The WriteShop Junior Book F Set is an all-inclusive program that comes with all of the pre-printed materials that you need in order to do the scheduled activities. The only digital component is the optional Junior Writer’s Notebook 2. This program is intended for students in fifth-sixth grade, or for seventh graders who have had little or no formal writing instruction. This printed bundle is available for $111.95 on the vendor’s website.

I have a fifthgrade student who has ADHD and who struggles with the physical act of writing, as well as with the focus and attention needed to see a story through to completion. This can make it difficult to use many writing programs that assume a student is more “typical.” What I like most about this program is that it turns each step of the writing process into many baby steps, and it does so in a really fun and engaging way! Many of the activities are also done orally rather than writing them down, and the teacher’s manual suggests acting as your child’s scribe if physically writing is a deterrent to their writing process. That was such a relief to hear! And the manual also gives some tips on selecting the right level for your child. I wasn’t sure where to begin in the program because of these developmental issues, but the instructions tell you to select the level based on the child’s cognitive ability and not on their physical ability to write. This is important so that the assignments and illustrations aren’t perceived as being too babyish for their age. That left me feeling confident that Book F was going to be the right starting place for him. 

Suddenly, writing is no longer a “chore” or dreaded assignment, but instead, this program places more attention on the creativity side of the process. It truly teaches a child how to get his or her ideas out of their head and onto the paper in a cohesive way. But it does this through fun activities and games that don’t feel like the typical, boring, and sometimes daunting writing process. In addition, it teaches and reinforces basic grammar alongside the writing assignments, making it a comprehensive language and writing program.

The teacher’s manual is quite thorough. It’s important to take the time to read it and become familiar with the layout of each lesson. It is your guide! It tells you everything you need to do to prepare the lesson, which materials you’ll need from the pre-printed packs, and it even includes a scripted lesson that tells you what to say and how your child may respond. For a less-than-confident instructor, this helps you come across as confident to your student and helps you to know if your student is understanding the lesson based on his or her responses. When it comes to the actual writing projects, there are also variations suggested in the manual, both for those reluctant students who may not be ready for writing a typical essay or story and for the accelerated learner who can expand their writing further or write in a more structured format.

The Time-Saver Pack includes pre-printed materials on colored cardstock paper that includes what you’ll need for activities like card games and manipulatives used in the writing process. You’ll need cut up the pieces in many cases, but the cutting lines are clearly printed for you, and the teacher’s manual will let you know if you need to prep these materials before a lesson.

The Activity Pack includes the Student Worksheets and the Fold-N-Go Grammar Pack. The worksheets can be reproduced for multiple students within your household, which can save you in the long run when teaching more than one student. The Fold-N-Go Grammar Pack has handy grammar reference pages printed on brightly colored paper that you stack and attach inside file folders for easy reference. They include pencil activities that check to see if your student understands each rule, as well.

This program will have your child brainstorming, journaling, editing, revising, and practicing important skills like adding dramatic voice, using descriptive language, and much more. This particular level will cover many types of writing, including adventures, tall tales, mysteries, historical fiction, limericks, persuasive letters, personal narratives, summaries, responding to literature with opinions, and nonfiction reports. That’s a lot of ground to cover! The manual provides you with two suggested schedules to use that follow a predictable routine, but it’s easy to adapt to whatever fits your pace. The most common schedule is one lesson broken out into nine school days over a period of three weeks. With ten lessons in total, that allows you to complete the program in thirty weeks. 

I’m very impressed with the way this program makes writing so much less intimidating for my son. He went from wanting nothing to do with writing to being actively involved and even excited about coming up with ideas. The story starters and idea cards that the student can mix and match really help to get the creative juices flowing, and many of those aids can be used over and over again just for fun and extra practice! I think you’ll be surprised, and quite possibly as relieved as I was, by what this program can do for your children.

-Product review by Kelly Burgess, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, October, 2018