If you are/were an English teacher or have a degree in English...

[blessedmom3]

What do you use for English /LA for your children ?

Any recommendation for a non-English mom with a chemistry major ? :-)

Looking moslty for 3rd-8th grades .

[Blossom'sGirl]

I would love to know too. I was an engineer and english grammar has never come easy for me. I do have to say that I have learned a lot just teaching it.

[blessedmom3]

Well, I hope I will find inspiration from these boards ...

Since I am a busy mom of four with a toddler and a baby , I am hoping to find something that is more student directed . I like what I see in Rod&Staff but it seems too teacher intensive.

[MariannNOVA]

Well, I don't have an English degree but I wanted to point out the great possibility that the right program for a mom who is good with language and writing might be a total disaster for a mom who struggles with language and writing.

 

Just a thought.

 

It can't hurt to start with the recommendations in WTM. Those are Abeka, Rod and Staff, and Voyages in English.

 

:iagree: I would also suggest that some threads on the curriculum board might prove to be helpful - there is a wealth of information there. And, you might post this question there as well. HTH --:001_smile:

[sunshine]

I did Abeka, Learning Language Arts through Literature, Writing Strands, and a sundry of other things all during my son's years in elementary through high school, but in the end my favorite and the most thorough in my mind are

 

First Language Lessons all through elementary

then Abeka through middle school - the whole language arts set.

IMO I like Writing strands because it is incremental and not complicated.

IEW was too involved for me.

 

I haven't tried Susan Wise Bauers writing program but I bet it is great.

We tried Writing tales for my dd10 last year but it was such a bad year for us in every way that we didn't get much done. I might try it again before I sell it. I liked that it used classic literature as copy work.

We don't like copywork.

 

Just FYI, my son has made dean' list at Liberty University Fall semester and made no less than a 98 on any of his essays. So something must have worked.

[SquirrellyMama]

Well, I hope I will find inspiration from these boards ...

Since I am a busy mom of four with a toddler and a baby , I am hoping to find something that is more student directed . I like what I see in Rod&Staff but it seems too teacher intensive.

 

Rod and Staff English lesson don't take very long. I do the oral review each day and go through the lesson with my dd along with half of the assignment orally. I think it only takes about 15 - 20 minutes.

[LittleIzumi]

Right now I have littles, so we just use AAS and games. I love Elizabeth's phonics game here--I don't think I have the link though?

[Harriet Vane]

I have an English degree.

 

I really like Rod and Staff for grammar and I use Spelling Work-Out for spelling. Both are sequential and quick, with simple explanations and good practice.

 

For Lit and Writing I have tended to do my own thing. For the younger grades I really like the Sonlight reading list. As my dd has gotten older I have transitioned over to my own lists.

[Guest]

I have a PhD in British literature, but I have to say that all my best-laid plans for teaching my daughter first to read and then to begin to learn how to discuss and analyze literature were nearly immediately victims to her enthusiasm and her own definite ideas about how to go about things. My husband I are both rabid readers, and my daughter followed suit at an early age, pretty well teaching herself to read while I watched her. She took over our early "writing program" with a million ideas that we write letters between favorite characters in books, make Wanted posters, write our own newspaper about domestic doings, tell stories by taking turns at paragraphs, write spoofs of things, etc. It quickly morphed into a very social activity with me following her lead. I kept thinking I should try to structure and guide our literary endeavors, but she was just so enthralled with finding new books and reading them, listening to books on tape, always off drawing and writing... there never seemed to be a good enough reason for me to interrupt what she was doing. We read together, discussed -- and still discuss (she's turning fourteen) all the books she reads -- and recommend books to each other. But I certainly have not managed to guide her through a formal reading list without being sidetracked by her powerful interests.

 

One exception was in the area of spelling. She was, and still is, an appalling speller. After much casting about I found that Spelling Power worked pretty well for her, and she is much improved. But she still tends to drop or mix letters when she writes, not so much because she is dyslexic (I don't think; she does have Asperger's Syndrome) but because her mind is just going such great guns and her hand can't keep up.

 

I can imagine this is not too helpful to someone looking for a formal program. But what I meant to say is that having training has allowed me to respond to my daughter's abilities as they unfold, to fully individualize her learning, to shape it to her obsessional Asperger interests. I have no idea whether I'd be able to teach a different child. Having an extensive background in literature mostly made me able to see that she is developing appropriate skills in her own way; and it allowed me to shape our discussions to her need for concrete, historical information rather than what are for Aspies much more nebulous and difficult elements of symbolic language or character motivation.

 

I still plan (pretty well daily) on more structure... and am still waiting for that magic moment when I will be able to implement it!

[jujsky]

What do you use for English /LA for your children ?

Any recommendation for a non-English mom with a chemistry major ? :-)

Looking moslty for 3rd-8th grades .

 

I use K12 for my 1st graders and will probably be using it when we hit 3rd grade too. I've very happy with it.

[ereks mom]

for several years. I taught from various grammar textbooks and was on our county's English grammar textbook selection committee. I never really liked any of the textbooks we used, and when I became a homeschool mom, I tried several grammar textbooks (BJU, ABeka, Easy Grammar, and a couple of others) before I settled on Rod & Staff. It is the most thorough treatment of English grammar I've ever seen, hands down. It doesn't have to be teacher-intensive. In general, I would go over the lesson with my dc, including the Class Practice section, and then I assigned the Written Exercises (usually jus the evens or just the odds) to be done independently.

[Tree House Academy]

I have a Bachelor's in English and hands down, I prefer Rod and Staff English.

 

R&S does require work from the teacher...however, as your child gets older, the involvement becomes less and less. My 5th grader is doing 4th grade R&S (he probably won't go for his BA in English LOL). Each day, we go over the lesson, do the oral review and quiz if one has been planned for that day. Once I have done the lesson with him, we do the oral drill together. I decide on his work based on how well he "got" the concept that was taught and how well he did with oral drill. Sometimes we do it all orally (he loves that!) and other times he may do the whole Written Practice section on paper. When a worksheet is assigned, I will sometimes skip the written practice and let him just do the worksheet. I have a rule that anything missed on the worksheet must be re-done on paper in the written practice.

 

I do agree with a pp, though, that what works well for a mom with an English degree may very well not work for a mom without one.

 

What I like about R&S as compared to other programs is mostly the order it introduces thing. It is really a one step at a time approach. Other programs seemed to throw my son (who struggles in grammar) into diagramming way too soon with very little "instruction" or practice. R&S is nice and steady and he "gets" each part before he moves on. I will never use another English program.

Edited February 5, 2010 by Tree House Academy

[Tutor]

I am a science-y person too, and did R&S for about 2 years with my oldest two. One day I complained to dh (an English-y person who taught high school English for 5 years and now teaches college English/ writing while getting his PhD in "Do You Want Fries With That"... aka English) about feeling overwhelmed, and his response was, "Then why don't you drop something? Like English?" His personal feeling is that between Latin, Spanish, lots of reading, and lots of writing, teaching grammar as a separate, formal subject was unnecessary. I didn't argue, dropped grammar, and have been very, very happy. We still read and discuss literature and we cover vocab and spelling, but we just address grammar when we come across it in writing and other subjects.

[Denise in Florida]

My degree is in University Studies (with a concentration in English). I would say my degree did not make any difference when it came to teaching language arts to my girls. They each learning the way they wanted to learn.:o

 

I did not use a curriculum. We followed suggestions from Ruth Beechick's 3R's Series (K-3) and You Can Teach Your Child Successfully (4-8).

 

We are fairly unschoolerish (spell check keeps saying that's not a word :001_tt2:). Our approach was to read what they enjoyed reading. We did add in a variety of material they would not have chosen on their own (plays, essays, poems, non-fiction, etc.)

 

For writing, we used grammar style manuals like MLA or Strunk and White. I had them read through the grammar section of a textbook when they were in 9th grade. My oldest dd had no problem with Comp 1 and 2 in community college. Younger dd will take Comp 1 in the fall.

 

Our study may not have been formal but we have a very literature rich life. We read a lot, discuss what we read and enjoy analyzing themes and tropes in theatre, books, movies and TV shows.

 

I'm not sure you need anything more formal until high school, but I am sure other people have had different experiences. Basically, find what works for your kids and have fun.

[Sandy in Indy]

I have an English degree.

 

I really like Rod and Staff for grammar and I use Spelling Work-Out for spelling. Both are sequential and quick, with simple explanations and good practice.

 

For Lit and Writing I have tended to do my own thing. For the younger grades I really like the Sonlight reading list. As my dd has gotten older I have transitioned over to my own lists.

 

:iagree: (except my degree is in Education)

[jenL]

I have a minor in English and an M.Ed in Education. I taught 8th grade English for 5 years and remedial reading/Wilson Language for 2.

 

My children are young, but I love FLL and WWE right now. I've been researching future curriculum as that's my way (I'm a planner), and so far, I'm liking Rod & Staff for it's thoroughness and skill requirement; it provides a very solid foundation. I will most likely head that route for English/Writing. By eighth grade, children should be learning how to write exploratory pieces, persuasive essays, and narratives. There are many resources to accomplish this depending upon your child's learning style.

 

For spelling, I LOVE All About Spelling. It's phonetic, hands-on, extremely thorough, and teaches the WHY behind why we spell the way we do.

 

As for literature, I'm a big proponent for reading, narration, discussion, analysis, and annotation at the older ages. Many of the Literature Guides that correspond to quality children's literature and the classics offer excellent activities, vocabulary, and literary analysis. They are very user friendly as well. I also believe a child should study poetry, Shakespeare, and other quality plays (ie. Death of a Salesman and Our Town) as part of their literature education.

 

HTH! :)

Edited February 6, 2010 by jenL

[blessedmom3]

Thank you all ! This is very helpful . I just requested some samples from Rod & Staff (don't like the online ones ) .

[Sebastian (a lady)]

What do you use for English /LA for your children ?

Any recommendation for a non-English mom with a chemistry major ? :-)

Looking moslty for 3rd-8th grades .

 

I have a degree in English.

 

I've been quite happy with ABeka Language for grammar. My older kids are using Language C and it has parts of speech, punctuation, paragraph writing and research paper instruction.

 

I like that it comes in small doses that they can read and master. So I don't have to intervene a whole lot except to look over their sentences and paragraph writing.

 

When they were younger, but had pretty much mastered reading, I used FLL and Wordly Wise. They enjoyed both. I'm using FLL now with my youngest. I should probably pick up Wordly Wise for him too.

 

For spelling I used Spelling Power, which was pretty good. However, it was easy for me to be inconsistent with it. It might have been just as effective to go with spelling from ABeka as well.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Sebastian (a lady)

[Hedgehogs4]

Am, was, is, are, and ever will be (and was raised by) an English teacher.

 

We love FLL and WWE. They grab the fundamentals and make it fun. DS, DD and I really love these programs. DS asks for it (though I will say that the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, and he is very much linguistically oriented.)

 

I suppose it all depends on your teaching style, but for us, we are completely satisfied and will stick with it through the primary years.

[ThelmaLou]

I have a BS in English and a certification to teach secondary English.

I have used Rod and Staff, and can honestly say that it's the only subject/program that has stayed consistent through all our homeschooling years. I've never second-guessed it, and I know my kids are getting a thorough grounding in language.

I've used Spelling Power for my strong spellers and Phonetic Zoo for my weak spellers.

For vocab, we've used both Wordly Wise 3000 and Vocabulary From the Classical Roots.

For reading, we've followed the Veritas Press catalog recommendations (with some Sonlight recommendations thrown in.)

For writing, it's been a mixed bag, but strong influence from IEW would be the closest to any formal program I can name.

My oldest is in 9th grade, and almost finished with R&S 8th grade English. He was on track to finish it last year, but he had a couple of other classes that were giving him difficulty (math and science) so I let him postpone 8th grade grammar until this year. He started the book from scratch again last fall, and he's almost finished. He's disappointed it doesn't count for any high school credit, but oh well. He's getting in plenty of hours for an English credit with his online Great Books tutorials with Schola Classical Tutorials.

I have found, by the way, that he seems very well prepared for high school LA as a result of the Language Arts path we chose for elementary and junior high. I was a bit nervous, because we didn't do much in the way of narration or dictation when he was younger. He did do some copywork, but that was it.

[Closeacademy]

Dh and I both majored in English with the bulk of our work in British Lit. My dh can't tell an adverb from a noun but wrote papers that set the grade for the rest of the class in everything from lit to anthropology to history. We both love to read and I have put my writing on hold while I homeschool.

 

All that said, both of our children have been late readers despite the fact that we are surrounded by books and I read to them a lot. As for what we use:

 

SWR for phonics/spelling/grammar reinforcement

 

Montessori methods/materials for grammar (I've found a good album online and printed out word sorts)

 

Ruth Heller Grammar Picture books and we notebook the concepts

 

Oak Meadow is my new love for language arts basically writing, good books and grammar practice.

 

I've avoided this thread but thought I would add my 2cents.:001_smile:

[littlebug42]

I don't have the English degree but my sister does and she swears by Winston Grammar, which hasn't been mentioned here yet.

[smrtmama]

I have my master's degree in professional writing and editing, and we're MCT people.

[mom2abcd]

I have an El. Ed. degree with concentration in English/Literature and have taught English from Pre-Kindergarten to 8th grade both in schools and at home. We've used a lot of different programs over the years. I wish they would have liked R&S. I do like JAG, but dd needed more practice and examples.

 

First Language Lessons was excellent. The second book was over-kill, though. Growing with Grammar was good. Hake would have been great if they had more variety in their topics instead of one topic per year. Easy Grammar drove me nuts with the layout. Winston was OK for grammar only, but teacher-intensive.

 

The kids liked the Cozy Grammar videos, but that didn't take long.

Cozy Grammar

http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com/grammar_course.htm

 

 

We had happy students when using these old workbooks that are hard to find. (The new Steck-Vaughn are very different and not as nice, IMHO.)

favorite concise workbook…

 

Language Exercises Green Book

Mabel Youree Grizzard

ISBN: 0811406490

Here are the grades and colors:

1 yellow A

2 purple B

3 silver C

4 tan D

5 red E

6 blue F

7 gold G

8 green H

 

We've settled with CLE LA. It's very thorough and covers many of the "English" topics (Language Arts, if you will and I know Ellie won't:o) If you're looking for something they can do independently, this may be a good fit.

http://www.clp.org/store/by_subject/3

 

The Schoolhouse Rock dvd has proven to be very helpful and goes over well with kids. We play it every once in awhile to keep the songs in their heads. It's funny how often they refer to it. It's a great value.

http://www.amazon.com/Schoolhouse-Rock-Special-30th-Anniversary/dp/B00005JKTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1265493801&sr=8-1

 

HTH.

Edited February 6, 2010 by mom2abcd