The IEW Structure and Style Narnia Unboxing
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As an affiliate and partner of IEW, the company recently sent me some new and amazing Homeschool Curriculum that I’ve unboxed and was asked to give a review. So, thank you Ellie and IEW for sending the cool box.
The Lions Song; Volume 1
The first two books are Following Narnia Volume 1: The Lion’s Song (Book 1), The Teacher Manual, and Student Book for Writing.
My kids have been taking online lessons about Structure and Style and they love it. The fundamental idea behind it is that although the students are only seated in front of a computer screen, the creator, Mr. Pudewa, conducts the lessons and gives the impression that they are in a real classroom. They have flourished in just 18 months with Mr. Pudewa classes.
But this is different. This is a writing curriculum for IEW that has the same principles as Strudcture and Style, but without the videos. It’s a much more affordable option for some families.
This is essentially Structure and Style but in IEW Writing Form. Your kids won’t get the video lessons so it is a self-paced type of book lesson. IEW recommended Volume 1 for Grades 6 - 8 (Middle Schoolers) and Volume 2 for grade 9 and up. Most homeschool curriculum is between 29-32 weeks and this one is for 30 weeks plus 2 bonus weeks.
There are 2 Volumes to Narnia. You have to complete Volume 1 before proceeding to Volume 2. The difference between the Teacher’s Manual and the Student’s Handbook is that the Manual has more information you need to help teach everything. It includes an IEW Checklist which acts as a guide to help you grade your student’s writing.
Here is a sneak peek to the lesson content of Following Narnia Volume 1 as a Teacher:
Lesson 16:
It has a Reference Summary
Review and Practice of the Writing topic Chapter 4: “The White Witch and Her Manipulative Ways”
For the Writing Assignment, it has a Chapter Summary, a couple of paragraphs with instructions, and a URL link website for reference which helps you teach the assigned Writing activity.
I really like that they’ve included a handy reference that is a huge help even if you haven’t acquired the IEW Structure and Style video lessons.
Source Text which is the information of what your kids need to read.
A guide of things you may need to write on a board.
Character Traits
Keyword Outlines which are integral parts of Structure and Style that would help and serve your kids well throughout their academic careers.
Lastly, the Checklist
This Manual is a more affordable option for parents to use if Structure and Style video lessons are out of your reach.
Watch me Unbox and See the Inside of the IEW Writing Curriculum; Narnia
Also, I would like to recommend that you have the actual book to read to make the practices and writing activities easier for the kids to do. My kids have always asked me to have the book needed handy for them when doing Structure and Style. This helps their brains work better and be more creative when they have the whole story and not just a passage of it.
For the Student’s Handbook, it is quite similar to the Teacher’s Manual minus the references, guide, checklists, and answers. The inclusions in these books are the assignments and blank spaces for your written board notes. Your kids could write on their own paper or type them on a computer, whichever you prefer.
The next two books are the following Narnia Volume 2: Aslan’s Country Student’s Book and Teacher’s Manual. IEW recommends this for Grades 9 - 12 (Highschoolers). It is a 29-week Homeschool curriculum lesson. Everything looks quite similar to Volume 1 but this volume uses a different book in the Narnia Series which is Prince Caspian. It also requires higher academic writings than Volume 1 and the contents are different.
IEW Narnia Volume 2
Recommended for grades 9-12
The last thing I unboxed used to be in DVDs but is now a book as the new and updated Teaching Writing: Structure and Style, which is likely to be your instructor in a box. This book would help you teach both Volumes 1 and 2 of Following Narnia. I had the old version of it and I highly suggest and recommend you get the newer one. This is the help you need to learn how to teach the other books I unboxed. I took this course last 2015 when I was a first-year homeschooler and it helped me a lot. It is sold online, it is in a binder and it includes a card with your keys in it to access the online videos and a premium membership card. It is a seminar workbook that includes all the beneficial resources parents who homeschool their children will need to teach writing in an efficient and easy manner.
A lot of you may ask, “Is it absolutely necessary?”. It’s probably not 100% necessary and you’ve got two options: (1) To do the online version of Structure and Style which you won’t be teaching so no need for the seminar workbook OR (2) To teach out of these workbooks, there is one on Wars, Bible, Ancient History and Narnia. However, if you haven’t seen any IEW video lessons or taken IEW courses, I highly recommend investing in a seminar workbook especially if you plan on continuing through IEW. Otherwise, you would find it difficult to get through Volumes 1 and 2 of Following Narnia and might have struggles in teaching them. You might be able to find used versions of the seminar DVDs but I just want to share that I prefer the streaming version much better.
I also want to add that this is a one-time investment not just for the education of your kids but for yours too.
And with that, I’ll leave you with this fact: If you know how to teach writing, you can use it not just to write blog posts or any online posts but also to acquire a skill that could serve you well all your life.
If you have questions, I will try my best to answer them in the comment section but please keep in mind that we haven’t used or tried the program yet. And even though I am familiar with Structure and Style, these programs are still new to me. I have to use them first to give a fair and honest review.