Take a Sneak Peek at Our Spring Releases!

Peace Hill Press has some exciting releases coming this spring! This is the only place you will be able to purchase these books before their public release.

Writing With Ease: Strong Fundamentals

$29.95

Susan Wise Bauer's new writing instruction book is part I of The Complete Writer series, a new three-book series helping you to take charge of your child's writing skills now.

Does your child struggle to write? And if so, do you know how to help?

Young students who learn to write well need one-on-one instruction—something which your child's classroom may not offer. In The Complete Writer series, Susan Wise Bauer turns every parent into a writing teacher. No experience is needed. Drawing on her fifteen years of experience in teaching writing, Susan lays out a carefully-designed sequence of steps that will teach every student to put words on paper with ease and grace.

This alternative plan for teaching writing combines the best elements of old-fashioned writing instruction with innovative new educational methods—and explains why so many writing programs fail.

Designed for elementary-aged writers and for older students who still struggle, Writing With Ease builds a sturdy foundation of basic skills for grades 1–4 (or levels 1–4 for the older student who needs more work) all in the same book. Diagnostic tests within the book will help the parent to determine where the child needs to start and which workbook the child will need. The workbooks will cover one grade each. The first two workbooks will be published this summer and Workbook 3 will be published in mid-2009. The fourth workbook will probably be published shortly after that.

The second installment in the series will be a book that covers writing for grades 5 -8 with workbooks for each grade. Writing with Skill is scheduled for publication by late 2009. Eventually, all 12 grades (levels) will be covered.

(Check out some questions and answers about Writing with Ease on The Well-Trained Mind Forums.)

We have started a pre-order list for Writing With Ease. To add your name to the list, send an email to preorders@welltrainedmind.com with your name and contact information. We will contact you for payment information when the books are available for shipment, mid-summer 2008. As a special offer for placing a pre-order with us, we will include a "Writing without Fear" CD, recorded during one of Susan's popular writing workshops, plus FREE SHIPPING on your Writing with Ease order.* Place your order by May 21st to take advantage of these special offers.

Sample pages available now!

Chapter 3 - Why Writing Fails

Chapter 4 - The Three Stages

Chapter 8 -Year 1, Weeks 1–3

Also available: Writing with Ease Workbook 1 and Workbook 2

$34.95 each

Used along with the core text, Writing with Ease, Workbooks 1 and 2 each provide every dictation assignment, comprehension question, and reading passage that you'll need for a full year of study.

Using passages and sentences from classic children's literature, Workbook 1 and Workbook 2 allow young writers to practice their skills while absorbing the style and grace of great authors. Charming illustrations by Jeff West add a visual element that will spark your child's imagination.

Workbook 1 will be available mid-summer. Workbook 2 will be available the end of summer.

We have started a pre-order list for Writing With Ease Workbooks 1 and 2. To add your name to the list, send an email to preorders@welltrainedmind.com with your name and contact information. We will contact you for payment information when the books are available for shipment. As a special offer for placing a pre-order with us, we will include FREE SHIPPING on your Writing with Ease Workbook order.* Place your Workbook 1 order by May 20th and your Workbook 2 order by July 17th to take advantage of this special offer.

Sample pages available now!

Year 1, Week 3 -Parent pages

Year 1, Week 3 -Student pages

How does the workbook help save time? The Writing With Ease text tells you what to do in order to train your young student; the workbook does it for you. For example, Year One outlines a program that teaches students to understand and summarize longer and longer passages, and suggests copy work that will progressively build skills in grammar. Week One provides the first copywork exercise (with instructions in how to guide the student as he or she develops copywork skills), the first narration exercise (Day Two), and then a second related copywork exercise (Day Three) and another related narration exercise (Day Four). The Writing With Ease text then directs you to follow the same weekly pattern for Weeks 2 and 3, choosing sentences from the student's history, science, and literature that contain proper names (the grammatical focus of this three-week segment).

If you wish, you can choose your own narration and copywork sentences. Or, if you choose to use the workbook, the narration and copywork will be provided for you.

First Language Lessons 4

$ 29.95

First Language Lessons is a scripted guide to grammar and composition that makes successful teaching simple—for both parents and teachers.

This volume, the fourth in the complete elementary grammar series, uses classical techniques of memorization, dictation, and narration to develop your child's language ability in the important, foundational years of language study. The text covers a full range of grammar topics, including parts of speech, punctuation, sentence diagrams, and skills in beginning writing and storytelling. Optional end units provide practice in dictionary use and letter writing.

Scripted exercises provide a flexible framework for each lesson. The innovative question-and-answer format makes grammar concepts perfectly clear, while the accompanying workbook makes it possible for busy parents and teachers to spend more time teaching and less time preparing. Designed to follow Levels 1–3, Level 4 can also be used as a first grammar text for older students.

Writing and speaking well—these skills are central to academic success. Help your young student achieve them with First Language Lessons.

We have started a pre-order list for First Language Lessons 4. To add your name to the list, send an email to preorders@welltrainedmind.com with your name and contact information by June 13th. We will contact you for payment information when the books are available for shipment, mid-summer.

The Student Guide will be available for $19.95 and will be shipping around the middle of June.

How First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease Work Together

First Language Lessons and Writing With Ease are designed to be used together. First Language Lessons covers grammar, punctuation, and mechanics; Writing With Ease covers actual writing skills. The two books are structured so that the exercises in Writing With Ease help to reinforce the concepts learned in First Language Lessons.

First Language Lessons does include dictation and narration exercises with some lessons. If you are using Writing With Ease, you may choose to skip these exercises in First Language Lessons (especially for a child whose fine motor skills are still developing). However, if your student needs additional practice in dictation or narration, the exercises in First Language Lessons can act as a supplement to Writing With Ease.

*Free shipping applies to Writing with Ease, Writing with Ease Workbooks, the bonus CD, and First Language Lessons 4 Student and Teacher guides only. Free shipping cannot be combined with other items.