A Review of Writing Tales, Level 1 and Level 2 by Amy Hastings Olsen
Recently, Amy Olsen asked me to review her Writing Tales books. I have long been a language arts major, so I was excited to review her program for students in grades 3, 4 and up.
In Level One of Writing Tales, the student is introduced to classic children’s literature. The basis for a classical education is to expose young children to great writing examples. Through copywork and dictation, they learn to create their own writing projects. The true classical method does not include a creative side to the student’s writing, and Mrs. Olsen uses each story to teach various language arts concepts, such as grammar and punctuation, in addition to the copywork. And then she also includes a component for the student to rewrite the story in his or her own words.
In the teacher’s guide, you will have lesson plans for use in a homeschool setting, and she also includes lesson plans for use in a co-op setting. And she includes an answer key to the student workbook. And she has three appendices for have teaching resources, recommended resources, and game synopses.
I particularly like the student book, because it is spiral bound. This makes it easier for my students to open their book to the correct page. The Level One book was written with a 3rd grade student in mind, but you could use it with an older student, if he needed some remediation in writing. Or it could be used with an advanced 2nd grade student.
The level 2 book does not require that a student complete level 1 first. The stories are familiar classic stories, and we enjoyed the variety of stories offered by both levels. I have been looking for a writing program that fits our learning style for years, and I am pleased that Writing Tales seems to fit in with our style. It is easy to use, and it is enjoyable for the student. There are 30 lessons in each level.
You can find out more about both of these books at http://www.writing-tales.com/.
Reviewed by Tami Fox, independent reviewer
November 15, 2008
