There’s nothing like getting new curriculum in the mail. After 18 years of homeschooling, I still get excited when a box of curriculum arrives on our doorstep. This time, my excitement was from the BJU Press English 2 curriculum that my son and I were opening up. I had my eyes on this new edition for awhile and I was eager to rip open the packaging and flip through the pages!
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BJU Press English 2 Overview
BJU Press English 2 is a one-year English curriculum that covers grammar and writing. Students will learn how language skills can be used to honor God and love others.
The teacher-led subject kit (which is what I am using with my son) includes the teacher’s guide, student worktext, tests, and test answer key. I don’t give tests in the elementary years but I do use the test sheets as extra review if my son is struggling with a grammar concept.
There is also a video lesson option which includes the student worktext, tests, test answer key, and access to the video lessons.
Why I Chose BJU Press English 2
When it was time to choose a formal grammar and writing curriculum for my 2nd grader, BJU Press English 2 was an easy choice to make. I wanted a curriculum that offered a simple and easy transition into formal grammar and writing for my son. I was also looking for something that laid a solid Biblical worldview foundation in English. Finally, I needed something that was easy for me to implement and adapt to the needs of my child. English 2 from BJU Press met all those needs!
Easy Introduction to Grammar and Writing
BJU Press English 2 is providing my son with an easy introduction to grammar and writing. The lessons have been very manageable for me to teach and him to complete. I wanted to make sure that his first encounter with formal grammar and writing was enjoyable and easy to understand. We found this to be the case with BJU Press English 2. Because I am using the parent-led option, I can easily speed up or slow down the pace that we work through the material based on my son’s needs. English 2 has been a wonderful tool to help me introduce grammar and writing to my son in an enjoyable way.
Solid Biblical Worldview Foundation
When I first started homeschooling almost two decades ago, I would have never considered the importance of laying a solid Biblical worldview foundation in English. What did grammar and writing rules have to do with the way I thought about the world or lived my life as a Christian? If homeschooling has taught me anything, it’s that a Biblical worldview is important for every area of our lives including the education of our children.
I appreciate the emphasis that English 2 places on the importance of a Biblical worldview when learning grammar and writing. While many Christian publishers merely place Bible passages on student worksheets, BJU Press English 2 takes it further. They have God’s Word as the very foundation for why we learn and how we use language.
All you have to do is flip through the pages of the Teacher’s Guide and the student workbook to see how they weave a Biblical worldview into everything the child is learning.
I want to lay a solid Biblical worldview foundation for my son in the early years of his education. With that in mind, BJU Press English 2 was the obvious choice for my second grader. I’m thrilled that he gets to learn grammar and writing with an emphasis on loving God and loving others with his use of language!
Easy to Use Teacher’s Guide
The English 2 Teacher’s Guide is easy for me to follow and implement in our homeschool. Each lesson is clearly laid out with all the information I need to teach my second grader.
The Teacher’s Guide includes a Teacher’s Toolkit CD (located in the back of the book) with helpful teaching aids and additional practice pages for the student. You can choose to use these extra resources or skip them. That’s the beauty of homeschooling!
The lessons in the Teacher’s Guide include the following:
- Lesson Focus that clues the parent in on what is going to be taught that day.
- Objectives that lay out what the goals are for the lesson.
- Teacher’s Toolkit CD section that lets the parent know what resources from the CD can be used for the lesson.
- An Introduction & Review section that introduces new skills and reviews previously learned ones.
- A Teach to Understanding section that helps the parent evaluate the student’s understanding of the material.
- Student worktext pages with the answers make it easy for the parent to see what their child is working on and quickly correct their work.
- Additional helps are included as well and vary depending on whether it is a grammar or writing lesson.
I am able to pick up the Teacher’s Guide, quickly skim over a lesson, determine what I want to implement with my son and then easily teach the lesson. The spiral bound book makes it convenient for me to lay out on the table or fold up and carry around while juggling other responsibilities.
Video Lesson Option
You may be getting excited about this curriculum but feeling a little discouraged because you don’t have the time to teach another subject to your child. That’s why BJU Press has a video lesson option for homeschool families! And this 3rd edition of English 2 has been used in their updated English 2 videos. You can view a sample video lesson on the BJU Press website.
I chose to use the parent-led English 2 curriculum this year but my kids have been using BJU Press video lessons for many of their subjects over the past few years. My 2nd grader has already been using video lessons this year for math, heritage studies, and science.
Answering Your Questions
Some of you might be wondering why I started an English curriculum in the middle of the school year. Others may be wondering why I chose this English curriculum over the other grammar and writing curriculums that I have used and loved in the past. So I’ll tackle those questions here.
Why are you starting BJU Press English 2 in the middle of your son’s second grade school year?
The simple answer is that he was ready to start a formal grammar and writing curriculum in the middle of 2nd grade.
Remember that just because a curriculum is labeled with a certain grade does not mean that your student is ready to start it at that time. On the flip side, you may have a child who needs a curriculum that is labeled one or two grade levels above your child’s actual grade. That is the beauty of homeschooling. Being able to move at your child’s own pace.
My son wasn’t ready for a formal grammar and writing curriculum when we started second grade. I wanted to focus on his reading, spelling, and handwriting in the beginning of the school year. My goal was to make sure he was more confident in those three areas before adding grammar and writing since grammar and writing use reading, spelling, and handwriting skills. I didn’t want him to be frustrated with grammar and writing merely because he needed a little extra work on his handwriting, reading, and spelling skills.
After Christmas, I realized that he was ready for formal grammar and writing so I ordered the BJU Press English 2 curriculum. We will continue using it into his third grade year. Grade levels on curriculum are just suggestions. Make sure your child is using the level that matches their abilities, skills, and maturity level not just their grade level.
Why did you choose this curriculum over some of your other favorites?
It is true that I have several favorites when it comes to grammar and writing! My kids and I have enjoyed grammar and writing from the Institute for Excellence in Writing as well as the writing curriculum from Essentials in Writing. So why did I pick BJU Press English 2?
First, I wanted to lay a solid Biblical worldview foundation in English in these early years. The other grammar and writing curriculums that I love don’t incorporate a Biblical worldview into the lessons. This was one of the main reasons I went with English 2 from BJU Press. I want my son to learn English through the lens of Scripture.
The second reason was that English 2 offered a much gentler introduction to grammar and writing then some of my other favorites. In the past, I’ve held off on formal grammar and writing instruction until 3rd or 4th grade. This seemed to be a better age to start the grammar and writing curriculum from IEW. Since I wanted to start introducing my son to grammar and writing in the middle of his second grade year, I thought English 2 would be a perfect fit for him.
If you have additional questions about BJU Press English 2, leave them in the comment section below. I’ll try to answer as many as I can.
Take a Look Inside BJU Press English 2
Watch this YouTube video for a look inside the BJU Press English 2 writing and grammar curriculum!
BJU Press is rolling out another exciting feature for homeschool families! It’s called the Homeschool Hub. It’s an all-in-one homeschool planner, scheduler, grade book, and more! Find out more by visiting the BJU Press website.
Hi I was wondering if you could share how much time a daily lesson usually takes for this level? Thank you in advance.
Around 20 minutes each day. Could take less if you do the teacher-led option. Video lessons are anywhere from 10-13 minutes or so plus the time it takes to complete the worksheet. Hope that helps!