Favorite Homeschool Writing and Grammar Curriculum

[@jessiegail25]

I cannot say enough about BJU Press in writing and grammar. My son did their 3rd grade English last year. He is not a student that likes to write, at all. This ended up being his absolute favorite subject and he looked forward to every writing lesson and never once gave me any push back about it. Not once! He has expressed several times that he hopes that his little sister gets to do 3rd grade English, too. We did the distance learning and Mrs. Cox and Rozzy the Rat :) makes it so much fun for them!! The way that they get to choose their own topic was a huge plus,too. He could actually write about something that interested him. Very important if we want them to learn to love writing! Used it this year for 2nd and 4th. Looking forward to it.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Jessica Walsworth yay! Thank you for sharing. It’s always good to hear homeschool success stories. 😊

[@jessiegail25]

@@JanelleKnutson Yes, it is. :) Thank you for all of the effort you put into this youtube channel. It has been a lifesaver for me.

[@meekybow7199]

Fix It! Grammar is my absolute favorite! We have tried so many curriculum for grammar and this was the only one that they comprehend and get excited about. It’s short, sweet, and meaty!!we have used IEW as well and it is a real nice pair with the Fix It! Grammar program. This year we are using Essentials in Writing for the sole reason that it is not as teacher intensive as IEW. In this season of homeschooling, I need my kids to be a bit more independent. 🙂. Have a blessed year Janelle!

[@JanelleKnutson]

I can relate to needing less teacher intensive curriculum! I hope you enjoy EIW this year. Did you get the scoring service with it?

[@JRidge_15]

Do either of you have recommendations for more curriculum similar to EIW for “independent learning” for learners who aren’t quite fully independent yet? We use math u see for math, all about reading for reading, I’m looking into EIW for grammar/writing/etc, and looking for suggestions for social studies, and science.

[@lcb4060]

Thank you for sharing your favorites with us. I always look forward to your videos. My favorite Grammar right now for my two boys is Easy Grammar. We have used Fixt it Grammar & BJU in the past and they favor the simplicity of Easy Grammar. I loved Fix it Grammar, but the boys didn't care for re-writing out the story. As for BJU Press, which they did the Online Distance Learning, they disliked the videos and hated the lay out of the books. For Writing we are doing EIW this year. We have used IEW for almost 2 years and felt it was time for a change. What they learned with IEW will remain with us no matter what curriculum we use. It was great!

[@stacytobing214]

What grades did you use IEW? What book is best, starting at 1 , Nest.......?

[@lb9549]

Hi, we just started Easy Grammar and actually not loving it. My 5th grader thinks it's dull/boring ( I have to agree) and we are looking for something a bit more engaging. I noticed your boys didn't care for Fix it Grammar, I'd love any insight as we are new homeschoolers this year. Thanks!

[@ourfamilyvideos7283]

SOOOOO glad to see this video!!! Been praying for y’all and miss seeing you on this platform🍁

[@ashleysovereen1024]

Because Janelle had mentioned BJU Press I tried it last year and love it so much! Love that it's biblical worldview. Also I can't agree more with Mr. Pudewa gift in teaching writing, truly he has done amazing with my reluctant writers. Agree with this whole video!

[@ashleywhetsell1696]

I so needed this! Love your videos!!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BenjesBride]

Oh Janelle, I needed this! Thank you.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tramseyplanter2]

I really loved this video! I plan on using a few of these in future & it was nice to see what purposes you see in each curric for different seasons. I'd enjoy more videos like this on different subjects 😉😉. Have a blessed day!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@rebeccabeard2964]

My mom used the Abeka curriculum for all 4 of us kids from K-12 grade, and we all excelled in grammar. One of my sisters went on to become a teacher herself with a masters degree in childhood education, and she says that Abeka still has one of the best language arts curriculum out there.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes, Abeka has a great grammar curriculum as well. Thank you for sharing your experience with it. I know many families use it and love it. It is definitely a solid grammar curriculum.

[@rebeccabeard2964]

@@JanelleKnutson Thank YOU for sharing! Your videos are always so encouraging. It's fun to see what works for different families. :)

[@GardenMinistry.]

I agree! It's very comprehensive, we've been using Abeka preschool, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd so that's close to 5 years! It's the one curriculum I don't need to stress out about.

[@tuathadesidhe1530]

Have you tried Michael Clay Thompson or Grammar Tales.

[@janaseegel2560]

I know this video is older, but I’m trying to plan for next year. I’m between BJU and IEW. My son has watched some of the IEW video and said he didn’t like it. He did say that he liked BJU Press English after looking over the book. He has higher functioning Autism and ADHD. He struggles greatly with writing. Should I go with what he wants or would IEW be better for his needs, even though he said he doesn’t want to do it. 🤦‍♀️

[@faddu01]

Thank you for sharing! I have a 2nd grader who is transitioning from Montessori to homeschooling. Trying to find something all inclusive for English that includes spelling, grammar, and writing. Is there such a thing that is also secular? Thanks!

[@willsn1]

Thank you so much for your insights. I was hoping you'd have more suggestion that weren't IEW (which is what we use). Fix It grammar has so many books its unwieldy. We have the notebook, the student manual, the teachers manual, the dictionary.....its too much for my minimalist heart! IEW is good, but I'm wondering if my young 8 year old just isnt ready yet. We are going to stick with it though! Can anyone recommend something super open-and-go for grammar? Hes quite good at it now and we plan to back to public next year, so something very basic would be fine.

[@crunchybeen4263]

Easy Grammar is open and go and they write in the workbook. I don't really need the answer/teach book.

[@willsn1]

Thank you. I posted this same question to a facebook group and you wouldnt believe the amount of people who said "If I just 'came alongside' my child more" I would be successful. Get out of here with that judgemental mumbo jumbo. Being new to homeschooling is a practice at trusting my instincts. Love the program, but we will shelve it for a while and circle back later :)

[@stephaniecote7067]

Im going back and forth with writing programs??? We are doing so many group subjects. Which is so nice. Last year we did essentials in writing which was awesome the only issue i had was really because my child wouldnt really watch videos would only read the book but it helped him tremendously. We currently are loving gather round but i would like a writing program as a supplement. I believe IEW would be a bit cheaper. We are currently doing fix it grammar and they are loving it well besides my 3rd grader she just likes so tell fix it part not the writing part. lol

[@JanelleKnutson]

If you are using Fix It Grammar then IEW is a great option for writing. The two programs work well together. We are enjoying their new Structure and Style for Students although it is video based and the video component is essential to the program.

[@gremlingrove1130]

My favorites for Grammar are: The Good and the Beautiful, Abeka, and Rod & Staff (I love that these use diagramming, my kids needed it to understand). Favorites for Writing: IEW, Aldine Language Books, and Abeka.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thank you for sharing!

[@SheResellsSeashells]

Does IEW every have sales?

[@karaschmidt4039]

At what age do you start a formal grammar and writing curriculum? I am currently using SWR (because I watched an older video of yours a few years ago and we love it! 😊) with my 2nd grader and kindergartener so we touch on some very basic grammar concepts, but wondering when I should beef it up. Thanks!

[@JanelleKnutson]

I start formal grammar in 2nd or 3rd grade depending on the child. I go into more detail about when I start formal grammar in one of my Homeschool Q&A videos. I will link it here for you... kzbin.info/www/bejne/n2mxeauViNurj9k Hope that helps!

[@HisArrowsOurHands]

This is great, thanks! For Grammar: we have enjoyed ABeka. For Writing: Essentials in Writing has worked well for us. I pray you have a blessed school year!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@amybeth2379]

Have you used IEW and BJU grammar for a student at the same time and just skipped the writing parts in BJU? If so, did it work well?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I haven't done it but I'm sure it would work well.

[@lynnstaffieri6038]

Do you have any thoughts on Cover Story?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I am not familiar with that curriculum. Sorry.

[@lorenbarnhart1835]

Can we use Fixit grammar without using any other IEW products?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Yes! Fix It Grammar is a stand alone grammar curriculum. I have used it alongside other writing curriculum over the years.

[@lorenbarnhart1835]

@@JanelleKnutson thank you so much for your help!

[@JanelleKnutson]

Loren Barnhart you’re welcome! 😊

[@sgc84]

We use IEW Fix it Grammar and Essentials in Writing

[@connienerida6120]

@@sgc84 I am thinking the same to combine these 2 but not sure if the EIW is comprehensive or thorough enough for elementary levels? which level of EIW are you using ? So do you just skip the grammar part with EIW or use both grammar ? Thanks in advance ! :)

[@lialawder8680]

Thank you, this has been really useful. Could you please do a video on high school US history curriculum, as well as US civics and let us know what you've liked and found easy to use. I am trying to find a one year course for high school and need some guidance! Thank you!

[@connied7708]

Hows does Essentials in writing compare to Structure and style?

[@JanelleKnutson]

I talked about the difference between IEW Structure and Style and EIW in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXXZYaqwZ8ybjKs

[@lb9549]

Thanks for the video. We are a few weeks in to Easy Grammar for my 5th grader and it's just ok. The book is very bland/dull and I'm looking for something a bit more "fun" (if that's possible) ;) And also secular.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Fix It Grammar or Winston Grammar would be good options for you.

[@KS-cl8br]

I liked her program.

[@ourfamilyvideos7283]

Using writing strands intermediate, one week writing, one week read a novel & writing, repeat. Pros:schedule laid out nicely. Con: not manageable...a novel in one week plus the writing was way too much...had to tweak. Grammar- we enjoyed fix it grammar nose tree but Robin Hood is “wowing” mom....it’s getting a bit hard and hard for me to explain. May switch to daily grams. We’re VERY sad we missed TGATB I discovered it too late into the game and it’s only till 11th. Literature- notgrass(may use it for writing next year as well)

[@Amenhomeschoolers]

I have to say I didn’t care for BJU English. I can’t put my finger on why except I love both IEW writing and Christian Light Education Language Arts which is heavy on grammar and light in writing.

[@JanelleKnutson]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I haven't used Christian Light Education Language Arts so appreciate you mentioning it for others to take note of.

[@ashleyacosta3149]

My daughter is going into 6th grade next year. She is a struggling writer. I’m stuck between BJU and Essentials in writing. Which would you recommend?

[@JanelleKnutson]

Both are great options. BJU 6th grade rotates between a grammar lesson and then a writing lesson throughout the year. EIW level 6 does grammar the first half of the year and writing the second half of the year. If you are debating between EIW and the BJU video option then I'd have your daughter watch the samples and see what she enjoys best.