For years, my kids struggled with their writing skills: while my daughter wrote incohesively, my son was overly verbose.
None of it made sense.
Then I discovered Institute for Excellence in Writing, which has an excellent reputation for helping everyone from slow learners to gifted students, and everyone in between.
After two years with IEW, I agree, because this writing program has revolutionized my daughter, a slower learner, at the same time that it helped my son, who seeks a mental challenge in all he does.
From the very first lesson they began writing coherently…without tears from any of us!
Meanwhile, my own writing improved, even though I had always done well in school and had been encouraged to enter writing contests.
STRUCTURE AND STYLE
The beauty of the program is that it teaches both structure and style in manageable bits and pieces.
IEW’s handbook, Teaching Writing Structure and Style (TWSS) is comprised of 9 units, beginning with simple steps which gradually build to writing multiple paragraphs on a theme.
Appropriately, each unit is laid out with suggestions for each grade level, while also explaining how to adapt to any special needs and learning styles, even for advanced writers ready for a challenge.
Meanwhile, there is a wonderful support group for any questions that arise.
While critics fuss that everyone’s papers sound the same, I spend my time counting the blessings I see with my kids’ successfully learning how to write.
From the first week, when my kids were given the same writing assignment, they had completely different takes on the situation in their own voice.
If they forget to put their names on their papers, I can easily tell who wrote which paper.
Since my kids enjoy expressing themselves with their own interests, their writing is unique from one another.
OUR WRITING WEEK WITH IEW
1-Which writing model best fits the assignment?
2-Review the steps of that model
3-KWO
4-Rough Draft-handwritten in pen
5-Type paper into computer
6-Email a copy to me
7-I print out
8-We edit together
9-Student edits corrections on computer
EPILOGUE 2024
I’ve updated the header for the most recent version of IEW, which was significantly updated in 2015. In this version is a sample from my son, written in his junior year. If you have a copy of this TWSS, look on page 119 for: To Preserve the Union.
In fact, it’s not the first time IEW published my son’s work. Stay tuned for our Magnum Opus story!
