Questions re: IEW TWSS

[Sherri in MI]

My son will be finishing 3rd grade this spring. We are currently using R & S English 3, Spelling Power and no real writing program. We were using Daily Paragraph Editing which includes daily proofreading and weekly writing assignments. He currently has to write a history and/or science "narration" (a few sentences) a few days per week.

I've been considering IEW (TWSS) for years, but have not yet purchased it because of the expense. Another concern is it looks like a lot of parental time to learn the system. I don't find the catalog description very helpful. It is nebulous in my mind. Plus it seems to require a lot of "add-ons" to be user friendly.

I do like that it gets a lot of rave reviews professional from parents using it. I like that I can use it through high school. I like Andrew Pudewa (I've seen him speak several times).

What would be the bare minimum I need to get started? It looks like I'll need TWSS, but that is just "teacher/parent" training, right? So if I purchase TWSS and watch the dvds, then what? Monday morning comes - what do I need to start lessons with my son? Do you just make up assignments from your other subjects (history, science, literature)? Do I need TWSS + SWI + a theme-based writing lesson book? Or just TWSS + a theme-based book?

How much time did you spend watching the dvds and understanding the "system"/methods? How much time did you spend initially making lesson plans and how much time do you spend weekly implementing this?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Blessings,
Sherri in MI

[angela in ohio]

You really just need the TWSS, especially for a fourth grader. After you watch the videos, which took me about a week of stolen chunks of time, you can decide how far you want to go with your dc the next year. Maybe you want to do the first 5 units only, for example. You can either plan each week as you go, or, as I do, plan out the whole year ahead of time. I have a notebook with enough dividers for the number of weeks of school, and I printed out copies of the models we will use and the checklists, handouts, etc. I will need for each week. Each week of the school year, I just pull out that week's materials. It is really, really simple. I tie each week's topics into what we are studying in history or other subjects.

Anyway, it sounds like you have put down a great foundation for future writing skill, between the grammar, narrations, and spelling work, and next year you will be able to pull it all together. :)

The amount of time you spend will really depend on what you want to accomplish. I spend way more time than most on writing, for example. It is easy to custonmize because you set the schedule.

[MIch elle]

just IEW TWSS if you're organized and can implement the system/organize your writing lessons by yourself. I think the other theme based writing lessons would probably be too difficult for gr.4.

We're using IEW SWI A with my 5th grader and IEW U.S History Based Writing lessons v1 with my 8th grader.

Have you asked on the IEW families yahoo group? Also if you call IEW they are also very helpful.

In the files of the IEW yahoo group are MANY samples and printable lesson plans to use with SWI and SICC and as stand alone plans for TWSS. I suggest you spend time looking at those files.

[Linda...inOwasso]

I have the TWSS syllabus & vhs tapes. You are right -- the TWSS is the teacher training so to speak. The videos and syllabus have helped me immensely in understanding "how" the program works. While this information is invaluable, you still have to plan out the lessons and locate appropriate source texts (single paragraphs) for dc to use.

SWI A is planned out and provides the source texts for your students to write from which is nice and saves time, but it does not include any additional or different information regarding writing instruction than you receive with the TWSS.

What I have chosen to use with my upcoming 3rd grader is the Imitation in Writing Aesop's Fables (1st half of the year) and Imitation in Writing Fairy Tales (2nd half of the year). Samples of both of these can be seen at the Logos School website. Each workbook costs $20.

So, to answer your ?, you really only NEED the TWSS to understand the IEW writing system. If you're willing to locate the source texts and plan it out then there's no need to purchase the other supplements. I chose the Fables/Fairy Tale Workbooks because my dd was rapidly tiring of re-writing random single paragraphs. I could have added more IEW *requirements* to her writing assignments, but I felt they were too advanced for her and would only result in frustration. The fables/fairy tales are interesting and fun.

[kRenee]

If you buy an SWI it will come with lesson plans. If you decide to just get the TWSS then you can download the SWI lesson plans from IEW. They are designed to accompany the lessons on SWI, but it will at least give you some ideas on how to implement the TWSS.