Rethinking how we use homeschool curriculum video! Your school CAN look different! ua-cam.com/video/ejVoimOHV1Q/v-deo.html And to check out IEW: WHERE TO BEGIN - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/start
I’m so glad you are talking about how “how bad is it if they don’t learn to write a paper this way right now? What if we wait till 8-9th grade?” - I feel the same way and I keep worrying that I’m going to mess up my kids but like - they learn the same crap over and over again! If my kids don’t get it right this minute, why do I have to force it? Isn’t this why I am homeschooling my kids?! Thank you for the validation in this thinking!!! My SIL just started homeschool and she’s appalled at how I am doing it and is judging me but I have been doing this many years and she just started so I have been feeling down about if I’m serving my kids well. I think I am. Thank you for showing that we are allowed to go outside the lines and not follow everyone else.
We have been wired because of our own education. But I do truly believe that eventually things will click. So yes!! We don’t want to destroy their desire to learn. It’s tricky with things like math bc that truly does build upon itself. But even with that, I’ve heard that you could wait and not teach you kid any math til junior high and they will still learn everything they need to. The modern education system has just made us think we all have grow in the same way and learn at the same pace. And maybe that’s why so many kids hate school. Relationship and fostering a learning environment is so much more important than checking the boxes. Have you watched my video about being weighed down by curriculum??? I talk about this idea in there. You might enjoy it! Here’s the link: ua-cam.com/video/ejVoimOHV1Q/v-deo.html
This is exactly where I am!!! I have IEW, EIW, and now that you’ve mentioned BW, I just might have to rethink as well. I have been using TGTB for the past 5 years and writing just isn’t clicking for them. They are very strong in grammar and literature…but writing has me like 🥴🤪
I agree!! I understand TGTB’s approach bc I already know how to write. I have friends who’s 5th grader LOVED the IEW videos. She thought Pudewa’ was very funny. My son will do just fine with it. It’s just my free-spirited child…. So the approach really does depend on you and your child and what you want. My son was NOT but interested in brave writer at all. He’d rather do IEW. So yeah…..if you’re going to tailor an education…there’s things to consider. 😉
First year homeschooling, we used level 4 TGATB for my 8th grader after I discovered she didn’t know what a preposition was. She has an easy time writing, so I was impressed, but they have no guidance I noticed. This week I noticed a huge error! It asks which of these sentences is compound and which is single. They were the same exact sentences, adding in a comma!!! The answer key showed the one without a comma as single. Yikes!!! I’m planning on IEW for next year, but have noticed that about the videos as well. I wish it was only him. I plan to show my daughter the video sample before purchasing. But I look forward to your review of this curriculum to compare! Thanks for doing this. I’m not obsessed enough about choosing curriculum. 😂
Different strokes for different folks is truly how curriculum works, I’m learning!! I feel like every homeschool year I get under my belt, I’m getting more and more laid back, truly. You have to be flexible bc you just never know if something will be what you expected. 😉
This is the exact problem I'm having with my son using level 4 of TGTB! We LOVE it, but the writing is not clicking with him. He's not a natural writer, and he doesn't have a great imagination - very literal-minded. So we have been skipping the writing and supplementing it with another workbook. Which is fine, but I think you convinced me it's time to check out EIW or IEW.
IEW give great direction!!! I love that program so much and I should’ve been more clear that you don’t HaVE to use the videos. You can teach it to your son if video isn’t his thing. I’ve heard good things about EiW but I don’t know much about it.
@Jessica Lantz the products that are not video based are the themed writing. 😉 or you could get the teaching structure and style which is videos for YOU…to teach you how to teach. And then through that, there is access to writing assignments for your child. So you don’t have to buy a separate program. This link should help direct you to the product you’ll want. 😉 WHERE TO BEGIN - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/start
Forgot to say thank you for creating these videos! I watch every one of them. Your recent one about overwhelm with your high schooler hit home for me with my 10th grader. I’m feeling the exact same way! So much to do in so little time left. We can do it momma!! I need to learn your editing techniques for video. I’m getting better..but yours are done so much more creatively!
We also use TGATB and IEW. I felt like my girls needed more Grammar so we use Fix It Grammar. I also feel as though the writing portion is not working well for my girls and have been using IEW this year. My 7th grader loves it my 4th grader not so much. So I just have my 4th grader do the writing in TGATB. I also have them using 2 math programs, Math U See and TGATB. I love Math U See but my oldest was starting to struggle so we got TGATB math. Some was review some things were new. My oldest loves TGATB and how information is presented. My youngest can't stand TGATB math and just wants to do Math U See. Each child is so different with what they need and how they learn. I love that with Homeschool we are able to customize our children's learning style.
You have the best personality!! Your videos are always so fun! We finished our 2021 school year yesterday and I have to say it was the best out of the past 6 years! I finally "figured" out not to be a "slave" to the curriculum and went out of my comfort zone and modged podged everything (prior we were 100% abeka..yep total "slave"). My daughter (5th) used IEW structure and style this year and it was amazing I loved IEW. It was a lot and she did ask for a break for 6th grade so we are taking a year off IEW. I had looked into brave writer several years ago but honestly go overwhelmed. I watched your other video and loved how it looks and the assignments. Im going to check it out...could be possible for next year both kids (4th and 6th). Have a great week! PS..great time at convention last week. Some booths I loved were Ruby Reads (1 bought 2 posters), Redwood Educational Technologies ( free trial starting june 1st), Brady Street Boys ( book series), Funschooling( cool journal type books), Miller Pads and Paper( found lots of awesome resources), Homeworks for Books( found best price here for apologia notebooks also lots of other great things), NCFCA ( national debate,speaking geared 12 and older),. Wanted to share these great resources ( all online stores) I discovered in case also new to you!
Yah!! I’m so glad you had such a great year! That’s awesome that you stretched yourself….and now you’re flexible! 😂 I could never do Abeka for that very reason….! I bet you feel so free now! I have f heard of some of the things you mentioned, so thank you!! Miller pads and papers is fun! And NCFCA is associated sometimes with classical conversations (and sometimes a competitor) we had several families in our communities who do that in fact one of my friends is like a big time director for it, I think! Which convention did you go to?
I went to the Great Homeschool Convention im Cincinnati OH. I was only able to go for a short period of time so I only did the exhibit hall. Next year I hope I can go to a Teach Them Diligently and attend the entire conference. I did listen to an online convention a few weeks ago and enjoyed that. Homeschool Summit I believe.
I'm watching this because I have a 5th grade daughter who sounds identical to your daughter! I searched this topic because I've been between IEW, TGTB and Writing strands for next year. I had to pause the video and come here and comment during the part where you were talking about how she is in a transition phase. I was like Wait why am I crying!? This is about writing curriculum!" But goodness you spile right to me because this is so the boat we are in too!
We used level 4 of the good and beautiful for 7/8th grade and switched this year to IEW and we absolutely love it!! We are going to be finishing it up this summer. I wish we started it sooner!
We loved TGTB LA but we didn’t love how they teach writing or spelling and actually I don’t like teaching grammar as much as they do before about 7th or 8th grade. It wasn’t working (spelling & writing) for my 4th or 7th grader. I really wanted it to work! I love the art, the geography, and just how they go about teaching the lessons, how it’s all in one book and it truly is open to go! My girls loved most aspects of it too. We still aren’t in love with what we switched to either. I’m not a curriculum hopper either but I definitely try to tailor my children’s education’s to their needs. My younger daughter who is now in sixth grade sounds very similar to your older daughter. Thank you for this video!
My 5th grader was using TGTB 4 this year and she was dragging her feet with it. I decided we needed a switch too. I ended up with Writeshop JR. It was so daunting to dive into it at first, but we’ve had so much fun with it and she has asked to do the next level when she completes this level. She is learning in a gentle way the writing process, gets to write so many different genres and have fun with it. I kept wondering if I am doing something wrong with not doing IEW right now, but came to the same conclusions as you. I want her to love writing and be creative. There is time in the future to learn more of the detailed process
We are going to use IEW along with tgtb upcoming 4th grader can’t do writing no matter what we do. We try different ways. We did the free 3 week trial of IEW and he loved it. Once he did the kwo he wrote with no problem. I couldn’t believe it. We’re looking forward to continue to use next year. He also pretends he’s in that class lol
That’s wonderful!!!! I watched the first video of the free trial with my daughter and I laughed at Andrew Pudewa’s jokes!! I thought he was entertaining. So it’s definitely nothing against his program. My daughter just needs a different inspiration right now!! I hope you love IEW as much as I do!
Holy smokes, I feel as if I have been fretting about the same thing. I too just bought some Brave Writer after showing my daughter some of the projects and watching her eyes light up and begin to squee. She is only 8, so we are going to do Jot It Down, and adapt it to her skill level.
my first kid is a 2E certified genius, and I was totally spoiled by her ability to absorb information/spelling/grammar/math from basically thin air. Its been a journey for me to realize my other kids need curriculum and to find the right one. Also humbled by the fact that I am not the most patient teacher. We're dumping GBLA and switching to IEW for my #2 and #3 because I love the idea of someone else teaching and I really like the approach they take as well. I just went ahead and ordered SSS and fix-it grammar and am planning to be a bit of a mean mom and just make them do it lol. They are so writing resistant at this point I don't think they'd take kindly to any program. I love this look into your thought process and how and why you chose brave writer for her. I also agree that there is no timeline for learning! I need to remind myself that I'm constantly learning new skills, facts, etc.
It’s amazing to me how often I recognize that we do certain things bc “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” But when I listened to Julie Bogart talk about this program, and why she created it….bc when she homeschooled her kids, she had to transform as a homeschool mom also. And when she did that, her kids had fun learning and didn’t even realize they were learning. It’s a complete mindshift (for me, and probably for many) but the question has to start with, what do you want for your homeschool? By the last child, we’ll have it all figured out!! 😂😂😂
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan It sure is! you just throw books at her and she knows it. Her struggles are with the other aspects of Aspergers, so it's just different than parenting my typical kids. My youngest is four, so yes I may indeed have a system down sometime in the next 14 years 🤣🤣
@@annemorph I have a 2E ADHDer. And, 3 other ADHDers. And, I have ADHD... And, the two oldest have learning disabilities. And, the youngest may also be gifted. My 2 gifted kids, learning was so fun and easy for years. Then puberty hit and 2020 for the now 11 year old and she lost all interest in formal academics... She writes diaries and stories and is quite artistic. She also reads a lot... So, last year, I attempted a more hands off approach with some cool things readily available to her, but she just didn't care. So, back to having to push... I've been driving myself crazy figuring out curriculum. None of my kids have done that much formal writing curriculum. Mostly, LA with some bits of writing thrown in.
I’m not a curriculum hoper either!!! I often feel boxed in by curriculum!!! We found TGTB teaches writing well but we add on writing assignments for other subjects!!! I tell my older kids to choose what writing assignments they do but to read the writing teaching to use for their other writing assignments!!! I feel like my twins have lost their imagination as well. They are 11. We’ve never used bravewriter!!!
I’ve used BW for my high schooler for 9th and 10th grade and it’s been great at fostering creativity and story telling. Her creative writing is spectacular. I’ve been less than impressed with how it’s approached academic writing, research and summarizing non-fiction articles and texts. We are switching to IEW for her next year. For my current 5th grader, we’re going to try TGATB level 4 next year, but I have the same concerns you did. I do think the IEW process would work well but she hates the videos and I don’t know if I’m willing to teach it as I don’t think it’s a match for MY teaching style. BW can be quite unstructured and, for HER learning style, I worry she may feel lost rather than free. So we will be joining you on the writing curriculum rotation this year lol. Good luck to us all! 🤪 And thank you for this video!!
Thank you for sharing this!! I’m so encouraged! And that’s great to know about Brave Writer for high school. I’d definitely lean back to IEW there as well! So your daughter hated the videos too! Glad we aren’t the only ones. I debated also in just TEACHING the IEW through the theme based books. But similar to you, I don’t trust myself to keep up with it. I was willing though to consider, but then when I ran across BW….my head started spinning. 😂 so we’ll see. But I’m so encouraged that it worked well for you!! You’ll have to let me know if you find something that works for your 5th grader. I’m not sure how the “lack of structure” may work for us either. That’s the part that makes me nervous. But The creative part is definitely exciting. 😉
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan my kids are in early elementary, so we’re at a different level, but I bought two DARTs to try with each of them over the summer. They are such different learners that it’ll be interesting to see which will like it because I’m certain both will not…just to add spice to my life. 😂
I love how you are customizing each of your kiddos education and your don’t mind doing different curriculum with each child. I have one more year until I am officially homeschooling 2 of my kiddos seeing their personalities I know I am going to have to take a different approaches 🙈
If you’re lucky, you may not have to do so much differently! 😜 I’m not gonna lie, I wish I could have a year where I wasn’t learning something new!! 😉 but it’s keeping me on my toes, I guess.
Thank you for this video! We definitely customize to my daughter. Writing is our HARDEST subject to choose. With multiple good options, each having its own nuances, I'm finding it extremely difficult to decide for my 6th grader.
My son loved the first quarter of iew structure & style but then got super bored and even cried about having to do it. I am now having him try different writing exercises and realized he is really good at writing his own stories and needs some drawing and coloring and just a variety. Iew summarizing over and over and over is torture for my son
I’ve heard this before from many others actually! IEW is a flavor that not everybody likes. Just like Brave Writer is a flavor that doesn’t work for everybody. Have you looked into Brave Writer? That one is definitely less “mechanical” than IEW and more on the creative side. I wish I had more experience with other language arts programs to give a good quality comparison!! But if your son is creative, maybe all he needs is grammar practice. And then you just teach him organically about intros and conclusions and check his stories for major grammatical things. If you run across another language program more conducive towards your son’s creativity, let me know!! I’d love to know what else is out there!
Well, this is timely! I haven’t found a writing curriculum I love yet. I have a feeling it will be different per kid. I tried Essentials in Writing this year with my 6th grader and it felt like “busy work” to her. I’ll be back after I watch this video :)
I’m interested to see what your opinion may be. It looks really fun! But it also doesn’t have quite the same “structure” each day as IEW does. But it looks super fun!!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan goodness gracious, our daughters are SO alike! "Free Spirit" is my daughter's middle name. haha. I felt like this year (6th grade) was a great time to add a formal writing curriculum to my daughter's curriculum, so I picked Essentials in Writing mainly b/c of the videos. (Side note: a couple of years ago - so maybe 4th-ish grade???- we tried IEW and my daughter did not like it.) I needed something that would help her be independent in this subject b/c she's the oldest of 4 & I am already stretched thin. EIW is set up with the first semester being grammar and the second semester being composition. We did the grammar part with no problem. We "liked" it okay but then when she started the composition lessons, moaning and groaning started daily. We pushed through for about a month or two. My daughter has been writing her own story for over a year now. She wants to publish it. She truly has a gift in writing HOWEVER she also needs some guidance and sharpening of some story telling skills, which was my hope in having her do EIW. She felt like the lessons in EIW were "busy work" and one day, it just dawned on me, "just let her work on her own story for 'writing' for right now". I'd also had my eye on Fix It Grammar. I bought that and we quit EIW. We both LOVE Fix It Grammar. Even my kid who doesn't "like school" says she likes this grammar. So we will definitely stick with that, but as far as writing curriculum for her goes, I have NO CLUE what to do. For the rest of the year, she is going to just keep working on her story, but I would like to find a writing curriculum that can help her further her writing skills next year! I am looking forward to hearing more about what you bought!
@@faithfullyinfertile these two do sound similar!! Natalie also wrote an “epic tale” about Fortnite. I didn’t check it for grammar or punctuation or anything like that. I just let her go. She typed 10 pages!!! And she had sone decent vocab in there. So…. I’m not exactly sure how Brave Writer will be for the “process,”it sounds more like it will light that creative spark and perhaps, start a fire inside these budding writers so that they WANT to write! It’s all about a love of learning, which breeds lifelong learners!
It’s also tied into the “lifestyle”. I’m still learning. But the entire lifestyle (they call it “brave writer” lifestyle” is about immersing your entire school/life into this idea of goodness and beauty (ha….good and beautiful 😁) but brave writer is who kind of coined the phrase “poetry tea time”. The lifestyle will likely be another video at some point. I really want to focus more on that as well for my girls.
I can’t wait to hear all about it! I’m kind of in the same situation. I have an upcoming 6th grader who I was looking to do TGATB level 4, but he struggles with the writing portion as well. Was looking into IEW, I should try the free trial. I didn’t realize they did that! Or I thought about going back to masterbooks too. So undecided.
Do the free trial!!!! It will give you a feel for what it’s like. I have friends who love the videos. It just depends on what your child likes. My daughter is just going through a stage and I’m going to try a different approach. But she will likely end up doing the IEW videos at least by high school. But hopefully by them, she’ll LOVE writing! 😉😉😉 that’s the hope anyway. But definitely try the free trial!! Always do the free trial! 😜 I have the free trial linked below also.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan thank you! I will do that! And I like to how you made me realize that he doesn’t NEED to be writing excellent papers at this moment. I’m with ya on just getting them to LIKE it!
OMG this sounds so much like us this year. We did TGTB she wasn't getting it she was frustrated with it then we tried iew she said the same thing it was boring bc she couldn't get involved. My daughter is ten and is very creative and free spirit so I showed her brave writer and we are thinking about it 😊 for this coming year
We had the same issue with TGTB! My daughter did ok with it, but she thought it was very dry and boring. I think it worked for her because she is a natural writer. My son hated all of the extra stuff, said it felt “girly”, and struggles with writing and this was just not enough for him. I felt it went too fast and didn’t explain the process in enough detail. We switched to Writing Strands by NB, and the difference is amazing! Both of my teens are excited to write again! My non writer son is showing so much creativity with their pared down lessons. I am considering adding in fix it grammar, and possibly essentials in literature (not sure).
I think you hit the nail in the head…..TGTB doesn’t explain enough. They show. But they don’t explain for those who still don’t get it. I’ve heard of writing strands but never looked at it! I’m glad you’ve found a good fit!! Fix it grammar is also very good. We’ve done that in the past!
I’m not seeing the advantage of using TGATB if you are having to supplement so much with other curriculums to prevent gaps. I’ve been debating TGATB for my very artsy high schooler instead of using EIW 11 and Analytical Grammar that I had planned on (we use Sonlight for history and literature). After watching two of your awesome videos and reading the comments, I think I’m going to resist the urge to change my original plan. It’s so hard when you see so many people rave about a curriculum to not feel a little FOMO. Both of my kids did IEW for two years. We all loved it, but feel like once you have been through it a few times, the formulaic approach can feel stagnating.
I agree with you on IEW…it’s great for teaching the process but I don’t see it being used year after year after year since it teaches the same approach every time. As for TGATB….even with supplements, using it for the grammar & for the art & geography , it is still a pretty inexpensive program. That’s the draw for me. (And the variety) but I also hear you on the FOMO. I definitely had that with TGATB and for the most part, I really have loved their products. They really are different than other companies in terms of how they put them together. BUT….they aren’t perfect. No curriculum company is. 😉
This is so much of me right now!!! I feel you Momma friend!! Moving from a very strict homeschool law state to a much more freeing one has been such an eye opener for me as teacher this year. I don't want to be bound to a curriculum anymore but use it instead as a tool for us to customize like you said. My eldest son has struggled with TGTB writing as well so after much prayer we (or Mom decided 😉🤪) to use IEW for him this coming year. My son does not love reading and so I also thought he needed a bit more structure instead of read 20 minutes with TGTB. We are trying Christian Light Reading to help with that. So we are using for my son IEW and Christian Light to "enhance" his studies with TGTB and just nixing those parts in TGTB. Now my middle daughter is strong in most areas using TGTB but needs some extra spelling so I was thinking of just a basic simple Evan Moore workbook to assist her in that area. TGTB has been fantastic for my kids in so many areas so we don't want to get rid of it completely. Just tweek it to fit our kiddos and pray the Lord blesses the results and us Mom's to help them along the way.
Yes!!! And if I lived in a heavily regulated state, oh my…..that would be hard! I’m so thankful to live in a state that has so many other issues, they don’t have time (or money) to worry about little ole me!! 😂😂😂 So what state were you in and where are you now?
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan we were in New York and live in Kentucky now. The homeschool laws here are such a breath of fresh air compared to New York. What a blessing you live in the state that you are in too!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan We just started this week and just Arrow. I am giving that some time before I do the next step. I was interested to see how things were going with you. Are you starting next year then with Bravewriter?
I would say that the best writing curriculum is no curriculum. Especially for a struggling writer. My resources are twofold: writer's handbooks for help in teaching the editing process and then anthologies/collections of the type of writing that you are working on. For the handbooks I recommend "Writer's Inc", "Handbook For Writer's", and "The Elements of Style" (in that order). As a summer mom reading challenge, read the handbooks like a novel and highlight them and tab them for easy reference for your child. As you edit their work together, send them to the correct tab to help them correct their work. As for the second suggestion, I would also encourage you to surround yourselves with good writing to read and model. "Breakfast on Mars and 37 Other Delectable Essays" edited by Stern & Wolf is great for the middle grades and includes prompts after each essay and information about that type of essay. Similarly in high school we move on to books like "The Little Norton Reader" edited by Goldthwaite. For poetry writing, start with simple poetry that can easily be understood for inspiration. "Favorite Poems Old and New" and the series "Poetry for Young People" are good places to start. For journaling and free writing, look into "642 Things to Write About" or "101 Questions for Humanity" or some other story starter book; there are literally thousands of options. Hope that is helpful, it has worked for us.
I think if I taught IEW myself, she’d like it more. But when I started looking at brave writer, my head turned….. so I could go either way on this. But I’ve also heard so many opinions from others who don’t like IEW as much, they they felt it stifled creativity. So there is certainly a lot of different opinions. I can see all the sides! That’s when you have to ask, “what does MY child need the most?” 😉
My 4th grader is almost finished with level 4 TGTB and writing has been a struggle. She keeps writing "I don't know" on every writing page. 😵💫🥴 I am considering switching to IEW for 5th grade, but I love everything else about TGTB and it's all we have used for the last 3 years.
We're in the same boat! I love IEW, but it was boring for my kids. They didn't do well with the videos. They love Mr. P, but the writing was not going great since they were bored. I'll be trying Jump In composition by Sharon Watson for my soon to be 6th grader. My soon to be 8th grade daughter is signed up for Middle School Literature through Compass Classroom. They use Writing and Rhetoric books 9 & 10 in that class. I hope it works out. I'm sort of worried about the Writing and Rhetoric books. We'll see how it goes. The Jump In book is actually for Middle School and looks absolutely amazing so I'm excited to do that with my 6th grader in the fall and if the writing and rhetoric books don't work out for my 8th grader, I plan on switching her over to Jump In Composition with her brother. I have no idea if any of it will work. I'm scared too. I've tried several writing programs and we have not had any luck at all.
We use TGTB but my daughter is not a fan of the writing this year (4th). We've used TGTB since kindergarten but she also has never been a fan of the reading portion.....and we supplement spelling.....so I think for 5th grade we are switching it up. Was going to try Structure and Style but now I may download the sample and see if she likes it now. I'm interested to seeing Bravewriter.
Well that’s a lot of extra supplements! 😉Definitely try the sample. The main thing is are they ok with the video instruction. If you want to teach it yourself though, you can. Their products are not ALL video. The theme based units do not have video. But if you aren’t sure how to instruct, that’s what the “TEACHING style structure” does….teaches the teacher ;)
I was going to guess Writeshop! Bravewriter is excellent for creative writing. Writeshop brings the fun back to writing which we needed after doing IEW.
I don't have a struggling writer but I'm struggling to find a writing program for my 9th grader. AGH!!!! Too many choices. I'm looking at IEW and EIW as well.
We’ll I think IEW is excellent. And I’ve looked at EIW and it also looks good! Writing with rhetoric also just recently caught my eye. It’s on my radar now! :) there are many fantastic programs!!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan IEW is solid for sure. We've used it several times in the past. I'm gonna head over to the one you just mentioned and check that out but I have a strong feeling we'll end up with IEW.
We were in the same boat with TGATB writing. We stopped half way. I do like EIW, but it is a little pricey. We are trying Winning with Writing next year.
Thank you for this! We are venturing into the Brave Writer for the writing portions and continue with our WTM grammar studies. I fear note being able to open and go but I look forward to how it will enhance our daily learning experiences. I'm very curious to see how it goes for you though! _Rachel (on my husband's account :P)
Hi Rachel!! Yes, I’m curious how it will all come together as well! I may end up not using our TGATB that much but it’s ok. I figured it was a small investment to make sure I had some grammar here and there. We shall see!!!
Okay, sooooo I have noticed my 10 yo not fully mastering concept or deeply understanding them with Simply Good and Beautiful Math. He’s my creative, out of the box thinking human that I have the privilege to teach. Completely opposite of me! He is also inattentive ADHD which makes learning a challenge. He is also not interested in math except he uses it in coding and Minecraft. I’m currently scouring all math programs that scare me and we may try Life of Fred this summer. We are getting crazy of here too 😜
@@heatheraz4680 thank you! That is on my short list too. Last time we considered it, he had zero interest in it (which shocked me because he love legos) but it’s a fantastic program and he may have a change of heart.
Sorry my comment is late to the game (just now seeing this video), but I am in the same boat. My daughter will be 5th grade this next school year and she's been doing TGTB for 3 years now. She's SO smart at the 'facts', but not a creative writer at all. She doesn't enjoy the writing part so honestly we usually skip it. I've been looking at IEW but not sure when/where to start on that. I'm thinking about doing TGTB 5 and 6 this year and then starting IEW at 6th grade. Would love your opinion on that idea? :)
Why do 5 AND 6? My oldest did IEW starting in 4th grade. The easiest level of it is geared to ages 3-5. If I were you, I’d try the free trial with her and she what she thinks. (I have a link to the free trial in the description I think…if it’s not there, let me know and I’ll post it here for you!) . If she hates writing, it could be that she doesn’t understand HOW and that’s where IEW excels.
It would be so helpful if you could use full titles of these curricula at least once the first time you mention them. I do not know all the full titles of the many curricula. Edit: I finally heard it, thanks.
Thank you for this feedback! I will try to make sure I say it all in every video for those who are new to them! 😉. Also, almost every time I mention a curriculum or a product, I will have it listed in the description below and if not, please let me know and I’ll clarify for you!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I appreciate your reply! Thanks so much! I homeschooled my daughter with Sonlight years ago in early grades, then we both moved to a very good little charter where I taught art and music, and she as an only child loved her teachers and friends. Now she is a homeschooling mom in this world where the educational stakes are much, much higher. She uses TGATB and we both love it. Her kiddos are second and fifth grade. My grandson is a good writer! But he has such a hard time “coming up with” phrases, rephrasing, summarizing, and so forth and some of the things you talked about really struck a chord. I sent your videos on this to my daughter who is now living and homeschooling in Italy. She really enjoyed the first video I sent, about Teaching Textbooks and some of the pitfalls you experienced. Thanks for your analysis of these curricula-there is so much more out there than when I was the teacher mama! Really appreciate you!❤️💪🏻❤️
Nice... I have always looked into Brave Writer but haven’t really jumped ship. Hehehe. I am looking into Writing and Rhetoric now. How you heard about it? BTW, I am using Writing with Ease for my 2nd grader. For the 9th grader, I still don’t know.
BTW, Compass Classroom has the course, Middle School Literature. Other than Literary Analysis there are also writing assignments included in it and they are using the Writing and Rhetoric books.
Nice!! You know I love compass Classroom!!! 😜 Writing and rhetoric? What’s the company? I’ve probably heard of it but not sure. I had my high schooler look at brave writer and he was like, “not interested!” 😬😬😬 my kids are all so different! But we may drag him in on some of the lifestyle anyway!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan they are by Classical Academic Press. I am so tempted with Brave Writer now. I just had my 9th grader edit the first progress report from the book Flowers for Algernon then when you mentioned Brave Writer, I remembered they had one for that.
@@paularodillo yea I saw that one on their book guide list. The writing program is separate from the literature guides. You could always try a lit guide. Per book they are about $10-$15. But those are not necessarily to “teach writing”. They are more for grammar, punctuation, and book discussion.
Nope, that 'perfect for every situation' curriculum just doesn't exist. I do think that TGATB writing works better with kids who more naturally 'click' with writing. And as a 'free spirit' when it comes to writing...you already know that while I think IEW works, it's not something that speaks to my heart. :P I've heard a lot of good things about Brave Writer!
One of my friends who reminds me a lot of you said IEW isn’t her favorite bc she thinks it could “stifle” a budding writer and I can see that as well. It doesn’t focus a lot on creative writing. It focuses on the mechanics and grammar and helping somebody make boring writing more exciting. So yeah, if you are a “writer,” I can see why it might not speak to your heart. 😉
Hi!!! I’ve been homeschooling our youngest son since k now entering 2nd and he’s reading and doing math and like 🤩 I didn’t think I could do it but it’s working. Brave enough now to homeschool our middle school child. He’s an eager learner and always wants to please. He’s 14 going into 8th gr. We did placement testing for TGATB, he tested 5/6 reading level; passed the 6 gr reading assessment with out understanding some of the words but read them. He couldn’t get through the 8 lesson grammar prep without missing almost half of each lesson 1 and 2. Should we start him back at 4th level? Does master books or IEW do better with strengthening grammar? I need help. Lol
So which level did TGATB suggest??? 6? My son did the level 6 in 8th grade. TGATB says that their level 7 is considered high school level (I wish I would’ve known that bc I would’ve done that rather than the high school level for him this year). IEW is excellent for both writing and grammar. Fixit grammar is what would focus on grammar, but even their writing course teaches elements of grammar. When it encourages different sentence openers, it reminds them to add a comma. I teaches grammar for writing conversations. So there is some there. But Fix It is the main focus. I don’t know about Masterbooks for upper grades but I can highly recommend IEW for sure! Im not sure if these links will work from my comment, but they are also linked in my video description! STRUCTURE AND STYLE FOR STUDENTS - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/sss FIX IT GRAMMAR - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/FIX
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan it said that if he's new to TGATB and struggled with the 8 lesson grammar prep unit, that they strongly encourage having him start with level 4. After a 7th grade aged child completes the Level 4 course, the child should be able to then complete the Grammar Prep Unit (which covers the basic grammar needed for levels 5 and 6), and then move on to the level 7 Course (skipping levels 5 and 6), if he is able to complete the grammar prep unit with ease. Now I could be getting really mixed up but if the TGATB doesn't really help a struggling writer like, Myself, how can I help him if he's not at level? Any ideas? Sent you and email earlier.
I don’t see an email from you. But I’d say If you aren’t confident teaching writing and your child needs help….IEW will teach you both. I learned so much when we used it. The Fixit grammar program isn’t time consuming but solid. They may recommend you start at the beginning with that but maybe they have a placement test. If you bought the IEW student style and structure (I linked that one in my last comment) the DVD/streaming would have Andrew Pudewa teaching the lesson to your student, but if you watched with him, it would really help you, help him plus you’d learn a ton, I promise!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Thank you! I’m sorry you didn’t receive the email. I’m guessing some other Rachel did. 😂 I don’t have instagram so I tried the email listed. Oh well.
I'm finding that all these writing programs so expensive though, and I have 3 boys. It's just sooo much. I don't know how I am going to pay for a good writing program and if it doesn't work I don't know what I would do.
Yeah, you’re right! I mean I’d love to tell you that IEW is the way to go. I think it’s good for everybody at some point in time. And you CAN share them between families. Meaning…..if you buy one with forever streaming, you don’t have to RE-BUY the streaming for another….you’d just need a student notebook.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I've been loving your videos and I really think that IEW might be for us, but I like that Brave writer is so different. It's such a hard decision. Thank you so much for your detailed videos.
We are sadly moving away from TGATB LA next year too. I don’t love their spelling, writing or lit choices (4-6th grades at least) and my boys don’t do the art either. So we are going to try Lightning Lit for lit analysis and grammar and move to EIW for writing. LL has writing involved too but I’ve heard it’s not the strongest 😆 My boys HATED the IEW videos. Too long and boring for them. EIW has short and to the point videos so we shall see how that goes 🤣🤞🏼
Isn’t it fascinating how some people just LOVE a certain curriculum and then some just HATE it!?!?! And it’s all for the homeschool mama to figure out, right?!?! 😂
@@MW11-3 I just realized-read my comment…”it’s sinful for the homeschool mom to figure out!” Lol. Not what I meant to write. But I guess in a poetic way, it worked. 😂😂😂I have no idea what word I meant to write. Autocorrect messes with me too often!
We love Lightning Lit & I completely agree that the composition portion could be stronger. I will be adding another writing component next year for my rising 6th grader.
👋 Hi, your videos have been extremely helpful as I (unexpectedly) venture into the homeschooling world so thank you for sharing your experiences. I was wondering if there's another link or password for the IEW Trial? The link takes me to a page requesting a password. Thank you.
Oh thank you for letting me know that!!! I need to check my links. My link doesn’t seem to be working. I appreciate you reaching out. I wonder how many others are trying to use it and it’s not working. 🤔
I love this approach of learning. I love how IEW makes writing easy for the kids and he teaches all of it. I'm going to TGATB LA still but cross out the writing and save that for IEW. Thank you for doing this video. Very helpful.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan 🤣 I just had to think… hum… I like IEW… what would I be doing if I were doing something really different from that? Makes me want to maybe try Brave Writer :)
Rethinking how we use homeschool curriculum video! Your school CAN look different! ua-cam.com/video/ejVoimOHV1Q/v-deo.html
And to check out IEW: WHERE TO BEGIN - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/start
I’m so glad you are talking about how “how bad is it if they don’t learn to write a paper this way right now? What if we wait till 8-9th grade?” - I feel the same way and I keep worrying that I’m going to mess up my kids but like - they learn the same crap over and over again! If my kids don’t get it right this minute, why do I have to force it? Isn’t this why I am homeschooling my kids?! Thank you for the validation in this thinking!!! My SIL just started homeschool and she’s appalled at how I am doing it and is judging me but I have been doing this many years and she just started so I have been feeling down about if I’m serving my kids well. I think I am. Thank you for showing that we are allowed to go outside the lines and not follow everyone else.
We have been wired because of our own education. But I do truly believe that eventually things will click. So yes!! We don’t want to destroy their desire to learn. It’s tricky with things like math bc that truly does build upon itself. But even with that, I’ve heard that you could wait and not teach you kid any math til junior high and they will still learn everything they need to. The modern education system has just made us think we all have grow in the same way and learn at the same pace. And maybe that’s why so many kids hate school. Relationship and fostering a learning environment is so much more important than checking the boxes.
Have you watched my video about being weighed down by curriculum??? I talk about this idea in there. You might enjoy it! Here’s the link: ua-cam.com/video/ejVoimOHV1Q/v-deo.html
The whole point of homeschooling is doing what’s best for our kids. Some ppl need to mind their own business
I just love your videos. It’s like your talking right to me like a friend, while answering ALLL of my questions.
Awe!!! I love that, friend!!! 💕❤️💕I’m so happy that I’m actually answering questions!!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan yes! I’ve been binge watching your videos since I found your channel, and I appreciate you answering comments too! 😁
This is exactly where I am!!! I have IEW, EIW, and now that you’ve mentioned BW, I just might have to rethink as well. I have been using TGTB for the past 5 years and writing just isn’t clicking for them. They are very strong in grammar and literature…but writing has me like 🥴🤪
I agree!! I understand TGTB’s approach bc I already know how to write.
I have friends who’s 5th grader LOVED the IEW videos. She thought Pudewa’ was very funny. My son will do just fine with it. It’s just my free-spirited child….
So the approach really does depend on you and your child and what you want. My son was NOT but interested in brave writer at all. He’d rather do IEW. So yeah…..if you’re going to tailor an education…there’s things to consider. 😉
First year homeschooling, we used level 4 TGATB for my 8th grader after I discovered she didn’t know what a preposition was. She has an easy time writing, so I was impressed, but they have no guidance I noticed. This week I noticed a huge error! It asks which of these sentences is compound and which is single. They were the same exact sentences, adding in a comma!!! The answer key showed the one without a comma as single. Yikes!!!
I’m planning on IEW for next year, but have noticed that about the videos as well. I wish it was only him. I plan to show my daughter the video sample before purchasing. But I look forward to your review of this curriculum to compare! Thanks for doing this. I’m not obsessed enough about choosing curriculum. 😂
Different strokes for different folks is truly how curriculum works, I’m learning!! I feel like every homeschool year I get under my belt, I’m getting more and more laid back, truly. You have to be flexible bc you just never know if something will be what you expected. 😉
This is the exact problem I'm having with my son using level 4 of TGTB! We LOVE it, but the writing is not clicking with him. He's not a natural writer, and he doesn't have a great imagination - very literal-minded. So we have been skipping the writing and supplementing it with another workbook. Which is fine, but I think you convinced me it's time to check out EIW or IEW.
IEW give great direction!!! I love that program so much and I should’ve been more clear that you don’t HaVE to use the videos. You can teach it to your son if video isn’t his thing.
I’ve heard good things about EiW but I don’t know much about it.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan oh that's good to know! We might have to try it that way, thank you!
@Jessica Lantz the products that are not video based are the themed writing. 😉 or you could get the teaching structure and style which is videos for YOU…to teach you how to teach. And then through that, there is access to writing assignments for your child. So you don’t have to buy a separate program.
This link should help direct you to the product you’ll want. 😉 WHERE TO BEGIN - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/start
Same here!!!!!
What is EiW?
Forgot to say thank you for creating these videos! I watch every one of them. Your recent one about overwhelm with your high schooler hit home for me with my 10th grader. I’m feeling the exact same way! So much to do in so little time left. We can do it momma!! I need to learn your editing techniques for video. I’m getting better..but yours are done so much more creatively!
Thank you so much!!
We also use TGATB and IEW. I felt like my girls needed more Grammar so we use Fix It Grammar. I also feel as though the writing portion is not working well for my girls and have been using IEW this year. My 7th grader loves it my 4th grader not so much. So I just have my 4th grader do the writing in TGATB. I also have them using 2 math programs, Math U See and TGATB. I love Math U See but my oldest was starting to struggle so we got TGATB math. Some was review some things were new. My oldest loves TGATB and how information is presented. My youngest can't stand TGATB math and just wants to do Math U See. Each child is so different with what they need and how they learn. I love that with Homeschool we are able to customize our children's learning style.
Yes! Yes! And amen!
You have the best personality!! Your videos are always so fun!
We finished our 2021 school year yesterday and I have to say it was the best out of the past 6 years! I finally "figured" out not to be a "slave" to the curriculum and went out of my comfort zone and modged podged everything (prior we were 100% abeka..yep total "slave").
My daughter (5th) used IEW structure and style this year and it was amazing
I loved IEW. It was a lot and she did ask for a break for 6th grade so we are taking a year off IEW.
I had looked into brave writer several years ago but honestly go overwhelmed. I watched your other video and loved how it looks and the assignments. Im going to check it out...could be possible for next year both kids (4th and 6th).
Have a great week!
PS..great time at convention last week. Some booths I loved were Ruby Reads (1 bought 2 posters), Redwood Educational Technologies ( free trial starting june 1st), Brady Street Boys ( book series), Funschooling( cool journal type books), Miller Pads and Paper( found lots of awesome resources), Homeworks for Books( found best price here for apologia notebooks also lots of other great things), NCFCA ( national debate,speaking geared 12 and older),.
Wanted to share these great resources ( all online stores) I discovered in case also new to you!
Yah!! I’m so glad you had such a great year! That’s awesome that you stretched yourself….and now you’re flexible! 😂 I could never do Abeka for that very reason….! I bet you feel so free now!
I have f heard of some of the things you mentioned, so thank you!! Miller pads and papers is fun! And NCFCA is associated sometimes with classical conversations (and sometimes a competitor) we had several families in our communities who do that in fact one of my friends is like a big time director for it, I think!
Which convention did you go to?
I went to the Great Homeschool Convention im Cincinnati OH. I was only able to go for a short period of time so I only did the exhibit hall. Next year I hope I can go to a Teach Them Diligently and attend the entire conference.
I did listen to an online convention a few weeks ago and enjoyed that. Homeschool Summit I believe.
@@amandapatterson9182 I’ve been wanting to go to teach them diligently for years!! 😭😭😭😭I still can’t get there!
That’s awesome!
Yes, we customize too!! lol Can't wait to hear about Bravewriter, I have been looking into EIW and IEW... it is just so hard.
There’s a lot of great programs!! It just depends on what will click with your child and with you!
I'm watching this because I have a 5th grade daughter who sounds identical to your daughter! I searched this topic because I've been between IEW, TGTB and Writing strands for next year. I had to pause the video and come here and comment during the part where you were talking about how she is in a transition phase. I was like Wait why am I crying!? This is about writing curriculum!" But goodness you spile right to me because this is so the boat we are in too!
Hugs!!!! 🤗 it’s bittersweet watching our babies grow up!! Sometimes you just need to shed a few tears!! 😘
I guessed right! Brave writer seems very interesting. Can’t wait to see your review on it.
Woo hoo!! Have you used it before?
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan No, never used it. I’m on the hunt for a writing program and it came up in my search.
We used level 4 of the good and beautiful for 7/8th grade and switched this year to IEW and we absolutely love it!! We are going to be finishing it up this summer. I wish we started it sooner!
IEW is so effective!!
We loved TGTB LA but we didn’t love how they teach writing or spelling and actually I don’t like teaching grammar as much as they do before about 7th or 8th grade. It wasn’t working (spelling & writing) for my 4th or 7th grader. I really wanted it to work! I love the art, the geography, and just how they go about teaching the lessons, how it’s all in one book and it truly is open to go! My girls loved most aspects of it too. We still aren’t in love with what we switched to either. I’m not a curriculum hopper either but I definitely try to tailor my children’s education’s to their needs. My younger daughter who is now in sixth grade sounds very similar to your older daughter. Thank you for this video!
The art and geography is so nice to have incorporated, for sure. So what did you switch to that you aren’t sure of?
My 5th grader was using TGTB 4 this year and she was dragging her feet with it. I decided we needed a switch too. I ended up with Writeshop JR. It was so daunting to dive into it at first, but we’ve had so much fun with it and she has asked to do the next level when she completes this level. She is learning in a gentle way the writing process, gets to write so many different genres and have fun with it. I kept wondering if I am doing something wrong with not doing IEW right now, but came to the same conclusions as you. I want her to love writing and be creative. There is time in the future to learn more of the detailed process
Love this!!! ❤️❤️❤️
We are going to use IEW along with tgtb upcoming 4th grader can’t do writing no matter what we do. We try different ways. We did the free 3 week trial of IEW and he loved it. Once he did the kwo he wrote with no problem. I couldn’t believe it. We’re looking forward to continue to use next year. He also pretends he’s in that class lol
That’s wonderful!!!! I watched the first video of the free trial with my daughter and I laughed at Andrew Pudewa’s jokes!! I thought he was entertaining. So it’s definitely nothing against his program. My daughter just needs a different inspiration right now!!
I hope you love IEW as much as I do!
Holy smokes, I feel as if I have been fretting about the same thing. I too just bought some Brave Writer after showing my daughter some of the projects and watching her eyes light up and begin to squee. She is only 8, so we are going to do Jot It Down, and adapt it to her skill level.
Amazing!! The squeal is exciting!!! 😁
It's so fun when they actually get excited. 💜
my first kid is a 2E certified genius, and I was totally spoiled by her ability to absorb information/spelling/grammar/math from basically thin air. Its been a journey for me to realize my other kids need curriculum and to find the right one. Also humbled by the fact that I am not the most patient teacher. We're dumping GBLA and switching to IEW for my #2 and #3 because I love the idea of someone else teaching and I really like the approach they take as well. I just went ahead and ordered SSS and fix-it grammar and am planning to be a bit of a mean mom and just make them do it lol. They are so writing resistant at this point I don't think they'd take kindly to any program. I love this look into your thought process and how and why you chose brave writer for her. I also agree that there is no timeline for learning! I need to remind myself that I'm constantly learning new skills, facts, etc.
It’s amazing to me how often I recognize that we do certain things bc “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” But when I listened to Julie Bogart talk about this program, and why she created it….bc when she homeschooled her kids, she had to transform as a homeschool mom also. And when she did that, her kids had fun learning and didn’t even realize they were learning. It’s a complete mindshift (for me, and probably for many) but the question has to start with, what do you want for your homeschool?
By the last child, we’ll have it all figured out!! 😂😂😂
I bet it was fun teaching a gift child!!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan It sure is! you just throw books at her and she knows it. Her struggles are with the other aspects of Aspergers, so it's just different than parenting my typical kids. My youngest is four, so yes I may indeed have a system down sometime in the next 14 years 🤣🤣
@@annemorph 😂
@@annemorph I have a 2E ADHDer. And, 3 other ADHDers. And, I have ADHD... And, the two oldest have learning disabilities. And, the youngest may also be gifted. My 2 gifted kids, learning was so fun and easy for years. Then puberty hit and 2020 for the now 11 year old and she lost all interest in formal academics... She writes diaries and stories and is quite artistic. She also reads a lot... So, last year, I attempted a more hands off approach with some cool things readily available to her, but she just didn't care. So, back to having to push... I've been driving myself crazy figuring out curriculum. None of my kids have done that much formal writing curriculum. Mostly, LA with some bits of writing thrown in.
I’m not a curriculum hoper either!!! I often feel boxed in by curriculum!!! We found TGTB teaches writing well but we add on writing assignments for other subjects!!! I tell my older kids to choose what writing assignments they do but to read the writing teaching to use for their other writing assignments!!! I feel like my twins have lost their imagination as well. They are 11. We’ve never used bravewriter!!!
It’s so sad when they don’t want to play anymore!!!! I’m not giving up that easily though. Imagination doesn’t just go for play!!
I’ve used BW for my high schooler for 9th and 10th grade and it’s been great at fostering creativity and story telling. Her creative writing is spectacular. I’ve been less than impressed with how it’s approached academic writing, research and summarizing non-fiction articles and texts. We are switching to IEW for her next year.
For my current 5th grader, we’re going to try TGATB level 4 next year, but I have the same concerns you did. I do think the IEW process would work well but she hates the videos and I don’t know if I’m willing to teach it as I don’t think it’s a match for MY teaching style. BW can be quite unstructured and, for HER learning style, I worry she may feel lost rather than free.
So we will be joining you on the writing curriculum rotation this year lol. Good luck to us all! 🤪 And thank you for this video!!
Thank you for sharing this!! I’m so encouraged! And that’s great to know about Brave Writer for high school. I’d definitely lean back to IEW there as well!
So your daughter hated the videos too! Glad we aren’t the only ones. I debated also in just TEACHING the IEW through the theme based books. But similar to you, I don’t trust myself to keep up with it. I was willing though to consider, but then when I ran across BW….my head started spinning. 😂 so we’ll see. But I’m so encouraged that it worked well for you!!
You’ll have to let me know if you find something that works for your 5th grader. I’m not sure how the “lack of structure” may work for us either. That’s the part that makes me nervous. But The creative part is definitely exciting. 😉
So I need to look into Brave Writer. I'm struggling with what I need for my 9th grader.
I knew you were going to say Brave Writer! Excited to hear how it goes.
Me too!! Are you familiar with it? Have you tried it?
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan my kids are in early elementary, so we’re at a different level, but I bought two DARTs to try with each of them over the summer. They are such different learners that it’ll be interesting to see which will like it because I’m certain both will not…just to add spice to my life. 😂
I love how you are customizing each of your kiddos education and your don’t mind doing different curriculum with each child. I have one more year until I am officially homeschooling 2 of my kiddos seeing their personalities I know I am going to have to take a different approaches 🙈
If you’re lucky, you may not have to do so much differently! 😜 I’m not gonna lie, I wish I could have a year where I wasn’t learning something new!! 😉 but it’s keeping me on my toes, I guess.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan 🤣🤣🤣
Oh my goodness this is my daughter right now!!! thank you
You’re welcome!!
Thank you for this video! We definitely customize to my daughter. Writing is our HARDEST subject to choose. With multiple good options, each having its own nuances, I'm finding it extremely difficult to decide for my 6th grader.
You’re welcome!! I feel for you!! ❤️
My son loved the first quarter of iew structure & style but then got super bored and even cried about having to do it. I am now having him try different writing exercises and realized he is really good at writing his own stories and needs some drawing and coloring and just a variety. Iew summarizing over and over and over is torture for my son
I’ve heard this before from many others actually! IEW is a flavor that not everybody likes. Just like Brave Writer is a flavor that doesn’t work for everybody.
Have you looked into Brave Writer? That one is definitely less “mechanical” than IEW and more on the creative side.
I wish I had more experience with other language arts programs to give a good quality comparison!! But if your son is creative, maybe all he needs is grammar practice. And then you just teach him organically about intros and conclusions and check his stories for major grammatical things.
If you run across another language program more conducive towards your son’s creativity, let me know!! I’d love to know what else is out there!
Well, this is timely! I haven’t found a writing curriculum I love yet. I have a feeling it will be different per kid. I tried Essentials in Writing this year with my 6th grader and it felt like “busy work” to her. I’ll be back after I watch this video :)
I’m interested to see what your opinion may be. It looks really fun! But it also doesn’t have quite the same “structure” each day as IEW does. But it looks super fun!!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan goodness gracious, our daughters are SO alike! "Free Spirit" is my daughter's middle name. haha.
I felt like this year (6th grade) was a great time to add a formal writing curriculum to my daughter's curriculum, so I picked Essentials in Writing mainly b/c of the videos. (Side note: a couple of years ago - so maybe 4th-ish grade???- we tried IEW and my daughter did not like it.) I needed something that would help her be independent in this subject b/c she's the oldest of 4 & I am already stretched thin.
EIW is set up with the first semester being grammar and the second semester being composition. We did the grammar part with no problem. We "liked" it okay but then when she started the composition lessons, moaning and groaning started daily. We pushed through for about a month or two.
My daughter has been writing her own story for over a year now. She wants to publish it. She truly has a gift in writing HOWEVER she also needs some guidance and sharpening of some story telling skills, which was my hope in having her do EIW. She felt like the lessons in EIW were "busy work" and one day, it just dawned on me, "just let her work on her own story for 'writing' for right now".
I'd also had my eye on Fix It Grammar. I bought that and we quit EIW. We both LOVE Fix It Grammar. Even my kid who doesn't "like school" says she likes this grammar. So we will definitely stick with that, but as far as writing curriculum for her goes, I have NO CLUE what to do. For the rest of the year, she is going to just keep working on her story, but I would like to find a writing curriculum that can help her further her writing skills next year! I am looking forward to hearing more about what you bought!
@@faithfullyinfertile these two do sound similar!! Natalie also wrote an “epic tale” about Fortnite. I didn’t check it for grammar or punctuation or anything like that. I just let her go. She typed 10 pages!!! And she had sone decent vocab in there.
So….
I’m not exactly sure how Brave Writer will be for the “process,”it sounds more like it will light that creative spark and perhaps, start a fire inside these budding writers so that they WANT to write! It’s all about a love of learning, which breeds lifelong learners!
It’s also tied into the “lifestyle”. I’m still learning. But the entire lifestyle (they call it “brave writer” lifestyle” is about immersing your entire school/life into this idea of goodness and beauty (ha….good and beautiful 😁) but brave writer is who kind of coined the phrase “poetry tea time”. The lifestyle will likely be another video at some point. I really want to focus more on that as well for my girls.
I’m moving to IEW for my oldest sons HS English next year as well!!! In fact I think I’m moving most of my kids over to IEW….
Yah!! I hope you like it!
I can’t wait to hear all about it! I’m kind of in the same situation. I have an upcoming 6th grader who I was looking to do TGATB level 4, but he struggles with the writing portion as well. Was looking into IEW, I should try the free trial. I didn’t realize they did that! Or I thought about going back to masterbooks too. So undecided.
Do the free trial!!!! It will give you a feel for what it’s like. I have friends who love the videos. It just depends on what your child likes. My daughter is just going through a stage and I’m going to try a different approach. But she will likely end up doing the IEW videos at least by high school. But hopefully by them, she’ll LOVE writing! 😉😉😉 that’s the hope anyway.
But definitely try the free trial!! Always do the free trial! 😜 I have the free trial linked below also.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan thank you! I will do that! And I like to how you made me realize that he doesn’t NEED to be writing excellent papers at this moment. I’m with ya on just getting them to LIKE it!
OMG this sounds so much like us this year. We did TGTB she wasn't getting it she was frustrated with it then we tried iew she said the same thing it was boring bc she couldn't get involved. My daughter is ten and is very creative and free spirit so I showed her brave writer and we are thinking about it 😊 for this coming year
Wow!! Seriously?!?! Same conversations! How interesting!
Yes it is!
My oldest did not click with the writing in TGTB writing lessons in level 4 as well. 😬😬😬
I’m seeing lots of those comments. So 🤔
We had the same issue with TGTB! My daughter did ok with it, but she thought it was very dry and boring. I think it worked for her because she is a natural writer. My son hated all of the extra stuff, said it felt “girly”, and struggles with writing and this was just not enough for him. I felt it went too fast and didn’t explain the process in enough detail.
We switched to Writing Strands by NB, and the difference is amazing! Both of my teens are excited to write again! My non writer son is showing so much creativity with their pared down lessons. I am considering adding in fix it grammar, and possibly essentials in literature (not sure).
I think you hit the nail in the head…..TGTB doesn’t explain enough. They show. But they don’t explain for those who still don’t get it.
I’ve heard of writing strands but never looked at it! I’m glad you’ve found a good fit!! Fix it grammar is also very good. We’ve done that in the past!
I’m not seeing the advantage of using TGATB if you are having to supplement so much with other curriculums to prevent gaps. I’ve been debating TGATB for my very artsy high schooler instead of using EIW 11 and Analytical Grammar that I had planned on (we use Sonlight for history and literature). After watching two of your awesome videos and reading the comments, I think I’m going to resist the urge to change my original plan. It’s so hard when you see so many people rave about a curriculum to not feel a little FOMO. Both of my kids did IEW for two years. We all loved it, but feel like once you have been through it a few times, the formulaic approach can feel stagnating.
I agree with you on IEW…it’s great for teaching the process but I don’t see it being used year after year after year since it teaches the same approach every time.
As for TGATB….even with supplements, using it for the grammar & for the art & geography , it is still a pretty inexpensive program. That’s the draw for me. (And the variety) but I also hear you on the FOMO. I definitely had that with TGATB and for the most part, I really have loved their products. They really are different than other companies in terms of how they put them together. BUT….they aren’t perfect. No curriculum company is. 😉
This is so much of me right now!!! I feel you Momma friend!! Moving from a very strict homeschool law state to a much more freeing one has been such an eye opener for me as teacher this year. I don't want to be bound to a curriculum anymore but use it instead as a tool for us to customize like you said. My eldest son has struggled with TGTB writing as well so after much prayer we (or Mom decided 😉🤪) to use IEW for him this coming year. My son does not love reading and so I also thought he needed a bit more structure instead of read 20 minutes with TGTB. We are trying Christian Light Reading to help with that. So we are using for my son IEW and Christian Light to "enhance" his studies with TGTB and just nixing those parts in TGTB. Now my middle daughter is strong in most areas using TGTB but needs some extra spelling so I was thinking of just a basic simple Evan Moore workbook to assist her in that area. TGTB has been fantastic for my kids in so many areas so we don't want to get rid of it completely. Just tweek it to fit our kiddos and pray the Lord blesses the results and us Mom's to help them along the way.
Yes!!!
And if I lived in a heavily regulated state, oh my…..that would be hard! I’m so thankful to live in a state that has so many other issues, they don’t have time (or money) to worry about little ole me!! 😂😂😂
So what state were you in and where are you now?
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan we were in New York and live in Kentucky now. The homeschool laws here are such a breath of fresh air compared to New York. What a blessing you live in the state that you are in too!
@@mhals5251 NY looks like it could be the strictest state! Enjoy your newfound freedom!!!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Thank you! 😊
It’s so interesting how different people are… I got extreme anxiety when you talked about IEW 😅
Yep!! Everybody thinks differently! That’s a good thing! 🙃
Oh my gosh. This is my daughter and I felt the same way about TGTB and we have done CC and iEW and I just started trying Bravewriter!!!!
Really???? You started it already? So how’s it going?
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan We just started this week and just Arrow. I am giving that some time before I do the next step. I was interested to see how things were going with you. Are you starting next year then with Bravewriter?
@@emilycalhoon8767 yes we will start this in August! :)
I would say that the best writing curriculum is no curriculum. Especially for a struggling writer. My resources are twofold: writer's handbooks for help in teaching the editing process and then anthologies/collections of the type of writing that you are working on. For the handbooks I recommend "Writer's Inc", "Handbook For Writer's", and "The Elements of Style" (in that order). As a summer mom reading challenge, read the handbooks like a novel and highlight them and tab them for easy reference for your child. As you edit their work together, send them to the correct tab to help them correct their work. As for the second suggestion, I would also encourage you to surround yourselves with good writing to read and model. "Breakfast on Mars and 37 Other Delectable Essays" edited by Stern & Wolf is great for the middle grades and includes prompts after each essay and information about that type of essay. Similarly in high school we move on to books like "The Little Norton Reader" edited by Goldthwaite. For poetry writing, start with simple poetry that can easily be understood for inspiration. "Favorite Poems Old and New" and the series "Poetry for Young People" are good places to start. For journaling and free writing, look into "642 Things to Write About" or "101 Questions for Humanity" or some other story starter book; there are literally thousands of options. Hope that is helpful, it has worked for us.
Thanks for all the tips!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan hugs!
My almost 12 year old sounds so much like yours!! I decided to have her do an IEW with a teacher locally here.
Are you going to do Brave Writer?!?!
I think if I taught IEW myself, she’d like it more. But when I started looking at brave writer, my head turned….. so I could go either way on this. But I’ve also heard so many opinions from others who don’t like IEW as much, they they felt it stifled creativity. So there is certainly a lot of different opinions. I can see all the sides! That’s when you have to ask, “what does MY child need the most?” 😉
My 4th grader is almost finished with level 4 TGTB and writing has been a struggle. She keeps writing "I don't know" on every writing page. 😵💫🥴 I am considering switching to IEW for 5th grade, but I love everything else about TGTB and it's all we have used for the last 3 years.
I understand!! We had a lot of “I don’t know’s” also!
We're in the same boat! I love IEW, but it was boring for my kids. They didn't do well with the videos. They love Mr. P, but the writing was not going great since they were bored. I'll be trying Jump In composition by Sharon Watson for my soon to be 6th grader. My soon to be 8th grade daughter is signed up for Middle School Literature through Compass Classroom. They use Writing and Rhetoric books 9 & 10 in that class. I hope it works out. I'm sort of worried about the Writing and Rhetoric books. We'll see how it goes. The Jump In book is actually for Middle School and looks absolutely amazing so I'm excited to do that with my 6th grader in the fall and if the writing and rhetoric books don't work out for my 8th grader, I plan on switching her over to Jump In Composition with her brother. I have no idea if any of it will work. I'm scared too. I've tried several writing programs and we have not had any luck at all.
We love IEW Fix IT! We will continue using that for our grammar. The kids love it!
I hope it works for you too!! I can be discouraging when you have a vision for what you need but you can’t quite find it!!
We use TGTB but my daughter is not a fan of the writing this year (4th). We've used TGTB since kindergarten but she also has never been a fan of the reading portion.....and we supplement spelling.....so I think for 5th grade we are switching it up. Was going to try Structure and Style but now I may download the sample and see if she likes it now. I'm interested to seeing Bravewriter.
Well that’s a lot of extra supplements! 😉Definitely try the sample. The main thing is are they ok with the video instruction. If you want to teach it yourself though, you can. Their products are not ALL video. The theme based units do not have video. But if you aren’t sure how to instruct, that’s what the “TEACHING style structure” does….teaches the teacher ;)
I was going to guess Writeshop! Bravewriter is excellent for creative writing. Writeshop brings the fun back to writing which we needed after doing IEW.
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of writeshop!!
I feel like Faltering Ownership would fit my daughter so well!! But I don’t know how to fit it in 😩😩😩 Tell me how you plan to do it??
You’ll have to follow along bc I don’t know how I’m going to do it yet. 😂😂😂
I don't have a struggling writer but I'm struggling to find a writing program for my 9th grader. AGH!!!! Too many choices. I'm looking at IEW and EIW as well.
We’ll I think IEW is excellent. And I’ve looked at EIW and it also looks good! Writing with rhetoric also just recently caught my eye. It’s on my radar now! :) there are many fantastic programs!!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan IEW is solid for sure. We've used it several times in the past. I'm gonna head over to the one you just mentioned and check that out but I have a strong feeling we'll end up with IEW.
We were in the same boat with TGATB writing. We stopped half way. I do like EIW, but it is a little pricey. We are trying Winning with Writing next year.
Man…another curriculum I’ve never heard of. There is no end to curriculum!! 😂
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan right! I know, I had never heard of it either! Very affordable too!
Thank you for this! We are venturing into the Brave Writer for the writing portions and continue with our WTM grammar studies. I fear note being able to open and go but I look forward to how it will enhance our daily learning experiences. I'm very curious to see how it goes for you though! _Rachel (on my husband's account :P)
Hi Rachel!! Yes, I’m curious how it will all come together as well! I may end up not using our TGATB that much but it’s ok. I figured it was a small investment to make sure I had some grammar here and there. We shall see!!!
Okay, sooooo I have noticed my 10 yo not fully mastering concept or deeply understanding them with Simply Good and Beautiful Math. He’s my creative, out of the box thinking human that I have the privilege to teach. Completely opposite of me! He is also inattentive ADHD which makes learning a challenge. He is also not interested in math except he uses it in coding and Minecraft. I’m currently scouring all math programs that scare me and we may try Life of Fred this summer. We are getting crazy of here too 😜
We use Math U See and I have been happy with it. Might be worth looking into.
So crazy!! Lol!!
@@heatheraz4680 thank you! That is on my short list too. Last time we considered it, he had zero interest in it (which shocked me because he love legos) but it’s a fantastic program and he may have a change of heart.
Sorry my comment is late to the game (just now seeing this video), but I am in the same boat. My daughter will be 5th grade this next school year and she's been doing TGTB for 3 years now. She's SO smart at the 'facts', but not a creative writer at all. She doesn't enjoy the writing part so honestly we usually skip it. I've been looking at IEW but not sure when/where to start on that. I'm thinking about doing TGTB 5 and 6 this year and then starting IEW at 6th grade. Would love your opinion on that idea? :)
Why do 5 AND 6? My oldest did IEW starting in 4th grade. The easiest level of it is geared to ages 3-5. If I were you, I’d try the free trial with her and she what she thinks. (I have a link to the free trial in the description I think…if it’s not there, let me know and I’ll post it here for you!) . If she hates writing, it could be that she doesn’t understand HOW and that’s where IEW excels.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan thanks for your reply! I'll have her try the free trial and see how it goes. :)
My goodness-same feelings about TGTB here. My kids hate the writing portion.
A lot of people are responding this way. We are not alone!!! 😉
You rebel! How dare you not check all those curriculum boxes 😂😂😂
😂😂😂
It would be so helpful if you could use full titles of these curricula at least once the first time you mention them. I do not know all the full titles of the many curricula.
Edit: I finally heard it, thanks.
Thank you for this feedback! I will try to make sure I say it all in every video for those who are new to them! 😉. Also, almost every time I mention a curriculum or a product, I will have it listed in the description below and if not, please let me know and I’ll clarify for you!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I appreciate your reply! Thanks so much! I homeschooled my daughter with Sonlight years ago in early grades, then we both moved to a very good little charter where I taught art and music, and she as an only child loved her teachers and friends. Now she is a homeschooling mom in this world where the educational stakes are much, much higher. She uses TGATB and we both love it. Her kiddos are second and fifth grade. My grandson is a good writer! But he has such a hard time “coming up with” phrases, rephrasing, summarizing, and so forth and some of the things you talked about really struck a chord. I sent your videos on this to my daughter who is now living and homeschooling in Italy. She really enjoyed the first video I sent, about Teaching Textbooks and some of the pitfalls you experienced. Thanks for your analysis of these curricula-there is so much more out there than when I was the teacher mama! Really appreciate you!❤️💪🏻❤️
Nice... I have always looked into Brave Writer but haven’t really jumped ship. Hehehe. I am looking into Writing and Rhetoric now. How you heard about it? BTW, I am using Writing with Ease for my 2nd grader. For the 9th grader, I still don’t know.
BTW, Compass Classroom has the course, Middle School Literature. Other than Literary Analysis there are also writing assignments included in it and they are using the Writing and Rhetoric books.
Nice!! You know I love compass Classroom!!! 😜
Writing and rhetoric? What’s the company? I’ve probably heard of it but not sure.
I had my high schooler look at brave writer and he was like, “not interested!” 😬😬😬 my kids are all so different! But we may drag him in on some of the lifestyle anyway!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan they are by Classical Academic Press.
I am so tempted with Brave Writer now. I just had my 9th grader edit the first progress report from the book Flowers for Algernon then when you mentioned Brave Writer, I remembered they had one for that.
@@paularodillo yea I saw that one on their book guide list. The writing program is separate from the literature guides. You could always try a lit guide. Per book they are about $10-$15. But those are not necessarily to “teach writing”. They are more for grammar, punctuation, and book discussion.
Nope, that 'perfect for every situation' curriculum just doesn't exist. I do think that TGATB writing works better with kids who more naturally 'click' with writing. And as a 'free spirit' when it comes to writing...you already know that while I think IEW works, it's not something that speaks to my heart. :P I've heard a lot of good things about Brave Writer!
One of my friends who reminds me a lot of you said IEW isn’t her favorite bc she thinks it could “stifle” a budding writer and I can see that as well. It doesn’t focus a lot on creative writing. It focuses on the mechanics and grammar and helping somebody make boring writing more exciting.
So yeah, if you are a “writer,” I can see why it might not speak to your heart. 😉
Hi!!! I’ve been homeschooling our youngest son since k now entering 2nd and he’s reading and doing math and like 🤩 I didn’t think I could do it but it’s working. Brave enough now to homeschool our middle school child. He’s an eager learner and always wants to please. He’s 14 going into 8th gr. We did placement testing for TGATB, he tested 5/6 reading level; passed the 6 gr reading assessment with out understanding some of the words but read them. He couldn’t get through the 8 lesson grammar prep without missing almost half of each lesson 1 and 2. Should we start him back at 4th level? Does master books or IEW do better with strengthening grammar? I need help. Lol
So which level did TGATB suggest??? 6? My son did the level 6 in 8th grade. TGATB says that their level 7 is considered high school level (I wish I would’ve known that bc I would’ve done that rather than the high school level for him this year).
IEW is excellent for both writing and grammar. Fixit grammar is what would focus on grammar, but even their writing course teaches elements of grammar. When it encourages different sentence openers, it reminds them to add a comma. I teaches grammar for writing conversations. So there is some there. But Fix It is the main focus.
I don’t know about Masterbooks for upper grades but I can highly recommend IEW for sure! Im not sure if these links will work from my comment, but they are also linked in my video description!
STRUCTURE AND STYLE FOR STUDENTS - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/sss
FIX IT GRAMMAR - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/FIX
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan it said that if he's new to TGATB and struggled with the 8 lesson grammar prep unit, that they strongly encourage having him start with level 4. After a 7th grade aged child completes the Level 4 course, the child should be able to then complete the Grammar Prep Unit (which covers the basic grammar needed for levels 5 and 6), and then move on to the level 7 Course (skipping levels 5 and 6), if he is able to complete the grammar prep unit with ease.
Now I could be getting really mixed up but if the TGATB doesn't really help a struggling writer like, Myself, how can I help him if he's not at level? Any ideas? Sent you and email earlier.
I don’t see an email from you.
But I’d say If you aren’t confident teaching writing and your child needs help….IEW will teach you both. I learned so much when we used it.
The Fixit grammar program isn’t time consuming but solid. They may recommend you start at the beginning with that but maybe they have a placement test.
If you bought the IEW student style and structure (I linked that one in my last comment) the DVD/streaming would have Andrew Pudewa teaching the lesson to your student, but if you watched with him, it would really help you, help him plus you’d learn a ton, I promise!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Thank you! I’m sorry you didn’t receive the email. I’m guessing some other Rachel did. 😂 I don’t have instagram so I tried the email listed. Oh well.
I'm finding that all these writing programs so expensive though, and I have 3 boys. It's just sooo much. I don't know how I am going to pay for a good writing program and if it doesn't work I don't know what I would do.
Yeah, you’re right! I mean I’d love to tell you that IEW is the way to go. I think it’s good for everybody at some point in time. And you CAN share them between families. Meaning…..if you buy one with forever streaming, you don’t have to RE-BUY the streaming for another….you’d just need a student notebook.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I've been loving your videos and I really think that IEW might be for us, but I like that Brave writer is so different. It's such a hard decision. Thank you so much for your detailed videos.
@@JuliaCantley you’re so welcome!!! I am also excited about brave writer!! Lol! 😀
We are sadly moving away from TGATB LA next year too. I don’t love their spelling, writing or lit choices (4-6th grades at least) and my boys don’t do the art either. So we are going to try Lightning Lit for lit analysis and grammar and move to EIW for writing. LL has writing involved too but I’ve heard it’s not the strongest 😆 My boys HATED the IEW videos. Too long and boring for them. EIW has short and to the point videos so we shall see how that goes 🤣🤞🏼
Isn’t it fascinating how some people just LOVE a certain curriculum and then some just HATE it!?!?! And it’s all for the homeschool mama to figure out, right?!?! 😂
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan right?!? If only teaching writing was easy and all kids learned the same 😆
@@MW11-3 I just realized-read my comment…”it’s sinful for the homeschool mom to figure out!” Lol. Not what I meant to write. But I guess in a poetic way, it worked. 😂😂😂I have no idea what word I meant to write. Autocorrect messes with me too often!
We love Lightning Lit & I completely agree that the composition portion could be stronger. I will be adding another writing component next year for my rising 6th grader.
@@OurInspiredHomeschool have you decided on a writing program yet for next year? I have a rising 6th grader too.
👋 Hi, your videos have been extremely helpful as I (unexpectedly) venture into the homeschooling world so thank you for sharing your experiences. I was wondering if there's another link or password for the IEW Trial? The link takes me to a page requesting a password. Thank you.
Oh thank you for letting me know that!!! I need to check my links. My link doesn’t seem to be working. I appreciate you reaching out. I wonder how many others are trying to use it and it’s not working. 🤔
Can you let me know if this ones works?? STRUCTURE AND STYLE FOR STUDENTS - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/sss
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Yes! this one worked- thanks so much!
I love this approach of learning. I love how IEW makes writing easy for the kids and he teaches all of it. I'm going to TGATB LA still but cross out the writing and save that for IEW. Thank you for doing this video. Very helpful.
You’re welcome! 😉
Yep… I was right :)
Smartie pants!!! 😜
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan 🤣 I just had to think… hum… I like IEW… what would I be doing if I were doing something really different from that? Makes me want to maybe try Brave Writer :)
@@CalmintheChaosHomeschool really different, indeed!!! 😉