IEW - How much time will Mom have to spend on it?

[Ramie]

I have decided to get IEW this fall for my 5th and 7th graders.  My problem is that the 7th grader is advanced and the 5th grader is more average (struggling reader), making the gap between their academics larger than their actual age difference.  I have tried teaching them before, and have found it to be frustrating (the older one would be bored, and the younger one was always lost).  An example of the difference - in 4th grade, my son just gobbled up the Famous Men books (Greece and Rome), but when my daughter got to 4th grade, she couldn't read it at all, and even reading it to her was very difficult and resulted in very little retention.  Of course, she was quite aware of the fact that she couldn't get it and her brother had no problem, so switching her to Story of the World, not only gave her success, but also allowed her to do something that wasn't comparible to what her brother did before.

 

So anyway, the company suggested that I use level B with both of them, and suggested that to accommodate the difference, I watch the SWI dvd's with the children, and then just help out my 5th grader as needed.  The trick for me is that I am also schooling 2 younger kids, and am trying to maximize the independent work (without sacrificing the learning). Additionally, I don't want my 5th grader to feel like she is behind - I want her to feel like the program really is right on her level.  For that reason, I am contemplating getting both A and B (eek, the cost!!!), but don't want to waste the money if it really isn't needed.

 

For those of you who have already done IEW, can you tell me:

--Did you watch the SWI dvd's with your child who was the appropriate age for their leve (ie. the 7th grader in level B, or a 5th grader in level A)

--Did watching the TWSS dvd's enable you to watch the SWI dvd's less?

--What percentage of your children's work in this subject was able to be done independently?

--Do you have experience with mixing ages into one level vs. actually buying 2 separate levels?

 

Thanks. 

[TarynB]

I watched the SWI-B DVDs with my DS when he did the program as a 5th grader. The SWI DVDs don't take that much time overall and it is spread out. Obviously there is instruction taking place on the DVDs, but there is a lot of guidance also in the printed pages. The DVD lesson isn't used every day. As I recall, it probably averaged out to once per week, around 30 minutes or maybe 45 minutes per week watching the DVDs, and the rest came from the step by step instructions and rubrics in the printed materials. The SWI materials are so well-organized, open and go - it was awesome for us.

 

I wouldn't get both the TWSS and the SWI. I think buying both is overkill and I don't think it (TWSS) will help you in the way you want. TWSS and SWI cover the same ground, SWI just does it more efficiently and lays out the assignments & sources for you. (TWSS was their original product; SWI was created for those of us who wanted an open go version of TWSS.) Rather, if your days are really crunched working with your younger kids, perhaps you could preview the relevant SWI DVD section for the week on Sunday night after the kids are in bed, for example. Not ideal, but I'd prefer that over having to pay again for TWSS. (My hat's truly off to you, homeschooling four from 7th grade on down.)

 

My DS was probably at least 80% independent with SWI-B. I watched the DVDs alongside him, checked on him periodically to make sure he stayed on track while writing (he did), and graded his writing against the rubrics. Basically, I watched the DVDs just for my own learning, and then I got out of the way. It turned out to be exactly what we needed, which was putting someone else in the role of teacher, for that subject, for a time. (He's a perfectionist, and for a while it was a struggle to work with him on writing because he wanted so badly to get it perfect that he would just melt down over the slightest things. It was probably a combo of IEW and more maturity that fixed that problem. Little tips like: write in pen, don't erase, just cross it out, a sloppy copy is expected while you're doing your rough draft, etc. Hearing those things from someone besides mom helped a lot. )

 

I can't give advice about combining kids in the same level. Have you looked at the extensive samples on the website? Maybe show them both to your DD and see how she feels about which level looks right to her? BTW, A level and B level teach essentially the exact same skills, using source materials at different reading and vocabulary levels. The assignment requirements/rubrics are flexible though. You could use B for both and simply require your 7th grader to meet the more challenging end of the rubric, and have your 5th grader work to the less stringent end of the rubric. It's easy to customize that way. And far easier to remove requirements from level B than to beef them up in level A.

 

IEW does have an amazing return policy. If you bought level A for your DD and ended up deciding it was not a good fit, you could return it at any time (forever) even if you used it. Or maybe one of your youngers could use it in the future. Re-sale value is also pretty good currently.

 

By the way, you probably already know this, but IEW has a great reputation with those whose DC struggle with reading. Ditto for those who happen to be reluctant writers, like my DS was. Investing in IEW was one of the best decisions I've made yet as a homeschooler. :coolgleamA:

 

Hope that helps a little.

[Ramie]

Thank you, it does help!  A follow up, was your 5th grader advanced at the time you did SWI B with him?

[TarynB]

Thank you, it does help!  A follow up, was your 5th grader advanced at the time you did SWI B with him?

 

His reading ability and vocabulary is above grade level, but he was a very reluctant writer and hadn't done much for formal composition prior to SWI.  Additionally, I believe IEW's recommended ages are a bit off, too high. 

 

Not knowing exactly what your DD's difficulty is with reading, its hard to give advice on level, but note that the reading selections used as sources are not terribly long.  Perhaps reading them aloud with her would help.  And you wouldn't have to move her along as quickly as the schedule recommends - taking 5 days instead of 3 days to finish a section, etc. 

 

It's a very individual thing, deciding what level of SWI to use, but do check the samples.  I think that will help you a lot in your decision. 

[AmyontheFarm]

I would suggest you join the yahoo group also. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IEWfamilies/?prop=eupdate

 

One of the things I learned from watching the TWSS is that I was to select a source text that was at or BELOW the reading level my child was currently at. This was HUGE for me. Once I started following that concept, my kids did wonderful with the program. I was able to sit down and select all my source texts for the year and file them by unit number. Now, my kids can go to the file and pull out the next source text without my help. Doing something like this will help you during the school year and free up your time later on. Also, since you have younger ones, if you have the kids put back the source texts, you will be ahead for the next children when they start IEW. I found many of the source texts I used on the yahoo site and there is enough ideas there for me to select different texts for a second year.

[Ramie]

Thank you for the perspective, and also for the link to the yahoo group!  :)