IEW: Need someone to think through this with me

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[PeterPan]

IEW has a complete refund policy for satisfaction. Pick one thing and start there. 

 

You could get into it and realize you HATE the methodology. Doesn't make sense to plan out a whole progression. That's why you should just start off with one thing, see how that goes, then order a little more. The flavor is pretty similar across products, so if one thing works, then you'll have a good sense that more probably will.

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[PeterPan]

The theme-based books are a nice, low-price starting point. Are they offering any of them as ebooks if you order directly from IEW? You should check. It sounds like you'd be happier with an ebook, even if you went with something entirely different.

 

They may have revised Fix It, but when I got it years ago I thought it was odd. It was strongly connected, at least at that time, to the IEW grammar-driven writing approach. It wasn't really what I thought it would be or wanted it to be. 

 

If your oldest functions relatively on grade level, I think a theme book could be a good choice. Then use the concepts and extend them to a simpler model if that fits your younger better, or let him write from prompts for another year.

 

WWS should be available as downloads. See. WWS, if you can hack it, is a superior product. I'm not meaning to be divisive, just saying it is. It's logical, tidy, and practical long-term. I think IEW-style writing is nasty. With a capital N. 

 

I really like Pudewa as a human, btw, and totally, totally grant it could be a super fab fit for some kids. I'm just connecting that you're self-admittedly critical about programs and that this is a program that provokes strong opinions in people, making it less likely you'll be pleased, making it less logical to order too much at once.

 

I think if you can get a theme book as an ebook, that would be a real safe starting place.

Edited April 10, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[PeterPan]

Rockets, Radar, & Robotics | Institute for Excellence in Writing

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[PeterPan]

From the page you linked:

 

 This is what has stopped me from getting the themed sets in the past. I had thought of doing that! I could get the TWSS and SWI-B and wait a year for the themed, but history is a big one that I want him to focus on and I want to do an intro to robotics with a kit with him first, before I decide if it is something that would appeal to him. We have many discussions with our history materials this year and this would help him organize his thoughts and arguments. 

 

No, if you want him to organize his thoughts and his arguments, what you want is WWS. And that you can buy as a pdf download I think.

[mom31257]

IMHO, Fix-It 3 would be difficult to go into not having done anything from the program. I say that because there would be a big learning curve on doing the labeling IEW's way. I would recommend starting at Level 2 for an older student who is already familiar with grammar. That student could always work quickly to get through it and then move on when to Level 3 when done. 

 

Fix-It 5 and 6 are advanced. I work for IEW at some of the conventions, and I've heard it said in the booth that Level 6 should be for students going to college to major in English grammar. LOL! 

 

The TWSS will have suggestions on how to use it with younger kids.There are people who teach their kids with TWSS alone and come up with there own source material.  

 

My favorite source for younger kids is All Things Fun and Fascinating or Bible Heroes if very young. An 8 year old can do SWI-A, but I love the content of the theme books better than the SWI packages. Also, many theme books cover all 9 units while SWI does not. I wish the world history had been available at the convention, but it wasn't ready yet. It's not all of world history. It picks up with the printing press and goes to now. 

 

I love TTC! It really helped me understand discussing literature. I went though it and have hosted book clubs for ds and friends for 6 years. I've learned beyond the elements taught in it, but it really gave me the basis to get started. 

 

TWSS and TTC are the best items I've purchased during the 12 years I've homeschooled. They are the only curriculum products I bought for me, and both made me a better teacher. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by mom31257

[trudence1]

If your younger child has good reading comprehension, I would go with the older level SWi-?.  IMO it is very easy to adapt IEW levels to a younger child-much easier than to bump it up for an older child. You would just not give the younger item as many things on his check list that he needs to have in his writing until he is ready for it.

 

As for Fix-It, I started both of my sons at the beginning.  I probably could have started my oldest at the second level, but I wouldn't have wanted to throw him in at an any higher level than that.  My son was a couple years younger than your oldest when he started, though.

[coralloyd]

Well, I will answer your questions. Yes, I believe you could lower the level of SWI-B for your 8 yr. old, especially if you get the TWSS. He gives examples of how many units a child that age should complete. Now it will take some planning on your part, but I don't think it woulds be to hard. Depending on his reading level you might want to use different source texts for him. You can just take them from anything you have at home that is at or bellow his reading level, or you might want to get this http://iew.com/shop/products/writing-source-packet. Also limit the amount of dress-ups, decorations, and openers (you'll learn what all these are) you expect from him.

 

If your oldest is doing well with his current grammar don't switch him to Fix it. I would start your 8yr. old on it instead. 

 

I love IEW. It works well for my oldest who is a very proficient writer, and my not so confident writers. With my 10 yr. old dyslexic son I can now take what I have learned from the TWSS and the SWI/SICC, and go at a much slower pace for him. It has given me the confidence I needed to teach writing. 

Edited April 10, 2017 by coralloyd

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[OneStepAtATime]

1.  Yes Fix-it was significantly revised roughly 3 years ago or so.  It is now considered a complete program for grammar, whereas it was not before.  It does not do diagramming, though, so if you feel detailed diagramming is pivotal for grammar this program is not for you.

 

2.  Yes if you buy TWSS/SWI-B you can adapt it for a younger student.  You may need to find more basic source material for the lessons but getting a theme book geared for younger students would take care of that.  The TM for both TWSS and SWI will walk you through what to do.  Very well laid out.

 

3.  If you buy the TM's for Fix-It Book 1-4 you have access to the Student manual for free as pdfs.  Setting up the student notebooks, you could print out one set of the reference cards for each book you intend to use and your students could probably share.  You can easily just print out a few pages of the student pages themselves to start your oldest with Book 1 but double the lessons and see how he does.  In other words, he could do two sentences a day instead of 1.  The lesson would still be short.  Or do 4 sentences in a day until he hits areas he is not as solid.  Or you could start  him in Book 2.  Book 2 reviews what happened in Book 1 but at a faster pace by far than how it is presented in Book 1. Your only cost would be print cost for the student pages and you wouldn't have to print all of the pages for a book.  Just do a few at a time to see where the best fit would be.  Book 5 and 6 are pretty advanced grammar so I wouldn't rush into those until your student is ready.  I also would not start a student who has never used Fix-It in a book higher than book 2.  Book 3 and 4 could be confusing without working through at least Book 2 first.

 

4.  Theme based books are really helpful and I love having them but I will warn you that with the Medieval theme book I found the information presented very narrow in view.  There was a lack of historical accuracy because the info was very simplistic.  May not be an issue at all for a younger child but for my son who lives for History it drove him nuts.  I had to find other source material that was closer to his intellectual level, not his grade level.  In other words, if you run into passages you don't like, feel free to substitute another resource for that particular lesson.

 

5.  I have heard that Teaching the Classics is terrific but have not used it.  

 

6.  If you are willing to watch the videos for TWSS and read through the TM, it should be super helpful for learning how to use this system.  SWI is also very helpful, both the videos and the TM.  I found what helped me even more was to actually do the lessons myself before presenting them.  It doesn't take that long and it really helped me to be prepared for potential trouble areas.

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[Vida Winter]

Just a thought - you can also get TWSS streaming - I don't know if you can get the seminar materials electronically though. If you buy the discs you get access to the streaming for a year - I always use streaming because it is so much easier than fiddling with discs.

 

I like to use TWSS with a themed book. The American History book (not the high school level) is very well written and a good place to start with your 13yo. I like it better than SWI-B and it works very well if you watch the appropriate TWSS videos before the start of different units. You could use a younger-themed book with TWSS for your younger one.

 

IEW didn't really "bloom" for me until I used the theme books and forced myself to watch/take notes on the TWSS units but now I love it.

 

The grammar is very different from Hake - I don't know if you would want to switch at this point.

 

 

ETA: It is always better to err on the side of going a bit younger than you need to with these materials. It will make it easier to learn the IEW method.

Edited April 11, 2017 by Vida Winter

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[Vida Winter]

Adding another thought -- if I am ever having trouble deciding I call the IEW office. They are very helpful! One time when I didn't have the TM for a co-op class and needed it to teach from that week, they emailed me the pages I needed. Another time they had a consultant call me to discuss the appropriateness of a level for one of my kids. All the IEW staff have been a pleasure to work with, which is such a refreshing change from most company interactions.

Edited April 12, 2017 by Vida Winter

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