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Writing With Skill Level 1, Student Workbook
$12.78 – $27.16
Learn how to write with clarity and confidence! The Workbook is written directly to the student to foster independence and gives essential training in organization, composition structure, and research methods. All source material included; teaches one- and two-level outlining. Instructor text also required.
Product Overview
The workbook is written directly to the students to encourage them to take the initiative in developing their basic writing skills. It combines time-tested classical techniques with innovative contemporary insights to give every student the necessary tools to write with clarity and confidence, and provides essential training in organization, composition structure, and research methods. Straightforward, detailed explanations of how to construct and organize compositions prepares students for high-level rhetoric and composition. The Instructor Text is also required, but all source material for assignments is included; no other books are needed.
Skills taught in Level 1 include one- and two-level outlining; writing chronological narratives, biographical sketches, descriptions, and sequences across the curriculum; constructing basic literary essays on fiction and poetry; researching and documenting source material; and using full sentences while texting. (The last one isn’t true; our powers are mighty but limited).
Kimberly Longden –
We just finished Level 1 of Writing With Skill and I am most impressed with the fact that this curriculum takes the time to really teach all of the nuts and bolts that go into the writing process. One of my biggest concerns when my children were attending school was that they would receive writing assignments without ever having been instructed on how to write. When we started homeschooling my goal was to find a writing curriculum that would focus more on the process of writing rather than a large quantity of writing for the sake of output. The Writing With Ease followed by the Writing With Skill programs were just what I was looking for.
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Michelle Hoeks –
My mom had me take this book for school and like the title says, I was able to write with skill. It taught me to enjoy writing and great techniques on how to take notes for research papers and how to find the theme in passages I read.
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Ashley –
I love the history series, and I was hoping this course would be wonderful. However, the workbook was difficult for my daughter to understand, and I can’t spend hours with each of my 3 children and each of their courses. My daughter found a way to “look ahead” (ie cheat), which brought tears, anger and again, frustration that she couldn’t understand how to use this workbook by herself. I had a difficult time trying to follow along, and I’m an English major! Maybe the experience would be different if I was homeschooling only one child.
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Ali Ann Stramilov –
I LOVE THIS! I taught 5th grade writing from this book just this past year. Exceptional text, organization and passages. Students read a passage that is the sample of they type of writing they will do. Then there are three days of activities to complete and a writing project at the end. The Teacher’s Guide is needed for sure. I followed the text and assigned a research paper the last two weeks of school. The students completed it without tears! It went so smoothly due to the way the book was written. It is an excellent map of how to write!
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Laura S. –
I have used this book with my kids and they have found that the skills they learned from this program were required in college English. My oldest found she was the only one in her class who knew how to make an outline, and it was due to using this book. The practice at skills like summarizing and analyzing also helped prepare them for writing longer essays. We moved from this book to working on writing longer essays with another program, but the other programs don’t cover what this one does.
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Jessica Kinney –
I have systematically worked through Writing With Ease, Levels 1-4. Next year I’ll have a 5th grader. Is this Writing With Skill, Level 1 the next step? Are these meant for 5th-8th graders? Thanks!
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Melody –
This will be the first year that I am using this with my kids. How do I know which level they should start with? I have 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th graders. Thanks!
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angijaegerchapman –
With the Writing with Skill and Writing with Ease books – will the student need to have a separate reading comprehension workbook? Or is that covered in the writing books?
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Tamara Graham –
We are new to this product, and I am wondering if it is sufficient for high school credit? Or do you recommend something else for high school? Thank you!
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Tracey –
I have been recommended this product for my 13 and 14 yr olds. Writing has been very informal till now. Will level 1 be a good place to start.
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carien meyer –
Can one do without the instructor’s text?
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Sister –
Would Writing With Skills 1 work for a ninth grader if he or she has never done this book before? Would it be better if they went right into book 2?
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Elizabeth –
Could you please spell out for me what doing WWS at half speed looks like. I understand half the book in 1 school year? How does this look? Will you do a lesson every other week? Do half a a lesson each week? Take longer to work on a lesson? Also, if doin WWS, is it recommended to be doing a formal literature program with literature guides and such or is WWS enough?
Thanks
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Amy –
We are just beginning this book for our 7th grader (his first time homeschooling, and we have not enjoyed the previous ELA materials we used). In addition to this book, we are including Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind and Creative Writer. He already reads daily for at least 30 minutes and we have been working on various pieces of literature. As we transition to this book, will he continue to need a separate literature course? I’m just concerned about the time commitment for all of ELA (, free reading, grammar, spelling, writing, literature (even penmanship)) – tends to amount to more than 3.5/hours a day for this subject alone. Add math, history, and science (and not to mention art, music, French, Logic and Health) and his days/weeks are exceptionally long. He’s becoming frustrated with homeschooling.
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WTM Answer Desk –
Rough drafts and then finalizing are included in the text.
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Heather –
I purchased the student workbook Writing with Skill level 1 and Appendix 1 page 486 is missing. Is there a way I could get a copy emailed to me or somewhere online? Thanks
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Michelle –
Will students actually be writing complete written works/essays, or are they only doing exercises isolating small skills and parts of the process? How many complete works will they do over this course?
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Megan B –
What is a typical time per day to anticipate that the Writing with Skill lesson would take? Obviously, all kids are different, but I would love to hear what time is a reasonable expectation. Said another way, should we schedule half an hour, 45 minutes or an hour on this four days a week?
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Brittainy A –
We used Writing With Skill Level 1 in our small co-op. I loved the variety of assignments, careful instruction, and and assignments written to the students. My 6th-grade reluctant writer completed a 1000 word essay on the Titanic–and I think he enjoyed it!
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Question
Adrionia –
Could I use this with a 9th grader and if so after I get through all three books would that be enough for the high school years?
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Press Minion –
Yes and yes!
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Question
Denise (verified owner) –
Can we get a pdf of the Time and Sequence Words page (p. 55)?
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Question
Jenny –
I am here looking deeply and hopefully at the revised edition of Writing With Ease… to have somewhat accidently stumbled upon Writing With Skill. I am using my best detective skills to try to answer my own question, but I’m not having luck. So may I please ask you folks to help me learn the difference between Writing With Ease and Writing With Skill? Is it best to go through one program over the other first? Or is it more of a supplementary relationship? I’m looking at both samples and would just love the clarification: they both look excellent.
Thank you for the very good problem of having too many stellar resources to choose from, and any information you might have to share to help me sort this out.
I appreciate your time.
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Answer Desk –
Thank you for the kind words!
Writing with Ease is designed for elementary students, and recognizes that writing is a process that involves two distinct mental steps: first, the writer must put an idea into words, then, the writer can put words down on paper. Thus it teaches the three foundational skills needed for original writing: narration (taking something you’ve read or heard and putting it into your own words), copywork (reproducing properly written words and sentences), and dictation (visualizing words and sentences and putting them down on paper).
Writing with Skill is for higher grades and prepares the student for rhetorical stage writing. In the ideal classical universe, you’d complete the three levels in middle school and have all of high school for rhetorical writing. In practice, many students are completing WWS in high school (Level 2 and Level 3 are each appropriate for a credit in composition). When the three levels are successfully completed, the student will be prepared for rhetoric-level writing, standard college composition courses, and workplace writing.
Writing with Ease can be used alongside First Language Lessons for grammar, and Writing with Skill can be used alongside Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind. If you need advice on placement, or how to juggle the pieces, reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll be glad to help as we can.
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Question
Janelle –
If my 6th grader (who is a pretty strong writer) never completed Writing With Skill level 1, should he start there or on level 2? Also, does this curriculum highlight the different types of essays (i.e., argumentative, expository, etc.?) Thanks!
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Answer Desk –
It’s always recommended to start with Level 1, as the series builds on itself and uses an approach unfamiliar to many students (the classic learning tools of topoi, copia, etc.).
In Level 1, the student will learn how to construct four basic (and valuable) topoi in history and science: chronological narrative, description, descriptive sequence, and cause and effect sequence over the course of the year, along with an introduction to literary criticism and documentation.
You can see more details of what is covered in the Overview of the Year’s Sequence, which is available in the sample for each level – the sample will be located under the illustration of the product.
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Question
Miranda –
Is there and errata for this book? In the instructor text, many references to page numbers for the short stories in the student text are incorrect. For example, on page 339 in the instructor text, it says “Read me what Matthew says on page 526, beginning with “Well, now, no, I suppose not.”” In the student text, that quote is on page 518. (This occurs in multiple places, this is just one example). Also, on page 393, number 15 is incorrectly labeled as needs footnote (NF), but then says it is a historical fact, which should not need a footnote.
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Answer Desk –
Thanks for reaching out to us, Miranda! I have forwarded this to the editorial team to review and note corrections. Click here to go to the Corrections Page.
Any possible errors can be sent to [email protected], and we thank you for taking the time.
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