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Hake/Saxon Grammar vs. R&S English?


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Any one want to compare these?

 

I want a program that is grammar and basic writing. The boys will be in 5th and 6th next year. They did FLL3 last year, and the oldest gets some grammar in Writing Tales, the younger not really any this year.

 

Probably would be better not to combine them.

 

Help!

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Both are excellent programs. R&S goes through grade 10 but seems to be advanced. All you would need to add for high school would be two years of literature. Hake/Saxon only goes through 8th grade. R&S uses the mastery approach and is very biblically based. Hake/Saxon is spiral/incremental and has a U.S. history theme to it but is secular.

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I'm using Saxon Grammar with my son for the first time this year. So far(we're on lesson 45), I am just loving it. He is learning so much and he's really doing well with it even though this is an area of tremendous weakness for him. I let him write in the book, so he usually finishes his lesson in under 30 minutes. I could not be more happy with this program.

 

I use R&S for math but have only used a little of their grammar to supplement an area my son was having trouble with when we were using CLE last year. As someone else said, R&S takes a mastery approach and it is a board favorite for grammar.

 

Lisa

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I think your choice would really depend on how hard core you are when it comes to grammar.

 

R&S is an excellent, rigourous, mastery approach to grammar and writing. Saxon is a good incremental or spiral approach to grammar. It's set up just like the math, but IMHO I don't think it's as rigorous as R&S. That doesn't mean it's a bad program, it's solid, but it's not more. Does that make sense?

 

Both of my dc have used R&S- dd used the 5&6 and ds did 4&5- Just using the 5&6 (in 8th and 9th gr), dd had more grammar mastery than any of her high school peers and was bumped into honors when she (briefly) went back to ps.

 

For ds we switched to Hake this year for 6th grade because he was ready for a change. Honestly, he likes it better because it's easier than R&S. I definately could've put him in the 7th grade book, but didn't realize that until it was too late. I'm not saying that I want an easy grammar program, but it's just that my focus for this dc is to concentrate more on writing than on advanced grammar.

 

If you did go with R&S you could probably combine them both and have them do the 5th grade book. If you went with Saxon/Hake you could just put them in at grade level.

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Well, I still can't decide.

 

How are the writing lessons in both?

 

I really think I want R&S. I usually prefer mastery to spiral (saxon math makes me scream:tongue_smilie:). It does get lots of glowing reports. I want diagramming and writing lessons and everything R&S has.

 

But, I am an athiest...

 

So what do I do????

 

(I actually am not totally opposed to religous texts. We have used CLE Reading.)

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Hmmm...I think the writing instruction is comparable in both, with R&S having the edge. Hake focus more on the typical 5 paragraph essay, while R&S has a lot of other writing: outlining, reports, poetry, thank you notes, that kind of thing.

 

I prefer secular material too, but have made exceptions for material I think is high quality. If you've used CLE before you should have no problem making R&S work.

 

Honestly, I chose Hake when we decided to switch because of all of the grammar programs I looked at, it was the most like R&S in things I was looking for. It had the writing instruction, can be done independently, and included diagramming.

 

I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but this maybe one of those times where you'll just have to go with your gut and try it. If you don't like it, get the other one.

Edited by LunaLee
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I know it's probably not what you want to hear, but this maybe one of those times where you'll just have to go with your gut and try it. If you don't like it, get the other one.

 

Thanks, my gut has been telling me R&S :D

 

I think English 5 for my (will be) 6th grader.

 

Then English 4 for my (will be) 5th grader. Writing and reading aren't his strong suits and when his brother is in the same curriculum he has a hard time dealing with that ;)

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