On IEW and Dual Enrollment

   Dual enrollment is a popular option for high school students right now and for good reason. Many states provide discounted or free tuition for high school students who qualify for dual enrollment courses. With the ever-rising costs of higher education, any opportunity to save money is a good thing. In my home state of Florida, high school students are able to take dual enrollment courses for free, including getting their textbooks. Partly for this reason, many students start dual enrollment beginning in eleventh grade. Over the years, I have had my students’ parents ask me if IEW does a good job of preparing students for college writing, to which I always respond with a resounding â€Å"Yes!† The next question I frequently hear from parents is, â€Å"Which courses do you recommend?† My answer varies depending upon when a student has begun IEW writing coursework, but assuming the student has successfully made it through the full syllabus at least two or three times in recent years, I generally recommend that parents have their students take the following classes during the first two years of high school: Freshman year: Teaching the Classics/Windows to the World along with A Syllabus for Introduction to Literary Analysis, a free download with the Windows course Summer between freshman and sophomore year: High School Essay Intensive Sophomore year: either Advanced U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons, Bible-Based Writing Lessons, or Student Intensive Continuation Course Level C Summer between sophomore and junior year, optional: Advanced Communication Series Each of these courses develops skills that will be used in college writing and general coursework. During a student’s freshman year, he not only learns how to craft and write a literary analysis essay, but also how to look at a piece of writing critically. Most colleges require students to take at least three English courses regardless of their majors. Frequently one of the required classes must focus on literature. A student who has gone through a full year of literary analysis will have a solid foundation in place when he encounters literature in college. Working through the High School Essay Intensive continues developing a student’s skills in writing essays. Part One teaches students general strategies for essay writing, including how to structure an essay for length, how to plan the essay, and how to incorporate effective style. Parts Two and Three emphasize how to prepare for the timed essays on the ACT and the SAT, and Part Four helps a student learn strategies for writing the personal essay. All the aforementioned are important components for applying to colleges. Essay-writing skills continue to be developed more deeply in Advanced U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons, Bible-Based Writing Lessons, and in the Student Intensive Continuation Course, Level C. These challenging courses offer students multiple opportunities to organize and write higher level essays, including the personal essay, persuasive essay, and super-essays, while simultaneously teaching students more sophisticated dress-ups. MLA citation is also taught. Combining all of these courses, students are more than adequately prepared for the rigors of college research and writing. And if you have time to include the Advanced Communications Series before your student heads to his first class, you will provide your student with instruction and practice on how to take notes during a lecture and from resources as well as practice in writing and speaking persuasively—all skills that will aid him during his college years. IEW offers a powerful curriculum. Students who work through it prior to dual enrollment move into higher academics with confidence. These courses develop life skills, teaching students ways to organize, question, and think about what they read and encounter in their everyday experiences. If you have a student nearing or already in high school, we encourage you to look at these resources as you begin to think about and plan for those few precious years. We want to partner with you as you educate your student for higher education and beyond.    Jennifer Mauser  has always loved reading and writing and received a B.A. in English from the University of Kansas in 1991. Once she and her husband had children, they decided to homeschool, and she put all her training to use in the home. In addition to homeschooling her children, Jennifer teaches IEW classes out of her home, coaches budding writers via  email,  and tutors students who struggle with dyslexia.