We are also doing CC Fable; my daughter (5th grade) is a very efficient writer as well. :-) After reading a very ho-hum retelling of the Fox and the Grapes, I told her that her goal is to make the reader picture all the action and the characters, just like watching a Disney movie like "Fox and the Hound." Picture that fox raring back to make a jump at the grapes...what is his expression? What does his tail look like? etc. That seemed to help, and the rest of her fables have been much better. Seems silly, but it helped. :-) We really like the curriculum.

We had a basket, but we have outgrown it. The bottom shelf of one of our bookcases is "the library shelf." :-) Jana

We have done the first 3 levels. My only caution is that some of the instruction in the grammar books will probably seem childish to older kids (not the grammar itself but the way it's presented)...my son was 10-12 years old going through the 3 levels, and there was a great deal of eye rolling, especially with the writing portion of the first 2 levels. Lots of kids love the whimsical presentation; my daughter enjoys it, my son did NOT. Grammar Voyage is so similar to Grammar Town that you really only need one or the other. I do like the way MCT suggests you cover grammar quickly at the beginning of the year; it can be done in 8 weeks or so. The vocabulary component is great for ANY age; it will also include reinforcement of the grammar instruction.

Thank you - I have wanted these for years, but there were always more pressing needs. I had no idea they were available free!!

Very frustrating! I don't use Saxon, but I often give an extra problem for each one missed due to careless errors.

With my 4 who have all done RS B over the past 9 years, I have been completely amazed by the math reasoning it develops. Just incredible!! They come out of Level B with a feel for numbers. It's my favorite level for that reason. Jana

I couldn't find any better T-square options when we were in G. Please share if you find anything that works well! :-)

MCT writing is big picture, rather than detailed instruction/practice. Something like IEW would fit well with it.

MCT writing is big picture, rather than explicit instruction/practice. Something like IEW would fit well with it.

With RS geometry, if you can't make your lines very precisely, you may end up with calculations/figures that are off. My son was very frustrated by that! I chose not to spend the extra $, but if we do this level again with our other children, I think I might make the investment. You can get the boards elsewhere...Amazon, hobby stores (Hobby Lobby, etc.), so you can price shop. That T-square will get a lot of use in Level G, so if your son is already expressing frustration, it might be worth it to upgrade.

I'm strangely encouraged that so many things appear as hits AND misses...there is no such thing as the perfect curriculum. A good reminder as I plan for next year. :-)

Drive Thru History - much loved!

I would skip Prima Latina, and free up time to focus on something else this year. Lively Latin went really well for us last year (girls were 3rd and 4th grade - first exposure to Latin), and this year we completed First Form Latin from Memoria Press. They did really well, and they already knew quite a bit of it from Lively Latin. I started Prima Latina with my oldest when he was in 3rd grade; he was bored with it, so we dropped it and moved into something else. I think Lively Latin is a great first step and does a good job building enjoyment of the subject. It is also much more fun with a buddy - I think your boys will really like it! There is absolutely nothing wrong with Prima Latina - I just don't think the extra year at a younger age is that helpful.

I've been curious about DGP too...have used MCT for the past 3 years. It still is the closest I've found to what you're describing. I do have my students analyze the sentence first (underline subject once, verb twice, mark complement, parentheses around prep. phrase, arrows for modifiers, etc.), do the four-level analysis, then diagram (there's just enough empty space to do that on the same page). I do wish there were more punctuation practice in MCT (we've had some this year in Essay Voyage), but I plan to supplement next year. Here's the list I've compiled from recommendations on this forum: Every Day Edits, Punctuation Puzzler from Critical Thinking, Evan Moor Daily Paragraph Editing, Daily Language Workout, and Use It! Don't Lose It! I will probably do one of the last two listed, but none of them exactly fits what I would like. I'm eager to hear any other responses!

So you think it would work okay if the child is using paper instead of writing on the screen?

I was afraid of that...thanks so much for taking the time to reply.

Is MM easy enough to use on a mini? I would like to save money and bulk! Thanks, Jana

Thanks, Crimson Wife! DLW looks good. In researching that, I came across links to pdf files that might be helpful...some are not complete. I think I'll use a combination of these next year, unless someone chimes in with a more attractive option. :-) Jana LINKS: Use It! Don’t Lose It! Grade 9 http://www.harrison.kyschools.us/virtual/middle/herseldaily/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/t-Lose-It-Daily-Lan-Gr-9.pdf Grade 8 http://fc.hermon.net/~leslie_huskins/TCR%20Use%20It!%20%20Don't%20Lose%20It!%20%20GD%208.pdf Daily Language Workout Grade 7 http://www.eriaonline.com/hmh/Write%20Source%20Field%20Test%20Materials/Grade%207/Write%20Source_GR%207_Teach%20Dual%20Language_2012c.pdf Grade 10 http://www.eriaonline.com/hmh/Write%20Source%20Field%20Test%20Materials/Grade%2010/Write%20Source_GR%2010_Teach%20Dual%20Lang_2012c.pdf

I really like Math Minutes, recommended on this forum, and I'd love to find something similar for punctuation, capitalization, etc. to use daily with MCT grammar. We will be doing the Voyage level (Grammar, Practice, CE2) in the fall, with WWS1. Thanks! Jana

My oldest has done RS through Geometry, and my younger ones are in D, B, and A. My oldest (a boy) started at 4, and I think the brick walls we hit in B and C (usu. mental math) were things he wasn't developmentally ready for yet. It has worked well for us to step back, play games, maybe do some concentrated practice on facts, or do some Math Mammoth worksheets, then pick up where we were. You might also do some of the drawing lessons. Oh, I also would have the student do the B-version of some of the review sheets...good review and rebuilds confidence after struggling with a concept. Level C has definitely taken us the longest, but D goes pretty fast. Don't hesitate to call RS when you get frustrated...they are very helpful. Jana

We have done the first 3 levels. Grammar Town and Grammar Voyage are VERY similar in scope, so I think Grammar Town would be a good choice. The curriculum is structured so that the actual grammar instruction is done in the first 8 weeks or so, then it is reinforced with analyzing a sentence daily from the Practice book. I would think you could work quickly through Grammar Town, then just spend 5 minutes or so daily on the Practice sentence. We did not do very many of the poetry assignments, just read together, so that did not require much time. We chose to cover this book at the end of the school year...can be done quickly. Caesar's English took us 20-30 min. once a week, and it reinforces what the student is learning in grammar. I would definitely start with Caesar's English I. We are adding WWS1 next year to the Voyage level with my younger students...looks like it will be a good combination. Hope this helps, Jana

My son has done RS from Levels A through G (finished about a year ago when he was 11). Personality will be a factor in enjoyment of G...my son became really frustrated with the very detailed drawing, but he is NOT a fastidious, detail-oriented student. The basic drawing board was frustrating to him, and I almost invested in one with an attached T square...it's hard to keep 2 tools steady on the paper AND draw a nice straight line. I wondered if the work could be done on the computer with the Geometer's Sketchpad software, but I just didn't have time to figure out how. But we did geometry every day, so doing it twice a week would probably minimize the frustration level also. It will be great for you to sit with them...after the first several lessons, I let my son take off on his own. But when he would run into trouble, I had to spend a lot of time backtracking to know how to help him. I AM a detailed perfectionist, and I would have enjoyed Level G. There are many lessons that I thought were fascinating - my son probably did, too, but would never have admitted it. :-) I think it's a great way to learn geometry. I would encourage you to keep them doing basic arithmetic while going through G (I'm not familiar with Saxon's elementary curriculum, so I can't comment on that combination); there is certainly some reinforcement in the level, but a lot was forgotten. One thing I wish I had known about during G was Math Minutes (look on Amazon). I think the 6th or 7th grade book would be great during G. After G we spent some time in Lial's Basic College Math, and now we're in AoPS Pre-Algebra. Hope this helps, Jana

Thanks, Lisa - sounds like a great class! Now I can stop looking for alternatives and look forward to teaching WWS in the fall. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Jana

Thanks so much for your help, Lisa - I'm encouraged by your success! How often did you meet? Did you do multiple days of work in class, or did you somehow check their work daily? We will only be meeting twice a week, Monday and Thursday. I teach grammar and vocab (MCT), Latin, and writing during a 2- to 2.5-hr. time period. I printed out the first several weeks of the beta copy, so I do have it in my hands. I want to think it through and come up with a plan for the most learning with the least frustration. :-) Thanks again! Jana

My question as well...did you hear from anyone? I will be teaching my daughter (5th grade) and niece (6th grade). We are now finishing Story Grammar and MCT town level. I teach Mondays and Thursdays. I like that WWS is written to the students, but must I be able to check their work daily for this program to really work? I don't have time to piece together my own custom curriculum blend. :-) Jana