I like/dislike BJU English because.....

[diaperjoys]

I'm looking for opinions on this curriculum. I'd love to hear your views on the writing sections as well as the grammar sections. I'm looking at about grade 6 for my boys.

[PeterPan]

Are you looking to use it with or w/o the videos?  Remember BJU expects the teacher to use the tm and bring something to the time.  It's not meant to be done independently.  I'm looking at your sig and just thinking you could really like BJU, but you'd be the case where you like it with the videos, not without.

 

It's mastery (as opposed to spiral) for grammar, incremental on writing projects (you can see the list for each grade level in their scope & sequence) and solid overall.  

 

Adding: The Homeworks/Precepts reps for BJU could talk your through your whole situation, helping you figure out what you want and navigating the deals.  They usually do something like 6 subjects (combined, your choice) for a great price, including books.  That could work out really well for you and now is when they'll have those deals going.  Just a thought.  And that way you get support too in how to use it.

[scrapper4life]

If you pull up the scope and sequence they provide a list of writing assignments for each grade. So you'll be able to see the type and amount of writing. One thing I didn't notice is research writing...but I only looked in Writing/Grammar. Perhaps research papers are included in other subjects.

[PeterPan]

Yes, the BJU includes research writing from pretty early on.  It should be in the scope & sequence.  I think my SIL even had her 2nd grader doing something, lol.  They teach writing incrementally, introducing types of writing early and expanding expectations each year.  

[jer2911mom]

I've used BJU Eng 3 and 4 and really like it.  It is engaging for my dd and includes some diagramming with the grammar.  I really like the writing instruction.  It is very clear, uses graphic organizers, is very step-by-step, and teaches you and your child how to use the proofreading marks.  It also provides rubrics for you as the teacher.  There are checklists for the student for the different stages of the writing process.  It covers a lot of different types of writing.  We've had research writing assignments in both the 3rd and 4th grade levels.  BJU does take some time to teach, but there are some classroom activities that can be skipped, and once you get a feel for the TM, you figure out how to modify it for one-on-one instruction.  The teaching time is not nearly as long as the math, so I feel like it's pretty reasonable.  The writing is broken down over many days, so it's not too much in one day.  My dd enjoys the themes for each chapter.  I like how grammar and writing are alternated to keep things interesting.  I did find that I had to print off the Keeping Up pages from the CD for my dd to use during the writing chapters so she would not forget the grammar.  Between those and the cumulative reviews, she is able to retain it.  There are both chapter and cumulative reviews at the end of each chapter.

 

Hope this helps,

Kathy

[mamakelly]

I used BJU English for my 3 older kids from 2nd-6th. I liked how easy it was to teach. I had the tm, but really we just talked about the new concepts and reviewed older ones. I like that it focuses on grammar for one chapter, then writing. My kids were easily overwhelmed and grammar and writing all at once would have been too much. The switching back and forth was perfect.