Essentials in Writing

We were given the chance to review a wonderful language arts program recently, Essentials in Writing.  EIW offers curriculum for grades 1-12.  In grades 1-6 the program focuses primarily on grammar skills and then starts to shift into writing for 7-8 grades, while still weaving in grammar lessons. For 9-12 grades, students work on sentence structure, paragraphs, essays and research papers, again with grammar woven into the lessons. 

We were given the 7th grade level for review, which was perfect for the Lil' Chef. 

The way that EIW is laid out is that you first look over your assignment (which can be printed out from a PDF. file or done in a workbook), then the student WATCHES the lesson via DVD.  After gaining an understanding of the new concept, the student then completes their assignment or assignments that correspond with the lesson.

We like that Essentials in Writing is a DVD based curriculum.  It is a blessing to have an experienced, former middle school English teacher teaching the lessons, and me overseeing and helping when needed.  The videos lessons are laid out well and easily understood.  The 7th grade level that we reviewed covers the following (from EIW's website):

 

• Review sentences types and sentence structure (compound sentences) and address sentence errors (fragment and run on), dependent and independent clause
• Parts of a personal letter & Writing a personal letter
• Parts of a paragraph & Writing a paragraph
• Other forms of written communication:  lists/thank you note/invitation/diary entries
• How to choose an appropriate writing form.
• Writing a business letter (includes format and composition)
  The writing process (prewrite, draft, revise, edit/publish)
• Use the writing process to compose narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing in formal paragraphs and informal writing
• Essays; compare and contrast essay, expository essay
• Effective writing skills: strong details, transitions, beginning/middle/end concept, logical sequence of events, variety of sentence structure, and use of figurative language including simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole; vivid language
• Revision:  word choice (use of a thesaurus), using strong details, a variety of sentence structure in writing, & figurative language when appropriate, adding dialogue when appropriate
• Research Project - a complete research project including planning, gathering information, drafting, revising, and publishing.

Supplemented with:

• Capitalization rules: beginning of sentences, names, city/state, holidays/countries, titles
• Punctuation rules:  period, question mark, & exclamation point, and comma usage; titles
• Grammar:  subject/predicate (both complete and simple, and compound subjects/predicates), nouns, proper nouns, action verbs, adjectives, pronouns, linking verbs, possessive nouns, subject/verb agreement, adverbs, propositional phrases, appositives, proper adjectives
• Spelling rules for plural nouns
• Mechanics of dialogue and purposeful dialogue

The Lil' Chef has a pretty good foundation in grammar, which is recommended before starting this level (the 6th grade level offers a pretty intense grammar course, from what I understand), at this point we really need to focus on her writing.  Essentials in Writing 7 pretty much jumps into writing, but as I mentioned, it also weaves grammar into the lessons.  With EIW, grammar rules are reviewed and not forgotten. 

So far, the Lil' Chef has done some grammar review, worked on paragraphs and now we are on to essays.  The video lessons have been helpful for her in understanding new concepts and improving on her writing skills.  I have noticed that EIW has also increased her confidence level with her writing.  At this point she is plugging along in the program and doing great! 

Essentials in Writing is a great program that is also very budget friendly!  Each Essentials in Writing level is only $40!  I was pretty amazed at the price to be honest.  For $40 you receive the writing lessons via DVD, as well as the PDF files that can be used with multiple children.  If you prefer a workbook over printing, they offer a student workbook for an additional $20.  A bargain either way!

Check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about the different grade levels from Essentials in Writing.

IEW's Primary Arts of Language

 

 

 

 

Institute for Excellence in Writing, also know as IEW, is a pretty well known curriculum in the homeschooling world.  They have built a reputation that homeschoolers have grown to know and trust.  We actually got to review their Student Writing Intensive for them a few years ago. 
 

 

This time we received their Primary Arts of Language (PAL), which is a complete language arts program for children in kindergarten through second grade.  PAL is broken down into two separate programs, Primary Arts of Language Reading and Primary Arts of Language Writing.  While they are purchased separately they are meant to be used together. 

 

 

First let's talk about the PAL Reading curriculum.  This program, based on the Blended Sound-Sight System of Learning by Anna Ingham, takes a mixed approach to teaching reading by using both phonics and whole words.  It incorporates Classical, Charlotte Mason and Montessori methods of teaching.  PAL uses poetry to teach phonics and whole words, while using phonetic games and a farm themed sticker board to help reinforce phonetic concepts to build a good foundation for reading.

To teach children how to write each of the letters and help them remember their sound, PAL uses fun little stories for each letter.  My 6 year old knows his letters already but the has a hard time remembering the difference between b and d, the letter stories help to remember which is which.  I think this is my favorite thing about PAL, well this and the poetry!

 

The Phonics Games are AWESOME!!  My boys get to feed bones to a done named mugs and park cars all while learning the letter sounds!  This is also one of our favorite parts of PAL!

 

The PAL Reading Complete Package includes the following:

Primary Arts of Language: Reading Teacher’s Manual

Primary Arts of Language: Reading DVD-ROM - the DVD includes:

• Instructional Video by Jill Pike
• The Four Language Arts MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• Nurturing Competent Communicators MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• Poetry as an Integrator MP3 Audio by Anna Ingham
• Intro to the Blended Sound Sight Program MP3 Audio by Anna Ingham
• Primary Arts of Language: Reading Student Book (e-book)

Primary Arts of Language: Phonetic Games

Primary Arts of Language: Phonetic Farm folder with Stickers

The PAL Reading program is available to purchase for $69.00
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Now about the PAL Writing program.  The writing part of the program includes printing, copywork, composition, and spelling.  As, I mentioned earlier, the PAL Reading and Writing curriculum's are meant to be used together.  The only exception would be if your child is already reading independently.

The first 23 lessons teach the children how to properly print each letter, after that they start using copywork for printing fluency.  PAL also includes Story Summaries, Journaling, Style and Composition. 

The PAL Writing Package includes:

Primary Arts of Language: Writing Teacher’s Manual

Primary Arts of Language: Writing DVD-ROM - this DVD includes:

• Instructional Video by Jill Pike
• Reading Comprehension MP3 Audio by Adam Andrews
• Dictation, Narration, and Public Speaking MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• The Four Language Arts MP3 Audio by Andrew Pudewa
• Primary Arts of Language: Writing Student Books (e-book)
  (Would you rather have us print out your PAL student e-books for you? Click here)

All About Spelling Basic Interactive Kit

All About Spelling Level 1 (Teacher’s Manual and One Student Material Packet) By Marie Rippel

Bonus e-audio downloads:

• Units 1 & 2 in the K–2 Classroom MP3 Audio by Shirley George
• Unit 3 in the K–2 Classroom MP3 Audio by Shirley George
• Preparing the K-2 Writing Environment MP3 Audio by Richelle Palmer

The PAL Writing Program is available for purchase for $89.00.
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Alpha Boy learning how to spell his colors.

I am going to be honest, at first this curriculum looked a bit overwhelming to me.  But after watching the DVD's going over the teacher's manuals it didn't seem as overwhelming to me. 

The TM's are set up so that you can easily follow along.  The lessons are so well laid out and explained that even the newest of homeschoolers will feel like a pro!

I feel that PAL is a very well rounded program.  It has all the bells and whistles that you would hope for in a language arts program.  To me, it is very hands on with lots of fun stories and games to help the children actually enjoy learning.  Yes, there is a little bit of prep for mom in the beginning but after that it is pretty much smooth sailing!

 

 

I am not the only one that loved PAL!  Check out what other TOS Crew members have to say about PAL.

Disclaimer: We received this product at no charge for review purposes only. 

 



Time 4 Writing {TOS CREW}

For the last 4 weeks or so the Lil' Chef has been using a new program for writing.  She has been doing an online writing course with Time 4 Writing. 

Time 4 Writing offers several different writing courses for students in grades 2-12.  The Lil' Chef took the Middle School Writing Mechanics.  Here is how Time 4 Writing describes this course:

This eight-week course is the first of two courses focusing on "boosting the basics" at the middle school level.

Basic Mechanics A allows students to strengthen their foundation writing skills. The course teaches the fundamentals of writing such as: sentences vs. fragments, subjects and predicates, subject-verb agreement, and capitalization. 

The class is completely online and she was given 8 weeks of access to complete the course.  I never did tell her how long she had to complete the course {smile}, she is pretty motivated to get her work done, so I didn't think it would be an issue.  Time 4 Writing does list a 4 and 8 week suggested schedule that the student can follow but the she just worked at her own pace. 

The Middle School Mechanics Course covered the following topics:

1. The Sentence, The Fragment and The Run-on
2. Nouns, Nouns and More Nouns!
3. Subjects of a Sentence
4. Predicates of a Sentence
5. Subject - Verb Agreement in a Sentence
6. "Tricky" Subject - Verb Agreement
7. Capitalization
8. Sum it ALL UP!

The Lil' Chef enjoyed the assignments, although they were challenging.  She is the Perfect Paula type, and thrives on good grades.  She liked that when she had mistakes on an assignment she would be able to get feedback from her teacher and make the necessary corrections.  I also liked this feature of the program, the focus seems to be more about mastery than a grade.

As I mentioned, she has been doing this program for about 4 weeks and only has one more assignment left.  I think that the Time 4 Writing course has helped her to improve her writing skills. 

Here are the specific things that the Lil' Chef said she liked about Time 4 Writing:

I like getting graded. {told ya}
I like that everything is on the computer, including my writing assignments.
I am excited to get a certificate for completing the program. 
Time 4 Writing really helped me to better understand the difference between simple and complete predicates.
I liked having a teacher to explain this things I got wrong.
I liked that I could work at my own pace.

Mom's Thoughts:
I thought that over all Time 4 Writing was a good solid program.  For some reason I thought that Time 4 Writing was a teacher/ video class kind of thing, which it is not.  Not saying this is a bad thing, just not what I expected.  Basically, the student reads over the lesson and then completes the assignment online.  The teacher then grades and gives feedback on a job well done or corrections that need to be made. 

Even though the teacher is not teaching via video, they are just a message away if there are any questions from the student or parent.  The was a big plus for in my book!  The Lil' Chef really didn't have any questions regarding the work but on one of her assignments she received like a 90 - 95% on the paper but there were not remarks on what she missed.  I thought that was a little odd, usually the teacher, Mrs. Gilg, was very good at explaining Lil' Chef's mistakes.  I told my daughter to message her and ask what she missed to get the grade she got, because it appeared to be a perfect paper.  She was a little reluctant but I encouraged her to write the message.  The teacher wrote back and apologized that she had indeed clicked the wrong button, she immediately corrected the grade to 100%.  The Lil' Chef, of course, was THRILLED! 

I also liked the fact that she was getting feedback from a teacher that had more grammar and writing knowledge then me.  Did I mention that I received an email after each assignment that the Lil' Chef completed and got graded?  I really liked this feature, it helped to keep me in the loop. 

We were very happy with this program and would love to enroll in the another course soon!

The Time 4 Writing Courses are 8 weeks long and cost $99.00.  The courses range from Elementary to Adult Level.  Time 4 Writing even offers a guide to help you to select which course would be best for your student.

Please check out what other members of the TOS Crew have to say about Time 4 Writing. 

Disclaimer:  This product was given to us at no cost in exchange for an honest review. 

TOS Crew: WriteShop

We were blessed with the opportunity to do a review for the WriteShop curriculum for the TOS Crew.  The WriteShop is an incremental writing program that was written by Kim Kautzer and Debbie Oldar.  This curriculum teaches students how to write through a series of engaging lessons.

Students learn the four most common kinds of writing—descriptive, informative, narrative, and persuasive, with the WriteShop Curriculum.  By following the four basic building blocks of writing - brainstorming, writing, editing and revising, students learn how to write while build the confidence they need.

While not a grammar program, the WriteShop does however, encourage growth and awareness in vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
WriteShop offers several levels of curriculum choices:

• WriteShop Primary A - for K, 1st or reluctant 2nd graders
• WriteShop Primary B - for 1st, 2nd or reluctant 3rd graders
• WriteShop Primary C -for 2nd, 3rd or reluctant 4th graders
• WriteShop Junior - for 3rd, 4th, or reluctant 5th graders
• WriteShop I - 6th-10th
• WriteShop II - 8th-12th 

I thought this would be a good fit for Computer Girl.  We choose Primary Level C since it is for grades 2nd-4th, and Computer Girl is in 3rd grade.   The Write Shop website has a page that helps with curriculum placement, I found this to be very helpful!

We received the WriteShop Primary Book C (Teacher's Guide) as well as the Activity set.  Both of these are available in ebook form but we received the print editions. 

Computer Girl has enjoyed working through the WriteShop book very much.  She enjoys the lessons as well as the writing assignments.  We had not really focused on writing for Computer Girl before now and so far, I have seen an improvement from when we first began and a greater desire to write.  The has now claimed serveral new notebooks and is writing stories for fun!  Yippee!

One thing I'd like to mention is this not a hum-drum boring program.  The authors of this program knew what they were doing when they created it, they have added in an extra element of fun amongst the writing lessons.  There is joy in my child's face when the yellow Primary C book comes out. 

Would I recommend this program?  ABSOLUTELY!! 

Will we continue to use this program?  Yes indeedy!  I think I would even like for my older daughter to do one of the older levels next year. 

Not to sound all commercially or anything, but if you are looking for a new writing curriculum for next year, look no further!  Folks, I think we have a winner!

The WriteShop Curriculum ranges in price.  The Primary Book C, printed edition, that we received is
$32.95 and the Activity Sheets are $4.95.

Currently, the WriteShop is offering a 15% discount off of any WriteShop Primary and Junior products in the WriteShop store (including e-books) for TOS Crew readers.  Use the coupon code CREW15 at checkout. Offer valid through June 15, 2012.

Please see what other TOS Crew members are saying about the WriteShop Curriculum!

Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received the WriteShop Primary C Book and Activity Set, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are mine.