Does Eng. from the Roots Up & Vocab. from Classical Roots cover the same things?...

[Sue G in PA]

Dd11 will do Vocab. from Classical Roots (VCR) A next year for 7th. MFW recommends Eng. from the Roots Up (ERU) for all of their programs. I'm looking at the 5th grade book of VCR (it's so much cheaper than ERU). Do these programs cover basically the same material? VCR samples just looked more "appealing" for my 5th grader. But, ERU says it's for 2nd grade - hs. I could combine ALL my dc in this one, non-consumable book. Hmmm...any thoughts? Experiences with either/both?

[Eliana]

Dd11 will do Vocab. from Classical Roots (VCR) A next year for 7th. MFW recommends Eng. from the Roots Up (ERU) for all of their programs. I'm looking at the 5th grade book of VCR (it's so much cheaper than ERU). Do these programs cover basically the same material? VCR samples just looked more "appealing" for my 5th grader. But, ERU says it's for 2nd grade - hs. I could combine ALL my dc in this one, non-consumable book. Hmmm...any thoughts? Experiences with either/both?

Although they cover many of the same roots, they are very different.

EftRU has you make flashcards for each root it lists. I wouldn't call this a program at all - though perhaps I am misremembering it. I have either gotten rid of it or it is in the box of things I'm getting rid of...

VFCR has you do exercises identifying/using words from the roots. (It also breaks the roots into groupings rather than having it be all one big clump.)
We've found this to me a useful, easy to implement supplement.

Eliana

[kRenee]

Eliana is right in that the format is different. VFCR is a workbook approach and EFtRU is teacher or motivated student led. I really wanted to use a workbook approach so that my kids could 'do it on their own'. But, they do the exercises and don't learn a thing. So, I 'm going back to making flashcards and reviewing them throughout the year.

EFtRU covers 100 roots
VFCR covers about 32 roots per book (in levels 4 & 6 many of them are pretty basic)

We also did Vocabulary Vine. It is flashcard based/teacher led but it is cheaper than EFtRU. Covers 103 roots.

[swimnactmom]

I had posted a question a few weeks ago that elicited similar responses. I am planning for next year (6th grade) and wanted to do some basic root work. While researching the three above-mentioned programs I discovered that EFTRU had many roots that were too obscure for my liking. VFCR not only seemed babyish and "workbooky" but I was skeptical about the retention my ds would achieve with this program. On the other hand, Vocabulary Vine seems like a good fit for us. It reminds me a bit of our vocabulary program, Wordly Wise, in that it is heavy on flashcards and that is an effective tool for my ds. In addition, I found the roots studied to be applicable to our other studies. They all look like good programs. Choosing one is just a matter of what fits best for your child.