So I don't love EIW.

[travelgirlut]

Am I missing something?  We were really excited about using EIW.  We came from using IEW and were looking forward to the shorter videos and worksheets to tell us what to do next.  My DS9 has been doing level 4 and I'm disappointed in the grammar (in hindsight I should have added in some grammar after it stopped; it wasn't enough) and there's only one of each type of writing project.  

 

He just starting on his big final research project, and I was a bit surprised when looking forward in the book that that was about it.  There's just little things like lists and invitations left.  So basically he wrote 5 things.  Five!  Coming from IEW where he was writing something every week or two, this is a huge letdown.

 

Another odd thing I noticed was his writing assignments would actually get worse as he did the 7-step editing process.  He would write a fairly decent first draft, but by the time he would go through the full checklist of things to edit, it was kind of a mess!  Too much editing can definitely be a bad thing.  IEW was formulaic, but at least it moved his writing in a forward direction.

 

In the end, I feel like this was kind of a wasted year for both grammar and writing.  Thankfully we have a lot of time to make it up, but it never feels good to think one has failed their kid for a whole year.  

 

Am I alone in my failure to get something from EIW?  

 

( I know not every curriculum works for everyone, but we had such high hopes for this one!  Just needed to vent. )

[PentecostalMom]

Nope, we tried it, disliked it. Back to WWE and Writing Strands. I tried three levels with three different dc. Ugh.

 

ETA: Customer service and & return policy were fabulous!

Edited May 4, 2016 by PentecostalMom

[Peaceful Isle]

We actually use it, and love it here. My dd said he is the one who inspired her to be a writer. She hated writing before. :)

 

What were you thinking about using now? Just curious. :)

[travelgirlut]

We actually use it, and love it here. My dd said he is the one who inspired her to be a writer. She hated writing before. :)

 

What were you thinking about using now? Just curious. :)

 

I'm still trying to narrow it down for next year.  My DS wants something he can just get done and move on to doing more science, so I'm thinking about doing CLE LA with extra writing thrown in.  

 

CLE LA, which ironically people think is light on writing, has about the same number and type of writing assignments as EIW, at least at the levels I'm looking at, so we will definitely supplement with something, whether that ends up being Maxwell's School Composition or IEW or Killgallon or even WWS 1, though I don't think he's quite ready for it.  We already have all of these things, so it'll most likely end up being one of them.  I've kind of been looking for an excuse to use Maxwell, so I'm strongly leaning that direction.

[threeofakind]

It is not for everyone. But if you wanted I spoke with the author before about the number of assignments and he said if you want more writing, you could review the type of writing the student may have struggled with and do another or cycle through some? I have liked it because it is not so intense and writing after writing assignment, but everyone has different preferences. Good luck with finding something!

[Jess4879]

We liked it also, but we didn't use the grammar portions and we don't do well with video instruction for some reason.  We used it alongside Bravewriter, so the number of "formal" writing assignments was exactly what we wanted.  Even with the grammar sections though, I don't know how to stretch it over an entire year.  It is a short program!

 

Edited to add:  We ended up dumping EiW in favor of just pulling writing assignments from some BJU English I had here.  I really like their writing portions, and the workbook is pretty inexpensive, so that is what we are doing next year as well.  (The TG isn't needed at all for their writing chapters.) 

Edited May 4, 2016 by Jess4879

[Meadowlark]

We did EIW for 2nd grade, and I don't care for it at all. I thought it was so weird how he talked to the class but not the camera, but maybe that's just me. It did take something off my plate, but for all the trouble it took to turn it on for him and then turn it off, and then sometimes re-explain the lesson, it just wasn't worth it. I also thought the video production was pretty amateur. I just expected more. Plus, I feel like he didn't retain a thing. I'm teaching the parts of speech all over this year as if he's never had any grammar instruction at all.

[sdobis]

We just finished EIW today. I was so happy to be done with it. I was less than thrilled with the videos and the grammar. Next year we're using Easy Grammar and IEW.

[Guest]

We tried 4 different levels. We did not like it and ended up not finishing any of them. It was not enough instruction/direction for my guys. I'm not adding anything now but am planning on IEW for later.