Writers in Residence: Homeschool Writing Curriculum
Writing. Without a doubt, it’s the most challenging subject in our homeschool.
The problem isn’t that my kids are incapable of writing. The real issue is that I can’t seem to actually teach them how to write.
Over the last few weeks we’ve been trying out a new homeschool writing curriculum from Apologia. I’m delighted that Collin is learning some helpful strategies for improving his writing–all without me having to struggle to teach him!
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Writers in Residence: Homeschool Writing Curriculum
Writers in Residence is a language arts curriculum designed for grades 4-8. In addition to its strong writing focus, the curriculum also covers grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
The All-in-One Student Text and Workbook is a comprehensive spiral-bound book with attractive workpages. Written directly to the student, the book is easy to understand and so simple to use. I love that everything Collin needs is in one place!
The Answer Key contains checklists and evaluation rubrics for every assignment, which takes the stress out of evaluating the student’s writing.
3 Big Benefits of Using Writers in Residence
1. Detailed lesson plans
Lesson planning and scheduling can be an incredibly time-consuming process. Not so with Writers in Residence! The entire curriculum is planned and scheduled in a handy chart, making it a cinch for both parent and student to know what comes next. I love, love, love this!!
2. Suitable for independent learning
Because the text is written directly to the student, parental involvement is minimal. Collin is able to look at his assignment for the day and jump right into it.
Naturally, some level of supervision is required, even when the parent is not directly involved in teaching the lessons. Even though Collin is able to complete most of the work independently, I keep myself available in case he has questions or gets stuck. I also evaluate each writing project and assign a grade based on the evaluation rubric.
Independent learning is very important to Collin, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when he opted to continue with Writers in Residence for the rest of the homeschool year. But still, I’m celebrating the fact that he isn’t complaining about writing any more! Big win!
3. No teacher prep required
No studying. No research. No struggling to figure out how or what to teach. Nothing.
You can literally open up the book, check the assignment, and jump right in. All the teaching is done right in the text, and all the exercises and writing are right there, too.
I can’t really describe how liberating this is. If you’re a busy homeschool parent who struggles to teach writing, I’m sure you’ll know what I mean!
Fun Freebies from Apologia
Love what you’ve heard about Writers in Residence? Download a 100+ page sample with BONUS resource!
You can also download Apologia’s Eclipse Activity eBook to enjoy with your family. Even though the eclipse is passed, your family can learn and explore with the information, links, and activities in this free ebook.