IEW VS ABEKA | Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum Comparison | Abeka language arts | IEW Review

[@mandy-maltz]

Have you ever used either of these brands? Or have you done a hybrid like I'm doing?

[@stephaniebarley9325]

We also use a hybrid of the two curriculums. Fix It Grammar is like our morning journal. Then we do a lesson from Abeka's Language Arts. We completely ditched Abeka's writing and spelling. We use IEW completely for writing and we're trying All About Spelling this year. I'm really happy with the system we have!

[@GardenMinistry.]

Hello 🤗 I'm also using Abeka, I have a Kindergartener and a 1st grader this year so our focus is Phonics, at what point do I start including IEW for writing, is it after 3rd or 4th grade?

[@faetherflye]

@@GardenMinistry. We did Abeka only for 2nd, and are doing a hybrid of Abeka and IEW for 3rd. It's going very well.

[@GardenMinistry.]

@@faetherflye that's what I was thinking/planning to do. Thanks! 👍🏽

[@faetherflye]

@@GardenMinistry. You're welcome! 💜

[@faetherflye]

I will add, that my daughter is a reluctant writer; it's just not her jam, she's more of a math girl. So I started her out on IEW's People and Places, which they claim is geared toward 1st/2nd grade. Doing it with her now, I can't imagine inflicting that on a 1st/2nd grader to be honest. We are going at a really slow pace with it, and she's doing well. I took advantage of some of the free videos they offer when we started to get the hang of how it goes. I haven't paid for the full program. I figure if we get through this and it seems like this program will really be what she needs, I'll invest more in it next year. I just didn't want to throw that much money into it for it to be a nightmare. But so far so good. She's a formulaic thinker (hence her love of math) and IEW offers kind of a more formulaic way of approaching creative writing. Which is a big no-go for some, but I think it will work for her. I don't intend for her to become the next great American novelist. I just want her to be able to turn out a decent paper for school. 😊

[@SadeTeaire]

I love this video! This will be our first year using Abeka ELA grade 3 w/spelling and writing. However, I love the way you broke down both curriculums which gave me another option if Abeka doesn't work well this year. I heard of IEW for writing and this may be a winner for our family as well. Thank you.

[@wildheartfree420]

Thank you so much for your review! Just ordered the IEW Year 1 Level B for my kiddo starting Sept. Looking forward to supporting him through this.

[@colleenmeade-hayslip3757]

I LOVE sentence diagramming! I like that I can see the relationship of tge words in a sentence. I wish I had learned it in school. It would have made grammar so much easier. My son seems to do well with it too.

[@SandyyLee1]

Hello, this was very thorough and helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to go through the different curriculums/styles. I have decided to go with hybrid after viewing your video. And I'm so happy after watching this video. God bless your heart! May all go well for your children and their education!

[@kimberlyporter4968]

Thank you for your opinion. I am struggling to teach abeka writing. Your review is so helpful.

[@KiraJoy4Life]

Great tips and thanks for commented about the IEW video... I've really been wondering people's opinions about that!

[@CD-mo4zb]

We've combined Abeka and IEW too. We've used Abeka and have loved the curriculum, except the writing. My son loves the videos with Mr. Pudewa. We still use Abeka spelling, reading, and reading comprehension skill sheets.

[@colleenmeade-hayslip3757]

We have used almost exclusively Abeka until recently. Now we do more of a hybrid version in many subjects. I still love Abeka for many subjects, especially grammar and math.

[@MsZarate88]

I love Abeka math too. It is very consistent.

[@homeschoolingthroughhighschool]

Good ‘ole Abeka- I can talk about this all day. The good, not so good and the in between. 🌻

[@quaintprintsboutique]

Thank you for explaining what language arts was comprised of! I was so confused! You answered all my questions!!

[@mandy-maltz]

So happy to hear that! ❤️❤️

[@homeschoolmaof3]

We do Abeka now and my children struggle with writing too. I've been thinking of trying IEW writing along with Abeka. This is my 3rd year homeschooling and I'm still trying to figure out what works for us. I have 4th and 6th graders.

[@HeLives88]

I just started IEW with my 4th grader and she loves it...we are using the DVD and she loves following the teacher, he has a great sense of humor and has a way of keeping the children interested in the lesson. We also use Abeka language arts... I added EIW for the writing part. I love the approach for both curriculums...

[@Thebergnest]

We love, love, love IEW. I will always sing their praises!

[@MsZarate88]

I agree I love both. IEW for writing. Im using IEW for my daughter grade 5 and Abeka ELA grade k-4

[@HerDailyJourney]

This was such a great video. I think you did a great comparison. Very helpful.

[@amanysuleiman]

You answered so many of my questions! Thank you

[@mandy-maltz]

I'm so glad!

[@BlissfullLivingArt]

I LOVE Rod and Staff English!

[@melissamcdonald7180]

Thanks so much for this video.

[@Jess1986gold]

It’s really interesting that you can see the “approach” the curriculum is using. We use fix it grammar and the well trained mind’s writing with skill. I’m wondering what kind of approach the writing with skill would be? Do you have a review of them? 😊

[@shannonwallace2494]

Thank you for this video!! My 9th grader is struggling with Abeka English. We were trying to decide what curriculum to switch to. I started laughing when you were talking about diagramming!! My daughter thinks it is the most useless thing ever!!😂

[@mandy-maltz]

I haaaaaaate it 😂

[@melissapeters9774]

This was so helpful and exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you! I was curious if you or anyone else with experience could give some advice. I’m using Abeka for my daughter (which we love), she’s only in grade 1. So not really dealing with grammar and sentence writing yet. So right now Abeka is perfect for us. My question is, if I wanted to to a hybrid and go between the two curriculums. What grade would be best? I feel like I’m seeing a lot of people start making the switch around grade 3-4.

[@juanav9200]

You can listen to his talk he has a video on youtube that you can watch.

[@VanessaWeaver-k7c]

Do you recommend starting with Abeka for the younger grades and then switching? Or just starting with IEW?

[@llifew-Nella]

Have you used the Spelling program from IEW?

[@julianascull6515]

i would like to hear your thoughts on Language Arts from the Good and the Beautiful for little ones, or what do you think about TGTB curriculum in general. I really enjoy watching you and hearing all the good tips. I'm a first time homeschool mom and I appreciate all the tips and tricks I can get.

[@AnnmarieHillDVM]

What grade did you switch over to IEW? We just finished Abeka 3rd grade, and I'm torn 🤣🤣.

[@mandy-maltz]

Grade 4

[@kristenbarkey5540]

It looks like on the surface a beka is a lot more thorough then IEW with the grammar. Do you find this to be true? I want to try the fix it but I’m afraid my daughter will miss something. She is going into 7th and used abeka grammar the whole time. What do you think?

[@mandy-maltz]

With Abeka, you’re getting all of language arts, not just grammar. Fix It is only grammar. Then you add in writing with Structure and Style, and whichever reading you’d like. Abeka combines all the subjects, so it looks like much more on the surface. IEW has single subjects so you can mix and match, or just use one of the subjects of LA.

[@Dreblueskies]

How did you teach your kids to read?

[@mrs.jaywojo5426]

How old are your kids?

[@Dreblueskies]

@@mrs.jaywojo5426 6 years.

[@mrs.jaywojo5426]

@@Dreblueskies My two daughters picked it up pretty quick. What I did was make sure they knew their letters, then started working my way through the sounds of individual letters and blends, a little at a time. I read aloud, too. I used the Good and Beautiful curriculum for pre-k and kindergarten. Is there specific struggles you are noticing?

[@MsZarate88]

Abeka k-4 to k-5

[@kristenmarie8655]

As someone who is new to homeschooling, I've been eyeing IEW for my kiddos (currently 1st and Kinder). How young can they begin this program? I'm curious if anyone has done it with younger kids and how was their experience.

[@mandy-maltz]

We did Abeka until grade 3/4. There are IEW programs for younger kiddos, but the Structure and Style (writing) program is more for grade 3/4. Most children need to learn phonics and handwriting skills (pre-writing) before jumping into writing curriculum. IEW has reading for younger students, spelling, and all kinds of younger-aged curriculum.

[@kristenmarie8655]

@@mandy-maltz thank you so much for responding. This is good to know and at least I can prepare for the coming school years.

[@laurahaney1592]

I was wondering if you only use IEW for two of the high school years or if there was a way to use it for all four.

[@mandy-maltz]

If you use all the levels, you can move to their other units like Narnia, Ancient History, and Bible. That's what we plan to do.

[@kristenbarkey5540]

Curious for seventh grade what you will be using

[@mandy-maltz]

Still putting it all together ❤️

[@kristenbarkey5540]

@@mandy-maltz right!!

[@ThreeGsHomeschool]

Does IEW teach how to write an essay of fiction just from your thoughts? Not like a book report, where you get information from a source.

[@mandy-maltz]

Yes, they teach all kinds of different writing styles, especially in level C.

[@ThreeGsHomeschool]

@@mandy-maltz thank you so much for the quick response, and all the informative videos. You have been so helpful!

[@AH-ru8ei]

Why does ELA have to be Christian….do you know of a good secular ELA program??

[@mandy-maltz]

We’re Christian, so we only use and review Christian curriculum. It’s a worldview, so all of our subjects are Christian.

[@pukimon311]

I hate diagramming too 😂