Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: writing

This topic has 21 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 11 months ago by greenebalts.

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June 4, 2016 at 9:14 pm
Tjbowman34
Participant
Which would you choose for a 14 DS who HATES to write, therefore, is poor at it.

Thank
Tameka
June 4, 2016 at 10:29 pm
MrsB
Participant
We have loved the transition from narration to IEW. IEWis so much like narrating, only its guided and helpful for the mom to teach stylistic techniques that students might not pick up on.
Make sure to watch the instructional videos by Andrewa Pudewa. He’s awesome. For free, listen to all of his podcasts and those of Julie Bogart of Bravewriter. They are helpful in determining mom’s attitude and plan of attack. It’s important to not be critical, and gently guide the child through writing. What he has to say is as important as how he says it.
Anyway, my vote is IEW. But it’s not complete without the videos.
June 5, 2016 at 5:44 am
jeaninpa
Participant
We loved the Power in Your Hands. I taught the creative writing class at a co-op this year and I’ll be teaching the non-fiction course next year. Even the kids who hated writing seemed to enjoy it and I found it very easy to teach. She gives very clear instructions and the assignments aren’t overwhelming.
I’m struggling to find a tactful way of evaluating my experience with IEW, so please don’t take offense. I know that IEW is popular with homeschoolers, but my kids hated it and every kid that I had in my class who had taken it hated it as well. Also, when I evaluated the kids in my class who had taken years and years of IEW, I did not find that they were better writers than the kids who had no previous writing experience. However, after a year of The Power in Your Hands, I saw a marked improvement in their writing.
I am sure others have had a different experience with IEW or it wouldn’t be so popular, but to me it seems like a lot of effort (watching the videos, making sure to follow all the rules) and expense and I didn’t see it paying off in better writing.
June 5, 2016 at 11:19 am
4myboys
Participant
We have used the first half or IEW writing intensive B — my boys really dislike it. All the rules, etc. However, my oldest said that although he dislikes it, he has seen some value in it. The biggest value I’ve found is that I actually usually remember to do it — which means we are actually writing rather than just narrating/discussing everything, and we’ve really been struggling with that. I would not use IEW for a second year, though.
I have Jump In! but we haven’t used it yet. Might use it come Sept for my 7th grader.
I’ve not heard of The Power in Your Hands. I’ll have to take a look at that one.
June 5, 2016 at 12:04 pm
Monica
Participant
My 14YO DS has just completed his second year of IEW. He did the US-Based History one and then Story Starters. Writing is not at all enjoyable to him, and IEW gave him the perfect guidelines and suggestions to improve his writing.
Because he had the experience, when it came time for him to write a report for his American Sign Language class earlier this year, it was not difficult for him to do. When I read it, I was impressed by the quality of his writing and the fact that his paper was enjoyable to read. IEW is a course I wish I had been able to take before I went to college (and I have a degree in English!)
My son was able to take it at a local co-op with an excellent teacher. If I were teaching it at home, I can’t be sure that he would have had such outstanding results.
June 6, 2016 at 10:24 am
MrsB
Participant
We used IEW with my oldest at home, and it was okay. But with my second, this past year, we used it in a co-op, and it was really great. Again, trying to use it without understanding the reasoning behind the decisions, and without all of the tops that Andrew gives in the DVDs is very difficult.
I’m a natural writer, so teaching writing to my oldest was difficult, because I didn’t know how to explain what I did naturally. IEW helps with that. Some of the units are more difficult than others, but we lived it. I do prefer it in a co-op setting because of the accountability and positive pressure to do your best.
June 6, 2016 at 12:41 pm
greenebalts
Participant
This post was helpful to me as I’m making curricula decisions for fall as well. I have an 11 year old dyslexic boy who is also a reluctant writer. I’m between IEW and Writing & Rhetoric by Classical Academic Press, which I bought over the weekend at a conference.
I have another question about IEW. I’m familiar with the method and have sat through the entire Teaching Writing: Style and Structure DVD series. I dabbled in IEW with an older child, but didn’t use faithfully. I actually like the look of their history based lessons better than the leveled program. Could one use the history based lessons without going through the entire IEW program?
Thanks,
Melissa
June 6, 2016 at 2:26 pm
Melanie32
Participant
IEW transformed my son’s writing. It just made it seem doable for him. I bought the original handbook (or whatever it is called!) and watched a friend’s dvds. I never used any other product but used the handbook (?) to teach my son for all of his schooling years. We started with it in 6th grade and continued using it through graduation.
Looking back, I think I could have held in there and would have seen fruit using CM methods instead but hindsight is 20/20. 🙂
If I were in your situation (looking for a specific curriculum), I think I would go with Jump In. IEW just makes teaching writing seem so complicated and expensive. I never would have used had my friend not offered the use of her videos. Jump In is cost effective and much more direct and simple. I really respect Bookworm and she highly recommended it.
You could always download the sample chapters and have your son work through them to see what he likes. I’m not sure if IEW has anything like this available but Jump In does. If he is a reluctant writer, I would start with Jump In rather than The Power In Your Hands. It may move too fast for him.
If you like Jump In you could always follow it with The Power In Your Hands next year.
Melissa-I’ve heard people say that they’ve used the lesson plans independently from the rest of the curriculum. If you’ve watched the teaching DVD’s you can definitely use the history based lesson plans.

June 6, 2016 at 3:57 pm
Tjbowman34
Participant
Melanie32, I MISS bookworm so much 🙁 I am leaning towards Jump In.
I used IEW with my DS a few years ago through a co op and it did not go well with him at all. He was 12 at the time. He was overwhelmed which in turn made me overwhelmed! I was considering it for my next DS but I think I am going to go with Jump In because we are doing Fix It Grammar (Love it!) and it is very very similiar to IEW writing, however, it makes more sense to my son then IEW did.
I LOVE hearing opinions and input from others!! 😉

Thanks Everyone!
June 6, 2016 at 6:24 pm
Monica
Participant
Could one use the history based lessons without going through the entire IEW program?
Absolutely! My DS did the history-based lesson without any knowledge of IEW. Because he likes history, it was a nice fit for him. We also timed it with our history studies, so it was reinforcement of what we were learning already.
June 6, 2016 at 6:40 pm
Tristan
Participant
This is a fun thread to read because we all have different children with different needs at different times! I’ll share what little experience I have with these:
1. Jump In – Can’t contribute, I have no experience with this one.
2. IEW – Makayla, my oldest, used this years ago. She loathed writing at the time and was paralyzed by a blank page and open ended writing prompt. Because IEW begins with you just rephrasing short paragraphs line by line from your key word outlines she could do it without being paralyzed. However it wasn’t fun for her, she didn’t suddenly love writing, and her writing was completely formulaic and just copying someone else’s composition in her own words. We used it for a year and that was enough.
Then we opened ourselves up to writing for joy, about what we are interested in, a la Brave Writer. Really really good. She became a writer. We gave her tools to be a real writer (a laptop with no internet to write on whenever she wanted, notebooks, pencils, pens, freedom to write about what she was passionate about, fun challenge invitations she could accept or ignore, etc). She began writing poetry, short stories, and novels. And still writes today. She was just setting up her ‘cabin’ (online writer’s group) for her second Camp NaNoWriMo yesterday. She’s completed the adult version of NaNoWriMo (50,000 words in a month). She’s got friends across the country who write and share writing together. She’s had a story published on TeenInk’s website. She’s got local friends who write together, trade stories, etc.
She spent this school year using One Year Adventure Novel by her own choice to learn more about the craft and plotting out of a novel.
3. Next fall she’ll be doing a non-fiction course for homeschool while continuing her own fiction writing. We have The Power in Your Hands on our shelf to use. We also have Help for High School from Brave Writer. Both focus on teens writing academically (non-fiction, essays, etc). I generally leave it up to her to choose what she’s using because she’s old enough she needs to really buy in on the curriculum and take ownership. She’s not decided officially which she is going to use. She’s making that decision soon. I like the look of both.
Not sure that helped anyone, but there you go!
June 6, 2016 at 6:53 pm
Tjbowman34
Participant
Tristan, thank you! If you remember a couple weeks ago I was inquiring about Brave Writer, lol. I really do not understand that program and was beginning to feel quite dumb, so I moved on. It looks really good but I just can’t seem to grasp where to begin.
Tameka 🙂
June 6, 2016 at 9:27 pm
missceegee
Participant
Hey guys. Jumped on for a few minutes and thought I’d throw my 2 cents in.
Written narrations have been fantastic for dd15. DS12 does ok, but definitely needed some help organizing thoughts and putting it all together.
Jump In – DD15 used this in 7th/8th. It was fantastic for her. We did it with a group setting and me as the facilitator. Highly recommend.
Power in Your Hands – DD15 is using now finishing up 9th. She won’t finish the book, but she has enjoyed it. Honestly, due to my dad’s illness and passing, I’ve not kept up with it, but she has. She will likely continue with this into next year.
IEW – DS12 used with a class through currclick for 6th. It was very, very helpful for him. The step by step approach really appealed to this non-writer. The actual class platform was not a favorite, though. Next year, I’m having him continue but using Writing Foundations Independent Study course. I’m in an overwhelmed phase of homeschooling and need to farm out some things. He will continue with written narrations for science and history as well.
Bravewriter – Love, love, love the idea. I have never been great at the follow through.
DD15 loves to write on her own – journal, blog, stories, etc. Next year, she chose to take Center For Literature’s American History Lit class with writing. The Power in Your Hands will supplement for next year along with written narrations. In 11th, she wants to focus on fiction and creative writing, so we will see what turns up there.

June 6, 2016 at 9:35 pm
Melanie32
Participant
Christy! So glad to see you around here. 🙂
I’m so sorry about your dad’s passing. You have been in my prayers.

June 6, 2016 at 9:40 pm
Tjbowman34
Participant
Christy!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
I was just praying for you as I was scrolling thru some of your old posts!
Thanks for sharing your challenging home school season 🙁 I have a very dear friend whom I am walking through with her on the very same thing. From what I can see on this forum, you are dearly loved and prayed over!
Blessings,
Tameka