With IEW, writing assignments are not a mystery. Students are never left guessing what is expected of them. That is because every writing assignment includes a checklist. At the beginning of the year, teachers train students how to use the checklist, and more importantly, how to follow directions.
Before students begin the writing assignment, teachers should take a moment to read the checklist with them. Go over the expectations. Clarify confusing terms. Teach students Andrew Pudewa’s mantra: Do what you check and check what you do. When practiced consistently, this simple phrase will help students internalize both the structure and the purpose behind the checklist.
An essential part of the checklist is marking style elements—and this is where accountability comes in. Students must correctly mark each required style item before submitting their work. This includes three types of style.
- Underlining dress-ups (such as -ly adverbs and quality adjectives)
- Numbering sentence openers (e.g., [2] for a prepositional opener)
- Italicizing decorations (such as questions or alliterations)
These indicators are more than formatting. They are a clear communication tool between the student and the teacher. When a student underlines a strong verb, the student is saying, “Here is my dress-up. Please assess it.” If it is not marked, the student shouldn’t be given credit. Giving points for unmarked items sends the wrong message. It teaches students that careful proofreading and personal responsibility do not matter. Over time, this lack of accountability hinders real growth.
As Andrew explains, style elements should be used thoughtfully and purposefully, not repeatedly or accidentally. Students need to make deliberate choices in their writing and then take ownership by clearly marking those choices. When students habitually forget or neglect to underline their dress-ups or number their sentence openers, they are not practicing intentionality. They are skipping a crucial step in the writing process.
So, what should teachers do when a student turns in an unmarked paper? Return it. Give the student a chance to complete the checklist. Over time, students will learn that checking their work before submitting it is part of the process—not an optional afterthought.
It does take time to train students to follow directions consistently. However, by holding them accountable for even the smallest items on the checklist, teachers send a powerful message: The directions matter. The details matter. Your effort matters.
In the end, marking style items isn’t about making things harder. It’s about making writing clearer. And when students know what’s expected of them, they rise to meet the challenge.
by Heidi Thomas
