first language lessons or growing with grammar?

[mom2Hh]

for a 7 yr old boy who does not like to physically write. I realize that the two are pretty different.

 

My thoughts with Growing with Grammar is that it is very simple, minimal writing, I think DS would like the simplicity of it (I think he likes to do workbooks!). It would give a boad overview of grammar though perhaps more shallow and less practice and reinforcement of each topic than FLL.

 

I'm not sure if DS would get bored with FLL in that it moves so slowly with nouns, pronouns, etc. He's kind of a "We already did that.... let's move on" type of kid. I definitely would not be repeating the definitions over and over again if he can tell it to me.

 

Has anyone used both? (not necessarily at the same time!). Thoughts?

 

I was thinking of starting KISS sometime this year (VERY slowly) or next year (once I actually sit down to read more about it and learn how to use it!)

[Mom-ninja.]

Both my boys like FLL. My 8 yr old tells me grammar is his favorite subject and loves doing FLL.

 

My oldest has switched to GWG level 6 after doing all four levels of FLL. He is bored, it is too easy, and too much busy work.

[Guest MissyD]

I have used both and love both for different grades/ages.

 

I love FLL for 1st & 2nd, after that is was too much repetition for my boys. I switched to Growing with Grammar after and have loved it. Short, simple lessons that are not overkill in my opinion (which is great for my boys).

 

Good luck,

Melissa

[*Jen*]

I actually use both at the same time with my 2nd grader. He loves workbooks and likes doing the GWG, but I think he retains the information better from the verbal lessons in FLL 2. So for right now we do FLL 2 days a week and GWG 3 days.

 

He recognizes when something in GWG was already covered in FLL and doesn't mind the written practice. He is quite pencil phobic. Some days I still have to do the writing for him in GWG but most days he doesn't mind doing it himself.

[kemilie]

I'm doing both with my 6 year old, I think they're a nice compliment to each other. ;)

[Stellalarella]

I've used all 4 levels of FLL. It is not about pushing pencils. :001_smile: It's just enough writing, imo. There are 100 lessons for each level 1 and level 2, so doing grammar 3 days a week will finish the book in a typical school year.

I so appreciate the definitions we recite in FLL, but then again, I'm a fan of those repetitive kinds of things....

 

A noun is the name of a person, place, or idea.....A verb is a word that does an action, shows a state of being, links two words together, or helps another verb.

 

Come to think of it, I've chosen other curriculums that have kids repeat definitions or chants....:001_smile: AAS, LL

[mom2Hh]

Thanks everyone! Maybe I should try both. It does make sense to me to use both. Just more $.

(Have to get over my frugalness.....we do not have a strict homeschool budget as of yet because we are just starting out so I guess I should go ahead not worry to much about it and see what we actually end up spending. We are not buying expensive boxed curriculum and so probably still spend less than that!)

 

 

 

...

 

Come to think of it, I've chosen other curriculums that have kids repeat definitions or chants....:001_smile: AAS, LL

 

What is LL? I didn't know AAS does chants, etc. I plan to get it but.... my ds does not seem to like repeating definitions and chants, etc. Doesn't seem to like memorization either unless it's like a fast Veggie Tales song that is too fast for me to even want to bother. Maybe I can find a way to make memorization and reciting definitions more fun....?? ideas for that??

[abacus2]

GWG is a better fit here. FLL was just too repetitive.

[OnACloudyDay]

I've used them both (at different times) and generally, I'd say I prefer GWG. Even though my dd was quite young when we used FLL, she quickly found it to be too repetitive. We ended up skipping lessons because she'd give me the "again?!" face when we'd start the next lesson. :)

 

She hates writing just like your son and I often didn't force the issue with GWG. I'd have her write the answers to part of the sheet and let her dictate the rest of the answers to me. I feel like she learned a good bit with GWG but I'm not sure how well it stuck. I guess we'll see when we begin grammar again in the next week or so.

 

BTW, I don't think you'd call anything in AAS a "chant". It's more like just repeating a few phrases..."Every word has at least one vowel", "A vowel's first sound is short", etc. Once you feel they've learned those concepts, you move on and don't continue repeating them daily. Occasionally the lesson tells you to review previously learned key points but that's about it. I've used AAS with all 3 kids and none of them seemed annoyed by the key point memorization aspect.

[Stellalarella]

What is LL? I didn't know AAS does chants, etc. I plan to get it but.... my ds does not seem to like repeating definitions and chants, etc. Doesn't seem to like memorization either unless it's like a fast Veggie Tales song that is too fast for me to even want to bother. Maybe I can find a way to make memorization and reciting definitions more fun....?? ideas for that??

 

As another poster mentioned, AAS doesn't really do chants--but AAS does make use of rule cards. I say to the child, "The letter c makes the sound /s/ before what three letters?" The child responds, "E, I or Y."

 

LL stands for Lively Latin. The children learn vocabulary and the various endings for noun declensions and verb conjugations through chanting the words in a particular order.

 

Our family also likes doing FIAR (Five In a Row). It's a literary unit study for young children that asks parents to read the same picture book to a child each day. We really like it, but I know that reading a book more than once isn't fun for some folks.

 

I don't think anyone should feel bad if repetition isn't an enjoyable learning style for him or her, though I do think it might help to have an understanding of its benefits.

 

One resource that I've found helpful in understanding the why many children enjoy repetition and memory has come from reading The Well Trained Mind, of course, but also listening to an audio lecture from Peace Hill Press. It can be downloaded for .99.

The Joy of Classical Education: Introduction to Classical Education at Home MP3.

 

 

 

:001_smile: Blessings!