Create Better Writers

$15.95 e-book

$19.95 softcover

Starting with The Homeschool Writing Action Plan, you will learn all the steps needed to create competent writers. This book presents teaching writing in three clear parts. This is the “big picture” of using the Create Better Writers program. It gives all the steps needed to teach writing, includes pacing charts, and a “Road Map” to implement each step.

$7.99 e-book only

How to Teach the Paragraph is the beginning step in teaching writing. It begins around the third grade and is the beginning step for all programs. The premise is that if a student can write a paragraph, they can write anything, from and essay to a report. This book teaches one simple trick to writing a paragraph, has the student practice this one trick and then proceeds to more advanced writing.

$17.95 e-book

$19.95 softcover

How to Teach the Five-Paragraph Essay contains a step-by-step plan for teaching students how to write a five-paragraph essay. With this book the teacher is given everything needed to help students organize, format and write a five-paragraph essay in about an hour. This book will prepare students for class, district or state writing tests.

All books and more are available from CreateBetterWriters.com

Pros

• Simple to use
• Use from Grades 3-12, nothing else to buy
• Basic supplies needed, pencil, paper, printed worksheets (included)
• Only requires approximately 15-30 minutes each day
• Moves at your child's pace

Cons

• Teacher intense
• Written to the classroom teacher

This product had mixed reviews in our family. For Sarah and Ben, the format of Create Better Writers worked very well. It is a no frills, teacher-led program. Sarah and Ben have no problems with this format. Sarah, 15, worked on writing a Five-Paragraph Essay while Ben, 10, started with Paragraph writing.  Both of them have progressed quickly and like the pacing of the program.

Rebekah had more trouble with this program. She is 9 and has previously been introduced to writing paragraphs. She did fine with learning the five parts of the paragraph. She could recite them to me when asked. When we moved on to the Pre-writing activity, she had a bit more trouble. She quickly became distracted with the  process and drew pictures out of her pre-writing oval.

When it came time to actually write the paragraph, Rebekah could not understand how to take the information out of the pre-writing oval and put it in paragraph form. It just seemed liked an overwhelming task to her and she had one of her infamous (as least in our family) meltdowns.  I decided it was not worth the effort or frustration at this time and have not used it since with her. My thoughts are this program uses some abstract thinking skills that Rebekah has not developed fully yet.

Make sure to visit the Crew Blog and read what others thought about the Create Better Writers program. Click on the banner above to read all the reviews.

Disclaimer:  As an Independent contractor for The Old Schoolhouse and member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew I received 3 e-books  for free from Create Better Writers in exchange for my honest review of their product.  All opinions given are mine and/or my children’s