I HAVE CW Aesop and Homer, but......

[moki4]

Hello,
I am searching, desperately, for a writing program. Yes, I have CW Aesop and Homer for 2 of our children.
But,
I like our Spelling workout. I like our GWG. So do the kids!:001_smile:
Do some of you use day 4 and 5 (of the model) and just forget day 1, 2, and 3?
DD10 says she wants to create stories, not "just imitate". I am torn. I need to make a decision, as this indecision is driving me batty!
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Moki4

[OhElizabeth]

Well are you doing Aesop or Homer with your dd10? Sounds like she'd enjoy Writing Tales 2 quite a bit...

[JenBlok]

Stack the Deck - it's fun and promotes creative writing :)
Start with "Check the Deck" (the first two are meant for early elem.)

My son has a blast! We alternate semesters with CW.

[moki4]

I have not started the CW at all.
I have shown it to our oldest (dd10) but she is fairly uninterested.
She likes to write and is very good at it. Our writing this past yr was not very good, just adequate. She wrote a one page summary after reading a chapter in history. DS wrote a paragraph, using a web planner as his guide.

I think with 4 to teach, I need something a bit more concrete. I will look closely at the "deck" series. By the way, I looked at WT some time ago, and I thought it include spelling, vocab, and other stuff besides writing. We really want "writing only". That may sound very narrow minded (its not, really!)
I am also interested in IEW!

[siloam]

Hello,
I am searching, desperately, for a writing program. Yes, I have CW Aesop and Homer for 2 of our children.
But,
I like our Spelling workout. I like our GWG. So do the kids!:001_smile:
Do some of you use day 4 and 5 (of the model) and just forget day 1, 2, and 3?
DD10 says she wants to create stories, not "just imitate". I am torn. I need to make a decision, as this indecision is driving me batty!
Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Moki4

My oldest is pretty creative. Part of the fun for her is to totally change the setting and people without loosing the moral of the story.

But yes, do I thing you can drop most the rest. I use SWR for spelling, JAG for grammar, so we are basically using it just for writing not a full LA.

Heather

[moki4]

hmm. Yes, that is interesting. Do you use Homer A?
I was nit-picking through the pages last night, and the directions for day 4 and 5 (paraphrasing, adding,subtracting numerous parts of speech) referred to days 1, 2 and 3!
So, that would make more effort (and time) on my part by turning the pages back, to understand what we missed!
Anyone else out there who uses CW in part?
Gosh, I remember about 1-2 months ago there was such a great conversation about writing programs. I can't seem to find it now.
thanks again, Moki4

[siloam]

hmm. Yes, that is interesting. Do you use Homer A?
I was nit-picking through the pages last night, and the directions for day 4 and 5 (paraphrasing, adding,subtracting numerous parts of speech) referred to days 1, 2 and 3!
So, that would make more effort (and time) on my part by turning the pages back, to understand what we missed!
Anyone else out there who uses CW in part?
Gosh, I remember about 1-2 months ago there was such a great conversation about writing programs. I can't seem to find it now.
thanks again, Moki4


I have Homer but we are still doing Aesop B. I did do Aesop A and it does work fine with the Aesop levels. When it comes to homer I know there is a lot more going on. I do know there are other people who use R&S for grammar and have done fine.

Well if you are starting with Aesop they it is likely I will get there before you. :D I am a major tweaker, so I am pretty confident I will find some way to make it work.

Heather

[moki4]

so I am going to spend some time in the garden!
I need a "curriculum break". I have a deadline of July 5th to finally decide on a program. In the meantime, I will reread old posts.
CW might just be it. I love the entire premise, it is intellectual, and I enjoy the mind teasing content.
It is a program that I wish I had.
But my selfish desires aside, I need to teach my kids how to write! I am (almost) tempted to just buy the workbooks which clearly outline the writing process.
Someone mentioned "Stack the Deck", and it looks like a contender in my writing duels. So, between CW, Stack the Deck, and the 75 listed programs in RR, I am sure to find one. Just wish this would be easy.
:D

[OhElizabeth]

Moki, CW has nothing creative at all, which is why your dd isn't interested in it. WT is also going to use imitation, but the models are MUCH more interesting than CW and in the final draft they are encouraged to add all kinds of creative touches and really make the stories their own. I had a very creative writer in my class this year, and she usually had a heyday with her drafts, transforming the story into a new setting, new everything, quite good! That's why I was suggesting it for your dd. And by the time you've finished 2nd semester of WT2, you'll have covered all the sentence beginnings (dress-ups) that IEW uses through the SWI B level. It uses a bit different terms, but the content is still there. So you'll do it with fiction models in WT2 and then can start applying it to non-fiction writing, no problem. IEW makes a lot of sense to me, now that I've done WT! They're very similar in that sense.

No, WT only includes spelling and whatnot annecdotally, not in as a means of replacing your current program. I left that up to the kids to do those pages in their workbook, and I never had my dd do them at all. We did the grammar together, but that was because the grammar built and reviewed first semester to create the foundation for the skills of 2nd semester. You could do it orally, no problem. I taught my class once a week for one hour and managed to get the kids through about 1/2 their homework, including the outlining. It really isn't that bad. CW, which I tried at the lower level (Aesop A) has a much stronger reputation for overloading you and making you feel like you're messing up if you don't do all the components they list. With WT the writing is foremost and anything you don't like is easy to skip. It's also VERY easy to teach, visually clear and straightforward, unlike CW which leaves you sorting through a core manual, instructor's guide, student workbook, checklists, blah blah... With WT I could just open and go, totally easy. Like I said though, it's what we covered by the end of 2nd semester that really impressed me. I also think the options for creativity and ENCOURAGEMENT of those creative additions would fit your dd better than CW. Just something to consider.

[moki4]

Thank you Elisabeth!
I keep reading that WT IS CW with much of the parental work done! From what I have read, this is what I am looking for. I want the classical component, but I dont want the page flipping and constant reminder that "I am not doing the program as intended".
Yes, all four of my kiddos are creative (and smart).
Thanks for sharing your first hand experience.
I did find the old thread with the heated discussion about CW. I really think that I can get my kids there without being so frustrated.

Again, thank you:D
I am going to revisit this on Tuesday (really need a break!) Moki4