IEW: Structure and Style (Level 1A)
Recommended Grades: Students reading at a 3rd–5th grade level.
Location: 124 West Swanson Ave, Wasilla (Near Wonderland Park).
Schedule & Important Dates
Days/Times: Mondays & Wednesdays | 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Semester 1: Sept 9th – Dec 16th
Semester 2: Jan 4th – April 22nd (No class during MSBSD Spring Break)
Note: Any instructor illness/snow-day make-ups will be added at the end of the semester.
Price and Registration
Price: $922.50 per semester (Includes all materials)
Full Year Note: While you can sign up for one semester, I highly recommend signing up for both for the full benefit.
Direct Billing: I am a vendor for Mat-Su Central, IDEA, CyberLynx, Raven, PACE, Twindly Bridge, Denali Peak, and Totem.
How to Register: Visit www.bookeo.com/matsulearn or email Jessica Bertram at matsulearnandinspire@gmail.com. Use your homeschool name (no spaces) as the PROMO code for direct billing to drop the class cost to $0.
The Parent Partnership (Key to Success)
To ensure your child has the most success in this program, parental involvement is essential. While I provide the instruction and professional editing, writing is a daily habit. I ask that parents:
Check-in multiple times a week: Ensure your child is progressing on their draft (don't wait until the night before!).
Review the Checklist: Before your child submits their Saturday rough draft, please review it with them to ensure they have included the required "stylistic techniques" from that week's checklist.
Support the "Flow": Help with spelling or tech tools so they can focus on their ideas.
Final Grading: I provide rubric-based feedback and suggested grades, but as a homeschool parent, you remain the primary teacher responsible for final grade reporting.
Why IEW Level 1A?
This research-based program is perfect for building a strong foundation without the pressure of heavy academic research papers. We focus on:
Keyword Outlines: Moving away from the "blank page" fear.
Stylistic Tools: Using strong verbs and quality adjectives.
The Process: A manageable "Read, Outline, Write, Revise" workflow.
Here is a breakdown of the topics and methods your students will master during the two semesters:
The 7 Structural Units (The "How" of Writing)
IEW 1A moves through several foundational units that transition a student from simple sentences to full compositions:
Units 1 & 2: Key Word Outlines (KWO) & Retelling Students learn to extract only the three most important words from a sentence. They then use those notes to rewrite the story in their own words. This eliminates the "I don't know what to write" block because the content is already provided.
Unit 3: Retelling Narrative Stories Students learn the Story Sequence Chart. They analyze characters, setting, plot/conflict, and resolution. This teaches them how to "build" a story rather than just wandering through a plot.
Unit 4: Summarizing a Reference This is the first step toward report writing. Students learn to take a single paragraph of information (e.g., about an animal or a historical event) and summarize the "interesting" or "important" facts.
Unit 5: Writing from Pictures This unit sparks creativity. Students look at a series of pictures and use their imagination to describe the "before, during, and after" of the scene, practicing logical flow.
Unit 6: Multiple References Students learn to take information from two different sources and merge them into one cohesive paragraph, a vital skill for future research papers.
Unit 7: Creative Writing Using a "Prompt" or "Brainstorming" method, students learn to write from their own minds while maintaining a clear structure.
The "Style" Checklist (The "Flair" of Writing)
While the Units teach structure, the Stylistic Techniques teach sophistication. In 1A, students are introduced to "Dress-Ups" that they must include in every assignment:
"-ly" Adverbs: Replacing "He ran" with "He ran swiftly."
Who/Which Clauses: Adding detail by describing a noun (e.g., "The dragon, which was green...").
Strong Verbs: Trading "went" for "scurried" or "dashed."
Quality Adjectives: Moving beyond "nice" or "big" to "magnificent" or "colossal."
Sentence Openers: Learning to start sentences with prepositions or adverbs so every sentence doesn't start with "The" or "I."
Weekly Workflow
Wednesday: New concepts taught.
Saturday (4:00 PM): Rough Drafts Due electronically. (I edit for structure and word choice over the weekend).
Monday: Peer reviews, editing, and 1-on-1 student conferences.
One Week Later: Final drafts due.
Cancellation Policy
Once committed, costs are deducted from student allotments. Refunds are available until 7 days before the start date. If you must cancel late, I will try to fill the spot from the waitlist to save your allotment.