Writing Strands or Jump-in for my 5th grader?

[5sweeties]

We are going to use WWE for all my younger children...but that won't help me here! My 10yo dd is very artistic, great in Math, and really doesn't like writing very much. We used CW this year...which was an absolute disaster...and then have finished the year with Writing Tales 1. WT was better...much better really, but still, not her style (at all). IEW, I'm pretty sure, would put her completely over the edge.

I need to find her something that changes things up more. That the lessons are short and to the point, and gets the job done. A little color on the pages would probably help a great deal! She likes workbooks. She likes to see the beginning and end of a lesson and see her obvious progress. That brought me to Jump-In...which looks great, but I don't really know anything about it. I saw the samples on-line and liked the looks of it. I would love to know how this has worked for others and what was used after it was completed? (I'm a little worried about using a program that will only last for a couple years and then dump us off to be confused again, about where to go next.)

Also, I've been looking at Writing Strands...probably level 3. This seems to be a lot the same format, but just a little more simplistic look to the pages. I do LOVE that we could start with it, and follow it through high school and I wouldn't feel like I was missing too much.

Any advice or opinions would be really appreciated!

[OhElizabeth]

Wordsmith Apprentice would be a total change of pace for her. The BJU english, which alternates chapters of writing and grammar, would give her quantifiable assignments with clear steps, a workbook format, and color. It would also be a sequence you could stick with.

Just as a thought, what about WT didn't work for her? I thought the content was very good when we did it this year in our class. My dd isn't a really keen writer either, so I set minimum standards and let her shorten the assignments. What we finally landed on that worked well was for her to write a minimum of one page by hand. Then we would edit and type that, calling it the story part1. It kept the quantity reasonable and allowed her to cover the skills (which in 2nd semester of WT2 are AWESOME).

The other thing I'm planning for my dd next year is the history outlining as described in the 5th grade history recs of WTM. I have a basic spine (Eggleston) with 9 paragraphs per chapter and made her a workbook of sorts with numbers for lines for each paragraph. Eggleston just happens to also have topic bullets beside each paragraph, making it doubly easy to outline. I'm just saying if you combine things, a little with Wordsmith Apprentice or a little with BJU, some basic book reports or subject writing, and then the history outlining, it might get you where you want to be without being so much in any one thing. Like I said, my dd isn't a prolific writer, and the long, long assignments that thrill some kids just wear her out.

Wordsmith Apprentice uses a newspaper theme and has plenty of comics and things that I'm hoping my dd will enjoy. We'll see how it goes. I also like the BJU writing and would do that quite willingly if WA doesn't work out. I think it should though, and the WA is set up to be a bit independent, which is nice too. It's got a bit of whittiness and humor to it that I think will interest her. We'll see how it goes. At least it's a change of pace after a hard year.

[LanaTron]

I was going to suggest Wordsmith Apprentice, too...it's been great for my ds (for whom CW was a disaster, too).

[5sweeties]

To answer your question about WT... it doesn't work because she can't stand re-writing an existing story. She would rather make it up on her own, or do essay or factual writing. I'm looking for something that allows her to start from scratch, with helps, rather than re-tell, and also places more emphasis on essay writing. Even with the creative changes, she is highly frustrated.

How many years does WA last? Is it only a one year program? Is there anyplace I can see samples?

Thanks!

[Ellie]

that would be my choice. If you've seen the samples, you know how it teaches: no gimmicks, no clever sayings, or extensive checklists, just instruction, examples, assignments. And you're right to think about something that would go through high school.

[OhElizabeth]

Well, in my WT class this year, the really creative ones tended to add their creative stuff to the first drafts, making them look little like the original. I was fine with that, because at some point you've gotta give, kwim? It also sounds like she was underplaced. She was a precious writer 4th grader doing a 3rd/4th grade program. She probably would have been much happier in WT2, seems to me.

Because she likes to write, she's going to need to do more than just one thing. She could do Wordsmith Apprentice *and* a weekly summary from the outlining she does for history WTM-style *and*... Or trade out WA from that list and do the BJU writing, which hits a variety of genres. It seems like programs have instruction but not enough practice or practice without much instruction. That's why you mix them to get where you need to be. Her creativity could come out in book projects like here http://www2.redmond.k12.or.us/mccall/renz/ (look at the oregon trail books the kids wrote, under book projects). Her essay writing could come from a weekly summary of her history outlining. Since my dd is a bit younger, I plan to have her do the outlining but not the summaries, at least to start. I plan to have her do current events summaries that are similar to the Discovery Quest oral presentations at that Renz link.

[Sue G in PA]

To answer your question about WT... it doesn't work because she can't stand re-writing an existing story. She would rather make it up on her own, or do essay or factual writing. I'm looking for something that allows her to start from scratch, with helps, rather than re-tell, and also places more emphasis on essay writing. Even with the creative changes, she is highly frustrated.

How many years does WA last? Is it only a one year program? Is there anyplace I can see samples?

Thanks!


I was going to suggest WA as well. My ds10 seems to enjoy it. Short lessons, fun format, variety of "assignments". He likes it b/c of the short lessons. He doesn't like the physical aspect of writing. We let him type most of his other assignments. After WA, there is Wordsmith and then Wordsmith Craftsment for high school (I think that's the sequence). It's more of a creative writing program IMO. Jump In! would probably also fit your criteria, although I've not used it yet..I was planning it for my dd11 for next year. I'm just not sure we'll be using any "program" for her next year. I'm planning to teach her myself, focusing on some "basics" (paragraph format, essay format, etc.) and adding in some creative assignments, journaling, etc.

[Momof2kids]

I have a sixth grader (in the fall) and we will be using Jump In. I really didn't know what to expect from the few pages of samples I saw but nothing else looked interesting to me at all. We tried writing strands a couple years ago and I've seen the WS books in person and I find them extremely boring and tedious and not for awakening a reluctant writer at all.

When I got Jump In a couple weeks ago and looked it over I was so glad! It looks really easy to use and much more "meaty" than I thought it would be. Also looks fun and interesting. I was very pleasantly surprised.

We plan on using it for sixth and seventh grade and then doing Writing for 100 days (included with our Oak Meadow curriculum) for eighth grade. We also do extra writing assignments with our OM curriculum throughout the year but I wanted something more instructional and Jump In was just what I was looking for.

I basically want to get a foundation down and then build on that without a "curriculum" every year. I think Jump In will provide that and then she can just practice writing as needed and asked by me or her curriculum and we can continue to use Jump In as a reference as well as maybe purchase a writers manual/guide for reference. I'm looking to do as little "formal curriculum" as possible and get the most out a curriculum and then move on. I don't like things to be constantly re-hashed every year.

[Handmaiden]

I check out Jump In and liked the looks of it but it's a junior high program so we are waiting on it.

In the meantime, we started Wordsmith Apprentice and my reluctant writer son LOVES it. I will be alternating assignments with Sentence Composing for Elementary School, and continuing with copywork, dictation and narration.

One of the things I especially appreciate about WA is that it has introduced an element of FUN. For the longest time, writing was not fun for my son.

We also do Sequential Spelling daily.

[Ishki]

We are going to use WWE for all my younger children...but that won't help me here! My 10yo dd is very artistic, great in Math, and really doesn't like writing very much. We used CW this year...which was an absolute disaster...and then have finished the year with Writing Tales 1. WT was better...much better really, but still, not her style (at all). IEW, I'm pretty sure, would put her completely over the edge.

You just described my 10yo dd. I was hoping you might get a couple more recommendations. We're using CW right now, and I let my dd change the story to her heart's content which has helped some. (She's fine with creative writing.) Writing Tales looks much better, but I think it's still too ....I'm not sure... loose or global??? We need something more to the point. I joke and say I need Saxon for writing. Just the facts, step by step instructions for academic writing.

We have used WA, and while my dd seemed to enjoy it, it still wasn't what I was looking for. Jump In looks more like what I'm after. Or perhaps WriteShop: An Incremental Writing Program. Maybe it's the word incremental that attracts me? I have used WS in the past with another dd and I don't really remember not liking it. It wasn't exciting but seemed to get the job done. I must have sold it since I can't find it now.

That wasn't much help. Hoping someone else has something to add.

Janet

[BizyPenguin]

I tried Jump In at the beginning of 5th grade, but it wasn't a good fit. I might try it again for 6th. I'm in the process of reviewing it. I'm also planning to order WS just to satisfy my curiosity. I'll review it over the summer and let my ds check it out too to see what he thinks. We're using Bob Jones English (just the writing portions) currently and it is good, but I just wonder if there is something better out there for us. I wish teaching writing was easier than it is. Good luck choosing.