WriteShop Review

W r i t i n g.  Do your kids either love it or hate it?  Over the past couple years I have reviewed {and Funny Bunny has tried} several writing programs.  Some have been wonderful and others have fallen short.  Are you finding the same thing in your home?  The program that works for one child doesn't work for another. 

Well I want to tell you about a very unique writing program called WriteShop.  WriteShop is an incremental writing program, written for kindergarten through high school children, and includes step-by-step lessons that present students with the building blocks of the writing process - pre-writing, brainstorming, writing, and revising - and help you edit and evaluate their work. 

WriteShop Primary includes:
Book A for Kindergarten or First Graders {ages 5-7}
Book B for First or Second Graders {ages 6-8}
Book C for Second or Third Graders {ages 7-9}

WriteShop Junior includes:
Book D for Third, Fourth, or Reluctant Fifth Graders {ages 8-10}  We received Book D Teacher's Guide, Activity Pack, and Time-Saver Pack.

In this book students learn to write and publish fiction, nonfiction, and poetry using a variety of pre-writing games, graphic organizers, and self-editing tools.

The Teacher's Manual includes 35 pages of instructions on understanding the purpose of WriteShop and how to use it.  They go through how to choose the correct level for your child, planning your schedule with multiple lesson plans to choose from, and listing all of the materials and supplies needed for each lesson of the program.

WriteShop Book D has 10 Lessons, which are then broken down into 8 Activities Sets consisting of one or more exercises.  No matter which lesson you are working on, the Activity Sets will always contain the same elements.  This is where the program is unique!  These Activities Sets are different than anything I have seen in other writing programs we have used. 

Act Set 1: Fold-N-Go Grammar and Reading Log
Act Set 2: Lesson Overview, Pre-Writing Activity, Model and Teach
Act Set 3: Review, Skill Builder, and Journal Writing Practice
Act Set 4: Brainstorming
Act Set 5: The Writing Project
Act Set 6: Editing and Revising the First Draft
Act Set 7: Publishing the Project
Act Set 8: Evaluating the Students Work

All of the Activity Sets are very hands-on and the Activity Pack includes everything the child will need to complete each one.

I love the idea of the Fold-N-Go Grammar Pack.  In each lesson the child not only learns about the different writing genres like Humor, Adventure, and Historical Fiction, but they are also learning about grammar {Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Punctuation, Capitalization, etc} with the Fold-N-Go Grammar Pack.  It is something that they create themselves, and can refer back to anytime they want.

I also like how each lesson has a particular focus and objective.  Everything is outlined for the parent.  Below you can see Lesson 5: Mystery. 

My Thoughts:  I have to admit that when I first started reading over the introduction and instructions, I was a little overwhelmed.  I had to read them several times and go through the Activity Pack as I read, before I understood the terminology and process.  Once I did though, I was excited to get started on it with Funny Bunny.

I think WriteShop would be a great fit for any child who enjoys hands-on activities, whether they are a reluctant writer or not.

Find Out More:  You can find out more online at WriteShop.  Junior Book D Teacher's Guide Activity Guide are $39.95 each.  The Time-Saver Pack is $13.95.  You can also purchase each as e-books.  And for my readers, WriteShop is offering 15% off Primary and Junior products in the WriteShop Store {including e-books}, using code CREW15, through June 15, 2012.

My Crewmates are also talking about WriteShop, so you can check out what they think about Book D and other levels HERE.

Disclaimer:  This product was given to Our Homeschool Reviews for free for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor.  I have received no compensation from it and all opinions and experiences within this review are my own.