LANGUAGE ARTS MID-YEAR CRISIS // When to Let Go of Beloved Curriculum When It's Not Working Anymore

Рет қаралды 7,133

8 ай бұрын

Hello friends! Welcome to my channel One Blessed Mess! In this video, I'm getting real and asking for advice for what to do about a beloved curriculum that just doesn't feel like it fits for my two oldest anymore. How and when do we learn to let go of curriculum we love, but just simply isn't working?
*NOTE* In the video, I accidentally say Structure and Style Level 2A, but I mean Level 1B :) One of these days I'll get it right!!
If you are new here, hi and welcome! I'm Christie, and I am on my 5th year of homeschooling 5 kids (ages 13, 11, 9, 5, and 3!) My husband and I pulled our kids out of public school, moved to our house in the country, and haven't looked back! I love sharing my (authentic + honest) journey with you all, and hope you will join me as we navigate our footing in the world of homeschooling!
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Пікірлер: 147

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Good morning, Mamas! ☕️ I hope you enjoy today's video! I would love to hear your thoughts on IEW/Fix-It being sufficient for 6th and 7th grades, or if you have ever experienced an emotional attachment to curriculum! ❤

@jennifergrant6471 8 ай бұрын

I have a 6th grader as well. We do fix it grammar with my 6th and 3rd grader also. My 6th grader is doing the G&B language arts which I love she hates 🙄. We switched to only doing the geography and art and spelling from the G&B. I do fix it with her and my middle, but I’ve added Progeny Press book studies because it in corporates grammar identification, comprehension, main ideas identification, character development questions and so much more. We are starting I.E.W. fir her next year. I like book studies because it only takes about 15 minutes to answer the work pages and it allows for her to choose her books for “fun” reading vs. being forced to read something. Just an idea hope it helps you on your journey. Plus I think what you’re doing is going to be enough, we are our own worst enemies with that!

@de5889 8 ай бұрын

I’m no GATB apologist. Only my high schooler uses it right now. However, we’ve used it and IEW for middle school at some point between all my kids. I often hear people wonder if the GATB is enough when it comes to writing for their elementary and middle school aged kids. I understand that feeling, and it shows a desire to give our children the best education possible. But I think we should keep in mind that these are young children. Too much, too soon could lead to burn out and hatred of the task. I remember absolutely hating both reading and writing by the time I hit high school (where I had previously enjoyed those things and did for pleasure) because it was constantly forced through assignments.

@MamaSchopfer-vy4km 8 ай бұрын

Mom of four; I’ve been homeschooling 16 years. Here’s what I’ve done: We switch each year! So last year, we did Fix It Grammar and IEW; this year we’re doing The Good and Beautiful. I love both curriculums, and so do my kids, so switching it up each year keeps us from getting bored. I tried having my high schooler do TGTB HS1 and IEW Writing lessons. Whenever she would come to a writing lesson in TGTB, she would do a lesson in her IEW writing book. However, this became too much for both her and me. It was confusing. So I came up with the idea of just switching each year! Don’t feel like you have to completely stop and give up one curriculum that you love. Maybe you just need a break. Maybe you just need another format. That’s totally okay!

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I love this approach! Thank you for sharing your wisdom!!

@erinsnook8537 8 ай бұрын

14 years of homeschooling here. My advice is to Pick one thing and stick with it. Don’t combine multiple resources. There are ebbs and flows with any curriculum, but that doesn’t mean you need to change.

@ashleywalker4152 8 ай бұрын

Have fun with Launguage Arts! Book club, writing prompts, mad libs, gameschooling. Go with your kiddos' interests. You got this 🎉

@carinthiamontana7069 8 ай бұрын

Here is what I would do: I would thank the Lord for TGATB LA curriculum which was holding your hand up until now. Then, I‘d let it go.

@saharacornett4992 8 ай бұрын

Love this video! You expressed some things i have been thinking about. And i may also be having to change up some things in my daughter's language arts curriculum as well.

@alyshaschmidt535 8 ай бұрын

This is where I have found myself. We have done TGTB since the beginning, but I began to realize the writing portion was not sufficient for my reluctant writers, so we started IEW and they took off right away. But, now we are at a point where I'm wondering how much longer we will be doing TGTB as each child gets older. We're hanging on as long as we can because my boys simply enjoy doing it. I think I'm just realizing that, starting out, the TGTB curriculum is amazing and all encompassing, but as I learn more and become a more seasoned homeschool mom, I'm branching out and discovering more and better options for each season, child, and age 🤷‍♀️ So, it just comes down to watching my kids and evaluating their needs as they grow. And although sometimes it's hard to let go of long loved curriculum, seeing my children thrive, once we've found what clicks, is exciting to watch! ☺️

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I am RIGHT where you're at, Mama! You've explained it so well! Thank you for sharing!

@mommamouseschoolhouse7922 8 ай бұрын

We are literally in the same boat. My 6th grader is thriving with IEW. We have always done Evan Moore spelling so I had the realization that, wow, I'm supplementing writing, grammar, spelling, and oftentimes am choosing literature from the IEW booklist.... but I was hanging on to TGATB because I love the company so much. (We use their math, science , and younger level LA). Realistically, I need less boxes to check daily. It's an overwhelming amount to do it all of it well. If I look at the big picture, we are doing everything we need to do without including TGATB LA.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Yes!!! It's so good to know that I'm not alone in this! When you put it out there like that, it becomes clear that we are just keeping it around simply to keep it around!

@timishaflesher646 8 ай бұрын

We absolutely love TGTB LA (I majored in English and taught remedial English at the college level). I know the writing is very gentle, but I love the approach because it maintains a love of writing, while also teaching the mechanics. When I feel that writing needs a slight boost, I just add in some Evan Moor writing books, and we stay right on track with TGTB. There is a LOT of time for writing high-level essays, and high school is a great time to deep dive into writing, MLA format, and the entire process of writing certain essays, but I don’t see it as a detriment when they’re still young. I had students come to COLLEGE with absolutely no writing experience, and while it was a struggle, even the bare minimum would be more than what these people came to me with. Good luck. IEW is great, but it does create very odd writing at times, not from the heart.

@de5889 8 ай бұрын

Having used both, I agree with everything said here. And having also taught at the college level, the GATB will certainly prepare children for college. The average writing ability of college children is abysmal. Lastly, I can see the use of IEW for a child who is completely lost when it comes to writing, but otherwise I find it to be overly formulaic, producing writing that seems unnatural and forced with all users developing the same style of writing.

@connievanmeter3206 8 ай бұрын

What would you recommend for a 10th grader to build writing skills? He’s not on a 10th grade level for language arts, and really struggles with writing assignments.

@de5889 8 ай бұрын

@@connievanmeter3206 For the situation you’re describing, and for just focusing on writing, we like Writing and Rhetoric best of everything we’ve tried. It teaches skills and technique without being overwhelming. I don’t know that I’d start a 10th grader with the first book, though. For that series, you’d probably need to look into it and see what a good starting place might be. 7 Sisters also has middle school and high school writing courses that are incremental and not intimidating. If your child is needing the total package, meaning remedial help with grammar and writing (and you want them combined), maybe try a lower level (6 or 7) of the Good and the Beautiful. And I think IEW can be good for those who really struggle with writing. If your child hates writing, the IEW instructional videos could make that worse, as they can be long. But that’s just the two cents of an Internet stranger, so take it for what it’s worth. Maybe some others will jump in with their thoughts!

@connievanmeter3206 8 ай бұрын

@@de5889 thank you! I appreciate your viewpoint!

@care4teaching 8 ай бұрын

You do such a beautiful job of encouraging us to do simple homeschool. I think you know what to do. You know your family and what is serving you and what isn’t in this season! We are using Masterbooks Language Lessons Level 6, Writing Strands 2, journaling, hands on activities for spelling and loads of classic books from the library.

@SimplyLivingIt 8 ай бұрын

Girlfriend, we were in the same boat!!!!! Made the switch as my kids got older (after 4th, really) and it was the best decision for our family. I agree with others here....sounds like you are on the path to sorting it all out already! 🫶 That is beautiful! ❤ Just another tranistion of the MANY that happen with each new season in homeschooling and life! You are doing a wonderful job and I pray that the Lord continues to lead you and fill you with peace as you lean in to what works for YOUR sweet family! You are transitioning and your babies are growing! It is so beautiful to see!!!! I love you! ❤️

@rosalindreloj7928 8 ай бұрын

I am a HUGE fan of Rod and Staff. I did it in homeschool and have implemented it with my kids. They love it. It really helps with sentence structure!

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Ooh I'll keep this in mind, thank you!

@MelissaGrayum 8 ай бұрын

I think you are doing enough. 🙌🏼 A fun thing you could add if you feel you have margin is a book club. I started doing it with my oldest. Bought two books and we both are reading through the book and talking about it. Hardly any prep.

@tiffanyschmidgall5918 8 ай бұрын

You’ve got this mama! I love TGTB for my K-3 kids. Its so comprehensive. After that point I focus on writing through IEW/Fix It, and Phonetic Zoo spelling. For my family I try to focus on quality and not quantity. My kids would fatigue if I added in TGTB. If I feel like we need a bit more I’ll have them do a written narration for history. However you know your kids best; if TGTB is the icing on the cake that’s still blessing you don’t worry about what others are doing and do what works for you!😊

@Miranda-jp7eh 8 ай бұрын

Oh man I knew this video would be coming 😂 we did 2 years of Structure and Style and LOVED it so much. It does start out slow so I could see how doing both S&S and TGTB would be fine at first but not once you get farther along. My advice and what we do, is after we finished 2 levels of IEW S&S + fix it, we moved to a theme unit. We are doing ancient history writing and love it! My son had a good foundation for it and it goes much quicker so he does the non-writing portions of TGTB too. I just love how geography, art, grammar, spelling is all woven and I feel we have found the perfect mix! I would not do TGTB with S&S, imo that is a heavy load. Good luck mama whatever you choose you are doing great!!❤

@devinmarks6709 8 ай бұрын

In my opinion, you should worry less about how prepared your children will be and more concerned with whether or not they will be burned out. In my personal experience, it's easier to catch up than it is to recover from burnout.

@jessicajones611 7 ай бұрын

This. Personal experience of this. Such wise words. I wished I’d read your comment. I pushed the eldest one I homeschool and it backfired so badly. Went back to public school and now back home again, but it’s rocky still.

@alexiscook1887 8 ай бұрын

I have the same feeling about whether it is enough! If it makes you feel any better I go through a correspondence school and I asked my advisory teacher what she saw with kids who did IEW and her thoughts about IEW and she told me that it is a great very comprehensive program. I personally love BJU's reading program to supplement with IEW for a more reading focused subject since IEW is just the writing and grammar. I just don't do all the worksheets with my daughter. I just talk over comprehension with her. There's so many critical thinking skills that I see my daughter being challenged with in BJU's reading program and from a biblical worldview! We also do IEW's phonetic zoo spelling program which has been a huge hit with my kids!

@rebekahian 8 ай бұрын

This is what I have been anticipating for our future with TGTB! We love it, but looking at levels a few years from now, I can see us crossing many parts out too! Now I'm trying to figure out which level we will stop and just go with IEW. It is sad like you said! Like were mourning over a season that is over lol

@SmithsInTheMaking 5 ай бұрын

I relate to this idea of things taking up space, not doing enough, adding in extra work because of worry etc etc! For middle school my two are doing IEW writing and fix-it. One is doing a video course because he does better with that format and doing it independently and one does a themed unit. I started them both with fix it 1 in 7th (yes, I know it is for much younger, but we didn't want to miss anything!) and they complete levels 1 and 2 in 7th then complete 3 and 4 in 8th. The first two books are mostly review, so they work through it more quickly, but starting at the beginning was the best choice for really building those skills confidently. For literature I have them read books of interest and books from Bravewriter Arrows/Boomerang. We rarely do the accompanying guide, they just tend to really enjoy the BW book choices. We often don't even discuss the books and lit elements for those personal readers. I just let them enjoy reading good books! Every few months we do a family lit analysis on a read aloud, most recently was Animal Farm while we studied Russia. I often worry it isn't enough and I should add lit guides and other stuff in, but I really do think that would be for the sake of quelling my worry rather than extra stuff being valuable. You are not alone in questing EVERYTHING!

@thelittlesimplethings7842 8 ай бұрын

I love that you put out this video! last school year for my 5th grader was using the good and the beautiful for language arts in addition to other LA curriculum. I was having him do bits and pieces of TGTB. For his 6th grade year we completely dropped the good and the beautiful. I was really sad about it because we absolutely love it! but it was not serving it's purpose anymore. I wish for the older grades the good and the beautiful would separate their grammar from their writing. Because I really love their grammar but their writing is just not strong enough in my opinion. Anyways, I think that you're doing the right thing by dropping it for the older grades.

@gbcflower 8 ай бұрын

My perspective is that the purpose of language arts is communication, whether written or oral. I want my children to be able to communicate clearly and effectively and to understand other people's communication. IEW does an amazing job of teaching communication in all its forms. If you use a variety of their materials, I really think students will be well prepared for high school and beyond.

@heatherparshall-manley8693 8 ай бұрын

Sounds like you answered your own questions Mama! I think you know what you need to do and probably just needed to verbalize and process this change. Have confidence in your self and your decisions. ❤️

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! Sometimes we just need a reminder from other mamas in the same boat that we have to listen to our intuition with these things! ❤️

@mhals5251 8 ай бұрын

Wow this was us too! Love love TGTB but last year for middle school, I realized we needed to break down the subjects again. We did IEW writing, fix it grammer, and phonetic zoo, along with Christian Light Reading. This year we kept phonetic zoo, decided to a break for a year from IEW SS (dropped Fix it too) and are doing BJU English, and I gave them all a book list. Its been wonderful! I think for some seasons things work and others its ok for a change. Whatever makes the rhythm of your homeschool run smoothly.

@crystalsard 8 ай бұрын

My 6th grader is doing IEW and Fix-it Grammar and I feel like it's enough for him. I also have a 9th grader this year, and I feel like IEW and Fix-it Grammar will prepare your 13 year old for high school more than The Good and the Beautiful. I was so nervous about having a high schooler, but it's not as scary as it seems.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you SO much for this! That helps give me more confidence in this decision than you know! ❤️

@jennesset1102 8 ай бұрын

I’ve done both. Agree with this.

@aimeejohannes6713 8 ай бұрын

We have loved TGATB Language Arts and I’m still using it for my elementary kids. For my middle schooler I’ve switch to IEW writing, Fix it grammar, and Word roots. For reading, he just picks books to read. I think IEW is totally enough for a middle Schooler and we’ve been super happy with it. I plan to switch all my kids for middle school. I still love TGATB for elementary kids!

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing!!

@mm_12123 4 ай бұрын

This is the exact switch I made! I think it will be perfect for middle school.

@gabrielledrummond 8 ай бұрын

Yes! I have switched my kids to IEW and their grammar program from TGATB. I changed it to IEW/grammar as we entered quarter 2 because it felt like TGATB was too much. Also, my kids were starting to groan and complain about doing it and the last thing I want is my kids to hate any part of schooling. They are loving IEW so far! I am still having all 3 of my kids read TGATB level readers though. I will continue to do that as we move along with our year and the coming years. I love the books that TGATB provide! My oldest will be entering high school next year and I had the fear and worry if TGATB is preparing him for high school. He is so "far behind" on where he "should be" (he was on level 4 of TGATB). So I needed something easy and not overwhelming for all of them. That's where IEW came in and helped me out big time! Change is tricky, but I know it will all work out eventually. I am SO glad you made this video! You are totally not alone!!!

@lindseyhepner9018 8 ай бұрын

We love TGTB also, and use them in other subjects. This year we are using Structure and Style, Fix it Grammar, and Phonetic zoo for my 6th and 7th grader. It's such a solid program! I am confident that we will continue using IEW through Middle school and High school.

@capricebachor7632 8 ай бұрын

Hi Christy, my homeschooled children are quite young, but I still ask that, “am I doing enough?” I think it is a testimony to our desire to do well, and therefore with God’s help, we are. My mom homeschooled us all the way through, and I don’t remember copious amounts of writing. We had a good grammar program (Abeka), and writing prompts for our high school curriculum (Apologia and Sonlight). My brother graduated from college Summa Cum Laude. I went to a JC, and usually scored near top marks in my classes. I don’t remember feeling stressed by our homeschool workload, and yet we met the rigors of high school and college. We were taught to do our best, and work hard. The academics caught up with the work ethic. You’re doing well! No teacher at a traditional school could care as much for our kids as we do. I’m preaching to myself here!

@angardh 8 ай бұрын

We absolutely LOVE IEW and Fix it Grammer! It has been the best thing for our family and my son has grown a TON with his writing. We came from TGTB Language

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing!!

@keissylorini9319 8 ай бұрын

I hear you with the lack of writing fundamentals in Tgtb. My second grader is struggling with writing and I really don't want him struggle down the road with it and need to look into the writing one you recommend because I do want to establish a strong foundation. ❤

@wisdomsroad7653 8 ай бұрын

My 6th grade daughter is in her 2nd year of Fix-it-grammar and is also doing IEW's Bible-based Writing. My 8th grader also uses IEW. I love IEW Structure and Style followed by The Lost Tools of Writing, for writing. My oldest daughter graduates from college next month and is an English Minor and this is what she did(2 1/2 years of IEW Structure and Style Theme-based Writing and then 3 years of The Lost Tools of Writing(LTW)and then she had a year off of all English/Literature/Composition and then went into a year of dual enrollment at her college of choice and aced all of her English and Public Speaking Classes!

@kadieschaefer2874 8 ай бұрын

Essentials in Writing Literature and Writing or BJU Press English during the school year, and FixIt! Grammar during the summer!

@MLC.43 8 ай бұрын

Im having the same experience. I started my 2 older kids on TGTB LA this year, grades 5 and 7. I chose it because it’s so open and go and fairly independent. I felt it’d be a good one this year because I started my kindergartner officially in our homeschool so I needed some relief as I learn to juggle the third student. I found I really don’t like certain parts of TGTB so I ended up supplementing anyway and omitting those parts in TGTB. My daughter (7th) now also does the writing portion of Essentials in Writing and Abeka Spelling/Vocab. My son (5th) does an Evan Moor writing workbook and IEW Phonetic Zoo for spelling. I’m happy with those changes as they’re both excelling. My 7th grader will use the full curriculum in Essentials in Writing level 8 and Fix It Grammar 3 next year for 8th.

@mariscadenby4300 6 ай бұрын

We had the same problem with TGTB. We were using something else for writing (IEW, Powerhouse writing, Jump In, and Evan Moor depending on the child and year). I was crossing out so much that we ended up giving up on it. But I really love it, and I keep wanting to go back to it. It’s such a great curriculum! It’s so beautiful! I love how it covers so much. We left and went back a couple times and I have to remind myself again and again that it doesn’t work for us. My kids both don’t like it and it was too much skipping here and there for me. We tried HS1 as well and it just didn’t work out either. 😢. In the end I had to decide to follow what my kids do well with, and just look on from the outside while others enjoy TGTB. 🤷‍♀️

@cherietuck3528 6 ай бұрын

Seasons of homeschool will change for sure. Your mama heart knows your kids best. We all struggle with feeling if we are doing “enough” but maybe sit down and write down your overall goals for their homeschool experience and reflect back to that to help you prioritize things that will achieve those goals ♥️

@suzannearmenta8307 8 ай бұрын

We love Fix it Grammar! No sentence diagrams, but is so thorough! We use Writing and Rhetoric for writing... We love both of them!

@suzannearmenta8307 8 ай бұрын

I should add my oldest is 6th grade

@BourbonCreekCrafts 8 ай бұрын

For my 7th grader we use Fix It Grammar as well. We did IEW last year, so this year we moved to the WriteShop for writing, to introduce some different styles. And then we have a vocabulary component that we do as well.

@amandaw1901 7 ай бұрын

We switched from Gather round to Campfire Curriculum with our Brave Writer. My kids and I enjoyed it so much.

@jessicajones611 7 ай бұрын

That’s a lovely combo

@jordancanter2764 8 ай бұрын

Hey don’t feel bad at all we all have seasons where things change ! Maybe check masterbooks higher levels. They came out with materials for the later years. I don’t think it will be over doing it adding something like that where it is gentle and a different approach. You are doing great mama! I think sometimes we make others feel bad when the beauty of homeschooling is catering to our family’s needs! Lord bless y’all’s journey !

@amberjustus1093 8 ай бұрын

I’ve been there. I personally LOVE certain curriculums but had to realize that at this season we’re in, it’s not working for us. Maybe one day or for another kid at another time. But not this season. It stinks. It’s a bummer. But I get it. Also as my oldest is in college I see how important writing is. That’s all he does. That opened my eyes to push writing.

@evawebb1761 8 ай бұрын

I did the first 2 levels of fix--it with my son. He started finding it very easy, so I skipped a level. He is 13, with adhd, but he GETS fix- it. The format and quickness helps. I tried EIW too. I like it, but all the concepts are covered anyway in fix-it in the higher levels. I love IEW S and S writing too. He has done a1.5 levels. He used to hate writing. Now he loves it and does classes with an author and a group: writing a book on ZOOM WRITERS with Robin. I thank IEW and audiobooks for him loving to write now.

@terrim2448 8 ай бұрын

This is me to a T! Last year I felt writing was not clicking for my oldest (3rd grader last year) and I made the switch to IEW and it’s been so good for her. We use the theme writing course, fix it grammar and lots of independent literature, and spelling workbook and I think it’s definitely complete and she’s learned so much and it seems like the structure of it works for us so we’ll. I struggled letting go of tgtb. Again I’ve used it from preschool -level 3 in La and also have done several other subjects through them. I felt if we stopped tgtb and then went back where that puts us with levels. I find myself wondering if I keep my middle with tgtb until 4th and move to Iew. I also feel so much about letting go of something I like but also opening our hearts to something else that is also good! History is the other subject I struggle with because so many history curriculums are 4 year cycles and I want to follow through and I just can’t commit to one. So definitely on the struggle bus deciding between notgrass, mystery of history, a gentle feast, story of the world…. All that I really like. Praying for you to have the wisdom and discernment in making decisions for your family moving on.

@momoflittleladies 8 ай бұрын

I feel this so much- I was up to 2:30am looking at curriculum 🥴 We have used Abeka videos for language arts foreverrrr… my oldest is in 7th.. but honestly I think we might try BJU videos for English. Not only do we need a change it would be nice to have something cheaper, shorter screen time and a slower place. In addition to the English stress we started Notgrass this year and 10 weeks in we all hate it 😐 I just listed the books on eBay and plan to order Masterbooks again.. Thanks so much for making feel these changes are okay - so thankful for your videos. Post more videos - even DITL ones because you help me to stay sane 😂

@momoflittleladies 8 ай бұрын

Your comments at the end of why someone stays with a curriculum is exactly why we have been with Abeka for this long.. the good memories, what the company stands for and the beliefs. Besides cost (they are twice the cost of BJU now 😩) Abeka is just long… all the middle school clssses are 45+ minutes long then my daughter has to do homework. It’s not as easy to skip ahead, adjust or double lessons like it was in Elementary. After this year we will probably try BJU English with her, if it goes well then I may try other classes!

@heidig8739 8 ай бұрын

We had this same experience between 3rd and 4th grade. I just had crossed out too many portions of TGTB LA so this year (4th grade) I decided just to cut the cord with TGTB. And we loved TGTB our first two years of homeschool. We still use their math and science though.

@clairetillman 8 ай бұрын

I understand how you feel. My 6th grader is getting slightly burnt out on writing which is sad because she’s an excellent writer. We don’t use IEW or Good and the Beautiful for her. We use the Tan Book mixed with Spectrum worksheets for supplement (she likes worksheets but we come from a public school background). We also rotate in Writing and Rhetoric lessons once a month which is fun because it brings together different aspects of English Literature and its history in ways that the Tan Book misses. Next year I’d like to try IEW. We are in a special place where my daughter is learning how to take my correction in grammar. This has been difficult for us. That’s another subject.

@anyacali377 8 ай бұрын

My 5th grader is using TGTB 5 and IEW Structure and Style with Fix it Grammar. At the beginning of the year we tried to do it all and just skip the writing portion in TGTB but I quickly realized that was too much so now we alternate weeks. We’ll do 2-3 weeks of IEW with Fix it Grammar and then we both need a break from it and work on one unit in TGTB for 2-3 weeks. I will only have him work on IEW until after state testing season, then we’ll pause it for the rest of the school year and finish TGTB.

@montanez6860 8 ай бұрын

This is our first year homeschooling and I had my 6th grade daughter using TGTB LA curriculum. About six weeks in I got ride of that and had her start using IEW and FixIt Grammar. I just graduated college and my husband is still going. I knew that from our college experience that there was definitely not enough writing practice in TGTB curriculum. I also make sure she reads a lot and we do a lot of reading aloud. Read Aloud Revival Family Bookclub is what we use to make sure she has good reading and reading comprehension skills.

@lmatson7936 8 ай бұрын

We have used TGTB most years with my children. I really like it, but not all my children thrive well with it. The writing was one thing i thought was somewhat lacking in instruction, at least for my children. So anyway last year we did IEW for 3 of mine, with fix it grammar and Easy grammar(i know its the mom struggle...is it enough?). We didnt do TGTB. This year back to TGTB and to help my children retain what they learned in IEW i am having them use the IEW outline and checklist method when they do their TGTB writing projects. So far its working well. Maybe I will do what another post suggested and do IEW and TGTB every other year, I kind of like that idea. Thanks for the video and the encouragement to not try do it all just because we like it all.

@myshaharmon6808 8 ай бұрын

I had the same troubles you had and even went through the same process that you are slowly transitioning from TGATB to IEW by omitting writing from TGATB. What I found is that TGATB is great for elementary school and making the switch to IEW for middle school is appropriate. Aside from the writing, by middle school we move away from spelling practice and move on to vocabulary and other weaknesses that might be there. For example, my son is a natural speller, so in middle school I got him IEW writing and grammar but got additional vocabulary and homophone workbooks to made sure he keeps up those skills. All that to say…I would look at each individual child and see what their weakness is and focus on that as the “addition” to IEW grammar and writing. For my son, it was vocabulary and homophones. For another child it might be spelling and handwriting. But the “additional” items are quick easy workbooks to just make sure that the skills are practiced and not lost until you feel that they are confident enough in that skill to transition it out. I hope this helps!

@Amandaw0604 8 ай бұрын

Homeschool mama for our 4th year. My oldest is in 8th grade and we do fix it grammar, masterbooks writing strands for the extra practice (1 worksheet a day) and TGTB book studies. We’ve gone away from TGTB and we always come back every single year because it just works for my eldest.

@sarasali3077 8 ай бұрын

I also think you answered your own question ❤ trust your gut mama!

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I think you are right! ❤️❤️

@ceifaci 8 ай бұрын

I have gone back and forth about Good and Beautiful LA writing about too.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

So good to know there are many of us in the same boat! ❤️

@TheHouseofHillman 8 ай бұрын

Hi! I watched another mom’s video not too long ago. Her daughter is in college now. She used IEW writing for middle school, and then went back to TGATB in high school. She thought IEW was good for teaching writing, but the high school TGATB reading/writing in prepared her well for the different styles of college papers. I’ll see if I can link the video.

@AmajDesignsCo 8 ай бұрын

For my kids personally my son just started using Tgatb level 2 and it's working great for my reluctant reader and writer. For my 9th grader it wasn't a good fit in the past in for his 7th or 8th so I never bought it for him until he tried the highschool 1 for Tgatb it's now a good fit! But IEW structure and style was not, and he really didn't like it at all he did like the stories just not the format of the curriculum, but he still uses fix it grammer which we love 😅 l ol I'm telling you this because it literally is different for each and every child! So do what feels right for your children mama. You got this! ❤🙏

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing! It is so true that it's vastly different for each individual child! ❤️

@Goodtimes523 8 ай бұрын

Hello! I went through the same thing last year with my older son who is in grade 5. We use TGTB in our home. However, I noticed I level 3 that it wasn’t working for him anymore. But I continued with it until he finished level4. And as hard as it was, I made a switch. This year we are using IEW and he loves it! He doesn’t mind writing anymore We also use fix it gramma. Also, we use memoria press for novel studies. My younger son still uses TATB as it still works for him.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!!

@KarenTaggart 8 ай бұрын

My daughter is also in 7th grade and has been doing TGTB LA for a few years now. We also love it! But we had been skipping the writing for the most part (not because it wasn't good, but because my daughter fought it so much and just wasn't ready for it yet). I knew we needed to hit writing this year, so I added IEW. Her writing growth has been amazing already! We don't do Fix It Grammar since we've kept TGTB so far. This match-up is working for us at this point. We'll likely do the same for next year (8th grade) since IEW is a 2 year course (I think??). I do know that Ashlee at Grace & Grit has only used TGTB for all 4 kids and she believes their writing lessons are robust enough that you don't need anything more. We just weren't doing those lessons, so maybe that's true! :) Ugh! Now I'm wondering if we should try Fix It Grammar and stop using TGTB next year? Either way I know our girls will do great and be just fine!

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I know so many who use TGTB all the way through and their kids are thriving! It always come down to what is working for each individual child - I think if what you're using is working for you guys, you shouldn't feel the need to stray!! ❤️❤️

@tanyavanotterloo824 8 ай бұрын

We love IEW!

@karlawalker8637 8 ай бұрын

Throughout my homeschool journey I have learned that there is no one size fits all. Different pieces work for my kids and each kid has a different fit. TGTB we love the booster cards. Those have made the biggest difference for some of my kids and I feel like they take more from that than the lessons. So we only do that. I like to teach the handwriting through logic of English. Grammer I use something different. We have a different writing activity every day. As my daughter gets older we have been working towards moving away from a “curriculum” and doing more book based learning for language arts. We are currently in the process of restructuring our entire homeschool plan.

@jessi4692 8 ай бұрын

We used TGTB for years but switched to Abeka videos for 6th and my kids have improved SO much. It is absolutely amazing what they have learned. Huge chunks of Bible verses, every single US president (at 8 years old), all of the provinces in Canada just to name a few and they throughly ENJOY the video classes. So it’s been a HUGE win for our family of 7.

@jessi4692 8 ай бұрын

We did IEW last year as well and while I love the curriculum, Abeka feels much more put together in explanations overall. That goes for the videos, not necessarily the parent led curriculum.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Oh wow, this is amazing!! 💕

@elenahajda9291 8 ай бұрын

Do you use Abeka Academy for grade 2 or 3? I'm thinking to switch, how long does it take to complete videos every day?

@jessi4692 8 ай бұрын

@@elenahajda9291 I have kids using it for 1st, 4th and 6th. They are finished everyday with everything before lunch. They start around 730-8, finish before 11.

@elenahajda9291 8 ай бұрын

@jessi4692 oh my, that's so good. I'm switching for next year. This year we've got goodandbeautiful and i see it is not enough, I already switched my daughter to Abeka Academy Math and it works so much better than TGTB.

@laboome531 8 ай бұрын

I'm on the fence about the LA program in its totality. My kids are only Level 1, but I honestly love the reading portion of it.The rest of it, I would be ok with skipping for now LOL. I was skeptical of the spiral math at first, but I have been pleasantly surprised at the skill building and confidence they've gained from it. Our hybrid co-op exclusively uses it for LA and Math and I worry that as the kids get older, we may prefer something else and may not be able to attend our co-op that we love so much.

@Broy513 6 ай бұрын

I had your exact panic/realization in level 1 with my oldest. I had to start adding in spelling because their spelling wasn’t great. Then I added in more writing because there was close to no writing. Then I looked around and realized that the only reason we were using TGTB was for my comfort. Once I let go and started using other things, homeschooling got so much better. My oldest is now in 4th grade and uses Fix It! And Phonetic zoo from IEW and Evan moor for writing and I feel like IEW is definitely robust enough. We will probably switch to their writing program at some point as well.

@jessicanix5315 8 ай бұрын

Yes, I love The Good and The Beautiful LA and Math. It worked perfectly when we first started but my now 6th grader started disliking it because of the repetition and “fluff”. He just wanted to get to the point. We tried IEW this year and he’s been liking it a little better. He has ADHD so sometimes he has a hard time focusing on the video lessons but I listen in and make sure he’s getting the main points of the lessons. I feel like it’s enough for LA. We still use The Good and The Beautiful for science but we are still trying to figure out math. In the meantime he’s doing every day math like budgeting, shopping, cooking. Things like that for now.

@kt7186 8 ай бұрын

I’m in the exact same boat! We’re also using IEW, Fix It, and have loved pairing it with TG&TB LA for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade… but this year in 6th… it’s not working as well. 😕 My 6th grader is reading aloud to me occasionally and listening to the audiobook, but I wouldn’t have paid for the curriculum if I had known I would be omitting so much of it in favor of IEW. I wish TG&TB L6 had more art and culture/geography studies. I may discontinue it after Christmas.🤔

@MichelleBrebrich 8 ай бұрын

My daughter is also 13 but in grade 8 and she is doing their book studies which has been great but she’s also doing Fix It Grammar because the book studies are quite light in work load in every way but I’m happy to do them both and feel good about that for this year. I wouldn’t continue another year with this light load though as I’d feel it wouldn’t be enough going forward.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing!!

@LifeintheMundane 8 ай бұрын

Try out Redefining school for your middle schooler it’s incredible and helps with literature studies

@gracecoffeeandchaos.3446 8 ай бұрын

We did IEW last year for my son who was 8th grade, and I was so insanely impressed. This year, I'm pregnant with baby #5, and we started with IEW for my son, but he was just struggling, so we switched to TGTB. (Mainly because he has so many online courses & he would rather not do everything online & I'm having a hard time keeping up with all of the things. My kiddo was relieved for a break from IEW, but last year improved his writing SO MUCH. I'm the opposite, I have used TGTB for Science since year 1, but we've used Abeka, BJU, and IEW for Language & finally settled on TGTB for Language for my younger kiddos, and IEW for my older son- just to also switch him to TGTB. 😂😂 I love both. They're solid & beautiful & I love them. I think either one is wonderful on its own & together they would be too much. (That said, my 3rd grader is doing both TGTB & Fix-It Grammar & it's perfect for him!)

@jzadory87 8 ай бұрын

Wow, this video came in good timing. My fifth grader love TGTB because of the integration of history with language arts and geography with math. However, I’m noticing we both want to skip the writing portion because he’s not a confident writer. I’ll have to consider trying IEW. Thank you!

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

This is why I share our journey every step of the way! I'm so glad we can glean ideas from one another! ❤️

@SydneynewbornphotosAuvp 8 ай бұрын

You can also try memoria press classical composition it’s similar to structure and style, cheaper and lessons are shorter than sas

@CP-fo5sy 8 ай бұрын

We use Queen Homeschool Language Lessons series once a week to bring a Charlotte Mason flavor to LA. Lessons are short and sometimes we skip the writing assignments. For middle school I would add some sort of literature component to prepare for high school literature analysis. Christian Light Reading 6 is our current one, but we skip the comprehension and vocabulary exercises and just use it for the literary analysis introduction. Also, each child has an independent reading book that we discuss sometimes.

@katieb9312 8 ай бұрын

We use both Queen’s LL and Christian Light’s Reading (with some sections skipped too)! Love them both. I also use Spelling Power which is five minutes a day. We are approaching middle school next year and may take a writing course here and there. Queen’s LL is so quick so I don’t feel the load would be too much either.

@kimberlyanderson547 2 ай бұрын

Late to the party, but I’m not like super in TgATB, not even religious, but there’s something about it I’ve enjoyed. The format is easy to follow and it is advanced in my opinion with what it teaches. We stopped for my daughter’s 6th grade as I didn’t love the literature choices. We took 6th grade as a review year. We’ve done Beowulf, fix it grammar, phonetic zoo and IEW SS. We’ve enjoyed it, but there’s still that tug of is this advanced enough. It’s been a lesson in letting go.

@mamalu979 8 ай бұрын

I have a 6th grader - we’re in our second year of IEW and Fix It Grammar. I decided to just stick to IEW and self-selected novels this year. She chooses her novel from a bunch I’ve preselected and we keep a Charlotte Mason style notebook with sections for: -Vocabulary (self-selected, based on words she comes across when she’s reading that she doesn’t know), -Copywork (sections with great literary elements selected by me), -Narration (usually a summary of the story when complete or an important section from the story, sometimes a journal prompt), and -Literary Skill (here I choose 1-2 skills per week - like symbolism, authors purpose, metaphors, onomatopoeia, etc - and have her write to identify it or explain how a section I choose has that literary device). We use Big Fat English Notebook to reference the lit skills in this last tab. She also uses Word Roots for vocab/Latin roots and we keep a simple spelling notebook with words she spells wrong in her writing. I have her identify the spelling rule in the word and she practices writing the words in sentences. I like our combo this year, but have considered looking at Oak Meadow, CLE, or using the literature from IEW for the reading/lit portion of English. I think we’ll stick with IEW for awhile though. All that to say, I still use TGTB with my 2nd grader and he’s thriving too!

@AngelHawksUnhingedCreativePlan 8 ай бұрын

I have a 7th grader. We are using IEW History based writing and Fix it grammar. We will be continuing the fix it grammar all the way through high school. Next year, we are going to use the Lost Tools of Writing because it focuses on persuasive writing which IEW doesn't cover. But we have been using IEW for the past 3 years.

@discoveringaneducatedlife6941 8 ай бұрын

I think that since The Good and the Beautiful is a complete program you probably don’t need it if you are already piecing out the writing and grammar section so I guess the question you can ask yourself is, do you find something that TGATB is giving that they don’t get somewhere else? If it’s the geography find something else you love for that. If it’s the systemic grammar find a grammar workbook that is easier to implement on your schedule. If you feel like reading or literature is something you want from them, try some book studies from another source or Teaching the Classics from IEW. I think it’s really difficult to use an all in one program once we start using individual courses in that subject area. I hope that helps. I find myself with these issues frequently.

@kimberlymerriam 8 ай бұрын

My highschooler (10th grade) has and is still using TGTB for LA. However, next year we're switching to BJU Press American Lit, and Bristish Lit for her 12th grade. We'll also hand pick some of the TGTB honors book studies that coordinate with American and British Lit, repectfully. My 3rd grader was using TGTB for LA but I found that the spiral approach is definitely not her learning style. BJU is more traditional and that works better for her. It has all of the elements one would come to expect from a well rounded LA curriculum.

@pamelastansbury1407 3 ай бұрын

I am going to be 65 this year, with a three year old granddaughter to help homeschool.. LOL .... I homeschooled my sons half their school life... Things are so much better these days as far as support and resources we didn't have then. I am looking at Simply Charlotte Mason, TGAB, and IEW ... but she is only about to turn 3.. I am researching early..Just praying I live long enough to do this... But, there is nothing more I would love to do. Watching as many vids as I can... and all the more options make it more difficult.. Maybe give something else a try if you feel led. You can always go back.

@lesliehoward887 8 ай бұрын

Amen

@dianne5031 8 ай бұрын

Essential In Writing (EIW) is a great curriculum. 😊

@Mare00711 8 ай бұрын

We are not at your grade level yet. We have used timberdoodles Mosdos Press Literature. We have really enjoyed that literature with a grammar and writing on the side. My goal is to use iew, fix it grammar and a literature program for our language arts portion of homeschool when the kids are at the right age. I should note that we used All about reading/ spelling and never used tgtb language arts due to the fact i felt i would have to pick and choose what to do each day since we had the reading and spelling covered.

@arenee0306 8 ай бұрын

I am having similar struggles. I’m learning that the day doesn’t have to be packed to be effective. Maybe right now, IEW is all you guys need! ❤ Or go through the scope and sequence for TGTB and just pick the topics you feel would be beneficial to add in?

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I like that idea! That's sort of what we are doing as of now, but it'd be nice to pre-map what we do in TGTB instead of taking it day-by-day!

@walnutgrove9533 8 ай бұрын

I this is our first year using both IEW (Structure and Style and Fit-It Grammar) and TGTB (long time TGTB users) with my 6th grader. I plan to use IEW throughout the first half of our year and then move to TGTB so we get the fullness and focus of both curriculums.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

That is a great idea, thank you for sharing!

@walnutgrove9533 8 ай бұрын

Thank you, we’ll see how it goes! 😊 It’s hard to let go of something that had been such a blessing to us throughout our homeschool journey. I really relate to your perspective in this video!

@whitneydeloera3878 8 ай бұрын

For my 6th grader I tried to make TGTB, IEW, and Fix it work. Unfortunately we had to let go of TGTB. For LA my 6th grader does IEW, fix it, Spelling you see, and she does a book club on Outschool with Mary Hanna Wilson. Her year is going wonderful. My younger 2 are still using TGTB so I am glad that it still has a place in our homeschool. Could you please tell me how Notgrass FATU is going for your family? My 6th grader is using it. I love Notgrass but we are struggling a bit with FATU, but I am not ready to give up on it.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I am so glad to hear her set-up is the right one!! FATU is one that we have spread over the past few years because it is a LOT! I love the curriculum so much, and find the information wonderful, but it is a lot of reading and comprehension for my kids at this point.

@elyzaiusan5077 8 ай бұрын

My lower elementary kids are using TGTB language arts and my 6th grader doesn't. She's using IEW, Fix It Grammar, All About Spelling, Root Words for vocabulary, & reading chapter books for her language arts. I plan to take younger my kids off TGTB language arts around 4th grade and switch them to what my middle schooler is using.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

This is reassuring, thank you for sharing!!

@brittanyedwards3293 8 ай бұрын

I used TGTB and IEW last year. I agree that it was too much to do both programs together. However, IEW really doesn’t have any reading comprehension/literature analysis. We dropped IEW this year and stuck with just TGTB. Next year, we’re going to do IEW and a couple of the TGTB book studies. I feel like IEW is extremely repetitive, so I don’t mind skipping a year. I’ve considered looking into other programs as well, though 😬

@NicoleCC21 8 ай бұрын

We just stopped TGTB and are just using Essentials in Writing for grammar and writing in addition to novel studies from Teachers Pay Teachers. Follow your gut as you are doing enough. You can always come back to TGTB for high school.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Thank you!! 💕

@hg8247 7 күн бұрын

Ugh! I am in the same place. We use EIW and a separate spelling along with TGTB. Last year I crossed so much out and this year I am not sure what to do. I love some the art and geography in level 5 but I just don't know if it is worth the extra work. I just feel like we would be missing out on something if we cut TGTB.

@michellebatac1336 8 ай бұрын

I am planning to switch my kids from TGTB LA to IEW for middle school. My oldest is doing level 4 TGTB and we hate the writing lol it’s awful for my son. So now I’m planning to do TGTB through level 3 for LA then do the switch. I do have one kiddo that a gifted learner and switched him to LLATL Orange and he loves it. I’d say you kinda answered your own questions, just dump the LA, it’s ok!

@peachy_reina 8 ай бұрын

We tried IEW and Fix It last year after sticking with a box curriculum for years...i switched from IEW this year and regret it. We'll be going back. Trust your gut . It's not like you couldn't go back to TGTB if need be in the future

@bryndendevenny9875 2 ай бұрын

It doesn't look like you've updated what you've decided to go with for Language Arts! I'm in the same boat! I love the good and the beautiful for my younger kids, but we've been using IEW for my grades 4-6 and I'm just not sure what the best option for grammar/spelling/novel studies to go with it is! Did you come to any conclusions?? Would love an update!

@jessicafalcon4642 3 ай бұрын

Hi! What I do once my girls hit 6th grade I use BJU ENGLISH then maybe depending on the kid once they hit HIGH SCHOOL I come back to the good and the beautiful high school 1 or just keep going with BJU🌷

@jessicafalcon4642 3 ай бұрын

CLE is also Súper recommended 🌷

@katielindsey4481 8 ай бұрын

I think TGTB is great for littles but we’re switching to IEW in January for my 4th grader. TGTB just isn’t a good fit for her anymore.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I am praying IEW is a blessing to you!!

@Olivia52467 8 ай бұрын

I have an 11th grader, 8th grader, and 6th grader who are all doing IEW and fix it grammar. I think it’s enough 👍

@HSHeart723 8 ай бұрын

I'm no help on this one, all my kids are elementary school grades. We too Love TGTB but I almost went elsewhere for myv3rd grader because he was struggling. That was right when they came out with their new curriculum for LA and I gave it one more shot. He now Loves LA, I'm Sooo grateful! No shame in doing what works for your family!

@ashleyacosta3149 8 ай бұрын

We switched from TGTB to bju. I felt like TGTB was not enough. We really like bju but it doesn’t have a ton of writing in the 7th grade LA. I think I will stick with BJU and add in 7sisters homeschool writing curriculum

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

I have heard some amazing things about 7Sisters! I was looking into their financial literacy course!

@ashleyacosta3149 8 ай бұрын

I was looking at that too. The literature units look great also.

@amberjustus1093 8 ай бұрын

Also…. For my 8th grader she struck up uses IEW. FOR MY 6th grader she just needs more than IEW. So we use TGATB for grammar ONLY! Which makes lessons short. Then I add homeschool in a box literature study which slows the writing process down a bit which is what that kid needs. Also look at the younger IEW those are amazing at breaking ground work for the upper writing levels.

@jerilyn-ourhomeschooltable 8 ай бұрын

My opinion on this is that you should cut out TGATB for your two older kids. IEW SS and Fix It Grammar are enough. You’ve seen progress/improvement so you know it works. If they are reading good books at their level then they’re also getting vocabulary just through reading. I have kind of changed to a “less is more” approach because it allows us to really focus on what we are using. ❤

@hg8247 8 ай бұрын

I worry about the g&b la but iew seams so confusing Nf overwhelming. I am not a strong writer so I keep going back to it. We tried to dip our toes in with fix it because it is a costly program and found that lacking also. Maybe because that is all we had but I felt like it didn't really teach you how to do anything. I felt like it was just practice and the parents guide was your answer key. I am not sure if we were doing wrong. Ex they were to mark love as a noun but it didn't explain why that was a noun. The G/B actually had a lesson on abstract nouns and what they were. I guess is that stuff they teach in the videos and we just need to get the entire program?

@amandaslabaugh42 6 ай бұрын

I felt the exact same way about TGTB LA, but I knew my oldest needed help w/ writing & that help was not coming from TGTB LA like I wanted. This is what I have been using for LA for my middle schooler for a few years now… 🌟IEW Structure & Style (writing) 🌟IEW Fix It Grammar (grammar) 🌟Generations Literature sets (reading & comprehension) 🌟ACE Word Building (spelling & vocab)

@SchoolingwiththeCools 8 ай бұрын

My kids are 4th and 6th grade right now and I was actually thinking of using both of those for next year. I see perks in different areas for mixing curriculum but I totally understand not wanting to overload them. Right now we are using TGATB along with Reader's in Residence but I want to focus more on writing next year. If you decide to drop TGATB I think you should still add in some literature studies.

@jennythomas3985 8 ай бұрын

Maybe try Saxon Grammar or just do Fix It

@Sdewebb 8 ай бұрын

I did wonder if you'd drop TGTB in favor of IEW. You seemed so excited about IEW and it is covering boxes you don't have covered in TGTB. I don't have a middle schooler. But I'd say that I agree with you that writing is significantly more important in middle school and I'd prioritize that as well. TGTB is great for new homeschoolers but I skip art history stuff and geography sometimes because it's just a waste of time in our LA school book. It seems that there are so many extras in TGTB but that is a draw back because it interferes with the quality of TGTB LA in and of itself. I've considered adding in IEW for my 4th grader. I don't think the writing and grammar portion is enough for her. The writing is solely copying someone else's work. That is concerning to me.

@OneBlessedMess 8 ай бұрын

Yes, I found the writing in TGTB seemed to be lacking in that way! I also agree that TGTB is a terrific curriculum to dip your feet into homeschooling because it is so gentle, but robust. As we have found our footing, I have noticed less of a need for the art portions, too! I'm grateful they're in there for families who need those areas covered, but I've noticed us x'ing more and more out. 😬