Dear Carrie
My daughter will be doing the Heart of Dakota World History guide next year. I like everything about it, but she is interested in creative writing. Should I substitute a creative writing program in place of Essentials in Writing? We thought about The One Year Adventure Novel. However, it’s a full English credit. So, I would have to figure out how to adjust the HOD schedule for English II’s dictation, grammar, and literature. I really don’t want to do that! I like the beauty of my daughter and I opening our guide and following it each day. How can I my daughter do a creative writing program without altering the rest of the English II credit, Carrie? Thanks!
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Advise How I Can Do Creative Writing with My Daughter in High School”
Dear “Ms. Please Advise How I Can Do Creative Writing with My Daughter in High School,”
We are excited for you to use World History with your daughter! I just wanted to let you know that we do schedule creative writing in high school. It is in the US1 Guide using In Their Sandals. My son is using – and loving – the program this year. So, the creative writing is coming!
Your daughter can choose her own topics in EIW, and then build on that foundation in US1’s ‘In Their Sandals’ creative writing.
I would advise you to wait to do the creative writing course until the US1 Guide. Your daughter will need the foundation that is laid in EIW to do many of the assignments in other subject areas in the coming HOD guides. EIW lays a terrific foundation in a variety of needed writing skills and types of writing. My older two sons are both creative writers at heart. They both truly enjoyed EIW. Just be sure to allow your daughter to choose her own writing topics for the lessons, within reason. That will spur her interest in what she is writing!
EIW’s writing skills prepare students well for college level writing.
Even if you have already done EIW in the World Geography Guide, you’ll find the WH Guide year of EIW really cements those writing skills and makes them more second-nature. With my sons in college right now, they are continually thankful for the foundation from EIW. The writing output they are required to submit weekly for their coursework draws heavily on the writing practiced in EIW. There is little to no creative writing in college.
EIW is planned twice weekly, alternating with grammar, which keeps the total time it takes to do the English II credit balanced.
The One Year Adventure Novel is also quite an intense, time-consuming program that would add more time to your daughter’s day than we are planning for EIW to take (doing it twice weekly alternating with grammar). I spent quite a bit of time looking at the One Year Adventure Novel for my own oldest son when he was in high school, and I was surprised with how much time the daily expectations would take to complete! You could always consider having your daughter do the One-Year Adventure Novel partly in the summer if desired. So, creative writing is coming! Your daughter will get to enjoy it next year in US1!
Blessings,
Carrie
