FLL v. MCT for 5yo gifted dd

[Tracy]

DD4 is verbally gifted (reading at 2nd grade level). We are doing kindergarten this year, and I am looking for a grammar program for next year. She requires a lot of interpersonal interaction and conversation. She will do worksheets out of a sense of duty but would much rather talk to someone or work cooperatively.

 

I like the idea of cuddling up on the couch together with FLL, and I like that it starts sentence diagramming early on. But I am concerned that it will be too boring for her.

 

I have also considered MCT, since it is geared toward gifted children. But I am really put off by the font. DD is very rule-oriented, and I am not sure she will go for a book that looks like a child wrote it. (OTOH, she might like the idea, too.)

 

Can anyone give me any insights into either of these programs for a very young gifted child? I am thinking that we might start with FLL next year and then perhaps move into MCT later on?

[KristenS]

I can only comment on part of FLL, since that's what we're doing.

 

My oldest is in 2nd and we just started it this year. My youngest is in pre-K. It was intended for my oldest, and that's how I use it, but we skip some of the repetition, or do a couple of related lessons together in one conversation. I like that it's quick and conversational ... no time to get bored that way. Interestingly, my youngest tags along for most lessons, and she's loved the memory work. She doesn't need to know what nouns and pronouns are yet, as she's barely reading, but she likes the poetry, and they both enjoy the story and picture narrations. We're not at diagramming yet.

 

Anyway, it's easily adaptable even though it is scripted, so it could work well. We only delayed it because I wanted to be further along in phonics before beginning grammar. I had expected to redo it with youngest, but she may not need it by then. :)

 

What is MCT?

[Tracy]

What is MCT?

 

MCT stands for Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts program. It is especially popular among the gifted community, because it introduces more advanced concepts at an earlier age. But I think that FLL does this, too, but it is geared toward a slightly younger audience and is not specifically geared toward gifted children.

[Truscifi]

We started FLL when ds was 4 1/2 - he was also reading well and liked the one on one interaction of school with mommy. He liked FLL at that point, especially the poems and memory work (although not so much on the narrations). We skipped a lot of the repetition as he has an excellent memory, but even so he is starting to get bored with it now - he just turned 6. We are leaning toward starting Grammar Island next year instead of continuing on with FLL3 now that ds has a good grounding in parts of speech. I have only looked at it online so far, so I am not sure yet.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Truscifi

[radiobrain]

DD4 is verbally gifted (reading at 2nd grade level). We are doing kindergarten this year, and I am looking for a grammar program for next year. She requires a lot of interpersonal interaction and conversation. She will do worksheets out of a sense of duty but would much rather talk to someone or work cooperatively.

 

I like the idea of cuddling up on the couch together with FLL, and I like that it starts sentence diagramming early on. But I am concerned that it will be too boring for her.

 

I have also considered MCT, since it is geared toward gifted children. But I am really put off by the font. DD is very rule-oriented, and I am not sure she will go for a book that looks like a child wrote it. (OTOH, she might like the idea, too.)

 

Can anyone give me any insights into either of these programs for a very young gifted child? I am thinking that we might start with FLL next year and then perhaps move into MCT later on?

 

That particular font is used sporadically, there are many fonts in the books. That aspect will not affect your kid as it is not written as if a child has written it.

 

However, it starts for gifted 3rd/ regular 4th... and I think that needs to be adhered to. 5 is just too young to start the program, unless perhaps you have a PG in language kid. Part of the reason is that although I know that your child would probably be able to do most of the island level just fine, each subsequent level jumps up VERY fast.

 

So do some other thing before moving into MCT. :D However, it is so great and maybe you can do it one year early.... ;)

[Crimson Wife]

Are you looking at FLL 1/2 or FLL 3? You mentioned diagramming, which is in FLL3 but not the first book.

 

My oldest did a highly condensed version of FLL 1/2 in K. She was already reading easy chapter books (Magic Treehouse, etc). We skipped everything she already knew like the days of the week and combined lessons frequently. We started in August and were finished the first grade portion by the end of October. She did slow down a bit in the second grade portion but finished that by mid-March.

 

When FLL3 was published a few months later, I looked it over but was disappointed about how much was review from FLL 1/2. The amount of new material did not seem enough for my DD. We planned to enroll her in the EPGY "Language Arts & Writing" course but then the financial services industry in which my DH works went into a tailspin. So we couldn't justify the hefty price tag of EPGY (this was before the open enrollment option for $135/yr). I briefly tried the old Catholic edition of Voyages in English but that wasn't a good fit. I ended up shelving grammar and just focusing on copywork & narration using WWE1.

 

This year, we did a non-traditional grammar program for first semester Story Grammar for Elementary Students by Don & Jenny Killgallon. Second semester is still TBD. Right now I'm stalling by putting a heavy focus on penmanship.

 

If I had to do it over again, I think I might have waited until 1st and then started with FLL3.

[radiobrain]

I am just thinking about this again.....

 

really, regardless of how gifted your child is in LA, grammar is fine to wait later. I would say you can get parts of speech by doing mad libs (or make your own, that's my favorite!) and just have her read, read, read!!!

 

I am going to say that I am a full bore MCT groupie/devotee... and I would trust that if *he* doesn't think it necessary to really delve into grammar until 3rd/4th grade... I will trust his opinion, a bit. :D

 

Enjoy it all!!!

[nmoira]

DD the Elder started FLL orally at 4... maybe 4.5. I had to heavily compact it because she just didn't need the repetition. We also had to choose much longer and more poems. (Do watch the poems... many of those in FLL are modified from the original versions, and these modifications are not typically noted). If I had to do it again with a LA adept child, I would have done Madlibs for parts of speech, and started with MCT at 6 or 7 (i.e. prior to starting Latin). I'm not inclined to rush through MCT; we're going to cover one level per year. At some point, it's worth considering a year of Growing With Grammar or a similar program to cover the more trivial parts of grammar (capitalization rules, etc.) if you don't feel comfortable introducing these conventions incidentally.

[Donna]

I agree with the other posters. I would not start MCT at 5yo. The Island level is fairly straight forward but the next level jumps quickly. I started the Island level with my dd at 6yo but only because her older brothers were doing it. She was reading at a 6-7th grade level at the time and we worked through it quickly then set grammar aside until this fall when we began the next level.

 

Grammar isn't really anything I would rush. It is fairly useless information for a very young child who would get much more out of reading and discussing great books. MCT is wonderfully done and is easily learned at whatever age you start. I didn't even do grammar with my boys until they were much older (9 and 11yo) except for playing madlibs. They knew how to write and understood parts of speech (there are only 8 so it isn't hard to learn). We had started FLL when they were younger but they found it too boring so we didn't continue...same with dd when she was 4-5yo. She only liked the poetry memorization so instead we found poetry books and read those.

[Heather in WI]

Here is my ds's grammar sequence:

 

5K - FLL (1st half)

1st - Rod & Staff Grammar 2

2nd - Rod & Staff Grammar 3

3rd - Rod & Staff Grammar 4

4th - FLL - IV

 

Next year we will switch back to Rod and Staff Grammar 5 for him, as there is no FLL V. I think it's been a good sequence.

 

I'm not a fan of MCT, but it's only from the samples that I've seen on-line. We've never used the program.

 

I guess I'm the opposite of other posters and I feel that early grammar instruction has helped ds greatly with his writing as well as with learning Latin.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Heather in WI

[nmoira]

 

Grammar isn't really anything I would rush. It is fairly useless information for a very young child who would get much more out of reading and discussing great books.

Well, whether and how much to wait depends on the child. DD the Elder was fascinated by the mechanics of language since before her second birthday. I just think there were better informal choices than FLL. We could have played around with MadLibs and done more informal work. My mistake (not a major one) was in thinking it would be helpful to go about it in a more formal way. But there's no product out there for a 4yo who just gets it, and I probably did more work tweaking FLL than I would have if I'd kept with an informal approach. It's not like she has ever been shy about asking questions. :tongue_smilie:

[Crimson Wife]

I'm not a fan of MCT, but it's only from the samples that I've seen on-line. We've never used the program.

 

I guess I'm the opposite of other posters and I feel that early grammar instruction has helped ds greatly with his writing as well as with learning Latin.

 

:iagree:

I just don't get all the raves about MCT. I looked through the elementary level grammar materials belonging to a friend and was underwhelmed by them. Now, I did not look at the other materials like the writing, vocab, poetry, etc. But I'm looking for a grammar book that is rigorous and complete in and of itself.

[Shawna in Texas]

DD4 is verbally gifted (reading at 2nd grade level). We are doing kindergarten this year, and I am looking for a grammar program for next year. She requires a lot of interpersonal interaction and conversation. She will do worksheets out of a sense of duty but would much rather talk to someone or work cooperatively.

 

I like the idea of cuddling up on the couch together with FLL, and I like that it starts sentence diagramming early on. But I am concerned that it will be too boring for her.

 

I have also considered MCT, since it is geared toward gifted children. But I am really put off by the font. DD is very rule-oriented, and I am not sure she will go for a book that looks like a child wrote it. (OTOH, she might like the idea, too.)

 

Can anyone give me any insights into either of these programs for a very young gifted child? I am thinking that we might start with FLL next year and then perhaps move into MCT later on?

 

I cannot seem to remember when we started FLL with dd. I do know that we did it for about 6 months, did 6 months of poetry, then took 6 months to finish it up. I know that we started Latin at 6 slowly, then did Easy Grammar 3/4 for 2nd grade. So for grades 3-5, we did Latin, Classical Writing, and Mad Libs. We started MCT Town at the end of 5th grade. It seems like I'm leaving something out, but I don't want to dig out my old planners.

 

Because my oldest was the guinea pig, for my youngest (also depending when she learns to read, etc.), we will do PLL (I sold FLL), or maybe the new CW Primer, a poetry unit, then begin the MCT Island series. I don't know when I will throw Latin in there. I don't know if I will do Easy Grammar or not. I seemed to get more out of that than dd. If my youngest needs it, we will do it. I do want to take it slow because I'd like to save the Town level until 5th grade.

 

Of course, that's all speculative. :D

 

As far as FLL being boring, the repetition can be a bit much. I understand there needs to be some, but there was more than enough for us. We also beefed up the poetry and that was a lot of fun.

[Donna]

Well, whether and how much to wait depends on the child. DD the Elder was fascinated by the mechanics of language since before her second birthday. I just think there were better informal choices than FLL. We could have played around with MadLibs and done more informal work. My mistake (not a major one) was in thinking it would be helpful to go about it in a more formal way. But there's no product out there for a 4yo who just gets it, and I probably did more work tweaking FLL than I would have if I'd kept with an informal approach. It's not like she has ever been shy about asking questions. :tongue_smilie:

 

Of course there are always kids who have an interest in something at a young age. I am all for following a child's interest no matter what it happens to be...my dd learned all the bones in the body and most of the muscles when she was 2yo because it thrilled her, not because I thought she needed to know anatomy. I am just saying that my dd wrote and still writes very well and with complex sentence structure, even back when she was very little and dictating her stories on a mini recorder or having me write them out for her.

 

Now she writes chapters and chapters by herself but knowing whether or not she is/was using adjectives or adverbs or prepositional phrases did not change her writing. Grammar just gave her names for the words she was already using. She already knew how to write in any tense and already figured out how to use quotations and proper sentence structure from reading a lot or, with quotations, a quick lesson when she wanted to do it. It didn't take a rigorous grammar program or lots of practice. Working with her own sentences in her own writing was practice enough especially at a very young age.

 

Now she can diagram a sentence, only because she decided she wanted to sit in on her brother's lessons. Otherwise, I would have waited on it. It isn't like math where you need to understand the concepts of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division in order to do the higher level steps. She didn't need to do formal grammar to be able to write well. Maybe I am a bit biased because I always found it to be the most boring subject in school and no one ever asked me to diagram a sentence in college even though I took many literature classes.:001_smile:

[Amber in AUS]

For me personally i don't feel that FLL is the *right* choice for a gifted 5yo. I looked at it, i can't tell you how many times, and i really wanted to love it but couldn't and it just would not have been right for my DD. I think my DS (who turns 4 next week) could handle it no worries! We have opted to go with Shurley because it isn't writing heavy and seems to provide good instruction. We will do 1 or 2 years of Shurley before switching over to MCT.

[Tracy]

Thanks so much for all of your input! I think I am leaning toward no formal grammar program next year. I am tentatively planning on using Tapestry of Grace, and although it does not include a complete and formal grammar program, many grammar points are introduced in the writing exercises. I think that will probably be enough for my 5yo.

[RanchGirl]

So glad you said this, I felt the same way about MCT, seriously the book styles completely put me off. Then I joined the yahoo group and it really didn't feel like the program for us. I bought Grammar Island anyway hoping it was just a bad impression, I figured we could at least read through it as an extra, but neither I nor my son cared for it. It's partly the presentation and partly the near obsession with grammar... for me it's just a tool. I know some folks love to talk about grammar and obsess over the fine points, but I just want the kids to learn it and be able to use it properly in spoken and written communication. Nothing against the many MCT fans out there, it's just not my cup of tea.

 

I wouldn't push grammar at this age, but if your child is interested or you feel it's time to get started, I would go more the mad libs route as some have suggested. Just speaking properly around your children and having them read well-written books builds an excellent foundation. If your daughter likes workbooks, check out the Language Smarts workbooks from Critical Thinking Co. They are full color and fairly interesting and gave my kids a good start. We did books B and C, skipped A.

[StephanieZ]

DD4 is verbally gifted (reading at 2nd grade level). We are doing kindergarten this year, and I am looking for a grammar program for next year. She requires a lot of interpersonal interaction and conversation. She will do worksheets out of a sense of duty but would much rather talk to someone or work cooperatively.

 

I like the idea of cuddling up on the couch together with FLL, and I like that it starts sentence diagramming early on. But I am concerned that it will be too boring for her.

 

I have also considered MCT, since it is geared toward gifted children. But I am really put off by the font. DD is very rule-oriented, and I am not sure she will go for a book that looks like a child wrote it. (OTOH, she might like the idea, too.)

 

Can anyone give me any insights into either of these programs for a very young gifted child? I am thinking that we might start with FLL next year and then perhaps move into MCT later on?

 

Well, IMHO, I wouldn't use either. I think formal grammar can/should wait for at least a few more years. I did EFTTC with my oldest at around 5 or so. . . Started R&S English with my second around 2nd grade. . .

 

And, with my youngest, I am trying to force myself to wait until 3rd grade. At which point, I will use MCT.

 

It's not that I see any damage done by starting grammar sooner, I just think it is a waste of time. :)

 

My kids have all read early, read well, love to compose stories, have great vocab, etc. . . The early grammar didn't hurt that but I can't see that it helped at all either. Time and attention are limited, so I would rather do things that matter. :)

 

The youngest MCT level -- Island -- is geared for 3rd/4th grade gifted kids. Obviously, if you had a profoundly gifted child who was enamored of grammar/language, you could do it earlier. (And I mean profoundly gifted as in reading at a 12th grade + level, writing quality poems or stories at 4-5 years ahead of age. . . things like that. . .) But, unless that was the case, I can't imagine any benefit of pushing it to a younger age.

 

I haven't seen FLL, but I am just not a fan of formal LA programs prior to 3rd grade. IME, they are just a waste of time. . . Time better spent reading and being read to, exploring the world, learning another language, learning an instrument. . . composing stories. . . etc

 

So, I'd advise you to use neither right now and to reassess in about 4 years. :)

[Mama2Three]

Well, IMHO, I wouldn't use either. I think formal grammar can/should wait for at least a few more years. I did EFTTC with my oldest at around 5 or so. . . Started R&S English with my second around 2nd grade. . .

 

And, with my youngest, I am trying to force myself to wait until 3rd grade. At which point, I will use MCT.

 

It's not that I see any damage done by starting grammar sooner, I just think it is a waste of time. :)

 

My kids have all read early, read well, love to compose stories, have great vocab, etc. . . The early grammar didn't hurt that but I can't see that it helped at all either. Time and attention are limited, so I would rather do things that matter. :)

 

The youngest MCT level -- Island -- is geared for 3rd/4th grade gifted kids. Obviously, if you had a profoundly gifted child who was enamored of grammar/language, you could do it earlier. (And I mean profoundly gifted as in reading at a 12th grade + level, writing quality poems or stories at 4-5 years ahead of age. . . things like that. . .) But, unless that was the case, I can't imagine any benefit of pushing it to a younger age.

 

I haven't seen FLL, but I am just not a fan of formal LA programs prior to 3rd grade. IME, they are just a waste of time. . . Time better spent reading and being read to, exploring the world, learning another language, learning an instrument. . . composing stories. . . etc

 

So, I'd advise you to use neither right now and to reassess in about 4 years. :)

 

I love this! Thanks so much, from someone who is trying to force herself to wait, too. :)

[Kuovonne]

I guess that I'm going to be the lone dissenting voice. If a child is capable of doing MCT and enjoys it, and the parent is willing, why put it off simply due to age? I just started using Grammar Island with my six year old. I probably would have started it sooner if I had found it sooner and it had been cheaper. We go slowly. We are enjoying it. She is understanding and applying the information.

 

FLL, on the other hand, I just couldn't bring myself to use. I read through FLL and several other grammar programs but they all felt like they would be torture for *me*.

 

It's not that I see any damage done by starting grammar sooner, I just think it is a waste of time. :)

I don't think it's a waste of time if you are learning and enjoying it.

 

The youngest MCT level -- Island -- is geared for 3rd/4th grade gifted kids. Obviously, if you had a profoundly gifted child who was enamored of grammar/language, you could do it earlier. (And I mean profoundly gifted as in reading at a 12th grade + level, writing quality poems or stories at 4-5 years ahead of age. . . things like that. . .) But, unless that was the case, I can't imagine any benefit of pushing it to a younger age.

 

 

Island level is for gifted 3rd grade or regular 4th grade students. Why do you think that a younger child should have a *higher* level of achievement before doing the program? Except for preschool children, writing 4-5 years ahead of age would mean writing at higher than a 3rd/4th grade level.

[StephanieZ]

I guess that I'm going to be the lone dissenting voice. If a child is capable of doing MCT and enjoys it, and the parent is willing, why put it off simply due to age? I just started using Grammar Island with my six year old. I probably would have started it sooner if I had found it sooner and it had been cheaper. We go slowly. We are enjoying it. She is understanding and applying the information.

 

FLL, on the other hand, I just couldn't bring myself to use. I read through FLL and several other grammar programs but they all felt like they would be torture for *me*.

 

 

I don't think it's a waste of time if you are learning and enjoying it.

 

 

 

Island level is for gifted 3rd grade or regular 4th grade students. Why do you think that a younger child should have a *higher* level of achievement before doing the program? Except for preschool children, writing 4-5 years ahead of age would mean writing at higher than a 3rd/4th grade level.

 

I'd say it is a waste of time because time is a limited thing. If you have 3 hours a day of attention from a 4 year old (which is MUCH more than I ever took from my 4 yos and is MUCH more than I take from my 7 yo), I think taking 20 min a day to do formal grammar is a shame. I'd take it and learn a language, an instrument, how to knit, how to bake, how to fold laundry!!. . . another language. . . nature study. . . etc etc etc This is because IME, you gain nothing by learning it early. There is a limited body of knowledge of formal grammar that is useful to learn. You could spend 2 hours a week for ages 4-8 learning it. (So, say 500 hours of life.) Or, you could wait until the child is 9, spend 2 hours a week, and be in the exact same place at the end of that year as you would have been if you started at age 4.

 

Now, I allow exceptions for some rare child who is profoundly gifted or uniquely passionately interested in formal grammar. (I am sure they exist.) Following a passion or gift is a whole 'nother issue.

 

Where did you get the info that the Island placement is for 3rd gr gifted or 4th gr regular? I've never seen any of that placement info and it surprises me, as my impression is the the MCT materials are aimed solely at the gifted market. Looking at the language used, etc, in all the materials (poetry, etc), IMHO they are far beyond typical classroom materials at that grade. I can't imagine a classroom of "regular" 5th gr kids using MCT Town level (when you look at ALL the materials. . . the grammar is fairly succinct, as I believe a big point of MCT is to condense the grammar into less time consuming part of the LA program . . . so one can concentrate on the more creative/beautiful/etc aspects of language.)

 

Yes, there are *profoundly* gifted children who write/read/do math/etc MANY years ahead of level. There are 2 yos who read fluently. There are 10 yo finishing college (and beyond). . . That's what I meant by profoundly gifted. I'd imagine most folks with pg children probably are mostly off these boards and somewhere else. . . maybe in the nut house, lol. I think once an elementary aged child is more than 2-3 years "ahead", the whole game changes as it becomes very challenging to find appropriate materials. I'd imagine if I were in those shoes, I'd likely be in consultation with some specialized psychologist working on finding appropriate schooling materials. . .

 

There are many paths in the woods. . . Choose whichever one fits your child.

[Kuovonne]

I'd say it is a waste of time because time is a limited thing. ... I think taking 20 min a day to do formal grammar is a shame.

DD6 and I do Grammar Island less than 20 minutes at a time, and we don't do it at all on most days. Yet we are still using it.

 

I'd take it and learn a language, an instrument, how to knit, how to bake, how to fold laundry!!. . . another language. . . nature study. . . etc etc etc

Those are all wonderful activities. However, with the possible exception of folding laundry, I can't teach my DD any of those things. Even if I could, I would still do Grammar Island because I think it is worth it. As for folding laundry ... we don't fold laundry in our house.

 

This is because IME, you gain nothing by learning it early. There is a limited body of knowledge of formal grammar that is useful to learn. You could spend 2 hours a week for ages 4-8 learning it. (So, say 500 hours of life.) Or, you could wait until the child is 9, spend 2 hours a week, and be in the exact same place at the end of that year as you would have been if you started at age 4.

Can we agree to disagree on this point? I don't believe the child will end in the exact same place, and I also believe that there are benefits to knowing some grammar earlier than age nine. I'm also not advocating starting grammar at age 4, but rather suggesting to not hold back a child merely because of age.

 

Now, I allow exceptions for some rare child who is profoundly gifted or uniquely passionately interested in formal grammar. (I am sure they exist.) Following a passion or gift is a whole 'nother issue.

Although DD6 is advanced in language arts, she is neither gifted nor passionate about grammar. My impression from reading the MCT threads is that there are other families using MCT with children younger than 3rd grade, although I don't know how gifted their children are.

 

Where did you get the info that the Island placement is for 3rd gr gifted or 4th gr regular? I've never seen any of that placement info and it surprises me, as my impression is the the MCT materials are aimed solely at the gifted market.

I don't remember exactly where I read the placement info. I read a lot of stuff when looking into MCT. Here is one post on these forums that mentions this placement. Although Royal Fireworks Press caters to gifted children, many of their products can be and are used with non-gifted children, although at older ages.

 

Yes, there are *profoundly* gifted children who write/read/do math/etc MANY years ahead of level.

Yes, there are profoundly gifted children. I am blessed that I don't have one. However, I still think that MCT can be a fit for some children younger than 3rd grade who *aren't* profoundly gifted.

 

There are many paths in the woods. . . Choose whichever one fits your child.

I agree.

 

I often feel I have to defend non-gifted children when I think they are being unnecessarily excluded.

Edited January 7, 2010 by Kuovonne

[StephanieZ]

DD6 and I do Grammar Island less than 20 minutes at a time, and we don't do it at all on most days. Yet we are still using it.

 

 

Those are all wonderful activities. However, with the possible exception of folding laundry, I can't teach my DD any of those things. Even if I could, I would still do Grammar Island because I think it is worth it. As for folding laundry ... we don't fold laundry in our house.

 

 

Can we agree to disagree on this point? I don't believe the child will end in the exact same place, and I also believe that there are benefits to knowing some grammar earlier than age nine. I'm also not advocating starting grammar at age 4, but rather suggesting to not hold back a child merely because of age.

 

 

Although DD6 is advanced in language arts, she is neither gifted nor passionate about grammar. My impression from reading the MCT threads is that there are other families using MCT with children younger than 3rd grade, although I don't know how gifted their children are.

 

 

I don't remember exactly where I read the placement info. I read a lot of stuff when looking into MCT. Here is one post on these forums that mentions this placement. Although Royal Fireworks Press caters to gifted children, many of their products can be and are used with non-gifted children, although at older ages.

 

 

Yes, there are profoundly gifted children. I am blessed that I don't have one. However, I still think that MCT can be a fit for some children younger than 3rd grade who *aren't* profoundly gifted.

 

 

I agree.

 

I often feel I have to defend non-gifted children when I think they are being unnecessarily excluded.

 

Absolutely I agree to disagree. As I said before, there are many paths and we each must choose the one that best fits our own child's unique needs.

 

I do think that placement info is erroneous. That's not to say that it couldn't be possible, but I don't think that comes from the publisher or anyone who knows what it is "supposed to be".

 

Are you using all the elements of the program? In my very brief experience with the Town level, I'd say that the Grammar element is definitely the "simplest" aspect of MCT.

 

No need to defend non-gifted kids from me. This is the only board here devoted to gifted kids. . . so I think it is fair to assume my intended audience is other parents of gifted kids. That isn't a value judgment, it is just that gifted children have unique needs, and this forum is intended to help parents of gifted children find solutions for thier unique needs. On other boards, I sometimes feel the need to defend gifted kids, lol. That's why I am *here*.

[Kuovonne]

Absolutely I agree to disagree.

Thanks.

 

Are you using all the elements of the program? In my very brief experience with the Town level, I'd say that the Grammar element is definitely the "simplest" aspect of MCT.

So far we've used only Grammar Island. However, I have looked through all the Island level books and I think that they are the appropriate level for my daughter.

 

No need to defend non-gifted kids from me. This is the only board here devoted to gifted kids. . . so I think it is fair to assume my intended audience is other parents of gifted kids.

Ah, there's the rub. According to the name of this board, it is for "accelerated learners who are working ahead of great level" not just gifted kids. So although there are many with gifted kids here, as a parent of an accelerated, but not gifted, kid I sometimes feel excluded.

[StephanieZ]

Thanks.

Ah, there's the rub. According to the name of this board, it is for "accelerated learners who are working ahead of great level" not just gifted kids. So although there are many with gifted kids here, as a parent of an accelerated, but not gifted, kid I sometimes feel excluded.

 

Hmm, the naming of the board is rather unusual. I have wondered why the board is given that name. Obviously, a huge percentage of hs kids (40% or more???) work at least one gr level ahead in one or more subjects! So, why need a special board for *that*? If working one GR level ahead, with no special "problems" associated with more severe advancement or the social/psych/educational special needs of giftedness. . .I would think that any queries would be better handled on the K-8 board that gets *so* much more traffic.

 

I had assumed accelerated learner was a cryptic way of saying "gifted" board for some political/social/p.c. reason. But, I could be totally wrong. It won't be the first or last time (this week, lol).

 

Anyway, I think it is helpful to intentionally NOT take offense. That is my general policy (not that I always succeed). Offense is rarely intended, and if it *is* intended, then it isn't deserving of my attention. (You can always "block" the poster.)

 

I certainly mean/meant no offense in any of my posts. This board is an incredible resource to so many parents, and it is helpful if the archives are accurate, so that other parents, who may be reading but not posting many months later, have access to accurate info.

[Kuovonne]

I had assumed accelerated learner was a cryptic way of saying "gifted" board for some political/social/p.c. reason.

 

:blush:Oh, that hadn't occured to me.

[Shawna in Texas]

Butting in very politely, as I've always been interested in grammar instruction for elementary.

 

While I think my 6 or 7 yo would have been able to do the Island level, I do think it would take a gifted child (or extremely advanced :tongue_smilie:) child to do the Town level at 7-8.

[Crimson Wife]

I'd say it is a waste of time because time is a limited thing. If you have 3 hours a day of attention from a 4 year old (which is MUCH more than I ever took from my 4 yos and is MUCH more than I take from my 7 yo), I think taking 20 min a day to do formal grammar is a shame.

 

I would agree with that. The beauty of FLL 1/2, however, is that it's only about 5 min/day. In fact, a gifted kid can often fly through multiple lessons in 5 min/day (like my oldest did).