Writing with Structure and Style (IEW Units 1-4)

Completed by 18 learners

Ages 8-10

Live Group Class

In this 22-session class, students will learn note-taking skills, writing from notes, creating a narrative, and the beginning of report writing.

Jennifer Crowe

Average rating:

5.0

Number of reviews:

(380 reviews)

Live video meetings

2x per week, 10 weeks

6-10 learners per class

50 min

About Learning Overview Teacher Reviews

What's included

20 live meetings

16 hrs 40 mins in-class hours

Homework

1-2 hours per week. Students should expect to use a checklist and finish writing in between classes for about 30 minutes.

Class Experience

US Grade 3 - 4

Institute for Excellence in Writing is an award-winning, comprehensive writing curriculum.  Writing with Structure and Style teaches nine different structures of writing. 

This is a Level A class and will cover Units 1-4 of IEW.  I will not be using IEW materials, however, so you do not need to spend any extra money.  After 16 years of teaching IEW, I can help you apply the concepts to any material.  Parents, if you follow along, you will learn significant concepts in the IEW curriculum so you can teach your child yourself.  On the other hand, your child will be just fine taking this class on their own.

Please note this is a 22 session class, just under $15 a session. 

This Level A class covers Units 1-4, which includes:  Note-taking, organizing a paragraph, planning a narrative, fusing informational sources, topic sentences.

The IEW writing methods transform struggling writers by empowering them with specific skills.  Strong writers excel with specific challenges. 

You do not need to be familiar with the Institute for Excellence in Writing methods to start this class.   Though the IEW method allows for a wide variety of learners, this class is generally for later elementary school.   Students should be able to manually write a few sentences. They should be able to copy from the screen and be willing to volunteer answers occasionally. 

The schedule is
Weeks 1-4 Note-taking and writing from notes
Weeks  5-8 How to plan and write narratives
Weeks 9-10  Combining sources, writing topic sentences (the beginning stages of report writing)


Students should expect to write at home to finish their work.  At the beginning of each class, we will take turns sharing our completed work.  Students can only share if they have submitted their work to me.  I do not grade it, but I find students are more prepared to share, and more motivated to complete their work if they have to turn it in to me before sharing with the class. 

*This class exceeds Common Core standards. 
 I have been an IEW instructor since 2010, and have taught IEW methods in many ways to hundreds of children!   https://iew.com/events-classes/instructors/find-accredited-instructor/23993

Learning Goals

Students will learn note-taking, organizing a paragraph, planning a narrative, fusing informational sources, topic sentences.

Other Details

Supply List

Since I am not using IEW materials, you do not need to buy anything new. I suggest you use a small 3-ring binder or other notebook to hold all your pages.  You will have to print out materials each week.  Please bring paper and pens to class!

External Resources

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Meet the teacher

Jennifer Crowe

Joined May, 2020

5.0

380reviews

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

UPDATE FOR SUMMER 2025: It's been three years since I made that video in fall of 2022!  I graduate in May 2025 and will take the bar exam in July 2025.

I really like teaching here, and I will be back in August /fall 2025 for a bit.  I am working on getting the Fix It grammar classes on the calendar for fall 2025.   However, I know many of my people will have found new writing teachers, and I won't do much, if anything, in spring 2026.   I hope to plan some kind of government/history/civics class here eventually, so check back every once in a while.  

I do still get messages, and I will check them at least once a week. Students can't message me if they are not in an active class, but parents will still be able to message me if you have questions about writing. 
_________

I help children overcome their fear of failure, and I coach strong writers to continued excellence.  Once children grasp specific writing concepts, they can apply their skills to all content areas.  Mostly, I use the writing methods taught by the Institute for Excellence in Writing. 

My youngest daughter is dyslexic and in my search to help her organize and communicate her thoughts, I discovered the writing methods of IEW.   Over the last 17 years, I have studied and taught these writing methods at my kitchen table, in homeschool co-ops, and in private tutoring.  Most recently, I taught IEW for seven years to middle schoolers at a public charter school in Southern California.  I am currently a Registered Instructor with IEW. 

I graduated from the University of Maryland with an Elementary Education degree, but I've learned  way more from my own kids and hundreds of others than I ever learned in a college classroom. 

Having taught on two coasts, in public, private, charter, and homeschool co-ops, I have a breadth of experience.  

My classes are "pretty fun for a writing class," my students report, but they don't feel like recess. Students will practice significant writing, grammar, organizing, outlining, and speaking skills in my classes.  If your child needs support, recovery, or challenge, check out my classes.