
Lesson Planning
by Andrew Pudewa The goal of Excellence in Writing is to make writing part of what your students are learning, not a course unto itself. With nine structural units, you can easily plan your... read more

Writing without Tears
by Andrew Pudewa Teaching writing can perhaps be one of the greatest challenges in home schooling. Because of the bleakness of grammar workbooks or the lack of structure provided in a "creative writing idea book,”... read more

The Writing Skills Gap
This country is locked in a learning quagmire caused by an educational misalignment, which has resulted in many students entering higher education with a clear deficit in college-ready writing skills. Long-term, the United... read more

Bad Writing vs. Bad Circumstances
by Andrew Pudewa Recently, a co-op teacher commented, “Help! My students are completing the checklist but producing bad writing! They may use an '-ly word' and check it off the checklist, but it’s not appropriate... read more

Good Writing vs. Great Teaching
by Andrew Pudewa Good writing. What is it? Everyone has an opinion, but opinions differ widely. While one language arts curriculum judges that simply adding in more adjectives will “improve” sentences, other experts—quoting Mark... read more

Writing Maketh an Exact Man
Recently, we at IEW began the process of acquiring a very high output (and rather expensive!) printer. During our initial conversations pertaining to the financing of this purchase, the manufacturer’s national credit manager... read more

Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing
by Andrew Pudewa We’ve all suffered it at one time or another—frustration about writing assignments. Either on the receiving end or perhaps now on the giving end, there can be a few distinctly discouraging aspects... read more

You Don’t Have to Like Writing
The Real Goal of Learning English Composition by Andrew Pudewa I have heard this—or something very similar—hundreds, if not thousands of times, on the phone, at conventions, and in seminars for over twenty years. If... read more

IEW’s Mission: Teaching Teachers How to Teach Writing
by Julie Walker My IEW® story is simple: I was organizing classes for a group of homeschooling parents and teens in Southern California, and I had no idea how to teach writing. My eldest... read more

Teaching Writing: Structure and Style - Unit 3 Overview and Tips
Watch this video by Andrew Pudewa on Unit 3 For an explanation by Andrew Pudewa on how to use Unit 3 and some tips for teaching, read on... One of our users asked this question:... read more

Many Paths, One Writing Method: An interview with IEW mom Lisa Averitt
Lisa Averitt lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where she is a pastor’s wife and mother of five. She has a BA in English and several years of teaching experience followed by sixteen years... read more

A Common Language
Lower Yukon School District in Alaska implements IEW’s Structure and Style method districtwide to improve students’ language arts knowledge. Who are we? We are a people of the salmon, of the whitefish, and pike. Of... read more

But it’s so ... so ... awkward!
by Andrew Pudewa Awkward. Even the spelling of the word is disturbing. If we look back, we likely have memories of high school or college teachers having scribbled the ugly “Awk” word in the... read more

In Retrospect: Heroes of Providence
by Andrew Pudewa From the time I could talk, I was begging for a violin. Or so said my mother. I don’t remember, but the harangue must have been relentless because I began violin... read more

Out of the Mouths of Students
Rachel’s Story Entering Middle School Rachel Averitt was a student of Mrs. Pewthers in grades 7, 8, and 9. She entered those grades largely having already mastered the Oklahoma Academic Standards’ end-of-school-year expectations. Because... read more

How to Think
by Andrew Pudewa But I don’t know what to write! How many times have we heard those words from a frustrated student? Of course what he is really saying is “I can’t think of... read more

Low-Tech Teaching with High-End Results
by Andrew Pudewa If you attend a large education conference these days, a quick circuit around the exhibit hall makes one fact immediately evident: Everyone and everything is moving high-tech. Apple® likely sports the... read more

The Madness of Multiple Choice
by Andrew Pudewa At some point, one of the hardest decisions that a home-schooling family must make is whether to do home education or to do school at home. Many times this choice is made by... read more

One Myth and Two Truths
Nurturing Competent Communicators by Andrew Pudewa “Good readers will become good writers!” A mantra frequently heard in the lecture halls of academia, echoing along the corridors of junior high schools, and boldly preached from the... read more

Work Smarter, Not Harder
We at IEW® have the honor of introducing our 2017 Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Andrea Pewthers. She teaches English and literature to middle school students at Mingo Valley Christian School in Tulsa,... read more

Thoughts and Words: the Chicken or the Egg?
by Andrew Pudewa One of the few criticisms of IEW’s checklist-based approach to teaching style runs something like this: “Students’ writing can sound ‘forced’ or ‘awkward’ when they are ‘required’ to ‘add’ an adjective... read more

Finding What Works
The Chesleys are a busy homeschool family. Austin Chesley is the mom of and the primary educator for all five Chesley kids, ranging in age from 10 to 18 years. Dr. Colin Chesley... read more

Why is Structure and Style® so effective?
by James B. Webster, Ph.D. I completed a four-year B.A. with honors in history and English, in which three to four yearlong courses required three substantial essays each plus a three-hour final exam, in... read more
Process versus Product
by Andrew Pudewa In the 1992 film A River Runs Through It, there is a particularly charming scene which gives us some important insight about the teaching of writing. Early on in the movie,... read more

Structured Success
With each edition of the schools magalog Arts of Language, we enjoy spotlighting a teacher or administrator who has implemented with fidelity the Structure and Style method within his or her classroom or... read more

However Imperfectly: Lessons learned from thirty years of teaching
by Andrew Pudewa It’s hard to say exactly when I began thinking myself a teacher, but I do remember when I set out on my own as an independent violin instructor, preschool owner, tutor,... read more

Marking and Grading
A few thoughts about a sticky, tricky subject by Andrew Pudewa As soon as people get serious about the business of teaching writing, certain beasts inevitably raise their ugly heads: namely, how to “correct” papers... read more

Lesson Planning
by Andrew Pudewa The goal of Excellence in Writing is to make writing part of what your students are learning, not a... read more

Writing without Tears
by Andrew Pudewa Teaching writing can perhaps be one of the greatest challenges in home schooling. Because of the bleakness of grammar... read more

The Writing Skills Gap
This country is locked in a learning quagmire caused by an educational misalignment, which has resulted in many students entering higher... read more

Bad Writing vs. Bad Circumstances
by Andrew Pudewa Recently, a co-op teacher commented, “Help! My students are completing the checklist but producing bad writing! They may use... read more

Good Writing vs. Great Teaching
by Andrew Pudewa Good writing. What is it? Everyone has an opinion, but opinions differ widely. While one language arts curriculum judges... read more

Writing Maketh an Exact Man
Recently, we at IEW began the process of acquiring a very high output (and rather expensive!) printer. During our initial conversations... read more

Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing
by Andrew Pudewa We’ve all suffered it at one time or another—frustration about writing assignments. Either on the receiving end or perhaps now... read more

You Don’t Have to Like Writing
The Real Goal of Learning English Composition by Andrew Pudewa I have heard this—or something very similar—hundreds, if not thousands of times, on... read more

IEW’s Mission: Teaching Teachers How to Teach Writing
by Julie Walker My IEW® story is simple: I was organizing classes for a group of homeschooling parents and teens in Southern... read more

Teaching Writing: Structure and Style - Unit 3 Overview and Tips
Watch this video by Andrew Pudewa on Unit 3 For an explanation by Andrew Pudewa on how to use Unit 3 and... read more

Many Paths, One Writing Method: An interview with IEW mom Lisa Averitt
Lisa Averitt lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, where she is a pastor’s wife and mother of five. She has a BA... read more

A Common Language
Lower Yukon School District in Alaska implements IEW’s Structure and Style method districtwide to improve students’ language arts knowledge. Who are we? We... read more

But it’s so ... so ... awkward!
by Andrew Pudewa Awkward. Even the spelling of the word is disturbing. If we look back, we likely have memories of high... read more

In Retrospect: Heroes of Providence
by Andrew Pudewa From the time I could talk, I was begging for a violin. Or so said my mother. I don’t... read more

Out of the Mouths of Students
Rachel’s Story Entering Middle School Rachel Averitt was a student of Mrs. Pewthers in grades 7, 8, and 9. She entered those... read more

How to Think
by Andrew Pudewa But I don’t know what to write! How many times have we heard those words from a frustrated student?... read more

Low-Tech Teaching with High-End Results
by Andrew Pudewa If you attend a large education conference these days, a quick circuit around the exhibit hall makes one fact... read more

The Madness of Multiple Choice
by Andrew Pudewa At some point, one of the hardest decisions that a home-schooling family must make is whether to do home... read more

One Myth and Two Truths
Nurturing Competent Communicators by Andrew Pudewa “Good readers will become good writers!” A mantra frequently heard in the lecture halls of academia, echoing... read more

Work Smarter, Not Harder
We at IEW® have the honor of introducing our 2017 Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Andrea Pewthers. She teaches English and... read more

Thoughts and Words: the Chicken or the Egg?
by Andrew Pudewa One of the few criticisms of IEW’s checklist-based approach to teaching style runs something like this: “Students’ writing can... read more

Finding What Works
The Chesleys are a busy homeschool family. Austin Chesley is the mom of and the primary educator for all five Chesley... read more

Why is Structure and Style® so effective?
by James B. Webster, Ph.D. I completed a four-year B.A. with honors in history and English, in which three to four yearlong... read more
Process versus Product
by Andrew Pudewa In the 1992 film A River Runs Through It, there is a particularly charming scene which gives us some... read more

Structured Success
With each edition of the schools magalog Arts of Language, we enjoy spotlighting a teacher or administrator who has implemented with... read more

However Imperfectly: Lessons learned from thirty years of teaching
by Andrew Pudewa It’s hard to say exactly when I began thinking myself a teacher, but I do remember when I set... read more

Marking and Grading
A few thoughts about a sticky, tricky subject by Andrew Pudewa As soon as people get serious about the business of teaching writing,... read more