Institute for Excellence in Writing

OtherGrade 5

About This Curriculum

IEW gives parents the structure and the tools they need to: Regarding the IEW courses– The DVD format provides helpful information for the teacher. In the DVDs, Andrew Pudewa shows parents how to put his methods into practice (it turns out, it’s quite easy!). The student DVDs (optional, but recommended) provide additional support and modeling for you and for your students. The student materials contain all the source texts, checklists, and assignments that are needed for the course (making it easy for everyone). Student materials include model paragraphs, stories, and report source texts so your students can focus on the how of writing rather than on the what of writing. Students are taught note taking skills, how to write paragraphs, stories, essays, reports, critiques, and how to write creatively. Stylistic techniques are taught as well. Information is taught incrementally to help students move from the basics into more independent, sophisticated writing. It’s easy to use IEW courses year after year—so there’s no need to shop and switch curriculum. Your students can just move to the next level. That’s a plus! Please enter at least 2 characters for name. Please enter at least 10 characters for details.

Institute for Excellence in Writing: Structured Writing Program with DVD Support

The Institute for Excellence in Writing is a comprehensive writing curriculum that teaches paragraph, essay, and report writing through structured models and stylistic techniques. The program uses DVD instruction from Andrew Pudewa to guide both parents and students through incremental skill development.

Best for

Homeschool parents who want structured writing instruction with extensive support, particularly those who lack confidence in teaching writing to middle school students

Evaluation Criteria

5 strengths · 1 neutral · 1 insufficient evidence

EngagementStrength

The reviewer found the DVD instruction enjoyable and engaging, praising the instructor's likable presentation style. The variety of writing topics and combination of fictional and non-fictional content supports engagement.

Reviewer enjoyed watching DVDs and found Mr. Pudewa's presentation pleasant and insightful, noting the combination of fictional and non-fictional topics

Age AppropriatenessStrength

The Level B middle school materials appear developmentally appropriate with a combination of fictional and non-fictional writing topics. The incremental structure allows students to build skills progressively.

Level B is specifically designed for middle school students and combines both fictional and non-fictional writing topics appropriate for this age group

Instructional ClarityStrength

The curriculum provides clear, structured instruction with step-by-step DVD modeling from the instructor. The incremental approach moves students from basics to more sophisticated writing through explicit teaching of structural models and stylistic techniques.

DVDs show parents how to implement methods, student materials include checklists and assignments, and information is taught incrementally from basics to independence

Real World ApplicationStrength

The curriculum teaches practical writing skills including note-taking, essays, reports, and critiques that transfer to academic and professional contexts. Theme-based courses in history, literature, and science connect writing to content areas.

Students learn note-taking, essays, reports, and critiques; theme-based courses available in history, literature, and science

Teacher Parent SupportStrength

Extensive teacher support is a major strength, including instructional DVDs, webinars, online classes, phone support, and user forums. The program specifically addresses parents who may not know how to teach writing.

DVD instruction for parents, free resources including webinars and articles, phone and online support, user forums, and IEW Families support network

Assessment FeedbackNeutral

The curriculum includes checklists and assignments, and online classes offer feedback on written work. However, the review doesn't detail specific assessment tools or feedback mechanisms in the core program.

Student materials contain checklists and assignments, and online classes include helpful feedback on written assignments

Content AccuracyInsufficient Evidence

Limited evidence available to assess content accuracy from the review provided. The curriculum teaches standard writing skills including note-taking, paragraphs, essays, and reports.

Review mentions teaching of note-taking skills, paragraph writing, essays, reports, and critiques, but doesn't provide detail on accuracy of writing instruction methods

Sources: homeschool.com