Homeschool Writing Curriculum: Writer’s In Residence Review
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There is a new homeschool writing curriculum in town and I am pretty excited about it! Â It’s very different from the others out there that we have used and I am going to tell you why. Writers in Residence was created by Apologia, a company I have trusted and used for years.
This is a sponsored post in behalf of Apologia. I have been paid for my time writing this and received free product in exchange for the review. All thoughts and ideas are mine alone.Â
About Writers in Residence, a Homeschool Writing Curriculum
The Writers in Residence homeschool writing curriculum, by Debra Bell, is an all-in-one student text and workbook combined. We received a copy of volume 1, the apprentice level. This level is aimed at grades 4 and up and can be used with multiple levels of students at once.  It is a massive spiral bound book, nearly 600 pages!  The book has six units with each unit containing four individual modules. Each of the six units focuses on a different style of writing and features a model of the style from a professional writer. They read and study the author’s writing then use that model to inspire their own assignments. They call this level an apprenticeship because the learners are being exposed to professional writers and learning from their work.
The Six Units of Writers in Residence
- Unit 1, I Remember, Â focuses on writing sentences.
- Unit 2, I Imagine, teaches creative writing.
- Unit 3, I Investigate, teaches research writing.
- Unit 4, I Think, Â focuses on opinion essays.
- Unit 5, I Remember, teaches how to write an autobiography.
- Unit 6, I Imagine, teaches about writing short stories.
The program gives authentic writing tasks that are teaching kids to connect with the readers, help them master necessary writing skills, and prepare them for college writing by the end of the program. They give purposeful writing assignments that are meaningful to kids. Â These are writing assignments that your kids will want to save because they are memories of their lives and things that are important to them.
The concepts in the Writers in Residence book build on each other and the books should be done in order regardless of the age. The Writers in Residence program is meant to be done 3-4 times per week and has a suggested schedule with 128 days of learning. It could be expanded to be used 5 days per week for a lighter daily load.
Along with the different styles of writing, they are also teaching basics of grammar and vocabulary words throughout the lessons. They sprinkle in different concepts in creative ways. They also incorporate classic literature, too. It is a great mix of a variety of topics.
What We Like About Writers in Residence
- I love the fact that the whole curriculum is in one book. We don’t need to switch between different books for the lessons and the assignments. It is very easy to use.
- I love the focus on great authors. They talk about current authors as well as some of the greats from classic literature. It is such a perfect way to teach kids to be good writers.
- I like that it is mostly student led. I am a busy homeschool mom with multiple kids and I need things that my kids can do without a large amount of direction from me. This writing curriculum allows them to work independently!
If you are in the market for a homeschool writing curriculum, this one is definitely worth looking into! Â I hope this review helps you make your decisions easier!
I have a video of the inside for you to check out. Â I always wish I could hold and look through things before purchasing, so this will give you a little better view of it.
Want to see more homeschool language arts curriculum options? Â Check out my post full of some of the many choices available! Also check out my page on homeschool curriculum reviews.
