Need Grammar Curriculum Advice for 7th Grade

[Deanna in TN]

We have used A Beka through 6th grade, but I am somewhat frustrated with it. I do not like the order the material is presented - things such as find the subject before nouns and pronouns are taught, find the predicate before verbs are taught, how is the prepositional phrase used (adj. or adv.) before prepositions are taught. Also once a topic is finished, there is no (or very little) review. I was wondering if R&S, BJU or some other program may be better suited for us.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Deanna

[momofkhm]

All three of mine are using R&S. (This coming year will be the last one I have to buy 2 books!) Anyway, the 2nd grade book goes along like you were saying, sort of - without using the word "noun" teaching what a noun is and then bringing in the word. Same with verbs, adjectives.

 

But is sounds like you'd be using 7th grade. Most of that stuff is already taught. It seems to pick up where they left off. Lots of review of old material. There are review exercises almost daily. Those cover anything from the last book up to current stuff.

 

I haven't used BJU stuff at all.

[Lolly]

Subject and predicate are taught first. (But as sentence sections, not nouns and verbs. You have to be able to locate the complete subject before you can figure out which noun is the simple subject.) Nouns next, then simple predicates. At that level, you are asked to use prepositional phrases as parts of a sentence before prepositions are taught. (That is why I always tell people that they should not feel comfortable skipping the last part of the text and just starting the next grade level the next year. are covered toward the very end and if you haven't covered them, you are lost the next year when they expect you to know what they are before they are covered in that book.)

 

One of my dc has also used EAsy Grammar. It starts with prepositional phrases. I believe it then goes to nouns, verbs, etc. You may want to look at it and see if it is more along the lines of what you are looking for.

[HollyDay]

We did start out wiht Abeka but by then end of 2nd grade we hated it. We did BJU from3rd - 5th wiht much success. It is a well thought out prgram and not nearly as frustrating (for us anyway) as Abeka. I would have used it for 6th but the cost of the TM and the fact that we do not use the writing program included - made me switch. I used Winston 1 at the beginning of 6th grade and now just rely on the grammar in CW Homer. BJU very well prepared my dd. She finds the Harvey's Grammar easy. My only complaint is the cost. Like I said, we do not do the writing lessons. BJU does 1 unit of grammar followed by 1 unit of writing. The style they teach is pretty typical but drove dd (and me) nuts. Lots of venn diagramming, T charts and prewriting activities. It was overkill in the style and direction for us. CW is a better fit for us if that tell you anything! When I looked at the cost of the TM (which for me was essential to use) and the fact that I was only using half the lessons - and BJU does not offer free shipping promos - and there is no hotel meeting locally - and I couldnt find the TM used - I didnt use it for 6th.

 

So, bottom line - it is a good program. I can highly recommend it. The cost of the TM is something to consider however. I think there are other programs out there that are also very good that do not cost as much.

[Ellie]

EPS's The Stewart English Program. It teaches grammar by having the dc write. Janet in WA likes it very much.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Analytical Grammar website is http://www.analyticalgrammar.com. The videos at the website do a great job of explaining the program. We are using Analytical Grammar for 6th-7th-8th grade. 6th grade has 10 weeks of daily grammar work (parts of speech and diagramming), then review 1x every 2 weeks. 7th grade has 7 weeks of daily grammar work (phrases and clauses), then review 1x every month. 8th grade has 17 weeks of daily grammar work (punctuation) and then you are done. It can be completed in 1 or 2 years as well. We have completed Season 1 and are reviewing the rest of the year.

 

Pros:

• Clear and concise

• Pick up and go (little to no preparation required from mom)

• Teach lesson on first day of week and student can work on their own for rest of week. Only checking/correcting required from mom.

• Each lesson has a theme (American flag, humorous Johnny Carson story, women & math, Mexican-Americans, Martin Luther King Jr., Jewish Americans, fairy tales, etc.) which makes the lessons more interesting.

• Sentences are much more complex than Shurley grammar

• Novelty of getting a letter grade on test

• Comfort of letter grade for perfectionist mom (ds is missing some but still getting an A)

• Student book turns into a reference manual when you remove student exercises.

 

Cons:

• None that I have found

• Some say it’s expensive. I spent $120 but will use it over 3 years.

 

Disclaimer: I have a master’s degree in Operations Research, which is concerned with all things efficiency. Part of the reason I love AG is that it is the most efficient use of my time and my child’s time. This leaves time for other wonderful things like math, history, music, and sports! I suppose if you are a good teacher and you teach grammar year after year after year, you learn to make your lessons more and more efficient. That must be with the author, Robin Finley, did.