IEW ?s...

[Deb in NZ]

Tomorrow I'm going to a HS conference where Andrew Pudewa is the main speaker. I've been looking at the IEW website to try to learn more about his writing program as writing is an area of need for my dc. At the moment we are intending to use Jump In, but I'm wondering if that is the right move for my dd & I'm attracted to IEW in that it teaches outlining early-on. IF I decided to make the plunge & get IEW this weekend, what would I need to get started? Dd is a good, but not great writer. She writes creatively with ease & in her own definate style, but lacks skills for more achedemic writing. Ds#1 is "allergic to pencils." Its painful to try to get him to write. He had just over 2 years in PS that instilled in him a hate of writing by the age of 7. Ds#2 never went to school & enjoys writing, but I have yet to push beyond copywork, dictation (that he loves), & narration (that he does not love). What would you reccommend for my dc?

TWSS?
SWI-A, B, &/or C?
HighSchool Essay Intensive?

How about the Poetry Memorization book & cds?
Teaching the Classics?

Would TWSS + Character Based Writing Lessons &/or Great Natural Disasters writing lessons be enough to get us started? My goals in writing this year is to polish up dd's skills for university level assignments, get ds#1 to write clearly (both content & penmanship), & for ds#2 to clearly put his thoughts on paper in an organized way.

TIA

[one l michele]

I bought the TWSS and SWI, but after reviewing the TWSS decided to return the SWI. The TWSS alone gave me the structure I needed to teach writing and allows me to go at my dc's pace and intertwine writing with other subjects. Also the files at the IEW yahoo group site has a ton of great information, I used that as a starting point before deciding to order TWSS.

I will add I just got my TWSS last week, so it is new to us, but you could see dramatic results in my dc's first assignment. He is also asking to do IEW! The checklists and step by step directions are what both of us needed.

[Janis in DE]

My recommendation would be the TWSS and then one of the lesson plans such as the character based lessons. The TWSS are DVDs that will teach you how to teach your children how to write. The lesson plans will lead you step by step in implementing what you learned in the TWSS. As long as you are willing to teach the lesson you don't need the SWI. The SWI are videos that have Andrew teaching your children what is in the TWSS. You would need the SWI and the SWIC inorder to cover everything in the TWSS and this can get rather expensive. IEW is really great for using with all of your kids. Have them all come together for the lesson explanation. Spend some time with a white board going over ideas for the writing and then they go off on their own to work on their papers. All of this is well explained in the TWSS.
I've watched the TWSS and have implemented some of the concepts on my own, however I have and will be using the Ancient History lesson plans next year. Just make sure you get lesson plans that are age appropriate. Some are for high school age and some for younger kids.
I also have Teaching the Classics. This is like the TWSS in that it is a DVD seminar that teaches you how to discuss Classic Literature. I like things that teach me how to teach my children. There are great questions in the back of the book that can be used with any book. Not having gone to college both these products have really helped me to be a better teacher for my daughter. I hope this has helped.

[Deb in NZ]

Janis & Michele. I'll take a good look at TWSS & maybe one of the lesson plans books. I'm really excited about hearing Andrew Pudewa speak. I need to get focused for our new year & this conference is just what I need.

Blessings,