Classical Writing Q...

[Amy loves Bud]

Is there anywhere to find the list of grammar topics covered in a particular level of CW? I found the TOC for the levels, but they just list the titles of the models. Anyone know?

[Mama Lynx]

If you let me know which level you're looking at, I might be able to help.

I do not know where you can find the info online, though.

[Amy loves Bud]

Thanks, Stephanie. I'm specifically looking at Aesop B. I appreciate it!

[Alana in Canada]

I have Aesop B!

In the back of the Instructor's Guide, in Appendix B, they list the "skills learned" (basically, the grammar concepts covered)--and they have them indicated by which "week" in the program they would be introduced.

You are to fill in the weeks you plan to review them to keep track of what you are doing.

"A" indicates that they were introduced in Aesop A.

Analysis:
Identify sentence types, A
Identify and explain capital letters, A
Identify and explain end punctuation, A
Identify, capitalize, and punctuate quotes, A
Identify nouns and classify as common or proper, and as person place or idea, A
Identify pronouns and their antecedents, A
Identify verbs, verb phrases, and action Verbs, A
Identify subjects and predicates, A
Identify adjectives and what they modify, I, wk. 5
Identify linking verbs, I wk. 10
Identify adverbs and what they modify, I wk. 11
Identify propositional phrases, I, wk. 13
Identify interjections, I, wk. 14
Identify conjunctions: I, wk, 17

Imitation:
Change sentence types: A
Write quoted with different positions for explanatory words and varied utterences, A.
Make up new quoted for characters: A
Noun synonyms: A
Verb synonyms: A
Noun modifiers, I, wk. 5
Verb modifiers, I, wk. 11

Please excuse any typos. I was trying to get this done quickly! hth.

[Amy loves Bud]

Thank you, Alana! I'm trying to wrap my brain around this program and I'm having a hard time without actually seeing it. Are you saying that only weeks 5, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 17 introduce "new" grammar topics, and the other weeks you are supposed to be reviewing topics covered in Aesop A? And these things are not scheduled in Aesop B, but you schedule them yourself? Thank you so much for your help!

[Julie in GA]

If you use the workbooks, you don't have to schedule anything. The grammar review as well as new topics are scheduled for you.

[Mama Lynx]

Thank you, Alana! I'm trying to wrap my brain around this program and I'm having a hard time without actually seeing it. Are you saying that only weeks 5, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 17 introduce "new" grammar topics, and the other weeks you are supposed to be reviewing topics covered in Aesop A? And these things are not scheduled in Aesop B, but you schedule them yourself? Thank you so much for your help!

Yes. The grammar in Aesop moves slowly and honestly, there's not a lot of it.

Which, IMO is just fine, since Homer really ramps up the grammar.

[Alana in Canada]

Yes, I'm sure there's nothing dishonest about the grammar.

(Sorry, I just read Eats, Shoots and Leaves. The Kids' version!:D)

Isn't it amazing? I hadn't really noticed there was nothing "new" introduced until the 5th week!

So, yeah, you could introduce these concepts as you want too--or if you and your child have already been introduced to them in your grammar program (as we have for some) use those to focus on in your re-writes.

The Teacher's book does have everything laid out for you--and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes not. Still, having the chart was worth something!

[Alana in Canada]

Amy, I just noticed--your son is 9?
What sort of writing have you done?
What grammar program are you doing?

My son is ten and we've just started Aesop A. The first model dovetailed nicely with our grammar as we had just done "direct quotes" so I made sure he got the punctuation correct for that. We'd also covered some dictionary work, so I made him look up "contempt."

I have a feeling I'll be combing through Aesop and R&S 3 (which is what we are using for grammar) and making up my own "workbook" (sigh).

[Amy loves Bud]

He is 9, will be 10 in August when we would start this. This year he is doing WT1 combined with Growing with Grammar 4. I've been looking at CW, because he has really grown tired of adding the "creative touches" to the final copy of his rewrite in WT and I thought CW might be a better fit. However, I think we are probably going to go ahead with WT2 because the WT/GWG combo has been so good this year other than that final copy issue. I rearranged GWG a bit to correlate with the grammar topics in WT, and looking at the scope and sequence of GWG 5 and WT2, it should be easy enough to do again. I'm not sure that will work so well with CW, and since he will be in 5th grade, I'm not comfortable skipping a separate grammar program. I think I will just have him do a rough draft and a final copy with his rewrites, leaving out the creative touch bit unless he is really moved to do that.

For 6th we'll probably move into Homer, as I've been impressed by what MamaLynx has described to me there. Thanks so much for all of your help!

[Alana in Canada]

Good for you.
Glad to help you make the decision!

You can use the CW method without the CW curriculum.

[susie in tx]

I think I will just have him do a rough draft and a final copy with his rewrites, leaving out the creative touch bit unless he is really moved to do that.


My 12 yo also does not like the creative touches part of WT2. There are times when I do not have her change up her story. Other times, I just have her use the rewrite as a time to work on different sentences or work on other parts of the story that I think she could have written differently. I try to sneak other ways to add creative touches to the story without her knowing it. I'll ask her to name the characters. Or, I will have her describe the characters. On her own, she writes many stories about Peter Pan, so I suggested that she use Peter Pan characters when she was rewriting "The Little Red Hen". She wasn't interested. I try to have her write the story twice before she recopies, at the very least.

If WT is working for you, keep on with it. I really love it.