Writing With Skill, Level 1: Student Workbook (The Complete Writer)

Writing with Skill Student Workbook Level 1 is authored by Susan Wise Bauer. She is the co-author of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. Writing with Skill Level 1 is a companion to Bauer's text Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals. Please see my review of The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals for a comprehensive overview of the curriculum. Writing with Skill Student Workbook Level 1 is comprised of the following components: Introduction Overview of the Year's Sequence General Instructions Part 1: Basic Skills Week 1: Narrative Summaries Week 2: One-Level Outlines Week 3: Using a Thesaurus Part 2: Building Blocks for Composition Week 4: Chronological Narrative of a Past Event Week 5: Chronological Narrative of a Scientific Discovery Week 6: Chronological Narrative of a Past Event Week 7: Chronological Narrative of a Scientific Discovery Week 8: Description of a Place Week 9: Description of a Place Week 10: Description of a Place Week 11: Combining Chronological Narrative of a Past Event and Description of a Place Week 12: Scientific Description Week 13: Scientific Description Week 14: Scientific Description Week 15: Combining Chronological Narrative of a Scientific Discovery and Scientific Description Part III: Sentence Skills Week 16: Description of a Person Week 17: Description of a Person Week 18: Using a Metaphor to Organize a Character Description Week 19: Biographical Sketch Week 20: Biographical Sketch Week 21: Sequence: Natural Process Week 22: Sequence Natural Process Part IV: Beginning Literary Criticism: Prose Week 23: Hero/Villain, Protagonist/Antagonist Week 24: Hero/Villain, Protagonist/Antagonist Week 25: Supporting Characters Week 26: Idea Stories Part V: Research Week 27: Two-Level Outlining Week 28: Documentation Week 29: Writing from Notes: Chronological Narrative of a Past Event, Description of a Person, Description of a Place Week 30: Writing from Notes: Sequence: Natural Process, Scientific Description Week 31: Writing from Notes: Biographical Sketch, Description of a Person Part VI: Beginning Literary Criticism: Poetry Week 32: Sound Week 33: Meter Week 34: Narrative Part VII: Final Project Week 35: Finding and Researching Your Topic Week 36: Writing Your Final Composition Appendix I: Time and Sequence, Space and Distance Words/Phrases Appendix II: Points of View Appendix III: Literature Appendix IV: Poetry Works Cited Permissions First and foremost, of all the writing curricula I have perused as a homeschooling parent, the Writing with Ease: Strong Fundamentals series is superlative. The purpose of the curriculum is to prepare students for advanced work in rhetoric and composition. In theory, the curriculum is student directed, but in reality it is teacher directed. In addition to the student workbook, you will need to purchase a copy of the instructor text. The length of time for each lesson will vary based upon the student's as well as the parent's writing skills. As a gentle reminder, the purpose of curriculum is to serve the student and teaching parent. The author states the following in the curriculum introduction: You should feel free to adapt the assignments and pace to fit your student. Before attempting Writing with Skill Level 1, I would highly recommend the following language arts sequence from the Well-Trained Mind Press: First Language Lessons Grades 1-4 Writing with Ease Grades 5-8 Writing with Skill Grades 9-12 Overall, we have been pleased with Ms. Bauer's logical approach to writing instruction. Our child has transformed from being a reluctant writer into a confident writer.

This is an excellent series for children who are not intuitive writers. Bauer is incredibly perceptive about writing and breaks down the steps explicitly, providing practice for each skill in isolation. She argues that the strategy of teaching kids to write by having them write more is not working; we are only giving them more opportunities to write badly. Bauer's writing books provide very specific, concentrated practice in individuals skills. My son has thrived on them and is now in the 5th grade book. The Writing with Skill series is a continuation of what began with the Writing With Ease books. It introduces outlining. It also introduces a concept that I had never come across before: Topoi. A topos is a a specific way of approaching a topic. Examples include: a chronological narrative of a past event, a description of a place, cause & effect argument, or a description of a scientific discovery. There are many more, and Bauer gives very specific instruction on how to write the topos in the most natural, logical and captivating way possible. Her instruction is not vague or general; it is very helpful and meaty. I think, perhaps, she is even improving my own writing. My reluctant writer has so many focused opportunities for success that his self-image as a writer has sky-rocketed.

As a homeschool family we are always on the hunt for great curriculum...this hits the mark. My kids actually enjoy doing these lessons. I overheard one asking their sibling if they saw the days lesson yet, and commenting they really enjoyed it, 'wait till you see it, I really liked it'. Can't get any better than that. It really strengthens writing skills and continues to lay a strong foundation for critical thinking and observational reading. I love that the reading excerpts are from REAL literature...not made up stories to prove a point. Often they are from books they have already read, or better yet, other Susan Bauer books (which we love, such as Story of the World) really emphasizing spiral learning. Thanks for another home run Susan! I can see my children being extremely well prepared for college if you complete all the books in this series, I am thoroughly impressed and my children's writing is already showing improvement. For reference my children are in middle school.

I love the quality and the thoroughness of the workbook. However we are eclectic homeschoolers and not hardcore Classical training so keep that in mind. Personally I see this as a great way to progress from the Harcourt Family Learning Reading Comprehension workbooks. From the feel of this it is appropriate to start with if your child is at competent middle school grade reading level. It is designed for daily exercises (4 assignments per week) with mostly long passages and then step by step guidance to help your child acquire valuable writing skills. If you are more laid back you could do a day's lesson probably once a week. Not always exciting but one that will stay on my shelf because of the well written structure.

Bought this for our 8th grader in homeschool. When I got the book it was thicker than I thought it would be. When I read through it I think it is alot of material but written to the student in a way that breaks everything down into daily lessons. Lessons are a page or 2 long (sometimes 3) but directions are easy. The book is written as kind of "transitional" from parent-directed to student-directed and I liked that. YOU WANT TO PURCHASE THE TEACHER BOOK WITH IT to easily understand the text but it's written as a "helper guide" not as how to teach it. I really think we'll enjoy this book and it could be stretched over 2 years with all the material they give you. Definetely what I was looking for to be middle school grade level to continue to work on the skills she has and stretch her understanding in new skills. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

As I review this, I am only halfway through the text, but we like it so much, I didn't want to wait to share. If anything changes of my opinion, I will update it when I need to. I am a busy homeschooling mom, and I really like this curriculum as my sixth grade student does his work independently and then brings me the completed assignments. If he has trouble there are step by step instructions in the Instructor Text to help me help him, but most often he has no trouble. He has become more proficient in summarizing, outlining, using topic sentences, using a thesaurus, and writing compositions. He writes research based essays almost weekly. I love the way the source material or sometimes the "notes" from the resources are included so he can focus on constructing clear and logical essays instead of on hunting down material and taking notes. The latter is useful, but takes so much time that the former is most often slighted in a curriculum that focuses on the dreaded once a year "research paper." (There is an independent research paper at the end of the year, but by that time, I really think it will not be "dreaded" but something he will not struggle with and maybe even enjoy.) He does not fear research or writing of any kind because it has been introduced slowly in easy bites. I do recommend the Instructor's Guide as it has helped me keep up with his work and help him whenever the need arises.

We are not very far in, but the child is interested, learning, and his writing is improving.

OMG this is a great book and course. My 7th grader is going through it now. Nicely broken down for daily use. We are finding this so amazingly organized and devised. I honestly believe this should be in EVERY school. I don't write reviews. I want to thank the author for putting this book together. Huge impact on my son and so many exercises that it will take a year to work through--yet it will have tremendous impact on his organizing his writing. Bravo.

⸻ If you believe in the old-school approach to literacy—clear instruction, meaningful practice, and no fluff—this book is for your child. There’s no bling, no busywork, and no need for computer access. Just structured lessons, classic and engaging reading selections, and a scaffolded approach that supports every stage of learning—from active reading with text annotation to gradually layered writing tasks that promote metacognitive thinking and skill development. As an English teacher, I’ve seen pedagogical trends come and go. While technology has its place, it often complicates learning unnecessarily. This resource brings the focus back to the writer and the power of putting pen to paper. It’s exactly what our kids need—especially self-directed learners. Be warned: students used to passive learning might resist at first—there’s no fluff or shortcuts here. But it’s absolutely worth the effort. My previously reluctant 11-year-old writer, homeschooled and working through the Level One book, has improved from C-range grades to A-range in just a few months. It’s taken hard work, but the results speak for themselves. Highly recommended.

A Susan Bauer é uma escritora brilhante, e com bastante caridade nos conduz neste caminho. Os exercícios são direcionados à jovens que estão sendo iniciados na arte de escrever. Porém, como vítima do sistema de educação brasileiro busco de maneira independente corrigir muitas das falhas que consigo identificar em minha escrita. Susan tem sido minha guia neste processo.

excellent + thank you