IEW - Help with placement or recommendations

[Bay Lake Mom]

My 5th grade daughter hasn't had much writing instruction.  Writing seems to be the thing that falls through the cracks.  I want to make it a priority possibly starting some this spring and definitely in the fall for 6th grade.  I have spent a lot of time looking at writing curriculum.  I need a lot of hand holding in this subject.  I'm a Math person, and writing was never my strength.  I think I've decided on IEW.  It seems to offer the best program that will guide us through middle and high school.  I don't know where to start, though.

I'm aware of the TWSS DVD seminar series.  I am okay with going through this, but what do I buy for her?  Would she need to start with SWI-A or should I start with B because of her age?  I've also seen where people just use the "topic" books.  I like the idea of the video lessons for her.  I also have a younger special needs daughter and a chronically ill husband.  Our lives can be quite crazy sometimes, and I need all the help I can get. 

I'd love to hear opinions of those who have been there, done that.  I'm also open to hearing recommendations for other curriculum that you think would help.  Thanks in advance.

[aaplank]

I think for ease of use, and to make it less teacher intensive for you, I think you should go with SWI instead of one of the theme books. I don't think that you need the TWWS if you decide to use SWI. IEW has archived webinars about each writing unit on their website that you could watch for free if you feel like you need to understand the program better as your daughter is using SWI. 

As far as whether to choose SWI A or B, I would suggest starting with B because of her age. However if you find that it's too advanced, IEW will let you switch to A at no extra cost. 

I don't know if you've seen their curriculum pathway, but I think it's pretty helpful.

[Bay Lake Mom]

Thank you for the link to the Pathway.   I will check that out.  I didn't know that they would let us switch to a different level.  That makes me feel much better about investing in this.  Thank you for the suggestion.

[SoCal_Bear]

I would suggest you start with SWI-B. It's aimed at 6th to 8th graders and won't expect that they have mastered writing. It presumes students have no previous experience. It's like SWI-A but faster and covers a few more topics. After that, if she like the videos, then move on with SICC-B the following year. I do have the TWSS which is teaching to you. I find it useful myself. SWI guides will tell you which videos on the TWSS DVDs for you to watch at what point as you progress through. No need to do the whole thing first. I'm not a writing person either. We are pretty STEM heavy over here.

Edited April 6, 2019 by calbear

[SoCal_Bear]

I finally found the chart I came across awhile back. It shows what is covered in each SWI level side-by-side.

https://iew.com/swi-topics

[YodaGirl]

I'd recommend SWI-B.

It's totally possible to do a theme book with the TWSS, but your daughter might benefit from the video instruction in SWI.

I've been teaching using IEW for 4 years.  The first year, I used a theme book without TWSS.  Instead, I binged their online podcasts/webinars.  It's totally possible if writing is your thing, but it is recommended to use the TWSS.