skip progression in Shurley English levels

[Aloha2U]

We're currently doing SWR along w/FLL 1 this year (K5) and will go through FLL 2 next year (1st Grade). I plan on starting Shurley English 2 in 2nd grade and then possibly skipping levels.

 

Those of you who do the skip progression in Shurley (1,3,5,7 or 2,4,6,7), what do you do in between the levels? Do you just take a break from grammar for a year or use something else? Which skip progression do you recommend?

 

Also, I've read about some using Writing Tales instead of doing the writing in Shurley. What exactly is WT? When do you implement it? Do you opt to use it instead of say IEW, CW, or WWE?

 

:lurk5:

Edited January 19, 2010 by NCAmusings

[Aloha2U]

anyone? :bigear:

[missmoe]

I use Shurley 2,4, and 6. I don't take a break between levels. I start the progression around 3rd grade and work right through. After level 6, I move into Rod and Staff.

 

I can't comment about the writing choices as I haven't used any of the ones you mention. I do think Shurley's writing is not up to par.

 

HTH

[PeterPan]

We did FLL1/2 in K5, so in 1st we did some Shurley2. We also dabbled in R&S3. Actually, neither really enthralled us, but I just had this learning curve and needed to decide how I wanted to do things. You probably weren't around for the "my dd met SWB and told her how much she hates grammar" confession, lol... In any case, I made a few more misteps, buying R&S4 (which also didn't fit her, not a shock after R&S3 didn't), trying the SL LA2Adv (which has now been revamped), etc. Finally I had this lightning bolt on how to make Shurley fit us, plunged back in, and haven't looked aside since. So in 3rd we did some Shurley 4 and WT2. (A great pair, btw.) In 4th we did the rest of Shurley4 and had a baby, literally. I have no clue what we did, but we survived. In 5th this year she wanted a light year for grammar, so I let her do Shurley 6 along with her writing (PWME, Homer A). It's totally review for her, given how much we had extended the grammar in Homer, latin, WT2, etc., and I'm pretty much up in the air whether I prefer 3,5,7 or 2,4,6,7. For her, 2,4,6,7 was so gentle, it was a good fit. Shurley7 has a TON of material that never got covered in the lower levels, so I can't see skipping it. *I* wanted to take her directly to 7, and she wanted 6. So will I sell my 2,4,6 levels and re-buy them a few years from now to do 3,5,7 with my now infant son? I have no clue. I've thought about it. I think it would just totally depend on the kid.

 

So that's all a really long way of saying: 1) I have no preference on sequence (3,5,7, or 2,4,6,7), and 2) I don't think you need to sweat how it will go. If you just do it gently and allow life to happen, you'll probably miss some here and there and stretch it out. Or like right now I have her doing more latin, since we're done with her grammar book for the year. Sure I COULD have started Shurley 7, but I didn't see the point. So feel free to stretch things out or alternate. You're going to find SO many cool things you want to do over the next few years, I don't think you'll have any trouble filling gaps. There are so many good editing programs, punctuation books, foreign languages, etc., you're just not going to have any trouble keeping busy, trust me. Your real trouble will be paring that list down. :)

[missmoe]

OhElizabeth,

 

What things are covered in level 7 that aren't covered before then?

[Alenee]

I'd like to know about Shurley 7 too. We're in 6 right now and I'm looking at Analytical Grammar or R & S....I hadn't considered doing SE 7...thinking it only added the usual 2-3 new concepts.

[PeterPan]

Google for the Shurley scope & sequence to see the chart.

[Dinsfamily]

We're currently doing SWR along w/FLL 1 this year (K5) and will go through FLL 2 next year (1st Grade). I plan on starting Shurley English 2 in 2nd grade and then possibly skipping levels.

 

Those of you who do the skip progression in Shurley (1,3,5,7 or 2,4,6,7), what do you do in between the levels? Do you just take a break from grammar for a year or use something else? Which skip progression do you recommend?

 

Also, I've read about some using Writing Tales instead of doing the writing in Shurley. What exactly is WT? When do you implement it? Do you opt to use it instead of say IEW, CW, or WWE?

 

 

 

Oh, how I wish your ds was a year ahead of mine!! I've been researching this lately too and am not sure where to go for grammar and writing. I'm thinking of starting WWE w/o the workbook (although we already do quite a bit of it with SWR) and then start Shurley 2 in 2nd for grammar. I feel like we're okay on grammar until then just with the Heller books (which I LOVE!) CW looks appealing to me, but the primer doesn't seem worth the $$ to me. I'd just wait until Aesop. Then, MCT showed up and threw me all off.

 

Sooo, if you decide to go with 1,3,5,7, would you start in 1st? If you went with 2,4,6,7 would you start in 2nd? Was FLL good this year? Did you really need it?

[PeterPan]

Taira, sounds like you're sorting through a lot of options! Well for one thing, MCT doesn't start for you till 3rd grade. At least 3rd grade material, even if you did it in 2nd. So you can take that off the table. For FLL, YES you want to do it. Nothing says you have to do it as written (we didn't), but I would still do it. At least do the lessons where each new thing gets introduced and memorize the defs. After that, Shurley2 will be more or less redundant, a gentle introduction. It really is skippable when you've done FLL, and I wouldn't bother with Shurley1 at all when you do FLL.

 

Part of what you're talking about here though is the student. Kids are all different. Some might need more repetition.

 

As far as CW Primer, I'd like to suggest, not having used it myself, that you give more weight to it in your mind. Remember it's an outgrowth of the forerunners who did the very same things you did. Heather in VA, I, lots of people did a lot of the same things you did, and we blazed that trail without some of these handy things you have now like WWE and CW Primary. Those materials were developed out a perceived need for a bit more spelling out of the process, a bit of flesh on the day-to-day. ABSOLUTELY you can do it without them, but it might make your life easier to use the materials.

 

As far as CW Aesop, I prefer WT, having had and used both. We did shorter retellings (Imitations in Writing, subject narrations a la WTM, etc.) before that. I have WWE, though I haven't used the workbooks. I think you can't go wrong if you do WWE and add in a few subject narrations, working through the progression of skills WTM describes.

 

BTW, I did SWR when my dd was younger too. :) Like I said, you're doing what a lot before you have done. Definitely do FLL. After that just do what seems best. Honestly, it's so much you could go either way, that I'd probably make it as simple as chosing the book (Shurley 3 vs. 4) that came up used on the boards. I really think you'd be happy either way.

[Dinsfamily]

Taira, sounds like you're sorting through a lot of options! Well for one thing, MCT doesn't start for you till 3rd grade. At least 3rd grade material, even if you did it in 2nd. So you can take that off the table. For FLL, YES you want to do it. Nothing says you have to do it as written (we didn't), but I would still do it. At least do the lessons where each new thing gets introduced and memorize the defs. After that, Shurley2 will be more or less redundant, a gentle introduction. It really is skippable when you've done FLL, and I wouldn't bother with Shurley1 at all when you do FLL.

 

Part of what you're talking about here though is the student. Kids are all different. Some might need more repetition.

 

As far as CW Primer, I'd like to suggest, not having used it myself, that you give more weight to it in your mind. Remember it's an outgrowth of the forerunners who did the very same things you did. Heather in VA, I, lots of people did a lot of the same things you did, and we blazed that trail without some of these handy things you have now like WWE and CW Primary. Those materials were developed out a perceived need for a bit more spelling out of the process, a bit of flesh on the day-to-day. ABSOLUTELY you can do it without them, but it might make your life easier to use the materials.

 

As far as CW Aesop, I prefer WT, having had and used both. We did shorter retellings (Imitations in Writing, subject narrations a la WTM, etc.) before that. I have WWE, though I haven't used the workbooks. I think you can't go wrong if you do WWE and add in a few subject narrations, working through the progression of skills WTM describes.

 

BTW, I did SWR when my dd was younger too. :) Like I said, you're doing what a lot before you have done. Definitely do FLL. After that just do what seems best. Honestly, it's so much you could go either way, that I'd probably make it as simple as chosing the book (Shurley 3 vs. 4) that came up used on the boards. I really think you'd be happy either way.

 

That's exactly what I needed to hear and what is so good about these boards! SWR has been perfect for us, but I came to it after so much research. I'm just trying to get a step ahead so that I don't miss anything. I will definitely do FLL. My ds doesn't need the repetition, but you are right that I don't have to do it as written. Now, I'm off to check out WT.

[Aloha2U]

We did FLL1/2 in K5, so in 1st we did some Shurley2.

 

Ok, now you've given me something else to think about. You see it just so happens that I actually already have Shurley English 1 that I was considering doing in 1st grade, but I had purchased it prior to acquiring a copy of FLL 1/2. It wasn't until the 6th week of our K5 school year (currently still under way) that I realized it would fit perfectly w/SWR. So then I got to thinking, hmmm... which one do I want to use for 1st grade now, FLL 2 or SE 1? Though I really like things about both, I'm kinda thinking that two grammar programs in 1st grade would be a bit much, IYKWIM.

 

Well, after much deliberation I thought I had determined to sell Shurley English 1, start FLL 2 in 1st grade, and then begin our adventures w/Shurley English 2 in 2nd grade. That said, now I have something else to think about that I hadn't contemplated before. Due to the fact that we'll finish FLL 1 earlier than expected, I'm thinking that perhaps we'll continue on into FLL 2 to finish out this K5 school year, and keep SE 1 to begin in it in 1st grade after all.

 

That said, I could implement SE 1 right now too! I was looking through the materials more in-depth and with the exception of chapters 1-4 (which contain grouping and subgrouping skills that my ds is beyond), I think I really like the way it teaches beginning grammar concepts too, but differently than FLL. FLL 1 and SE 1 both tie in with what we are doing in SWR, but in different ways.

 

For example, ds will have completed List G in the WISE Guide by the middle of next week and will then start composing original written sentences daily. FLL 1 has complimented SWR by helping him to respond to questions/narration with complete thoughts through simple oral sentences as well as memorize definitions (nouns, verbs, etc.), but I can see where SE 1 could help him to understand how to classify and organize groups of written words (nouns, verbs, etc.) to form complete sentences by following simple rules.

 

I tried out SE 1 (chapter 5 lessons 1-3ish) on my ds, in order to test the waters, and it was a hit! The lessons introduced some jingles (which I didn't know if he'd go for, but did) and then told a story about "The Little WORDS' Great SENTENCE Adventure". My ds loved hearing the story, all the while gaining a better understanding of sentence structure that will stay with him for a long time. In fact, he later told daddy the story of how some WORDS who, being only fragments, had to go to NOUN TOWN and VERB VILLE, and then pass the test given by the SENTENCE COUNCIL in their quest to become a SENTENCE in SENTENCE KINGDOM.

 

It's funny... I never thought I'd be so caught up in and excited about grammar programs, because I truly disliked Language Arts when I was a child. It was by far one of my least favorite subjects. Granted I was taught much differently than the way I'm teaching my little man (IYKWIM), but still... I never would have thought that grammar could consume my thoughts and that it could be fun! LOL!

 

So now, what to do? I don't want to overwhelm my buddboy by doing FLL and SE at the same time. It's just hard to make a decision when there is so much good stuff to glean from both, not forgetting to mention what's already included in SWR. Of course, what I do now determines what I will do later, but I know that later can wait right now. ;)

 

We like grammar, so postponing it altogether is not an option, but what would you do?

 

:bigear:

 

P.S. I think this may have turned into an SOS. :lol: Perhaps I need to take a little walk now and pray about these things.

Edited January 20, 2010 by CMama

[Aloha2U]

I walked to the kitchen to make a sandwich and consult the Lord, but first I had to unload the dishwasher all the while singing and clapping in my head...

 

A sentence, sentence, sentence

Is complete complete, complete

When 5 simple rules

It meets, meets, meets.

 

It has a subject, subject, subject

And a verb, verb, verb.

It makes sense, sense, sense

With every word, word, word.

 

Add a capital letter, letter

and an end mark, mark.

Now, we're finished, and aren't we smart!

Now, our sentence has all its parts!

 

REMEMBER

Subject, Verb, Com-plete sense,

Capital letter, and an end mark, too!

That's what a sentence is all about!

 

:tongue_smilie:

[PeterPan]

Why don't you just do the one, then see what you want to do next? :)

[Aloha2U]

Why don't you just do the one, then see what you want to do next? :)

 

Inconceivable! :svengo:

 

 

So, ummm... exactly which "one" are you referring to? :blush:

 

Do you mean just do either one of them right now, and then possibly the other one later or whatever fits our fancy at that time? Well, hmmm... that just seems like too simple of a solution for me. :tongue_smilie:

 

(;))

[missmoe]

Those jingles will stay with you for the rest of your life!