Brave Writer

I agree with you, Tjbowman34, the site is rather confusing. I think I have a bit of everything 🙂

IMHO, if you wanted to start with something, maybe Boomerang single issues  would be enough for your 15 year old to see what it’s like.

I am slowly reading through the Writer’s Jungle, which is a handbook for parents . My 17 year old is slowly working through Help for High School, which I like very much.

I am probably a CM Purist and honestly believe that if you can consistently use CM methods you do not need a guide.

My oldest has used 2 guides in his home school career & this is probably the first guide that I don’t feel it’s taking precious time away from CM language arts. So, I’m going to keep reading and see where it can help me by complementing CM, not steering is into another direction.

I have not used the Jot it Down to its fullest as much of what she suggests we’re doing already.

Same with the literary guides. We’re already doing copywork, dictation etc, but I do plan to use them to add variety for me and my dc.

Have to run! HTH

I have to run out to do yard work with my husband, but I thought you might like to listen to the podcasts about stages of writing. I think it would help you know where to start. Here’s a link.
http://blog.bravewriter.com/2013/07/21/the-natural-stages-of-growth-in-writing/

I think I actually figured it out.  There’s the Writers Jungle that is the main text for mom.  Then they have a Writing side as far as assignments and writing ideas and a LA side with copywork, dictation etc.  the Writing Side starts with Jot it Down and that’s what I purchased along with Writers Jungle.

I just wanted to add that my dd11 and ds 8, this winter have begun journaling their days events at bedtime. I hear them discussing the things they don’t want to forget to journal and she helps him spell words and encourages him to put periods at the end of his sentences. They oftentimes, after an hour of writing, need reminding 30 minutes ago was lights out. This is all done voluntarily, it’s not assigned work, just enjoyably there own.

I encourage you all to use your older students as teachers. Their bonds with one another blossoms and the olders oftentimes love leading. There are definitely limits.

I use my older children to correct youngers copywork and pleasantly encourage corrections, lead music lessons, drill with math facts, read a read aloud while I am doing a chore, cook a meal while I’m teaching, lead latin practice, teach their meaning of a new poem we’re learning, start a drawing or diagram for practical drawing class with drawing tools, carry-out and explain science experiments, tell of safety matters and how they would handle an emergency, and write my and the (Dd11 and ds8) littles narrations as we dictated them and correct it together after looking for spelling and grammar errors. Once, the 3 of us had my ds15 write 5 pages of our oral marrations and he pretending his arm would never be the same after our workout on him!

This is one more example of, if you follow CM methods, you’ll get these kind of results. CMers be brave and believe in the method. Please don’t think it’s all rosy, there are many bumps along the way. I never want to portay that my way is the only way, use CM in your family confidently, so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Also, something I want to stress which I really think matters too is, they do not have the distraction of any personal electronic devices (tablet, phone) and all their books are hard copies. We own a PC and we only watch a DVD/VHS on Friday night: movie night. Our family rule we’ve had for years and it now seems (normal) for us!
Disney’s VHS Rascal last Friday was fabulous. The book is great! My DS15 said no to the film in lew of reading in the bathtub in his bathing suit. One of his favorite activites!

Building healthy habits and being willing to live it ourselves as parents really makes a difference. Only ever trying to encourage us all to be the teachers God means for us to be!

To the CMers with LOL! Martha