If you’re looking for a resource that teaches note-taking skills, formal writing models, the Five Canons of Rhetoric, and/or the Five Common Topics, we highly recommend IEW’s new course, University-Ready Writing.
University-Ready Writing is a 12-week video-based course which teaches high school students advanced note-taking skills and writing techniques in preparation for college-level writing. It comes with a Teacher’s Manual, Student Packet & Binder, Portable Walls for Academic Writing, and 12 instructional video lessons. (The program may be extended over a longer period of time if needed.) Try it free here!
Although we received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it, it did not influence the content of this review. This program is one of the best high-school level writing courses we have ever come across. It’s definitely a top-pick for high school-level composition.
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In University-Reading Writing, students learn to write and retell notes from written and verbal sources, summarize primary sources, and practice note-taking using various techniques such as the stick-and-branch method.
In this course, not only do students learn to outline and take notes from source texts, but they also practice taking notes while guest speakers give a lecture or speech. They also learn to write a precis as well as basic and expanded essays as they practice responding to prompts using the Five Canons of Rhetoric and the Five Common Topics of Invention.
The course is designed so that students can work independently. The Student Packet includes daily lesson plans, and the Teacher’s Manual provides extra notes explaining what is covered in the video lectures.
The program also includes an organizational system to help students manage their coursework. At the close of each lesson, instructions are provided for sorting their notes and Student materials.
By the close of the course, students have written a personal essay (which is often what is required for scholarship, university, or job applications — and even in interviews), a product life-cycle paper, a research paper with annotated bibliography, a position paper, a reflection essay, and a fable. They gain practice with on-demand essays, thesis statements, and abstracts while also learning how to write citations using both MLA and APA formats.
With University-Ready Writing, students can develop a strong foundation for any type of writing they will encounter in the future. Although our current 12th grader had already tested out of six hours of college English credit, he opted to take this course to review his writing skills. The course has been especially helpful to him in developing note-taking skills and learning to write quality personal essays. We highly recommend this course for 11th and 12th graders — and for 10th graders who will be taking English as a dual-enrollment class in their final two years of high school, as it will provide a foundation for writing well. We highly recommend University-Ready Writing. It takes the weight off the parent, allows the student to learn independently, and provides a structure for empowering students to become deeper thinkers and more competent communicators.
Try out Writing, Spelling, Poetry, and Grammar Programs for Free!
For another high school option, check out the first three weeks of Structure & Style for Students program from IEW. (You can access the first three weeks free.)
Other IEW programs you can try out for free include…
- The Phonetic Zoo. Try a sample of a program that teaches spelling with an auditory approach towards mastery. (Requires free registration.)
- Structure and Style for Students. If you’d prefer Andrew Pudewa to teach writing structure and style to your student(s), this program is for you! Download the first lessons from each level for teaching composition to children in grades 3-12.
- Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Download the first five poems from this mastery approach to learning poetry.
- Fix It! Grammar. Download the first lessons of all four levels of this gentle introduction to grammar and mechanics with thorough yet simple instructions for the teacher.
- Introduction to Public Speaking. Download the first two lessons of this engaging program for learning to conquer the #1 fear of most people: public speaking.
- Free audio talks, booklists, and more! (Our favorite audio is Nurturing Competent Communicators.)
Visit IEW to find out more about other programs to transform your students into proficient writers – from early elementary all the way through college! You may also be interested in our favorite resources for teaching grammar and composition to students in grades 3-12. (And don’t forget! IEW has an incredible 100% Money-Back Guarantee. For this reason, we recommend purchasing products directly from IEW instead of through 3rd-party sellers.)