Language Arts Program for Grade 9... Can anyone...

[kimberannie]

please share with me your language arts program for grade 9? Do you do grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading, writing??

 

Thanks for the help.

[Ellie]

Generally, high school English includes grammar (if necessary), composition, and literature. Any vocabulary is usually related to the literature selections (as opposed to being separated out, as it were); spelling is rarely done at the high school level (other than making corrections).

 

Something I wish I could have tried is Smarr Publishers' literature courses, but we were finished hsing when Smarr started out. :-(

[Storm Bay]

We're doing this as a second semester course. We're going to do R&S for Grammar and some of the composition, WordSmith and we're going to continue Skills for Literary Analysis, but study the books WEM style not Stobaugh style, more or less. Dd is great with grammar but loathes composition.

[Susan C.]

please share with me your language arts program for grade 9? Do you do grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading, writing??

 

Thanks for the help.

 

My dd read 8 books (for lit.), did BJU Writing & Grammar (gr. 9), Spelling Workout H (8th gr. text). Composition assignments were in Writing & Grammar.

[Nan in Mass]

My is doing ancient literature using TWEM for English. He gets enough grammar for our purposes with Latin. I use a mix of things to work on writing. Mostly, this year, I just plan to have him write about his literature, history, and science, practising the things he learned last year. His spelling isn't good, but we just talk about the appropriate rule when the need arises. Spellcheck helps.

-Nan

[xxxxxxxx]

Abeka grammar, skipped the writing part of the book.

Jensen's vocabulary

Jensen's Format Writing

Lightning Literature 8

Some extra reading

[AngieW in Texas]

My 9th grader is doing

The Least You Should Know about English

US History-based Writing Lessons (but not the vocabulary)

Windows to the World (using Jill Pike's lesson plans from the IEWfamilies email loop)

Fix-it Grammar

assorted literature

 

She will probably use Oak Meadow 10th grade English next year along with extra literature.

[jelbe5]

This is what I am doing with my 9th grader:

 

Rod and Staff for Grammar (much is still done orally)

Jump In! for Writing (she is fine with creative writing but needs to work on formal essay writing . . . I like this program's gentle step by step approach)

Spelling Power for spelling (she still needs help with spelling)

Classics in World Literature (older textbook covering Ancient literature to go with our history time period)

Review of Greek and Latin Roots using cards from English From the Roots Up

Handwriting . . . sigh . . . she can type with ease but I still want her to work on her handwriting.

 

Adrianne in IL

[Love2Smile]

This is what I am doing with my 9th grader:

 

Rod and Staff for Grammar (much is still done orally)

Jump In! for Writing (she is fine with creative writing but needs to work on formal essay writing . . . I like this program's gentle step by step approach)

Spelling Power for spelling (she still needs help with spelling)

Classics in World Literature (older textbook covering Ancient literature to go with our history time period)

Review of Greek and Latin Roots using cards from English From the Roots Up

Handwriting . . . sigh . . . she can type with ease but I still want her to work on her handwriting.

 

Adrianne in IL

I purchased Jump In for my 6th grader and my 9th grader is also fantastic at creative writing but not so much with formal essay writing...so you are going to use it with your 9th grader too? I was looking for another writing program for my 9th grader but I guess I can use Jump In with her together???

It's not too juvienile??

[Pamela H in Texas]

Low side of average student - 14yr old son:

 

Literature - SOS

Grammar - Thinking Through Grammar (sophomore level)

Writing - Online class (also includes vocab)

Spelling - Sequential Spelling Adult 1 (adding in as spelling is extra weak)

[Love2Smile]

Low side of average student - 14yr old son:

 

Literature - SOS

Grammar - Thinking Through Grammar (sophomore level)

Writing - Online class (also includes vocab)

Spelling - Sequential Spelling Adult 1 (adding in as spelling is extra weak)

???? what

[FloridaLisa]

Rhetoric: Rhetoric in the Classical Tradition by Horner with selective assignments from Roper's The Writer's Workshop.

 

Lit: Middle Ages lit at home a la TWTM; American history in an outside tutorial

 

Vocab: given in the outside tutorial

 

Grammar: Rod & Staff next semester

 

I really, really like all of this so far.

Lisa

[Pamela H in Texas]

carolyn, could you re-phrase your question?

[jelbe5]

Hi Carolyn!

 

I actually purchased Jump In towards the end of last school year and planned to have my dd use it over the summer before we started "high school". Well, that did not happen, but I read through the entire student workbook. I have a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication and I personally feel it is a great, solid program.

 

My dd has no difficulty with creative writing and writing of her choosing. LA has been a little hit or miss at our house and now it is really time to focus on the essay and various forms of the essay. I am very familiar with IEW and I think it is a great program. I have the syllabus for IEW and was blessed to live near a library which has the VHS tapes for check out. I watched them all, took notes, and we began. But somehow we never made it past key word outlines. I think I felt it was a little restrictive in that the expectation was to include the various stylistic methods in each paragraph.

 

When I read through Jump In! I was very pleased. Take a second look at the Course Objectives and the list of assignments in the Lifeguard's Locker parent book. This writing program covers the major forms of writing. In my opinion it does it in a fun, non-threatening, step by step way.

 

Now, I would probably expect better writing from a 9th grader than a 6th grader. Their vocabulary and overall experience is probably greater than that of a 6th grader. But if the program gets the job done, why not use it? Now your older student might feel it is too young. My daughter is a reluctant writer when it comes to "assigned" writing. So for us I feel this program is just right . . . gentle, but complete.

 

Here in the State of IL high school students in traditional schools must take writing. Homeschools operate as private schools, but I use the State guidelines to help me plan what my children are doing. I plan to copy the course objectives and assignment pages from the parent book to put in my dd's portfolio. Remember, your older student will have approximately three more years to continue to improve writing after Jump In! is completed. Why not use it as an introductory course? Also, I will be giving my dd writing assignments for history, so there will be an opportunity for some additional writing. But for our "formal" class, I feel Jump In! is just fine for us.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Editing to add: For helping my dd prepare and write a research paper I purchased Christian Light Education Language Arts 8 LightUnit 807. Cost is about $3.50. It walks the student through the entire process of writing a research paper. Now it does it the old fashioned way . . . having the student use note cards, etc. You may wish to modify that. In my opinion it is fine for a 9th grader to use and is actually suggested for 9th grade for students who have little research report experience. My dd will not work on a research paper until she has completed most of Jump In!. Again, the LightUnit is clear, step by step and will "get the job done".

Adrianne in IL

Edited September 24, 2009 by jelbe5

[DesertDweller]

BJU Writing & Grammar 9th (minus the writing)

BJU Literature 9th (plus a few additional books and projects)

IEW-Student Writing Intensive C

Spelling Power

Vocabulary (putting this together based on vocab. found on the SAT)