While writing is not an area that my girls struggle with it can be like pulling teeth some days to get them to focus enough to put words to paper. When the opportunity to sign up to review Write Shop Junior D I signed up right away. Let me tell you a little more about it.
Based off the description Book D is recommended for 3rd and 4th graders and can be used with reluctant 5 or 6th graders as well.
WriteShop Junior is a creative writing program that appeals to many learning styles. As with all WriteShop products, WriteShop Junior helps you guide children through the steps of the writing process. To keep the experience fun for everyone, every lesson includes engaging games and activities that teach and review important writing and self-editing skills. And whether you have a more advanced child or one who is just beginning, this program is flexible so children can work at their own level.
~ from website
The scope and sequence of book D includes:
- Letter of Invitation
- Humor
- Adventure
- Science Fiction
- Mystery
- Poetry/Haiku
- Folktales
- Historical Fiction
- Personal Narrative
- Expository Writing: Factual Article
While learning all these great writing styles above your child will learn to:
- Identify and use proper grammar and punctuation
- Narrow a broad topic to a specific topic
- Brainstorm before writing
- Structure a sentence
- Write a paragraph
- Choose strong words instead of weak ones
- Use emotion words to develop voice
- Use the five senses to add descriptive detail
- Self-edit and revise their work
For this review we received E-book versions of:
the Teacher’s manual ~ which includes daily lesson plans, writing samples, guided writing scripts, step-by-step teaching instructions, engaging learning games and exercises
- the student activity pack ~ the 2-pack includes the Student Worksheet Pack plus the Level 1 Fold-N-Go™ Grammar Pack. *note, if you get the E-book version you will have to print out on your own brightly colored cardstock. The color choices are given for reference.
- the optional time-saver pack ~ For parents and teachers who appreciate shortcuts, the Time-Saver Pack includes a number of sturdy, ready-made props for activities featured throughout Book D, such as game cards and spinners. If you prefer to make your own, you’ll find instructions for each activity in the Teacher’s Guide. *again if you get the E-book version you must assemble on your own.
The Teachers Manual and Activity pack are invaluable tools for success with this program. Now, I will say this, I received this product as a digital download and I was overwhelmed by it! I did not even know where to start. Luckily, my IRL friend Michele, had received the hard copy book to review. I was able to borrow her hard copy book for 2 days to really get a feel for the program and it made a world of difference to me. I recommend purchasing the hard copy book if this is your first time using this program. Then as you continue on in the program and have a feel for the layout and scheme of things then choose the E-book option.
Each lesson of this writing program has multiple components to it. Each lesson can take as long as 3 weeks to complete. The first lesson involves teaching how to write an invitation by partaking in mix and match games for the parts of the letter, i.e. salutation, body, etc., to brainstorming. Within this lesson your student will also learn about punctuation all before actually writing and editing the first and final drafts of the project.
Write Shop Junior D is available in both hardcopy or E-book versions. The Teacher’s manual and activity packs for the hardcopy books are priced at $39.95 each, while the E-books are slightly less ranging from $34.95-$29.95 each. The optional time-saver pack is priced at $13.95 for either hard copy or E-book version.
While this is an incredibly thorough writing program, Write Shop Junior D is not a program you can just open up and teach. There is a tremendous amount of prep work involved for the teacher. With that said, the Teacher’s manual does have extensive and detailed instructions that offer step-by-step instructions. Mikayla and I have enjoyed trying out this writing program and working through it. Unfortunately, it is not the best fit for our family with the amount of prep time required by me, the teacher.
Just because it did not work for our family do not let that discourage you. Check out the sample lessons form Write Shop Junior and well as the placement helps for any of your students in grades 1-6. Also, check out what my Crewmates had to say about the Junior D level and several other levels that were reviewed by clicking here.
Company ~ Write Shop
Product ~ Write Shop Junior D
Price ~ ranging from $39.95-$34.95 depending on which version you choose, hard copy or E-book.
Ages ~ 3rd –4th graders, or struggling 5th – 6th graders
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Disclaimer ~ I received an E-book copy of Write Shop Junior D , in exchange for a thorough and honest review. Though I am compensated with free products, I am not compensated in the form of cash for my reviews. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but are not influenced by the company or the free product provided.
Posts
