IEW vs WWE?

[Emmalm]

Just wanted to get some opinions on these two writing curriculums. What do you like/dislike about them? Why is one better, in your opinion, than the other? Thanks so much!

[Rachel]

I haven't used IEW but I have a few friends who rave about it. It is very formulaic, which fits their personalities perfectly. That style isn't for me at this point.

 

I have used WWE for three years and love it's simplicity. I just started with my second child. At first the focus is on narration and copy work. Good quality literature is used. Later dictation is added. The lessons are quick and remind me of the Charlotte Mason method.

[tm919]

I love IEW more all the time , mostly because even when I can't get to writing, it let's me get to writing. We afterschool so time is short and we combine with bravewriter, so time is even shorter! But what I have learned to do is if the child has an essay, they can use the IEW method (KWO, dress ups, etc.) to do the essay, and that "counts" as their writing for the week. I only do writing by itself on weeks they don't have a writing assignment in something else.

[mom2att]

I have used both--WWE for the elementary years, and IEW starting in middle school. WWE gives them plenty of exposure to good writing and a lot of practice in the organization of the writing process, which is tougher than people realize. So by the time we pick up the "put words on paper" part of the process with IEW, it's a whole lot easier, particularly with boys.

 

eta: I highly recommend this workshop for those seeking answers for homeschool writing currlcula. Totally worth the download price.

Edited November 30, 2016 by mom2att

[Julie Smith]

I really think IEW is the best choice for a student who:

 

1) Doesn't like to write.

2) Doesn't know what to write about.

3) When forced to, will always write the least amount possible.

 

If your student is the above IEW is perfect. If your student is not the above, or even the opposite then WWE or any other curriculum would be a better choice. 

[mama25angels]

I couldn't agree more with Julie.

[vaquitita]

I really think IEW is the best choice for a student who:

 

1) Doesn't like to write.

2) Doesn't know what to write about.

3) When forced to, will always write the least amount possible.

 

If your student is the above IEW is perfect. If your student is not the above, or even the opposite then WWE or any other curriculum would be a better choice.

This describes my oldest son perfectly. I may need to look into IEW... :o We're currently using ELTL.

[Alice]

I really think IEW is the best choice for a student who:

 

1) Doesn't like to write.

2) Doesn't know what to write about.

3) When forced to, will always write the least amount possible.

 

If your student is the above IEW is perfect. If your student is not the above, or even the opposite then WWE or any other curriculum would be a better choice. 

 

This was my son but IEW made him hate writing more and write even less than he did with other programs. He's a very logical, linear thinking kid but the formulaic approach of IEW killed any tiny kernel of enjoyment of writing in him. Our experience is probably somewhat skewed in that he took a class from an outside instructor and she overly followed the formula in my opinion. I think if I had used it myself and adapted our experience might have been different but it was such a bad experience it would take a lot of us to ever try IEW again. 

Edited December 23, 2016 by Alice

[Julie Smith]

We only follow the IEW formula as much as I feel is needed. So sometimes that is very little, sometimes a lot. 

[Mrs Twain]

I don't think Julie is correct. I have had excellent results with IEW with my children, and they all have quite different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.

[Julie Smith]

I don't think Julie is correct. I have had excellent results with IEW with my children, and they all have quite different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses.

I'm glad IEW worked with all your children.

[Mrs Twain]

One issue with WWE is that your children will not be writing much for a long time. If you are convinced that method of writing instruction will produce the type of results you are looking for, and if you are committed to the program for long-term, then it may work well.

 

IEW has your children witting more and earlier.

[StartingOver]

It took me years to purchase IEW. I really love it, but I wouldn't trade it for our time with WWE 1-3 at all. IEW is what I have been searching for, forever. WWE is the gentlest approach to writing, and an awesome start for young kids. None of my kids were ready to put out large amounts of writing. It was more important to give them time.

Edited December 26, 2016 by StartingOver

[Julie Smith]

It took me years to purchase IEW. I really love it, but I wouldn't trade it for our time with WWE 1-3 at all. IEW is what I have been searching for, forever. WWE is the gentlest approach to writing, and an awesome start for young kids.

 

Both my kids started with WWE, and I found it a good fit at the time. I liked how it combined lots of different things, reading, copy work, answering questions about reading, and some writing. 

 

Then both moved onto IEW which has also been a good fit. 

[StartingOver]

IEW is an amazing fit for us too, after WWE 3.

[Julie Smith]

IEW is an amazing fit for us too, after WWE 3.

 

That is also what we did. :)

[Mrs. Tharp]

I tried WWE with both boys. They hated it. I couldn't make it work for either of them. I was a little mystified by this as it is such a gentle approach and is likely something I would have enjoyed myself when I was a child. Be that as it may, they read the stories with strained patience, got very, very frustrated/annoyed with giving narratives, repeatedly questioning why they had to do them, and also hated the copywork. The fact that the lessons were short had no bearing on their dislike. Interestingly, they both have enjoyed and learned from traditional composition instruction (R&S English). They also prefer reading and discussing entire books vs. short excerpts.

 

This year, I started my oldest on IEW SWI-B. It was an instant hit. My son loves knowing exactly what he has to do and can work independently, so the explicit instruction and the checklists are perfect for him. Thanks to the dress-ups, he is starting to see the point of style, and the practice of rewriting paragraphs in his own words is giving him practice with organizing ideas. Having to select three key words per sentences is also teaching him to extract the main ideas from a composition, albeit differently than WWE would have.  

 

My younger son balked at IEW,A but enjoys R&S composition assignments, so we are sticking with that for now. His main issue with writing is that what he creates in his head is well ahead of what he can write down physically, so IEW is not really necessary for him right now. 

 

That said, I do think most kids could benefit from the techniques taught in IEW for nonfiction writing, even if they are gifted writers who don't "need" it. I think WWE would work too, but it strikes me as more analytical, academic, and of course, lit. based. Both my boys are exceptionally visual-spatial, practical learners. It's the only reason I can think of for why WWE bombed so badly. 

 

IMO, SWB does not give IEW enough credit in TWTM. She recommends it, but reluctantly. I put off trying it for a long time due to the price and that reluctance, and wish I had tried it sooner. 

 

 

[Guest]

Another lover of IEW here!!  I like it because it gets done. *I* need the formula; perhaps even more than my daugher. :) Dd is actually a creative writer, but she enjoys IEW. We started it in 8th grade with a group class and are continuing it into high school, along with Fix It Grammar, because her public school did not have formal grammar instruction (and it showed- combined with an ever increasing amount of texting and online communications tugging at her habits), so the combo has more than fit the bill. I'm not sure if we will continue past this year. I am considering switching over to the WTMA Rhetoric for next year, but I still believe IEW has served us very well to get to this point. 

[CAtoVA]

When they were younger, I tried WWE with a son (now 7th) and a daughter (now 3rd) who have very different learning personalities. My DD loves stories and writing while my son dislikes writing. They both hated WWE, go figure. They found the selections interesting but groaned about narrations and hated the copywork. It was turning composition into daily drudgery so I had to shelve it.

 

IEW is loved  by my DD and often enjoyed by my DS. DD loves the material/content, the organization and support of the key word outlines and the whole revising process. DS needs the support of the key word outlines as it frees him up to be creative with sentences and word choices without having to stress about what to write about.

 

This year I started alternating IEW with Classical Academic Press's Writing and Rhetoric just to change it up and approach composition from different angles. DD adores CAP (she's almost done with book 1 and will soon start book 2). She probably likes CAP even more than IEW. I'll be starting CAP with my DS next month (book 6).

 

I will try WWE with another DD in 1-2 years. I really don't know what to expect now.

Edited December 27, 2016 by chiefcookandbottlewasher

[Upennmama]

I used WWE with my elementary schoolers and adored it. It's gentle, and I can adapt it to fit my kiddos' needs. One of mine loves to write tons, so instead of me writing her narrations, she writes them all. Once my kids hit 5/6th grade, we move to WWS and I throw in history narrations and a few projects. We did try IEW, but it was so formulaic, and my DDs hated feeling so controlled.