Language Arts/Writing:  Grades 3 - 12
Write With The Best
Author:  Jill J. Dixon, B.S. Ed., M. Ed.
Publisher:  Diagnostic Prescriptive
For more information or to order: www.homeschoolingfromtheheart.com

"The focus of this program is to teach students to write descriptively, persuasively, and informatively through emulating the actual skills of masters of great writing. The goal of this program is to produce successful writers who know how to write effectively, who know how to proofread their work efficiently, and who know how to properly analyze great writing."

Jill Dixon uses these words to introduce her writing course, Write With The Best.  The course seems to be based on the methods of Charlotte Mason (though not stated by the author), teaching students to write by introducing them to great writers, by using dictation and sometimes narration, and by teaching grammar in the context of the student's own writing.

Write With The Best comes in two volumes, each in a three-ring binder. Volume 1 contains nine two-week units for grades 3-12. Each unit models and teaches a different writing genre, such as descriptive paragraphs, short stories, fables, and poetry. Volume 2 contains nine similar units, with more difficult literary passages for grades 6-12. Volumes 2 covers essays, outlines and note taking, critiques, newspaper articles, and more. The lessons in Volume 2 assume familiarity with the concepts, skills, and methods of Volume 1. While Volume 2 could possibly be used by itself, I would highly recommend having students complete Volume 1 first. Together, the two volumes are designed to be used over a full school year, but the author encourages parents to move at the student's pace and take as much time as is needed to master the material.

This course focuses primarily on writing, though some grammar is touched upon. The author suggests using augmenting with grammar (she suggests Daily Grams or Easy Grammar). You'll also need a dictionary, thesaurus, and an English handbook as student resources.

Each unit is based on a literary passage. A variety of authors are featured, from Cicero and Shakespeare to Dickens and Longfellow. For each unit, Mrs. Dixon has created interesting activities that break writing, literary analysis and grammar into manageable chunks for the student. She helps the student identify what makes a literary work "great".  Throughout the course, students are encouraged to make writing more vivid by using specific and descriptive words. Ultimately, the student produces writing that models the genre of the literary passage.  The variety and creativity of the lessons is so appealing that I've considered working through them along with my daughter!

In many of the lessons, Mrs. Dixon encourages students to pull writing topics from their other areas of study, such as history. The author also makes allowances for students to develop their writing in an ongoing fashion. For instance, the first three units have students writing descriptive paragraphs (object, place, character), and the fourth writing dialogue. If the student desires, he could refine the first four pieces of writing and use them together in unit five to write a short story.

However, the course does not simply contain lessons. For parents, Mrs. Dixon provides thorough instructions for using the curriculum, and gives recommended guidelines for evaluating and grading the student's writing. There are useful suggestions for adapting and augmenting the curriculum for the different learning styles. She has also supplied a list of alternative literary sources, so the course can be used again. This allows the student to review the concepts of each lesson, but use fresh literary passages.  This is a course that you will turn to again and again as your student matures and is able to handle more challenging literature passages and assignments.

Students are furnished with a helpful proofreading checklist for evaluating their own writing, which is an excellent way to reinforce basic grammar.  One of my favorite features of this curriculum are the "How to Write..." guides that appear in the back of the notebook. The author uses these guides to give students excellent step-by-step guidelines for different types of writing, from descriptive paragraphs and news stories to ballads and rhyming verse. The guidelines help the student develop a basic outline for their writing, and give helpful tips and reminders about the writing process.

Write With The Best is a strong, quality writing course. The students are exposed to writing by respected and loved authors, followed by meaningful activities designed to develop good writing. Activities are easily adaptable for both upper and lower grade levels, and the author has done a good job of equipping parents to use the curriculum and still be flexible and creative.  The student proofreading and writing guides are an invaluable resource that the student can use for all their writing, not just within the course. 

Visit their website to view the table of contents and more details about this wonderful program!

Making the Grade:  A+
Cost:  $34.95 per volume
Value for Your Homeschool Dollar:  10
Review provided by Marcy Schaller, homeschool mom of 2