umsami Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 For both of our sakes, I need to outsource language arts this year. It is just not my forte...and I hate teaching it. I have the IEW Level B course (and videos) which I think I could adapt, but I think it might be a little beyond my 5th grader's ability. So I'm looking to outsource. Two online options I've found are through BJU and Abeka. I'm not adverse to faith based programs if the teaching is good. From what I can tell online, Abeka is very classroom looking and BJU is rather babyish/old school videos with bunnies? Once again, if they do a good job, I don't care. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Lantern English ? The lowest level they offer is for 6th grade, but I hear that the Lantern classes are gentle -- grammar, vocabulary, writing, and literature; $330 for 32 weeks; they estimate 2.5 to 3.5 hours of student work per week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted July 7, 2020 Author Share Posted July 7, 2020 I also found EIW...the secular IEW as best I can tell. 🙂 https://essentialsinwriting.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 I love Lantern English. You can do the quarterly classes individually for $60 a quarter. They are email correspondence, but this year have added a live class option (higher price tag.) For 5th grade, my personal opinion is that you don't need the full English Program. I'd start with some writing classes--paragraph, composition, summary. Maybe do a quarter of grammar in the spring or try the new book study class at some point. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 You can also do something like Soaring With Spelling and Growing With Grammar for a workbook style, independent, easy to implement reinforcement of grammar and spelling but outsource the writing. That is what I'm doing for my 7th grader this year. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmmIbrahim Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 19 hours ago, Lori D. said: Lantern English ? The lowest level they offer is for 6th grade, but I hear that the Lantern classes are gentle -- grammar, vocabulary, writing, and literature; $330 for 32 weeks; they estimate 2.5 to 3.5 hours of student work per week. I just discovered this site and am looking for some remediation for grammar/writing for my younger sons. I'm at the point where I'm ready to put them waaaay below grade level and just see what they can do and to try to build a better foundation (we are a big STEM/tech family, myself included, and our writing skills are lacking 😟) In looking at the instructor bios, most are written with Christian language (instructors are affiliated with Christian colleges or mention honoring the Lord). I don't care what religion the instructors are (provided that they are tolerant of other religions), but was wanting to find out if the content is secular or religious. Anyone know? I really like the idea of starting way back with the basics of Grammar and the absolute beginning of writing. I need to build confidence with easy, beginning level materials and the 8-week quarter classes look great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 13 hours ago, UmmIbrahim said: In looking at the instructor bios, most are written with Christian language (instructors are affiliated with Christian colleges or mention honoring the Lord). I don't care what religion the instructors are (provided that they are tolerant of other religions), but was wanting to find out if the content is secular or religious. Anyone know? I can tell you that there was no Christian content in the courses my daughter took last year. She took Essay Basics, Intro to Creative Writing, Learning Through Poetry, and Learning Through Literature. Actually...I think there was a reference to the parables in the Bible as an example of a literary device. Beyond that, I don't recall anything else. For the poetry class, they studied all classic and famous poetry. For literature, we were required to choose two fiction books. The book lists and literature excerpts for the English program are all classic works. I would recommend contacting the company to ask about your concerns but I think for the content of these classes, it shouldn't be an issue. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 On 7/6/2020 at 9:02 PM, umsami said: For both of our sakes, I need to outsource language arts this year. It is just not my forte...and I hate teaching it. I have the IEW Level B course (and videos) which I think I could adapt, but I think it might be a little beyond my 5th grader's ability. So I'm looking to outsource. Two online options I've found are through BJU and Abeka. I'm not adverse to faith based programs if the teaching is good. From what I can tell online, Abeka is very classroom looking and BJU is rather babyish/old school videos with bunnies? Once again, if they do a good job, I don't care. Help! Are you wanting to outsource *all* components of "language arts"? Or just writing? Because Easy Grammar Plus would be , well, easy. And you don't have to use something as large and cumbersome as IEW. My Father's World bought Writing Strands and turned it into Writing Skills for Today. In its original form, there were no references to anything religious; MFW might have added some references but it shouldn't be a big deal. It's an easy-to-teach course, but it's still my favorite product. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 I like BJU over Abeka. BUT, I did start TGTB this past year and LOVE it!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 (edited) On 7/8/2020 at 7:56 AM, kristin0713 said: I love Lantern English. You can do the quarterly classes individually for $60 a quarter. They are email correspondence, but this year have added a live class option (higher price tag.) For 5th grade, my personal opinion is that you don't need the full English Program. I'd start with some writing classes--paragraph, composition, summary. Maybe do a quarter of grammar in the spring or try the new book study class at some point. My just turned 11 year old has done the introductory level sentence and paragraph this week and is now doing composition. In September he is starting English 1. They increased the prerequisites this year so if you have looked before mid June you need to check. I find I have to support a bit but he is able to do most himself. Year not week. Edited July 10, 2020 by kiwik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 On 7/8/2020 at 7:44 AM, umsami said: I also found EIW...the secular IEW as best I can tell. 🙂 https://essentialsinwriting.com/ He is Christian and there was the assumption that the students were in the level we did. Lantern English seems to be Christian too but it really only comes through in the little "welcome to week X" messages so far anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 On 7/8/2020 at 9:58 AM, UmmIbrahim said: I just discovered this site and am looking for some remediation for grammar/writing for my younger sons. I'm at the point where I'm ready to put them waaaay below grade level and just see what they can do and to try to build a better foundation (we are a big STEM/tech family, myself included, and our writing skills are lacking 😟) In looking at the instructor bios, most are written with Christian language (instructors are affiliated with Christian colleges or mention honoring the Lord). I don't care what religion the instructors are (provided that they are tolerant of other religions), but was wanting to find out if the content is secular or religious. Anyone know? I really like the idea of starting way back with the basics of Grammar and the absolute beginning of writing. I need to build confidence with easy, beginning level materials and the 8-week quarter classes look great. I started my 10 year old on the lowest course. It was fairly easy but that was good. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmmIbrahim Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 9 hours ago, kiwik said: I started my 10 year old on the lowest course. It was fairly easy but that was good. Thanks for the confirmation. I am definitely looking for easy to build confidence, and it looks like the content isn't overtly religious. The owner was very responsive to my questions, and I think we're going to try the Grammar I and Paragraph class together to start. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 21 hours ago, UmmIbrahim said: Thanks for the confirmation. I am definitely looking for easy to build confidence, and it looks like the content isn't overtly religious. The owner was very responsive to my questions, and I think we're going to try the Grammar I and Paragraph class together to start. Honestly I can't think of anything religious in sentence, paragraph or what we have done of composition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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