Journeys in Writing Student Book

This theme-based study provides a year’s worth of opportunity for any student familiar with the Structure and Style© method. Students will retell narratives; write from notes and pictures; and summarize multiple references. After practicing these skills, they’ll learn how to summarize multiple references focused on colonial education and the US Constitution. Next, students practice the five-paragraph model (including an intro and conclusion) with inventive writing, a formal essay, and a critique of literature. When it’s time for formal essays, the course provides essay structures (outlines), planning charts, integrating questions and quotations into writing, and more. A large focus of this theme-based level is learning how to engage with primary sources and to summarize key documents in research.

Typical of the IEW theme-based curriculum, writing selections from professional authors are included. Students will use these to provide content in their own compositions. Vocabulary studies are also pulled from these selections. You’ll want to examine the Unit 9 literature selections, in particular. This unit provides 7 weeks of study, directing students to respond to 3 short stories: The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant; The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry; and the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe (the narrator in this piece insists on his sanity after killing a man). While Tell-Tale Heart is often studied in upper middle school or high school, you’ll want to preview for your student and family. Studying this short story can be a good opportunity to discuss unreliable narrators.

Both the Student consumable book and the Teacher’s Manual are required for this composition course and can be purchased as a combo package. If you wish to add literature studies to make a complete language arts, you’ll find Appendix I provides a list of fiction and a poetry list organized by month. Literature includes Fahrenheit 451; Cyrano de Bergerac; A Christmas Carol; The Call of the Wild; Romeo & Juliet; and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The Teacher’s Manual includes a scope and sequence for 30 weeks of lessons, listing the topic of the writing used, the style focus (alliteration, openers, etc.), and the weekly vocabulary words to study. Follow along with the student book using the reduced student pages that include teacher guidance and helps. Included with purchase of this manual are PDF downloads of Vocabulary Cards, reproducible assignment checklists, and Writing Exemplars. The Teacher’s Manual includes appendixes for adding literature, tips for handling grammar and mechanics, and the vocabulary from each lesson with definitions and quizzes for each chapter. Appendix IV provides Review Games. The Teacher’s Manual is not reproducible. The consumable Student Book provides all your student needs for each lesson, along with digital access to Vocabulary Cards, reproducible checklists, and exemplars. This text includes a scope and sequence and appendixes on adding literature, mechanics review, and vocabulary by lesson. Student and Teacher texts are ©2025. See individual descriptions for more specifics.  ~ Ruth