In addition to private tutoring with Barton Reading and Spelling and IEW editing/grading services, I also offer private or small group tutoring with IEW.

How does it work?

IEW is effective with a minimum of one session a week including homework. The pace is dependent on multiple factors such as difficulty of the Unit, how many revisions are needed, and skill level of the student.
Sessions are 50 minutes.
Homework is encouraged for faster progress. When a new unit is being introduced, there will be no homework until the student truly understands the tasks. IEW’s grammar book, Fix-it, is a required part of the curriculum unless the student is below 4th grade, is a short-term student, or we have discussed an alternative. Fix-it grammar enhances the stylistic techniques and hones editing skills. You can also do this on your own but keep me posted on progress.
After discussion about the appropriate curriculum, you purchase the required materials from IEW.
I employ Zoom and Google Classroom.
The Key Word Outline and Rough draft are usually written by hand while the final draft is typed. This all depends on age.

Do you tutor online or in person?

I have extremely limited slots for in person and prefer online. You have a better chance of scheduling with me if you choose online.
I prefer to schedule the school year all at once and then summer separately. It is in both of our interests to have the schedule be as stable as possible, so please give careful consideration to the day and time agreed upon.

How does online tutoring work?

We will have a tech check before starting. Signal strength is very important and will be tested.Headphones are nice if the background noise is too distracting. I find most families after Covid are well acquainted with online work.
Download Zoom and have a tech check to confirm adequate internet speed.
Headphones with a mike are preferred to minimize background noise.
Chromebooks won’t work
Each student has their own link to get into the Zoom meeting.
Each student has their own Google Classroom for assignments.

What do I need from IEW?

We will figure that out together unless you already have something at the appropriate level.

What other supplies do we need?

I will let you know depending on the curriculum chosen.

Other supplies needed are looseleaf notebook paper, a binder, pens, highlighters, post-its, pencils, sheet protectors, dividers, and ability to print finished pieces.
The IEW app is highly recommended. At only $5 it is a thrifty resource. It can be loaded on a phone, tablet, or ipad

How can my child be successful with you?

I adhere to the IEW Mission Statement: “Our mission is to equip teachers and teaching parents with methods and materials which will aid them in training their students to become confident and competent communicators and thinkers.”

I assume that you have chosen the appropriate level and curriculum for your child in consultation with IEW’s Customer Service and me.

Handwritten or typed? IEW prefers the rough draft to be handwritten and the final copy to be typed. This is personal preference so you do what works for you. I've observed that students sometimes miss edits made on the rough draft when copying it over, which underscores the importance of attention to detail.

IEW aims to develop great writers; awkward sentences are normal during writing practice. Being grammatically correct is the initial goal.

What do you charge and how do I pay you?

The per session fee is mentioned in your email and I typically invoice around the first of each month for the previous month's sessions.
Payment options include Zelle, Paypal, check, or cash. The email address provided on the header is good for both Zelle and PayPal. If you use Paypal please choose “Friends and Family” to avoid fees that would appear on the next invoice. If by check, please let me know the day you mail it as the USPS has lost checks before. If a check ever bounces, I cannot accept checks thereafter.
Payment should be made within 5 days of receipt of the invoice.

What do you need from me before the first session?

Contact info needed:

parent name(s), address, and email address

Student information needed:

Birthdate

Any known allergies?

Any learning differences I should be aware of?

Anything else you think would be helpful for me to know

How will I know how my child is doing?

After every session I record attendance and email a brief update about what we accomplished, any concerns and/or celebrations, and anything else you might need to know. I ask students to share work with their parents.

Do you grade?

As per IEW guidelines, I prefer to assess each item on the checklist as either done or not done and give an I for Incomplete or an A for Accomplished. With the I we generally work together to bring it to an A.

Is there a trial period?

Yes. I don't require a contract, and I'm happy to offer a trial period to determine if the relationship is mutually beneficial. I'm dedicated to making every aspect of your IEW experience a positive one. IEW itself offers a 100% money back guarantee. Every family I work with has been pleased because we make sure everything is understood.

What is the best way to contact you?

kpuddleglum@gmail.com

What if I have more questions?

Feel free to email me. I strive to respond to emails within 24 hours, unless I'm on vacation or temporarily unavailable. If needed, I'm also available for 10-minute Zoom consultations periodically.

What is your cancellation policy?

After our schedule has been set up, if you need to cancel, please give 48 hrs notice or more if you can by email, text, or phone. I understand life happens.
There will be a charge for a missed session if:

a) absolutely no notification was given, or

b) If you are more than 10 minutes late with no notification. In that event I will cancel the session.

If I am under the weather or unable to make a session myself, I will notify you as soon as possible. I have continuing education for IEW which sometimes interferes with my schedule.
Obviously if your child wakes up sick or there is an uncontrollable outside event (ie power outage) there is no charge. Just please contact me as soon as you can to let me know.
Rather than skip a week, we should try to reschedule if possible.

What are some of the student responsibilities?

hire an editor if one is convenient. We will discuss this (I don’t normally require this but we can move much faster if someone other than me is editing the first draft)
check google classroom, complete homework, ask questions. Please note that if an assignment which needs to be edited by me comes on the day of class that I won’t have time to look it over outside of the session.
a gmail address that is yours or your parents
attach homework to google classroom -this allows me to edit and return work quickly. Alternatively we can do photos on email.
be able to access documents in google. We will share documents back and forth
be able to print final documents and customized checklists if needed
create a resource binder if doing a theme book
create a Magnum Opus Notebook. This is a collection of their work completed through the year in a separate notebook. Each piece is printed with or without the stylistic markings and stored in a plastic sheet cover. The original labeled final draft and checklist could also be placed behind the final copy. They can illustrate if desired.

Homework is usually done by hand for the Key Word Outline, rough draft, and then put into a google doc.

Keys to Success

Results: The process is more important than the product. IEW helps the student master writing by focusing on HOW to write and not WHAT to write. To that end, source texts are provided, key word outlines are made, and paragraphs are written. As an instructor I concentrate on structure and style and adopt a hands off content approach.

Modeling: We can never help our children too much. Through constant modeling during each of the 9 units as appropriate the student learns by example and then by doing at his/her own pace.

Individual mastery: IEW is conveniently tailored to each student. Using a checklist of requirements specifically created for the student, they achieve mastery and work on a challenging aspect of writing at the same time.

Grammar: I highly recommend Fix-it grammar. It is inexpensive, effective, and all for a small weekly investment of time.

IEW.com has a wealth of free information in many forms: blogs, podcasts, webinars, talks.Here are 2 audio talks I highly recommend you listen to.

https://iew.com/help-support/resources/mp3-resources/four-deadly-errors

https://iew.com/help-support/resources/mp3-resources/nurturing-competent-communicators

Audio books and reading out loud

Studies have revealed that one of the major indicators of future success in life is being read to or listening to audio books. We can listen to a book that is above our “grade level” and constantly learn new vocabulary, phrasing,intonation, prosody, and comprehension. It stimulates the desire to read as more than doing “school work” but for enjoyment. This is reading with your ears!

Listen to as many books of all genres as your child will tolerate in the car, at home, or doing chores

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Editor,

Congratulations on being hired as an editor by one of my students! I hope you find this a rewarding experience.

I ask my students to hire an editor in part to prepare them for the real world, where everything they write should be proofed by themselves and someone else. We all make errors when dashing off a rough draft.

Ideally, this looks like:

-student writes rough draft by hand, in pen, double space

-student reads it out loud to edit any errors they can find on their own

-no erasing, just lightly crossing out

-student gives paper to you

- you use a different color pen to mark as per guidelines below***

-return paper to student with no lecture UNLESS THEY ASK

- Student types into computer with corrections

if the first draft is in the computer on a google doc:

-student reads it out loud to edit any errors they can find on their own

- you click on upper right editing drop down menu and choose suggesting mode

- the student can click to accept each edit when you are done

- if you are unclear about a word or a sentence you can ask them or highlight and comment in the box in the margin

You may find no errors and that would be great!

***Your approach to editing should be minimalist. Make it “ legal” but don't make any significant changes to the content. Please edit mechanics such as punctuation, capitalization, and spelling so that the paper is basically correct. You can change a word to a better one if the one used simply doesn't make sense. When you have marked the paper please return it to the student with a smile and no lecture. You do not need to explain why you made any changes unless the student asks you. By copying the paper with your edits they will receive any lessons implicitly.

IEW students use a checklist of specific techniques that they must include in each paragraph of each composition, and this gradually becomes more complex over the course of the year. The purpose of checklists is not to create better writing, it is to create better writers. By requiring students to use certain words, grammatical constructions, and sentence patterns, their familiarity with what effective writing means increases.

Their writing may seem forced and awkward as they are learning. Don't worry. Awkwardness is normal when learning a new technique. It is the student's responsibility to make sure the checklist is filled out for his paper. You do not have to do anything with the checklist

Thank you for being willing to help. I hope my student provides adequate compensation for your time. Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions or concerns.

Interactive English Instruction/Kathleen Van Every

kpuddleglum@gmail.com