Review - Write with WORLD

 
Web Site: http://www.learnwithworld.com/writewithworld/

Age:  Middle School

Cost: $95 - Yr 1 or 2 Teacher/Student Text and Online Access, $165 - Yrs 1 & 2

I’m the type of person that gets excited about curriculum.  In fact, there’s nothing like snuggling up with a good curriculum catalog and a hot chai tea to make my evening.  There’s just something about all the options out there for education!  And, as a homeschooling mom, I get the privilege of choosing which options my boys will learn from.  It’s a haughty task, but one I truly relish.

That being said, one thing that rarely excites me are writing curriculum.  I’ve been teaching English and primarily writing for almost a decade now, and very rarely is there a text out there that really meets the needs of students.  Having taught at the college level for most of this time, I’ve seen what happens when students are not taught how to write well.  They are truly unable to adequately communicate their thoughts and beliefs in written form.  This is a life skill that CANNOT be overlooked.

So, how do we, as homeschooling parents, ensure our children get that necessary skill?

That’s where this review comes in.  I’m truly excited to have the opportunity to review Write with WORLD because I see those fundamentals being taught at a level that middle school students can really grasp. 

According to the website, this new curriculum was written because of the following:

• Persistent poor writing skills among those entering college
• Other writing courses are often focused on mechanics and remediation
• Christians need to be heard in this era of conflicting worldviews
• Profusion of new media in which anyone can be a content creator; Christians should create quality content
• Today’s sophisticated media and messages demand that students learn to be discerning media consumers

My heart actually fluttered as I thumbed through this text for the first time.  Write with WORLD is a collaborative effort.  “Write with WORLD has assembled the expertise and real-world practice of professors, journalists and editors to produce young writers who love writing and can effectively share ideas, beliefs, and their worldview.”  See the list of authors here.

Write with WORLD approaches writing using real-world examples.  Why is this important?  Many of us have children who love to write creatively.  They may not all do it well, but it’s an easy genre because it allows them to just make stuff up and put it on paper.  However, when they get to college, writing focuses on what you are learning and the ability to articulate that well.  Taking real-world examples, like advertisements, and having the student assess and articulate what is happening develops those necessary college-level writing skills. 

Now, that is not to say that Narrative, or story writing, is excluded.  In fact, the last part of the text is devoted to developing strong narrative.  However, the skills they have learned are developed using real-world example allowing them to incorporate writing skills into their imaginary stories.

Additionally, our children’s writing is more visible than ever.  With social media and the Internet, writing has become a day-to-day activity – it’s the way people engage.  How a student presents him/herself online impacts their image.  Understanding this and doing it well can also have long-term implications.  I’m excited to see Write with WORLD acknowledge and address this!

The approach is fantastic.  Written specifically to the student in language he/she can easily follow and understand, each lesson has several “Capsules” that engage the student in evaluation, assessment of writing, vocabulary and mechanics.  The approach takes the student through the process of learning strong sentence construction, then paragraph and finally essay.  This is then reiterated and finally used to write an autobiography and a narrative. 

You can view the Table of Contents for both years - here, and a sample lesson to see just what I'm so excited about - here. 

The focus for students will be their writer's journal.  Here they will reflect on each lesson using prompts given in the text.  Additionally, they will be charged with maintaining a vocabulary list and completeing grammar exercises that coincide with what they are learning. 

You can pre-order Write with WORLD now.  It will be available this summer.  Beginning in September, the online component will go live.  At that time, students and parents will have access to "updated examples, writing prompts, published student work, and helpful teacher forum."

I wish I could find the words in a short review to really sing the praises of the approach they take to writing.  This is more than just a process; it’s an application of methods that really engage your child in understanding what good writing is and how to become a strong writer.

To see additional reviews by the TOS Homeschool Crew – click Here.

Disclaimer: I received this curriculum free as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew in exchange for my honest review.