I was thrilled to get a chance to review the Fix It! Grammar program from Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW).
What is Fix It! Grammar?
The idea behind this program is for students to successfully learn grammar in just 15 minutes a day. The student learns a new concept and then hunts to correct errors. The text builds and eventually tells a complete story.
The author, Pamela White, is a certified IEW instructor and has an M.A. in English. She has taught traditional classroom as well as homeschooled students with more than 30 years of experience. Fix It! Grammar came about as part of her frustration with traditional grammar teaching methods, mostly because the texts being used to teach the new concepts were completely random and out of context. She discovered that when she put the learning text in context of a full story that students remembered the skills faster and retained the information longer.
I received Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree Student Book 1
It is part of a 6-book series. Together, each book in the series provides a full year of grammar instruction and editing practice.
These are physical books, with downloads available in the Teacher's Manual. Also included are a set of flashcards to cut out and review, called grammar cards. This is set up for four days per week, roughly 15 minutes per day. The curriculum is set up based on four main steps for each lesson:
Learn it
Fix it
Discuss it
Copy it
The idea is to explore a new grammar concept and then go to work locating and fixing errors in four short passages each week. The teacher manual also suggests that the student look up the bold words in a dictionary and then writing down the definition in a notebook. Then, the student explores how grammar applies to the passage and discusses it. Finally, the student rewrites the corrected passage into a separate notebook.
It provides you with 33 weeks of daily passages, 132 vocabulary words, reproducible student pages, teacher notes that make everything clear, and a grammar glossary.
The author, Pamela White, is a certified IEW instructor and has an M.A. in English. She has taught traditional classroom as well as homeschooled students with more than 30 years of experience. Fix It! Grammar came about as part of her frustration with traditional grammar teaching methods, mostly because the texts being used to teach the new concepts were completely random and out of context. She discovered that when she put the learning text in context of a full story that students remembered the skills faster and retained the information longer.
It is part of a 6-book series. Together, each book in the series provides a full year of grammar instruction and editing practice.
These are physical books, with downloads available in the Teacher's Manual. Also included are a set of flashcards to cut out and review, called grammar cards. This is set up for four days per week, roughly 15 minutes per day. The curriculum is set up based on four main steps for each lesson:
Learn it
Fix it
Discuss it
Copy it
The idea is to explore a new grammar concept and then go to work locating and fixing errors in four short passages each week. The teacher manual also suggests that the student look up the bold words in a dictionary and then writing down the definition in a notebook. Then, the student explores how grammar applies to the passage and discusses it. Finally, the student rewrites the corrected passage into a separate notebook.
It provides you with 33 weeks of daily passages, 132 vocabulary words, reproducible student pages, teacher notes that make everything clear, and a grammar glossary.
Purchasing the teacher manual also gives you access to a free download of the student book that you can use for all of your students within your household or classroom. You also have access to Mastery Learning e-audio and but, but, but ... What about Grammar? e-audio.
The Teacher Manual is easy to follow:
The Teacher Manual is easy to follow:
The student book allows the student to apply editing and grammar marks directly to the workbook:
Additionally, you will need a separate notebook where your student completes the copywork and the dictionary definitions:
How Did We Use It?
I was very excited since my daughter is coming to the end of her current grammar curriculum, and I wasn't sure where we were going to go from here. I thought this would be perfect for her since she really likes hands-on. I was also excited about how the program presents everything in context and allows the child to develop editing skills, which is perfect for my daughter who enjoys pointing out grammatical errors. My daughter really requires some element of her learning to be hands-on or moving, so this offered us the perfect transition to a new level of grammar.
I was happy to see that she was actually open to using this new-to-her style of learning grammar. I found that the teacher manual is laid out in such a way that anyone could step in and follow it without much, or any, planning time. I also discovered that the lessons are short and not overwhelming.
I was happy to see that she was actually open to using this new-to-her style of learning grammar. I found that the teacher manual is laid out in such a way that anyone could step in and follow it without much, or any, planning time. I also discovered that the lessons are short and not overwhelming.
What Did We Think?
I really like this approach to learning and applying grammar because it allows the student to become a proofreader of sorts and put what they learn to immediate use. All of the grammar is taught in context with plenty of repetition to allow the child to master the new skills before moving on.
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Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:
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