IEW?

[bethben]

Could you technically get away with ordering the overview of TWSS and the tips and tricks DVDs and be able to implement the program (at least the first 5 units or so)?

Beth

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Could you technically get away with ordering the overview of TWSS and the tips and tricks DVDs and be able to implement the program (at least the first 5 units or so)?

Beth

 

No.

[mazakaal]

If you're looking to save money and use IEW, you can try just ordering their History Based Writing Lessons. I've never used any of their other materials, so I don't really know what I'm missing, but I feel like the HBWL are going well with my 12yo. We used American History last year and are going through Ancient History this year.

[nd293]

If you're looking to save money and use IEW, you can try just ordering their History Based Writing Lessons. I've never used any of their other materials, so I don't really know what I'm missing, but I feel like the HBWL are going well with my 12yo.

 

The same applies to us with dd9. We used one of the theme-based books (All Things Fun and Fascinating). Dd is strong in language, and I am confident that her writing skills will develop naturally with experience, but the IEW theme-based books have given me a framework for guiding her writing.

 

Nikki

[bethben]

Here's the issue, I did watch TWSS (borrowed it) and never understood the whole story outline thing. After watching a one minute preview of the overview DVD, I finally got it. I am such a visual learner, a good TM really helps. TWSS teacher manual is not that well set up. I have this love/hate thing going on with IEW. I really don't like the program as a teacher- I get lost in the DVDs. I do like that it works off of what the child is already reading and has a checklist of what is expected. I am just having trouble buying the program as is because it is a DVD program for the teacher. Why couldn't they have done a good TM? AARG!

Beth

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I have heard that this product is the basis for the whole IEW program:) I have not seen it but maybe someone else can chime in.

 

 

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/bss

[StephanieZ]

I have heard that this product is the basis for the whole IEW program:) I have not seen it but maybe someone else can chime in.

 

 

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/bss

 

Yes, I think this is true. I bought it a couple years before buying the who package. . . I am a book-learner & didn't want to try learning from DVDs. . . I spent a few hours reading it before giving up on it. It is on my shelf. One of these days I will sell it. Anyone want it?

 

LOL

 

I finally was able to easily implement IEW using the theme based books. I love them. I did watch the DVDs as well, so don't know if I'd have been as happy with the theme based if I hadn't already viewed the DVDs. . .

 

My ideal advice would be to view the DVDs and then choose a theme based book for the first year. If you can't view the DVDs, you'd want to be more selective about which theme book you buy as some are more comprehensively detailed than others (and you'd want a very detailed one. . . so perhaps one with a really long page count and/or recently published/updated).

[mazakaal]

. I spent a few hours reading it before giving up on it. It is on my shelf. .

 

What was it that you didn't like about the book. I'd never seen it before the previous link, but it looks like something I'd be interested in... something that explains the IEW method to the teacher without having to sit through (or pay for!) all the dvd's. I'm curious why you gave up on it, though. I'd hate to pay $35 and give up on it as well.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Here's the issue, I did watch TWSS (borrowed it) and never understood the whole story outline thing. After watching a one minute preview of the overview DVD, I finally got it. I am such a visual learner, a good TM really helps. TWSS teacher manual is not that well set up. I have this love/hate thing going on with IEW. I really don't like the program as a teacher- I get lost in the DVDs. I do like that it works off of what the child is already reading and has a checklist of what is expected. I am just having trouble buying the program as is because it is a DVD program for the teacher. Why couldn't they have done a good TM? AARG!

Beth

 

I'm a visual learner and while I enjoyed watching the TWSS videos I couldn't pull my own program together from it. I tried some of the theme based lesson plans and they didn't do it for me either (though do for many). I couldn't get IEW to work for me until I started using (out of desperation) the SWI/SICC's. It was so much easier to have Andrew Pudewa teach my kids (and me ;))! Since the theme based lessons are considerably cheaper I'd start there unless money is no object. I don't think you could teach it using just the overview and tips & tricks DVD's as they lack the base instruction.

[1Togo]

Many people get stuck on Unit 3 - Story Summary. After you get through that unit, IEW is easy to implement. In a nutshell, Unit 3 is a three-paragraph summary of a story. There are questions for each paragraph. Your student answers the questions. Then, she puts the answers into paragraph format. The next unit, Unit 4, teaches the student to write a one-paragraph report on a narrowed topic - using a single source and then multiple sources. The focus for this unit is writing a topic sentence, a topic/clincher, writing a key word outline, and eventually fusing notes from muliple outines into one outline. Btw, the instructions for fused outlines on Tips & Techniques is worth the price of that disc. The next unit, Unit 5, is writing a story from pictures. In many ways, its just like Unit 3, answer questions (on a series of pictures for this unit) and then put the answers into paragraph format. Unit 6 is an expansion of Unit 4. Instead of writing a one paragraph report, your student is writing three or more paragraphs on several topics; i.e. mallard ducks - appearance, habitat, mating, etc. For Unit 6, the student will again write a topic sentence and concluding sentence, but she will also work on transition sentences between paragraphs. Unit 7 is a basic five-paragraph paper without research -- Writing from the Brain. For instance, the student might write about her dog; i.e. intro, paragraph on appearance, paragraph on tricks, paragraph on things they do together, conclusion. After Unit 7, we move on to other types of writing, but Units 1-7 are excellent for late elementary, early middle school, and even struggling writers in junior high.

 

In my opinion, TWSS and the Tips & Techniques dvds are necessary to implement the program. The best way to approach all those dvds is to treat TWSS like a class. Watch Unit 1 on TWSS and Tips & Techniques, take notes, write the samples, and ask questions on the IEW forum if you are struggling. Follow that process through Unit 4. Then, start teaching. I tried one of the SWI dvd sets and a theme-based book, but found I liked making up my own assignments. However, many mothers find it easier to let Andrew do the teaching using an SWI set, at least in the beginning. Even so, you still need to go through TWSS and T&T to be able to give input on your student's writing. The SWI sets assume understanding of TWSS. Buying a TWSS/SWI combo is the best way to go for the first year. You can then keep TWSS and easily sell SWI. For the next year, you can develop your own assignments or move on to SICC.

 

TWSS - Teaching Writing: Structure and Style

SWI - Student Writing Intensive

SICC - Student Intensive Continuation Course

T & T - Tips and Techniques

Edited October 10, 2010 by 1Togo

[bethben]

My son did the SWI A in a co-op class and did fairly well. I like that there was the checklist, but I too have trouble implementing it with just TWSS DVDs. I'm going to try using the student manual for SWI and my TWSS teacher manual and see how it goes. I'm trying the Susan Wise Bauer approach also. I'm a scatterbrain in the writing department. I just know that ds is still using some dress ups in his writing naturally now and I know it's because of IEW. He did improve. Anyone done the Susan Wise Bauer approach with dress-ups? Why do the SICC courses cost soooooo much?!?!

Beth

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

My son did the SWI A in a co-op class and did fairly well. I like that there was the checklist, but I too have trouble implementing it with just TWSS DVDs. I'm going to try using the student manual for SWI and my TWSS teacher manual and see how it goes. I'm trying the Susan Wise Bauer approach also. I'm a scatterbrain in the writing department. I just know that ds is still using some dress ups in his writing naturally now and I know it's because of IEW. He did improve. Anyone done the Susan Wise Bauer approach with dress-ups? Why do the SICC courses cost soooooo much?!?!

Beth

Not everything is covered in any of the SWI's, and the least is covered in SWI A. The SICC courses are more because there are a lot more lessons than in the SWI's (32 lessons that are normally done over 1 or 2 years, your choice).

 

ETA that in order to cover everything using an SWI followed by SICC's you need to go through SICC C (since he did SWI A you'd go to SICC A, then SICC B, then SICC C). I'll see if I can find the table that lists what is taught in each.

 

Here are the topics covered in each SWI:

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/SWI-Topics

 

Here are the topics covered in each SICC:

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/SICC-Topics

Edited October 10, 2010 by Cheryl in SoCal

[angela in ohio]

No.

 

Buy the TWSS and watch it. Really. :001_smile: It will be a great investment. If you decide you hate it, return it and you will still have learned a lot about writing, so you have nothing to lose. If you use it, it will be the most cost effective purchase you have made in your homeschool. I have taught many years and many classes out of the TWSS I bought long ago.

 

If you have trouble implementing it, there are many reousrces. You can search here for threads wheer others and I have given step-by-step details on implementing the TWSS. You can go to the Yahoo groups and find a lot of help in the files or post questions.

 

To answer some of the other suggestions:

 

I have read the linked book. The Blended Structure and Style book was written for classroom use. It is almost impossible to implement a useful writing program in a homeschool out of that book. The entire reason for the TWSS is that Andrew Pudewa knew it was a great method, but knew he needed to make it more user-friendly through the seminars. The reason it is on DVD is because it is a seminar. You could also go to a live training. I am NOT a person who learns from spoken direction, but I got over it for IEW. :001_smile:

 

The theme-based units are not as good as the SWI and TWSS. They are watered down, imho. I have used two of them and mentored a teacher through another one of them. I wouldn't use one again.

 

The TWSS syllabus is not a teacher manual. It wouldn't make much sense without the DVDs, because all it is is the hand-outs/notes to go with the DVDs. It was never intended to make sense on its own, and IEW is very up front about that.

[JadeOrchidSong]

Many people get stuck on Unit 3 - Story Summary. After you get through that unit, IEW is easy to implement. In a nutshell, Unit 3 is a three-paragraph summary of a story. There are questions for each paragraph. Your student answers the questions. Then, she puts the answers into paragraph format. The next unit, Unit 4, teaches the student to write a one-paragraph report on a narrowed topic - using a single source and then multiple sources. The focus for this unit is writing a topic sentence, a topic/clincher, writing a key word outline, and eventually fusing notes from muliple outines into one outline. Btw, the instructions for fused outlines on Tips & Techniques is worth the price of that disc. The next unit, Unit 5, is writing a story from pictures. In many ways, its just like Unit 3, answer questions (on a series of pictures for this unit) and then put the answers into paragraph format. Unit 6 is an expansion of Unit 4. Instead of writing a one paragraph report, your student is writing three or more paragraphs on several topics; i.e. mallard ducks - appearance, habitat, mating, etc. For Unit 6, the student will again write a topic sentence and concluding sentence, but she will also work on transition sentences between paragraphs. Unit 7 is a basic five-paragraph paper without research -- Writing from the Brain. For instance, the student might write about her dog; i.e. intro, paragraph on appearance, paragraph on tricks, paragraph on things they do together, conclusion. After Unit 7, we move on to other types of writing, but Units 1-7 are excellent for late elementary, early middle school, and even struggling writers in junior high.

 

In my opinion, TWSS and the Tips & Techniques dvds are necessary to implement the program. The best way to approach all those dvds is to treat TWSS like a class. Watch Unit 1 on TWSS and Tips & Techniques, take notes, write the samples, and ask questions on the IEW forum if you are struggling. Follow that process through Unit 4. Then, start teaching. I tried one of the SWI dvd sets and a theme-based book, but found I liked making up my own assignments. However, many mothers find it easier to let Andrew do the teaching using an SWI set, at least in the beginning. Even so, you still need to go through TWSS and T&T to be able to give input on your student's writing. The SWI sets assume understanding of TWSS. Buying a TWSS/SWI combo is the best way to go for the first year. You can then keep TWSS and easily sell SWI. For the next year, you can develop your own assignments or move on to SICC.

 

TWSS - Teaching Writing: Structure and Style

SWI - Student Writing Intensive

SICC - Student Intensive Continuation Course

T & T - Tips and Techniques

This looks a little hard to implement. I do plan to use IEW when my dc are a little older, like 10 or so.

J