The ability to organize one's thoughts and communicate ideas clearly is the backbone of good writing.
Writing is extremely important. Yet, it is a subject that many homeschoolers find to be difficult to teach. Through the Schoolhouse Review Crew, we were chosen to review Create Better Writers paragraph writing program. This program was designed with and for homeschoolers in mind and also has been used to teach third through twelfth graders in public schools.
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The Home School Writing Action Plan
ebook: $15.95
print: $19.95
Plan for grades 3-12.
Three parts:
- Summary of the Steps –”where you should be, where you are headed, and where each step fits into the big picture of your child’s writing.”
- Pacing Charts –“help you decide where and when to begin and how much time to spend on each activity.”
- Road Map –“show you how to implement each step and give you strategies to help reinforce the writing concepts.”
My thoughts:
I’ll be right up front- I expected more. It gives a ‘road map’ that directs you to their products only but it can be used with whatever program you currently are using. It does have some ‘extras’ that I thought were beneficial such as fun activities {I’m usually at a loss for the fun part}, topics for practice, writing tricks. I didn’t feel that, after reading just this, I was adequately prepared to teach writing. However, this is meant to be used in conjunction with other aspects of this or other programs.
Personally, I don’t feel that it would be a necessary purchase for teaching writing UNLESS you are at a real loss where your students should be. However, if you have a different writing program already, it should include a scope and sequence. It would be helpful, I think, for those who are going to purchase other aspects of the Create Better Writers program.
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How to Write a Paragraph
ebook: $7.99 (free with purchase of How to Teach the Five-Paragraph Essay or The Complete Writing Program)
Grades: 3 and up
Includes “step-by-step directions, assessments, writing topics, and how to use this trick all across your curriculum.”
From the website: “If your student can write a paragraph, your student can write anything from an essay, to a research report, to an in-depth story.“
My thoughts:
It is a very basic program. I felt like I was missing something while I was going through this. It felt way too ‘easy’. But this could quite likely be because my children are older and they already know the things put forth in this book.
It includes tricks and tips for writing a simple paragraph. Also it gives some suggestions for writing across the curriculum {which I’ve never been that good at}. If one is looking for this type of program- to just get the ball rolling perhaps, or to hone the basic skills- I would say this would do the job. It is inexpensively priced.
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How to Teach the Five-Paragraph Essay
ebook: $17.99
print: $19.99
(free with purchase of The Complete Writing Program)
Grades: 4-12
Includes (from the website):
- How to show your students how to write a strong five-paragraph essay to a timed prompt, and have them complete it in about an hour
- How to show your students a simple format that will help them write essays from any writing domain
- How to teach your students to be able to write exciting introductions and conclusions
- And detailed lesson plan that will show you, step-by-step, how to teach the five-paragraph essay
My thoughts:
Going from the single paragraph to the five-paragraph seemed like it was going to be a huge jump. But really, once the single paragraph is mastered, the five-paragraph isn’t that difficult. I liked this portion of the program that we reviewed the most of all.
It includes a plan for 20 days, which I liked, even though I plan to tweak it a bit. There are quite a few more examples in this book than the single paragraph book. I love examples. I need examples. Also focuses on grammar, punctuation (which is somewhat discussed/covered in the single paragraph as well), has a rubric/assessment, timed prompts suggestion, and a plan for mastery. One thing that I found to be a nice inclusion was the Essay Portfolio directions.
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All in all- a good basic program that is priced very nicely. The biggest qualm I have about this is that it is written towards teachers of a classroom. There were many suggestions of ‘splitting up the class’- a bit difficult to do with two students *wink*. However, it is easy to adapt to a small ‘class’ for homeschooling or even for single student homes.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to others who are in need of a program such as this: easy, basic and low price. If a parent were looking for a more in-depth program that would be a one-time purchase, I might not recommend this to them because they would quite possibly have to make a second purchase later.
Read other reviews by fellow homeschoolers by clicking the image at the end of this post.
Create Better Writers offers a full program for a retail of $69 and many other writing resources. Check their website for current prices and offerings.
Contact:
Website: http://www.createbetterwriters.com
Email: dye.teach@verizon.net
To Fax Purchase Orders: (562) 616-7016
Phone: (562) 627-5662
***Disclaimer: I received the above reviewed items in ebook form from Create Better Writers via the Schoolhouse Review Crew. No compensation was given. All opinions are my own. See Disclosure/Policies.***
Very informative and entertaining essay. I have
ReplyDeleterecommended it to others.thanks for sharing.Middle School Essay Rubric