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I first learned about WriteShop last spring. One look at it during the Teach Them Diligently Convention and I thought this would be perfect for Jonathan! I started talking to Kim and learning more about WriteShop and fell in love.
The first step with WriteShop is to determine what level to use. Jonathan is 5, so we needed to start with the Primary Series, but choosing a level was tough for me. Jonathan is only 5, but an advanced learner in many ways. They have a great placement chart and scope and sequence to help you decide which level to use. Because Jonathan was going into 1st grade and I thought was writing well, we could go with Book A or B. That's where the scope and sequence helped. There were concepts and topics taught in Book A that I didn't want him to miss and we could always choose to move through the book faster if needed. So, I went with WriteShop Primary Book A.
The next decision is paper or electronic. I like ebooks. Ebooks save precious space in my home. I just don't have room in my 1250 sq foot home for tons of teacher's guide and workbooks – especially with baby #3 coming. I have an iPad and that makes it easier to use ebooks during school time. I shared last spring how you can use WriteShop ebooks on your iPad or other portable device. When it's time for Jacob to start WriteShop, I just pull out the teacher's guide file and reprint the student pages.
Here are some of the things that I like about WriteShop:
- I am not a fan of scripted curriculum. WriteShop has just enough to help direct your child the writing process without driving me crazy as the teacher.
- The topic prompts are interesting to kids. Jonathan keep asking to write more stories about his stuffed animals like he did in lesson 1.
- The scheduling is flexible. There's a couple suggestions for scheduling in introduction, but we like to sit and do several activities at a time when Jonathan is in the mood to write.
- WriteShop is easy to customize for your child. It's easy to skip an activity or go more in depth. Have a hands on child? There are project suggestions. Want to integrate with other subjects? There are prompts to help your child write about something they are learning in another subject.
We have just been having pure fun with writing using WriteShop.
Writing a story about his stuffed animals.
Stuffed Animal Story
Jonathan and his story “A Visit”
A story about sharks inspired by recent reading of a Magic Tree House research guide.
We'll be continuing to use WriteShop Primary A throughout this school year. Keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook for pictures and updates on our writing fun.
Head over to WriteShop and look at all the writing curriculum options for kids in Kindergarten through High School!
Disclosure: We were provided with ebook copies of WriteShop Primary A in exchange for an honest review.
