My Take on IEW

This year I decided to branch out and try IEW’s (Institute for Excellence in Writing) writing and grammar curriculum (Fix-It Grammar) for my kiddos. Let me first say, that I love it! My overall take on IEW is that my kids are doing well with it. I feel like their writing is improving. They are not so overwhelmed by writing, either. It is really equipping them to have more confidence in writing. It also ties together the grammar and the writing so that my kids connect how they compliment each other. I also like the fact that it is a 26-week program with an optional 30-week schedule. This scheduling keeps it flexible and easier to fit it all into the year without a lot of stress. Finally, I appreciate the way Fix-It Grammar slowly builds upon the concepts while continually repeating what they have learned so that it really sticks in their brains. Each day’s grammar work takes less than 15 minutes for the younger two, which is a big bonus. My older one takes a little longer, but some of that is just his personality and getting used to the program.

What IEW requires from me

It is taking a little more time on my part, especially with my younger two since it’s our first year. I put my younger two (5th and 6th grades) in Structure and Style 1A, and my 10th grader in Structure and Style 1C. Erica over at Confessions of a Homeschooler recommended watching the video each week along with your kids. I did not go through the actual teacher training, but Erica said that it worked fine to just watch the kids video along with them. I have found this to be accurate. The student videos also give enough direction for me to be able to guide my older one without having to actually watch his video as well.

I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to go with the next levels in Structure and Style next year or jump over to the themed studies they offer. The themed studies look interesting, but they do not include a video. My kids actually enjoy the videos because Andrew Pudewa is engaging and interesting to listen to. They like seeing the other kids in the class as well. I will probably wait until close to the end of the school year to determine which direction I want to go for next year, but I’m leaning toward sticking with the videos and Structure and Style to make sure my kids have a good solid foundation with the writing process.

Hopefully, this is a help to you as you are deciding about what curriculum choices you want to make. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments. I will try to answer as many as I can. Hope your day is sweeter than honey!