July 3rd, 2009 — Conventions
The second weekend of July will find WriteShop exhibiting at two homeschool conventions on opposite coasts. Join us!
HINTS - Matthews, NC
North Carolina homeschoolers, especially if you live in the Charlotte area, will not want to miss the wonderful local HINTS Book Fair July 10-11 at Christ Covenant Church. Admission is only $5.00!
CHEA - Long Beach, CA
If you homeschool in Southern California, you know that the CHEA Convention is one of the highlights of the year! With a great lineup of speakers and all sorts of curriculum exhibitors, you won’t want to miss this extra-special 26th annual event July 9-11. Visit www.cheaofca.org for convention schedule, printable syllabus pages, and more.
A homeschool conference is the perfect time to stop by our booth to ask questions, see what’s new, or browse through WriteShop books in person.
At these local conventions, you can:
- See our full line of WriteShop products.
- Purchase the BRAND-NEW WriteShop Primary Book B!
- Learn how you can teach a WriteShop co-op class in your area.
- Receive much-needed encouragement about teaching writing.
Don’t forget to check WriteShop’s convention schedule to see where we’ll be next!
July 1st, 2009 — Bad Signage, Wordless Wednesday
Yet another apostrophe catastrophe; that is, unless the company name is “Fight”—as in “Why don’t you give Fight’s Cold & Flu a try?”
Or not.
Will this madness never end?
. . . . .
Stop by every 1st and 3rd Wednesday for a peek into the wacky world of spelling, punctuation, or grammar gone wrong!
June 30th, 2009 — Elementary Ages, WriteShop Primary
Last July, WriteShop entered the realm of early elementary education with the release of WriteShop Primary Book A (pre-writers in grades K-2). I know that many of you with kiddos in the 1st- to 3rd-grade realm have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Book B, and we’re excited to say . . . it’s almost here!
10% Discount on Pre-Orders of Book B!
Book B will begin to ship on July6. Order now at the WriteShop store and save 10%! Use coupon code NEWB10 at checkout. Hurry—offer ends Sunday July 5!
About WriteShop Primary Book B
WriteShop Primary Book B introduces the steps of the writing process through engaging activities, crafts, and picture books and creates an environment that promotes a joy of learning. The program accommodates pre-writers as well as beginning and developing writers.
Recommended Grade Levels
- Ideal for students in first and second grade.
- May also be used with reluctant third and fourth graders.
If your child is reluctant or not able to write on his own, you’re encouraged to let him dictate his stories to you. As his skills develop, he will learn to help more and more with the actual writing. For a more advanced child, extra challenges appear throughout each lesson to promote stronger writing habits.
Parent Testimonials
“My daughter went from painfully writing 3-5 sentences to writing whole stories complete with beginning, middle, and ending. WriteShop Primary Book B even helped me not to be scared of writing.” —Andrea, CA
“Spelling improved. CONFIDENCE was a huge improvement. I had been dealing with the dreaded ‘I can’t’ and this program has helped them see ‘I CAN’! … A fantastic experience!” —Cheryl, ON
“The best part is that we hardly noticed that we were learning together while we were busy throwing paper slices of pepperoni or writing parts of a story on a make-believe ‘story bucket.’” –-Julia, CA
Book B Overview
Your child will learn to plan, create, and publish simple stories with parent help. He or she will:
- Use graphic organizers to plan a story.
- Include a beginning, a middle, and an end.
- Identify the main character in a story.
- Learn to add story details.
- Organize a story to include a problem and its solution.
- Write a friendly letter.
- Write a personal narrative.
- Retell nursery rhymes and fairy tales in their own words.
- “Publish” stories through projects or crafts.
Other skills introduced in Book B include:
- Concept of paragraph form and indentation.
- Standard spelling and using spelling tools.
- Identifying the parts of a friendly letter.
- Identifying words that rhyme.
- Using a different voice to tell a story.
- Using a dictionary to help improve writing and spelling.
- Choosing story endings.
Get your child excited about writing!
May 20th, 2009 — Wordless Wednesday
Wow—free access to the sildes on Level 2. Wonder what it normally costs?
. . . . .
Stop by every 1st and 3rd Wednesday for a peek into the wacky world of spelling, punctuation, or grammar gone wrong!
May 19th, 2009 — Conventions
This coming weekend—May 21-23, 2009—heralds two of the largest homeschooling conventions in the nation, one in Florida and the other in North Carolina. WriteShop will once again have a booth at each of these.
FPEA
Florida homeschoolers, especially if you live in the Orlando area, will not want to miss the fabulous Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA) Convention at Rosen Shingle Creek.
NCHE
Likewise, if you live in North Carolina, you’ll want to attend the annual North Carolina Home Educators’ Convention (NCHE) in Winston-Salem.
This is the perfect time to stop by our booth to ask questions, see what’s new, or browse through WriteShop books in person.
At the convention you can:
Visit the convention sites for workshop schedule, exhibit hall hours, and directions to the conventions. See you there!
And check WriteShop’s convention schedule to see where we’ll be next!
May 8th, 2009 — Announcements, Elementary Ages, WriteShop Primary
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Book B
WriteShop Primary Book B is coming!
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted any WriteShop Primary news. (Actually, I’m embarrassed to say it’s been over a month since I posted just about anything. Read on and you’ll soon see why!)
We’re getting ready to begin an official countdown on the release of WriteShop Primary Book B, and we’re quite excited around here!
First, we’ve had an amazing group of homeschoolers beta testing the Book B lessons for us. We wrapped up the test period last month. Here’s what these moms are saying about the lessons:
“[My daughter] went from painfully writing 3-5 sentences to writing whole stories complete with beginning, middle, and ending. It even helped me not to be scared of writing.” –Andrea, CA
“Spelling improved. CONFIDENCE was a huge improvement. I had been dealing with the dreaded ‘I can’t’ and this program has helped them see ‘I CAN’! …A fantastic experience! –Cheryl, ON
“The difference in the length and complexity of [my son's] stories was astounding.” –Rebecca, CA
Last-minute frenzy!
Right now we’re in the final editing and revising stage as we work with our dear editor friend, Sallie Borrink. As we polish up each lesson, we whisk it off to Sallie’s husband David, who did an absolutely fabulous job with the layout of WriteShop Primary Book A. He’s got a few new tricks up his sleeve for Book B, which has a few surprise components.
Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for Deborah Thomson, our talented illustrator, as she turns our worksheet concepts into adorable, kid-friendly activity pages.
If all goes well and we don’t have too many wrenches tossed into the mix, we should be able to go to press by the first of June. Do I hear an amen?
What can you look forward to?
Here are some of the lessons you’ll enjoy with your first and second graders in Book B (though many of our test moms loved using the lessons with their reluctant older ones as well):
- Writing a Friendly Letter
- Standard Spelling
- Acrostics
- Poems and Nursery Rhymes
- Fairy Tales and Predictable Stories
- In the News
- Writing with Humor
- Problem and Solution
- Character and Setting
- Story Organizers
Keep watching for more info to come. Book B is just around the corner! In the meantime, visit our website for more about WriteShop Primary.
May 7th, 2009 — Conventions
If you homeschool in the Dallas area, this weekend is the annual Home School Book Fair in nearby Arlington! With great speakers and all sorts of curriculum exhibitors, you won’t want to miss this extra-special conference!
This is a perfect time to stop by our booth (#603) to ask questions, see what’s new, or browse through WriteShop books in person.
At the convention you can:
Visit www.homeschoolbookfair.org for workshop schedule, exhibit hall hours, and directions to the Arlington Convention Center. At only $10 per person, don’t pass up this opportunity!
And check WriteShop’s convention schedule to see where we’ll be next!
May 6th, 2009 — Wordless Wednesday
Clearly, punctuation problems are a universal issue. Not only was this ad professionally produced, it somehow slipped under the editing radar to boot. Too bad for Telecom. I’m sure they paid big bucks for that errant apostrophe!
. . . . .
Stop by every 1st and 3rd Wednesday for a peek into the wacky world of spelling, punctuation, or grammar gone wrong!
March 23rd, 2009 — Announcements
Raffle at HomeschoolChristian.com
Happy 11th Anniversary to HomeschoolChristian.com, a website dedicated to encouraging and supporting Christian homeschoolers. This special day will be marked by an equally special RAFFLE to be held Tuesday, March 24.
Today is the VERY LAST DAY you can buy your tickets.
Among the offerings? WriteShop is donating a copy of WriteShop Primary Book A and Activity Worksheet Pack, a $32.90 value! This fantastic resource helps you teach early writing skills to your K-2nd grader in a gentle, hands-on way.
The raffle includes many other great items, including:
- Curriculum for all ages and subjects
- Books and literature
- Gift certificates
- Hand-quilted items
- A horse (yes, a real horse!)
How to Enter
You can enter the raffle (which supports the ministry of HomeschoolChristian.com) for as little as $5 using PayPal. Remember that today (March 23) is the LAST DAY to enter.
- Click here to see all the raffle gifts (WriteShop Primary is item #12).
- Click here to download the entry form and choose the products you’re interested in winning.
Enter the raffle in one of two ways:
- Print the entry form, fill it in, scan it, and email it with your PayPal. Send to homeschoolchristian @gmail.com
- Type in the item number and quantity of tickets for each item and include that with your PayPal. Send to homeschoolchristian @gmail.com
The drawings will be held in the chat room at HomeschoolChristian.com on March 24 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
March 18th, 2009 — Bad Signage, Wordless Wednesday
Our latest Wordless Wednesday winner? A greeting card that slipped right by those eagle-eyed editors. I know, I know. I can hear you exclaiming, “Your kidding! I can’t believe your actually posting this!”
The really sad thing is that someone, I’m sure, is actually buying these cards.
. . . . .
Stop by every 1st and 3rd Wednesday for a peek into the wacky world of spelling, punctuation, or grammar gone wrong!
