Simply Grammar or Intermediate Language Lessons or just IEW?

[Selena]

My daughter is in 6th grade this year. I started Simply Grammar with her toward the end of last year & am not sure I like it. Lots of writing, so we do most of it orally, which puts more work on me--I have a son, 8 & a newborn.

 

We will be using My Father's World curriculum for the first time this year & they recommend the last 3rd of Intermediate Language Lessons, which I've never used or seen. AND I've always heard good things about IEW writing and am looking into using the Student Writing Intensive B this year. From some of the things I've read, that and some WB supplements I've picked up here & there may be enough.

 

Lots of opinions please? THANK YOU! :):bigear:

[sagira]

I'm not an expert, but we have used PLL for 2 years and now we are going into Intermediate Language Lessons, the next step. Looking through it, I can see it's similar in scope as PLL, but as my ds is entering fourth grade, I do expect more writing. There is a mix of more or less independent exercises, oral lessons, poetry memory work, letter writing, etc. IMO the three areas that need more interaction as the student gets older are grammar, math, and writing.

 

I don't know the other two, but I can tell you we are also doing Sentence Composing (Killgallon) once a week to shake things up a bit.

[Ellie]

My daughter is in 6th grade this year. I started Simply Grammar with her toward the end of last year & am not sure I like it. Lots of writing, so we do most of it orally, which puts more work on me--I have a son, 8 & a newborn.

 

We will be using My Father's World curriculum for the first time this year & they recommend the last 3rd of Intermediate Language Lessons, which I've never used or seen. AND I've always heard good things about IEW writing and am looking into using the Student Writing Intensive B this year. From some of the things I've read, that and some WB supplements I've picked up here & there may be enough.

 

Lots of opinions please? THANK YOU! :):bigear:

I thought Simply Grammar was simply awful.

 

IEW is very popular, but I have to say that samples of student writing do not impress me. I also think it's way more involved than teaching writing should be.

[sagira]

I thought Simply Grammar was simply awful.

 

:lol:

 

IEW is very popular, but I have to say that samples of student writing do not impress me. I also think it's way more involved than teaching writing should be.

 

 

I agree! Why make it so complicated? In our school education, highly respected as it was, I don't remember getting explicit writing. It was just, "write this" after a lot of basics in grammar and reading, and whatever didn't work out you worked on until it did. Consistently.

[boscopup]

IEW is very popular, but I have to say that samples of student writing do not impress me. I also think it's way more involved than teaching writing should be.

 

One thing to note about IEW student samples is that they are a means to an end. They are NOT the final product. You are teaching the child skills, and they are required to use those skills in every paragraph until it becomes easy. Once it is easy, you drop that requirement, and they use those skills as needed.

 

So if you're looking at a student sample of someone who has used the program for a year, for example, it's going to have extra "stuff" in it, because they are still learning to use those tools. Yes, it sounds awkward. Once the requirements are lifted, the writing no longer sounds awkward.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "more involved" though. I find it hard to imagine how to teach a child to write without involving a teacher, unless the child is a natural writer. I also don't find IEW to be *that* involved. Currently, I help brainstorm dressups, listen to him test his keyword outline (oral presentation of the paragraph via the keyword outline, making sure the keywords chosen are helpful), and then he does the work. When he's done with his rough draft, I edit it and hand it back. He writes a final copy and hands that to me. I make sure the things on the checklist are there. It really is sooooo simple. I can't imagine an effective writing program being much simpler to teach, really.

 

I don't plan for IEW to be the only thing I use, but boy has it changed writing in this house this year!!! My writing phobic boy can now write a paragraph with ease. He's not complaining about writing. He's not stuck on trying to figure out what to say or whether he can spell it correctly. He's not paralyzed with fear. And it's been LESS parental involvement than WWE was the last two years. Go figure! :D

 

To the OP... If you use IEW, you will still need another grammar program, but you might take a look at ones that don't involve a ton of writing, or skip writing lessons if the program integrates grammar and writing.

[nansk]

...& they recommend the last 3rd of Intermediate Language Lessons, which I've never used or seen. ...

 

Intermediate Language Lessons is available for free download from Google Books and archive.org, if you want to take a look at it.

[edeemarie]

If you want an easy way to add more grammar into IEW have you looked into IEW Fix-It? It can be done quickly (4sentences a week) and they use the same grammar terms as the other IEW programs.