IEW - Level A & Level B | A Glimpse of Our Week 

You're welcome! I'm glad you found it helpful!

Thank you! I will say that writing is not their favorite subject but this program makes it much more doable for them. They have also been able to realize that when they are able to write on topics of their choice, they actually DO like writing. (I have just had to remind them that sometimes we have to write about things that aren't our first choice!) They don't see how well it helps them write because they have not done anything else. I am often surprised by how well the step by step process works. It breaks down the process into manageable bites and then voila they are able to put it all together to form a nice coherent paper. Good luck! I certainly love it for them! :)

Same here. I’d like to know also.

So I didn't dive into much research regarding other curriculums. If I'm honest, I got a taste of IEW and I never looked back because I loved it so much and it seemed to really work well with my boys who typically do not like to write. (It's like pulling teeth!!) From my experience and from what I've heard others say as well, is that IEW does such a great job in breaking down the writing process into manageable chunks. I remember my teachers long ago saying, " Read this article/book/etc and then write a paper on x,y,z." And I would be paralyzed because I didn't know where to start or how to put it into my own words! Andrew Pudewa breaks down the writing process into bite size pieces that my boys don't mind writing. My boys love watching the videos as well. My oldest, who has done IEW with and without the videos, told me that he prefers watching the video for his instruction rather than having me do the teaching. Andrew Pudewa tells jokes and they love that. And I love having someone much more qualified teach this while I gain back some time in my day!! (Hallelujah!) If you're on the fence, IEW offers a free 3 week trial. Also, if you go to their website you can sign up for their 12 days of Christmas where they give out freebies each day!

@@livingthegandeelife5565 Thank you so much for your thoughts. I have heard IEW is a good program. It expensive but worth it if it works. I will definitely look into the free trial. I love the videos you do. You always provide so much information and insight. It really helps with decision making :)

You're so sweet! I'm glad that others find it helpful. I've been on the other side and wanted to see things before buying them, so I think that's why I'm happy to help others!

Oh goodness! I didn’t even say the formal name!!! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ IEW stands for Institute for Excellence in Writing. So the beauty of the program is that it follows the same exact sequence and methodology, it just accelerates a little faster with higher levels. According to IEWs Pathway, a child in grades 4/5 would begin with Level A. If it’s their first year of IEW they would begin in Level 1A (even if they’re in 5th grade). A child in grades 6-8 would use Level B. If it’s their first year of IEW they would begin with level 1B regardless of their grade. To my knowledge there are no placement tests because they just follow the pathway. And you’re always working to your child’s ability. They follow the “easy +1” ideology. So do what’s easy for your kid and then challenge them with one more thing until it becomes easy. They have a free 3 week preview of the course on their website! That might be helpful to see if this would be a good fit for your kiddo!!

Not a dumb question! So we were able to save the videos onto our computer and then share them to the kids' individual iPads.

So the beauty of the program is that it follows the same exact sequence and methodology regardless of level, it just accelerates a little faster with higher levels. According to IEWs Pathway, a child in grades 6-8 would use Level B. If it’s their first year of IEW they would begin with level 1B regardless of their grade. To my knowledge there are no placement tests because they just follow the pathway on their website. And you’re always working to your child’s ability. They follow the “easy +1” ideology. So do what’s easy for your kid and then challenge them with one more thing until it becomes easy. So if they really "get" something, keep going! If they struggle, spend some more time until they master that concept before moving on to the next thing! If you're on the fence, they have a free 3 week preview of the course on their website! That might be helpful to see if this would be a good fit for your kiddo!! Also, check out their website because they have the 12 Days of Christmas you could sign up for to get some freebies!!

@@livingthegandeelife5565 awesome tips thank you so much and I will definitely check out their site and the 12 days of Christmas.

I use Fix-It Grammar for my oldest. I am doing First Language Lessons with my younger guy before we start Fix-It Grammar next year. They both also have a spelling program they use - Older one uses Abeka lists and my younger guy uses Spelling You See because he struggled with lists. Thanks for watching!

No, we supplement our IEW curriculum with First Language Lessons (in grade 4), Fix-it Grammar (5th and beyond) as well as a spelling program and independent reading for each kid.

Yes, we used IEW this past year and plan to use it again this coming year! We love this program and I think it turns out some really great writers when it's all said and done.

According to IEW's decision tree in trying to decide which curriculum to choose, a seventh grader with no prior experience with IEW would start with Level B, year 1. (Rather than Level B, year 2.) iew.com/sites/default/files/images/IEW_Pathway.jpg

It honestly depends. My kids watch the videos independently on days 1 and 2. Therefore, I spend zero of my day helping them. (Maybe minus a reminder to do their IEW...ha!) The kids will have anywhere from 20-45 minutes of video each day. Sometimes the first day is longer and sometimes the second day is longer. It just depends. On days 3 and 4, I am more involved as I will spend more time editing and going over their key word outlines and drafts. It also depends on the kid. My older son who has more experience with IEW, may receive 20-30 minutes of my time. I will edit and go over my suggestions and then I can turn him loose to make the corrections. My second son, however, has not had any previous experience. He often needs a little more guidance. We can range anywhere from 30-45 minutes depending on the day. I will say, however, he is a struggling writer, in general. So we have other things we are managing in this process as well. I hope you find that helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions!

My 6th Grader has the Level B Year 1 Basic Plus package. (This one includes Fix-It Grammar.) My 4th Grader has the Level A Year 1 Basic package. (I did not purchase Fix-It Grammar for him because I didn't feel like he was quite ready for it.) Both packages we opted for the DVDs because of our traveling plans and not knowing if we would have good internet access. Hope that helps!