As I said in an earlier post, this isn’t really a writing curriculum–it’s a composition curriculum. Writing is a process, while a composition is a product. In the advanced writing and editing modules of Book 3, your students will experiment with how to produce the best possible product–a composition for someone else to read.

Now that students know how to produce a finished composition, they will be invited to explore the writing process and to personalize it. By the time your students finish the advanced and editing module (level 3–ensuring that all parts of the composition are unified, orderly, and cohesive), they will have created a personalized writing and editing process that suits their own needs and writing preferences. Some writers like to create good outlines before writing, while others like to freewrite and let the thoughts flow. Both processes work, as long as good editing results in a readable composition. Your students will feel more confident with higher level writing assignments because they understand their own writing and editing processes.

Parents will be able to link many of the writing assignments to whatever books students are reading for school, so the writing feels relevant and related to other subjects. As in earlier books, optional suggestions for creative narrations and commonplace-keeping are included.

The final module in Book 3 is an introduction to creative writing. It’s meant to be enjoyable and to give your students a change to explore writing stories and poetry. Because the course is flexible, you might even choose to use some of the creative writing lessons as a break from the heavier work of the advanced writing modules.