IEW?

[cjzimmer1]

My homeschool group owns the basic TWSS and I think level B of the SWI.

 

When they bought it, I watched the parents/seminar DVD (a couple of hours total maybe) and have a binder I bought to go with that.

 

So while I'm slightly familiar with the program, not enough to make informed choices.

 

I want to start IEW with my oldest next year. I can borrow the DVD from my group to refresh my memory and will probably have my son watch with me so he understands what we are trying to accomplish.

 

From there is where I'm murky. We are doing American History next year and I really like the idea of using the US history-based writing lessons with it. However, we haven't done any of the program before and I think my son would benefit from watching the SWI DVD's. Is it possbile for him to watch the videos but do lessons from the History based material? I've never seen the SWI material so I don't know if this is possible or if I need to pick one part or the other to do first.

 

Thanks for any advice you can offer

[StephanieZ]

The TWSS DVDs are many hours (8?) and cover all the bases.

 

I haven't used SWI, but I think they can be done over 8 weeks (lessons included.) I don't know whether they'd be easy to do simply watching. . . I'd be a bit afraid that it'd all get confusing w/o actually DOING the activities.

 

You could borrow the DVDs, watch them yourself (and even try some of the activities that he tells you to, ideally,) and then decide if you want to have your son do the SWI first or go directly to the theme based.

 

Personally, I find the theme based books super easy to use since I have viewed the TWSS. From the TWSS, I learned enough about how to implement IEW that the theme-based books make it very easy.

 

You could go ahead and buy the theme based book (Am Hist Vol 1), watch the TWSS, and THEN decide whether or not to do the SWI first or go straight to the theme based. I bet you'll decide you can go straight to the theme-based.

 

The yahoo group is super helpful, so if you need more guidance than you find here, do go there and ask away!

[Chris in PA]

I watched the TWSS myself and then used the US History Based Writing Lessons Vol. 1 with my 6th grade ds this school year. It has worked fine for us. I think it would be hard to watch the SWI-B and then pick a lesson in the theme based book to use. I agree with the pp that I think you will find it easy to implement a theme book after watching the TWSS yourself.