Review: IEW Primary Arts of Language

This past month I've had the chance to look over the Primary Arts of Language (PAL) program from The Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW).

I was very excited about this opportunity; I hadn't known much about the IEW offerings for young children.  Their programs for older children are already on my radar for when the troop gets a bit bigger; they have a number of excellent offerings to help provide a solid writing foundation for kids (and adults)!

PAL is designed for children in the K-2 age range although it can also be used by children slightly younger and older with some modifications.  There are two main components to the program and they can be used together or as completely stand alone programs.  PAL reading sells for $69, and PAL writing sells as a package for $89.  You can buy individual components to the packages but you do get a bit of a discount for purchasing the package as a whole.

What do you get?  The reading program comes with a teacher's manual, a game package, an instruction DVD with printable worksheets, a phonetic "farm" folder with stickers, and additional instructional downloadable audio files.  The writing program comes with a teacher's manual, an instruction DVD with printable worksheets, All About Spelling Level 1 (manual, student packet, and starting kit), and some additional insightful audio downloads.

PAL was put together by Jill Pike and she based the program on a model developed by a teacher named Anna Ingham.  The reading portion of the program uses a blended phonics approach.  This means that a combination of phonograms and sight words are taught in order to get children up and reading faster than simply a phonics approach.

The reading portion of the program centers around a phonics farm:

As different phonogram sounds are introduced, your child puts the stickers corresponding to the sound into the farm.  In the beehive area, for example, we have all the different phonograms that say the long sound of e.  I like this visual aid to help remember the different sounds of the phonograms, but it also seems a bit disjointed to me.  In the past we have studied phonograms by going through the flashcards, and reciting all the sounds that a phonogram can make.  With the approach in PAL you bounce around more, and you don't learn all the sounds a phonogram can make at one time.  I can see, however, that the visual cues the farm gives are more fun - and will be a better memory aid to the kids than my 3x5 flash cards!  Once the chart is all filled out it can be used as a great colorful reference chart and a spelling aid.

There are many many games (35, I believe!), which come in a spiral bound book of their own, to help cement the sounds.  The games can be colored and cut out by the kids, and can be set up using manilla folders.  Very easy and inexpensive.  I think the games in the program appeal more towards the 4-5 year age range, and not the upper 6-7 range that the program can also be used with.

In addition to the phonics farm and the games, PAL Reading uses poetry as a theme to teach reading.  Through the program you use several different poems, one each month, to discuss the phonic sounds, and learn some common sight words.  The printable work pages offer activities that help to further integrate the poetry aspect of the program.  I really like the use of poetry in the program, we enjoyed reading the poems and I was surprised at how quickly the kids pick them up/memorize them!

That's the reading portion of the program, in a (not so brief) nutshell.  It can be used alone or it can be used in conjunction with PAL Writing.  When PAL is used with younger children sometimes the writing area is skipped, since motor coordination in the very young isn't the greatest.  On the flipside, you could also skip ahead in the PAL Reading section (like we did, because Jake and Viva already know their phonograms!) and start at the beginning in the writing program!

The writing program uses fun mnemonics to help teach how letters should be formed.  The c, for example, is happy because it's a cookie that someone has taken a bite out of.  Can you guess why the o is sad?!  Jake & Viva thought these mnemonics were funny.  Some of them are a bit goofy but since we remember them that means they work!  The script used by the program is similar to Handwriting Without Tears.  It is easy to use your own preferred script instead though, which is what I did!

Partly through the writing program a separate "program within a program" is introduced - PAL uses the All About Spelling program as it's tool of choice for a formal beginning to spelling.  All About Spelling is a program that can be purchased separately, and it is not the creation of Jill Pike.  It is, however, a great addition to PAL and I think it integrates nicely.  

We have been using All About Spelling for the past few months and I really enjoy it.  All about Spelling is a phonics based spelling system that teaches children how to spell through a multi-sensory approach.  There is a scripted teacher's manual, and aside from a white board (which is optional) it is an open up and go program.  It takes us about 20 minutes twice a week, and so far the retention of the spelling rules and words is excellent.  We do 2 lessons a week.  

The writing portion of the program also incorporates a daily journal, and narrated stories which are then discussed through a story outline.  It gets more detailed as you get further into the program but we aren't that far yet!

What did we think?

I found it a bit overwhelming, and confusing, to get a good grasp on the whole program when just beginning.  It was scary!  PAL comes with a getting started guide that links you up to a webcast, and the books walk you through how to get started too.  Even with that assistance, the scope of the program means that it can take a little while to wrap your ahead around how it all flows together.  It isn't that it is overly complicated to implement, but there are many pieces that flow together - and it takes a little while to print all your worksheets, set up your games, gather your supplies, and then know where to go at each step in the lessons.  It is not simply open, start, and narrate.  It is more teacher intensive.

With that being said, the more time I spend with the program the more I like it.  It is well thought out and enjoyable to use when I take the time to prepare properly BEFORE sitting down with the kids!

The program takes us about 30 minutes a day to complete both portions of.  If you're using the reading and writing components you will bounce back and forth between the two books during your lesson time.  My favorite part of lesson time is the poetry discussion, and Viva and Jake enjoy the story and story analysis.  The worksheets are just right - they provide practice but not so much that they become a chore/mind numbing!

Do we like it?  Yes!  It's a great program, and I love the philosophy behind it and the implementation of the philosophy.  I particularly like the writing program.  It is hard to find quality writing curriculum for children of this age.  The IEW approach is gentle but still provides a great base to build on.  I also like that it integrates well with a classical view of education.

If you have a child new to reading and writing it's definitely worth checking out these products if you have the time to invest in them.  IEW offers an unconditional guarantee of their product.  If you try it and don't love it you can return it, no questions asked.  I believe they even pay for shipping charges (both ways) on returns.  The chances you'll want to return this program are slim to none though!

Go here to see thoughts from more of the TOS review crew about The Institute for Excellence in Writing's Primary Arts of Language Program!

I was provided with the IEW PAL Program for free, in exchange for a review of the product.  That being said, all opinions expressed are 100% mine!