Now that many of us are wrapping up Unit 5 and preparing to head into Unit 6, it is a great time to cast a wider view at this thing we call style. And that is exactly what Andrew Pudewa and Julie Walker reflect on in Podcast 172. How do teachers and teaching parents effectively teach their students to write using a wide variety of stylistic techniques? It all begins with the checklist.
IEW’s checklist is an ingenious way to introduce style into students’ writing repertoires. But unlike the writing units that move along at a fairly steady pace of one unit per month, style should be taught at the pace of “EZ+1.” What is this? Is it a mysterious mathematical formula? Not at all! EZ+1 is our way of explaining how to teach stylistic techniques—by introducing one technique at a time. Once that technique becomes easy (meaning it doesn’t sound awkward or forced most of the time), introduce another technique.
While it may not be mathematical, it is still rather marvelous. Be sure to listen to the podcast to learn more about how you can teach your students to wield a stylish pen, all at the rate of EZ+1!
