Question for IEW users

[Melissa in PA]

We are using IEW for the first time this year.  While we definitely see the benefits and the program has been fun for the non writer in my house, we are also a little frustrated by the restrictions.  At times, my 5th grader is working so hard at adding dress ups or avoiding banned words that her sentences become awkward.  So, while it has made our writing time more enjoyable, I feel like it is having a negative effect on learning to write smooth, fluid sentences.

 

If you have used the program and have a solution or thought about this problem, I would love any feedback.  I don't want to be too quick to abandon the program, but I also want to be encouraging the formation of fluid sentences.  Please feel to share and positive or negative thoughts about the situation.  I really need some help thinking through whether this can continue to work for our family.

 

I should also add that since we are taking online IEW classes (which we really love), we really don't have the option to leave out any of the banned words/dress ups.  While my kiddo LOVES her IEW class and I am thrilled with how it has gone, I'm not so thrilled with the fact that she is less concerned about fluid sentences and more interested in getting all the points by adding in her dress ups/banned words.  : (  The online class has been wonderful--great teacher, good accountability, easy to institute, and no complaints from a grumbly 5th grader!  Our only problem is the awkward sentence formation.

 

Thanks for any advice!

[OneStepAtATime]

I know that somewhere there was a thread regarding IEW where someone posted some great ideas for modifying it to keep those issues at bay (and probably several threads).  I can't remember what board but maybe you could do a search.  There are a lot of threads regarding IEW.  Some find it a very clunky curriculum for teaching writing but many have found it extremely helpful if approached with a bit of flexibility.  It is a somewhat controversial curriculum with people on both sides of the fence sometimes feeling really strongly for or against.  If you do a search you find some kind of heated past discussions.  Just dig through until you find someone who is using IEW successfully that has posted details of how they are implementing it.  Those may be the most useful to you at this point.  I have not used it myself but am seriously looking into it for next year.

[Mrs Twain]

I think of IEW like drill--the checklists make students learn new skills.

 

I have my kids alternate IEW weeks with another writing program or assignments I make up in which I don't use a checklist. On those off-IEW weeks, I encourage my kids to utilize the IEW skills they have learned even though there is no requirement. The result has been more fluid writing while still learning the IEW skills. Also, I think the variety of assignments is more enjoyable than doing the same program week after week.

[arcara]

Since you're in the online class, is it possible for you to talk to the instructor about your concerns?

[mom31257]

Does the instructor evaluate the writing but not give advice? I like the checklists for grading but I still point out to my son things which could be better.

[matrips]

Have you watched the TWSS? Pudewa did say this would likely happen, and always cautioned, hands on structure and style, hands off content when you start teaching it. In the beginning, it is not natural to add dress ups, so they can come off forced or strange sounding. He said be okay with that. As they get used to writing with structure and style and it starts becoming second nature, the writing will go more smoothly and you will see less and less of those awkward sentences.

[foxbridgeacademy]

We've only recently started IEW so please keep that in mind.  I'm having DC do the outlines then write their paragraphs.  Then they go through and find replacements for banned words.  We look over the vocab. for words to add, then whatever dress ups will work in the writing.  We read it out loud and adjust for flow.  It is very important to me that their writing sounds "right".  That was one of the reasons I stayed away from IEW to begin with(reviews here made it sound so stilted).  Tweaking it to fit our needs is going much better then I expected.  My DC would not do well at all if they had to stop while writing and look up a replacement for "really". 

[NittanyJen]

You are not trying to jump to the end product of writing all in one step here.  When starting IEW, you are building a toolbox of techniques, and they WILL sound awkward at first.  Have faith; you are not teaching your child to write awkward sentences; this is not the end-goal of the program.  

 

There is an assignment in which the students must rid the paper of all possible instances of passive voice, using a different technique each time.  The result is a bit forced, of course!  But in the course of writing the assignment, the student will learn many creative ways of rewording passive voice, and will build a substantial toolbox for doing so, which will really come in handy later when it is needed for a specific situation-- too many writers only know one or two ways to do this!  

 

In most assignments, the student is required to use an adverb, a strong adjective, and replace all the banned words with strong verbs.  Again, some of the sentences may sound forced, but the student is strengthening his vocabulary and learning to become familiar with a wide variety of adverbs, adjectives, and more forceful verbs that many writers overlook from disuse, so that they are available when needed later in more natural writing situations.  The goal is not to make students write a paragraph forevermore into the future where every paragraph written has x number of adverbs and y number of adjectives.  The student is practicing techniques, much as the karate student practices his reverse punch over and over again, so that it becomes fluid, and available when actually needed, so that use will not be difficult and flow of movement broken.

 

Avoid the error of over-grading these early papers.  It's easy to expect too much from an assignment; ask yourself what the specific purpose of this assignment is.  If the purpose of this writing assignment is to continue to replace the weak word 'walked' and to practice correctly punctuating dialogue, don't go bananas about word flow and content and use of examples from text; that will come in a later assignment.  Grade what was assigned so that your student knows what to expect.

 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

bumping this since I found the explanations of philosophy and application very useful in thinking about how I will implement this program and thought others might as well