Book Review: Dancing on the Head of a Pen {Blogging for Books}

This post contains *affiliate links. See Disclosure/Policies.

Dancing on the Head of a Pen: The practice of a writing life by Robert Benson*
ISBN: 97814000743589
Hardcover, 192 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Retail: $14.99

About the book (from the inner flap):
The Life of the Spirit Meets the Life of Art
A compelling combination of advice and inspiration, Dancing on the Head of a Pen will challenge and encourage writers, artists, musicians, painters--anyone drawn to a life of artistic expression.

Digging deeply into a his own writing habits, failures, and successes, Robert Benson helps you choose the ideal audience for your work, commit to it, and overcome the hurdles that inevitably confront both aspiring artists and accomplished professionals.

Extending beyond the craft of writing, this gentle book moves into a rich discussion o n the relationship between spirituality and art. Including wisdom from revered writers past and present, Dancing on the Head of a Pen is a beautiful mosaic of inspiration, practical help, and a glimpse into the disciplines that shape one writer's life. 

About the author:
Robert Benson is the author of numerous books, including The Echo Within, Digging In, and Home by Another Way. A retreat leader, Benson writes and speaks often on the life of prayer and contemplation, the practice of faith and spirituality, and the art and craft of writing. He is a graduate of and an adjunct faculty member for the Academy for Spiritual Formation, a program of the Upper Room. He is married to the literary agent Sara Fortenberry. Benson lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and he dances on the head of a pen every day no matter where he happens to be.

My thoughts:

A small book full of wonderful bits of inspiration and help. This is not a how-to for writing. Originally, I thought it was going to be more specific in the areas of 'do this for this outcome this reason'; I am very pleased that it is not. It is a charming book full of the author's own experiences. 

There are, as is mentioned in the description, many bits of wisdom from other authors, not just of books. James Taylor, one of my all-time favorite musicians is quoted. There are many that I do not know of but after reading this little book, I am compelled to find them out. Also, I'd never heard of Robert Benson prior to this review book. His books are now on my to-find and to-read booklists. 

I recommend this book to those who are serious about writing but not for those who are looking for a formula for writing. I especially appreciated the following chapters: Six Hundred Words, The Jury Box, Hat Tricks, and Under the Influence. 

Write, don't talk. ~Robert Benson, p. 151

At the end of the book Benson lists books and authors that he's been influenced by (some mentioned in the chapter titled "Under the Influence") and quoted from in this book.  

Thank you, WaterBrook Multnomah, for giving me this book for free for the purpose of this review. See Disclosure/Policies.

Create Better Writers {Schoolhouse Review Crew}

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:

1. 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.”
2. Pacing Charts –“help you decide where and when to begin and how much time to spend on each activity.”
3. 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.***

TOS REVIEW: Excellence in Literature (Introduction to Literature)

Title: Introduction to Literature English I
By: Janice Campbell, Everyday Education, Excellence in Literature
Cost: $29.00 + 4.95 shipping for print, $27.00 for ebook download
Grades: 8-12

One of the greatest aspects of being a part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew is that the products we receive are often right on for our family. This is one of those great products that clicks well for us.

We read a lot of the ‘classics’ in our homeschool but generally analyzing and writing about them haven’t been done. In college I did take a couple of literature classes but I still do not feel confident enough to rely on my own experiences to help my children when it comes to this in our homeschool. I am very thankful to have this product to review.

Due to my lack of confidence in guiding my students in this subject I was so glad to discover that this is a self-directed middle/high school course. The objectives of EIL are as follows:

• Understand the process of writing, including the use of tools such as a writer’s handbook, dictionary, and thesaurus.
• Have specific understanding of selected representative texts by major authors of the periods studied.
• Have a general understanding of the historical and cultural contexts of the works.
• Be able to analyze literary texts and present thoughtfully developed ideas in writing.
• Demonstrate competence in essay organization, style, and mechanics. (from the website) emphasis mine

The books that are incorporated in this course are ones that we either have already, can borrow from the library, or that can be found free online. You can read here how the literature is chosen for the course. This course is the first of five Excellence In Literature courses offered by Everyday Education (Janice Campbell). Here is a pdf of the books used in the five year series.

In the book the objectives are worded much the same as at the website but this one hits on what I really am striving for:

Prepare students for college classes by expecting carefully researched, well-thought-out material to be presented in standard format, with preliminary proofreading completed. (page 7, Excellence in Literature: Reading and Writing Through the Classics) emphasis mine

She also tells the student (because it is written to the student, not the teacher):

Rather than spoon-feeding you basic, easily-researched information (and having you zone out in the middle of paragraph two), I have provided resources and links that will enable you to perform the context research you’ll need in order to fully understand the novel, play, essay, or poem. This is the kind of research you’ll find yourself doing for college courses, so if you learn how to do it now, you should be quite good at it by the time you graduate! (page 8, Excellence in Literature: Reading and Writing Through the Classics) emphasis mine

The works that are read through are some of the best literary works. These are what I want my students to read!

I personally am enjoying the course (although *I* am not doing the work ) because it has the same objectives that I have (even if I could not put them into words quite as well). There are rubrics included for both the student and the ‘writing mentor’ (that’s me) to help give feedback for each assignment. The assignments are a mixture of different writing styles: literature summary, approach paper, compare/contrast essay, author profile, essay from prompts, journal entry, historical approach paper.

It was pleasantly surprising that each reading is accompanied by various formats for learning more. Included are poetry, audio, video, art/illustrations, and/or music when appropriate. The clickable links in the ebook (sometimes you may need to highlight, copy and paste into the browser address bar) and have proven to be invaluable.

A note about scheduling: this course does not give a schedule like some curriculums do. It gives suggestions* for how to go about it. One of the reasons (other than the fact that all families are different, as are learners) is because time management is an objective as well. My daughter (a 9th grader) has been planning out her own schedule for quite a few subjects for two years already. She reads what is ‘planned’ for a Unit and then decides what needs to be done each week (daily if needed) in order to accomplish her assignments in a reasonable time frame. I am not concerned if she does not finish this course in a year.

There is an Honors track that the students can choose –we did not choose this:

In each unit, you will find additional reading suggestions under the “Honors” heading. If you would like to earn an honors-level grade (.5 weighted grade points), or take an AP or CLEP test at the end of the year, you need to read these extra books and do an approach paper on each. At the end of the school year, you will also write an additional research paper, which is assigned in the “Honors Unit.” This will complete the honors track. (page 10, Excellence in Literature: Reading and Writing Through the Classics)

The most difficult part of the course thus far with my daughter is learning to be more detailed in her writing. I do believe however that as she progresses in this course, she will improve. There are many samples at the end of the book for help with writing the papers/essays for assignments.

What does my daughter think of this?
In her own words… :

I enjoy it, even though there is a lot of work you have to do, lots of papers to write. But you also get to read a lot of interesting stories, and I enjoy the mental work. I think it is a good course.

Bottomline:
I would definitely recommend this product to other homeschoolers. This is very well done and well worth the cost!

Everyday Education offers a free sample unit at their website. They also have products pertaining to Transcripts, College Preparation, Spelling and Grammar.

* Our family is different—do we have to follow the schedule exactly as it’s written?
The schedule I’ve provided is the one my students followed when I taught these courses online…It works efficiently, and will help you cover a lot of material over the course of the school year…You may change the schedule, drop a unit, take two years to cover the book, or alter it in any way that will help it better serve your family. (page 18, Excellence in Literature: Reading and Writing Through the Classics)

See what other homeschoolers think of this product at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog.

***Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Everyday Education as part of the TOS Homeschool Review Crew for no charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and/or those of my child(ren). I was not required to write a positive review and I only recommend products that I feel would be useful to other families. See Disclosure/Policies.***

Some Writing Resources

Since I am going to be teaching a Creative Writing class this semester at WNHEN Co-Op I decided I needed some online resources. And I've found quite a few worth sharing. 

First, the class is geared towards grades 3-5 but without knowing what levels they are at reading wise, I'm searching high and low for ideas. What I've come across just recently:

List of Adjectives and at the bottom are links to other 'list of's

Ten Creative Writing Activities

7 Science Fiction Writing Projects for Kids

I had a lot of websites open the other day when I was looking for short stories and writing prompts but unfortunately I did not save the sites! Of course if you just google Creative Writing, it generally brings up a bit.

Well, that's about it for tonight. I'm off to finish up my last bits and then off to bed. Tomorrow's Monday and it's gonna be a loooooong day.

NaNoWriMo- A very late announcement!

I had mentioned the first week of November that Lee was participating in NaNoWriMo. Her goal was 25,000 words. She participated in the Young Writer's Program specifically.

She did it!!

Her final word count was 25,257 words.

Proud mom here :)

TOS REVIEW: The Write Foundation

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock- Luke 6:48

The Write Foundation

Level One: Sentence to Paragraph Writing; Suggested ages- 11 to 13

Format: Spiral Instruction Manuals Lessons 1 – 15; Student Worksheets Lessons 1 – 15;  Sentence to Paragraph Additional Resources CD

Price: Complete Lessons 1-30 $100 +tax/shipping OR Lessons 1-15 $65 + tax/shipping OR just the worksheets- $15 +tax/shipping

Additional materials needed and that would benefit those using this program: 

1. Mind Benders® A1, A2, A3, and A4 (optional)
2. Highlighters (in 5 different colors- the program uses blue for nouns and subjects, orange for verbs, etc)
3. 3 ring binder for the student
4. Bible
5. Dictionary
6. Thesaurus

You can check out the syllabus for Level One but for a quick and simple run down:

• Reinforces the construction of a basic sentence
• Improves sentence structure with basic grammar and figures of speech
• Teaches the organizational process of  brainstorming, outlining, rough draft and editing.
• Quickly develops more interesting, informative sentences
• Steps to writing the basic paragraph 
• Progress to writing two-paragraph papers
• Guidelines, checklists and correct structure
• Creative poetry writing

 

Through The Old Schoolhouse Crew I have been able to use The Write Foundation's Sentence to Paragraph Lessons 1-15 writing program.  The age suggestion for this program is a good fit with my ds, who happens to have turned 11 at the end of July. If you are unsure about what level to start your child with this program you can find a nice run down the suggestions here. When I saw that I was going to be reviewing this product I immediately scoured the site. I wanted to know what to expect. There are sample pages for each program so that you can see if this is something that might work with your children (and you).

My son, who I used this program with, does not hate writing (or he didn't about this time last year). He would write creative sentences when he was being silly. Sometimes he would write stories and they were good. Very creative. As the year has moved on, however, he simply does not want to do things dealing with writing. I don't know if it is the physical act of writing or the mechanics of 'writing' (nouns, adjectives, verbs, sentence structure, etc)- perhaps both. Because he has such an aversion to writing I hoped this program would help him switch gears and enjoy be able to do writing without so much grumbling. 

I believe it has done that.

I did not opt for buying the Mind Benders books but would definitely recommend them. The one that was given at the beginning of Lesson 1 was enough to get ds hooked on them. They help the students have a little fun while they are still exercising their mental muscles. I wish I had of purchased the books.

But even without the Mind Benders books the program has been beneficial. It is set up for a classroom setting- or a co-op. There are examples of schedules included in the Teacher's Manual (TM) for using the program not in that type of setting but we had to tweak it a bit more to fit in with our schedule. 

How did we use the program?

We did this on a 4 day schedule with Friday being 'homework' day. Generally we began a lesson on Tuesday (we have Co-op all day Monday) and continue on through Thursday. Usually we got to the Poetry work on Thursdays. Friday whatever 'homework' had not been completed was to be done that day. I guess you could say that we did our lessons in 3 days some weeks. There have been some Fridays where there is no writing to be done. 

For this program, it is set up that each student has a 3 ring binder for organization of their materials (I think this is great). In this binder you are to have them put 8 divider tabs. Personally I really like folders. 3 Ring binders are great but I really like folders :) so in place of divider tabs we have 8-2 pocket folders. I hole punched them so that they could be secure in the binder. The rest of the organization instructions I followed.

It is recommended for Sentence to Paragraph to take about 1 hour a day. It took us that long some days; longer others; and some times none at all! (Friday occasionally)

How easy is this program to use?

Very easy.....once you get the hang of it! When I first received this I read through the beginning pages of the TM and was so confused! I'm not even sure what I was expecting but it threw my brain for a twist that's for sure. It would be to the benefit of both the teacher and student for the TM to be read through (or quite a bit of it) before starting. This isn't something to just jump in first, ask questions later- or you will have a lot of questions!

So, once I got over the fact that this was actually going to be a challenge to figure out how to use and I did figure it out, it was easy. The first page of each lesson pretty much tells what you will be covering (or what is expected of the students from the previous lesson). I definitely recommend that you prepare ahead for each day's lesson. What, am I the only one that doesn't do that every day? Well, if you are at all like me, take my advice and prepare for the lessons! You'll thank me for it!

Are there any CONS to this program?

The program itself, no.
Did you read the paragraph above? I didn't like that it was so confusing at first to figure out. But if you are already in 'teacher-mode' or 'English-teacher-mode' especially, I don't think this will be a problem. And not only that, if you ever have a problem with understanding how to use the program, Rebecca is just a phone call away. (Btw, I did not have to call but did send a short email once- which was answered promptly and with much information.)

I mentioned that the TM was confusing at first...a short time into using the program, some edited material was sent to me via email to help alleviate my confusion. I thought that was very nice.

There were typos in the TM...or would it be the student worksheets? When doing a lesson there were a few occasions where my pages did not match up to ds' but it wasn't too big of a deal. We figured out what was meant and just moved on.

But the program itself is good.

Would I recommend this program to another homeschooling family?

Yes! It is a good program as far as I can tell but it requires a lot of participation from the teacher and also it really needs a certain teaching style oriented person to really get this, in my opinion. But one of the great things about homeschooling is that any curriculum can be tweaked to suit you and your family.
And if you do opt for this program- get the Mind Benders! ;)

Bottomline

I believe this is a good English/Writing program and well priced for the material. My ds may not love to write but now he grumbles a bit less and I feel that he is learning from this program- that is what I wanted in the first place. I am actually interested in the next level of this program for coming years.

See what other Crew Members say about this program.

**Disclaimer: I received these materials free from The Write Foundation through The Old Schoolhouse Crew. I was not compensated for this review; I received the items in exchange for an honest review. All statements/opinions are my own. See more Disclosure/Policies.**

Writing versus Typing

My children have presented me with a dilemma. No, wait, it isn't my children that have presented this dilemma it is technology (and my failure to be firm in my expectations, I suppose). To type, or not to type, that is the question. Or wait, is it to write or not to write, is that the question?

With technology all around us, is handwriting so out of date? We know how to form letters, but do we really need to do it now that we can type just about everything? Will it be a problem later in the lives of my children (who aren't small anymore) to let them type everything?

"I'm more likely to write the words if I can type them" "I don't like to write them out, it makes my hand hurt" "It just takes too much time to write out, I type faster"

These are the arguments I hear when I assign 'written' work. Copywork is done still, everyday. It has been dwindled down to their Bible verses and not the lengthy work I had assigned early on. Regardless of what type of written work is assigned or expected, it either does not get done, is sloppy or I hear the arguments mentioned above before, during and after the assigned work is completed.

So my question is whether it truly matters any longer to have them write their work as opposed to typing it. I would like to see the nice handwriting that they have used before with their work. But is the aesthetic quality the only reason to still expect handwritten work? Typing can be nice and 'prettily' done but requires much less effort.

I personally do not write much more. I fill out forms at the doctors office occasionally, or perhaps I write a note to a friend sometimes. But more often than not, I use the computer to 'write'. Argh, these are just my thoughts on this all. I am convinced that it is more a lack of character building (stick-to-it-iveness) that I have failed to foster in not only my children, but myself as well. I just wonder if this 'battle' of writing versus typing is one that needs to be fought or resigned as not that important. Pick your battles, eh?

TOS REVIEW: My Access Home Edition, Vantage Learning

With the demand of testing in this day and age so focused on writing it is important to be able to teach this to our students. Even if there weren't the testing to consider, it is simply a very good thing to learn. If a person cannot write on a theme/topic in a narrative, a persuasive or an informative format, it is difficult to communicate effectively. Writing is something that will be experienced throughout all stages of our life. Do you struggle with how to teach your kids how to write? It should be easy, right?? Why would we need a program to help us teach our children writing? Simply stated: Because writing matters.


Through the TOS Crew I have been privileged to try out and review My Access Home Edition from Vantage Learning. I had heard of My Access through a few of my college classes (not just writing but primarily) so I have been to their website. I had never purchased a subscription however for those classes.

I will be upfront with my readers, this program is not cheap- it is $129.95 for a 12-month subscription for up to 6 students or $99.95 for a 12-month subscription for up to 3 students. However, with the inclusion of 6 students for $129.95 for 12 months, the cost of this program, per child would be less than $2 a month. Even for someone that only has 2 children (such as myself) the break-down is still under $6 a month. The Vantage Learning My Access Home Edition for up to 3 children drops to under $4 a month. It really is a good deal for the price when you look at it in the long run!
So now that we have gotten the ever-important question of cost out of the way, let's get down to the nitty gritty! Just what is My Access Home Edition and how can it be used?

From Vantage Learning's My Access Home Edition page:

Why is it so important to teach writing across the curriculum?
While writing is an important skill by itself, it is also closely linked to all other subject areas. As you combine writing instruction with other areas of study, you'll quickly discover how well your students are learning and where they need more instruction.

First, students learn to write...
When students first learn to write, they begin by focusing on the writing process itself: planning, organizing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. This process enables them to generate ideas, link them together in meaningful ways, and express them creatively—all while obeying the "rules" or conventions of writing and grammar.

...then, they write to learn.
As students grow academically, the writing process quickly becomes a tool used to reach higher educational goals. Effective writing at this level enables them to organize, clarify, and communicate their thoughts across subjects, such as social studies, science, and math. Successful writing skills thus open the door to many new learning opportunities.

Here is my break-down of the Home Edition from Vantage Learning:

All photos link to the Vantage Learning website

Pros:

Setting up accounts is very simple.

• I was able to go in and set up accounts for both of my kids in a matter of minutes. They also didn't require a lot of information (a name is required but not a last name, nor is the City or State) which I like for online safety.

There are a lot of topics/themes to choose from

• In fact there are 96 preloaded writing topics for three distinct age groups (8–10, 11–14, and 15–18). I did not assign specific topics/themes for my kids to choose from. Each age group has a list to choose from. Here is a list from the 11-14 age range.

My Topics

• This feature allows the Parent/Tutor to set a theme or topic that they have chosen. This could be something that comes from the Topic Wheel. The Topic Wheel is neat but more of nonsensical topics. The screenshot shows what I mean. I had my kids work on a biography of a pencil with no eraser that always feels guilty. They thought it was 'fun' to do their writing.

Writer's Guide.

Use this online writing textbook to familiarize yourself with the writing process and the key writing traits: Focus, Content Development, Organization, Language Use, and Mechanics. From the site.

Writing Course or Just Start Writing

This feature allows the student to complete activities that are pertinent to the specific type of writing they are doing. It is interactive and for the most part fun. If they choose to simply start writing they skip all of the activities and are free to write. Some styles of writing, depending on the topic/theme, are easier to just begin writing without going through the activities. However, it seemed to us that the activities were helpful in the long run with their writing.

Goal Setting

Goals can be set together with the student or by the Parent/Tutor. Also when a certain point goal has been met a 'reward' can be given. On the homepage for the student they see how many points they have and how far to go until the next point goal as well as what the 'reward' is. The points are actually displayed on every page to the right of the Home, Assignments, etc. bar.

Writer's Toolbox

• The Writer's Toolbox isn't formatting such as you would find on a Word Processing; that's already built into the writing window. The Toolbox includes rubrics, writer's models, a writer's guide, the word bank, and more.
  
  

And some more Pros from the program:

1. Checklist
2. Kids can have their work 'graded' instantly when they submit their work.
3. Student and Teacher/Tutor User Guide in pdf form so that it can be printed and not just accessed online
4. Set up for 3 or up to 6 students
5. 12-month subscription not just a school 'year'

Cons:

A little difficult to navigate.

• Even after watching the tutorials, some aspects or resources are not that easy to find. Something that counters this, however, is the (?) at the top fo the page. Whatever page you are on has a (?) that you can click that will answer questions you might have while on that page.

It doesn't understand 'silly' language.

• Sometimes the language used is not really understood by the computer and it suggests revisions that really would make the writing confusing!

Online only

• I think that downloadable software or on CD would be nice to be able to use as well as online only.

Points awarded are not based on proficiency.

• My daughter, who is a fairly decent writer in my opinion, cannot seem to get to advanced proficiency even after following the given models in the Writers Toolbox. My son, who does need some help with writing, cannot get to proficient. Although both have completed numerous writing activities and submitted their work, they both fall below what they are striving for. The points awarded for the submissions (and activities) is simply based on doing something, not doing it correctly. While not the programs fault, my son now is more fixated on the points he earns rather than his proficiency. I think the points should be more directly, and indirectly as they are now, related to the level of writing the student has achieved.

And for the 'Undecided' because I haven't decided if this is a Pro or Con; it could be either.

Student really cannot work through this independently unless they are upper grades, in my opinion.

• When I say that it is based on my experience with my two kids. Dd is 13, in 8th grade and is not really having much trouble becoming 'proficient' at writing the way that the program wants her to be, she falls short of 'advanced' and that is where she wants to be. Ds who is 11, in 6th grade, is having a bit more trouble. Because of this, it is necessary often to work side-by-side with the kids. However,Vantage Learning does say "the Home Edition is not a stand-alone writing curriculum in itself. It doesn't present the writing process in an old-fashioned, linear way like most textbooks. It doesn't focus exclusively on the mechanics of writing like other electronic tools. And it certainly wasn't designed to replace teachers altogether!"

My Conclusion:

It would be easy to say that the 'Pros' far outweigh the 'Cons' for this product. There are a couple things that make me unsure if this program would be something that we would use on a regular basis. The inability to detect sarcasm and metaphors in writing puts a damper on creativity somewhat. Also, if a child is used to flexibility when writing, the programs detection of grammar errors can be downright annoying. I must say, however, that although one child is doing very well with the program and the other is not liking it much, they both have a renewed interest to write.

Perhaps for those who like 'rules' when writing and a definite structure, this program would work. It definitely has adequate features and the price, in the long run, is reasonable.

Click on the picture to find more reviews for this product.


**Disclosure: I received this product free from The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this review. The view expressed are my own. See my Disclosure/Policies for more information.**

I'm Writing a Book!

I'm excited! I have wanted to write since I was little. I've loved reading and love words. I was looking for a book for my kids about ancient civilizations that isn't dry and boring with facts (or 'theories' such as evolution) presented in a dull, monotone manner, but have yet to come across one. I do have quite a few of my own books that are great for using to understand the early civilizations better but they way they are presented, I do not particularly care for or the information has to be pieced together. Granted, I've not been able to check out every book that is available. Our public library here in Goshen County, although they try, is very lacking. Unfortunately, it is also based on what is 'popular' or what the director of the library decides is okay to have on the shelves. The library does not even have a "Friends of the Library". Instead there is a 'committee' that is headed by the library director. Well, I don't mean to bash on my library because we love the library.

Anyway, I am hoping to have a book that describes ancient civilizations through time. From the beginning to about the fall of the Roman Empire. Some things my book will not include are descriptive rituals or practices (some civilizations have been known to have participated in some pretty nasty rituals/practices); no evolutionary theories; and nothing that cannot be confirmed by more than one source. I also do not want it to be a 'dumbed-down' book. I know kids of all ages are smart, no need to pretend they aren't! Some things that it will include are biblical references, information presented in a way that is interesting (I hope), activities and recipes at the very end that correspond to each time in history. I hope to include civilizations from all parts of the earth that are known about.

Another thing about my book: it does not support the view that the earth is millions of years old. Because of this, there are some dates that cannot be confirmed, they are only guesses. I do not pretend to know when these dates are so I have not included them, but there is a note at the beginning that lets readers know this.

When I am done with the book I hope to find a few people to 'proofread' it or edit it for me before I actually 'publish' it.

I am just so excited! I started yesterday on it and the first chapter alone now has more than 10 pages. I think that's pretty good for starters :) I have a lot of work ahead of me still but I hope my excitement does not die out and I can continue this work. And if it is not something that is widely received by others, at least I personally will have learned a great deal :) I know my kids will read it ;) lol