last 10 lessons or so of either book and then move into either Fairy Tales or Greek Heroes. This would give your son a gentle introduction into writing, and the models would be more challenging for him near the end of the year.

HTH!

[Christine]

Beth, I apologize if you felt attacked (by me).

I was simply trying to state that regardless of what all of us think, the OP would probably be better off if she "went with her gut".

Personally, I have not used this program, though I plan to with my younger two (couple of years down the road).

I was struck by Pam stating that suddenly it didn't look good to her because you had mentioned that her son may be too old for Writing Tails. (And he may be, I'm not going to dispute that. . .) However, often in many things, taking baby steps, no matter where you are in life, is the best course of action.

[Beth in Central TX]

Hi Christine! There's no need for an apology. I didn't feel attacked, I was just trying to clarify my original post. Over the years, I have learned that my initial reaction to a program (whether good or bad) is usually right. Unfortunately, it has taken awhile for me to truly trust my instincts. This has led to wasted time and/or frustration; especially for my oldest son, the guinea pig.

I agree that taking baby steps can be the best course of action, but I also think that you (in general) need to make sure that the steps are not only teaching a new concept, but also challenging your child to think and grow on their own. To me, that's the definition of a successful program regardless of the subject.

Take care,
Beth

[pamjk]

This is an awesome discussion! It's like you both are in my head and saying the exact things that I've been waffling about for the past month! LOL

It really can be quite a struggle when our kids aren't "on grade level" and we think they should be. I know that much of the beauty of homeschooling is that levels don't matter and yet somehow I keep coming back to: but they do matter in some respects, and they're hard to ignore completely since we do have to live and function in the same world as everyone else! (how's that for a run-on sentence? :))

Now I feel much more prepared to make a decision on writing for ds. I thank you both for helping to articulate the issues I'm having with all the pros and cons. Reading about your experiences is very helpful to me.