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Writing About US History Using IEW Curriculum (Part 1)

Develop academic writing skills using thematic curriculum from the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) to learn writing formats and word choice, while enjoying a study of American History from Christopher Columbus to the Civil War.
Andrea Hardman, MAEd., IEW Registered Instructor
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(546)
Class
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What's included

10 live meetings
8 hrs 20 mins in-class hours
Homework
2-4 hours per week. 1-2 per week
Grading
Students will have access to a checklist in their book for self-evaluation to make sure they've included all of the requirements for each assignment. Teacher feedback is available upon request.

Class Experience

US Grade 5 - 8
Beginner - Intermediate Level
I offer a 2-part course on US History-Based Writing using the curriculum from IEW.    This is the first of the 2-part course.  By taking both courses throughout the school year, you will cover most of the lessons in the book. Our focus will be on the lessons introducing new stylistic techniques and/or methods.
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Dive into history to learn about early American history while we use source texts to learn how to write from notes, re-tell stories, summarize references, and learn to write from pictures.  Because this curriculum is sequential and builds upon structure, we will cover the first 5 units of the IEW methods before moving into part 2 of the course, offered after this course is completed.

Throughout these lessons, we will be playing with words to "dress-up" our writing, using descriptive adjectives, strong verbs, adverbs, sentence openers, and more to add interest.

During class, we will model and write key word outlines, play games that reinforce vocabulary and style, and will understand how each writing unit comes together.

Homework is required and is assigned after each class to incorporate both the writing method and style (dress-ups).  I encourage students to go through a process given in class as they complete their homework, and then they will submit their final papers to me.  I will return papers with both positive and constructive feedback, not a letter grade.  Students will be writing from a checklist, so students and parents will know exactly what is required for each assignment.

Vocabulary and literature suggestions will be given so students can use these to connect to their writing.    

No prior experience with IEW is required. 

****Students must purchase the book below to participate in this class, as all assignments come from the book. Please be sure you are attaining the 2nd edition, as it is not compatible with past editions.  I am unable to reproduce anything from the books for student use.*****

Learning Goals

Learn the basics of outlining.
Learn to write 1-3 paragraphs from an outline.
learning goal

Syllabus

Curriculum
Follows Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) Curriculum
10 Lessons
over 10 Weeks
Lesson 1:
Native Americans Meet Christopher Columbus
 creating  a key word outline 
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 2:
Spanish Explorers Arrive in America
 using key word outlines to write paragraphs 
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 3:
The Mayflower Mishap
 using kwo to write 2 paragraphs 
50 mins online live lesson
Lesson 4:
The Boston Massacre
 summarizing a narrative story; 3 paragraph model 
50 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Parental Guidance
This curriculum, along with all the curriculum I teach on Outschool is secular. You can view a scope and sequence of the curriculum here under "Sample" to see some topics: https://iew.com/shop/products/us-history-based-writing-lessons-student-book-only
Supply List
The book "US History-Based Writing Lessons is required for this course and is approximately $29.  This is the SECOND EDITION of the book, which was published in November 2019.  It is not compatible with the First edition of the book, so please ensure you have the second edition when purchasing: the book with the Declaration of Independence on the cover.  Here is a link to the publisher's listing: https://iew.com/shop/products/us-history-based-writing-lessons-student-book-only
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
5.0
546reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
California Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Idaho Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
Master's Degree in Education from Chapman University
I  am an IEW Registered Instructor and have taught several IEW-related courses on Outschool since 2018.  I find that students are challenged, engaged, and learn to enjoy playing with their writing.

Reviews

Live Group Course
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$160

for 10 classes
1x per week, 10 weeks
50 min

Completed by 81 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-14
3-8 learners per class

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