Choosing A Homeschool Writing Curriculum: Programs For Success

Choosing a homeschool writing curriculum can be a daunting task for any home educator, whether you are brand new or a seasoned one.

Today here at The Curriculum Choice we’re sharing our favorite tried and true homeschool writing programs that span many ages.

Homeschool Writing Curriculum Options

There are plenty of choices available to home educators when it comes to homeschool writing curriculum. How do you know where to start? What program or system will work for my children?

I have asked myself these questions too many times to count over the past 17 years that I’ve been teaching my kids at home.

But there is hope for you all, because we have a nice line-up of ideas for you here all in one place!

Creative Writing Made Easy – The Zany Zoo Adventures writing guide is packed with information about how to create a whole Zoo City, it has been quite an adventure so far. There are twelve easy lessons with a handout or worksheet to accompany each lesson. The lessons build upon each other for a great final result. Creativity is stressed over the drudgery of grammar, and giving praise all throughout the writing process will propel your student into the writing pool with enthusiasm, and not to mention fun!

Writing & Rhetoric Book 7: Encomium & Vituperation – This is the seventh book in the Writing and Rhetoric series and the first time for us using this program, so I chose to start my new freshman with this level for a bit of review and to introduce him to this style of using rhetoric within the writing process. We are using this program in addition to our regular weekly written narrations, and other writing that I have my freshman do for some of his different subjects. We are finding it to be a a nice balance in our school week.

Why We Love Writing with Ease – The program was created and published in 2008 by Peace Hill Press as part of the growing resources available to parents who enjoy following the teaching ideas set forth in The Well-Trained Mind, also by Susan Wise Bauer. We like to infuse many different aspects of the Classical teaching model into our learning and this series has allowed my elementary and middle school children to gain confidence and necessary skills towards becoming proficient writers, a little at a time.

From The Curriculum Choice Archives

At The Curriculum Choice we have shared tips for homeschool writing curriculum. Be sure to browse the tabs above to find related reviews. You might also enjoy these that we’ve selected from our archives.

Homeschool Writing Curriculum Reviews

The Curriculum Choice authors have active blogs where they regularly offer ideas and experiences about their homeschool adventures. Below are some of their experiences with homeschool writing curriculum.

From Eva at EvaVarga.net

We have been homeschooling since my kiddos were toddlers. We have thereby used a wide range of curriculum materials both available for purchase and materials I have put together myself using free resources I have found online and at the local library.

My children are now in their final years of compulsory education. My daughter is sophomore in high school and taking the majority of her courses at the community college via dual enrollment. My son is entering 8th grade and is yet homeschooling under my tutelage.

Here are a few of our favorite middle school writing resources:

Cover Story Opens Doors and Builds Bridges – Creating their own magazine has been one of the most revered long-term projects in which my kids have taken part. The variety of writing assignments in Cover Story combined with a compelling yet challenging goal of publishing their own magazine have opened doors for future opportunities and built bridges between generations.

Middle School Etymology with King Alfred’s English – History has always been one of my children’s favorite subjects. With King Alfred’s English, my daughter discovered a passion for etymology or the origin of words.

Rediscovering the Lost Art of Parsing: Learn with Diagrams – When the kids were younger, we had done a little diagramming with Writing With Ease and Writing with Skill. However, the programs I had selected for junior high and high school lacked this component. When I discovered Learn with Diagrams, I knew immediately it was just the product I was looking for … challenging, comprehensive, and most of all, fun!

From Tricia at Hodgepodge

With our classical base of Tapestry of Grace, we get weekly practice with writing – of all styles – that matches the topics of our studies. I love how it all weaves together.

Fun Writing with Tapestry of Grace – Yes, I said fun writing. Because the weekly writing assignments (and rest assured, we don’t get to them every week) are different. They are challenging. They are fun. The topics match what we are studying and the grade/age level. All rolled in with what we are studying so it is not such drudgery.

Writing Workshop for Multiple Ages – Sometimes in our homeschool we just need to focus on a certain subject. I’ve mentioned this strategy in When You Need to Catch Up. This week it was writing. So, rather than say, “Children, write!” I decided we would call this week a Writing Workshop. Something about a workshop makes it a little more fun, don’t you think? A workshop implies all sorts of things and reminds me to pull out all the resources.

We’ve had weeks of studies on writing, learning the how tos of journaling, biographies, poetry and essays. And we’ve used both Tapestry of Grace writing assignments and Writing Aids as well as Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). The IEW student writing workshops equipped us with new writing skills and ideas. IEW also helped me as the teacher, to see how I can help my children get over a hump, find key words and brainstorm.

Writer’s in Residence – Teaching writing in homeschool can definitely be overwhelming. However, Apologia’s Debra Bell has a brand new curriculum, Writers in Residence, to help with just that. This fantastic resource is not only a homeschool writing resource but a writing focused language arts curriculum. No more overwhelm!

From Heidi at Starts At Eight

Starts At Eight Writing Curriculum Favorites

Writers in Residence is still one of my favorite writing curriculum options for late elementary and middle school age kids. The text is spiral bound which makes it so easy to lay flat and use. There are two levels covering various styles of writing, including poetry! There is help for the mom whose teaching it in the form of Suggested Daily Schedules and Grading Rubrics.

WriteShop – As my kids got a little bit older, late middle school into high school, I really oved WriteShop. There are multiple levels with a placement test to help you choose. And beyond the workbooks there is a video component as an add-on if you so desire.

20 Top handwriting Resources for Your Homeschool

This collection of Homeschool Handwriting Resources is designed to help you teach your children to legibly write in print or cursive.

20 Top Handwriting Resources – includes both print and cursive options

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Language Arts

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum – Looking for a Homeschool Language Arts curriculum that suits your family’s needs? Need just a spelling or writing program? This list is sure to have what you are looking for! This list contains full homeschool language arts curricula, as well as resources for reading/literature, writing, spelling, grammar and handwriting.

The Curriculum Choice Review Team Features

Our homeschool writing Pinterest board.
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~ Originally published September 2017, Hosted by Meredith