What does a creative/fun language arts program look like?

[tammyw]

I've ironed pretty much everything else out for what we're doing this year, aside from language arts. We are trying to work from the What your 2nd/3rd grader needs to know series right now (dd is 7.5) and I am just stumped on language arts. We just started All About Spelling, but aside from that I am not sure what would be good.

She is a fluent reader (currently on her THIRD time through Harry Potter books 1 to 3 (and she's upset I won't let her read further at this time)), but writing is not something she's really crazy about. She does like writing letters to her friends (we just moved) and I am going to try to do this regularly. *I* personally feel like I need something with a bit more structure because to be honest, things go more smoothly and I feel less stressed.

Have been reading here and it seems like almost everyone does either:

1. Michael Clay Thompson stuff (though I have no idea what books we'd even need in this area and find their web site a bit confusing)

OR

2. Writing With Ease.

with some recommending:

3. Brave Writer's Arrow

I am intrigued by Arrow because I love the philosophy behind it, but there is definitely a lot of copywork, and I worry/wonder if that would be boring/annoying to her.

Just hoping others have gone through this thought process and landed on something that they find to be really fun/creative/stimulating and makes them want to learn/write.

Last year we also did HWOT but are now caught up to the point where it would be time to do the cursive books next (which I am considering trying this year). Her handwriting isn't particularly neat, but I know that will come with time and practice. We just don't DO writing that often, which is another reason I need to implement more structure.

Any advice? I've been struggling with this for the past week and thought I'd put myself on the mercy of all the experts here

[mom2ponygirl]

We loved Michael Clay Thompson books. You would need Grammar Island level of books. This is a great curriculum for cuddling on the couch, reading together, and discussing. There are practice books for a little independent work. It is not a scripted curriculum, but one that you find your own flow. There is a yahoo group where people have posted the schedules that worked for them in the files section.

Grammar Island - for obviously, grammar
Sentence Island - beginning writing
Building Language - vocabulary
Music of the Hemispheres - poetry

If you want to add a literature component, look at the book series, What If the Wolf Were an Octopus? They are matched up to different reading levels and you can pick what fits by looking at the book lists on the site.

[tammyw]

Thank you so much for the help with suggestions for Michael Clay Thompson! Would we need both student and teacher manuals? Or just student manuals?