WriteShop Level 1 is part of the Timberdoodle tenth grade curriculum kit. My son is steadily working through their ninth grade curriculum kit, which is working out well for him and I would not be surprised if we choose to continue his high school years with these kits. From the planner, to the activities, to the high quality math, science, and English materials, this has been his best year so far—and he has been homeschooled from the beginning. What makes Timberdoodle kits worth the investment is the work is done for you. Everything is there. If you have a students that likes checklists, and is eager to get school done so he can have the rest of the day to pursue what he wants, Timberdoodle kits are absolutely for you.
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I was excited to see WriteShop as a part of Timberdoodle. I have been a fan of WriteShop for a long time. I have used the lower levels in the past with great success. The level I am reviewing today is for teens, but if you have younger children, check out my previous WriteShop review of their lower levels.
Even though WriteShop Level 1 is found in the tenth grade kit, it spans a wide range of ages and can be customized to meet the needs of older students of any skill level—which I love. I decided to use this program this year with my middle school daughter, and she has had no problem keeping up. It arrived with loose leaf paper that has already been hole-punched. Perfect for a binder! It also has a beautifully spiral bound Teacher's Manual to help guide your student along.
When I think of WriteShop, I am immediately brought back to my days as a fifth grader. This is when I fell in love with writing. I had been keeping journals up to this point, and enjoyed writing in school, but in fifth grade everything changed. This is when "writing workshop" was introduced in the classroom. We were allowed to unleash our creativity, and have fun with writing. We were not bogged down to a dry and boring topic, but we were free to explore. We were challenged to push ourselves to the limits, and to improve our writing, regardless of the topic. This is where I learned the basic rules, format, and structure of writing. Rather than having countless grammar worksheets assigned with excessively structured unrelatable writing assignments, we wrote what we knew and grew from there. This method has served me well. Throughout high school I may not have been strong in testing, but when it came to writing assignments, I nailed them. Then college was a breeze since most of the grades were based on papers and writing assignments.
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Not everyone falls in love with writing as I did, but of all of my kids, my daughter enjoys writing the most. Rather than simply wanting to do the bare minimum, she is creative and likes to express her thoughts in writing. The only problem is knowing how to do this properly. A child might have thoughts and ideas swirling around in their head, but in order to get them down on paper, there is a process. WriteShop Level 1 carries teens through this process.
Rather than simply telling a story, it teaches you how to describe it in a detailed way that will draw the reader in. This program makes good writers, great writers. It gives room for improvement in a gentle and non-threatening way.
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As my daughter works through these lessons, she is strengthening her writing skills. Rather than using a single word to describe an object, she uses several. She is forced to stop and think and change her approach when needed. I highly recommend Write Shop 1 for teens of all ages. It is challenging enough for high schoolers and advanced middle schoolers, and a perfect way to help your child fall in love with writing.
Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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