Writing Tales: Level 1 and Level 2

Checking out this product was a really great opportunity for our family. While I love reading and feel comfortable with discussing literature and encouraging the love of reading in our studies I have to admit I feel grammar is a dry subject. Writing Tales Level 1 and Level 2 really addressed this issue for us in a fun, interesting way.

My DD grade 3 reviewed Level One which is geared to grades 3rd-4th.
Student Workbook is $19.95 188 pages, TE $24.95 388 pages.
We enjoyed all of the stories that range from fables to fairy tales. For instance, my DD liked the Princess of the Pea the best! Of course she is really into princesses right now. I have to say I really like the font in these books. It is large and spaced well which really helps her with her reading.  Each story works on copy work, vocabulary, grammar and composition. This level was right on for my 3rd grader. Each story is divided into about 10 lessons which introduce the skills mentioned above and then these skills were reinforced in her composition and practice/review pages. The practice pages are nice in that there are usually up to 7 problems to work on. The Princess and the Pea also worked additionally on the skill of use of quotations. Each story reinforces and different grammar concept like; 4 rules of sentences, capitalization noun, etc. WE liked that all of the skills were addressed without overwhelming her or giving her so much work she stopped trying. This was a hit for Mom and DD!

 My DS and I reviewed Level Two which is geared to grades 4th-5th.
Student Workbook is $24.95 294 pages , TE is $32.95 472 pages. My DS is a strong reader. He likes to narrate but he hates to write and grammar is a weakness. So while the set up of this workbook is the same as described above we focused more on learning the rules of grammar such as Memorize: An adverb is a word that "decorates" a verb, adjective or another adverb, this is an example from Aesop's The Boy Who Cried Wolf.  In this chapter we also focused helping him develop his outlining skills and then use them in composition. Then rewrite the story using his practice lists of synonyms, so two skills introduced and reinforced in his composition. He wrote a rough draft, used the writing checklist to review his draft and then was able to complete a final draft in simple, easy stages that were very manageable while still widening his skills. I have to say in all honesty that my son does not get excited about school books but this has been a hit for us too.
30 Lessons-30 Weeks-15 Models Studied-30 Stories Written!  Check out their sample pages too!

Contact Info: Amy Olsen
 info@olsenbooks.com
http://www.writing-tales.com/

Any products reviewed by me as a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew have been given to me free of charge in order for me to provide you with an honest review of the product and/or how I used the product within my family. I do not receive any other form of compensation for the reviews posted on this blog.