Fix It! Grammar Gets the Job Done! {A Grammar-in-15-Minutes-a-Day Review}

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

If you've got a student who needs to bone up on grammar, vocabulary, and writing, but is not an English aficionado, Fix It! Grammar by the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) can help.

My eldest son is not a fan of English these days and needed as pain-free a push as possible to:

• improve his grasp on grammar.
• focus on expanding his vocabulary.
• and encourage him to write legibly and well by hand.

So, when I saw an opportunity for us to review the latest edition of IEW's Fix It! Grammar, Level 5, The Frog Prince, I jumped at the chance.

In the past, an older version of Fix It! Grammar's, Robin Hood had been working well for my son until he lost his copy of the student book, got out of the habit of using the program, and threw his focus into other studies and projects. So, I knew the format of the fourth edition Fix It! Grammar books could work for us if I could just get my son to buy in to putting effort in.

Praise God! I gave enough of a carrot for my son to try The Frog Prince (telling him he could be done with grammar if he finished the book) and the ease and efficiency of the Fix It! Grammar program has been doing the rest.

This Grammar Curriculum Works for My Son!

Here is what my son had to candidly say about his experience with The Frog Prince  so far:

All high schoolers have that one subject they struggle with. For me that is English. I have tried multiple different approaches to studying the subject, few of which have been effective long-term for me. 

When my mother saw the review for IEW’s Fix It! Grammar, The Frog Prince, she decided to accept it. I had no say in the matter, which was probably for the best since I do not like English these days. 

As my mother handed me The Frog Prince, she told me to do it, and I would be done with grammar for high school. So, after some short-lived obstinance, I gave in and started working through the book. 

Even though I was not enthusiastic about working on English, I soon grew to appreciate how little effort I had to put in while still getting effective results. With just about 15 minutes a day, I was improving enough to get my mother off my back about how bad my English skills were, which was a sweet relief. In fact, I would even spend longer on some days just to get ahead. 

It has worked beautifully since Fix It! allows for self-pacing. All I had to do was complete editing a section on my own.

 

Then, during a 1:1 lesson, my mother would go through and check it. After that, I would copy the piece with correct spelling, grammar, and such. 

 

I have also learned some interesting vocabulary while using the book, which is a nice thing to be able to flex on my friends. 

Overall, I would say Fix It! Grammar has allowed me to do what I like to do: control my lessons and pace myself. It is easy to use and works well. I would definitely recommend it. 

My only complaint is that the version of The Frog Prince used is not the original, but one obviously adapted for this curriculum. You can not win them all I guess. 

Anyhow, that's all I have for today. Until the next time my mother decides to make me write a review...

As you can see, even though my son is not an English nor a review-writing enthusiast, he can see the merit of IEW's Fix It! Grammar, Level 5, The Frog Prince. What a victory!

Fix It! Grammar's 4th Edition Makes Language Arts Even Easier than Earlier Editions Did!

I like the fourth edition of Fix It! Grammar even more than I liked earlier editions of the program. The new editions have larger fonts, more white space, and more examples on the Learn It pages than prior editions Student Book pages did, which is something I always look for since my second child benefits from white space and larger fonts!

Each "day" of the lessons also has its own page now with a handy checklist at the top, a large-font passage to edit, and lines for rewriting the passage right on the page. This makes the proven method of Fix It! Grammar even more user-friendly for students. (Prior editions, as you can see in the side-by-side picture below, had passages for each day of a lesson week on the same page.)

There are also some fabulously user-friendly features in the new 205-page, lay-flat, spiral bound, softcover Student Book design which make it even better:

• an instruction page.
• a clear scope and sequence that shows which weeks introduce and reinforce specific concepts
• a vocabulary chart.
• a table of contents.
• teaching pages.
• pages where students read, maker, fix, and rewrite passages.
• an appendix with the complete story.
• appendix pages where students can collect lists of strong verbs, quality adjectives, and -ly adverbs.
  

• appendix pages to help identify and review pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, clauses, phrases, and sentence openers.

I liked Fix It! Grammar student books before, but now am even more impressed by them!

The 4th edition Teacher Manual is also well-designed. It corresponds page-by-page, lesson-by-lessons with the Student Book and includes everything a parent - or self-correcting student - needs to correct each lesson quickly.  It also includes information for downloading other free resources and contains a full Glossary. So, whether you are an English lover or not, you can easily use the Teacher Manual with success.

In addition, you can get thirty full-color, laminated, Fix It! Grammar Cards, which we also received. These support the Student Book by highlighting key concepts and can be used by students who like flashcards for quick reference, memory, and games. A digital list of games and activities for the cards can be accessed online. 

My son chose not to use the cards, but I have looked them over and plan to use them with my middle child when she is ready for them since she tends to like flashcards and games. They will be a handy, fun tool to use with her.

What I Appreciate about Home Learning with IEW's Fix It! Grammar

IEW's Fix It! Grammar, Level 5, The Frog Prince is a clear win in my home! My son appreciates that it is self-paced, easy, effective, and - as he so bluntly put it - gets me off his back. 

I like that, as Fix It! Grammar always has, the fourth edition works as an off-screen, open-and-go, full-year grammar curriculum that can be done in about 1/4 of an hour a day. I also love the new design of the curriculum which makes it even more user-friendly than prior editions. 

IEW has most certainly taken a good thing - its FIX IT! Grammar curriculum - and made it even better with its 4th edition. Whether students re just starting out with grammar or are at higher level, I recommend Fix It! Grammar. With six levels of user-friendly options this homeschool curriculum can help students at varying levels to learn grammar in context, improve editing skills, and transfer grammar and vocabulary concepts to improve writing.

Learn More

You can find our past IEW reviews by browsing here. 

Also, be sure to click over to the Homeschool Review Crew to find links to current blog, video, and social media reviews from families that have recently been using Levels 1-5 of the six-level Fix It! Grammar program.

You might also want to connect with the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) on social media.

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What a Helpful 2-in-1 Resource for Essay Writing, Style and Usage! {An Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers Review}

Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Do you have a middle school or high school student who could benefit from a writing reference resource which is comprehensive yet offers clear, concise explanations and examples?

The Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers from Everyday Education could be just what you are looking for.

We have recently had the opportunity to review this 400+-page reference guide, which addresses essay writing, including style, grammar, usage, and punctuation, and is effectively two books in one.

The first "book" introduces and details essays and arguments. It devotes over 200 pages to illuminating for students how to structure an effective essay, emphasizing that a thesis must be "arguable" - not simply a point of fact or an opinion most already agree with.

Part One then takes students through the "anatomy" of an essay step by step, explaining how to write paragraphs that define terms, give background information, provide details examples, etc.
 discussion of essays arguments and more.

Through clear examples and exercise, Part One can truly help students craft effective and passionate arguments in clear and engaging writing. 

The second "book" of the Handbook is a style and usage guide. It includes more than 200 pages that offer tips and guidelines for grammar and word usage, covering spelling, punctuation, parallel structure, formatting, APA and MLA guidelines, and so much more - all listed in an extensive table of contents explained clearly with effective example, and numbered by paragraph for easy reference.

Together, the two-books-in-one work as a thorough teaching and reference tool which is designed to be used with high school through college students, yet is written and organized in such a way that it can he helpful for eager middle school students, parents, tutors, and teachers, too, I believe.

Middle school and high school students can take a break from other ELA studies to use the Handbook to fill in gaps in knowledge and to learn how to write strong essays. They can also use the reference in tandem with other resources, checking style, grammar, and usage points in the Handbook as they move through other curricula. 

College students can access the reference to tighten and improve their writing. They can also take comfort in knowing that by looking up key points in this vetted Handbook rather than, say, some random article they find on Google, they are getting sound examples and explanations.

Parents, teachers, and tutors can use the rubric in the Handbook to grade and give feedback to students. They can also direct students to specific numbered sections of the Handbook to review specific points. Plus, they can use the material in the Handbook to improve their own writing.

Most definitely,  I see the Handbook as a guide that can help students (and grown-ups) now, and also for years to come.

How Have We Been Using the Handbook?

I have been browsing the Handbook to become familiar with al of its parts so I can use portions of it to direct all three of my children to as I edit and evaluate their writing.

I have also been using the book as my high school age son's current ELA studies. Having had him fail to fully utilize other writing resources he has begun, I have opted to use this one together with him during 1:1's.

Basically, we read portions of it together, do the exercises in them aloud, and discuss examples. I also use the Handbook as a reference when I see mistakes and areas of improvement in my son's creative writing.

My Son's Thoughts

When I asked my son for a few words for this review he said:

When you first told me we would begin work with this Handbook, I thought, "Whatever." I have begun a multitude of writing programs - especially about essays - but never finished one, because they tend to bore me. I prefer creative writing, particularly writing fantasy tales. 

Since then, we have taken time to sit together, read this, and do the exercises out loud, and I think the Handbook is well written, besides its overuse of the words "very", "really", and other such weak words.

 

I would recommend this Handbook to others.

My son also made me smile at the end of our 1:1 the other day, when, after balking at having to come do the 1:1, he said, "Mom, this Handbook is good. It makes sense." 

I am glad it is working for him!

My Thoughts

My son, who loves to write fantasy fiction and does so well, still has much room to grow in writing nonfiction pieces. He also has always had trouble formulating clear, interesting theses and following them with on-point and effective arguments.

As we've been moving through Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers, I am seeing his understanding of how to craft persuasive writing grow.

I appreciate that the Handbook is part teaching tool and part ready reference. It does well encompassing many aspects of style, grammar, and usage and I like that it:

• teaches how to construct logical, engaging arguments for essays, debates, and research papers
• dives into different ways to organize essays and literary critiques, from research papers to narratives, outlining essential components for each.
• offers images, outlines, examples, and more to drive home ideas.
  
  
  
• offers a thorough treatment of paragraph structure, teaching about transitional words interpreting evidence, paragraph coherence, and more.
• discusses how to read and write thoughtfully about literature including Shakespeare, classics, short stories, poetry, etc.
• presents how to use inductive and deductive reasoning.
• gives topic sentence outline examples for papers across curricula.
• is organized with numbered paragraphs in the grammar and usage portion
• provides multiple examples and exercises
• goes over basics such as phrases, clauses, and dependent clauses, confusing words, etc.
  

There truly is much "meat" in this 2-for-1 Handbook.

The only things I have not liked so far are the overuse of unnecessary words such as "really", the lack of an index, and the fact that I don't have a physical copy of the book.

To this last point, we  received a PDF edition of 

Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers and, although it is handy to have it available on my computer so that no one can misplace it around the house, I find myself missing the ability to pick up a print copy to flip through. Thus, I would recommend that if you - like me - prefer to have your reference resources in a physical format, it might be worthwhile to get the print version of this resource.

The Handbook for Writers Excellence in Literature is available in both print and ebook.

You'll find a complete list of contents and more information on the Handbook page at the Everyday Education website and, I believe, will find this Handbook an excellent resource for writing!

Learn More

More than 25 Homeschool Review Crew families have been using the Handbook for Writers Excellence in Literature. Click on through to find links to video, social media and blog reviews.

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Can You Really Teach Grammar, Vocabulary, and Writing in 15 Minutes a Day? {A Fix It! Grammar Review}

What kind of program can get a non-workbook kid happily focusing on grammar, vocabulary, and writing in an effective and engaging student book format more days than not each week?

{Some links may be affiliate ones.}

Fix It! Grammar by the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) - program authored by Pamela White, a traditional classroom and homeschool teacher with over three decades of experience and explained here by Andrew Pudewa:

Without question, since my son has began reviewing Fix It! Grammar Robin Hood Student Book 2 we've found it to be an easy-button for English Language Arts that pleases us both.

I appreciate that the program is off-screen, open-and-go, and truly easy and effective to use, while my son likes that it he can take 15 minutes or less a day to build his skills while also enjoying a story.

Indeed, Fix It! Grammar has proven itself to be a happy surprise in our home - drawing my son in and helping him review and build skills, little by little, in an applied grammar, spiral approach that transfers well to personal writing and editing endeavors.

Moreover, I am delighted with how easy the corresponding Teacher's Manual is. 

To guide my son and help him to correct his work, I do not have to do any more prep than to open the spiral bound manual to the page that matches the work he has been doing in his Student Book, then read, check, and chat.

It's really that simple to use!

The Teacher's Manual is a 208 page, softcover, spiral bound book that includes:

• an introduction to the Fix It! Grammar program
• a scope and sequence
• 33 weeks of lesson keys, grammar lover notes, teaching tips, etc.

Bound with it is a 45 page grammar glossary and codes for accessing a free downloadable student e-book for family use and two e-adios on grammar.

Everything is right there to support you as you as guide your child in success!

The Student Book is equally easy to use.  It, too, is a softcover, spiral-bound book, which means it lays flat for writing in.  It contains:

• 33 weeks of 4-day lessons within 69 pages
• 5 pages of ready-to-cut grammar cards on heavier cardstock
• a 45-page grammar glossary.

My son has this to say about it:

When Mom first gave me the book, I was happy because it is about Robin Hood.

I like fantasy and stories about archers, so even though Robin Hood is not exactly fantasy, the content is enjoyable for me. 

I also appreciated the fact that you are editing a story and not writing boring answers to questions or paragraphs and essays. 

Instead, each week, there is a page that teaches you about points about grammar, such as:

• when to indent

• where to capitalize

• what different parts of speech are and how they are used

• how to punctuate

• and more

Then, each day, you are given a short part of the story that you must edit using things you have learned about. 

You also have to identify parts of speech using given abbreviations, define challenging words, and, sometimes, select correct homophones. 

Finally, you copy each week's passages correctly into a book, so, in the end, you will have a grammatically correct story about Robin Hood. 

The program is meant to be used a little each day, but I chose to do it in shorter or longer sessions a few days a week instead. This way, I could keep up with it, but also not work on it every day. 

I used the book by myself, then, about once a week, I worked with Mom to go over vocabulary orally so I would not have to write out definitions or synonyms.  We also checked my work and sometimes looked over my copywork. 

One time, when my mom was having a surgery, my grandmother worked on Robin Hood with me instead of my mom. It was easy for her to do so with the Teacher's Manual. 

Having been working on this for a number of weeks, I think it is one of the best ways I've learned grammar. Other than actually writing a book myself and having my mom edit it with me, it is the only thing I have used so far that is story-based. I have liked learning about grammar in context, learning little by little, building on things and reviewing them. 

I would highly recommend this book, and my recommendation is pretty huge, because I usually hate grammar things (besides writing and editing my own book), dislike workbooks and anything I have to handwrite, and don't like set curriculums. But I like this and plan to keep using it!

Seriously, my son has had no qualms with continuing to learn with Fix It! Grammar Robin Hood week to week and that speaks volumes!

The program has to be high-interest, low-"pain" for my son to like it, and he does!  I am thrilled.He is enjoying reading, editing, and doing copywork of a version of Robin Hood while also keying into:

• indentation
• capitalization
• articles
• nouns
• who-which clauses
• end marks
• subjects of clauses
• verbs and helping verbs
• coordinating conjunctions
• adjectives
• prepositions
• main clauses
• dependent clauses
• clause starters
• commas
• quotations
• homophones
• vocabulary

Working with short passages, my son learns applied grammar, one small bit at a time, through a spiral approach that leads to long-term mastery and transfer to personal writing projects.

There are no fill-in-the-blank, drill-n-kill exercise and no time-draining assignments.  Rather, there is an engaging story to immerse yourself in while puzzling out increasingly challenging corrections and identifications that constantly keep you learning and reviewing grammar, vocabulary, and writing.

I am so pleased to have found Fix It! Grammar through this review and  already looking forward to using the next book in the series of six Fix It! Grammar books with my son.

Skills in each book build on those of the last, so you can begin with book one and head on up the series or you can go to the IEW website to find a placement test which will make it clear if you might be better off starting your child a bit later in the series.

Read all the reviews!

Whether starting with Book One, Book Two (like us), or the more challenging Books Five and Six, you are sure to find detailed, but not overwhelming lessons that flow perfectly from one to another providing ease for English Language Arts learning.

Bonus - the price is extremely affordable.  The Teacher's Manual costs only $19 and includes a link for a printable student e-book.  Or, you can pay $15 more for a pre-printed, spiral bound Student Book.   

If you'd like to learn more about Fix It! Grammar, click on over to see what 60 Homeschool Review families think about different levels of the program.

You can also connect with IEW on social media at:

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Who Knew Sentence Diagramming Could Be So Easy?

I've been pleased with resources from The Critical Thinking Co.™ in the past, so I was happy to have an opportunity to review their Sentence Diagramming: Beginning, geared for children in grades 3-12+. 

Coincidentally, when the opportunity for the review of Sentence Diagramming: Beginning came up, I had been thinking three things:

1. We could use some new-to-us lightweight, open-and-go resources to enhance our ELA and math skills while on-the-go between all the classes, clubs, and commitments that take us out each day this late fall.
2. My oldest is more than ready to begin mastering grammar.
3. Maybe I should start introducing grammar more consistently during my children and my together time studies.

You've got to love it when what you're thinking and what comes your way coincide so well. 

Sentence Diagramming: Beginning Makes Things Simple 
I was delighted to discover how simple it is to slip the slim 72-page softcover Sentence Diagramming: Beginning book into our family's bags when headed out the door and how equally easy it is to open it up and teach my children bite-size lessons using it.  The first time we used the book, I simply introduced all my children to simple subjects and main verbs with sentences like "Artists draw." while waiting for the kids' parkour class to begin.  In minutes, all three of my children (ages six to ten) were able to grasp what a simple subject and a main verb are and how to diagram a sentence that contains them. 

Orally, my children described errors in diagrammed simple sentences from Lesson 1 and, then, took turns diagramming other sentences and creating parkour-related sentences to match pre-drawn diagrams like these in Sentence Diagramming: Beginning:

In a very brief time, each of my children mastered the first lesson.

One Book - Multiple Children

Later, as our sentence diagramming lessons progressed in the same familiar pattern of a brief explanation, followed by error correction exercises, diagrams to fill in for prewritten sentences, and diagrams to fill in for original sentences, with increasingly complex sentences, of course, my oldest was ready to move at a speedier pace than my youngest.  Thus, I took advantage of the generous reproductions permissions offered by The Critical Thinking Co.™ , which allow individuals to make copies for one family or classroom, in order to allow my oldest to work at his own pace while keeping our copy of Sentence Diagramming: Beginning clean for his younger siblings.  (I just love it when I can use ONE product with MULTIPLE children at the same time or in subsequent years as needed.)

Before long, it became apparent that my oldest did not need to do every exercise in the book to "get" how to diagram:

• Simple Subjects and Main Verbs
• Direct Objects
• Adjectives
• Adverbs Modifying Verbs
• Predicate Adjectives
• Predicate Nouns
• Prepositional Phrases (Adjectival)
• Prepositional Phrases (Adverbial)
• Compound Subjects
• Compound Predicates
• Compound Direct Objects
• Compound Predicate Adjectives and Nouns

In fact, although my oldest son had never tried nor seen sentence diagrams before we cracked open Sentence Diagramming: Beginning, we quickly found him ready to begin the review at the end of the 12 lessons of the book. Clear explanations and familiar patterns to exercises helped him meet with fast success which gave him confidence and had him saying the book should be used by everyone. 

No kidding.  That's what my 10-year-old said.  In fact, when I asked him to write a quick paragraph for me with his thoughts for this review, he wrote:

Sentence Diagramming is as easy as pie.  I like doing it.  I like it because it is so easy.  I think it is not important to learn, but it is a good thing anyway.  I am good at it.  To sum it all up, I think it is good for everyone.

Now, clearly, my boy could use some further help with fresh similes, sentence variety, supporting ideas, and the like when writing paragraphs.  However, despite my son's developing writing skills, his feelings about Sentence Diagramming: Beginning are obvious: The book helped quickly and easily understand sentence diagramming, and he thinks it can help others, too.
I would agree.  Going at a slower pace, my daughter and youngest son are also benefiting from the simple explanations and exercises in Sentence Diagramming: Beginning and I am thankful for the ease of this resource.   It has, indeed, proven to be a (literally) lightweight resource we can take with us to advance my oldest's grammar skills at his own pace while working with my younger children together at their own pace, in an open-and-go manner. 

Worth Considering
 
If you've been thinking of giving sentence diagramming a try with your own children and would like a tried-and-true resource for doing so, I would definitely recommend Sentence Diagramming: Beginning.  You can find SAMPLE PAGES online, too, to help you see if the resource will be as good a fit for your homeschooling needs as it has been for mine.
 
 Learn More

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Sentence Diagramming: Beginning for grades 3-12+

Language Smarts™ Level for grade 4

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If you have young children, be sure to click on over to read about Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic Before Kindergarten.