IEW theme based writing vs Classical Writing?

[dancer67]

What is the difference between the IEW theme based writing units, and Classical Writing?

 

Which one do you prefer and why?

 

This is for my 11 yo, thank you!

[Quiver0f10]

I have used both CW(briefly) and IEW themed books and prefer IEW. CW was confusing for me to teach and I felt like I was flipping here and there through the books to make sense of it all. IEW is straight forward and easier to understand. We were able to jump right in and write.

Edited August 17, 2009 by Quiver0f10

[Pata]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but did you have to get the IEW TWSS to teach the theme based writing? I'm just curious, thanks!

[Jane Elliot]

I have used both CW(briefly) and IEW themed books and prefer IEW. CW was confusing for me to teach and I felt like I was flipping here and there through the books to make sense of it all. IEW is straight forward and easier to understand. We were able to jump right in and write.

 

 

Jean is a better woman than I. :) I bought CW twice and couldn't even get started I was so confused. I blamed it on the brain drain I have from a large family. Gee thanks, Jean. You blew that delusion. ;):D

 

IEW works very well for us. I especially like the history themed books. I have TWSS, but I think you could do the history themed books without having watched it.

[Quiver0f10]

Jean is a better woman than I. :) I bought CW twice and couldn't even get started I was so confused. I blamed it on the brain drain I have from a large family. Gee thanks, Jean. You blew that delusion. ;):D

 

IEW works very well for us. I especially like the history themed books. I have TWSS, but I think you could do the history themed books without having watched it.

 

HA, I said I used CW briefly. I never said how many times I bought and sold it! :D I couldn't figure it out either so definitely a brain drain here too :lol:

[Quiver0f10]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but did you have to get the IEW TWSS to teach the theme based writing? I'm just curious, thanks!

 

 

I don't have TWSS and I think manage OK. :) Someday I do want it but for now it's out of my price range.

[RanchGirl]

just bumping this up, looking for more opinions. We're doing CW Aesop right now and I like it so far; my 4th grader will finish A and B this year. It was just what he needed this year as he has never done a formal writing program and was hesitant. For next year, I'm considering starting with IEW Ancient History for both my then 3rd and 5th grade sons. The history theme-based sets really appeal to me and IEW seems so well organized and skills focused. But I definitely do not care to watch the DVDs, that would drive me crazy (a conclusion I admit I have leaped to after watching just a couple of the intro videos on their website).

 

Since I haven't seen either CW Homer or IEW Ancient Civ in person it's hard to decide. I really don't have to decide now, I wouldn't start until January at the earliest, and probably closter to July/August, but I try to plan so I can keep an eye out for used sales.

Edited October 11, 2009 by RanchGirl

[Mom-ninja.]

I'll need something after WWE 3 so I'm watching this thread.

[Melissa B]

I prefer IEW. My eldest worked through Aesop and Homer A. I purchased and read through the next two levels - Chreia and Maxim. While I think CW is a great program and will probably produce some excellent writers - it moves too slow for us. At the end of Diogenes (8th grade) the student has just finished with expository essays. Argumentative essays begin in 9th grade (Herodotus.) I wanted a program that taught all of the essay forms by 7th/8th grade. And I just didn't need grammar, literature, logic, etc. included in my writing program. For someone looking for an all-in-one program that doesn't mind at what rate the student moves through the program, CW is probably a great choice.

 

I like IEW paired with PLL/ILL/LM for 2nd/3rd - 7th/8th. I plan to then use MCT Academic Writing. I also like that IEW has the theme books. That way I can assign writing with history/geography rather than having a separate writing class.

[tdeveson]

I'm going to bump this because I also am interested in whether to continue with CW or go to IEW next year. Like the previous poster, I want to keep an eye out for used curricula and I will probably begin shopping in January.

 

My fifth grader is currently doing Aesop B. Since he had never had any writing instructions before, I planned to start his first writing project at the first level. During his first draft he insisted on including dialog which is done at the second level. The whole thing seems pretty easy for him. He picks up the concepts the first time. We'll be working at second and third level this year.

 

Would you keep a bright little guy with good writing sense on CW, or would you switch to IWE next year? If IWE, where would you start him?

[MariannNOVA]

I'm going to bump this because I also am interested in whether to continue with CW or go to IEW next year. Like the previous poster, I want to keep an eye out for used curricula and I will probably begin shopping in January.

 

My fifth grader is currently doing Aesop B. Since he had never had any writing instructions before, I planned to start his first writing project at the first level. During his first draft he insisted on including dialog which is done at the second level. The whole thing seems pretty easy for him. He picks up the concepts the first time. We'll be working at second and third level this year.

 

Would you keep a bright little guy with good writing sense on CW, or would you switch to IWE next year? If IWE, where would you start him?

 

:lurk5: Me too - listening that is. We just switched from IEW to CW -- I really like CW -- especially the fact that I didn't have to watch any DVDs - of course, I did spend two weeks doing this with CW: :banghead: but then I received amazing information from the wonderful women here and it all is making sense.

THAT BEING SAID: My third grade dd is in Aesop (as is her twin brother) - they both (just like their fifth grade sister) appear to write effortlessly -- 3rd grade dd did her hare and tortoise with amazing dialogue -- her brother did his re-telling without blinking an eye. DD10 (who has had 2 years of IEW in private school) is in Homer and is zipping through it.

 

I have purchased IEW MEdieval Theme Based Writing for DD10 and Fables, Fairy Tales and Myths for the Twins -- I am likely (because I cannot leave well enough alone) to use CW and those two IEW supplements for writing - no idea why - the kids love writing so much and are so good at it, it seems to be a good way to keep us all satisfied.

 

If push came to shove and I had to choose, I do not know what I would do. DD10 learned IEW in school - I didn't have to teach it to her -- I think I would choose CW only because of the DVDs I do not want to watch. I am really pleased with how the twins are doing with CW Aesop but they did have IEw in 2nd grade in private school. sorry - I'm rambling.:tongue_smilie: Ignore me!

[siloam]

What is the difference between the IEW theme based writing units, and Classical Writing?

 

Which one do you prefer and why?

 

This is for my 11 yo, thank you!

 

I adore CW, but I have never used IEW. There were enough posts about how it ends up being form writing with teachers able to spot IEW students to scare me off. I believe SWB explains how to tone that down in WTM, but by the time I read it I was already using and loved CW.

 

CW isn't the easiest program, but I have found it worth the pain. It is working well for my natural writer, building skills (she adores the poetry!). It is also working well for my not natural writer, who needs to be show every thing step by step, which CW does.

 

Heather

 

Edited October 11, 2009 by siloam

[Katiebug_1976]

I have used both CW(briefly) and IEW themed books and prefer IEW. CW was confusing for me to teach and I felt like I was flipping here and there through the books to make sense of it all. IEW is straight forward and easier to understand. We were able to jump right in and write.

 

I have never used IEW before, but am very interested in it. However, the TWSS is also out of my price range. I have heard from some that the TWSS is a necessity, but you comments give me hope. Where did you start you dc? I am looking for my dd's 12 & 13, and ds 9. did you do the SWI, or just start w/ the theme based books?

[HiddenJewel]

It really depends on what you want in a writing program. IEW Theme-based Lessons are more formula-driven than Classical Writing. CW doesn't give as much direct instruction in the individual writing steps (pre-writing, drafting, etc.). It does give students strong tools to add to their writing toolbox so their writing is richer and deeper.

 

I have used CW Older Beginner. Currently using CW Homer A and Diogenes:Maxim. I had IEW Middle-Ages Themed Lessons and IEW Elegant Essay but opted to continue with CW. I liked the looks of The Elegant Essay but felt that CW was richer and would provide more what my dd needed.

[Suzannah]

A few years ago a friend recommended IEW. We were using Writing Strands (bleh) and I was open to suggestions so I watched a video at her house about key word outlining. Like others, the overall price of the program kept me from pursuing IEW any further, but as I have done with so many things, I took what I had learned and for the next year (4th grade I believe) my plan was to have DS notetaking and writing across the curriculum. Well, that didn't really happen. But by the end of 4th I had heard of CW on here and went ahead and bought Aesop B (recommended for a student who had some writing instruction.) I really should have gotten Older Beginners. DS had been doing narrations since he was 5 with FIAR and SOTW so we spend a lot of time going over and over stuff he already knew how to do. I probably could have even skipped lessons but I didn't think of that until after the fact. We finally got through Homer in 6th grade. However I never was happy with my inability to enforce writing across the curriculum. While we were doing Aesop and Homer, the history and science writing became less and less frequent. This caused by my own personal flaws I know, but the best solution seemed to me to spend this year, 7th grade, on CW Poetry and IEW US History. I am very pleased with both.

 

Now, when people say IEW is easier to teach, they are right. When others say it teaches form writing, they are also right. I love the checklists in IEW. It makes grading a writing assignment more objective. I tailor it to my own needs some. For instance, we hadn't covered the vocabulary words when we did lesson one, so I didn't think it was fair to award or subtract points based on particular vocabulary words. I did give points based for good vocabulary, though, because DS surprised me with some longer, more descriptive words than I expected from him. Since I had already watched the video on KWO and had used it with DS for a couple of years, and since I already knew the part about "dress-ups" from talking with friends and reading on the forum, this was a painless transition. The Theme-based lessons are much less expensive than the whole basic program. The examples in the basic program turned me off as much as the price. Pudwa talks about reading good writing in order to learn good writing. But the examples the kids write from (at least the ones I saw) are dull, textbook descriptions of animals and such. However, in the IEW History-themed lessons, whether or not the samples are well-written, the topics are known to us through history study and supplementary reading so DS has a rich background to draw on when writing a descriptive paragraph.

 

The first time I opened CW Aesop I was overwhelmed. But the way I made it make sense to myself was to just "walk-through" a typical day. I turned to each "day" section and read through what was assigned. This wasn't a time-consuming thing to do and is the way I approach just about any new curriculum. ("If we use this, what would a typical day/week look like?") I also use the student workbooks. Although the authors say they aren't required, I think it is a wonderful time-saver. I mean, not just that it saves you some time. It saves a LOT of time. I really like the examples in CW. Some are more interesting than others, but DS has never complained about what he needed to write.

 

Anyway, my plan is to return to CW Diogenes next year. We'll be even more behind in the suggested sequence but hopefully by then DS will have a little more maturity and we'll both have a better idea of how to enforce writing assignments in other subjects.

 

HTH

Edited October 12, 2009 by Suzannah

[MariannNOVA]

Like others, the overall price of the program kept me from pursuing IEW any further, HTH

 

This is a fairly typical response to IEW and was mine as well a few months ago. I was able to find what I needed here on the WTM Sale Board, but the IEW materials show up infrequently.

 

IEW has a YAHOO group -- if one joins the Yahoo group, one is then able to join the IEW Yahoo Sale Board --the IEW Yahoo Sale Board has items posted with great frequency and the prices are excellent. I un-subscribed from the IEW group as I am doing CW AND because the volume of email on the IEW service is quite large. It is (as the YAHOO groups are) an email group so with the Sale items, you do not have to scroll through many items which makes it a timesaver.

 

My apologies if one should not post about other groups on this Board -- but this is a way to get the materials one needs at a savings and in a fairly timely manner.:001_smile:

[tdeveson]

A few years ago...

 

Thank you. Your post was very helpful.

 

One more question. In the end, do you feel that either program makes a better writer?

[Suzannah]

One more question. In the end, do you feel that either program makes a better writer?

 

You know, that's a good question. I think if you're willing to give CW time, it probably produces a better writer in the end. I think if time is an issue, either because you started late or your students need a great deal of hand-holding, IEW would be a better way to produce a good writer. From my own experience, I honestly think having DS listen to classic literature audiobooks, read good literature (once he was reading) and doing narrations with FIAR (PK & P) and WTM went a long way toward building a good foundation. This is why I think we should have done CW Older Beginners or just skipped Aesop. It really wasn't until Homer that he seemed to be challenged.

 

HTH

[pbjmeyer]

just bumping this up, looking for more opinions. For next year, I'm considering starting with IEW Ancient History for both my then 3rd and 5th grade sons. The history theme-based sets really appeal to me and IEW seems so well organized and skills focused. But I definitely do not care to watch the DVDs, that would drive me crazy (a conclusion I admit I have leaped to after watching just a couple of the intro videos on their website).

 

Since I haven't seen either CW Homer or IEW Ancient Civ in person it's hard to decide. I really don't have to decide now, I wouldn't start until January at the earliest, and probably closter to July/August, but I try to plan so I can keep an eye out for used sales.

 

 

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/AHW-T

 

There is an example pdf document here. We are using the Ancient book - I got it on ebay for half price. It really doesn't require you to see the TWSS DVD's in order to work thru this. I am very pleased with the book.

[Kfamily]

I've watched the DVDs for IEW and looked through a couple of the history themed writing books. We decided to go with Classical Writing and intend to stay with it throughout high school. I think it really helps when deciding on CW or not to be prepared to make a commitment to it. For us it is similiar to our commitment to piano lessons and practice. It isn't always easy or convenient to practice almost every night and go to our lessons every week without fail (without too much fail :001_smile:)but I try to stay the course because the results are a beautifully honed art and skill which communicates beauty to others and allows our children a chance to express themselves and to feel the results of discipline and patience. I think CW can bring these same results with regard to writing. I know others may find other methods which are easier to them to achieve this result but for ME this is the best program for this. I am lacking in my writing abilities and need a program that is designed to make up for my weakness.

 

HTH

Edited October 12, 2009 by Kfamily