Course Descriptions
The following are descriptions of the courses that YES Writing offers, though not all of them may be offered all the time. For current class offerings, including locations and times, please check "Class Registration." (Only available to logged in members.) There may be additional text books required which the student is responsible for purchasing; as these frequently change, they are not listed here, but they are shown on the Class Registration page.
IEW 1
This class is for 4th - 6th graders who are first time students to the Institute for Excellence in Writing methods. Units covered in this course are basic outlining, story writing, short and longer reports from one and then later several sources, writing from pictures, basic essays, and book reports. Vocabulary, poetry memorization, and grammar will also be included. Each week the student will leave class with a specific assignment for the coming week, which may need to be done with some supervision from their editor/home teacher. The class is held weekly for one hour and fifteen minutes, and can be taken for two years.
An important component of the class is that each student must have an editor to help edit all assigned essays before they are turned into the teacher. The editor can be a parent, an older sibling, or an outside tutor (we can provide a list of possible tutors). Editing is a vital part of the IEW process and a requirement for this class.
- Non-refundable Registration Fee, due immediately upon signing up: $50
- Course fee: $750/year ($375/semester; $83.34/month)
- Required materials (alternate years): IEW's Fix-it! grammar book (specific book TBA)
CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS: please request registration fee and first semester tuition on one purchase order, and second semester tuition on a second purchase order. (Do NOT divide the registration fee by semester.)
NOTE FOR OUT-OF-POCKET STUDENTS: For families paying out of pocket rather than using charter school funds, you will receive a $25 discount. Please let us know before paying, so we can apply the discount to your balance.
IEW 2
This class is intended for 5th - 7th graders who have had some previous experience with IEW. The same units will be covered as in the beginning class, but the pace will move a bit faster. Vocabulary, poetry memorization, word plays, and grammar will also be a part of this class. Each week the student will leave class with a specific assignment for the coming week, which may need to be done with some supervision from their editor/home teacher. The class is held weekly for one hour and fifteen minutes, and may be taken for two years.
An important component of the class is that each student must have an editor to help edit all assigned essays before they are turned into the teacher. The editor can be a parent, an older sibling, or an outside tutor (we can provide a list of possible tutors). Editing is a vital part of the IEW process and a requirement for this class.
- Non-refundable Registration Fee, due immediately upon signing up: $50
- Course fee: $750/year ($375/semester; $83.34/month)
- Required materials (alternate years): IEW's Fix-it! grammar book (specific book TBA)
CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS: please request registration fees and first semester tuition on one purchase order, and second semester tuition on a second purchase order. (Do NOT divide the registration fee by semester.)
NOTE FOR OUT-OF-POCKET STUDENTS: For families paying out of pocket rather than using charter school funds, you will receive a $25 discount. Please let us know before paying, so we can apply the discount to your balance.
IEW 3
Applicable for both new and returning IEW students, but intended for 6th - 9th grade students (later middle-school, early high school), this class will cover the basics of the IEW method. All the units in the IEW program will be covered, including note taking, outlining, story sequencing, narratives, reports from one and then multiple sources, essays, and response to literature. Writing sources for this year's class will be a variety of novels. Grammar will be covered. Each week the student will leave class with a specific assignment for the coming week, which may need to be done with some supervision from their editor/home teacher. The class is held weekly for one and a half hours, and may be taken for two years. In alternate years we use the Following Narnia Volume 2: Aslan's Country textbook and read the Chronicles of Narnia as our source materials. Students are responsible for purchasing those books if needed.
An important component of the class is that each student must have an editor to help edit all assigned essays before they are turned into the teacher. The editor can be a parent, an older sibling, or an outside tutor (we can provide a list of possible tutors). Editing is a vital part of the IEW process and a requirement for this class.
- Non-refundable Registration Fee, due immediately upon signing up: $50
- Course fee: $945/year ($472.50/semester; $105/month)
- Required materials (alternate years): IEW's Fix-it! grammar book (specific book TBA); Following Narnia vol. 2: Aslan's Country
CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS: please request registration fees and first semester tuition on one purchase order, and second semester tuition on a second purchase order. (Do NOT divide the registration fee by semester.)
NOTE FOR OUT-OF-POCKET STUDENTS: For families paying out of pocket rather than using charter school funds, you will receive a $25 discount. Please let us know before paying, so we can apply the discount to your balance.
IEW 4
This course is for 8th - 12th graders who are new or returning to IEW. All nine units from the basic IEW syllabus will be covered, including note taking, outlining, story writing, report writing from single and multiple sources, essays, writing from pictures, and persuasive writing. Word plays and grammar (IEW's Fix It! books) will also be a part of this class. Each week the student will leave class with a specific assignment for the coming week, which may need to be done with some supervision from their editor/home teacher. The class is held weekly for one and a half hours, and may be taken for two years.
An important component of the class is that each student must have an editor to help edit all assigned essays before they are turned into the teacher. The editor can be a parent, an older sibling, or an outside tutor (we can provide a list of possible tutors). Editing is a vital part of the IEW process and a requirement for this class.
- Non-refundable Registration Fee, due immediately upon signing up: $50
- Course fee: $990/year ($495/semester; $110/month)
- Required materials: IEW's Fix-it! grammar book (specific book TBA)
CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS: please request registration fees and first semester tuition on one purchase order, and second semester tuition on a second purchase order. (Do NOT divide the registration fee by semester.)
NOTE FOR OUT-OF-POCKET STUDENTS: For families paying out of pocket rather than using charter school funds, you will receive a $25 discount. Please let us know before paying, so we can apply the discount to your balance.
Advanced IEW
Held weekly for one and a half hours, this class is for students who have completed IEW 4 or several years of IEW at a lower level (with instructor approval). One quarter will focus on more advanced essay writing; two quarters will focus on literary analysis, using the text Windows to the World, by Lesha Myers. Although the text is written by a Christian author, the literature choices used are of a secular nature and students need not be Christians in order to take this course. NOTE: students will NOT buy this book ahead of time. It is included in the materials fee for the course. The fourth quarter will focus on writing a longer research paper as well as reading and analyzing a novel (chosen by the teacher, but provided by the student). Grammar instruction using IEW's Fix It! books will also be included.
An important component of the class is that each student must have an editor to help edit all assigned essays before they are turned into the teacher. The editor can be a parent, an older sibling, or an outside tutor (we can provide a list of possible tutors). Editing is a vital part of the IEW process and a requirement for this class.
- Non-refundable Registration Fee, due immediately upon signing up: $50
- Course Fee: $990/year ($495/semester; $110/month)
- Required materials: IEW's Fix-it! grammar book (specific book TBA)
CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS: please request registration fees and first semester tuition on one purchase order, and second semester tuition on a second purchase order. (Do NOT divide the registration fee by semester.)
NOTE FOR OUT-OF-POCKET STUDENTS: For families paying out of pocket rather than using charter school funds, you will receive a $25 discount on tuition. Please let us know before paying, so we can apply the discount to your balance.
High School Literature/Writing
This high school level course meets the charter school requirements, but is open to all students. You do NOT need to be part of a charter school in order to take this class.
Because the standards do not require the literature classes to be taken in a certain order, we are offering the four different courses on a rotating basis, open to any level of high school student (General Lit, American Lit, British Lit, and World Lit).
This class meets weekly for one and a half hours. The class will consist of discussion of literature chosen from charter school suggested lists; directions and discussion of key writing assignments; vocabulary study taken from the literature read for class; and quizzes. There will also be a midterm and a final exam. Chosen pieces of literature taken from the list will include novels, dramas/epic poems, short stories, poetry, essays/articles/speeches, and non-fiction selections. All students must provide copies of chosen literature (preferably copies which they can annotate; ISBNs or specific translation requirements will follow registration).
Additionally, an important component of the class is that each student must have an editor to help edit all assigned essays before they are turned into the teacher. The editor can be a parent, an older sibling, or an outside tutor (we can provide a list of possible tutors). Editing is a vital part of the IEW process and a requirement for this class.
- Non-refundable Registration Fee, due immediately upon signing up: $50
- Course Fee: $1080/year ($540/semester; $120/month)
CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS: please request registration fees and first semester tuition on one purchase order, and second semester tuition on a second purchase order. (Do NOT divide the registration fee by semester.)
NOTE FOR OUT-OF-POCKET STUDENTS: For families paying out of pocket rather than using charter school funds, you will receive a $25 discount. Please let us know before paying, so we can apply the discount to your balance.