Brave Writer
Updated on July 10, 2023
This review was written by Manisha Snoyer, the founder and CEO of Modulo, a company that provides resources and support families who are homeschooling their children. With over 20 years of experience as a teacher, Manisha has instructed over 2,000 children of all ages and abilities in three countries and 18 subjects. She has tutored at some of the best private schools in the world and throughout the NYC public school system. Manisha graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis University.
Brave Writer is a homeschool writing curriculum that offers both homeschool lessons for self directed learning, and more structured online classes. Brave Writer offers both homeschool curriculum and structured online classes for all grade levels. The online classes are each three weeks in length such that you can build a semester with topics of your choice. Brave Writer is designed to cultivate a love of writing while developing the writing skills necessary for college and beyond. After homeschooling her own 5 children Julie Bogart created Brave Writer with the mission of empowering parents to teach their kids, not only the basic structures and technical aspects of writing, but how to bring to life their thoughts on the page. Brave Writer has separate curriculum's designed for different students of all ages. Depending on how involved the parent wishes to be in the process, parents can choose between independent curriculum, and online classes with an instructor. Brave Writer's homeschool curriculum is a great choice for parents who are ready to be very involved in the learning process and who wish to have a more free form curriculum. Brave Writer's online classes are a good choice for parents who don't have as much time to spend working with their kids and planning lessons. If you don't want online classes, and are looking for a homeschool curriculum that tells you what to teach each day, Brave Writer is not a good choice for you. Brave Writer is very flexible and allows the child to grow and learn in the way that is best for them; however, this means that it is a fairly heavy workload for the parent as it is up to you to decide what to teach when.
Grades: k-12th
Cost: Online classes tend to be around 100-200$ per three week class, and year long homeschool curriculum bundles tend to be between 100-200$ as well.
Key features of Brave Writer
Brave Writer is a homeschool writing program developed by Julie Bogart, a home educating mother of five. The program is designed to teach writing by focusing on the natural development of a child's writing voice. As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, here are some of the key features of the Brave Writer program:
1. **Flexibility:** Brave Writer is designed to be adaptable to the individual needs, abilities, and interests of each child. This flexibility allows for personalized education plans.
2. **Emphasis on Natural Learning:** The program emphasizes a natural, organic approach to learning. It encourages children to find their unique writing voice through self-expression, creativity, and exploration of language.
3. **Writing Projects:** Brave Writer uses a project-based approach to writing, which helps children learn writing skills in context rather than in isolation. The projects include various writing forms such as essays, reports, stories, and more.
4. **Literature-Based:** Brave Writer's curriculum integrates a wide variety of literature and reading materials, enabling children to improve their writing skills through exposure to good writing.
5. **"The Writer's Jungle":** This is the core teaching text for parents in the Brave Writer program. It provides detailed teaching tips, project ideas, and the philosophy behind Brave Writer.
6. **Language Arts Program:** The Brave Writer Language Arts program, also known as "The Arrow" and "Boomerang," provides monthly literature-based language arts curricula that incorporate copywork, dictation, grammar, and literature study.
7. **Online Classes:** Brave Writer offers a variety of online classes taught by trained instructors for different age groups and focusing on various aspects of writing and literature.
8. **Poetry Teatime and Freewriting:** Two additional unique components of Brave Writer are Poetry Teatime and Freewriting. Poetry Teatime encourages children to enjoy and appreciate poetry, while Freewriting encourages regular, unstructured writing to promote creativity and self-expression.
9. **Inclusion of Parent-Child Relationship:** The Brave Writer philosophy emphasizes the importance of the parent-child relationship in the learning process. The program encourages parents to engage with their children as partners in learning, rather than merely instructors.
Please check the Brave Writer website or contact Brave Writer directly for any updates or changes that may have occurred after 2021.
Pros and Cons of Brave Writer
Based on the provided chunks, I can identify the following top 5 most mentioned pros and cons of Brave Writer:
Top 5 Pros of Brave Writer:
1. Emphasizes a philosophy of writing: Many parents appreciated the philosophy behind Brave Writer, which focuses on nurturing a love for writing and encouraging self-expression rather than rigidly following a set curriculum.
2. Provides a variety of free resources: Brave Writer offers a wealth of free resources, including YouTube videos and podcasts, which were highly praised by parents as valuable tools for implementing the approach without purchasing the full curriculum.
3. Supports creative writing: Brave Writer was often mentioned as a program that encourages creative writing and helps students explore their imagination and personal voice.
4. Offers flexibility and adaptability: Parents appreciated the flexibility of Brave Writer, as it can be adjusted to suit individual learners' needs and interests. It allows for customization and tailoring to each student's writing journey.
5. Fosters a positive writing experience: Many parents mentioned that Brave Writer helped their children develop a positive attitude towards writing, making it a more enjoyable and engaging experience.
Top 5 Cons of Brave Writer:
1. Can be overwhelming: Some parents expressed feeling overwhelmed when initially starting with Brave Writer, particularly due to the amount of information and resources available. It may take time to fully understand and implement the approach.
2. Lack of structure: While the flexibility of Brave Writer was appreciated by some, others felt that the program lacked sufficient structure and clear guidance, which made it challenging for them to follow and implement effectively.
3. Mixed opinions on the program: There were varying opinions on Brave Writer, with some parents loving it and others finding it ineffective for their children's writing needs. It seems to be a program that either resonates strongly with families or does not meet their expectations.
4. Not suitable for all learning styles: A few parents mentioned that Brave Writer's approach may not align with the learning style of all students. Some learners may require more structure or explicit instruction in certain writing skills.
5. Steep learning curve for parents: Some parents noted that Brave Writer requires a significant investment of time and effort from the homeschooling parent. It may take time to become familiar with the philosophy, resources, and strategies associated with Brave Writer.
Please note that these pros and cons are based on the information provided in the chunks of comments and represent the opinions and experiences shared by parents in the Facebook group. Individual experiences may vary.
OTHER DETAILS
Key features
Type of Tool: Textbook
Time required: Brave writer homeschool curriculum allows you to go at your own pace. For more structure Brave Writer offers online classes that are each 3 weeks in length.
Special Needs:
Literacy Requirement (does a child need to know how to read):
Screens
Screens: Screens are optional
Online requirement:
Time
Parent/Caregiver Involvement: Parent/Teacher/Caregiver Involvement is necessary
Prep Time: Prep time is dependent on wether or not the parent chooses to enroll students in accompanying online classes.
Other characteristics
Modality: Visual
Adaptive: Yes, it includes personalization
Educational Philosophy: Not really, doesn't seem to be influenced by a particular educational philosophy
Other characteristics: Hands-on, Self-directed learning, Inclusive of diverse viewpoints and perspectives, Fun and entertaining
Accountability
Assessment: Assessment of the students quality of writing is done primarily by the parent, or by instructor in an online class.
State Standards: No
Teacher Accounts:
Read Reviews: https://www.secularhomeschool.com/content/773-brave-writer-reviews/
GET Brave Writer
