Entries Tagged 'WriteShop' ↓

In Part 1 of Learning Disabilities and Writing, I broadly defined three particular learning challenges: ADHD, dysgraphia, and dyslexia, specifically identifying how each affects a student’s writing.

Well, it’s one thing to put your finger on the problem, but quite another to find a working solution! We often get the question, “Does WriteShop work for children with learning disabilities?” For many older students with ADHD, dysgraphia, and dyslexia, WriteShop does seem to be an excellent fit.

“WriteShop’s lessons tend to work well for many types of learning-disabled children because of their explicit instructions and requirements.” – Nancy, learning specialist

Below I’d like to share ways that WriteShop can help students who learn with difficulty. Bear in mind that WriteShop I and II are written for 6th grade and above. But the following tips may help you overcome writing hurdles no matter what writing program you choose. 

Struggling learners benefit from specific instruction

• WriteShop instructions are written directly to the student in an orderly, step-by-step fashion. They not only include writing ideas and clear directions, but many lessons also tell the student what NOT to write about or include in the composition. Furthermore, the Teacher’s Manual includes tips for the parent so that you can anticipate the most common kinds of errors your child might make.
• Students do better when they can use graphic organizers such as mind-maps (clustering), charts, lists, or diagrams to help them outline and plan their work. WriteShop lessons provide many such opportunities for students to brainstorm and prepare for writing assignments.
• Students who are easily distracted or who spell poorly benefit from word banks. WriteShop’s comprehensive, topical word lists help students make better vocabulary choices because new words (and their spellings) are readily available.
• Checklists are vital to the struggling learner. It’s important for him to be able to mark his progress. WriteShop provides a lesson-specific Writing Skills Checklist for every writing assignment to help the student with his self-editing. A visually-overwhelmed student can use a plain sheet of paper to help him track each line of the checklist.

Struggling learners need reinforcement and repetition.

• WriteShop lessons build on previously-learned skills.
• Checklists help students apply these skills regularly.

Struggling learners benefit from alternative methods.

• The physical act of writing may be too challenging. Instead of making your student write by hand, allow her to dictate to you while you write or type. Usually a student will use more complex vocabulary and sentence structure when speaking, but if asked to write the same information, she will often choose shorter words and sentences. Allowing her to dictate to you helps ease her stress about writing.
• Perhaps she can edit and revise the draft you write and can recopy her own revision.
• Or allow her to use the computer, including the spell check function.

Struggling learners do better with strict parameters.

• They flounder when assignments are open-ended.
• WriteShop gives specific requirements for each lesson, from brainstorming to writing. Students always know what they need to do.
• WriteShop also restricts the number of paragraphs (usually just one) and paragraph length (at first 5-7 sentences but never more than 10 sentences in WriteShop I).

Struggling learners need bite-sized assignments.

• WriteShop’s lesson schedules spread out assignments to allow for paragraphs to rest between drafts.
• Assignments begin with prewriting activities and brainstorming exercises that narrow and focus in on the topic.
• Lesson instructions are written in a step-by-step manner.

Dyslexic/dysgraphic learners benefit from projects that build writing skills.

• Have them write letters, keep a diary, and make projects that use writing but are not writing-intensive, such as posters, mobiles, brochures, and cartoons.
• WriteShop’s Teacher’s Manual has a wonderful supplemental appendix that is filled with ideas you can use with students of all ages.

Parent Testimonial

          “Our son is a junior in high school, and writing has always been rather a nightmare for him. He has ADHD and getting thoughts and words on paper is a difficult and long, drawn-out process for him. BUT your curriculum so quickly gave him the tools to help him to put descriptive, concrete thoughts on paper that I am truly amazed at what he can write after only Lesson 4. I know of at least one other home schooling family that has a son with special learning needs, and they rave about your writing program as well.” –Laurie, NY

To learn more, visit writeshop.com or download a sample lesson from WriteShop I.

As students enter junior high and high school, it’s time for them to practice writing business letters. Whether writing to a company to offer praise for a product or addressing a city councilman about a neighborhood eyesore, using a  more formal business-letter format adds credibility to the sender’s request, position, or opinion.

In WriteShop II, we teach students how to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper. The example composition in the student workbook urges the governor, by way of a letter to the editor, to take action on a bill. With a few word changes, the letter could just as easily address the governor himself.

The point of the lesson, of course, is to help students articulate a concern and seek or suggest action. The audience can be a member of any political, social, or commercial group as long as the student is learning how to address such a person with polite conviction.

Who’s the Audience? 

But if your children need an audience for their letters, and the daily newspaper isn’t the outlet that seems to work for them, you might suggest a different audience. Some ideas that spring to mind:

• City council member
• State legislator
• State representative
• Governor
• Owner or developer of a property (eyesore, maintenance issues, health and safety concerns, etc.)
• Owner of a local business
• President or CEO of a corporation
• College or university admissions department
• Chamber of Commerce (to request brochures or travel information)

If you shift away from the letter to the editor and instead have your student address her letter to one of the above-suggested recipients, consider teaching her how to format a business letter. Since WriteShop doesn’t teach business-letter structure, this would be an added tool in her writing belt.

When to Write a Business Letter

• To praise a product, service supplier, or staff person
• To compliment a speaker
• To compliment or praise an author
• To praise someone for an achievement
• To complain about poor product quality or poor service
• To ask for political or social action or change
• To write a letter of recommendation
• To request information

Would you like to teach the business letter to your kids? Here’s a link to a site that models several kinds: WriteExpress.com (Business Letters)

WriteShop II teaches advanced descriptive narration, persuasion, and beginning essay writing (including timed essays). To learn more about WriteShop II for your high schooler, visit our website at www.writeshop.com.

In Part 1 of our story, Debbie and I discovered that our plans for teaching our first writing class were very nearly doomed. Now for Part 2 . . .

Taking a Detour

It wasn’t just our own boys whose efforts cried out for help—every student in the group struggled at some level. So we canceled class for two weeks, scrapped the lesson plans we had so carefully crafted over the summer, and started from scratch. We had made a commitment to these parents, but clearly we needed to take a detour. Continue reading →

I’ve been storing a mountain of emails in one of my Outlook folders—comments and testimonials from happy WriteShop users. Our brochures and website only have so much room for snippets like these, so I thought I’d give a voice to these dear moms and co-op teachers who took the time to brighten our day. Hope they encourage you, too!

StoryBuilders

“I am reallllly mad at you! These StoryBuilders have proven to be tooooo fun and my kids don’t wanna do anything else. Looks like math and science will be flying out the window today as we have already spent the morning writing from the cards and they are still at it!” —Wendy

Co-op Testimonials

“I used the WriteShop 1 curriculum with a co-op group last fall and it was fabulous. Thank you for all the work you all have put into it.” —Anita

“We had a fabulous year in our co-op! It is so rewarding to teach writing and witness the drastic improvement in their skills. Many moms told me writing had become their child’s favorite subject, and they had always hated writing. I know I could not have had the success I did without this great program.” —Debbie 

WriteShop I & II

“Thanks so much for all your hard work!  I just LOVE working with this program, and believe that it has really taught my children to write well. I’m using it this year already with my son and he is doing extremely well for a student who could barely write a sentence by himself last year! The other thing that I like about the program is the marking scheme. It really helps to have such an objective checklist for marking the student’s writing.” —Cindy

My son and I have really enjoyed using this writing program so much more than others. He is in 10th so we will be moving on to WriteShop II as soon as we receive it. His writing has improved tremendously since we started. —Holli

Thanks so much Kim. Our youngest son is 16 now, and in a Christian/missionary kid school, but we’re homeschooling while we’re in the States—and WriteShop was my favorite writing program in our 8 years of homeschooling in the past! —Mary

“I can not believe how quickly my kids’ writing has improved using your curriculum for just a month and a half! After three years of searching, we have finally found a writing curriculum that we all enjoy doing. No more tears!”—Sherri

“You did a great job with WriteShop. I have taught in the public schools and am now home with my teenage kids and have never seen a better writing program. Thanks!” —Laura

“I want to thank you for developing such a teacher and student-friendly program. This is the first program I have found in nine years of home school that is incremental enough to take the teacher by the hand and tell her what to do day by day. Plus I much prefer your Composition Evaluation forms over other grading rubrics with squares, which left me with questions as to how to add up the grade. Your form explains exactly what value to assign every item that is graded.” —Linda

“My son is 13 and we just started using Write Shop and I am very pleased with it. One of the homeschool moms in my group referred it to a friend of mine,  and she referred me to it. They both think very highly of the curriculum and we are all highly recommending it to other moms in our group. Thank you so much for writing this valuable, much needed and fantastic curriculum!!” —Susan

“WriteShop I and II taught my son a plethora of composition skills and, also, provided me with an effective method to hold him accountable to use what he learned. By (both of us) following this well-designed curriculum, he gained the tools to write confidently and effectively! We are pleased with the results!” —Lorna

WriteShop Primary – Beta Edition

“It’s very exciting about this whole WriteShop Primary program!! You all have a great product. I love, LOVE your editing and revising section in Lesson 3 (Book C), and I drew big hearts around #1 to remember to tell you I think this is great!” —Wendy (test mom)

“I am impressed with the thought and planning that has gone into WriteShop Primary . . . there doesn’t seem to be a detail missed! Jack & I are enjoying being part of testing the program.” —Candy (test mom)

“We really enjoy this program and I am definitely seeing growth in my two students. We are thrilled that we have had the chance to test out WriteShop Primary.” —Jennifer (test mom)

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To learn more about WriteShop I or II, please visit our website at writeshop.com. WriteShop Primary is now available. Learn more here.

AS YOU pick up a grammar program, geography book, or other curriculum from the shelf of your local homeschool store, do you ever wonder how it got there?

Do you perhaps envision a talented team at work in some big-city corporate office building comparing research or collaborating over cover designs?

If so, let me QUICKLY dispell that myth for you! Continue reading →

Here’s another popular question that shows up in our WriteShop mailbag with regularity!

As parents plan their students’ schedules, they often ask us to help them figure out how much time each day’s activities take. Our answer? The ever-popular: “It depends!” Continue reading →

Some of the most popular questions we receive in our mailbag regard assigning high school credit for WriteShop I or II.

Common Questions about High School Credit

• Is WriteShop I considered an English course?
• My daughter will be starting WriteShop II. Would this count for high school English credit?
• My 10th grader has almost completed both WriteShop I and II. How much credit can I expect to assign him?
• I’m teaching a WriteShop co-op class. How much credit should enrolled high schoolers receive?
• Can I give high school credit to my 7th grader upon completion of WriteShop I?

Know Your State’s Requirements 

A course can be content- or hours-based. Your student must complete a prescribed course of study or log a certain number of hours to receive credit. And requirements for high school credits differ from state to state. For hours-based courses:

• In many parts of the United States, a semester of study (65 hours) equals 1/2 credit and one school year (125 hours) equals 1 credit.
• California requires a student to invest 65 hours (one semester) to receive 5 credits and 125 hours (one school year) for 10 credits.

Options for Assigning High School Credit

Option 1: 1/2-Credit Composition Elective

• Based on hours alone, WriteShop I or II qualifies as a one-semester, stand-alone composition elective, separate from English or other language arts credits.
• The average student spends about 4-5 hours on each lesson (more in WriteShop II), or 64-80 hours per WriteShop level. If your student completes both books in one school year, you could consider each semester a 1/2-credit composition elective.

Option 2: 1-Credit Complete English Course

• WriteShop assignments may be figured into a student’s total language arts or English grade (along with literature, grammar, and/or vocabulary).
• One WriteShop level, plus grade-appropriate grammar and literature, would together comprise a 1-credit English course.
• Since most students will spend about 65 hours completing one WriteShop book, we recommend that you give writing (WriteShop) at least 50% weight when determining your child’s grade.

Option 3: 1-Credit Composition Elective – Co-op Class

• Many students are enrolled in WriteShop co-op classes. Depending on class length and frequency, a class effectively adds 1-2 more hours per lesson to the 4-5 hours a student spends at home.
• This can amount to an extra 30-60 hours per level of WriteShop, which would make each BOOK qualify as a 1-credit course.

7th and 8th Graders

When my son took WriteShop II in 8th grade, I did not give him high school credit. He worked hard and wrote decent compositions and essays, but he needed a great deal of help from me and certainly did not produce what I considered high-school quality writing. He wrote like a junior higher.

On the other hand, a 10th grader working through the same book is 1)  actually in high school; and 2) more likely to write compositions that reflect his or her age and maturity.

So even though some homeschool umbrella schools or ISPs will allow an 8th grader to get high school credit for a course that is considered high school work, please make this call with care. Remember that even though WriteShop may be used with students as young as 6th grade, it is the rare 12- or 13-year-old indeed who can actually write at the high school level.

For more information on the WriteShop program for your junior high or high school student, visit writeshop.com. Or give us a call if you’d like to ask specific questions about using WriteShop. Debbie and I are glad to help!

It’s Official 

The March/April issue of Mary Pride’s Practical Homeschooling magazine features its 2008 Practical Homeschooling Reader Awards. We were excited to learn that WriteShop tied for third place in the Writing Composition category.

Among the winners, WriteShop is the newest kid on the block, so we feel especially honored to receive this distinction!

Last year, we were awarded the registered trademark for WriteShop. It may not sound like that big a deal, but for us, well, what can I say? It’s all such a wonder for two ordinary homeschool-moms-turned-authors-and-publishers!

Anyway, we just got some more good news: we’re the proud parents of twins! Well, it’s a little less dramatic than that. Actually, we’re simply the owners of two more brand-new trademarks:

INSPIRING SUCCESSFUL WRITERS®

and Continue reading →

Another popular question from our WriteShop mailbag: 

Q:  Do WriteShop I and II offer enough grammar for my student, or will I need to supplement?

A: WriteShop is not a complete grammar program. There is a strong focus on introducing, practicing, and reinforcing parts of speech, from concrete nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to using appositives, prepositional phrases, and subordinate conjunctions. These grammar concepts are introduced by way of Skill Builders, which offer instruction and practice. The student then applies his new skills to current and future compositions. Continue reading →