The reviews back up the Clear Water Press approach to Language Arts!
Here is a sample of reviews parents and homeschool publishers have written about Clear Water Press programs. Scroll for links to even more.
Julie, of Julie Naturally, reviews Clear Water Press for students with learning differences
“When I found these writing programs, I couldn’t believe it. It was as though the author had read my mind! . . . Students learn how to not only write well, but how to write so people care. I was so thrilled that these programs aren’t about writing the college essay or the scholarly research paper. While students do learn about essays and longer works, the focus is on writing pieces that regular people can’t wait to read. And, students produce real writing projects—a novel, a magazine, or a newspaper.
“You see why Clear Water Press is perfect for special students? Real projects, stealth learning through professionally produced theatrical (but very educational) video lessons that teens love, and it’s taught by a real, award-winning author!
“I loved [these programs] so much, I wrote a whole blog post about it!”
Many special students use our programs and we have only heard good things. Julie’s review specifically addresses using our programs with special students with ADD, Asperger’s, regulation issues, and Sensory Processing Disorder.
Carrie Fernandez of Homeschool Giveaways
“The thing I love most about all of Clear Water Press curriculum sets is the amazing cinema-quality of the video lessons. After homeschooling for over a decade, I have viewed many curricula that includes video instruction and Clear Water Press’ DVD lessons are far superior to most that we have seen. Quite honestly, most other video lessons are cheesy, outdated, and bore my kids to tears. Not so with these sets!”
Cathy Duffy Reviews
“Wonderfully creative . . . The delivery and learning methods are so different that even reluctant writers are likely to enjoy the process.”
“Stories that students write in this course are likely to be much more sophisticated than one would expect from high schoolers since students learn about advanced techniques.”
“Byline is very creative. It draws students back into the historical past with intriguing stories and fascinating biographies of personalities. It then uses those effectively as springboards to essay writing. I expect that most students will very much enjoy this approach for learning to write essays.”
Jen Creel reviews Clear Water Press programs for co-op
A trained teacher and homeschool mom of three, Jen has taught our programs in a large co-op for ten years. She homeschooled all the way through, and all her kids took The One Year Adventure Novel, Cover Story, Byline, or Other Worlds—one of them took them all; OYAN multiple times! Jen shares her experience teaching our programs in a co-op setting . . .
He thought for a minute and said, "I wouldn’t have thought last week that I could do that!"
My son is very creative, funny, intelligent, but . . . writing has always intimidated him. He could create funny scenes and stories orally but the minute it was time to start actually writing he would freeze. Well, I have to share: he has been working on the second short story. He finished it yesterday and he enjoyed working on it so much it ended up being 8 pages. He was SO proud of himself! He printed a copy to show to one of his friends, who read it and told him he could be a serious author. He was delighted that he created something like that.
I asked him, “Would you have thought a year ago that you could write that much that well?” He thought for a minute and said, “I wouldn’t have thought last week that I could do that!” I recommend Cover Story for reluctant writers because mine has turned from a reluctant writer to a confident one in the course of 60 lessons!!
– Maggie M.
In the words of my daughter and two sons who are using OYAN for the current school year, this is the best English curriculum ever!
Though all three were formerly reluctant writers, my teens are now joyfully engrossed in creating their first novels while independently honing their writing skills; amazed, I am enjoying the ride. Equally amazing is the depth of understanding The One Year Adventure Novel has brought to my family’s appreciation and understanding of English literature. Dinner table discussions will never again be the same at our house.
– Susan M.
As a homeschooling mom with a MA in creative writing trying to teach reluctant writers to express themselves, Byline is a miracle-worker!
Byline is the second Language Arts curriculum we have used from Daniel Schwabauer, and I absolutely love it, as do my 7th and 9th grade boys. Writing and composition can be very daunting for young people, because they don’t understand that it’s a process of writing, editing, critiquing, rewriting, perfecting, and publishing. Byline helps them to realize this process and the steps involved, so that a 700-word essay isn’t so scary. The lessons are presented in an entertaining way, and the supplemental reading and podcasts are excellently chosen.
My kids are learning how to do research and find those interesting details that make “a story” instead of just an essay. They are finding their voices and enjoying the process. Byline makes writing fun!
– S. McPherson
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