What do you use for

[inashoe]

English Language ? In particular, Grammar.

WTM recommends Rod and Staff but I find it very dry and it needs daily parental assistance - with my large family I find it difficult to get around to each child with R&S each day. Hoping to find something that is just as thorough, but not needing daily parental input.

[Karen in CO]

I use copywork and dictation for the youngest. I point out the basic parts of speech, sentence structure, and punctuation. As they grow into writing, I make sure it is incorporated into the writing program, then use it in a foreign language. Finally we do formal grammar in the logic stage with something like AG or Winston grammar.


For my middle dd in second grade now, I am using Writing With Ease and Just Write for writing which both gently introduce grammar with the writing. Next year, I plan to try FLL.

I like to have grammar in context with something so that we double-up on lessons where we can. Some handwriting programs like the Can DO writing from HWT uses many grammar concepts for the handwriting practice. I like reinforcements like that instead of just putting grammar in isolation.

[Sue in St Pete]

I love Analytical Grammar for 6th-7th-8th. See this thread (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32042&highlight=analytical+grammar)for my review.

I have not used Junior Analytical Grammar (4th or 5th grade), but if I got to do it all over again, I would.

[Cadam]

My kids do Rod and Staff pretty independently once they hit about 4th grade. All of the instruction is in there and I circle the exercises they are to do in pencil. If they have a problem they let me know but my 6th grader to totally hands off at this point. What are you doing that is so teacher intensive?

One thing to realize if you are teaching Rod and Staff is that each level co-ordinates with the others so when you are doing nouns with one kid you are doing nouns with all of them. It was created for a one-room school environment.

[momof165]

I don't know how old your kids are - but we are using Growing with Grammar with great success for the first time this year. We used R&S for 2nd Grade last year and my son would litterally :banghead: just at the plain sight of the book.

GWG 3 has made English Grammar more enjoyable for my ds 9 - even though he still doesn't LOVE grammar. But who does? :)

Growing with Grammar is available up to 6th Grade. Here is the link to the GWG website: http://www.growingwithgrammar.com.

Maybe it's something that would work for you and your family.

Sonja
___________________________
Homeschooling JUST ONE - ds 0

[keithfamily5]

We use Shurley English. Very repetitive, but it works. My kids got it. No diagramming. Shurley "labels" sentences instead.

[LNC]

Christian Light Language Arts is very similar to R&S. It is a workbook format though. The yahoo group has samples in the photo section.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christianlightfamilies/

http://www.clp.org/

HTH!

[Donna]

We use Grammar Island by Michael Clay Thompson (along with his other books). http://www.rfwp.com/series3.htm

It moves quickly and the kids enjoy it and are doing well learning grammar.

[ELaurie]

depending upon the ages of your dc.

[mamaof2andtwins]

We used R&S and found it very difficult to manage the teacher time with the older children, so we switched to CLE (Christian Light Education). Like LNC mentioned, it is like R&S in its grammar content, but it is a workbook format and not so teacher intensive.

Jennie

[nmoira]

We use Grammar Island by Michael Clay Thompson (along with his other books). http://www.rfwp.com/series3.htm

It moves quickly and the kids enjoy it and are doing well learning grammar.We're using MCT as well.

[mcconnellboys]

I use Abeka from fourth grade onward. I do introduce the lesson, but it could really just be read by the child. We do most of the work in the book, rather than recopying things as they often suggest. Mostly the only thing he does on separate paper is the diagramming.

[Hannah]

We used First Lanuage Lessons for 1st and 2nd grade and have been very happy with the free program, Kiss Grammar (http://home.pct.edu/~evavra/KISS.htm).
There are workbooks available in MSWord for 2nd and 3rd grade (we worked a year behind). Grade 4 and up is being revised.

[Colleen in NS]

English Language ? In particular, Grammar.

WTM recommends Rod and Staff but I find it very dry and it needs daily parental assistance - with my large family I find it difficult to get around to each child with R&S each day. Hoping to find something that is just as thorough, but not needing daily parental input.

Have you tried doing the exercises orally in R&S? We do this, even in grade 5, and plan to until I see a good reason to have them do them written. Also, you can do odd or evens on many of the exercises. Or are there any children that can do the same level and you can have a small "class" with them where they help each other to answer your questions or the exercises? Grammar is a skill that I think needs to have daily parental interaction, at least at the ages my kids are right now.

[jenadina]

We use Growing with Grammar...it's not at all parent-intensive if your kids can read well!

[sweetbaby]

Have you tried doing the exercises orally in R&S? We do this, even in grade 5, and plan to until I see a good reason to have them do them written. Also, you can do odd or evens on many of the exercises. Or are there any children that can do the same level and you can have a small "class" with them where they help each other to answer your questions or the exercises? Grammar is a skill that I think needs to have daily parental interaction, at least at the ages my kids are right now.

:iagree: with Colleen. We do the same method with R&S and this is one program that I can honestly say we won't ever change. Love it!

I hope you find something that works for you.

[sarahv]

We are ACE users over here. Their grammar is interesting, gentle, and thorough.

Kids love the cartoons. :001_smile: I love the "hands off for mom" approach, and the thorough presentation of the material.

Your kids will KNOW grammar without *hardly* having to make sure they know it, if you know what I mean. :tongue_smilie:

[coffeefreak]

I used FLL 1 and 2 and enjoyed it. Then, we switched to Rod and Staff and she was BORED!!! We're currently using A Beka Language 3 which I believe was recommended in the first edition of the WTM. We enjoy it for the same reasons that the previous poster stated. It's cheap, it's easy, and it's a self contained workbook!

[ElizabethB]

It's probably most helpful for high school and adults, but the book that really helped me to understand grammar was "English Grammar for students of German." Seeing the concepts in 2 languages at the same time made it much more understandable to me.

It's a series, they also have other languages--Latin, French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Japanese.

You could use some of the ideas for younger students learning a foreign language, but I wouldn't just hand them the book.

Here's an amazon review for the ...for Spanish edition:

"I haven't seen the inside of a classroom in almost 20 years. So, when I decided to learn Spanish, it became painfully obvious that I didn't remember enough English grammar to fully understand most explanations of Spanish grammar. I was going to look for an English grammar review book, but then I came across this.

Every chapter asks a "what is..." type of question. For example, "What is the conditional?" or "What is a relative pronoun?" For each question there are two answers: "In English..." and "In Spanish..." So, you get to see both explanations side by side.

Also, the book's website contains correlations for 22 Spanish textbooks. The correlation tells you exactly what you need to read in this book to explain the grammar presented in any given chapter of your textbook."