IEW - questions for users

Hi there-

I'm hoping someone who has used this program can answer these:

Is it necessary for me to do the "Teaching Writing: Structure and Style" BEFORE I use the "Student Wrting Intensive" with my kids?

Is it possible to use the "Theme-Based Writing" books without using either of the above?

Any comments regarding the Advanced Spelling & Vocabulary books?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to clue me in!

~Cheryl~

Cheryl,
It's best to buy new or used (and resell later if needed @ almost new price quickly snatched up on IEW families yahoogroup) TWSS because it's an excellent presentation of writing for any/all homeschooling teachers.

Then, when you go to do THeme based, you'll *know* how to explain and teach the lessons much better, clearly. THe theme based books do not have dvds and do not go into the explanations for all the techniques and style. I would not recommend passing up TWSS. Besides that, it contains samples of student work with evaluation tips, comments at different age levels. It's not to thick to feel overwhelmed and the dvds and/or notebook re-sell quickly although I would never part with my notebook IMHO.
HTH<
Denise in AZ