For as much as I love writing myself, teaching my kids to write has become one of the hardest things for me to teach them! Learning to write well has been a struggle at my house so I was excited to try this new writing program, Writers in Residence from Apologia Educational Ministries from being a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew. I want them to realize that they have brilliant ideas and imaginations, but they just need to transfer it to paper in a clear and precise written matter. That is far easier said than done!
About Writers in Residence
That’s where the Writers in Residence homeschool writing curriculum comes in handy. This writing curriculum is made for students in grades 4 to 8. This system covers grammar, punctuation, and capitalization concepts. The all-in-one textbook and workbook cover all the things your student needs to grow into becoming a skillful writer.
Throughout this textbook, students are given interviews of Christian authors such as Bill Myers and Jason Lethcoe. The student can see how these writers have had their lives completely transformed as a result of being able to write well.
The assignments are broken down into 24 manageable Modules for your student to do. The outline is designed so that students are to work using a four day a week schedule for thirty-two weeks.
Our Review
I must say that I was probably more excited about getting this than my kids. I got this homeschool writing curriculum with the goal of getting my boys to be solid writers using better grammar skills than I personally possess. However, I quickly found out that wasn’t the proper goal that I should be reaching for with them. Instead, I was to help them learn the correct grammar knowledge and have them spread their writing fingers. This book provided them with grammar intelligence, but it did it in less than obvious ways compared to other programs we’ve tried.
I feel the biggest reason this homeschool writing curriculum worked better than other ones is the fact that it is filled with Writer’s Questions that get their ideas flowing. I have a hard time coming up with questions that inspire my kids’ imagination. This book got them exploring their minds almost from the very first assignment.
My kids found it easier to come up with strong essays with the ideas and guidance that was provided. They learned how to expand their word choices too. This book taught them a long list of vocabulary words and even challenged them to use those words in essays throughout the book. They were thrilled with the idea of competing against one another to come up with the most descriptive words in an essay.
Overall, I do feel that this program helps students come up with writing ideas using new skills that they learned from the book itself. I like how the system comes with a Rubric that provided ways for me to encourage their writing skills as they progressed. I think that honestly was what made the biggest difference is I was able to inspire them more. I’d recommend this program to anyone who has a struggling writer looking for a more fun engaging way to learn.
Learn More
You can learn more about Apologia’s Writing in Residence by visiting their website. You can visit them on Facebook, Twitter , Pinterest, and Instagram.
Do you think your kids will enjoy this homeschool writing curriculum?
