Write with WORLD (TOS Review)

 

Often I think I should have become a dentist, because at times it’s like pulling teeth to get my girls to write.   We haven’t been doing a formal writing program for very long, so maybe this is just a stage to be expected.  Both my girls are resistant, one moreso than the other.  Our current writing program is a great one, but I keep hoping for that magic program to come along that will  make writing fun or them.  When I was chosen to review Write with WORLD, I waited with great anticipation for it to arrive – would this be the “just right” thing to encourage the girls in their writing?

PRODUCT DETAILS

Write with WORLD is a new middle school writing program being produced by the publishers of God’s World News and World Magazine.   A two-year program geared toward grades 6-9, Write with WORLD is still in the pilot stage.  The program appears to be fairly easily adjustable for younger/older children.

For this review,  I received the Student Book and the Parent/Teacher Book (each containing 200+ pages) for the first year. 

Final versions of the curriculum are due to begin shipping in the summer of 2012.  Purchased separately, each year will cost $95; both years can be purchased together for $165.  This price includes access to a user website which will provide opportunities for being published online as well as additional writing subjects.  Order HERE.

This first year of the curriculum is broken down into four units of four lessons each.  

Unit 1
   Lesson 1 Reading Images and Advertisements
   Lesson 2 Comparative Reading: Sentences
   Lesson 3 Comparative and Critical Reading: Paragraphs
   Lesson 4 Developing Critical Readers: Essays
Unit 2
   Lesson 1 The Paragraph
   Lesson 2 Composing and Linking Sentences
   Lesson 3 Creating Focus and Arrangement
   Lesson 4 Linking Paragraphs: Transitions and Logic
Unit 3
   Lesson 1 Writing Autobiography: Reporting Facts
   Lesson 2 Writing Autobiography: Creating Character
   Lesson 3 Writing Autobiography: Developing Ideas
   Lesson 4 Writing Autobiography: Composition
Unit 4
   Lesson 1 Crafting Narratives: Developing a Point of View
   Lesson 2 Crafting Narratives: Showing Versus Telling
   Lesson 3 Crafting Narratives: Narrative With a Purpose
   Lesson 4 Crafting Narratives: Writing a Fictional Narrative

Each of those lessons is further broken down into “capsules”.  For instance, Unit 1, Lesson 1,  is broken down into:

   Capsule 1 – The Story Behind the Image
   Capsule 2 – What a Photojournalist Sees
   Capsule 3 – The Story Behind the Image (uses a different picture than Capsule 1)
   Capsule 4 – The Message Behind the Advertisement
   Capsule 5 – Style, Diction, and Revision

This additional break-down gives the child bite-sized pieces – a reluctant writer is somewhat able to ease into the process.  You can view Lesson 1 HERE.

The Parent/Teacher Book is basically a copy of the Student Book, but includes teaching suggestions/notes, plus a four-page overview at the beginning of each unit which includes a general overview of the purpose of the unit, plus a lesson-by-lesson detailed overview.  You can read the General Introduction to the Parent/Teacher Manual HERE – pay particular attention to the section titled “Distinctives.”

WHAT I LIKE

I love this quote from the website, which sums up the underlying purpose of this new curriculum:

Christians in particular should try to be the best communicators. They possess the truth and need to articulate a biblical worldview.

We have used pictures to write stories in our other curriculum, but never went into a “behind the scenes” review of what the picture really stands for.  The first lesson in the book covers images – and that first lesson hooked my girls right from the get-go.

Love the lesson overviews.

We found it very easy to stop and start – meaning if we didn’t get all the way through a capsule or lesson, it was easy to do part and finish the rest later.

Love that the curriculum also works on grammar.  Also love the journaling,  grammar exercises, and vocabulary work included in each capsule.

I love the point of view that the publishers have in developing this curriculum.  From the introduction to the Parent/Teacher Manual:

Write with WORLD will train students to look for "worldview clues" in writing so that they become discerning readers. The curriculum also aims to help them discover their own voice as writers with a worldview of their own which they know how to articulate. We want students to learn to join the thinkers and writers of our day, with, in the words of the Apostle Paul, "conversation . . . full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that [they] may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:6).

WATCH OUT FOR

Note that because the Parent/Teacher manual is a copy of the student manual with teaching suggestions added in the margins for most pages, it is several inches wider than the student manual.  We didn’t find this bothersome, but just wanted to make you aware.

The curriculum is loosely tied to the two magazines (God’s World News and World Magazine), but it is not necessary to have these magazines in order to use the curriculum.

BE SURE TO

Be heard!  The publisher is gauging interest in having the curriculum available in electronic format rather than printed books.  An electronic version would allow for use on not only your home computer, but also on e-readers.  They are also trying to determine interest in a high school curriculum.  Please give the publisher your thoughts at edufeedback@gwpub.com.

View the TABLE OF COMMENTS for both Year 1 and Year 2.

If you’re not familiar with God’s World News and World Magazine, they’re worth checking out.  Both magazines are monthly publications with the goal of using current events to teach critical thinking skills from .

COMPANY CONTACT INFO

By Phone: 1-800-951-KIDS (5437)
Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 7:00 pm ET

By Email: mailbag@gwnews.com

By Mail: God's World News
P.O. Box 20001
Asheville, NC 28802-8201

FINAL THOUGHTS

The girls really enjoyed using this curriculum.  While they didn’t ask to use it, they certainly weren’t resistant – and once we got going they truly seemed to enjoy it.  !

THOUGHTS OF MY CREW MATES

To see other reviews of this product, click HERE and look for the linky tools list at the bottom of the post. For giveaways, other product reviews and other fun things, follow the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Crew blog at:

**Disclaimer: As part of the 2011-2012 TOS Homeschool Review Crew, I received a pilot version of the product referenced in this review at no cost in exchange for my fair, honest and unbiased (and not necessarily positive) review. No other compensation was received.