IEW Writing Curriculum | 5 Reasons Why We Switched
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Hey friends!
Recently, I uploaded my homeschool curriculum reveal videos; one for 9th grade, and one for 5th grade. At the end of the video, I finally announced that we were moving somewhat away from Abeka and introducing IEW for language arts.
I was so nervous to try something else for language arts. The last time I tried a different homeschool curriculum other than Abeka….it didn’t work out and I felt awful. I purchased another round of Abeka and we kept trucking through it.
IEW HOMESCHOOL BINDERS
Structure and Style binders that come in the package. You’ll get these binders, student papers to put inside, handbook for teachers, and Fit it Grammar student & teacher book. This program is all online with their new streaming services. We’re loving the new Structure and Style lessons! Want to try it?
Then…I realized how bad my children’s writing skills were. I had one child who was writing very juvenile for his age, and one who would just burst into tears when he had to write out of sheer frustration.
What’s a mom to do? I knew about Institute for Excellence in Writing, or IEW, and their reputation in the world of writing for homeschool students. My main problem with IEW was that we didn’t have a DVD player for their video lessons. However, IEW recently put out streaming versions of their lessons, making it all-online! I knew this was the path for us.
The new program we’re using is the one below, the New Struct and Style for Students. You can click the button below to check it out.
IEW Structure & Style
Streaming lessons to make homeschool life easier!
5 Reasons Why We Chose IEW Writing
My children’s writing skills were lacking with Abeka. This isn’t Abeka’s fault. I honestly LOVE Abeka. However, my boys just were not getting the hanging of writing with their instruction. They need more direction with writing. What I love is that IEW provides this with their video lessons.
My youngest started taking an interest in writing, and wanted to go further. Thanks to the Night Zookeeper program, my youngest, Jake, started enjoying writing. In about 3 months, he went from “I hate writing” to writing his own stories. When he heard that his big brother would soon be starting a much larger writing program, he asked if they had one for his grade. When I said they did, he all but begged me to get him 5th grade. How could I say no?
College Prep. When I was in college, many moons ago, I distinctly remember that about 90% of my time was spent writing papers. My oldest is going into 9th grade (did I just say that?), and we’re seeing a growing problem in writing for him. If we’re to prepare him for college, we need to turn him into a confident writer.
The option of streaming IEW Structure & Style lessons! Oh, how my heart soared when I saw the new streaming option for Structure and Style! My biggest issue (and not even an “issue” in the sense that something was wrong with the company) with IEW in the past was the DVDs. I’m a busy mom, and I’d always miss the point where we were supposed to turn off/pause the DVD. Whoops. We’d go over time, every time. We’d lose our place and could never seem to power through. However, we’re 5 weeks into the new Structure and Style (that is the IEW writing curriculum), and we’re doing amazing. They’ve organized video links by week, making it fool-proof. They streamlined the entire curriculum. Plus, I won’t have the issue of scratching, denting, or losing a DVD somewhere. Mom life, right?
Both of our kids are really enjoying IEW. Last, but certainly not least, I have seen my boys learn to enjoy this curriculum. As an adult, I enjoy writing. As a child in public school, I detested it. All of the rules, horrible book choices, and formatting frustrated me and turned off my creative process. Mr. Pudewa (the instructor and creator of IEW) has done a beautiful job of picking wonderful source texts and books for the children. Right now, my son Jake is reading Little House on the Prairie for IEW. He’s been reading it during his non-school reading time, and any time there is a lull un the day. He declared it a new favorite, and is asking for all the books in the series! Our oldest, Josh, has been pleasantly surprised with the books he’s read so far. All 3 are on his favorite list (he’s a kid who “doesn’t like to read”). Mom, you can’t ask for more than that.
