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Hi again.

Many of you have been helping me make some decisions for next year and I really appreciate that! I want to switch to a curriculum that I will hopefully stay with for many years, so I've been looking through the books for all of the guides. Some of you suggested that I go ahead and make a change right now, but I'm not ready to do that. I really can't afford to make the change now and either way, I'm not "unhappy" now. I'm just want something different next year.

My question now is about writing. I notice that they have chosen IEW for Res2Ref, but a different writing program is used each following year. What is the reasoning behind this? I'm curious because I know IEW can go through 12th grade and has a great reputation. I really just don't know anything about the other programs (so I'm not trying to be critical). If I find that the IEW program works well for my son, could I stay with that in future levels? or does the program really lend itself to staying primarily with Carrie's choices? How flexible (and how integrated) is the writing program with the rest of the curriculum?

Thank you!
Michelle

I am not expert on why Carrie chose the books she chose but can say that I really like that there is a variety. When I originally started homeschooling, I knew several moms who used IEW and then met moms who said IEW was great for one kid but then not such a hit for another child. To me, I think Carrie chose different books to teach writing because she wants to expose children to different styles and teach different things to think about when teaching writing. Below is a discussion linking talking about the structure of the writing from the guide Beyond through R2R:

viewtopic.php?p=44501#p44501

This is a link for WWTB for CTC: viewtopic.php?p=48307#p48307

I am not sure which level you are planning to enter with but hopefully these two posts can maybe answer some of your questions.

Great question!! I must say, my son would die if he had to do IEW every year for 12 years! We are using IEW in RTR now, and it is truly a fabulous program but my son dreads it . Although I do not know the reason for the different selections for writing, I am glad there is variety .

The writing choices are meant to be varied to keep writing fresh and to represent different writing styles. This helps dc connect with a multitude of different types of writing, which in turn helps them develop their own personal style within the framework of solid structure. A formal writing curriculum is completed every year starting with Creation to Christ through high school guides. Writing curriculums are also chosen to fit best with the rest of the writing assigned in a guide (i.e. written narrations, summaries, written answers to provided questions, etc.), as well as to work best alongside the pacing of R & S English (which is sometimes half-speed and sometimes full-speed and also includes writing assignments of a more step-by-step nature). This is what Carrie had to say in regard to writing progression across the guides in a previous post...

This is a good question, but one that takes a bit to answer as at HOD we hit writing all across the curriculum. So, we have a very multi-faceted approach to writing. In LHFHG, we begin with handwriting practice through a workbook until we are sure the kiddos have letter formation down well enough to move on to copywork in Beyond. In LHFHG, we also work on cloze passages, having kiddos practice finishing a sentence by adding a word in the blank that goes along with their read-alouds. They either trace or write the word, depending on their skill level. The Do It Carefully/Finding the Answers or Thinking Skills also provide fine motor skills practice at this age. Some of our art projects in LHFHG also require some writing, as well as the daily math lessons which require written responses as well. I mention the writing in math at the LHFHG level, as that is also a part of strengthening fine motor skills at this age.

In Beyond, we begin daily copywork of poetry and 4 times weekly written spelling word practice. We also practice writing sentences with the spelling words. We add an entry to the timeline almost weekly and do some written work within the gentle grammar lessons once weekly. Oral narration skills and a mini-Drawn into the Heart of Reading in the Storytime Box are practiced daily in Beyond in preparation for the written work that will come in these areas as students progress into Bigger Hearts and Preparing Hearts. Once each genre, students are asked to orally narrate while the parent writes down the narration to keep. We also continue writing in some of our project work and daily in math. Once kiddos begin Drawn into the Heart of Reading, there is also written work within that.

Our focus in LHFHG and Beyond is to allow kiddos to mature and strengthen their fine motor skills a bit at a time, gently build up their spelling and grammar skills, and begin forming the habit of correctly written copywork, before we ask the kiddos to do much formal writing.

In Bigger Hearts, we begin to head into more written work. We have kiddos begin cursive handwriting with the aid of a cursive workbook to practice correct letter formation. We work on 1-3 vocabulary cards each week with words from their history stories. Students use the context of the word to guess its meaning in the story, choose and copy the word's definition in the dictionary, use the word in a sentence, and draw a picture that shows the word's meaning. Students add to a timeline entry each week, and create a history notebook page with guided copywork and sketching from their history stories. They begin daily grammar lessons through Rod and Staff English 2 and should write one small portion on paper each lesson to practice learning to write smaller on wide-lined paper. The last chapter of Rod and Staff English 2 includes some writing lessons, after students have a better grasp of English overall.

In Bigger Hearts, students also copy the Bible verse they memorize each week. In addition they do a science notebook sheet each week with copywork of a Bible verse that matches their science reading. Along with the copywork, they are instructed to sketch and label specific diagrams or illustrations from their science readings. A formal lab sheet with question, guess, procedure, and conclusion is also completed each week, with the question and the steps to the procedure provided in the plans. Experiments match the science readings, giving students some foundation on which to base their guess. Typically, Drawn into the Heart of Reading is begun here too, meaning some writing in that area as well.

In Preparing Hearts, there is daily copywork scheduled to be done in cursive. The copywork rotates by day through history, science, and Bible. Students also do copywork through Draw and Write Through History. Formal written narration instruction begins at this level once weekly. Guiding questions are provided to help students think about what they read before they begin to write. Students begin writing a 3-5 sentence narration and move to writing a 5 sentence narration. As the year progresses, students are asked to highlight or underline the main idea sentence in their narration. Students also begin to keep a Common Place Book, in which they are directed to copy their Bible verses from the week (which they add to as the year progresses because they are memorizing entire Psalms at a time), as well as quotes, and passages from their literature. The students choose a poem to memorize each 9 weeks and this chosen poem is also copied in the Common Place Book.

In Preparing Hearts in science the lab sheet is continued, as well as the copywork and sketching within the notebook, but students also begin answering questions about the readings each week. Vocabulary cards are continued and move up to 3-5 words each week. A timeline is done, in a stairstep fashion or an accordian fashion and added to each week. Rod and Staff English 3 or 4 is used and both levels include formal writing instruction. Studied dictation is underway at this age, training the students in capturing correct spelling in their minds and reproducing it correctly on paper (including punctuation, usage, and grammar too). Students also practice and begin forming the habit of proofreading through comparing their passage to the correctly written one. In Preparing Hearts, we also begin teaching the writing process through once weekly writing lessons that stem from the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson. Drawn into the Heart of Reading continues to firm up the skills of expressing what was read in written form and in gathering a student's thoughts and getting them down on paper.

In CTC, a formal full-color notebook begins in order to give student one large notebook by the end of the Modern Times guide that will cover all of world history in chronological order. A section is added each year until the notebook is complete. Within the notebook, students create a labeled timeline each week, choose a passage that they found significant from their history story to copy each week, add to a prophecy fulfillment chart that shows how Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies within the New Testament and summarize the prophecy in their own words by comparing the O.T. and N.T. Scripture, write a 5-8 sentence narration (beginning with questions to prompt the student which gradually fade as the year progresses), and do written project work that is directly connected to the history readings. Students also complete postcards for their A Child's Geography: Explore the Holy Land for each country studied. Students continue adding to their Common Place Book by copying Scripture memorized each week and copying the poetry of Robert Frost that they have chosen to memorize each quarter. Weekly, a stanza of Robert Frost's poetry is copied to include on the painting project for the poem for that week.

In science for CTC, students continue with their lab sheets, science copywork/notebooking, and answering questions each week. Vocabulary words are now a part of the science questions at this level, as well as Biblical application questions for the science that require a written answer. Choice of Rod and Staff English 4 or 5 is part of CTC (along with writing lessons within those texts). Half of the chosen grammar is covered in CTC with half the following year, in order to allow time for the formal descriptive writing program Write with the Best that is scheduled twice weekly to alternate with grammar instruction. Write with the Best Vol. I includes units on writing descriptive paragraphs (by describing an object, by describing a place, and by describing a character). It also includes units on writing a dialogue, writing a fable, writing a friendly letter, and writing poetry in rhyming verse. Write with the Best uses classic works of literature for students to use as a model for their own writing. Studied dictation continues in CTC to hone spelling, grammar, writing, and proofreading skills. Drawn into the Heart of Reading begins to go more deeply in the writing area as well, as the study of literature deepens.

In RTR, students add a new section to their history notebook. The notebook includes keeping a timeline each week, writing down answers to research questions based on a place students have read about that day. Research was practiced in Preparing Hearts and CTC orally in preparation for the written answers now required at this level. Students also write an 8-12 sentence narration about their history stories each week without any extra prompts in the guide. This skill was introduced and practiced in Preparing Hearts and CTC. Students complete written information about a character from history each week and also label a different character's picture and mark his/her place of residence on a world map. Students also label corresponding history maps each week. With the Storytime sessions, students add to cards that denote vivid descriptions, new vocabulary, plot twists, strong moods, great lines, and life lessons (doing one topic a day). Students continue keeping their Common Place Book, adding the Bible passage memorized, the poetry of Emily Dickinson they've chosen to memorize, and Bible verses and quotes from their purity study done weekly through Boyhood and Beyond or Beautiful Girlhood. Copywork of Shakespeare quotes is also done weekly in the Shakespeare notebook along with the corresponding Shakespeare readings. Students must also put their own thoughts into words in the inductive study of Philippians and as they ponder their Drawn into the Heart of Reading assignments.

In science in RTR, students continue with the lab sheet and the copywork of verses plus notebooking. However, we add beginning written narration practice once weekly from the science readings with guided questions to help. Sentence starters are also provided to get students off on the correct foot. On alternating weeks, a choice of 3 narration topics is given for the student's science written narrations. There is also vocabulary work done on these same days. Postcard templates from A Child's Geography are used for part of the written narration practice. The last half of Rod and Staff English 4 or 5 provides more formal writing instruction. Medieval-History Based Writing Lessons are scheduled 3 times weekly with units on writing from key word outlines, summarizing references, research reports, formal essay and report writing, narrative stories, literary critiques, creative essay writing with thesis, and the super-essay. Outlining is taught formally through Rod and Staff and key word outlining is taught through Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons. Vocabulary cards are also included within Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons and vocabulary lessons are included in DITHR once weekly as well.

Anyway, I have only addressed the written work and the writing related assignments in each of our guides in this post, but you get the idea that at HOD nothing is random and everything has a purpose. This is why one guide prepares a child well for the next guide in line. We never ask kiddos to do something that we have not introduced and practiced first in previous guides. The new guide Revival to Revolution will continue to build on the skills from previous guides. We strive to strengthen student's skills step-by-step in writing as they grow so that they will be equipped to handle whatever the Lord may call them to do! We are in the writing age, where we are often measured by the words we write. Since God chose to convey Himself in writing to us through His word, we desire our children to be fully prepared to express themselves in that way too. But we want our children to always be mindful to honor the Lord in all that they write.

Blessings,
Carrie

I actually just commented on how the variety of writing curriculums alongside DITHOR, R & S English, and CM ways of doing things has helped our ds who is now doing the high school WH guide become such a solid writer! You can read it if you are interested at this link...
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=15855

The variety planned for in writing is based on the same premises as the variety planned for in reading in Drawn into the Heart of Reading. Students read from 9 very different genres every year within DITHOR, and this exposes them to many different kinds of books and authors. Had this not been planned, my youngest ds may have never branched out from reading "Little House on the Prairie" chapter books, which is ALL he wanted to read when he began DITHOR. Now, he enjoys all of the genres, though he still has his favorites. Having the same writing program year after year would be a little bit like reading the same author's books year after year, or reading the same genre year after year. Variety is the spice of life, and the LA in HOD has been an incredible way to keep learning fresh and exciting!

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie

Thank you all for your responses!