TOS Review- Write Shop Junior, Plus Coupon Code

Am I the only one that thinks teaching writing is hard? I found a program a few years ago I liked for slightly older kids, but for the younger ones it has been a challenge. Write Shop has solved my problem! I really like this program written by Nancy Sanders. We had the privilege to review Write Shop Junior, Level D, recommended for 3rd and 4th graders, and have really had fun exploring the first few chapters. The plan was to save the rest for our upcoming school year, but since my 10 year old is enjoying it so much, we are now going to just continue through the summer.

Let me start by saying this is not a program you should just jump right into.  I read and reread the teacher's guide to get my bearings before starting.  The curriculum has very clear instructions on how to approach each section of each chapter, including a lesson chart for a two week plan or three week plan for each chapter, allowing you to choose whichever best meets the needs of your family.  The Student Activity guide is made up of student sheets and the "Fold and Go"sheets and comes in a handy bi-fold so you can just tear out the pages you are using for that day.  There are plenty of hands on activities and games to keep you busy, but no pointless busy work.

I was concerned that my son might find the graphics a bit juvenile, but he actually enjoyed the page work and I think it made it less intimidating to use and more fun for the two of us to work through.

One of the bonuses of this program is that you create a "Fold and Go" for each unit that covers grammar rules and makes a quick study tool for your child to use. You will need to supply the file folders, but we enjoyed putting these together. 

 
Another neat aspect of the program sprinkled throughout the pages of the Teacher's Guide are sections called Parents Say. These sections are loaded with quotes of additional hints from fellow homeschooling parents...how they tweaked the program or things they added to make it more fun. If I could add one idea, mine would be this: I stapled clear quart baggies to instruction pages with the parts from the activities we did. That way, when I use the book again with the next child, all the parts for that specific activity are right there.

Table of Contents

Letter of Invitation
Humor
Adventure
Science Fiction
Mystery
Poetry/Haiku
Folktales
Historical Fiction
Personal Narrative
Expository Writing: Factual Article

You can also get this product in a PDF form.  I will say that for me personally I liked having it all in front of me, including the Time-Saver Pack.  Could you print these out yourself?  Yes!  But sometimes life is just easier when someone else saves you the time and effort.  The pages are brightly colored and on card stock, making the pieces you cut out easier to use. 
From the company:  Appealing to the visual, auditory and hands-on learners, the Book D Time-Saver Pack introduces new writing concepts in fun and clever ways. 




Pages from the Time Saver Pack

As stated earlier, we will definitely continue to use this program and hope to begin it with our youngest at the A, B, & C levels. (Other CREW members reviewed those levels, you can read about them Here as well.)  It has been a joy to use Write Shop and a much needed answer to a curriculum quandary.

You can order Write Shop Junior here for $39.95. 

 As a special bonus, Write Shop is  graciously offering  15% off  Write Shop Primary and Junior products in their store (including e-books) using the coupon code CREW15 at checkout.  Offer valid through June 15th, 2012.

See what other TOS CREW members have to say about this product here.

Disclaimer- I received The Teacher's Guide, Activity Pack and Time Saver Packet in exchange for my honest review of this product.  The opinions stated are my own and were not influenced by the company in any way.