IEW...Help!

[OneStepAtATime]

O.k. I have two kids who are dyslexic and we are using Barton Reading and Spelling with great success for remediation of reading and spelling issues.  Once we complete Level 4 it is recommended by Susan Barton that we start IEW to coincide with her program.  I have a 9 (4th grade) and 13 (7th grade) year old who, because we have been working on remediation are not writing at grade level yet.  I hate the expense but I know I will need the instructional DVDs for this system.  I don't want to have to buy two sets (Level B and Level C).  It SEEMS they are saying you only need one set, depending on the age of the child.  Could I just get the Level C for both?  Or would it be too advanced for a 4th grader that is behind in reading but very bright?  Can someone explain these levels to me and maybe make a recommendation?  The 9 year old is gifted but lacks exposure.  Or maybe I am misunderstanding this program...do I need both sets anyway?

[TarynB]

I would get SWI level B and use it with both kids.  My non-dyslexic DS used level B as a 5th grader and it was fine.  You could perhaps just expect a bit more from your 7th grader than your 4th grader.  (The program supplies grading rubrics so you'll know what is reasonable for their output.)  I wouldn't use C with a dyslexic 7th grader.  IEW placement is based on reading level, not writing level or previous experience.

[coffeegal]

Level A: 3-5th grades

Level B: 6-8th grades

Level C: High school

 

Get level B for both. You can reduce the length of the assignments if they're too long for your 4th grader. :001_smile:

[OneStepAtATime]

Thanks ladies!  I will order Level B.  Another couple of questions...

 

1.  How much teacher prep time does this involve? (already spending a lot of prep in other areas but willing to add one more if necessary...just want some warning ahead of time with regards to how to schedule)

2.  Is it possible for both of them to do lessons together? (I have to tutor separately for Barton)

3. About how long would a daily lesson take and would you do this daily?

[FairProspects]

I agree about getting Level B. As for teacher prep, I spent a week or so last summer going over the TWSS and making notes (but I had previously taught SWI B so it was really a refresher). The SWI courses are open and go and you should be able to have both do the lessons together. Lesson time varies. The DVD segments are about 45 min each, but you don't watch a segment every day. Some days are writing and editing. We do one composition a week, however long that takes us. We are working on writing most days, probably 3-4 times a week depending on how much ds gets done that day.

[TarynB]

Thanks ladies!  I will order Level B.  Another couple of questions...

 

1.  How much teacher prep time does this involve? (already spending a lot of prep in other areas but willing to add one more if necessary...just want some warning ahead of time with regards to how to schedule)

2.  Is it possible for both of them to do lessons together? (I have to tutor separately for Barton)

3. About how long would a daily lesson take and would you do this daily?

 

Teacher prep?  None. Open and go. I watched the SWI videos with my DS.  I did not buy or use the TWSS.  (TWSS was IEW's original product.  IEW later created SWI to give non-confident teachers, like me, the resources and hand-holding needed to teach using SWI methods without the TWSS.)  I spent a few minutes grading his completed papers (per the rubrics) but not every day, probably average once per week. And I would check in every day that he was writing.

 

Kids do lessons together?  Absolutely.

 

There's a schedule in the teacher materials.  We sorta followed the schedule, but we never watched more than 30 minutes of video in one day, and I never made DS write for more than 30 minutes per day.  We just stopped and picked it up the next day if it was taking him longer than 30 minutes to write, or if he needed to pause the video to write something down and that caused us to go over 30 minutes. If we got "behind" per the TM's schedule, it was never a problem to catch up again within a couple of days. I think we did it every day unless he finished an assignment early. I recall there was a lot of extra time built into the schedule for finishing certain assignments (especially the later ones) and it often didn't take as long as the schedule said to allow. We finished it several weeks before the end of our school year.

[OneStepAtATime]

Awesome responses.  Really appreciate all the help!  :)  Gotta love the HIVE...

[OneStepAtATime]

Level A: 3-5th grades

Level B: 6-8th grades

Level C: High school

 

Get level B for both. You can reduce the length of the assignments if they're too long for your 4th grader. :001_smile:

 

I didn't really read this as carefully as I should have.  And I guess I was reading an old review and blog of this system when I was trying to understand the levels because they were saying that Level A was for early elementary, Level B was for 3-5th and Level C was for Middle School.  Was the system revamped? If so, when people are recommending Level B, is that with the understanding that it is for Middle School?  Or are others using an older system that has Level B as 3-5th?  DD, while technically 7th grade is only now reading at an upper elementary level...Would I be better going with Level A for 3rd - 5th?

[TarynB]

Have you looked at the SWI samples on the IEW website?  You know your DD best.  Look at the student reading resources in the different A and B samples, and see what you think. 

 

My DS was a very young 5th grader - that's upper elementary to me - and he used level B.  Personally, I think IEW's grade guidelines are a bit off, because after using level B, I would expect an average 8th grader with no LDs to be capable of more than what's required in level B.

[OneStepAtATime]

Have you looked at the SWI samples on the IEW website?  You know your DD best.  Look at the student reading resources in the different A and B samples, and see what you think. 

 

My DS was a very young 5th grader - that's upper elementary to me - and he used level B.  Personally, I think IEW's grade guidelines are a bit off, because after using level B, I would expect an average 8th grader with no LDs to be capable of more than what's required in level B.

O.k. checking more closely now.  Thanks.  Writing and reading just always came so easily to me, I find it hard to go back and figure out how to teach it or judge a good writing program for kids that do not find this an easy task, KWIM?  Appreciate the help.  

[TarynB]

Yes, I hear you on that!  Either way, I hope your kids do well with IEW.  I resisted it for too long (because I didn't understand how it worked and I foolishly listened to negative reviews from people who had never even used it!) but it turned out to be exactly what my DS needed at that time.  It completely changed his attitude toward writing, in a good way.  (In case you didn't know, even SWB recommended IEW in TWTM before she wrote her own writing curriculum.)  Best of luck!

[coffeegal]

I didn't really read this as carefully as I should have.  And I guess I was reading an old review and blog of this system when I was trying to understand the levels because they were saying that Level A was for early elementary, Level B was for 3-5th and Level C was for Middle School.  Was the system revamped? If so, when people are recommending Level B, is that with the understanding that it is for Middle School?  Or are others using an older system that has Level B as 3-5th?  DD, while technically 7th grade is only now reading at an upper elementary level...Would I be better going with Level A for 3rd - 5th?

 

Go to the site and browse through the samples. It will give you a good idea of the reading levels involved. Personally, I think you should be fine with level B. You can always slow down and take longer to complete the lessons. How far you get is how far you get. Next year, you can begin with a quick review and move forward from there.

 

I think the difference is that for a bright child with no LDs, IEW can be completed at earlier grades than the publisher states. The biggest difference between the levels is the reading level of model materials and the amount of writing required. A child who reads well and loves to write will thrive at a higher level than IEW recommends. Once you start throwing LDs into the mix, life gets more complicated.

[OneStepAtATime]

Go to the site and browse through the samples. It will give you a good idea of the reading levels involved. Personally, I think you should be fine with level B. You can always slow down and take longer to complete the lessons. How far you get is how far you get. Next year, you can begin with a quick review and move forward from there.

 

I think the difference is that for a bright child with no LDs, IEW can be completed at earlier grades than the publisher states. The biggest difference between the levels is the reading level of model materials and the amount of writing required. A child who reads well and loves to write will thrive at a higher level than IEW recommends. Once you start throwing LDs into the mix, life gets more complicated.

Thanks...and that last sentence should truly be immortalized on my wall... maybe in rainbow colors with a black drop shadow for emphasis... :)

[Heathermomster]

Use level B and then slow it down. DS has used IEW for two years now. He spends one hour on Monday, writes a KWO on Tuesday, writes the paragraph Wednesday, and then rewrites/edits Thursday and possibly Friday.

 

Be prepared to scribe for both of your kids. It took until late 3rd quarter of the first year with IEW for DS to confidently write and complete his own work. The ability to type helped him tremendously. He barely needs me now when he writes. I mainly proof his work, and it has been awesome.

[OneStepAtATime]

Use level B and then slow it down. DS has used IEW for two years now. He spends one hour on Monday, writes a KWO on Tuesday, writes the paragraph Wednesday, and then rewrites/edits Thursday and possibly Friday.

 

Be prepared to scribe for both of your kids. It took until late 3rd quarter of the first year with IEW for DS to confidently write and complete his own work. The ability to type helped him tremendously. He barely needs me now when he writes. I mainly proof his work, and it has been awesome.

Thanks, Heathermomster.  The details on scheduling are greatly appreciated.  I scribe for both kids quite a bit already, but they are working on typing and it is improving.  One has coordination issues and the other has sequencing issues so that has been slower going than I had hoped, but we are making it through. 

 

Do you watch the DVD's?  Does your DS?  Both?  Still trying to wrap my brain around how this system works.

[Heathermomster]

DS sits in a thematic IEW class with an O-G Wilson certified instructor. DS gets the lecture while I sit through the class, take notes for the class, and ask questions. (Actually, all the moms take turns jotting down notes for the class.)

 

My DS struggles with sequencing, and the KWOs have helped with that tremendously. It took DS a few months to figure out the system. I don't particularly care for the dress-ups. They seem forced at first until the student internalizes the process and starts to add them naturally. Outside of IEW, DS writes history summaries for me using what he has learned. What is best about all of this is that DS sees improvement and understands the process better. The first few months were very difficult, but we pushed through.

 

DS practiced typing first thing in the morning for 20 minutes, Monday through Friday for a semester. I always stressed accuracy over speed. We used a program called Typer Island and set the speed to 5 WPM. He took a quick break after 10 minutes. The process was slow, but the pay off was huge. Slow and steady wins the race.