Language arts suggestions welcome - for early elementary.

[rafiki]

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[Tina in WA]

First I want you to know I don't have experience with SWR or SWO. I hope someone will answer this question soon.

 

My thoughts for writing are... Don't worry about an actual writing program at this age. Wait until next year, or 4th even. In 3rd grade look into Writing Tales. It is a wonderful, teacher friendly, gentle approach to writing. We love it. :) For now, just do copy work, dictation, and narratives.

 

Here are the language arts items we use for Grades 1-3: Growing With Grammar, Writing Tales (4th really), Spelling Power, & History Scribe: Happy Scribe. I do dictation and narrations with those grades as well.

 

Here is a review you might like: SP & SW

 

I am really hoping you find something soon that will work for you. :)

 

~Tina

[Cynful]

We've really enjoyed Just Write from EPS Books. Both of my children have fun with it. All-About-Spelling may be an option for you to check also. My kids hate it though, but it does work so we only do it once a week. I've recently just switched to LLATL and I adore it. I can't say too much though because I'm only 1 week in. :)

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer. Good luck.

[mcconnellboys]

I have used Spelling Workout for a long time and like it. If your boys like it, then I would stay with it. I think it is a very good, sound program.

 

McGraw Hill puts out a series called Spectrum and I like their writing for younger children. They have books for each grade level.

 

Regena

[Verena]

Hi Michele,

 

have you taken a look at BJU English? I'm doing it this year with my 3rd grader and it is a very solid program. You can see sample chapters at the bjupress website. It is paced out for you (180 lessons) and consists of grammar and writing and also offers built in review (chapter and cumulative review). 2 weeks of grammar alternated with 2 weeks of writing. The writing instruction is VERY incremental and a lot of hand-holding is provided. Students learn all the writing steps, gathering ideas, drafting, revising/proofreading and publishing. Some people say you don't need the TM, but I like having it especially for the writing chapters. So far, ds has written a letter, game instructions, persuasive essay and a story. In a few days, we'll tackle a book report (later on there is poem, research report, and a compare-contrast essay).

The student book is about $15, TM is more, but you can find them for a discount on various used hs booksale websites.

It is colorful and I like that it alternates grammar and writing. The grammar weeks are lighter which gives us a bit of a breather. We use those weeks to focus those weeks on other writing (mostly science).

 

As far as SWR (we're using it, too): can you put your finger on exactly what's not working? Is it just the slow going? Have you started only 2 months ago? Have you identified how your ds learns best (whole to parts vs. parts to whole)?

I'm asking because it has taken me about 6 months until I was best able to utilitze SWR for my guys. My oldest, f.ex. learns whole-parts (is a good speller) and for him it would be torture if I explained every list or every word in minute detail. He doesn't mark his words anymore, nor underlines them. I give him 10 words the first day, 10 the next and on 2 other days we do dictation using the "trouble" words for that week.

My younger ds is the exact opposite from his older brother. We are just starting SWR very gently (he is 6) and only write on the white board. We are working on phonograms and the sounds they make (we're currently doing ee, ow, th, sh and ar). He needs a v-e-r-y slow pace and being able to see the parts that make the whole.

 

I'm not saying you should stick with SWR- just saying that I think it's a very solid method and since you already have it, I'd give it another few months (at least).

 

I hope something in here helped!

[Another Lynn]

Michele, I understand how you feel about SWR! I will likely always use it because I love the way there are so few exceptions - it seems to really understand the way our language works. But I also get frustrated because of the time it takes and the intensity. I'm not totally using it correctly right now either. (It's also a bit frustrating because we're in Classical Conversations, which only leaves me 4days/week when I think SWR could really use 5). Anyway, my oldest ds is 3rd grade and I see him making PLENTY of spelling mistakes when I ask him to write (more on writing in a minute), but I remember OhElizabeth saying that they really need to write a lot in order for spelling "put into practice" to improve. My latest thoughts on how to use SWR with my oldest is to do 5words a day and to immediately dictate several sentences using those words (plus old ones that will fit the sentence). I will have to come up with my own sentences (shouldn't be too hard for so few words). For my K-er, I'm just dictating words to him (having him mark them, etc.), working on phonograms, etc. I don't even test him yet - I'm just using it to teach him to read. (I have a feeling he's going to be a more natural speller anyway). If you go back to SWO, I would just continue to drill the phonograms and the rules and have them mark their SWO words the SWR way (do you have the alpha list? - very handy!)

 

My .02 on writing. We had not done much until recently. Our few attempts at written narration did not make me especially proud :) Then I remembered that we learned to narrate orally using something simple: Aesop's Fables. Why not use the same thing to learn to do written narrations. So now I read Aesop to my 3rd grader and my Ker. Then I have my 3rd grader leave the room and write his narration while my K-er gives me his oral narration. Then I correct the 3rd grader's written narration and he copies it over the next day. I really like how gentle this is write now. I will probably pick a more "formal" program for 4th grade, but this is giving us needed practice for now.

 

If dh really wants a formal program, I would look at Writing Tales.

 

Just wanted to add that I appreciate your post because LA is an area I'm really "feeling" my way through. I was so convinced that Charlotte Mason was the way to go in the beginning, but that just didn't click for us in the area of LA. I 'm still adjusting my thoughts and my approach to it. Best of luck and please share what you learn along the way!!!

[rafiki]

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[rafiki]

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