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Would you send dc to IEW class rather than learn/teach at home?


mathnmusic
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I want my son, ds9, to be a good writer.  But ironically we've only done minimal writing teaching at home so far, because...well, I don't know how to teach writing.  We've gotten only as far as WWE2 and daily journal writing, he does fine at it but he's reluctant to write on his own.  I've heard awesome things about IEW as a writing program (we lean toward classical Christian education style) and intended to learn the method myself but this semester got a shock at how many DVD's there are for me to watch, how long a road it appears to be, not the open and go sort of program that I hoped for.  A homeschool mom advertises her class for IEW SWI-A, and I've been wondering if I should enroll my ds in the class.  Drawbacks that I can think of is that I won't be in the loop in terms of what he's learning so I can't reinforce the writing techniques at home with him across other subjects, and the cost ($250 per semester).  Pluses are that he'll finally systematically learn how to write (my hope!), and somebody else who's learned the method can teach him, and I won't have to watch all the DVDs.  If we don't do the IEW class, I think I'd continue WWE more in earnest this year and maybe look more into how difficult it really is to learn/teach IEW SWI-A/TSWW.  

 

What would you do if your goal is to produce a good writer?  Continue with WWE more seriously this year, learn/teach IEW at home, or outsource IEW to the class?

 

Oh, btw, he reads a LOT (1-2hours/day) of high quality stuff - novels, biographies, history, science...

 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

Hannah

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This is what I'm doing and I'm new to IEW. My children are 10 & 8. We are continuing with WWE and doing some IEW for a change of pace throughout the year. My kids get a little bored with just wwe through the year, but I believe in the program & know it works so we are going to continue. I plan to introduce IEW slowly and do more through the year when we take breaks from wwe.

 

So far, I have only watched the first 2 dvd's and I have learned so much. I have learned enough from the first 2 dvds to teach a few of the beginning concepts. He (Andrew) wants you to teach it slow, one technique at a time. So it's really ok if you do not watch all the dvd's before you start.

 

I could have had my kids do IEW at the co-op, but I really wanted them to be able to use the program across the curriculum. I really wanted to be able to teach them at home and learn with them. I was so intimidated and anxious about teaching writing, so far IEW has really empowered me and taken away a lot my fears about teaching writing.  I have much more confidence, I'm ready to just dive in.

 

Could you enroll him in the class while you watch the TWSS dvds at home, then you would be learning it along with them. My worry about outsourcing it was, what do I do once the co-op class is over? How do I implement it at home? How do I help them now at home?

 

I'm sure some more experienced IEW users will jump in. But just wanted to share my experience so far. 

 

 

 

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I want my son, ds9, to be a good writer.  But ironically we've only done minimal writing teaching at home so far, because...well, I don't know how to teach writing.  We've gotten only as far as WWE2 and daily journal writing, he does fine at it but he's reluctant to write on his own.  I've heard awesome things about IEW as a writing program (we lean toward classical Christian education style) and intended to learn the method myself but this semester got a shock at how many DVD's there are for me to watch, how long a road it appears to be, not the open and go sort of program that I hoped for.  A homeschool mom advertises her class for IEW SWI-A, and I've been wondering if I should enroll my ds in the class.  Drawbacks that I can think of is that I won't be in the loop in terms of what he's learning so I can't reinforce the writing techniques at home with him across other subjects, and the cost ($250 per semester).  Pluses are that he'll finally systematically learn how to write (my hope!), and somebody else who's learned the method can teach him, and I won't have to watch all the DVDs.  If we don't do the IEW class, I think I'd continue WWE more in earnest this year and maybe look more into how difficult it really is to learn/teach IEW SWI-A/TSWW.  

 

What would you do if your goal is to produce a good writer?  Continue with WWE more seriously this year, learn/teach IEW at home, or outsource IEW to the class?

 

Oh, btw, he reads a LOT (1-2hours/day) of high quality stuff - novels, biographies, history, science...

 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

Hannah

 

I don't understand why you have to be out of the loop? Can you not attend the class as well? He would get far better instruction if you can help him at home with what he learns in class. 

 

You might want to ask if she is just playing the DVD's or if she's actually teaching. You can just watch the DVD's yourself at home for much less and IEW isn't that difficult to teach after you watch TWSS (about 9 hours but you really can take small bites to get moving) and go through SWI-A together. I think the hardest part about IEW is figuring out what you need to buy and watch. Start with TWSS. 

 

Either way should be fine. I think if you can afford the coop, the accountability for both of you might be worth while. But I wouldn't do it if they teacher is just gong to press play on a DVD. 

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I know some might disagree, but I think you could do definitely have your ds do SWI-A program at home with you (with the DVDs for the SWI). The SWI is very open and go. No need to enroll him in an outside class, or get the TWSS. Although the TWSS is probably helpful, it's not absolutely necessary, especially at the A level. If you really think you need a little extra help, IEW has a "tips and tricks" dvd you can get for about $10-$15.

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My worry about outsourcing it was, what do I do once the co-op class is over? How do I implement it at home? How do I help them now at home?

 

My concerns exactly.  Those are really good points. I think I definitely need to be involved in learning how to write along with my son, so that I can help him after the class is over, and across all  subjects.  

 

I don't understand why you have to be out of the loop? Can you not attend the class as well? He would get far better instruction if you can help him at home with what he learns in class. 

I know some might disagree, but I think you could do definitely have your ds do SWI-A program at home with you (with the DVDs for the SWI). The SWI is very open and go. No need to enroll him in an outside class, or get the TWSS. Although the TWSS is probably helpful, it's not absolutely necessary, especially at the A level. If you really think you need a little extra help, IEW has a "tips and tricks" dvd you can get for about $10-$15.

 

Attending the class won't work for me since I have 3 younger ones who wouldn't be happy sitting through the class.  But I hear what you're saying about the importance of having a parent at home being able to help reinforce the writing lessons being learned outside the home.  

 

I really appreciate knowing that it's doable to watch just a couple of the DVD's of TWSS and teach as we go.  Thank you so much for all your comments - they've really helped me to make the decision to NOT outsource IEW.  I think what we'll do is press on with WWE, and add in lessons from IEW slowly as we watch/learn.  

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If I was you I would buy the SWI-A, and do it at home.  The SWI has made teaching writing very easy for me, and my children have excellent writing now.  After the SWI you can continue on the next year with a continuation course, and it comes with DVD's as well that basically teach the class.  We did WWE before IEW, but I prefer IEW.

 

This is how we do the SWI:

 

Day 1: Watch DVD lesson if there is one.  Then we outline the story on a whiteboard together, and brainstorm possible dress ups (unless he already did on dvd).  Outlining is super easy.  We just pick three keywords from each sentence.  I keep this light and fun and we brainstorm ideas together.

 

Day 2: Write story from the key word outline.  Last year when my dd was 9 I had to help her the first couple of weeks, but ever since then she has been completely independent in writing her rough draft.

 

Day 3:  Edit and give back paper.  Sometimes I do this on day 2.

 

Day 4:  They write their final draft.

 

 

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The OP describes me to some extent.  We struggled through WWE.  I think I am a decent writer (I think?  :laugh:), but teaching writing to my son was frustrating for both of us.  Last year, we were in a co-op that offered IEW and I was THRILLED!  Writing still wasn't DS's favorite subject, and we still had mini-battles over homework, but he was writing.  He was using quality adjectives and strong verbs and all that good stuff.  :)

 

This year I am outsourcing IEW again.  The co-op no longer meets, but we enrolled in Classical Conversations Essentials (grades 4-6), which includes IEW.  (As a bonus, they are using the medieval history lessons, which lines up with our history this year.)

 

This is definitely more expensive than doing it myself, but I have three other children, work from home, and did I mention teaching my son writing wasn't working for us?  I would try again to teach him if I had to, but I'm grateful to have found another way that works for us.

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My son took an outsourced IEW class for 4 years. The teacher encouraged parents to sit in so they would understand the process. I sat in for every class the first year and many the second year. The class was a true blessing to me. The teacher is wonderful and engaging and my son really enjoyed it. He is not taking it this year because he's got some lds that really make writing difficult, and the next level is 5 paragraph essays, which he is not ready for.

 

My dd just started taking the classes last year and loved it. She is a natural writer and is moving to the essay class this year. It is more expensive than doing it at home, but has been totally worth it to me.

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My concerns exactly. Those are really good points. I think I definitely need to be involved in learning how to write along with my son, so that I can help him after the class is over, and across all subjects.

 

 

Attending the class won't work for me since I have 3 younger ones who wouldn't be happy sitting through the class. But I hear what you're saying about the importance of having a parent at home being able to help reinforce the writing lessons being learned outside the home.

 

I really appreciate knowing that it's doable to watch just a couple of the DVD's of TWSS and teach as we go. Thank you so much for all your comments - they've really helped me to make the decision to NOT outsource IEW. I think what we'll do is press on with WWE, and add in lessons from IEW slowly as we watch/learn.

There is also a parent overview DVD http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/sso for only $10. It is 2 hours long, kind of like the cliffs' notes of TWSS. I gave one to each parent in the IEW class I taught, so the parents would have an understanding and be better equipped to assist with home assignments.

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I wouldn't do that. And I wouldn't pay that much money for the materials, either. There are other equally good instructional materials that are a fraction of the cost of EIW.

 

Ellie, I think you meant IEW.  :001_smile:  What other ones are you thinking of?  I'm looking for something on DVD.  I know of IEW and EIW. 

 

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