What do you use for 4th grade language arts?

[gandpsmommy]

For some reason, I'm starting to think about curr. for fall 2010 already! DD8 will be 9, and will be doing fourth grade.

 

Here is what I'm thinking about:

Grammar: So far we've used FLL. But, I'm not sure whether to continue with FLL4 or not. I would love to use something more relational, such as MCT, but I do love that FLL is systematic and organized well. And I do like that dd is learning to diagram. I'm seeking ways to make our learning experiences together more relational, while retaining the rigor and challenge.

Spanish: I'm thinking about Spanish For Children

Latin: I'm not sure. Probably either Lively Latin BB II, Latin For Children, or ???

Spelling: We've been using All About Spelling, which I initially loved. I'm starting to think we've reached the end of its usefulness for dd, though. She is a natural speller, and I know she could be memorizing much more challenging words. What to use though?

 

Writing: We've been using WWE, which I think is fantastic for teaching kids to summarize. I definitely want to continue with it. But I would also like to find a program that helps young writers develop their creative writing as well. Dd has taken a fancy to writing this year and loves to write stories.

 

Handwriting: We'll just incorporate cursive writing into other subjects or let dd write letters to relatives. No more workbooks! Yeah!

 

Reading: Up to this point we have always just checked out books from the library, found one that was interesting, and read it. We haven't formally discussed the reading. Occasionally we comment on things that happen in the story or talk about parts that we especially liked. I'm wondering if we should be looking for more discussion this year?

[SquirrellyMama]

I'm also looking for curriculum for my dd who will be in 4th grade. I've got R&S 4 for English grammar but need writing and reading also. I'm also thinking we are going to need remedial handwriting for her.

 

Kelly

[bethben]

Here's what I've been thinking for my upcomming 4th grader:

• R&S language arts 4
  
• Megawords 1 (I'm with you on the AAS thing. Ds is in the same position with that. He's a natural speller also and needs a little more challenge. I'm not positive on this one though)
  
• Writing Aids by TOG along with IEW dress ups which he learned this year or a writing class if still offered by the same woman.
  
• Handwriting is just him writing most everything in cursive.
  

Beth

[FriedClams]

We'll be using:

CLE LA

CLE Reading alternating with Logos Press reading comp guides

Imitations in writing - though I am also looking at Shurley for the writing aspects

[amyable]

My fourth grader is doing:

 

Grammar - MCT's Grammar Town and Latin (more on that later). Schoolhouse Rock videos and books like Ruth Heller's series have always been a part of our lives, so she has the basics down.

 

Latin - I've recently been introduced to the "joys" of Latin study, and so we are a little behind of where I think their abilities lie (my 4th is doing this with my 6th grader). They are a few weeks into LC 1. I'm pretty sure we will go to First Form Latin next.

 

Spelling - 4th grader is a natural speller so I'm punting here and not pushing it this year. I correct her spelling in her writing, etc.

 

Writing - a homemade combo of MCT's Sentence Island and CW Aesop. My dd is a natural writer (is there such a thing? She's been writing stories reminiscent of American Girl books for years now, with some skill) but at the same time when you give her an assignment ("write a paragraph about XYZ that you've studied") she produces next to nothing. It's so strange. Hence me starting from scratch with some writing programs for her.

 

Handwriting - This dd needs a little help in this area, so she does a page or two out of any random cursive book we have around (the styles are all very similar) Basically I just want her to spend a few minutes CARING about her handwriting, lol.

 

Reading - I think we became burnt out last year on SL's core 4 - which we all loved, but we sped through it a bit and it was intense. So this year I haven't assigned reading yet, as long as she is reading something (and she is, at all times!). In the new year, though, I will start assigning more. I'm not exactly sure what yet, I think I'm going to hit some "great books" lists and try to pick out a few that she hasn't read yet for her age/level. Last year we kept a reading journal, where she could write anything she wanted to me about the chapter she just read, and I would respond. She hated it at first (see above paragraph about writing!) but it did grow on her and now she wonders why I'm not assigning it. :) I loved it because it freed me up to respond when I was able, instead of having to interrupt the diaper changes, helping 6th grader with math, breaking up a fist fight, etc that makes up our daily life. ;)

 

Vocab - nothing formal here, we're getting this through Latin, reading, and daily conversations.

[patchfire]

If I had a natural speller, we would have dropped the formal study of spelling this year and just corrected words in writing, etc.

 

Have you looked at something like Writing Tales? There's some creativity involved in the rewrites each week.

 

Don't ask me about grammar... dd was using JAG but we're going to switch to MCT... but I haven't seen it even yet!

[LoveBaby]

For my 4th grader I am using (or am getting ready to start using):

 

Finish Writing Tales I - we didn't get it done last year, so we'll finish this year and begin WT II.

 

Language Lessons for the Very Young 2 - I suspect she will fly through this and be ready for Elementary Child soon. I wanted to start her on something easier and have her gain confidence rather than burn her out first thing. I'll have her complete the copywork selection in cursive on a seperate piece of paper. We probably won't do all of the writing assignments because of working through Writing Tales.

 

Simply Spelling - includes copywork and dictation. It seems to be making a big improvement in her spelling.

 

Assigned reading from our History rotation - bilblioplan. I'll have her work on narrations after every chapter for me. Then we'll move into written narrations.

[Jana]

:lurk5:

[Laura W.]

My 4th grader next year will be using CLE LA and Reading.

 

Blessings,

 

Laura

[RootAnn]

I think what one uses will depend on the child (as PP have already so ably pointed out).

 

Here's what I'm planning for my (young) 4th grader for next fall:

 

Spelling: We will continue with Spell to Write & Read. It'll be our fourth year, but I do NOT have a natural speller, so she needs this each & every day. It is teacher & time intensive, but it really seems to work (over time, not quickly).

 

Latin: Haven't decided. Still working slowly through Prima Latina this year. (I'm considering borrowing LFC from a friend. :D)

 

Writing/Grammar: We are going to try Writing Tales I for next year. We're using GWG 3 & WWE 2 this year. They are fine, but I'd like to try WT with her next year. My dd8 is a bit pencil-phobic, so this will be a good (gentle) intro into writing for her. I hope to move onto CW (Aesop?) in fifth after using WT 1.

 

*We will continue narrations, copywork, & dictation in other subjects as appropriate.

 

Literature: We use McCall/Crabbs Reading comprehension tests two or three times a week. Other that than, she reads lots and lots of books on her own including the 'literature' selections suggested in SOTW AG. We discuss some of them, but it isn't structured. Frequently, I'm reading (or just read) the book she's reading so we discuss things naturally. We're a pretty vocal family.

 

Handwriting: We do plenty of writing in spelling & will do plenty in WT. I don't plan on doing any formal HW program.

[LindaOz]

My dd starts 4th grade after the Christmas break. She will be doing:

- LLATL Orange

- Abeka Handwriting

- Pathway Readers (loves these) and a variety of other books

Edited December 29, 2009 by LindaOz

[luna]

We are using R&S for grammar, CW Aesop B for writing, Natural Speller, reading from History (SOTW and Biblioplan) and copywork for handwriting.

[MyLittleWonders]

Our projected 4th grade L/A curriculum looks almost identical to the OP's. Here's what I have planned:

 

Grammar: MCT* Island level though I think I might try and figure out how to alternate/integrate FLL 4. I'm still wondering that. Either way, we will use MCT Island.

 

Spelling: All About Spelling. We are currently in Level 3; I have a feeling we'll finish the program some time next year.

 

Writing: WWE 4 and MCT. This year we are doing WWE 3 orally (we are using Classical Writing Primer for our copywork), and I'm not sure next year how I'll make the two work, but taking into consideration the overview for implementing MCT, we may end up doing almost all of WWE 4 as we work our way through the Island level books.

 

Reading: This year ds#1 is finishing up the Hooked on Phonics program and will hopefully be done with the Master Reader level by the end of the summer, so I'm thinking reading will just be taking time as many times during the week as I can of having him read aloud to me from a variety of sources.

 

Latin: We will start Latin for Children A as soon as we are done with SSL. My biggest debate there is whether or not to start with ds#2 as well, or have him cycle back through SSL until 3rd grade.

 

*MCT: I plan on purchasing the whole program with hopes of implementing it as the power point presentation on the website recommends. Given that, I'm not sure how FLL will pan out in the bigger picture, but I might do 2-3 days of FLL and 2-3 days of MCT/Practice Island for grammar. I'll know better when I actually have the books (which I'm not letting myself buy until sometime during the summer ;) ).

[birchbark]

This is my current plan for next year's 4th grader:

 

Grammar: CLE Language Arts

 

Spanish: La Clase Divertida 2

 

Latin: English from the Roots Up. This is as close to Latin as we're getting. :D

 

Spelling: DS is a natural speller and copywork and dictation have worked great.

 

Writing: Write With the Best

 

Handwriting: HWOT Cursive Success

 

Reading: We'll be using Heart of Dakota's CTC program (Ancients) and their literary selections. I am not doing DITHOR however; I decided to save literary analysis for the logic stage. :)

[Matryoshka]

Here's what I'm doing/planning on doing for my just-turned-9yo last week - I call her 3rd/4th this year; this is what we're doing now and also what we'll be continuing with next year...

 

Grammar: MCT Island

 

Spelling: Sequential Spelling (continuing, now midway through level 2)

 

Writing: WWE3 (now) and continuing to WWE4. Sometime after my mom's writing class (focus on creative/narrative writing) is over (this summer? next year?) I'd like to add in Sentence Island. Also doing an Outlining book.

 

Reading: Not doing any program here. Just reading - I assign books from history, she's in a book club where they do Literature Circles, and trying to increase her pleasure reading.

 

Spanish: I'll include this since OP did. :) Doing a program called Entre Amigos along with some supplementary material which we'll continue with next year. We're not doing Latin, but she goes to Sat. School for German.

 

Handwriting: Getty Dubay workbooks.

 

We already finished the MCT Island level poetics book, but I hope to continue some of the activities in the back we haven't gotten to. We may or may not get to MCT Building Language - I may just wait till CEI in Town level. She's doing Word Roots, but I'm not sure how much of it she's retaining.

[Closeacademy]

We use:

 

Spell to Write and Read

Lively Latin

Ruth Heller Grammar Picture books

Montessori grammar boxes

free reading on her own

 

We tried Classical Writing Aesops B. :001_smile:

[DawnM]

This is what we are using as well. I have a 4th grader and a 5th grader this year.

 

I will be taking a look at Sentence Island, but will integrate it in rather than drop CLE.

 

Dawn

 

My 4th grader next year will be using CLE LA and Reading.

 

Blessings,

 

Laura

[rafiki]

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