Name: Teach Them Diligently (Branson)
Start: 2025-05-15T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-17T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Branson, MO

Tagged: ILL, Writing Tales

This topic has 5 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 10 months ago by momto2blessings.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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May 28, 2012 at 3:03 pm
momto2blessings
Participant
I loved PLL w/my son (4th next year). I never used PLL or ILL w/my eldest because we were using Writing Tales. I still plan to use Writing Tales because I love that it’s pretty independent and they get practice writing (narrating) from classic works, learn the 8 parts of speech, copywork built in, spelling and voc. from the reading, polishing their draft, etc. If I’m using this, is there any reason go buy ILL if we’re already doing picture study and all the above?
I’ve thought of buying ILL and just inserting anything that we haven’t covered…but didn’t know if there would be much and fear it might make things too complicated! Thanks for any input….I tend to overdo things sometimes by trying to have the best of everything when I really prefer simple:) Gina
May 28, 2012 at 4:16 pm
sheraz
Participant
Hey Gina,
I just bought ILL – the book, the teacher’s guide (some fun extension lessons in there per Rachel’s suggestion) and the ILL worksheets. After getting all of them, really all you need is the ILL worksheets because the lady who created them took ILL and literally added some color, some lines and made it completely independent. There will be times you want to be a little more involved, but I could have saved some money and just bought the worksheet version and printed out the stuff for my kiddos. I will probably add in some of the fun ideas from the teacher’s thing.
It looks pretty thorough to me, but the Writing Tales sounds good too (although I haven’t seen it) – and much like ILL. I don’t think that you need to add much in to what you are already doing. It might just be overkill. Maybe someone else has seen both.
May 28, 2012 at 4:47 pm
TailorMade
Participant
If you have what works for your son already in place, I’d say stick with it.
I like ILL, but don’t use a TG or worksheets. The kids just use paper or a composition book depending on what works best for them when they get to that particular book.
Becca<><
May 28, 2012 at 7:02 pm
4myboys
Participant
Has anyone else used Writing Tales? I am curious as to opinions. It does look interesting to me where I require something that my son can do primarily independently.
Momto2blessings, how much time do you spend on this curriculum? Do you cover the whole thing in one year? I feel my older son would probably be somewhere between the two books given the examples on the website. I think his grammar is more advanced, but his writing skills (due to dysgraphia) are not. Perhaps adjustment could be made so that he could take more time for the written portion. It looks like the grammar that he’s already covered could be easily skipped and maybe use at least one extra day for the writing process. Do you need to use Level 1 before level 2?
As far as using this with ILL, I think from the examples I’ve seen it would be over kill. With the exception of picture study, poetry and memory work, everything else is all there, though perhaps approached differntly. Writing Tales is a writing program, after all. I was/am considering using ILL for my older son for 6th and 7th, but am still undecided.

May 28, 2012 at 9:28 pm
Rachel White
Participant
Hey GIna, I think just WT would be fine. I looked at it before, but it was too late for mine by then. You’re already dong picture Study and poems, I assume as separate subjects.
Sheraz, sounds like that lady did very well on the worksheets. Perhaps you could sell the materials you don’t need?
May 29, 2012 at 12:01 am
momto2blessings
Participant
Sheraz…thanks for the tip! My son may finish both levels of Writing Tales before the end of 6th, so I may bring in some ILL and that sounds like a great way to go.
TailorMade…thanks. Since I already own the teacher guides I’d rather just use them. And we like it and it works:)
Rachel…thanks for the confirmation. Yes, we do picture study and poetry (though not as faithfully as we should…I hope next year will be better!)
4myboys….Writing Tales doesn’t take much time at all. We easily cover a volume in one year (even quicker, I think). Many days we double up and it only takes 15-20 min. maybe. The longest day is the rough draft. I hope to get ds typing more quickly next year to speed this up! I did help him sometimes by typing it for him. This was for Volume One. I don’t remember my dd taking long on Volume Two either. I think it would be easy to adjust for your son to complete in one year, especially if he knows a lot of the grammar…and there’s only 30 lessons which gives a little leeway.
As far as which volume, you could always order Vol. 2 and if it’s too much order Vol. 1. To give an idea, the first lesson of Vol. 2 give them one week to:
Read a short Aesop fable, talk about it, narrate it.
The book lists 7 sentences, student orders them from the story by putting a number in front of each sentence.
A short copywork
Three voc. words form story to look up and write a sentence using one of the words.
Grammar lessons explaining 4 types of sentences. Eight sentences listed and student circles whether question, exclamation, etc.
Outlining exercise drawing picture in 4 boxes and writing a sentence under ea. of what’s happening.
Oral narration using your pictures. Rough draft…they give tips on spelling, making sure ea. sentence is a complete thought, has a subject and verb, checking capitalization and punctuation.
These really don’t take a lot of time….the shorter assignments I have them do 2 in one day (copywork, grammar and voc. days are easy to double up). Then the 2nd week uses the same story and has them list misspelled words and write a couple sentences w/them, couple pages of grammar review, and expanding their story (adding a direct quote, making sure not just using ‘said,’ can change a few details if want). It’s really not hard to get all that done in 2 weeks.
Hope that helps and wasn’t too much info.:) Gina