Would it be crazy to start a 4th grader with SWI-B?

[Cecropia]

My soon-to-be 4th grader reads a ton of books in his free time; right now he's about 1/3 of the way through The Fellowship of the Ring.  I'm not sure whether he should start with SWI-A or can jump right into B. It sure would be convenient to have him and his 12-year-old brother go through SWI-B at the same time (we have never done any IEW materials before).

 

Here is an example of his creative writing from this year, in public school.

Hello, my name is Alex. I'm a red fox and the wisest animal in the forest. My story begins in a cave I was investigating near my home. Suddenly I heard a distant rumbling. I was just about to exit that place when boulders from the ceiling fell and blocked the only exit.

 

I was very nervous after that. Oh, I could taste my wife's famous squirrel stew! I thought about ways to escape when my stomach grumbled. Then I got an idea! My stomach reminded me that every time I caught an animal, when I dug up I would come up at a different place! "Maybe I can dig out of this cave" I thought.

(There are a couple more paragraphs after this, but you get the idea)

[TarynB]

I think Level B would be great for him. The Fellowship of the Ring is an 8th grade level book according to Scholastic and the writing sample you posted is quite mature for a 4th grader, IMO. (Tell him good job!) And IEW levels are based on reading ability/vocabulary (not necessarily writing skill). The levels do not build on each other, either, you just jump in where you fit best. My DS is young for his grade, and did SWI-B as a young 5th grader, and was able to handle the input and meet the output requirements with ease at that time. If your rising 4th grader finds the B level output too challenging at first, which I doubt he would based on what you've posted, just require less of him at the beginning and build it up slowly. IEW is flexible and easy to adjust down. In fact, I always find it easier to adjust a curriculum "down" if it is just too much of a stretch as written, rather than trying to beef up something that is too easy for the student.

Edited May 21, 2016 by TarynB

[Vintage81]

IEW has some information in their FAQs regarding which level to use for multiple grade levels. Here's a link (checkout #7):

 

http://iew.com/help-support/faq

 

Based on their information, the pacing in Level A and B are similar, so it would make sense to do level B for both of your children. You only need to do the Student Writing Intensive once, so it's helpful to be able to do it with multiple children.

 

I'm new to IEW myself, but in the short time we've been using it, I've seen lots of progress in my 2nd grader's writing. When I was first getting started, it was confusing to know where to start. I emailed IEW and they got back to me with lots of helpful information. So, if you ever have any questions, their customer service is excellent!

 

Good luck!

[Mrs Twain]

I vote for B. You could do it over two years.

[SebastianCat]

I would do B for both kids together, and either substitute a different source text or require a bit less output if necessary for your 4th grader. I required more output from my DS when he did SWI-A in 5th grade (together with his sister, who was in 3rd at the time).

[ScoutTN]

My 10 yo 5th grader did it easily this year, in about 6 months. The source texts are not difficult for a child who reads well above grade level.

Edited May 22, 2016 by ScoutTN