WELCOME TO IEW’S DISCOVERIES IN WRITING & GRAMMAR STUDIES FOR GRADES 3-6!
This year-long, 2-day per week course is part of the Upper Elementary Core Series. The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) has been the go-to writing curriculum of homeschoolers for well over a decade. This two day per week class will teach, inspire, and encourage students to share their thoughts and ideas through the written word. This year-long, non-religious writing course is designed for students in grades 3-5 and may be eligible for charter school funds. Be sure to check with your specific charter school to confirm their reimbursement policies.
COURSE DESCRIPTION (copied from the publisher):
IEW's methods for teaching writing are similar to methods one might use to teach music, art, or even sports. Students begin by analyzing and imitating existing good writing. Then through a series of incremental steps, they develop the ability to write their own original compositions.
Teaching Structure: With IEW's structural models, teachers teach the following step-by-step: note making and outlines, writing from notes, retelling narrative stories, summarizing a reference, writing from pictures, summarizing multiple references and inventive writing.
Teaching Style: Using IEW's stylistic techniques such as strong verbs, quality adjectives, and sentence openers, students incrementally move from basic to a variety of sentence structures, improved vocabulary and more sophisticated writing.
CLASSROOM & HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS:
Weekly homework is required with an expectation that time be spent throughout the week creating quality pieces. Students must be able to write at least one paragraph each week at the start of the school year. In class we will fully discuss, explore, and practice the concepts at hand as we create meaningful writing outlines and study important grammar skills together. They will also work in small groups to exchange thoughts and ideas as they respectfully provide peer-to-peer feedback that supports and encourages their classmates. At home, parents will be provided writing checklists to help guide their student through the editing and revising processes. All students will be expected to participate in class and share their completed works on a regular basis.
**Disclaimer: This course does not cover all types of writing required by state funded charter schools.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS & SUPPLIES (links provided, but feel free to purchase from the vendor of your choosing):
Discoveries in Writing: Student Book - This is a student workbook, so if you have multiple students, EACH student will need their own workbook.
IEW's Student Resource Packet
3-ring Binder for Student Resource Packet pages
9.5" x 7.5" Composition Notebook
Durable pocket folder for handouts & other papers
Mechanical Pencils with Refills – Please, no pencil sharpeners in the classroom. They are very messy.
Long, thin, self-sharpening crayons - colored pencils need constant sharpening and markers bleed through the pages
Fine-tip Dry Erase Pens
Thesaurus - Please do not get an overly simplified student version.
Supply box to keep things together & organized in their backpacks
Additional supplies worth having: water bottle (sports lid to prevent spills), tissue, and hand sanitizer
*OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED FOR FAMILIES UNFAMILIAR WITH IEW’S METHOD OR HAVE STUDENTS WHO STRUGGLE WITH WRITING – Teaching Writing: Structure and Style, Second Edition (DVD edition) or their Forever Streaming, Seminar Workbook, & Premium Membership. This resource is written to parents and students and will carry you through grades 3-5 of IEW’s writing program.
PAYMENT METHODS & SCHEDULE:
The cost of this course is $400/semester with a $20 non-refundable materials fee which covers the copies needed for our grammar lessons and the additional supplies needed for group work and other class activities. These fees will be paid directly to Ethos who will provide you with payment information and schedules.
TEACHER CONTACT INFORMATION:
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.