I must admit a bias. Because I have used the method suggested in Stories with a View for years with my own children, I highly recommend this resource. Why? It works! By observing and interacting with pictures and poetry, young writers are inspired to write interesting fiction.

In fact, Mrs. Davidson makes this method even easier to implement by offering discussion questions and suggested "story starters" to prompt the young writer. For example, with A Restful Tune (a painting about a shepherd boy playing a reed pipe) the questions include:

1. Describe where this scene takes place?
2. Who is the boy?
3. What time of day do you think it is?
4. What are the sheep doing while the dogs rest?

Paging through the various pictures, even the child most adverse to pen and paper should have something to say about these paintings. Some of them are truly amusing. In The Mouse by Giacomo Favretto, you can just imagine the young women squealing on the chairs at the thought of the mouse scurrying across the floor as the little boy tries to capture it in the corner.

Since younger children, preschool and kindergarten age, have very fertile imaginations, they too could use this resource, having the child dictate the story aloud. 79 pages might not seem like a lot of material at first, but as anyone who spends time writing knows, the writing process takes time and may drafts to create a polished final copy. There is more than enough material here to inspire the budding writer. Additionally, the suggestions and principles outlined here can be applied to stories, poems and paintings elsewhere too.

The Guide to Stories with a View includes an overview for the teacher, suggestions for how to incorporate this writing program into your language arts program, and directions on how to implement the program; including specific dialogue to guide and motivate the student through the writing process to a story that the student will be proud to keep in a "writing portfolio." If you have a reluctant writer, several story starters have been included in the guide for each painting or poetry selection. Your own writer may want to add some new ones to the list.

With my own children, I have mostly used pictures and picture books to stimulate them to write their own stories. Using poetry now adds another whole new dimension to draw on. With this resource, I don't have to look for paintings or poetry to inspire my children; I have it all in one place with questions to prime the writing pump. These attractive, full-color paintings and beautiful poems will stimulate great thoughts and interesting stories in even the most writing resistant child. You will be surprised by the results.

The 100 EL is a direct instruction program. This means that the teacher's dialogue is scripted. The sessions are designed to take 20 minutes per day. We found them to take 15 to 30 minutes a day. If it takes any longer, I recommend to stop using the program for a few weeks to let things "jell" then go back to it. I did this periodically with both children and they did not forget any of the previous material when we went back to it.

If your child is a cuddler and loves to be read to while sitting in your lap this is an excellent program. I often thought of our schooling not as home school but as lap school. I have a nephew who was not a cuddler and did not like to sit still and be read to. His mother tried this program on him and it was a constant battle which they soon gave up.

The 100 EL uses only itself (just a book), you and the child. There are no additional workbooks, tapes or other falderal to cost you money and waste time. It is extremely easy to use. Just sit down with your child, open the book and begin reading. There is no lesson planning involved. The sounds of the letters are taught first and the names are taught only at the end. This is consistent with recommended phonics teaching. By lesson 9 the child begins to sound out written words.

An example, the sound of m has already been taught, the sound of e has been taught, I quote,"1. Touch the first ball for me. I'm going to sound out this word. then you'll say it fast. (Point to ball under m). 2.What's the first sound I'm going to say. (Touch for two seconds). (Student should say mmm (release) Point to ball under e) What's the next sound I'm going to say? (Touch for two seconds) (student should say eee). 3. Return to first ball. My turn to sound it out. (Touch under m and e as you say "mmmeee" (return to first ball) Say it fast. (Slide quickly to end of arrow.) me. 4. (Touch first ball) You're going to sound out this word, then say it fast. Sound it out. Get ready (Touch under m and e as child says mmmeee without pausing between sounds. Repeat until firm.) (Return to first ball) Say it fast (Slide to end of arrow.) me". As you can see it uses a stimulus-response method.

It progresses quickly from words to sentences to stories (all contained in the book). By the end the student is usually reading on a solid 2nd grade level. With my first daughter we did the first half in kindergarten, the second half in 1st grade concurrent with another program (The Hewitt easy readers). My second daughter did it all in kindergarten. She is an exceptionally eager reader however and now, at 6 is reading books such as "Charlotte's Web" (her current favorite).

I follow up the 100 EL with The Writing Road To Reading used along with Teaching Reading At Home which is a supplement to TWRTR. It organizes the material so it is easier to use. The 100 EL is a good background for TWRTR in my opinion. I got the idea from Berquist's Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum.

Jonathan must go over Hemlock Mountain alone to borrow a large iron cooking pot from Aunt Emma. Jonathan's mother is preparing a meal for a cousin's christening party, and his father is very busy with springtime chores on the farm. Jonathan is concerned that he will cross paths with a bear, but he is reassured that there are NO bears on Hemlock Mountain. His adventure includes a visit with small woodland animals on his way up the mountain, a snack and nap at Aunt Emma's house, and an encounter with some large woodland animals on his journey back down the mountain. Some quick thinking provides a happy ending as Jonathan and his family discover that there really ARE bears on Hemlock Mountain.

Based on a tall tale described by the State Archivist for the state of Pennsylvania, this delightful story about an eight-year-old boy will appeal to boys and girls alike. The use of repetition and a rhythmic sentence structure make the story an excellent choice for a read-aloud for any age group. It is also suitable as a first "chapter book" for a newly-independent reader.

The Institute for Excellence in Writing, owned by a Catholic convert and home school father, teaches the "structure and style of writing" through live and video workshops. This program is used throughout Canada. As do other programs IEW teaches structure (organizing material for writing) so that the final written piece will be logical, but unlike most programs children are trained to do this by using the writings of good authors. The structure of writing is taught by having children read literature, outline the literature, narrate from their outline, then write their own piece. This eliminates the problem of what to write about and gives the child a "feel" for the flow of good writing. The first of the 5 videos shows the parent how to teach outlining and the beginnings of style. Style, that which makes for a sophisticated sentence as opposed to a "Dick and Jane" sentence, is not taught by most writing programs. IEW teaches style by providing children with a checklist of things that should be included in their writings. They are taught to include strong verbs, to change the part of speech with which they begin their sentences, to include clauses, and many other things all of which is taught in a systematic way which the child can easily grasp and remember because they have the checklist next to them. My children enjoy this program and have made great strides in their writing. This flexibility works in favor of individual differences, but figuring out a schedule was challenging at first. Unlike the Writing Strands program, IEW requires a good deal of parental involvement, especially in the beginning. The 5 video tapes can be rented for $80 or purchased for $130. While the initial outlay for IEW is more than other programs, it is the only one you need to teach writing through high school. This program teaches style and structure for: non-ficiton, critical essays (book reports), narratives, creative writing, writing from pictures, research reports. The IEW forces the child to write better sentences and use more descriptive words, which adults who read a lot tend to do naturally.