Thanks to IEW's monthly newsletter, I just learned of a new test that replaces the problematic standardized tests that shackle teachers to Common Core standards, the ACT, and the SAT. Many private schools and homeschools educate their students using a classical model. Until recently, there was no standardized test or college entrance exam geared toward … Continue reading Don’t “teach to the test!” Test what you teach!
Registration for 2023-2024 Classes Now Open!
Please click on the “Classes” tab for the schedule, pricing, and course descriptions! If you want to register for classes, please click on the Contact tab and send me an email to request registration materials. If you have questions, please email me through the form on the Contact tab and I will be happy to … Continue reading Registration for 2023-2024 Classes Now Open!
The Foundation of IEW Writing: Key Word Outlining
"Key Word Outlining" is the foundational writing skill that students first learn in the IEW method and Writing to Learn classes. All writing throughout all three of my levels begins with a key word outline (kwo). The way students choose the information for the kwos changes as we progress through the different types of writing. … Continue reading The Foundation of IEW Writing: Key Word Outlining
Experience a PREP-1 Class!
I just love teaching my PREP-1 class! PREP-1 builds a strong foundation in language through: key word outlining and oral reports poetry memorization and recitation literature through both read-alouds at home and short stories with analysis in each class The video below includes all three of the above components. "Harald and the Giant Knight," by … Continue reading Experience a PREP-1 Class!
Featured Student: Essay Contest Winner!
Last week I interviewed Tyleigh Spiller, one of my recent Level 3 graduates, about her experience of entering and winning an essay writing contest! The South Carolina Department of Education and Dominion Energy offered students the opportunity to choose and write about an inspiring African American from South Carolina. A winner was chosen from each … Continue reading Featured Student: Essay Contest Winner!
Registration Closed; Waiting List Open
I'm happy to announce that I have reached my total registration number of 40 for the 2022-2023 school year! If you would like to be added to my Waiting List, please click on the Contact tab and send me an email. Sometimes parents who register very early in the enrollment period find they have to … Continue reading Registration Closed; Waiting List Open
I Passed!
Recently, one of my Writing Moms asked me to write a recommendation for her son, who has just completed Level 2, for admission into Honors English at the college preparatory high school he will be attending this coming fall. I was happy to do it. The student has worked hard for the last two years … Continue reading I Passed!
Spring Break in Italy!
In Augusta, Georgia, where I live, everything runs on Masters time, i.e., around our little golf tournament held the first full week of April every year. For this reason, students in Augusta have their Spring Break later than almost everyone else in the U.S. We love everything about the Masters and we usually stay in … Continue reading Spring Break in Italy!
Student Writing: “What the World Needs”
I opened my emails yesterday to find the latest edition of Magnum Opus, IEW's newsletter of student writing! The newsletter features one of the nine units of IEW structure each month, and the March edition is devoted to Unit 7 "Writing from the Brain" essays, or, as they now call it, "Inventive Writing." These are … Continue reading Student Writing: “What the World Needs”
Student Writing: “A Wonder of Times Past”
In Level 3, students write ten different models of essays often taught in freshman college English classes. One of the ten models is the Process essay, in which the writer describes a process in stages and steps. Like all essays, this one has a thesis, an opinion that the essay explains. Tyleigh Spiller, one of … Continue reading Student Writing: “A Wonder of Times Past”