Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. – Izaak Walton
Last summer we kicked off a great adventure—the Great TWSS Adventure. It was created to allow a large group of people spread all around the world to have fun “traveling” through Teaching Writing: Structure and Style (TWSS) together. Throughout the summer, we enjoyed journeying together through the TWSS and collaborating online. Sharing the experience together made it easier to keep pace, and it created a community of people with a shared goal—completing the entire TWSS practicum with the intent of becoming better writing instructors.
It was such a success that we decided to repeat the adventure again this summer. Do you own the TWSS but haven’t yet completed the syllabus? Join us! Have you been thinking about becoming a Registered Instructor but haven’t taken the steps yet? Now is a great time to check that box! Or, are you signed up to teach IEW at your local co-op but aren’t sure how to begin? This is a great opportunity to gain some confidence.
This summer we will be kicking off the fun beginning June 10 and will continue weekly for nine weeks (excluding the week of July 4). The format for our adventure will be relaxed so that you can tweak it to work for you. Either watch the disc for that week’s topic the weekend before, on that Monday, or during another time that works best for you. After you’ve viewed it, check in on our forums to share any questions or insight that you may have.
Here is the schedule for this year’s adventure:
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June 10—Disc 1: Introducing Structural Models (Units 1 and 2)
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June 17—Disc 2: Introducing Stylistic Techniques
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June 24—Disc 3: Retelling Narrative Stories (Unit 3)
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July 1—BREAK. Happy Independence Day!
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July 8—Disc 4: Summarizing a Reference (Unit 4)
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July 15—Disc 5: Writing from Pictures (Unit 5)
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July 22—Disc 6: Summarizing Multiple References (Unit 6)
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July 29—Disc 7: Inventive Writing (Unit 7)
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August 5—Disc 8: Formal Essay Models (Unit 8)
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August 12—Disc 9: Formal Critique and Writing about Literature (Unit 9)
To prepare for the fun, follow these simple steps:
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Sign up for the weekly reminders.
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Have access to the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style video seminar and your own practicum workbook. If you own the DVDs, consider offering a “TWSS party” for your friends to make the journey that much more enjoyable.
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Schedule some time during each week of the event to watch that week’s video. The reminder email will describe what to watch.
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Stop by the Facebook event page to say hello and share your insights, comments, and questions with the group.
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Enjoy yourself! Be sure to share photos of your party. We will be awarding a $50.00 IEW gift certificate to one lucky adventurer each week. You can enter the drawing by clicking on a link in the reminder email or sharing a photo of your party (parties of one still count!) on our dedicated Facebook thread. Each Monday morning, we will draw one winner from the previous week’s entries.
Join in the fun and enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow “adventurers.” Not only will there be people from all around the world joining you along the way, but you will also have the support of a few “veteran adventurers” who will offer their support and encouragement. To make the journey even more fun, we will be offering prizes throughout the event. And best of all, you will be equipping yourself to be able to confidently teach your students how to write. Now that’s an adventure worth beginning!
Gather your materials and sign up today. We are looking forward to joining you. Our adventure awaits!
