WriteShop is an award-winning homeschool writing curriculum using an incremental, step-by-step approach that breaks writing into manageable chunks and systematically builds skills from kindergarten through high school.
What is WriteShop?
WriteShop is a parent-directed writing curriculum developed by Kim Kautzer and Debbie Oldar, who created it while teaching homeschool writing classes in the late 1990s. Now published by Demme Learning (the company behind Math-U-See), the program has equipped homeschooling families since 2001. WriteShop's defining characteristic is its incremental "learn-practice-do" approach: skills are introduced in small pieces, practiced repeatedly, and built upon systematically. The curriculum emphasizes organizing thoughts before writing and self-editing afterward, giving students tools to improve their own work rather than depending entirely on parent corrections.
Key Takeaways
- Covers grades K-12 through three product lines: Primary (K-3), Junior (3-6), and WriteShop I & II (6-12)
- Uses scripted lessons requiring minimal parent preparation—truly 'open and go'
- Breaks complex writing tasks into manageable steps using graphic organizers and checklists
- Offers flexible scheduling with 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year completion options per level
- Video course available for WriteShop I with step-by-step instruction
The WriteShop Levels
WriteShop Primary (Books A, B, C) serves grades K-3 with hands-on activities, games, and parent-as-scribe options for beginning writers. WriteShop Junior (Levels D, E, F) bridges elementary and middle school, introducing five-paragraph essays by Level E and covering research reports in Level F. WriteShop I and II target grades 6-12, building solid foundations in descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive writing. The levels are skill-based rather than strictly grade-locked, so a struggling seventh grader might start with WriteShop I while an advanced fifth grader could do the same. The curriculum is cyclical, meaning important concepts reappear in later levels.
How Teaching Works
WriteShop requires significant parent involvement, especially in the early levels—expect 20-minute lessons three to four times weekly working alongside your student. The teacher's guide provides detailed scripts and schedules, eliminating lesson planning. Students learn through brainstorming activities, skill-building games, graphic organizers for planning, and self-editing checklists. The program excels at teaching students to organize thoughts before writing and systematically revise afterward. Many parents report success with reluctant writers and children with learning differences like dyslexia or dysgraphia, as the step-by-step structure removes the overwhelming "blank page" paralysis.
WriteShop vs. Institute for Excellence in Writing
Parents often compare WriteShop with IEW, another popular structured writing program. WriteShop provides ready-to-use lesson plans with predictable schedules; IEW requires parents to watch a 10-hour seminar and create their own lesson plans. WriteShop encourages creativity with varied topic options; IEW uses a more formulaic keyword outline approach where students rewrite existing paragraphs. Both teach strong word choices and sentence variety. WriteShop suits parents wanting structured lessons without extensive preparation, while IEW appeals to parents who want to deeply understand the teaching methodology themselves.
The Bottom Line
WriteShop removes the mystery from teaching writing by providing parents with exactly what to say and do. Its incremental approach particularly helps students who feel overwhelmed by writing assignments or who have struggled with less structured programs. The flexible pacing options accommodate different family schedules and learning speeds. While the program requires consistent parent involvement, the scripted lessons minimize preparation time. For families seeking a complete, organized writing curriculum that builds skills systematically and works especially well with reluctant or struggling writers, WriteShop delivers a proven solution with over two decades of homeschool success.
