Yet another R&S grammar question

[PinkInTheBlue]

My guys are in 6th and 4th grade. We really like R&S. I'm curious though, how much of each day do you guys have your kiddos write? Even I would hate it if I had to write all of that each and every day but I suspect I'm getting them to do way less writing of it than most of you.

What would you average you get your students to write each day from R&S grammar? 5 sentences? 15 sentences? Just the words? How do you hand it out?

Thanks!

[Mom2legomaniacs]

I have a ds in 4th (R&S 4). We are this very minute doing it -- orally. We do most of the exercises orally (even the written practice). I have him do the writing exercises -- we work on them slowly over the course of about a week.

As far as the grammar exercises go, I have him do most of it orally. Maybe once a week I have him write out the written practice part, for practice. This is usually when I am just busy and need to work on something with the other one. I think a lot of folks do it orally. No worries about doing it orally. I believe that SWB talked about this as well.

hth

[KH_]

We also do most of the exercises orally . . .I think it would add up to a lot of busywork writing otherwise. I do assign writing in R&S a couple times a week, but it's usually just part of the lesson.

[cherryblossom]

We have used R&S since 4th grade. Initially it overwhelmed my dd, especially coming from a workbook format. We are using R&S 7 and she has adjusted to it.
I teach the lesson and we do the classroom exercises orally. She does the written and review exercises on paper. Occasionally I will allow her to do a lesson orally or slip in a worksheet instead of the written and review exercises.

[Ellie]

My guys are in 6th and 4th grade. We really like R&S. I'm curious though, how much of each day do you guys have your kiddos write? Even I would hate it if I had to write all of that each and every day but I suspect I'm getting them to do way less writing of it than most of you.

What would you average you get your students to write each day from R&S grammar? 5 sentences? 15 sentences? Just the words? How do you hand it out? Thanks!

Well, sometimes even I have to read the directions rilly, rilly carefully, because sometimes the directions say to write just the incorrect sentences (correcting them, of course), or just the subject, or whatever. IOW, the dc are not always supposed to write out each and every sentence in each and every section, KWIM?

[Krista in LA]

I make them do the diagramming on the white board, but even then I have been know to sometimes let them diagram it "in the air" pointing to where each word would go on a diagram. I do make them do the writing on the lessons that are for writing.

[Tia in Wa]

Sometimes if the written assignment is long we do it oraly or, we will only do the even ones.:)

[melhouse]

We will do the class exercises together, either orally, or on the dry erase board for diagramming. Then I will assign a few from the written practice to be done independently. I usually assign about half of them. I don't do odds or evens with the grammar, though. Sometimes the sentences follow each other logically, and I have a hard time leaving every other sentence out. :p

HTH,
Melissa

[Narrow Gate Academy]

My oldest is only using R&S 3 this year, but I have her do most of the work written. I do try to keep the amount of writing down. I usually only assign 2 of the exercises in a lesson. Sometimes I just require odds, evens, or even pick specific numbers within an exercise to cover. I also often modify the directions allowing her to abbreviate her answers if possible or simply write the appropriate words instead of the whole sentence.

[nutmeg]

My daughters (6th and 4th grade) are both working in R&S 6. We go over the lesson together, then they take turns doing the exercises orally. If there is diagramming to be done, they split the odds and evens. This is usually enough for the 4th grader; the 6th grader will usually do the associated worksheet also.

[Karin]

My dd's do the work in writing. My eldest because she prefers to write it than to do it orally, my second because she learns spelling, puncutation, etc kinesthetically, so to only do it orally would not help her as much. How much they do in a day varies with how long the written assignment is and everything else they have to do that day. Sometimes I have them do half of the sentences and that's it. My 12 yo skips the reviews, but doesn't need them. My 9 yo needs them, and we break it down to 1 or 2 letters a day (A & B one day, C&D the next--all the problems in the review.)

[Sandy in Indy]

I usually had the kids do half of the written exercises...and if I felt they had mastered the skill, we did a few orally and moved on.

[Riverfront Headmistress]

Here is my R&S 4 teaching method:

Oral Review
Teach lesson using "presenting the lesson"
Oral Drill, odd numbers
Written practice (orally), odd numbers
Review & practice (orally), odd numbers

Diagramming is always completed on white board - I usually ask and she answers problems (example: who is the setence about? Describe the subject - what did the subject do? How? When? Where? Predicate - action or being?, etc.)

I use the worksheets if there any corresponding.

[Kelli in TN]

I only use written exercises when I feel like they need to work on a concept more.

My seventh grader is doing more and more of the written exercises simply because the concepts in the R&S 7 are tough and need more work to cement them in his flighty 12 year old brain.

Like Krista, we diagram at the white board the vast majority of the time. We do not spend a lot of time on grammar, if they understand it we move on.

[Cami in UT]

We always do the oral review before the lesson, then the lesson. That is normally just reading the main points in the teachers presentation. Ds reads any boxes (the main idea of the lesson). Then we do the oral exercises orally, sometimes half if I think he has it or all if he needs some practice. Then he writes half the written & review exercises. I usually assign odds on odd days (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.of the month) and evens on even days (2nd, 4th, 6th of the month). We have a joke about how he doesn't do as many on even days. We also talk about how many sentences it is and how many are just asking for a couple of words.

[SheilaZ]

I'm must really be a big meanie. ;)
My oldest is in R&S 6 and he writes all the daily work every day. We do the oral stuff together but then the other work, he writes out. Sometimes he even has to do the worksheets. He does all the diagramming on paper. He does all the writing assignments.
The only time I give him a break is for the chaper reviews with 8 or 9 sections.
He hasn't complained yet and the boys really knows his grammar.

But we don't do Latin and this kid loves writitng.

[mcconnellboys]

I'm not using R&S now, but when we did do it, I kept the writing to a minimum and did most of it with my son orally. He would do diagramming, etc., but I saw no point in making him recopy sentences when he was already doing other copywork or dictation for the day.

Regena

[PinkInTheBlue]

Ok, great. It sounds like we are doing nearly the same as the majority. We write some of it (a good, middle-of-the-road amount) and do the rest orally. We pretty much always write out most or all of the diagramming.

Thank you!

[OnTheBrink]

I usually had the kids do half of the written exercises...and if I felt they had mastered the skill, we did a few orally and moved on.

Same here.

[RhondaM.]

We do the lessons orally. About the only writing I have them do is the diagramming. I get the workbooks and use them for when they are not getting something and need more work on it. If they still don't get it, as a last resort they can do some of the written exercises.

[apond]

I usually have my kids do2 or 3 under each exercise just so I know they understand the concept. It usually doesn't take them to long and it seems to be enough for retention.

Annmarie

[Sue G in PA]

we go over the oral exercise orally (duh!). My dd is working through RS5 and she doesn't mind at all (even coming from a workbook last year). With the writing exercises, I allow her a few days. Like today, assignment was to write a report based on the outline she wrote last week, recopy and do final copy PLUS another report based on another outline. Her eyes bugged out when she read it! I reassured her we'd accomplish all that in about a week...not a day! Now, my ds9 had major problems with the text format and so we switched to GWG. He enjoys grammar now instead of hating it. To each his/her own, right? I did the lessons mostly orally with ds9 when we did RS4 but w/ 5 others kids to teach/look after I just couldn't afford the time every day. Thankfully, dd11 doesn't mind writing out her answers!