This is a fantastic review. A lot of homeschoolers say they love the good and the beautiful LA, but they never explain why. How is it better or different? This is so helpful!
Thank you so much for this video. My kids have been in a 2-day hybrid school using EIW (as opposed to IEW) and the vague writing instruction in EIW has been driving me crazy. My older kids used IEW in CC for a couple years, so I know how they can be taught with specific tools like all the openers and dress-ups, etc. So I was thinking about just keeping my younger two home next year and teaching IEW myself. Then I learned the hybrid school is switching to TGATB for language arts, so I needed to know what it was like in the writing department. My youngest will even be in 5th grade so this is exactly the book I needed to see. This made it very clear to me I don't want to be tied to using yet another writing curriculum with such vague instructions. My kiddos need better guidance than "revise your paragraph to make it sound more interesting." Um, how? IEW to the rescue!
Exactly!! Not every child is a natural at writing. TGATB takes the approach that you become a good writer by reading good literature, and while that may work for some, it’s not that simple for everybody. It’s just depends on the child. (Doesn’t everything? 😉)
This is so helpful! I was almost sold on using TGTB for my sons, but my eldest is the kid you’re describing, he just doesn’t naturally understand how to put his thoughts on paper. I’m guessing IEW is where we need to land to get him more confident. 🙏🏼
You could try it out with their free trial. My daughter did so much better this year with the IEW themed writing unit! TGTB is so good on so many things. But as with any curriculum, it’s not a one size fits all. 😏
Hey! Loving this video, but here are my thoughts about writing and TGTB. I did level 4 this year with my dyslexic 5th grade son and we LOVED it. It was a stretch and a challenge for him, but in just the right way. I agree, the writing is my least favourite part of the course. We did IEW when he was in grade 4 and I LOVED that program, but it was also WAY TOO MUCH for my son. Next year we will do TGTB level 5 and it looks really great. I have also toyed with the idea of scrapping the writing in TGTB and replacing those lessons with something else. But what I decided on, is that my son is still young, he's still just barely getting a grasp on putting any words on paper and I feel that TGTB just gets the kids putting thoughts on paper. I agree- it does not teach style or structure well at all, but I will continue with it for one more year as a way to just "get his feet wet" with writing and then I think I will try to come back to IEW when he is in 7th grade. I do CC informally and I definitely love the grammar in TGTB and how it really lines up with a lot of what we've learned in CC. I also ended up totally loving the books in TGTB level 4. We did have to read them all together (taking turns reading a page) as my son is dyslexic, but he even loved the books in the end too. I have high hopes for the level 5 course and the books :)
Is anyone wondering if maybe we are teaching writing too young? We are homeschoolers in a state that doesn't have testing which probably makes a difference how I approach this, but I look at all these curriculums and see all these comments and it seems we're all feeling frustrated with this specific subject. I'm starting to wonder if perhaps the emphasis on writing is... wrong? Hear me out, because I know everyone has differently abled kids with different educational goals, but is it really the end of the world if our child can't write a well-worded comparative essay in 7th or 8th grade and instead it happens in 9th? Or 10th? Or 11th? I've have two homeschooled children, upcoming 11th and 6th graders, and my 11th grader was not a good writer until the end of her 9th grade year. And it wasn't because of some magical curriculum -- we've used a handful of things with BW being our favorite and longest used curriculum. Her writing skill increased as her maturity did. Her brain finally started to make sense of all the ideas and concepts in writing, as well as all the ways of examining an abstract concept or experience, in a way that actually translated onto paper. What if our middle school kids spend time writing silly stories on Night Zookeeper, or letters to distant relatives, or journaled about their days and THAT was their writing curriculum? I have and use both BW and TGATB and will use IEW for my 11th grader, next year. I'm even taking the teacher training because I'm so fascinated by the program, but I think all three of these writing curriculums (and many others) have both amazing strengths and some pretty glaring weaknesses. I love watching these videos that show all the different ways you can teach writing, even if I've decided I'm not going to use a single one next year lol.
Yes!!! That is also what I started wonder this year which is exactly why we are doing brave writer. I’m waiting on the mechanics until later. I want my daughter so enjoy writing right now and not feel like she’s doing it wrong. So given that, I told somebody else that’s the thing also with TGTB. It’s not strong on the mechanics. Which ok… But if I’m going to focus on my daughters “inner voice” then these writing assignments also aren’t that exciting to me. Brave writer looks much more interesting! And my daughter agrees. (And she’s going into 7th grade….doing this level 5 grammar.) I can from classical conversations who starts them on IEW writing in 4th grade. It can work for some students. I think it just depends. For my particular child, IEW isn’t a fit right now. For my older child, he loved the structure of it. I have a friend with a child in 5th grade who THRIVED with IEW this year. It really just depends on your child and at what level they’re ready for, not the “standard” that everybody else is. I totally see this!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I totally feel you about the TGATB writing assignments. BW's are so much more enjoyable. I commented on your other video that BW is a really "scary" program because it is so different from traditional curriculum. I can't wait to use it for my youngest, but it's not a good fit for her right now. Whereas my oldest is moving to IEW because she's mastered her "style" and needs a brush up on the structure and mechanics. I have such great respect for the effort you're putting into finding your daughter a writing program that's a good fit for her. I also want to thank you for showing that we don't have to be a slave to our curriculum, no matter how far we've gotten or how much it cost. I'm looking forward to see all your customization hacks for the next year and using some of them myself!
We just started the good and the beautiful level. There is no way I can leave my child to do much of it independently. Everything is soooo... vague, I have been questioning what I got myself into. Thank you so much for for tips.
I seriously just heard the "look what I've got" at the very beginning and it made my day! I wish we could be real life friends - you're so awesome! Okay, now to watch the rest of the video. :)
You are spot on about the writing falling short in the way of prompting figurative language. It does prompt to use figurative language ideas but if your child forgot what an "idiom" is, then they're flipping several lessons back to try and find the info, which can be frustrating. So, we just started making mini notebooks (cute and creative ones) whenever new parts of speech or language are introduced so she can refer to her own notes. TGATB really is such a beautiful gateway to places, topics, and discussion so we also make little notebooks on the units that really interest her like Italy, Mexico, Ireland. She will print pictures of artists, inventions, historical events, even recipes on those places and add them to her little notebook units. The inclusion of all the beautiful places around the world is where TGATB really shines IMO. It does need to be a little stronger in English and Grammar though but then again, we just supplement where needed. The fact my dyslexic kid begs to do TGATB and the fact I have already seen so much growth is why we're sticking with it!
I love your ideas!!! And what wonderful keepsakes she’ll have if she keeps them!! ❤️ I still have some of my creative writing pieces from 4th grade and on!! And it’s so fun to look back on!
So glad I have found you! You make complete sense to me! My kiddo will be going into 3rd, has only used TGTB since Kprep and we just stopped halfway through level 3, went with BJU 3 English and he is doing very well now!I am curious to hear how that would compare to IEW! I’ve looked at the other other videos you have made about IEW and they have made me consider them very highly!
I'm using TGTB 4 next year with IEW and Fix-It Grammar for my 10 year old. TGTB will primarily be for the art and the sentence diagramming. Please keep us posted on how you like TGTB 5! Wishing you a great homeschool year!
This is the combo we did this year and I love it 🎉 skipped some of the writing prompts in TGTB to focus more on the writing for IEW and that seemed to work great
I love the way they teach sentence diagramming in level 5 - when I looked at level 4 a while back (previous version) it seemed rushed. I'm hoping my son takes to the diagramming this year - we've always done Easy Grammar and there is no diagramming in that program.
We are finishing our third year of The Good and the Beautiful with our 11 year old son. His writing has not improved whatsoever. Switching to IEW and Literature through Catholic Heritage Curriculum. So excited for the change and he is in complete agreement! He just needs more instruction!
What is Catholic Heritage Curriculum? If you don’t mind me asking? This will be our 2nd year homeschooling so I’m still fairly new to how many curriculums are out there.
I agree about the good and the beautiful writing. I had a good taste for it in level 4. I do not like most of it. I am using writing and rhetoric next school year. Thanks so much for the video.
I have been using TGATB but haven’t liked their writing! I’m curious to see how your going to change it! I’ve been looking into IEW, but hesitant with the price. Love your thoughts as this is my kids struggle as well!
If you do the IEW videos….yes it’s pricey. The themed units, however, do not come with videos, and are a less expensive option. You can get the student book and teacher manual combo for $50, I believe.
To save money, you can take the teacher's DVD course and learn how to teach it yourself, then get the $50 theme based writing courses for the student. I found the teacher's DVD course to be worth every penny!
I see your point, however they taught all those concepts in the 4th grade book which is what we are doing right now, so I understand it. But they should put a concept refresh at the beginning of the course for those that won’t remember and for those children new to the curriculum. That is my opinion.
Ooo! I stopped using TGTB after level 2 because my son barely had any writing experience with it. I also felt the need fo supplement spelling, grammar and literature study… so this upcoming year I’m switching gears. (EIW, Lightning Literature, AAS). This review has me thinking I’ll keep TGTB in my back pocket✨
I agree with what you are saying about writing. I also agree that the approach TGATB uses does not work for everyone. We also use IEW and my oldest loves it! I think this year I won't have my girls use the writing in TGATB and just stick to IEW. I have been the do everything in the book type of mom but think I will be changing that up this year. We are finishing our third year and I learn a little more each year. Plus figuring out what works for each child.
Me too!! The way IEW teaches is very good for several reasons! They do say it could stunt creative writers. And I suppose I can see that. But if you are just working on mechanics, it’s excellent!! Good for you for being more comfortable with letting some things go and customizing!! 😉
Yes!! BJU did this as well, and my daughter has used it for 2 years 7th and 8th grade, and she is like "what is a detailed sentence?" "how do I know where to begin!?" we will use IEW Level C Year 1 come this year. Hopefully it will help her. We have my son doing TGTB, we will add IEW come 5th grade, I will see how he does with TGTB but I am going at his pace. :) Love your videos, you say the exact things I do when it comes to writing instructions lol
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan exactly!! Not weird at all. Definitely a struggle, especially with having logical thinking and some are just black and white thinkers lol
@@jennajadeg7010 very true!!! My son is so black and white in his thinking….he said the FUNNIEST things when he was a toddler and a young boy!! One of my favorites from when he was probably 3 or 4…”Good morning Drew! How’d you sleep?” He responded very matter of factly, “On my back.” 😂😂😂
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan That is my son too!! lol here is an example: Grayson's devotional says, "some people are pretty on the outside but ugly on the inside" from 365 Daily Devotions, A Little God Time for Kids. Grayson stops after reading that and says, "well, that makes sense because you have blood, heart, bones and a brain.. that can be messy." 🤣🤣🤣
We are planning to use TG&TB level 5 this year for my 10 year old son. We will also be using Writing in Rhetoric as well as Writers Express Handbook alongside TG&TB. This will give us more tools to pull from as needed. For grammar we will use Grammar Recitation 1 from Memoria Press alongside TG&TB for a more memory based approach. My daughter age 12 used TG&TB level 7 last year for her first year of homeschool and did amazing with it. She did not ask for much help at all, and her papers were written beautifully. However, I do feel she is a natural in this area. My son will need a slower approach and most likely more help in this area. However he is a wiz at math.😊
I would highly recommend anyone who's child is just starting any level above 4 and up, to also purchase level 4's coursebook companion called Writing and Spelling Workshop because that is TGATB's introductory course to writing which introduces your child to TGATB style of writing. It is where alot of writing instruction is taught and the child ia expected to already have learned that when they continue level 5 and up. It's a pretty awesome supplement and without I feel like the writing portions in level 5 and up might not make as much sense to the teacher and child. Imo it's needed if you're starting TGATB language arts 4 or higher
We did level 4 and that’s where my opinion on how they teach writing came from. It’s definitely a different approach on teaching writing than a curriculum like IEW.
I am so glad I recently found your channel and can review all your older videos! :) We used TGTB for 2 years but found myself supplementing too much because of the lack of spelling and writing instruction my daughter needed. I think it works for some. What are your thoughts on Essentails in Writing (EIW)?
I’m so glad you found me too!!! ❤️ thank you for being here!! I’ve never used EIW. So I’m not sure. I’ve looked into Writing with Rhetoric and am intrigued by that. But I can’t speak to either.
Yeah, we ditched level 4 writing and picked up Writing and Rhetoric. My 10 year old likes to write stories, but IEW was way too structured and TGTB didn’t give enough examples and felt all over the place. W&R has you learn from good literature and there’s more critical thinking involved. So far so good.
Yep!! IEW is very structured. So if you’re still into creative writing, run with it. I definitely feel like the process will come but don’t squash that creativity if they’re thriving! Who makes writing with rhetoric?
Ooohh I have W&R book 1! We tried it a couple years ago and never went back. I should pull it back out and see if it would work now. 🤔 Thank you for the reminder!
I literally watched a video on this last night from them because I actually LOVE the old way. I teach writing via Abeka readers and the comprehension questions and also zookeeper. I have Lakeshore writing teaching notebooks too. I can get over that part. I'm stopping the tgtb math because of the changes so im hoping not Lang Arts too. ugh. (we CANNIOT do math for 45- hour) and my boy cannot do online. My girl is on TT and a grade ahead and killing it so im good there. So I'm going with Apologia 4th (repeating 4th bc Apologia math are advanced compared to TGTB and then will buy into their 5th whenever we complete what we need to do in there. What do you think? I need gentle, pretty with nice examples and all book based.) I'm 80% sure we will do tgtb again for lang arts. Im not sure of options that I would be as happy with when weighing pro and cons.
I don’t know anything about apologia math but if it’s short and sweet and also effective, I’m intrigued. My middle daughter is doing TGTB bc she wasn’t retaining anything from TT (not only that but the online aspect was not a good fit for her. She was too distracted). But you’re right, TGTB can take awhile also. At the same time, how can you learn math without practicing it? I dunno….. you’ll have to let me know about apologia math if you go that route.
@OurHOMEschoolPlan I definitely will. Fitting math curriculums to learning styles and personalities is a science lol. It looks like Apologia will be it at this point.
I have the same complaint with TGTB--the writing did not cut it for us. We are switching to IEW for my oldest after this year for some extra help. I use TGTB for 4 of my kids, and it is a great overall program, but if you need special attention for spelling, or writing, or comprehension, then it's not going to work.
I hated the previous versions of tgatb language arts but really really like the updated levels... I'm wondering if anyone who had a writing issue uses daily copywork? We aren't really in a 'writing' intensive grade at this point, but we do daily copywork and I feel like that sets the basics for learning how writing should look like...?
It looks like there is some similarity with the writing in the new 5 with the current level 3 we are using. Copy out the sentences, glue and put some paragraphs in order, and copy their ending. Not much instruction. This 5 would be a lot of explaining from me and frustration from him on the writing portions as well.
My complaint about TGAB has always been that because it's an all-in-one curriculum, it doesn't expound enough to be fully comprehensive. And yet I love the simplified approach of it. I've always had a separate grammar, reading, writing, spelling, and vocab program. There always seems to be something that gets knocked off the list because of time constraints, and that something is usually writing for us, probably because it's the part I'm the least comfortable teaching. That said, I looked at the new TGAB for this year and I love how they teach the grammar, love they have novels instead of readers (I wasn't a fan of the stories in the previous readers) and I even like the spelling more than previous versions, though we will still probably do a separate spelling. I love the incorporated geography and art too because we tend to skip those as well. I printed level 5 for my upcoming 6th grader because it was free as I'm wanting to be sure it's a good fit before I invest in it. I completely agree with you on the writing, and had already decided we probably weren't going to use most of it. I will likely use writeshop for writing instead.
The way that you put it about it not expounding enough is exactly it!! Yes!! So it’s trusting that the child and parents just get it….Which some will! But it’s definitely not going in depth.
Perfect explanation!! I am not liking how spelling is done in level 5. So now I'm on the hunt for something else. We have been fans of TGTB since we found it in 2019, but lately I feel like I'm having to supplement more than not. At what point do I throw in the towel on TGTB LA and just find something new! I'm stubborn 😅.
@@AbidingHomeschool it’s actually still pretty cheap even if you just use for grammar, art, and geography…that’s the way I look at it. So depends on what else you find.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Well, you articulated exactly what I felt but couldn't explain with regard to the writing in level 5. I always love how perfectly you communicate in your videos!
Our books look like that when they have finished!!! I didn’t enjoy flipping between the books!!! My older son didn’t have the workshops in level 5, it’s a new thing!!! I feel like my kids write well with TGTB but we do writing without a curriculum as well!!! My kids love books!!! I sometimes ask my kids questions to help with writing!!! My kids tell me what they are writing about and I ask questions to help them write about it!!! My kids make bullet points instead of brainstorming!!!
My son is doing the level 4 and I have him skip all of the writing assignments. I will be ordering IEW going forward. My son is a book worm, but he can't express himself in writing. While reading books he is not reading and in the back of his mind he is thinking about how the book was composed. I pray that IEW will him with the different techniques they use.
IEW is excellent for mechanics! It doesn’t have a lot of creative writing assignments. So for those analytical thinkers, learning this way could help take away that anxiety about writing. I hope it works for you!!
Yes, this is the exact issue my son had with TGTB writing! He hated this and it was tears almost every time. Writing Strands seems to explain this stuff a lot better and more simply, and he loves the short and sweet lessons without all of the “extras”.
Yes it is. It is their middle and high school language arts. We love that it focuses on book study, the student can pick whatever book they want to read which was a plus; and Bible study too. They structure it so you get one week of focused writing lesson and the next week is focused on reading and Bible study. The grammar is woven in as needed but I’m not sure one of my teens won’t need more practice, that’s the only concern.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Master Books purchased Writing Strands from another publisher and added the reading lessons. The original program is listed in The Well Trained Mind as a recommended composition curriculum. The author has a great RU-vid video about how he developed the program to help his son with writing and how successful he became with these methods.
No, the writing topics so far have not been biblical. Sometimes in the reading weeks you will be asked to write a paragraph based on the reading but that is about it.
We used level 4 and while my son did fine with it because he's a natural writer, I didn't feel like it really stretched him or taught him much of anything...we're considering Writing and Rhetoric.
I'd love to hear how it went this year using BOTH of these programs together. I'm contemplating using TGAB 5 + IEW next year...but I'm so nervous that it will be too much for a 5th grade boy. I'd love to know how you scheduled both of these programs each day/week, what you assigned from the lessons and what you skipped, and how your daughter handled doing them together. :)
I’ll tell you. I didn’t have a formal schedule. I determined how much time I wanted her to work on “language arts” and I chose accordingly. So I’d we were doing Brave Writer and her assignment was going to need time, I might not have had her do TGTB. I crossed off all TGTB writing assignments if we were doing a Brave Writer assignment. So basically, I only chose 1 curriculum for writing. And I added in the grammar/spelling when we had time. (I didn’t have my daughter read TGTB literature so that also eliminated the questions revolving around that) We will not have TGTB 5 completed at the end of this year if that helps you understand also. I’m not worried about it bc all the other language arts things we did. I also had her do some daily journaling/freewrites.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Thanks for the info! I'm not sure what I want to do for my 5th grade son. The IEW SS videos are ~45 minutes -- and that just seems like way too long to have a 10 yo sit and watch a "lesson" (even though Andrew P is entertaining). I have an English Ed background, so I'm thinking I could make the TGAB work, but it definitely would not be an independent subject b/c there's not adequate instruction with TGAB writing assignments. I hope you're having a great weekend!
@@amberc.2840 aren’t the videos for the younger kids broken up into smaller chunks? For my high schooler, his videos were across 2 days. Did you try the free trial? If you haven’t, I’d definitely do the free trial for IEW and see how he does with the videos bc they also work together on them. It’s not just straight lecturing. It’s also joke telling. :) and then working together through the outlines and trying it together. But yes, TGATB instruction isn’t quite as thorough. It’s definitely a dilemma!
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan Yes, the videos are broken up into 2 days. However, the first day is a long portion of video. But I will definitely try out the first 3 weeks to see if my son can stay focused long enough. I do enjoy Andrew's humor, so I appreciate him making his instruction as painless as possible!😆
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan We've done week 1 of the free trial. Yes, the video was broken down over 2 days...although the first part of video 1 was 31 minutes. My son wasn't thrilled to sit that long to watch a lesson, but he did enjoy Andrew P's humor. ;) We're going to go through all 3 weeks of the free trial to make our decision. Right now, I don't know. I want a really good writing program that doesn't rely on me being the person who teaches and grades it all -- writing is such a personal thing, and it's so easy to hurt a child's feelings if you're correcting every small thing. I think that's why I appreciate Andrew's approach to writing. It takes a lot of the "emotion" out of writing for kids.
That's about what my youngest sister's schoolbooks look like at the end of a year. I'm not a fan of the copy the opening sentence and copy the ending sentence approach. As a teacher I've seen too many teens and young adults resort to copying/plagiarism...just one reason I'm always wary of any writing instruction that includes copying someone else's words.
Yes plagiarism….that’s one reason why I do think learning the “keyword outline” way that IEW teaches is good for. I think even when doing a research paper, figuring out how to “write it on your own words” on a notecard can be challenging. I remember struggling with that as a student.
Hey! I’ve been following your RU-vid channel. I know you said in one of your other videos you plan to use the old level 2 TGTB for your soon to be third grader. Have you did the level placement testing with her? I did with my soon to be third grader and she still tested for level two. I was shocked. My original plan was the same as yours. Now I’m not sure if I should just do the new level two. I feel like I failed her and am dragging her back. Also, when would you recommend adding in IEW/fix it grammar?
Oh that’s too bad! No I didn’t do a placement again this time bc I can tell my daughter has improved a lot. (Since they have you keep the times on the timed tests). IEW says their style and structure has a 3-5 grade level. I personally wouldn’t do that. We started IEW in 4th grade with both of my older children and they can’t do it on their own. So you could start it then, but you will be helping A LOT. I think 5th grade is ok for starting on mechanics if that’s your goal. But I also think it’s fine to just focus on communicating ideas, a completely separate process. Just depends on the goals for your child. For fix it, though……you could definitely start that now. The nose tree book is very simple and doable!
Do you feel like the writing is enough as you've gone through LA 5? We are on LA 3 and we've done Writeshop along with it for the past 2 years, but as the writing has increased with TGTB, I feel like adding Writeshop is way too much LA. So now I'm debating if it's necessary since they've integrated it in so much in LA 4 and 5.
I actually did a video about how TGTB does writing and why it's not my favorite. So we are skipping all of the writing assignments and I added Brave Writer. Here's the video where I explain my thoughts on TGTB writing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Uzu-0KitJjY.html
I'm looking for curriculum, do you use TGTB for everything? LA, Writing, Math, Handwriting, Science, and History? Or do you switch it up for different subjects? So do you use IEW for LA?
I don’t use 1 curriculum for necessarily everything or even for each child. I tailor to the child. We don’t do TGTB history. I bought it last year. Hesitated. Then I tried it. Then I didn’t care for it. I’d rather explore history on our own at our own pace through books and movies. I did a video on how I created my own history curriculum. Language arts is tricky. We’re doing a lot this year. Braver writer for 1 child (with some TGTB for grammar). My high schooler is doing IEW. My youngest daughter is doing TGTB LA. We are doing TGTB science but also nature studies. 1 child will be doing TGTB math. The other does Singapore. And my high schooler is using Shormann math.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I'm watching the video on Brave writer right now.. I'm wondering if I should do IEW for my oldest, she's in 6th grade but is at a 4th grade reading level and has major anxiety for writing because of her dyslexia.. really good at math though.. my second grader is actually slightly ahead for reading BUT struggles with Math. My preschooler I'm just going to do my own thing. I'm thinking about just researching and tailoring things to the age groups but going off of what's covered in 6th grade science and SS.. the one thing that I like about TGTB is it seems to have a lot of Christ centered subject intermingled in it.. but I really appreciate all your advice. I'm totally lost on the Math things you mentioned which I'll look into that next😁
I've been debating between this and iew. I bought the themed program, us history and Mideival from iew. My one child is a natural writer, my other is not. Is the themed program going to be enough or will I need the other writing program, structure and style, as well?
It’s enough! It’s all the same ideas just themed writing topics and texts! The style and structure is just with video instruction and then the topics and texts are a variety. That’s really the main difference. The way it’s taught it the same!
What grade do you begin formal writing instruction? My daughter is finishing up 2nd grade now & I’m trying to decide if we need to add it for our 3rd grade year.
Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about it yet. I think TGTB begins that formal instruction in level 4. IEW says you could start in 3rd grade. But I personally think you could wait. Just allow them to enjoy writing and express themselves So if you absolutely going to focus on mechanics, IEW is excellent. Otherwise, focus on the love of ideas and communicating them. That’s why I struggle with TGTB. It’s vague on mechanics. You could say it’s about expressing ideas, but the program I chose (Brave writer) has more creative ideas for that goal. It all just depends if n the child.
The old level 4 was also two books because the company likes to switch things up every year so each level doesn't feel the same. Here are my thoughts on writing. First, you're biased. You used IEW and it is fabulous and now you look at other writing lessons and see all the weakness. But IEW is expensive and requires the parent to complete a course before they can successfully use it. Many parents interested in Good and Beautiful do not have the time or funds for IEW. Second, I feel that writing at this level really is about exposure to techniques and quality writing. With that though, I don't think most kids would do well with this instruction without their parents guidance and support. Finally, I can see the weaknesses you point out, but as a former public school teacher the instruction and examples in this book are a lot better than what most kids would receive in school. I do like how they break the writing into manageable chunks and that they alternate between writing and spelling so they do not have to write daily if they dislike it or find it challenging. I agree that more "how" would be helpful and that not all kids can learn from examples. But I also believe they based this on Charlotte Mason ideals of copywork and learning from writers. It's different than IEW, but not necessarily bad.
I don’t disagree. Except I don’t think I’m biased. I used IEW two years ago. I was open to a new approach bc IEW also takes a lot more time and I wanted something simple. We tried Masterbooks. And then this.. If I was biased towards IEW than I’d be using it this coming year with this child, but I’m not. We’re doing Brace Writer, which I’ve never done and is also completely different from IEW. I’m biased towards what this particular child needs and what makes her click. IEW is different and more expensive but parents don’t have to complete a course to teach it. The themed lessons are more cost effective and the parents is guided in those teachers manuals. Because I also agree with you that the mechanbics at this age may not be that important. But TGTB’s approach seems to be mixed between the creative and the mechanics but is strong in neither. So what I see is if you want stronger mechanics, the look at IEW. If you want more work on that “inner voice” than there are also other ways. like you said, it could be the Charlotte Mason approach, which is fine for some. Like I said, this (TGTB) is doable if mom wants to teach the specifics. But since level5 is supposed to be more independent….that’s the disconnect here FOR ME. I agree with about cost. You can’t beat it unless you just teach it yourself, I also don’t disagree that this is young for instructions. So you have to decide which is best for your child at what time. Some children need more literal and structured approach.
@@OurHOMEschoolPlan I guess biased was the wrong word. Maybe spoiled? I've watched your IEW videos. I can tell you love their approach. I hope Brave Writer works well for you too. I have an American History themed IEW. It still says parents should take the course and have access to those materials. With my writing and education background I think I could teach a themed IEW without the course, but I'm not sure how it would work for everyone. All your points are valid and I do see weaknesses in TGTB writing instruction, but it could work well for many families, especially those using the curriculum for the long haul or those who truly embrace Charlotte Mason, but want something open and go for a season.
@@agamble1126 I’m intrigued by the Charlotte Mason approach, but I’ll be the 1st to admit that maybe I don’t get it -100% which is why I’m eclectic. Im influenced much by the classical approach (having been a part of classical conversations). And having been a public schooled child myself, Charlotte Mason (at a certain point) doesn’t feel like enough. So it’s like you have to retrain your brain. But anyway-like I said, I tailor to what each child needs so there is no curriculum that works for all. (Which is why we have varying opinions, right?) And that’s ok. We can still be friends!! 😜😜😜
It’s fairly independent. They do have small sections up front where the teacher is supposed to read with the student. But it’s maybe 5 minutes of teachers time. You may have to insert yourself some to teach writing. Depends on how well your child picks that up.
To check out IEW: ‘s site: WHERE TO BEGIN - IEW.com/affiliate/280966/start And to see the Brave Writer program, this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IJhy4Xe0SsY.html
