Confident. Prepared. Grateful. These three words encompass the feeling of security a homeschool parent experiences upon finding a curriculum company like IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing).
Confidence stems from learning that language arts instruction is a process not a product. Follow the process, and your child will attain the knowledge and skills to listen, speak, read, and write well.
Preparedness applies to both the teacher and the student. IEW equips parents to teach their children all the arts of language. Additionally, IEW prepares students for the life skill of effective communication.
Gratefulness arises from partnering with a company that stands behind its products and truly supports its customers.
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IEW Puts the Customer First
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
IEW has one of the best return policies in the industry. When you purchase your materials directly from IEW, you can return them at any time for a full refund even if they have been written on. For more information view the 100% Satisfaction Guarantee and IEW’s Return Policy.
Note that purchases of IEW materials from authorized resellers may also be returned to IEW. However, these do not include a prepaid shipping label, and the refund is at a reduced rate.
While I haven’t returned any IEW items due to dissatisfaction, I did return a broken binder which was replaced promptly. IEW provided a pre-paid shipping label for the return.
Twelve Days of Christmas Giving
My favorite yearly promotion from IEW is the Twelve Days of Christmas Giving. Beginning on December 26th each year, IEW gives a new gift each day for a span of twelve days. The gifts during the first eleven days are digital downloads such as PDF lessons of curriculum, audio and video items, etc. But the twelfth day is a gift of one of their physical products that they ship for free. Notable twelfth day gifts from recent years include a copy of choice of Fix It! Grammar, Portable Walls: Grammar on the Go, and the Mini Posters.
The gifts change from year to year, but I’m always impressed with IEW’s generosity. During the Twelve Days of Christmas Giving, IEW also offers a code for free shipping.
Join the IEW mailing list today to be notified about the next Twelve Days of Christmas Giving. You’ll find the subscribe option in the footer of the IEW website.
Freedom Shipping
Another promotion that IEW does on a yearly basis is Freedom Shipping at the beginning of July. Since IEW doesn’t usually offer free shipping, this is a great time of year to buy your language arts curriculum. Homeschool conventions like the GHC are often another opportunity to snag a free-shipping coupon code.
Product Updates
In the years that we’ve used IEW in our homeschool, I’ve twice observed excellence in customer service during product updates. These update offers were mutually beneficial to IEW and its customers. IEW removed outdated material from the homeschool resell market, and their customers received the latest materials at a favorable price.
I purchased Teaching Writing: Structure and Style (TWSS) when the new version released in 2015. At that time, I noticed the update offer provided to anyone who had purchased the original version of TWSS.
Then in 2020, IEW instituted a new update offer when it replaced the Student Writing Intensives with Structure and Style for Students. I was able to return two levels of the Student Writing Intensive DVDs and received steep discounts on two levels of the new Structure and Style for Students video-based curriculum.
IEW Creates Superior Curriculum
Our homeschool journey with IEW began in 2015 when two families, who used the same literature-rich curriculum I use, recommended a switch to IEW for writing instruction. We began with a theme-based writing book for our second grader and Teaching Writing: Structure and Style for me. Since then, we’ve added several other IEW materials to our language arts program.
Structure and Style for Students
Structure and Style for Students is a complete video-based curriculum taught by Mr. Andrew Pudewa in front of a classroom audience. It was first released in 2020. We began with Year 1 Level B for our sixth-grade son who had several years of experience with IEW and Year 1 Level A for our third-grade daughter.
Read More: IEW’s Structure and Style for Students {Review}
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style (TWSS) is a flagship product from IEW. This program is for the teacher rather than the student. TWSS helps the teacher understand the entire structure and style methodology. You don’t need to watch every video before teaching your children with Structure and Style for Students or the theme-based books. The teaching guides for the student materials indicate when to watch the TWSS videos.
Read More: Do I Really Need Teaching Writing: Structure and Style?
Theme-Based Writing Lessons
In addition to the video-based Structure and Style for Students, IEW has numerous theme-based writing lessons.
We have the following theme-based writing lessons.
- Bible Heroes – This is a great introduction to writing for young students. My children have used this resource in the second grade.
- All Things Fun and Fascinating
- Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales
- Following Narnia® Volume 1: The Lion’s Song
Note that IEW always indicates which resources contain distinctly Christian content such as the Bible Heroes and Narnia theme books. Most of their resources including Structure and Style for Students are secular-friendly.
Fix It! Grammar
Fix It! Grammar is unique because students learn grammar while editing an entire story. Thus far my eldest child has completed the first three grammar books: The Nose Tree, Robin Hood, and Frog Prince, Or Just Deserts. I love this program because it is enjoyable, quick, thorough, and requires little preparation beyond setting up a binder.
Read More: Fix It! Grammar {Review}
Try a sample of Fix It! Grammar.
Poetry Memorization
IEW’s poetry memorization program sets the bar extremely high. Yet my children have risen to the occasion. This often-downplayed practice of memorization is one I cannot recommend enough.
Read More: Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization {Review & FAQ}
Learn the first five poems of level one.
Spelling
I would be remiss not to mention IEW’s auditory-based spelling program, the Phonetic Zoo. Since IEW recommends and sells levels one through three of All About Spelling as a prerequisite for the Phonetic Zoo, my children began spelling lessons with All About Spelling. They did so well with All About Spelling that we just kept going with that program.
Read More: All About Spelling {Review, Printables, & FAQ}
Try a sample lesson of the Phonetic Zoo.
Discover More About IEW
Magalog
Navigate IEW’s many products with ease by requesting their Magalog (Magazine and Catalog). It is available in both print and digital format.
Resources
Visit IEW’s Resources page for articles, past newsletters, and audio talks. One of my favorite resources available here is Mr. Pudewa’s talk titled Nurturing Competent Communicators.
Podcast
Listen to IEW’s Arts of Language Podcast. Mr. Andrew Pudewa, who has a true gift for communicating, shares the microphone with his co-host, Julie Walker. The weekly podcasts are about a half hour in length.
Events
Meet with IEW experts in person at an event near you. I never miss an opportunity to hear Mr. Andrew Pudewa speak at our local homeschool convention, and I always find answers to my questions at the IEW booth.
Classes
Find local or online IEW classes. Many homeschool families enjoy outsourcing writing instruction to accredited IEW instructors.
IEW for Schools
IEW’s language arts program isn’t just for homeschool families. If you’d like to bring IEW to your school, visit the School Division portion of the IEW website.