Writing Tales ** TOS Review **

We were blessed to receive Writing Tales level one and two to review through the TOS Crew.
Writing Tales is a Classical Style Composition and Language Arts program. This program teaches children from approximately 3rd grade to 5th Grade.
Writing Tales lays the foundation your children will rely on to learn how to write successfully.

Writing Tales is split into 30 lessons each focused around a short story or fable. Each story is studied for two lessons and each lesson lasts a week.
The teachers manual clearly details what you should be doing each day of the week. The curriculum is very open and go and requires no figuring out when to do things on the teachers part.

Day 1 always starts with reading the story for the week. Then you will learn about the author of the story and discuss the story, main characters, the conflict and resolution. Then your children will retell the story to you orally.
Day 2 your student will work on copy-work and grammar.
Day 3 your student will work on vocabulary related to the story.
Day 4 your student will reread the grammar lesson and do practice grammar work.
Day 5 your student will write a rough draft retelling the original story in their own words.
**For clarity's sake I'm going to call the second week of the same story days 6-10.**
Day 6 your student will review the grammar lesson and reread the story.
Day 7 your student will work on spelling
Day 8 your student will have another grammar lesson and write their final draft adding their own creative touches.
Day 9 is more grammar
Day 10 the student will copy over their final version of their story and place it in a special place for safe keeping.

Some weeks their are also games or other fun activities but your student will consistently learn grammar, writing, spelling, vocabulary and do copy-work.

There is also another section in the teachers manual that lays out a plan for using this program in a co-op setting. It lays out what to cover in class and what to send home with your students as homework.

Our Experience:
I have used other writing programs and given up on them time and time again because they were just so confusing. Writing is not a strong point for me and teaching it up until now has been nearly impossible. This program changes all of that. It is simple, clear and concise. I am never left wondering what I should teach or how I should teach it. Writing Tales never requires me to spend hours trying to figure it out. Honestly I haven't even had to make a lesson plan. I open the book and do what it tells me to do, it's really that simple.
My children and I have enjoyed every story we have read and have all had fun using this program. No one sighs or moans when it's time to do writing and often they ask if we can do it first when I let them choose what order to do our work in. Best of all my dyslexic son is LOVING writing his own stories. This from the boy who avoids writing at all costs, the boy who would rather do anything else. Last week I told him he had to write his first two sentences and I would write the rest for him if he dictated it to me. He got so involved in his story that he forgot and wrote the whole thing himself!
Writing Tales will absolutely be a keeper for our family, I only hope the higher levels are finished before we need them.

Writing Tales is available here
Level one Teachers Manual is $24.95 and the Student Workbook is $19.95
Level two Teachers Manual is $32.95 and the Student Workbook is $24.95

But wait! Luckily the Writing Tales annual sale is coming up May 2nd through 9th and you can get writing tales for 20% off plus get free shipping, so if you are wanting to give this a try now is the time to do it!

To see what my crew-mates thought of Writing Tales visit the Crew Blog here 

I received Level One and Two of Writing Tales in exchange for my honest review of their product. No other compensation was received.