Years ago, a few homeschoolers were so impressed with Andrew Pudewa's Teaching Writing: Structure and Style(TWSS) writing seminar when it was first introduced that they went out of their way to make sure I reviewed it. Their enthusiasm was well founded as evidenced by the legions of TWSS fans today.
Two things seem to be stumbling blocks for homeschooling parents when it comes to teaching composition skills: the difficulty of finding the right resources and lack of confidence in their own abilities to teach and evaluate. Andrew Pudewa's TWSS has to be one of the best resources for helping parents overcome the confidence barrier and giving parents easy-to-use tools that help them successfully teach a wide range of students.
On the other end, students often struggle with writing because they feel overwhelmed by the assigned tasks, they can't think of anything to write, they don't know where to begin, and other such reasons. TWSS addresses such issues with carefully designed lessons that teach students in incremental steps that are manageable and even enjoyable.
TWSS has been available since 2000. I thought the second edition (2015) a big improvement, but the third edition (2026) is even better.
When you purchase the third edition of TWSS, you receive access to 10 streamed videos with 11 hours of content plus a box containing the seminar workbook (printed in color); Strengthening Structure: Models for Teaching IEW Structural Units, a book with exemplars (samples of correctly done writing assignments) and explanations of how to mark student work; a poster for every unit; portable walls for students; and a premium membership. Note that the videos have subtitles in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with more languages being added.
The newly filmed videos for the third edition are tightened up, saving parents and teachers watch time. The seminar workbook, now in color, has been slightly rewritten and has a cleaner, easier-to-read layout. The essential seminar content and teaching process remain the same, so all previous student resources, including Structure and Style for Students courses, can still be used when parents or teachers teach based on this edition. (You can read my review of Structure and Style for Students here. Note that those who want to be accredited as Structure and Style instructors must now use the third edition.
TWSS can be used with one or more children at home or in group classes. In TWSS, parents and teachers learn how to teach both creative and expository writing. The course teaches both structure and style in such a clear manner that parents and teachers can quickly begin teaching students a repertoire of writing techniques even before they watch all the video sessions. Parents or teachers may watch the entire course all at once or spread it out over weeks or months. The videos really are focused on teacher training, and it is unlikely that students will watch with you.
Pudewa does not try to cover all types of creative and expository writing but focuses on basic structures and approaches. Regardless, this foundational development should be excellent preparation for students to build upon as they explore other forms of writing.
For example, one of the strategies Pudewa uses is to have students begin by making notes from a model composition. Students come up with key words to convey main ideas. Then they work from their notes to reconstruct the piece beginning with a key word outline. They are not attempting to copy the original, but using their own words, they expand upon the key words with their own words. This strategy works very well since it provides a secure starting place so students do not worry excessively about what to say. Instead, they concentrate on structure and style. The basic strategies of taking notes with key words and then constructing outlines are then used throughout the program for various types of writing assignments.
In addition to composition skills, selected grammar skills are taught and applied periodically throughout the course so students learn the relationship between grammar and good writing. Students continue to develop and apply grammar-application techniques through writing activities taught throughout the course. The grammar is slightly disguised with references to “dress-ups,” “decorations,” and other unintimidating terms. [Note that IEW's Fix It! series provides systematic grammar instruction and review that nicely complements TWSS.]
TWSS teaches nine key units that reflect the progression in writing techniques:
- Note Making and Outlines
- Writing from Notes
- Retelling Narrative Stories
- Summarizing a Reference
- Writing from Pictures
- Summarizing Multiple References
- Inventive Writing
- Formal Essay Models
- Formal Critique (book reports or basic literary analysis).
It is best if you teach the units in order. For students in grades four through eight, you should plan to teach one unit per month. You can move at a faster pace with older students and a slower pace with younger students. While parents and teachers can teach directly from what they learn in the TWSS seminar, most homeschoolers use IEW student courses that implement TWSS methodology (as I describe under Supplements below) rather than coming up with their own material.
TWSS also teaches stylistic techniques—like the use of adverbs or clauses that begin with which—that are gradually added depending on the student's level. Younger students will probably use fewer of them than older students. The general rule is that a new technique is added after a student demonstrates ease with the previous technique. Consequently, older students might master techniques at a more rapid pace than younger students. Instructions for introducing stylistic techniques for various ability levels are included in the instructions for each unit.
The two full-course options both include Premium Subscriptions. The Premium Subscription gives you access for one year to the complete series of video lessons streamed to your computer or tablet, plus downloadable audio talks, access to monthly webinar training (August through May), a recommended reading list, mini-posters, mini-books, and pictures. Once you have watched all of the videos, the manual should be sufficient to help you teach the lessons, but a refresher from time to time is likely to be very helpful.
Summary
What I like most about this course is that Pudewa walks you through each strategy in detail. His teaching experience is very evident as he identifies and deals with problems that tend to crop up for both teacher and student. The lessons move along slowly enough for you to think and work through the process with his “live” video audience. This means that parents and teachers are more likely to end up with a solid grasp of the course content, especially if they complete the writing assignments themselves as they watch the seminar lessons.
Supplements for Structure and Style
IEW also offers other related resources, among which are lesson books that will help you implement what is taught in the original seminar, such as Bible-Based Writing Lessons in Structure and Style; Bible Heroes Writing Lessons in Structure and Style; Rockets, Radar, & Robotics; History-Based Writing Lessons; Following Narnia; and more. Many of IEW's materials, including the core courses discussed in this review, are written from a secular, but "Christian friendly" viewpoint. Materials with distinctly Christian content are designated on their website as such.
