IEW: Structure and Style (Level 2A)
Recommended Grades: Students reading at a 4th - 6th grade level (or those who have completed 1A).
Location: 124 West Swanson Ave, Wasilla (Near Wonderland Park).
Schedule & Important Dates
Days/Times: Mondays & Wednesdays | 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM
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 to fully benefit from the curriculum.
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. In Level 2A, the writing becomes more complex, and your support at home is vital. I ask that parents:
Check-in multiple times a week: Ensure your child is progressing on their draft.
Review the Checklist: Before the Saturday rough draft submission, verify they have included the specific "Dress-Ups" and "Sentence Openers" required for that week.
Final Grading: I provide rubric-based feedback, but parents are responsible for final grade reporting to their homeschool program.
Why Level 2A? (And how it differs from 1A)
Level 2A is the "Level Up." While 1A focuses on the mechanics of a single paragraph and basic style, 2A moves into multi-paragraph compositions, formal reports, and more sophisticated critiques. It is designed for students who are more comfortable writing or who have completed IEW Writing 1A.
The 9 Structural Units in 2A:
Units 1 & 2: Advanced Outlining: Moving quickly through single-source retelling with more complex source texts.
Unit 3: Narrative Summaries: Using the Story Sequence Chart to summarize longer, more intricate stories.
Unit 4: Summarizing a Reference: Learning to find the "Main Idea" and "Supporting Details" within a report.
Unit 5: Writing from Pictures: Developing a cohesive 3-paragraph story based on visual cues.
Unit 6: Multiple Source Research: This is a major focus in 2A. Students learn to take information from 3 different sources to create a single, factual report.
Unit 7: Inventive Writing: Learning to write from the "brain" using a structured prompt (The "Body/Conclusion/Introduction" method).
Unit 8: Formal Essay Models: Introduction to the classic 5-paragraph essay structure.
Unit 9: Formal Critique: Learning to write book or movie reviews using a specific formal structure.
The "Style" Checklist (Advanced Flair)
In 2A, we go beyond simple adjectives. We introduce:
Advanced Sentence Openers: Including "ing" openers, clausal openers, and prepositional starts to create rhythmic, professional prose.
The "Banned Word" List: We move beyond "good," "bad," "said," and "saw," forcing students to expand their vocabulary significantly.
Decoration & Triplets: Learning to use advanced literary devices like alliteration or repeating structures for dramatic effect.
Weekly Workflow
Wednesday: New concepts and Units taught in class.
Saturday (4:00 PM): Rough Drafts Due electronically for my review.
Monday: Peer reviews, 1-on-1 conferences, and editing lab.
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.