Peggy in Va Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I am considering using this next year with my rising 6th & 7th graders. What have you liked/disliked about it? Also, does it actually teach proofreading marks or just have the child circle/underline the mistakes? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 It doesn't teach proof reading marks. I'm not fully convinced that it really teaches dd anything other than to read and observe closely. She thinks she knows everything she needs to know about grammar and this works well to point out that she isn't an expert yet. She's using it with LL8. I initially thought it would be enough grammar but I'm not really convinced it is Although maybe for some children it would be. So I'm thinking I need to add some sort of other grammar program. Just in case. There are lines so the child can rewrite the paragraph although dd just writes what is wrong with the mistakes she finds. I go over the answers before she does the assignment to write out, for example, how many errors in spelling, capitalization, or usage there are. It reminds me of a puzzle to be solved and for the child who likes that sort of challenge, this might work very well.( I think dd finds it frustrating.)There is a grammar guide included in the book. Dd, reading over my shoulder, says "It's kind of boring". The paragraphs we've come across so far are the typical ones you might find in a school textbook or workbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I own Editor in Chief but haven't used it yet. I concur that it looks boring. I like the looks of Grammar with a Giggle better. I had the opportunity to look through the GWG Shakespeare book and it actually looked fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I like it. We have used it for the past couple years. We only do a lesson once or twice a week. It helps to increase observation skills as well as grammar skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 It doesn't teach proof reading marks. I was going to say, "well, of course it does!" because that's where my kids learned all their proof reading marks, which they still use in all their editing. Then I saw you started with B1, and I looked at our A2 to see if it had them... nope. The proofreading marks are taught in the first book, Beginning. It's the very first thing taught - my kids learned them then and still use them. There's a couple of pages to practice just those skills before the main book begins. I guess they're not re-taught at the beginning of every book. For grades 3-4, when we used the Beginning book, it was most of the grammar we did (other than Mad Libs, Grammar Rock, and what we got from foreign language). The Beginning book also goes through things in sequence - first just capitalization, then punctuation, run-ons/fragments, dialog, grammar, usage/spelling, and only then mixed skills. Each concept starts with a grammar guide that you can go through with your child first. The subsequent books have the grammar guide at the back, and are all mixed editing. The student is supposed to be using the editing marks (or rewriting the passage correctly - it gives you the option to do either), but it appears to assume that you've learned them already if you start with the upper level books. I have really liked these books. After grades 3-4, I've added a full grammar program (Easy Grammar, and next year MCT), and am using EIC as a supplement. It was a nice introduction, but in the upper grades I don't think it's a standalone grammar program, but makes a great supplement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 One of my best purchases ever. My dd's test scores on language mechanics skyrocketed this year, and I credit EIC and FLL4 with her success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy in Va Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 It was a nice introduction, but in the upper grades I don't think it's a standalone grammar program, but makes a great supplement. Thanks so much. I'm planning on using R&S with both ds next year so we're good on the grammar. But like you, I was thinking about using it as a supplement. I was really hoping that it taught proofreading marks, but I guess they can live without that. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy in Va Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 Thank you all so much. This insight is extremely helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Thanks so much. I'm planning on using R&S with both ds next year so we're good on the grammar. But like you, I was thinking about using it as a supplement. I was really hoping that it taught proofreading marks, but I guess they can live without that. Thanks again. You're already covered; R&S Grammar teaches proofreading marks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy in Va Posted June 22, 2009 Author Share Posted June 22, 2009 You're already covered; R&S Grammar teaches proofreading marks! Yea Beth!! Thank you so much for pointing this out.:) You can't even imagine how quickly I jumped out of my chair to check out the 6th grade TM. This is why I love these boards!! Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Conley Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Dear Peggy, I've been debating a similar question for weeks now: Should I buy the Editor in Chief workbooks, or the software? I'm leaning toward software. While few people have chosen the software, those that have gave it rave reviews. While it doesn't sound like whiz-bang game software, it probably isn't as frustrating or dull as the workbooks sound. The Editor in Chief program has a great reputation for improving kids' test scores. The skills it teaches more closely mimic what standardized tests cover than most grammar programs do. It also has a great reputation for having an immediate effect on the quality of children's compositions. As others have pointed out, neither option is cheap. I won't be buying either 'til I'm feeling a bit richer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2abcd Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Similar options: (I'm quoting here... from my files...) I've seen the first three. I like Evan-Moor Daily Language Review the best. You can view it online at the http://www.evan-moor.com website. There's also Editor in Chief. This has longer pieces to edit. The selections are pretty interesting, too. The third thing I know of is Daily Grams. I'm afraid I'm a copy snob and I don't like the look of the layout. It's probably a great book. Now for a fourth option that I haven't seen, I will quote Lori D.: "Take Five Minutes: A History Fact a Day to Edit" is shorter than... "Editor in Chief". There is a 2-3 sentence history fact for each day of the year. Most of the errors are lack of punctuation and capitalization, with some incorrect verb forms. Here's a sample of a typical paragraph: October 12 on october 12 1492 christopher columbus seen an island in the bahamas that he named san salvador columbus was looking for a shortcut to asia and believed he had found one, but the bahamas is actually off the coast of north america This would be a sample of the rarer, more difficult paragraph" October 14 on october 14 1912, while theodore roosevelt was campagneing for president, he was shooted in the chest the papers in his vest poket saved him and he insisted on finishing him speech before going to the hospital Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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