Does IEW prepare students for college writing?

[48820592]

Do any of you have an opinion on whether IEW materials prepared your child for college writing?  If yes, what courses did you use?  If no, what curriculum do you wish you would have used and why?  I'm feeling a little insecure about high school language arts.

 

Thanks for your input!

[foxbridgeacademy]

:lurk5:

[1Togo]

We have used lots of writing materials, including IEW.  Here is a bit of input:

 

The foundation of IEW is Teaching Writing:  Structure and Style.  I have used TWSS with my own children and other children, and it is excellent for elementary and middle school students or older students who struggle with writing.  IEW sells DVDs with Andrew Pudewa teaching the course, although I think it's important for you, the teacher, to watch, take notes, and do the exercises with TWSS, so you can provide good input on your student's work.  Follow TWSS with The Elegant Essay, Windows to the World, Excellence in Literature, and any of the other IEW upper level courses, and your student will be very prepared for college.

 

IEW sells products that range from elementary to college.  The website has a Decision Tree with recommendations for age-appropriate materials.  In addition to their writing products, I have used Phonetic Zoo, IEW' spelling curriculum, since it was first published, as well as Fix-It for grammar.  Both have worked well for our children.

[G5052]

I used the TWSS method with mine via the IEW history-based books in grade school and middle school.  After 4-5 years of that, they are pretty much ready to tackle anything, so I'm using a college rhetoric book with them now.  They write better than 90% of the students I teach at the local community college (I'm a STEM professor, not English BTW).

 

A lot depends on where you student is.  I like the high school books, but you need to have the basics down before you take them on.  What have you used prior to this?

[48820592]

Thank you for the replies.  We are using IEW now, ds has had Windows to the World and level B of TWSS.  I am just feeling anxious that a "real" writing and lit instructor could do so much better than I could.  I want to make sure that I have done what I can so he is college ready.  He is taking Latin 1, Spanish 2 and Chemistry as out sourced classes, therefore, I don't want to pay for more classes.  Thus the question, will using IEW curriculum sufficiently prepare him for college?

 

Thanks

[G5052]

Yes,  I would say that those choices are good ones for college prep work.  If you can swing it, you might want to hire a tutor to read through a few papers here and there and give comments just so you have another opinion on their writing.  I know of several college English professors in my area who do this for homeschoolers, and the IEW website has a list of people who have completed certain requirements with them who read papers.  Even though I teach paid classes with IEW for ages 9-16, I've done that several times with my own teens papers just to make sure that I wasn't missing anything.  When I did it, I actually bartered for the service (I used to do that for piano lessons), so it didn't take anything out of my already tight budget.

[mamakim]

I'm just echoing 1Togo. My four-so-far who have been to college have done really well out of the gate with the required college writing having used these materials. Ready to have my 9th and 10th graders work the Elegant Essay this year - love that book :-).

[foxbridgeacademy]

So for those who feel it prepared your DC: what IEW curriculum did you use, specifically/in order, please.  Also did you supplement with other writing programs?  How about other Lit programs that are sneaky and require writing too (like EIL)?

[Closeacademy]

So for those who feel it prepared your DC: what IEW curriculum did you use, specifically/in order, please.  Also did you supplement with other writing programs?  How about other Lit programs that are sneaky and require writing too (like EIL)?

 

:lurk5:

[1Togo]

Look on the IEW website for suggested curriculum order. If your student already has a good writing

foundation; i.e. able to write basic narratives, paragraphs, incorporate basic style, write outlines, and

basic essays, all of which are covered in TWSS, move on to The Elegant Essay and Windows to the World. If

your student can write solid essays and introductory level-lit analysis, which are covered in EE and WttW

move on to Excellence in Literature, the College Writing DVDs and the AP literature materials. By the time

your student is working at that level,they will have a voice, etc., and the materials are definitely college prep. Also, the Tips and Technique DVD has suggestions for adding complexity to the basic work in TWSS. Of course, all the output from IEW products require input from the parent/teacher. If you are not comfortable

providing input, take a look at online providers; i.e. Bravewriter, The Potter's School, etc. etc. Search

this forum for suggestions for online providers.