Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
Writing is a skill we need to teach our children, but it can cause lots of uncertainty when it comes to the nitty gritty of how to teach writing. My daughter and I have had the privilege of using Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level C from Institute for Excellence in Writing® for several weeks now. This curriculum is everything a parent could wish for to ease any doubts about how to teach writing.
Components of Structure and Style® for Students
This high school writing curriculum consists of a physical product with a digital component. When you purchase Structure and Style for Students Year 1 Level C you’ll receive a box containing a teacher’s manual, student binder, student packet of inserts, and activation code with detailed instructions for setting up your twenty-four forever streaming videos.
Student materials
The student materials include a three-ring binder and printouts for the entire course. You don’t have to print any additional papers or even punch holes in them. Everything is done for you. As your child works through each week’s lesson you simply take out the corresponding pages, and add them to the binder under the correct tabs.
Teacher’s manual
The organization of the teacher’s manual makes using the Structure and Style curriculum easy for parents. A scope and sequence tells the unit and week number, subject and structure, style, and literature suggestions. For each lesson there are several helpful pages to guide you.
The overview outlines the goals for the lesson, the daily breakdown of what students should do, and the time increments for the video segments.
The second page shows all the board notes that Mr. Pudewa writes during the in-class instruction your student sees on the videos.
Next come copies of the source texts, with teacher notes in the margin that show key notes about the structure, as well as definitions of vocabulary.
Copies of model charts (printed in yellow) and style sheets (printed in pink or blue) also have teacher notes in the margin to help you remember the important aspects of the lesson.
Finally, there is a page that tells how to organize the student binder materials and a list of homework to give your student. (The homework is also listed at the end of each video and in the student version of each weekly overview).
Streaming videos
My daughter and I looked forward to watching the streaming videos each week. These high quality recordings take place in a traditional classroom. The teens in the room are seated at tables and rotate their spots so you see different students in the front row each time.
Warm Up
Andrew Pudewa, the teacher, starts class by welcoming students and warming up with a joke, story, or challenge.
For example, in week seven he hands out a list of sentences and asks students to go around the room trying to read each sentence correctly. He challenges them to rehearse the sentences in their brains a few times before reading them out loud. The sentence, “The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert” got lots of laughs.
After the ice breaker, Mr. Pudewa hands back the papers that were submitted previously and collects the new homework. He reads one or two pieces aloud. I love this aspect of the videos, because it helps my daughter, who’s at home alone and not in a classroom setting, get a sense for what students her age are writing.
Quick Review
Andrew Pudewa then briefly reviews the previous week and talks about some issues that are causing confusion for the writers in his class. This might be a discussion about the difference between the words “its” and “it’s” or being consistent when using verb tenses.
Source Text Work
For the bulk of the lesson, there is a source text that the teacher reads aloud as students follow along. In lesson six students read three different short pieces. Then they learn how to select interesting, important, or relevant facts to summarize what they’ve read. They’re also taught how to write a topic sentence and closing sentence using the topic/clincher rule.
Class Wrap-Up
At the end of each video lesson, Mr. Pudewa goes over the writing assignment and explains new additions to the composition checklist to make sure students know how to structure their writing piece. He goes over new dress-up techniques and takes time to answer any questions.
What a Weekly Lesson Plan Looks Like
The lessons follow a predictable pattern making it easy for students to find a pace that works for them.
Day One
On the first day, students watch part one of the video to review, practice, and learn new concepts with the guidance of the teacher.
Day Two
The next day students watch part two of the video and receive their writing assignment.
Days Three/Four/Five
Students spend the last three days writing a first draft using specific techniques and style elements, giving their draft to an “editor” who makes suggestions, and writing a final draft.
Some students may want to write their first draft in one day and their final draft the next day. If that’s the case, then those students can schedule writing for four days a week as opposed to five.
What I Like About Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level C
Comprehensive
- Consists of 24 weeks of lessons organized into nine structural units followed by a final section on literature response
- Note making and outlines
- Writing from notes
- Retelling narrative stories
- Summarizing a reference
- Writing from pictures
- Summarizing mulitple references
- Inventive writing
- Formal essay models
- Formal critique
- Response to literature
- Uses source texts so students read quality literature on interesting topics and use the texts as writing models
- Lessons teach students how to structure different types of writing, like a five paragraph essays and three-paragraph reports
- Lessons teach students how to dress-up their writing with use of strong verbs, adverbs, adjectives and more
- Attention to mechanics is given in the editing checklists and during class discussions when the teacher addresses problems he sees in his students’ writing
- Students learn how to correctly document and cite sources in the MLA format
- Vocabulary is learned in the context of literature
Videos in a Classroom Setting
- Make you feel like an active participant
- You hear responses from peers which makes it more interesting
- Receive the benefit of hearing direct feedback on other students’ writing
- More engaging overall than watching a single instructor talk directly to the camera
Instructor
- Knowledgeable about writing
- Experienced teacher
- Gives clear instruction at a good pace
- Uses humor to convey a point or to start class with an attention grabber
- Keeps students engaged with thoughtful conversations around the source texts
- Likable personality and presentation style that teens enjoy; shares personal stories
- Uses inclusive language, like “we get confused” so students are never singled out or embarrassed for making mistakes
Ease of Use
- Everything you need for the program is included in your purchase
- No planning is required by the parent
- Weekly schedule is clearly outlined
Composition Checklists
- Give students clear expectations
- Students identify where they used certain techniques, by underlining and highlighting, making it easy for parents to see if students were successful
- Students start to internalize the qualities that make good writing after this repetition
- Checklists increase in length, so students are always learning new ways to improve their writing
A Few Things to Note
Teacher Preparation
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style is a separate product you need to purchase if you follow the suggested teacher preparation in the program. It’s not clear whether you need to view these teaching videos in order to make the most of the Structure and Style for Students Year 1 Level C or if it’s merely a suggestion. From my understanding, the separate course on teaching writing is for writing teachers in homeschool co-ops or private schools or parents who want more training.
I did not get the chance to review the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style course, but I can see how any additional insights would be helpful. The course would supplement the Structure and Style for Students Course, but it’s not necessary. I watched the streaming videos in the program along with my daughter with my teacher’s manual at my side, and I felt sufficiently prepared to help her through any questions or problems.
Genres
Structure and Style for Students relies heavily on non-fiction with a few samples of fiction thrown into the mix. Students learn how to correctly write several nonfiction genres, like essays and reports. However, fiction is included as students convert poetry to prose, write from pictures, and write a unique story that parallels an excerpt from Tom Sawyer.
Highly Structured
This curriculum is highly structured. The lessons provide a recipe for writing that can be really helpful for students who need support. If you ask your students to write an essay, and they have no idea where to start, this course will walk them through step-by-step.
The structure also helps more experienced writers fine-tune their writing. If your child likes open-ended creative writing, or feels too confined by lots of structure, this course may not be the best fit.
Finding an Editor
Mr. Pudewa asks students to find a person, close family friend or relative, who can act as their editor for the duration of the course. Ideally this editor is someone other than the parent who is teaching the course.
For our review, we neglected to find an editor, but as we continue to use the program this year, I’m going to suggest my daughter’s dad or grandmother be her editor. My daughter can email copies of her writing to her grandmother or have her dad read hard copies at home.
In the student packet there is a letter to the editor that explains the role of an editor. In this witty letter, the editor is asked to agree on some sort of compensation for their work, like pulling weeds or giving a massage. This is a fun way to get other adults interested in your child’s writing and to provide an audience.
Grading
Grading is subjective in writing, and in this program it’s no different. Mr. Pudewa gives his students one of two grades–“I” for “incomplete” or “A” for “accomplished.” I personally like this approach, because the goal is for our students to complete the writing tasks.
To help you determine what grade to give your child, there is a comprehension checklist. Students use the checklist to edit their writing, but sometimes they may check things off that they didn’t actually do. Students can make changes to their writing and hand it in again to get an “A.”
If you want to use traditional letter grades, you’ll need to figure out your own grading system.
Using IEW Changed My Perception
Before
I have a confession to make. I was not a fan of IEW when we were first introduced. My daughter enrolled in a writing class at our homeschool group, back when she was in second grade, and was eager to write. But she lost her excitement after the first writing assignment, and I wondered if I had made the right decision.
My daughter was a creative writer, and this class felt restrictive and boring. Instead of coming up with original ideas to write about, she was basically rewriting other people’s writing. I was baffled by the concept of reading a paragraph, writing a “keyword outline,” and then rewriting the paragraph in her own words. Was this really writing?
After
My daughter continued taking writing classes with a teacher that used approaches from IEW for several years. What I came to realize is that she was learning the fundamentals of good writing. That is the strength I see in IEW. It teaches students how to write well. Children learn how to structure their writing so it’s easy to read and to add pizzazz so it’s pleasurable to read. What appeared dull to me was, in fact, building the foundation for all the creative writing she continues to enjoy in her teen years.
Next Steps
Reviewing Structure and Style for Students Year 1 Level C has been eye opening. I had no idea how many techniques my daughter had mastered before we started using this program. Each time we’d start a new topic she’d say, “I’ve done this before!”
Although the lessons we did were review for my daughter, the reading material was new. And as I look ahead I can see that they’ll be plenty to keep her interest. My daughter will have entirely new experiences as she writes a 12- to 16- paragraph super essay, responds to literature, and writes a timed essay. I feel confident that when she completes this IEW curriculum she’ll be well prepared for any type of writing that comes her way.
If you want to feel confident teaching writing to your teen, I encourage you to find out more about Structure and Style® for Students Year 1 Level C from Institute for Excellence in Writing®.
Structure and Style® for Students is also available for grades 3-5 (Level A) and grades 6-8 (Level B). To read reviews from homeschoolers using various levels, visit Homeschool Review Crew.
