If a first grader is not writing sentences on his own, would he be able to do the first-grade curriculum?

Even though first-grade students may not yet be writing sentences, they can begin with the first-grade curriculum.

EIW starts by reviewing letters and their sounds in a foundational way (not as a full phonetic program) and progresses to show how letters form words and words create sentences.

We begin with the basics of sentence construction. The only additional support a student may need is with spelling, and we recommend All About Spelling for this purpose.