Every spring, students in 5th, 6th, 7th and 10th grades take the Writing portion of the AIMS test. Guess what? They're not doing well on it. In 2011, a paltry 56% of students passed it. High school students cannot graduate without passing it. It's not too late to get your child the extra help for the Writing segment before the AIMS testing in April.
I am offering a condensed version of the IEW classes I teach to homeschoolers, to public-and-private-schooled children to help them prepare for the Writing section of the AIMS test in April. Normally, students would spend 3-5 weeks on most of the nine units of Teaching Writing with Structure and Style (TWSS.) Obviously, there isn't enough time to go over each unit comprehensively before April. However, my experience with IEW has shown me that even an introduction to the skills taught in TWSS will improve students' writing skills.
The class will run for 8-weeks, beginning on Monday, February 6th from 3:30 - 4:30PM in Peoria. There will not be any class on March 19th, due to Spring Break. There are currently only 10 spots available. Tuition is $140 for all 8-weeks for your first child, $130 for your second child, and $120 for any additional children from the same family beyond number two. Tuition is due no later than the 1st of February. I will also need a recent sample of your child's writing, so that I can assess his or her strengths and weaknesses, and tailor the Composition Checksheet specifically for each student. It is this customized Composition Checksheet that allows multiple grades and skill levels to be taught at the same time. Students whose writing skills are already at acceptable or even excellent levels will be challenged with more stylistic techniques to enhance their "voice", "word choice" and "conventions" (all of which are graded elements on the scoring ruberic for the AIMS test). Students who struggle with writing will be encouraged by instruction at a more basic level, which will improve their scores particularly in "ideas and content", "organization", and "sentence fluency". All policies and regulations for group classes described under "FAQ About IEW Instruction" apply to this class as well.
We will be covering Units 1 and 2, which will introduce note-taking and key word outlines on the first class day. Learning how to effectively and efficiently take notes and create an outline will give your child an edge when it comes time to do the pre-writing, which is taking notes and creating an outline, on the test. On the second class day, we will cover Unit 3, which will teach children to identify the story sequence in a narrative story, to make key word outlines of said story, to summarize their story, and finally to show the students the purpose of each paragraph. Not only will Unit 3 help build writing skills, it will also be beneficial for reading comprehension skills.
On the third and fourth class days, we will cover Units 4 and 6, which will teach children how to take quality key word notes from reference sources, build workable key word outlines, write solid 3-5 paragraph essays, and introduce topic sentences and paragraph clinchers. On the fifth class day, we will cover Unit 5, which will teach children to write 3-5 paragraph stories, reinforce the topic sentence and paragraph clinchers, and develop "voice" and "word choice".
On the sixth class day, we will cover Unit 7, which will teach children the structure to use when they write creatively about virutally anything, including personal experiences. Students will also learn how to write introductions and conclusions for a five paragraph composition. On the seventh and eighth class days, we will cover Unit 8. We will spend two class days on Unit 8 because the AIMS Writing test that students must pass in high school usually gives students a writing prompt for a persuasive composition. Students will learn the proper structive for a 5+ paragraph essay, proper use of introductions and conclusions will be reinforced, and the persuasive essay model will be introduced.
To reserve your child's place in this class, please fill out the form under "Contact Me" and I will be in touch.
I am offering a condensed version of the IEW classes I teach to homeschoolers, to public-and-private-schooled children to help them prepare for the Writing section of the AIMS test in April. Normally, students would spend 3-5 weeks on most of the nine units of Teaching Writing with Structure and Style (TWSS.) Obviously, there isn't enough time to go over each unit comprehensively before April. However, my experience with IEW has shown me that even an introduction to the skills taught in TWSS will improve students' writing skills.
The class will run for 8-weeks, beginning on Monday, February 6th from 3:30 - 4:30PM in Peoria. There will not be any class on March 19th, due to Spring Break. There are currently only 10 spots available. Tuition is $140 for all 8-weeks for your first child, $130 for your second child, and $120 for any additional children from the same family beyond number two. Tuition is due no later than the 1st of February. I will also need a recent sample of your child's writing, so that I can assess his or her strengths and weaknesses, and tailor the Composition Checksheet specifically for each student. It is this customized Composition Checksheet that allows multiple grades and skill levels to be taught at the same time. Students whose writing skills are already at acceptable or even excellent levels will be challenged with more stylistic techniques to enhance their "voice", "word choice" and "conventions" (all of which are graded elements on the scoring ruberic for the AIMS test). Students who struggle with writing will be encouraged by instruction at a more basic level, which will improve their scores particularly in "ideas and content", "organization", and "sentence fluency". All policies and regulations for group classes described under "FAQ About IEW Instruction" apply to this class as well.
We will be covering Units 1 and 2, which will introduce note-taking and key word outlines on the first class day. Learning how to effectively and efficiently take notes and create an outline will give your child an edge when it comes time to do the pre-writing, which is taking notes and creating an outline, on the test. On the second class day, we will cover Unit 3, which will teach children to identify the story sequence in a narrative story, to make key word outlines of said story, to summarize their story, and finally to show the students the purpose of each paragraph. Not only will Unit 3 help build writing skills, it will also be beneficial for reading comprehension skills.
On the third and fourth class days, we will cover Units 4 and 6, which will teach children how to take quality key word notes from reference sources, build workable key word outlines, write solid 3-5 paragraph essays, and introduce topic sentences and paragraph clinchers. On the fifth class day, we will cover Unit 5, which will teach children to write 3-5 paragraph stories, reinforce the topic sentence and paragraph clinchers, and develop "voice" and "word choice".
On the sixth class day, we will cover Unit 7, which will teach children the structure to use when they write creatively about virutally anything, including personal experiences. Students will also learn how to write introductions and conclusions for a five paragraph composition. On the seventh and eighth class days, we will cover Unit 8. We will spend two class days on Unit 8 because the AIMS Writing test that students must pass in high school usually gives students a writing prompt for a persuasive composition. Students will learn the proper structive for a 5+ paragraph essay, proper use of introductions and conclusions will be reinforced, and the persuasive essay model will be introduced.
To reserve your child's place in this class, please fill out the form under "Contact Me" and I will be in touch.