No, not more papers! Writing always seems to be the dreaded course around here. Over the years, I've had the kids write a variety of papers, but somehow they still seem to struggle with it. When we were given the opportunity to review Jump In, 2nd Edition from Writing with Sharon Watson, I knew we had to give this product a try.
Writing with Sharon Watson is a Christian company that focuses on teaching students to write. The company has developed easy-to-use writing and literature courses used by homeschoolers, co-ops, and Christian schools. The company strongly believes in three important points when it comes to students and writing.
1. The student is more important than the material in the book.
2. Teaching writing and literature can be tough.
3. Writing assignments, especially in the beginning, should not be issue driven.
To encourage writing, it should be fun. Topics should be of interest to the student. If they enjoy the topic they are writing about, there should be less stress and fear.
What is Jump In, 2nd Edition?
Jump In, 2nd Edition is a writing course for students in grades 5th- 8th. The student workbook is student directed which allows students to work through the course rather independently. Small, easy lessons help the students learn how to write. The course contains 98 lessons. The students learn nine types of essays, story writing, poetry, and how to write a research paper. Everything you want covered in a writing curriculum is covered in this course.
In this new 2nd edition, students will get more practice writing paragraphs before they jump in and write essays. They will also learn to ways to write a compare and contrast paper. This is essential for high school and college. How to write a personal narrative is covered too. Proof reading and proper citation is taught as well.
In this new 2nd edition, students will get more practice writing paragraphs before they jump in and write essays. They will also learn to ways to write a compare and contrast paper. This is essential for high school and college. How to write a personal narrative is covered too. Proof reading and proper citation is taught as well.
This course is extremely thorough. It will definitely help students as they head into high school and when they venture off to college.
How Did We Use Jump In, 2nd Edition?
For this review, we received the digital download of the teacher's guide and the student workbook. Parents can also purchase the books in physical form too. I used this course with both Michael and Therese, so an 8th grader and a 9th grader. Therese is the better writer, but she enjoys writing much more. Michael hates to write and on many occasions is feels like I am pulling teeth to get him to write. Do you know that feeling? It's not fun.
The first thing I did was print out the teacher's guide. I hole-punched the pages and placed them in a binder. I just like reading actual papers and books. It really annoy me to read on the computer, especially a teacher's manual. I like to mark pages and write down little notes for reference. I guess you'd say I'm a little old-fashion that way. After I created my teacher's binder, I went to work on reading the guide. I was curious to see what the course had to offer and how it actually worked.
Once I read through the teacher's guide, I printed out the first few lessons in the student workbook. I had both Michael and Therese create a binder for this course. I loved how the first few lessons were more of an introduction. Students were able to "get their feet wet" in the whole writing thing, but not feel overwhelmed immediately at the start of the course. No complaining or tears! This section encourage both kids to figure out when they like to write, what they like to write about, and how to get started. Every child should be able to find at least one topic they enjoy writing about.
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Once I read through the teacher's guide, I printed out the first few lessons in the student workbook. I had both Michael and Therese create a binder for this course. I loved how the first few lessons were more of an introduction. Students were able to "get their feet wet" in the whole writing thing, but not feel overwhelmed immediately at the start of the course. No complaining or tears! This section encourage both kids to figure out when they like to write, what they like to write about, and how to get started. Every child should be able to find at least one topic they enjoy writing about.
Important writing steps are presented as skills to be learn. They are presented in a clear, concise way. The lesson are short and are easy to understand. Both Michael and Therese were able to read the lessons and work through the pages on their own. They did talk with each other a little bit, but they really didn't have any questions for me.
I loved how the first few lessons encouraged both kids to really look at themselves. The lessons asked the kids to discover what they liked and why. It stressed that they do have an opinion and they need to be able to discuss why they believe or not believe in a certain topic. This is amazing. How often have we heard "because I like it" as a reason. Kids need to know why they have a certain opinion and they need to back it up. This is a great skill to learn for writing, but even more important to learn for every day, real world life. I'm hoping this will help with book reports too. I swear both kids have included, "I liked the book because it was a good book." in every book report they've ever written. This drives me crazy.
WHY!!!!
Why did you like the book?
Give examples!
This course will help student figure this out, I hope. I'll have to keep you posted on how their papers improve!
What Did We Think of Jump In, 2nd Edition?
So far we have all enjoyed the lessons. We've taken a break for the summer, but both Michael and Therese will start back up with this writing course next fall. The lessons are simple, easy to understand. I can go over the writing lesson and then help the kids apply the skills they learn tho their English Literature or history papers. It's a win-win for everyone! By using this program, I know they will understand the scary world of writing and go on to be better writers!
Discover more about Jump In, 2nd Edition and all the other fantastic courses offered by
Writing with Sharon Watson.
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Till Next Time,
Monique
Monique
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Monique, thank you so much for your review of Jump In, 2nd Edition. I think it's smart of you to use it for two students at once. It's less work for you, and I think your son and daughter will occasionally discuss topics and get ideas from each other.
ReplyDeleteHave a great summer together!