Lost Tools of Writing
Grades 7+
Once students have mastered the building blocks of writing through the IEW program, they are ready to learn a new structure, which is just what the Lost Tools of Writing supplies. The Lost Tools method supports maturing writers who are emotionally and academically ready to begin communicating and defending truths by laying a solid foundation in the art of reasoning and eloquent communication.
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We select classic texts with high-quality language, such as Roald Dahl's Landlady and O. Henry's Gift of the Magi.
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Issues are debatable "whether" statements. Students engage in a brainstorming process to determine potential issues that could be the focus of their essay.
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Next, students brainstorm all reasons supporting the affirmative and negative positions of their issue. They group these reasons together, and they become the proofs and sub-proofs for their argument, and then they select the side for which they plan to argue.
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Students organize their thesis statement, proofs, and sub-proofs into an outline template that we provide so all of their ideas are neatly organized before they begin writing.
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Now it's time to write! Students prepare a draft of their essay following their outline and incorporating the techniques and devices they learned in class.
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Students are responsible for self-editing their compositions according to an editing process we teach.
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Students submit their final essay to be graded by their instructor. Essays are returned with meaningful written feedback within one week.
Our Learning Process
We train students to follow the below steps to construct logical, compelling rhetorical essays. We spend 3-4 weeks on each essay so that students have ample time to engage in each stage of the process.
Skills Acquired
Students gain both writing and thinking skills.
Essay Writing: Schemes, Tropes, Editing, Exordium, Division, Narratio, Thesis, Proofs, Arguments, Refutation, Conclusion, Amplification
Material Logic: Common Topics (Definition, Comparison, Circumstance, Testimony, Relationship)
