pixelroper Posted March 22, 2008 Share Posted March 22, 2008 I thought I had made up my mind to stop using R&S with CW next year-Why? 1) It seems to be getting repetitive dd8 is finishing R&S4 & mid way in Aesop B, 2) I really wanted to streamline the whole LA program I'm using the workbooks & IG, should I be customizing more? R&S4 is way ahead of Aesop in terms of grammar, Aesop B is right where she needs to be for the writing but behind her in the grammar. I'm having second thoughts after reading several posts about using them together. And I think I having trouble letting go of such a great program. Plus while I did have grammar in hs it was very basic, can't really remember much, I'm studying Harvey's Gr in order to stay ahead, also for help in Latin. Any thoughts? Did anyone drop R&S and then go back to using it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Before I found CW, I read LCC. I really liked the philosophy, and even now I continue to scrutinize our schedule each year and/or semester to make sure that what we are doing is worth the time that we invest. Teaching English grammar through Latin made sense; however, I never felt comfortable dropping R&S grammar, so I didn't. I think that part of this stems from the fact that I did not have a strong background in grammar. I've spent the past year trying to come up to speed in grammar so that I can adequately teach not only R&S grammar, but CW & Latin also. I had a few courses in ps on grammar, but I really only came away with the definition of noun & verb and a few punctuation rules. Therefore, I wanted my boys to be well grounded in grammar, and that's what R&S is doing. Because we study English grammar, Latin, & CW, I really see the benefit of each program and how they all reinforce each other. R&S continually builds on grammar concepts by strengthening what they've learned and introducing new concepts at the same time. My boys could learn most of the grammar in a year or so, but I like the systematic approach outlined in R&S which solidifies it in their mind. The concepts they have learned so far, they don't have to think twice about when we review it in CW or when we come upon a new concept in Latin and/or Greek. My oldest son just got his results from the EXPLORE test he took in January. It's an 8th grade test that he was eligible to take in the 6th grade because of his past Stanford Achievement Test scores. His highest score was in English which covered Usage/Mechanics and Rhetorical Skills; he scored better than 98% of the 8th graders taking the test. The Usage/Mechanics portion covered punctuation, grammar & usage, and sentence structure. The Rhetorics Skills portion covered understanding of the use of strategy, organization, and style in writing. I'm not including this information to brag, although I am quite proud of him, but to let you know that I firmly believe that he scored this well because of our continued use of R&S with CW. His strength is actually math, which surprisingly, he didn't score as well on this time around. Of course, this is just our experience. I hope that something I've said has helped you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelroper Posted March 23, 2008 Author Share Posted March 23, 2008 That was quicker than I expected and the kind of input I needed:)- thank you This is a big help as I was hoping to hit the R&S text book sale & I noticed a few used one as well- needed to make up my mind. My main problem is my own lack of formal grammar- which is why I really like R&S- friends of mine have older dc so I've been able to look at all the texts and honestly I get lost quick with the terminology. It's usually hard to find the time for my own studies. Congrats on the SAT scores!!!!! It's inspiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in Central Texas Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Perhaps you could try to do R&S orally as a reinforcement for CW. That would give the advantage of the EXCELLENT R&S while also covering CW without adding additional writing to the day. That is my tentative plan for next year with my dd, aged 12, who will be a 7th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leila Posted April 18, 2008 Share Posted April 18, 2008 I have a question. We are doing RS grammar 4 this year, I was wondering if we can start on CW Aesop B or start on A, because this will be our first year of using it. I have heard so much good things about CW and I want to try it but I don't know, if I will start on A or B (Aesop). Thank you. Leila:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixelroper Posted April 18, 2008 Author Share Posted April 18, 2008 IMO: I think you could start in B, if you have the core you will be able to fill in anything based on their skill chart. Once you become familiar w/the routine it will be very easy for you to customize. I have found B to start out behind R&S4 but it looks to even out. Are you planning on continuing to use R&S? You could easily continue w/R&S and just use the writing aspect of Aesop. Many do not use the program completely and choose to do grammar and spelling outside of CW. I haven't decided if I'm going to continue w/R&S yet. Another thought would be to get the core and go through it as you may not need to use the workbooks. You could then customize to their level in R&S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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