Dear Carrie
Does my son need to do the IEW Level A Course before he does Resurrection to Reformation’s IEW Medieval course?
My son has severe dyslexia, and our primary focus has been reading. Right now, he dictates his Creation to Christ written narrations to me, and I write them. However, he’ll be 12 next year, and he needs more writing instruction. I know IEW’s Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons are included with Resurrection to Reformation. He’d really enjoy the history connection, but I’m not sure he’ll be ready for it. Does this program require prior writing instruction? He is a motivated writer and is hard on himself. Nothing he writes for fun measures up to his expectations. I think he’s comparing his writing to authors’ writing he reads in all of those awesome living books! I’m wondering if Medieval writing lessons requires a prior writing curriculum, or if it will teach writing as a stand-alone? Do I need to do the Level A course from IEW first before doing the Medieval lessons?
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help Me Know If My Son Needs to do the IEW Level A Course Before the IEW Medieval Course”
Dear “Ms. Please Help Me Know If My Son Needs to do the IEW Level A Course Before the IEW Medieval Course,”
I’m thinking that you’re asking whether your son needs to complete IEW’s Student Writing Intensive A prior to beginning Medieval-History-Based Writing. Your son actually does not need need to do IEW’s SWI-A first, as the instruction in Medieval History-Based Writing is so well-done that no prior IEW experience is necessary. I had one son who had done IEW- SWI A and B prior to Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons, and another son who had no prior IEW experience when coming to Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons. Both did equally well with the program (and my husband taught the lessons to my second son and did well even though both father and son had no prior IEW experience)! I also much prefer Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons to IEW-SWI.
There are two levels of instruction offered within Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons (Level A and Level B). Both are scheduled in the Heart of Dakota guide. As long as your son sticks to the Level A schedule, he will be fine. We would also encourage you to follow the Medieval Writing plans the way they are scheduled within Heart of Dakota, as we spread out the writing sessions to keep them more manageable, and we also omit several of the writing units that are either covered in Rod and Staff or are covered in other ways through Heart of Dakota.  The Heart of Dakota schedule also allows for some great connections between the history and writing portions of the plans!
Blessings,
Carrie
