You know you have a problem with the writing curriculum when it produces tears. Tears when teaching homeschool math? Pretty much a given at one point or another. Tears with writing? Something is not working.
Writing Curriculum - Previous Experience With IEW
The first time we tried using Institute For Excellence In Writing (IEW) was when my oldest was in the 3rd grade, when we tried one of their topical writing programs (All Things Fun And Fascinating). I had listened to several interviews and talks from Andrew Pudewa, the founder of IEW, and I really liked his approach - having kids outline pieces of writing using keywords, and then re-writing it from memory a few days later. This is the approach that Benjamin Franklin used to teach himself to write well, and the benefit for this method with younger kids is that they don’t have to tackle one of the hardest parts of writing - thinking of something to write about. The subject is given to them, the structure is given to them, and they learn to re-write it in their own style without plagiarizing. I thought it would work wonderfully!
Well, it turns out that 3rd grade was a little too early for us. Instead of this fun opportunity for creativity that I hoped it would be, it became a kind of torture on my poor 9 year old boy who didn’t see why he had to learn this anyway.
The next year we put away IEW altogether, and his main writing practice was whatever writing was naturally included with his other subjects. I want my kids to be good at writing and confident in their abilities to write, because I think being able to communicate decently well in writing will take them far in life. But I don’t ever want to force my child to finish something through tears that they may not be ready for yet, and we weren't ready for IEW in 3rd grade.
After taking a break for a couple years, last year we gave IEW another go, but this time with their new(ish) Structure And Style for Students program, level 1A. This set includes videos explaining the assignment each week, given by Andrew Pudewa himself. Pudewa is a pretty entertaining speaker, and in the videos he breaks down each assignment into managable chunks. We did this program for my oldest and second child last year - I decided to allow them to do the program together because my 3rd grade girl was more inclined to like writing anyway, and I knew she would enjoy it.
A Typical Week
A typical week looked like:
(1) the kids watched the instructional video one day and started their keyword outline,
(2) they finished their outline the next day,
(3) they re-wrote the piece in their own style,
(4) I edited their first drafts,
(5) the kids re-wrote or typed it with errors corrected.
We did each of these tasks on a different day, so it wasn't overwhelming, and by the end of each week they had written a new report or story.
To Sum Up
Unlike the first time we tried IEW, the work was manageable this past year for my 5th grade boy. I could see that writing became easier for him over the course of the year, and he even started to have a little fun with it. Some of his fiction stories at the end were impressively well thought out and funny! I loved seeing his sense of humor come through more in his writing, and even though writing is not his favorite subject, I can see that he’s more confident in how to write a good paper than he was at the start of the year.
Lesson learned: if a curriculum isn't working well right now, it may work great in a couple more years! That's one of the beauties of homeschooling, allowing kids learn new skills when they are ready as an individual.
I think the biggest difference between the Structure and Style Program and the topical programs that we had used previously is the videos themselves. It's very convenient for me to be able to have the assignment explained to them through an interesting video (as opposed to sitting down and explaining the assignment using the book each week). It adds an interesting element to the curriculum that really worked for us this past year. You could 100% get the same benefit through the topical programs if you as the homeschool teacher are already familiar with the approach IEW takes, but the video program simplifies (or even eliminates) some of that extra prep work.
We are going to continue on with Structure And Style 1B this upcoming year, which is a continuation of the skills built in 1A, with a little more practice at essays and research papers toward the end of the year.
What We're Using For Other Areas Of Language Arts
Of course there are other elements to language arts beside writing.
For reading instruction I have used All About Reading for all my kids, so my 2nd grader (going into 3rd) and brand-new 1st grader will continue with that program this year.
For some extra practice with writing and grammar terms, spelling, etc, we use Language Lessons For A Living Education from Master Books for all three of the big kids.
I am also looking at a little more grammar and sentence diagramming practice with my two oldest, and for that I am considering Rod And Staff’s English program, which I would go through with them. Last year we tried Fix it Grammar from IEW, but right now it’s not clicking for the kids - I may save the rest of that program for the future while we try Rod and Staff.
We may also try the Rod And Staff spelling program for a couple of my kids, along with customized spelling lists.
And of course, for literature, we are enjoying lots of audiobooks and reading good books together! I do assign certain books for independent reading that go along with my kids' history curriculum, but I'll discuss that more in another post. I may also do a whole separate post on my favorite read-aloud booklist sources.
So yes, I’m that crazy person who has multiple programs for language arts instruction. Choosing a language arts program for every aspect of language arts is difficult for me, because I think various programs do different aspects of language arts better than others, and each of my kids have different strengths and weaknesses and need different approaches. So is it a little messy? Yes, but in the end, I hope we cover the bases.
Let me know if you have any questions about IEW!
I will respond through email, and may also do a Q&A post or answer on Instagram!
This was helpful! The bulk of our curriculum is through My Father's World, and they suggest Rod & Staff for language and spelling. So we're trying that this year too! I've heard a lot of good things about AAR, but it was pricier than I was hoping for so I'm thinking about trying Explode the Code to get some more phonics work in. I think I'm going to throw in some handwriting work too--I've heard good things about Handwriting Without Tears. It really is so hard to figure out what's going to work best and cover all the bases without breaking the bank. I think I nearly cried just trying to choose a math curriculum!
I agree! When Grace was in 3rd grace we did IEW’s Structure and Style with the videos. It was overwhelming but made sense. We did not make it through the whole thing in the year but it was enough. In her 4th grade year we started the Essentials program through Classical Conversations which had the US History IEW program. Because we had already done the videos it was such an easy transition! 5th grade was the same but the next themed book, Ancient History, and now it’s a snap for her! Last year, for my second born we did one of their themed books, Bible Heroes, but since I was already familiar with it we had no problems. She’s ready to join Essentials this year!
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