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Where to Start with "Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind"


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I have a 5th grader who completed the First Language Lessons series in grades 1-4. I did not know about Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind at the outset of this school year, so we started using Hake Grammar and Writing for grammar only. It is mid-year and neither she nor I is pleased with this curriculum. I would like to switch to Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind for next semester and am wondering where to start. Do we need to start at the beginning of year 1 or could we start mid-way through year 1? If so, where? She is a strong language arts and humanities student who is also taking Latin and French. 

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I don't have an answer for you either  :001_smile:  because I'm not familiar with the program (It's on my wish list:). I have a couple of thoughts that I hope may be helpful. You may consider starting it from the beginning to familiarize yourself with how the curriculum is set up and how each lesson should look.  You can then skip ahead to where you feel your daughter should be.  If you decide to skip ahead, you can have her take the test after each section (if there are tests) and then place her according to her results.  If she does well on the test for chapter 1, for example, have her take the test for chapter 2 and so on.  Once she begins having difficulty you can go back to the first lesson for that chapter.  I hope this makes sense.  Just an idea.

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I have never used Hake but we are using Grammar for the Well Trained Mind. It's somewhat cumulative, so what you could do is look at the "review" exercises and see if you think your child could handle them without explanation. Then skip the weeks prior. 

 

There is a review after weeks 1-3, after weeks 4-6, weeks 7-9, etc.

 

 

Edited by cintinative
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I'd start at the beginning because it's awesome. But you could also look at the table of contents and figure out where to start. Or drop grammar and wait till next year.

 

How long do the daily lessons take? Do you think it would be within the realm of possibility for a 4th grader to hang with the lessons?

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I have never used Hake but we are using Grammar for the Well Trained Mind. It's somewhat cumulative, so what you could do is look at the "review" exercises and see if you think your child could handle them without explanation. Then skip the weeks prior. 

 

There is a review after weeks 1-3, after weeks 4-6, weeks 7-9, etc.

To those who have seen it: did you compare it with the earlier Advanced Language Lessons? How different is it?

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To those who have seen it: did you compare it with the earlier Advanced Language Lessons? How different is it?

 

 

As far as I know, it is basically just a cleaned up version of that, broken into four books with increasing difficulty and with more exercises and additional material. The Advanced Language Lessons was never published--this Grammar for the Well Trained Mind is the product that came out of that process. 

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How long do the daily lessons take? Do you think it would be within the realm of possibility for a 4th grader to hang with the lessons?

 

If your 4th grader has never done FLL 4, do that first. I would not recommend this for a 4th grader that hasn't had that foundation. This book moves more quickly than FLL4. Both take about a half hour four days a week (this one maybe more) but I can't imagine skipping FLL4 to do this.  YMMV.

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As far as I know, it is basically just a cleaned up version of that, broken into four books with increasing difficulty and with more exercises and additional material. 

Thank you.

I couldn't see the sample because the WTM Press web site asking me to login or register first. I'll check on Amazon.

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How long do the daily lessons take? Do you think it would be within the realm of possibility for a 4th grader to hang with the lessons?

With my language-strong 11yo, the lessons take about 15m. But the first couple of weeks took closer to 30 as she eased into the program.

 

I have a fourth-grader and I wouldn't do it with him. It requires a fair amount critical/logic stage thinking. My 4th grader is gifted and analytical, but he doesn't just salivate over grammar and diagramming so I'm not willing to push it. I'd rather he use his heavy thinking in Latin and other subjects.

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