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Middle and High School Writing curriculum
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Hi ladies! 🙂 My daughter is in 8th grade and still doing written narrations for composition. I am in the midst of researching various writing curricula for high school and would love to hear what you have used (or are using) and the pros and cons of said curriculum.
My daughter is a natural writer and I have been very pleased with her written narrations. I don’t want to give her something that will frustrate her but I do want to give her a bit more direction as she gets older. IEW is definitely out for us. I used it with my son and it was perfect for him as he had pencilphobia as many boys do. However, my daughter has a lovely natural writing style and I don’t want it to become too formulaic.
I’ve been looking at The Power In Your Hands. It seems to be my top pick so far but I’m still not certain that it’s the right one for my daughter.
So, all that to say that I would love to hear about your experiences in this area. 🙂
Thanks in advance!
We’re using The Power in Your Hands, as well, along with Window to the World (which is IEW) for literary analysis. I’m not crazy about IEW in general, but I do love this program. I believe I have it scheduled twice a week for my son.
I won’t be much practical help but wanted to chime in anyway. 😉
Makayla is 9th grade. The last few years she has been using Brave Writer methods for her writing. Works well! This year she is using One Year Adventure Novel (her choice). So far she is really enjoying it.
For the other 3 years of high school the plan is to use the following:
The Power in Your Hands
Writing Fiction in High School
Help for High School (Brave Writer)
If we feel that Help for High School is redundant with The Power in Your Hands being done before it we can skip it.
Thanks so much for all your input ladies! 🙂
For those of you who use and like The Power In Your Hands, can you tell me a little more about it? Why do you like it? How do your children feel about it and what do they like about it? Had your students had any formal writing instruction prior to beginning this course?
Tristan-The One Year Adventure Novel looks amazing! I just wish it weren’t such an expensive program! I think I’ll have my daughter take a look at it just to get her opinion. If she really likes it, it may be worth the money. I haven’t looked at it since it first came out.
Thanks again ladies! 🙂
My dd likes that it is engaging, and she lets you pick your own topic. She says it is fun, yet deep enough that you learn from it.
I like that it is mostly done independently, and interesting enough that it holds her attention.
We have used many different writing programs before this. My current plans for the younger kids are to use CM methods and then start using Jump In in junior high depending on when each is ready.
Two of mine have used Jump In so far with good results.
In the future, my son is going to try “The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction”. It is similar to The One Year Adventure Novel.
I know what you mean Melanie! One Year Adventure Novel is SO expensive. We bought it at convention so we didn’t have to pay shipping. It was one of those things I knew about several years ago and had considered. The things I love about it:
1. The lessons are on DVD. There are 78 dvd lessons! Makayla can work independent of me if she wants to. And often she does. There is also a lesson book to read in after watching the dvd, and a workbook you do exercises in that are working toward your novel in the first semester (in 2nd semester you flesh it out the rest of the way). She has found it to be extremely helpful overall, she really is learning tons and will have a workable draft of a novel by the end (far more workable than her own attempts at writing a novel without this guide).
2. Subsequent children can use it simply by purchasing a new workbook (gets them a membership on the student forum too, where you have access to others writing novels as well as the author of the curriculum). That costs $30. So for subsequent kids it’s a much more reasonable investment.
3. It’s part of Makayla’s passion. Supporting that is worth it, in the end, because it means she loves this part of school. She fully plans to move on to the second course, Other Worlds, to learn more about writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy when she completes this one.
Retrofam-Thanks so much for your response! Do you think a student without former formal writing experience would do well with The Power in Your Hands?
Tristan-Ah! I completely agree! If my daughter’s passion were writing, I would be more than willing to shell out the money for a program that would encourage her and help her reach her goals. When you think about using it with your other children, the cost doesn’t seem nearly as prohibitive. My daughter’s passions are art and animals. I’m the one whose passion is writing. 🙂 I think it’s wonderful that your daughter wants to become an author! How exciting!
I think it depends on the child. Some of mine will need Jump In first.
If you have a child who likes to write, and does well with writing, they could go directly into The Power…
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