I love IEW

[justLisa]

Thanks MrsTwain and boscopup for the thoughts after doing more reading I'm thinking I'll start looking for TWSS-SWI-A used.

 

If you have a chance to get JUST the TWSS in your price range snag it. Once you start watching you realize you don't NEED the SWI-a though it is great. But if I could not have access to it I would be fine.

[<3myKids]

Thank you so much for sharing this link! I just finished listening and he was awesome! I feel like I understand the way my son is hardwired to think so much better now. I loved the suggestion of holding up 2 fingers when he is making annoying noises :)

 

Lisa, if you like Andrew, you should listen to his lecture at CiRCE, Teaching Boys and Other Kids Who Would Rather Be Playing in Forts.

 

(BTW, all the lectures are fantastic. ;) )

[Mrs Twain]

Out of curiousity, how many days per week does IEW say that it's program should be done?

 

The SWI-A comes with a sample schedule which I follow.

 

If there was a DVD lecture to watch, it took us four days to do one week's worth of assignments, (Day 1 watch DVD, day 2 outline, day 3 rough draft, day 4 final draft. This was the usual procedure, though a little different for multiple paragraph assignements over two weeks).

 

If there was not a DVD lecture, then we spent three days per week.

[walkermamaof4]

How much time per day using that schedule? Thanks!

[boscopup]

Most SWI-A weeks have 4 days, but some of them have 5 days. My son gets excited when Friday is a "free day". :D

 

On DVD lesson days (about once every two weeks), we spend 30-45 minutes watching the DVD and maybe doing a KWO. On other days, we usually spend 15-30 minutes, depending on what we're doing and how willing my son is to write. ;) It'd go a lot faster if he could type, but he isn't proficient enough at typing yet (he tried on the first assignment), so writing is still easier for him right now.

[Canadianmumof5]

I love IEW's on-line classes :D

The 2 older kiddos are taking them this semester (SWI-A and SWI-B).

We didn't buy TWSS but after watching the classes with the kids & seeing how the instructors "teach", I feel way more confident that I can teach them in the new year. We have Fairy Tales & Fables for DD8 and then the Medieval writing course for DS11 - we will do those once the on-line classes are finished. I also really like seeing how the instructors plan the "homework" with suggestions for which work to do on which days. Plus the on-line classes include a grammar component (using the Fix-it program) which is a lovely bonus.

 

I wish they had a writing program for the early grades (1/2).......DS6 would love watching Mr. Pudewa on DVD.

[FLDebbie]

Well, I've spent the last hour about looking through these materials, including the audio on how boys learn, and this program looks great. My third grade son is in WWE2 this year and I like the idea of WWE - IEW - WWS progression. I'm thinking next year using WWE3 and then IEW for a year or two in fifth and sixth grade. At least I can start budgeting for them now.

[Mrs Twain]

How much time per day using that schedule? Thanks!

Usually 30-45 minutes per day, 3-4 days per week. Sometimes the DVD segment is long (near an hour), but usually it is shorter than that (20-40 minutes).

[mommy5]

What grades do you start IEW?

[Syndeyjg]

We are loving IEW too. It's our first year, but I can already see that it's a keeper. I have TWSS and SWI-B. My kindy is using their PAL program. That seems to be going well also.

[Annabel Lee]

I already own WWS, so I pulled it down last night after watching TWSS. I think you won't need to worry about the headbanging if you do a couple of years of IEW. It will build confidence and skill. We have done WWE for years. Ironically, I think IEW provides a much more natural progression to the skills required in WWS than WWE. I think WWS is an extremely quick ramp-up for a kid who has only done WWE. I like WWE. And I like the looks of WWS. But WWE-->IEW-->WWS appears to form a fairly seamless path, where WWE-->WWS appears to create a stepping-stone path with a pretty wide chasm to hop across to get to WWS.

 

SWB has recently said that both WWE and WWS can be three year programs with the fourth year being optional. That said, I'm thinking I will probably do IEW with DS9 in 4th and 5th (at least) and WWS with him in 6th-8th. DD can probably join him, as she has a very early birthday and could go either way. We'll see. It would certainly make my life easier. :tongue_smilie:

 

PBI here about what I bolded above. WWE was written after TWTM came out, which includes instructions for separate cross-curricular writing in the form of narration pages/summaries in history, science, & literature. So, while WWE fills the need for some of the copywork, dictation, & narration suggestions, I don't think SWB meant for parents to completely ditch the content-subject written summaries. That piece could provide the writing experience also found in IEW, albeit without the explicit instruction offered by IEW.

 

Either one, or both, are (is?) fine. I just wanted to post it for those new to the whole entire WTM method. I was always getting hung up on "how much of this WTM writing does WWE count for?" I've had problems getting that non-descript "WTM writing" up & running smoothly, so IEW is my plan for "just in case". I'm giving myself this 1st quarter to either get Writing moving along steadily, and if not, we start IEW.

[Alte Veste Academy]

PBI here about what I bolded above. WWE was written after TWTM came out, which includes instructions for separate cross-curricular writing in the form of narration pages/summaries in history, science, & literature. So, while WWE fills the need for some of the copywork, dictation, & narration suggestions, I don't think SWB meant for parents to completely ditch the content-subject written summaries. That piece could provide the writing experience also found in IEW, albeit without the explicit instruction offered by IEW.

 

Either one, or both, are (is?) fine. I just wanted to post it for those new to the whole entire WTM method. I was always getting hung up on "how much of this WTM writing does WWE count for?" I've had problems getting that non-descript "WTM writing" up & running smoothly, so IEW is my plan for "just in case". I'm giving myself this 1st quarter to either get Writing moving along steadily, and if not, we start IEW.

 

Right. I have followed that advice in the WTM and my kids have always written across the subjects. It is IEW's explicit instruction that gives me the impression that it will provide a smoother transition to the skills required in WWS. I am definitely not saying that everyone needs to go from WWE to IEW in order to get to WWS (and, frankly, who the heck would I be to say that anyway? :lol:). Any plan that gets kids moving forward and writing with confidence and competence is also a great plan.

 

For me, the choice is largely due to my DS9's personality and our relationship. I listened to Pudewa's talk and smiled the entire time I listened. I thought, hey, this guy seems to know my son! Luckily, he's not resistant to writing, but the rest? Gnawing on his arm and whatnot? :lol: Yes! Precisely! So I dug a little deeper and liked what I saw. I think it will be a good fit for him.

[boscopup]

Right. I have followed that advice in the WTM and my kids have always written across the subjects. It is IEW's explicit instruction that gives me the impression that it will provide a smoother transition to the skills required in WWS.

 

Exactly. That's what my son needed - explicit instruction on how to take that pencil and put it to paper and form a sentence. :lol: Ok, so IEW doesn't go to that level, but it does give a lot of guidance, and the keyword outlines were so freeing for DS because he can have nuggets of info written down already - where he can see how to spell them! :D As we get past units 1 and 2, it will guide us in finding the things we want to write about and put them in a logical format with appropriate style practice. What it doesn't do, which I believe WWS does do, is focus on the content itself. Pudewa doesn't worry about content. He's more worried about the communication being made, not what is communicated. Listen to politicians... They can be saying something completely idiotic, but as long as they sound eloquent, people are cheering! :tongue_smilie:

 

So I do want to do WWS and focus on content also, but first I have to get the kid willing to write period. That's where IEW made a perfect bridge for him. Other kids may have different needs - they may be needing the structure or the style aspects (my son is pretty good with style on his own, though he'll likely learn some things anyway).