Writing Strands - does anyone LIKE it?

[Michelle T]

Writing Strands is recommended in TWTM, and yet I almost always see very negative reviews for this program. It seems like it would be ideal; written to the student, goes in slow chunks, consumable, easy to use. Yet no one seems to like it!

So, is there anyone out there who DOES like it? What age child? And which levels of the program did you use?

Seems like I'm always trying to find something good for teaching writing!
Michelle T

[Robin in DFW]

I think it's fine. It's very easy to use. The instructions are clear. We get a chuckle out of the author sometimes. My son can handle the assignments, no tears or frustration. I've offered him other programs, had him peruse a few...he says he doesn't want to change...he likes WS.

Robin

[Dayle in Guatemala]

Same here. We've had a good experience with it. I don't see anything that would make me change to a different program.

[Lori in MS]

I didn't like it the first time I tried it, but I think I my ds wasn't ready for it. We have started again with it this year and it is going very well. I realize now that it works better if I read the lessons with him and go over it step by step. I also feel free to vary the lessons or change them a wee bit if I need to. I dislike the first exercise in WS 4 and I think that exercise is what causes it to get negative reviews. But I adapted that one to suit me and have been pleased with the rest of the book. I also think WS is best suited to logic stage. It has worked well to start my 5th grader in WS 3. It is somewhat easy at the beginning, but that has given him confidence and caused him to have a positive outlook toward the lessons.

[Ellie]

There are negative comments about *every* product. :-)

[Carol in Cal.]

It has brought a level of precision to her writing that she had always resisted before, without making it wooden or ruining her writing voice. She is 12 and is doing one of the early lessons in WS6, and it is a markedly higher level of assignment than the earlier books; so I would say that there is more of a jump between levels 5 and 6 than between any of the earlier books she has done.

I do review the instructions with her. I find that when I just assign her to read them and do the work, she doesn't do the exact assignment that the author asks for. I'm not sure why that is, but I don't hesitate to send her back through assignments that don't follow the directions--which, I think, is why this is working so well for her.

[Julie in MN]

Agreeing with Ellie...

But I love WS. It teaches very specific things that I can't get to by just our history writing etc. Some of its attempts to explain are awkward, but I can tell that great effort & much experience with students has gone into the program. It gives reasonable encouragement to parents about correcting. And it never has useless assignments that teach nothing, like, "Write 500 words about you favorite place." (Just a personal pet peeve!)

[Peela]

*I* like it, but my kids cant stand the way it talks to them.
I think its a bit long winded because of the conversational tone, too.
I dont have huge problems with it though and would have been happy to use it..(perhaps i should have stuck with it) but the kids really revolted with it (and not with other programs).

[Nan in Mass]

We do, flaws and all. I saw the benefits when we did great books. I couldn't just hand it to my children to do, though. I wrote a long post several years back about how to make it work. -Nan

[Ellie]

is that Writing Strands came out too late for me to use all the levels with my dc. I *love* the way Writing Strands teaches. If I were hsing again, it would be my first choice for composition.

[Cadam]

Yes! I like it very much. I didn't always like it though. After our first try with WS3 in 4th grade I was fond of telling people that ds would rather chew rocks than do WS. :lol:

I ended up doing my own thing for a year and finally realized that I was trying to recreate WS! My problem the first time was that I handed the book to 9 yo and said "do this". Now I go over the assignments with my kids/ students. I make sure they know what is expected and I tweak things to fit their personality while staying true to the goal of the assignment.

For example, one assignment is to write a description of a room. I changed it so that ds could write a description of his favorite video game environment. A small change that got the job done and kept his interest.

It is written tot he student and it is a very independent program, but nothing is completely independent and I was treating it that way the first time I used it. Now we are all doing great with WS. My 11 yo son is in WS 4 and my 10 yo student is in WS 3 btw.

[mcconnellboys]

I used it from level 3 through to the end of the series with my older son and plan to also use it with my younger son. The tone of it was what aggrevated me at times, just as many say that they don't like the tone of the Apologia science books. Since it's really geared toward the student reading it themselves and acting upon the instructions, I was able to put that aside because my son did not have a problem with it.

[cbollin]

I like it too. But it took me a few tries to like it. My oldest started it a little younger than she should have. She hadn't done any narrations/copywork/dictation before I started WS. ugh. Oh well. I got better by the next child.

Oldest did WS 3, and 4, and is in the middle of book 5 as a 7th grader.
Middle child, is in 4th grade and in mid way through WS 3.

I like how WS encourages me to coach my child in writing. I use the book as a guided script instead of "hand it over to my kid". And if needed, I'll tweak an assignment a tiny bit while staying within the goal of the assignment.

One of the exercises in WS 3 is about writing several structured paragraphs in a very organized manner so that you describe a room in your house. We used the smallest room in the house (a half bathroom) that was already organized. My middle daughter wrote the 4 paragraph report from the point of view of a girl detective walking into the room to look for clues.

So I like how WS 3 gives assignments that aren't about going out and researching a history/science topic while learning to write a report. Instead it takes you through the process and skills of how to form the paragraphs and all of that while using a topic that your student can see (his room, or looking out of a window) and already knows the information.

WS 4 and 5 increase in skill and my oldest is working on persuasive essays, and other skills with changing perspective and points of view, and other skills.

-crystal

[Daisy]

My DD is enjoying the assignments, but she doesn't "get" the author's sense of humor. I have had to explain OFTEN that the author is just being silly or joking or using sarcasm.

[skylark]

My 9 yr old daughter has had a hard time with this program. I agree with all the positive reviews on it. I think it's a great program, but she just does not like it. I think it has to do with coming up with what to write, even though they give the prompts she is just too perfectionist and has a hard time liking what she writes. I plan on using a more classical approach that makes her imitate the classic writers.

[Tree House Academy]

*I* liked it too (being English is my "thing" anyway), however, it just did not work for my son. He was not grasping what he needed to grasp from the lessons. They went too slowly for him and by the time he got to the actual writing, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to have learned. We tossed it once, came back to it, and tossed it again. We are now doing LLATL and Writing Tales II (and whatever English composition I assign because, like I said, English is my "thing"). LOL

[Tammyla]

My ds finds likes it and finds parts of it funny. He loves working independently and the instruction are clear and easy to follow. Now for me, he is writing without fussing, making progress and that works for me.

There will be negative experiences with any curriculum and many seem like the "In thing..." for a while and then another is all the rage. I like to get ideas, opinions and look at samples of any program. And imo, I've got two kids and what works wonderfully for one isn't a good fit for the other. I've come to believe that using what gets done and works in your house is the best curriculum.;)