Apologia Homeschool Writing Curriculum ~ Writers In Residence (review)
Homeschool curriculum… Isn’t it the thing we think about on and off all of the time? Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like I’m always looking at what’s new, what works for others, and what will work for my kids. I actually get super excited to look through the new homeschool catalogs every year. Today we are talking about writing curriculum. I’ve been wanting to try a different homeschool writing curriclum so I jumped at the chance to review Writers in Residence from Apologia Educational Ministries. We love Apologia!
Apologia Homeschool Writing Curriculum ~ Writers In Residence
Debra Bell is the writer and developer of Writers and Residents and she has over 30 years experience in teaching. She was not only a school teacher, but also a homeschooler which means she really has a lot of hands on experience and a wealth of knowledge. This book (WIR) can be treasured forever and looked back on as your child grows up. I know my mom saved several of my stories from school and I still get a kick out of reading them. I want my kids to have that same feeling.
The large worktext is consumable and really intended for use with one child. Although I know many families might choose to combine multiple children into a Language arts curriculum it is really nice if the children can work directly in the book.
I love that this is really a total package. It has writing, grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting and so much more. It is all taught through meaningful writing experiences.
The kids and I love the colorful pictures and text boxes throughout the book. It makes it fun and easy to read. As a mom the Suggested 4 day Daily Schedule is awesome! I love being able to open and teach. In fact I have a movable tab placed on the top of the schedule page, so we can just flip right to where we need to go. I keep a different colored tab on the unit we are working on. Hopefully that gives you an idea for organization and ease. You can actually see our tabs sticking out in the picture above (I love tips like that).
Writers in Residence Volume 1 is geared toward children in 4th- 8th grade. There is 6 units that are broken down into Modules with a variety of activities. There is also a great Rubric system where your child can give themselves points for various areas. It really helps hold them accountable and gives them a way to become a more independent learner. This is really important as your children get older.
We have been using this curriculum for about 6 weeks now and I am really excited to see where it takes us. The boys are excited every time I get it out and I’m thrilled to see how much their writing improves and grows.
The goal for my family is always to keep a love for learning in the home. I’ve shared that a lot here on Natural Beach Living and it’s really what matters to me the most. I want my children to enjoy reading, writing and learning no matter how old they get. My boys already love writing and this homeschool writing curriculum, Writers in Residence is giving them the best tools to keep that love for writing alive. *They are learning a lot too 😉
