Most of us will agree that to be able to write is a skill of great importance to have in the journey of life. For a start if our children are college bound, being able to write and take notes effectively could spell the difference between success and failure. To be able to articulate well in the written word is definitely a skill that I personally feel is vital to teach my children…and that is where the problem can arise. How do I teach my child to write effectively?
For most of us the instinct is to simply assign a writing task to our children and guide them through the process (after having spoken of things like intros, bodies, and closings, etc). But this approach was just was not cutting it for us. I have one daughter who is a natural writer and was able to produce beautifully written pieces and great content with a few simple guidelines. She was commended for her writing by her interviewing tutor at her college interview in fact, but my youngest daughter needed more of a plan for her writing.
Enter I.E.W’s Student Writing Intensive Level C.
What a great program! From the get-go my daughter’s attention was captured by Andrew Pudewa’s engaging lessons on the DVDs. Level C is aimed at students in grades 9 -12. It assumes that the student has had no or very little prior writing experience so it is perfect for the struggling writer – yet the experienced writer will not find this course any less of a challenge.
There are three levels: A, B, & C. The levels differ in the source texts used which increases in sophistication of grammar and speed of presentation with each successive level. You would choose this course based on your child’s age and maturity – not really on their writing ability.
When you buy this course you can expect to receive:
- A Structure and Style DVD for parents (watch this first – it’s extremely insightful!)
- Four instructional DVDs for the student
- A three-ring binder with dividers
- A Student handout pack which contains the Scope & Sequence of the course, Teachers notes and student handouts for one student.
You can adapt this course to suit your students abilities, so you can expect to take between 15 and 30 weeks to work through the Student Writing Intensive. I’ve opted to do it over 30 weeks as there are plenty of practice exercises after each lesson. I want my daughter to be an excellent writer and to really grasp the techniques that Andrew Pudewa teaches.
The difference between this course and other writing courses that I have come across is that most courses try to tell a student what to write instead of actually teaching them HOW to write. You know the drill … ‘Pretend you have been stranded on a desert island, write a story on how you came to be stranded and what you had to do to survive’ – that kind of thing.
Then the poor student has to sit with that dreaded blank page in front of them wondering where to start. Right from the start of this course my daughter was buoyed by her instant success from just following the structure taught. We saw immediate results and this inspired confidence in my daughter. Not once has she turned her nose up at having to do this lesson.
From my point of view I have learned much from watching the DVDs with my daughter. There are certain ‘teacher rules’ that we tend stick to or mimic. Rules that we endured during our childhood schooling and that we think ‘must’ be right. Andrew Pudewa says otherwise and I find his approach freeing. It’s no surprise really that this course has so many positive reviews.
This course gives clear step-by-step models that student can draw on. A structure with which to work. It has really made writing in out home a much more pleasant task. It also covers various forms of writing, from creating a story outline, to taking keynotes, to tips on how to write a more polished composition.
You can buy this course from the IEW shop for $109. If you hop on over to the link I’ve just shared, you can download a sample of the student handouts. I always like to look at samples of the curriculum I’m interested in before I buy.
First, let me say, thank you for this review. I’m strongly considering IEW’s Student Writing Intensive for my “7th grader” and every review up until now is for the Teaching Seminar. So , I have a question, mainly for clarification. Did you only purchase the Student Writing Intensive or did you purchase the combination of SWI and the Teaching Seminars? We really don’t have the budget for both. I feel confident enough in my writing skills and years of public school teaching to manage, but would still like some input as to whether or not the student curriculum is maneuverable without the teaching seminar addition. Thank you in advance for your help.
Hi Kelley,
Thanks so much for your comment :). I only purchased the SWI and it’s working just fine for me. The SWI came with a seminar DVD too in which Andrew Pudewa is speaking to parents and teachers so a lot of good points were gleaned from that. Like you cost was a factor but I’ve found that we are managing very well with just the SWI and making great progress. The SWI does come with a paper pack for the teacher where lessons are outlined, text is addressed to the teacher/facilitator etc.
Awesome!! Thank you for your reply. Your experience is exactly what I was hoping. I believe you’ve given be the last bit of reassurance I needed to sealed the deal.
Happy schooling!
You are very welcome 🙂