Create Better Writers

      We received three books from Create Better Writers in e-book format which I was able to easily read on my Nook. My 7th grader participated in the writing activities. We started with How To Teach The Paragraph. The book provides five key points to address. I followed the first assignment recommendation and had my daughter write a paragraph about something she did this summer. That fit well into our slow introduction back to school. Emily was already proficient in 4 of the 5 points, so we quickly addressed those recommendations then moved on to the final topic. Available for $7.99 from their website, this e-book is recommended for grades 3 and up (all three of my children!)

     How To Teach the Five-Paragraph Essay is the second e-book in this series (17.95 or free with the purchase of their complete writing program.) It uses the lessons from the book above and builds on it for essays. Recommended for grades 4-12, this is useful with both girls and I'll be able to refer to it again next year for my son. 

     When following the directions in the next resource, you can see how this e-book can be useful for other subjects as well, such as science reports. 

This e-book includes an extensive resource section in the back: topics, assessment sheets, writing prompts, and forms for each assignment. 

     The Home School Writing Action Plan is a 54 page document that shares how the paragraph and essay lessons fit into the overall system. Instead of lessons for the student, this book was written directly to me (and other homeschool parents.) "Using the one simple trick from How To Teach the Paragraph, home school teachers will be able to guide their students all the way to the research report.  This is one system, purchased one time, that will give the home school teacher everything needed to have highly proficient writers." Who doesn't want their kids to be highly proficient, right? This is not a third part to the series pictured, but instead a tool for teachers to guide use of these products or even other writing curriculum that you have already purchased. The "road map" in this writing program progresses from the paragraph and sentence building to ACT/SAT practice. The information shared is useful with elementary through high school aged students, as the guide directs the parent to pace it appropriately for each level. The price of this program is one of its perks as it is less expensive than some other writing programs. The Home School Writing Action Plan e-book is $15.99.

Disclaimer: We received the above mentioned 3 E-books free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own. See what other crew members shared in their reviews at the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.