Rod and Staff English 2

[Classically Minded]

Has anyone used Rod and Staff's English 2? We are going to be completing FLL 1&2 in a year and I didn't want to jump into FLL3 early - so I'm wondering if Rod and Staff's English 2 would work well before FLL 3.

 

Anyone used it? If so, please give your thoughts, thanks so much! ;)

[StephanieZ]

yep, i used it in 2nd grade with dc#2. worked just fine. we did most of it orally. I don't think it is *needed* to do it in 2nd if you want to do R&S3 in 3rd, but if you WANT a grammar program for 2nd, R&S fits the bill, especially if you plan to do R&S from then on.

[Classically Minded]

yep, i used it in 2nd grade with dc#2. worked just fine. we did most of it orally. I don't think it is *needed* to do it in 2nd if you want to do R&S3 in 3rd, but if you WANT a grammar program for 2nd, R&S fits the bill, especially if you plan to do R&S from then on.

 

My plan is this: Do R&S English 2, then go to FLL 3&4 and then pick up R&S 3-all the way through 10. Since we will finish FLL 1&2 within a year instead of 2 years - I wanted something to fill 2nd grade level before going to FLL 3.

 

Hope that made sense! :confused: Thanks for your opinion on R&S 2, I'm pretty confident I want to use it once we finish FLL 2.

[Classically Minded]

This may make my plan more clear, we will just work at each level until we finish and then go on to the next at dd pace.

 

FLL 1 & 2 (finished in 1 year instead of 2)

R&S English 2 & FLL 3

FLL 4 & R&S English 3

R&S English 4-10

[Another Lynn]

If you think your dc could handle FLL 3 early, I think I would be tempted to go on into FLL3 for 2nd grade and then FLL4 after that. Then hit R&S 4 in 4th. Going back and forth wouldn't appeal to me, but on the other hand it might make for a nice variety. (I'm trying to remember if terminology is consistent between R&S and FLL - but I'm not sure. Would that matter to you?)

[Classically Minded]

If you think your dc could handle FLL 3 early, I think I would be tempted to go on into FLL3 for 2nd grade and then FLL4 after that. Then hit R&S 4 in 4th. Going back and forth wouldn't appeal to me, but on the other hand it might make for a nice variety. (I'm trying to remember if terminology is consistent between R&S and FLL - but I'm not sure. Would that matter to you?)

 

I've thought of that too but I don't think she would ready this fall for FLL 3 yet and I wanted something to "fill the gap". I guess it will be a trial and error issue and if when we finish R&S 2 and go to FLL 3 - if its confusing, we can just drop FLL altogether and continue on with R&S.

[Rhonda in TX]

I love R&S English 2. I used it with my daughter in 2nd grade. It's very gentle, but thorough. I highly recommend it.

[lotsofpumpkins]

I'll second the gentle and thorough. My dd has learned so much this year, and she catches herself while speaking and makes sure she uses proper English!

[CalicoKat]

I've used both and I prefer R&S 2.

[HappyGrace]

If you have done FLL 1 and 2, R+S 2 is mostly all repeat! I did that with dd when she was younger, for the same reasons you're saying, and it was a waste of time because we had covered nearly all the content.

 

I would say take a break until she's ready for FLL 3. She has a LOT of yrs ahead of her to pick up the grammar! You could extend practice on what she knows by doing copywork and having her pick out the grammar elements she knows, or even add in a few new concepts.

 

BTW, R+S 2 is great, just not necessary after FLL 1 and 2.

[Classically Minded]

If you have done FLL 1 and 2, R+S 2 is mostly all repeat! I did that with dd when she was younger, for the same reasons you're saying, and it was a waste of time because we had covered nearly all the content.

 

If its basically a repeat - instead of taking a year off, don't you think it would be a great review? Also, Did you do R&S 2 all the way through or just quit once you saw it was content you already covered? Thanks in advance! ;)

[kls126s]

We're using R&S2 right now for grammar. We really like it - as others have said, it's both gentle and thorough.

 

As for repeating content- personally I wonder if we're doing our kids a disservice just moving them through content and levels. Just because they finish one book doesn't mean they necessarily need to go straight into the next level. Going over the same content using a different curric seems like a good thing to me because you're working on mastery and not just familiarity. Even if LA is a stronger area for your child, going over it again before moving on can't hurt, imho. Do it orally so it's not a burden to them and you're building good foundations for later grammar work.

 

My two cents.

[Classically Minded]

As for repeating content- personally I wonder if we're doing our kids a disservice just moving them through content and levels. Just because they finish one book doesn't mean they necessarily need to go straight into the next level. Going over the same content using a different curric seems like a good thing to me because you're working on mastery and not just familiarity. Even if LA is a stronger area for your child, going over it again before moving on can't hurt, imho. Do it orally so it's not a burden to them and you're building good foundations for later grammar work.

 

These are my thoughts as well - I didn't want to just throw her in FLL 3 because I really feel she won't be ready for it come fall. I think using the R&S as a review would be better than not doing anything and from what I understand - R&S 2 is done orally.

 

Thanks to all who commented, it makes me more confident in my decision! :001_smile:

[HappyGrace]

As for repeating content- personally I wonder if we're doing our kids a disservice just moving them through content and levels.

 

I suggested that she take a break and repeat the content from FLL 1 and 2 by doing copywork and using that to discuss the material covered, which would put the same material in context and therefore cement it before moving on.

 

ClassicallyMinded-I don't see a problem with going through R+S 2, but I think the above would probably help your dc stretch and apply what was learned.

 

We "telescoped" through R+S 2-skipped portions I knew she knew, and did anything she needed reinforcement on. She scored in the 98th percentile on the CAT after FLL 1/2 though, so she was really solid.

 

You will see that grammar gets repeated again and again and again in later years, so in your shoes, I would do the above, and use the extra time to concentrate on any other weak areas. Also you could do substitute other fun things to get some grammar in, like Mad Libs, that would continue to stretch your dc, but in a different application.

Edited February 14, 2010 by HappyGrace

[Tess in the Burbs]

we did 2 with my dd this year and 3 with my ds. My dd liked 2. I think the work was enough but not too hard. My ds hated 3 though and we had to change direction b/c his attitude about it never got better. I personally did not think it was that much of a jump from 2 but it was enough, lol!

 

But yes, we like R&S 2 English.

[Classically Minded]

I suggested that she take a break and repeat the content from FLL 1 and 2 by doing copywork and using that to discuss the material covered, which would put the same material in context and therefore cement it before moving on.

 

Just trying to understand what you mean with repeating the content. Do you mean go back through FLL 1&2 and do copywork? Or doing some other copywork? Currently she copies from the KJV Bible - I just point to a verse in the Bible and she writes it.

[HappyGrace]

No, not from FLL. But pick good selections from lit, even a book you are currently reading, that illustrate what you want to emphasize, and then discuss through it together, then do the copywork of it. My dc have both learned SO much from doing this-has really helped them apply the grammar. And it helps even more later when they begin doing more creative writing, because they can take what they learned in their grammar book and see how it applies to their own writing.

 

You could take the KJV verse and have your dc pick out the common/proper nouns, remember together that the proper nouns are captialized, etc. Pick a grammar emphasis or two like that for each copywork passage, maybe pick out all the prepositions one day, and recite the FLL preposition list to refresh it to dc's mind, then do something else the next day. Even stretch your dc a bit, and start to point out the subject/predicate of the sentence or some basic things like that.

 

It's just a suggestion for a way to take what she's learned and creatively *apply* it in context. Hope that helps!

[Classically Minded]

No, not from FLL. But pick good selections from lit, even a book you are currently reading, that illustrate what you want to emphasize, and then discuss through it together, then do the copywork of it. My dc have both learned SO much from doing this-has really helped them apply the grammar. And it helps even more later when they begin doing more creative writing, because they can take what they learned in their grammar book and see how it applies to their own writing.

 

You could take the KJV verse and have your dc pick out the common/proper nouns, remember together that the proper nouns are captialized, etc. Pick a grammar emphasis or two like that for each copywork passage, maybe pick out all the prepositions one day, and recite the FLL preposition list to refresh it to dc's mind, then do something else the next day. Even stretch your dc a bit, and start to point out the subject/predicate of the sentence or some basic things like that.

 

It's just a suggestion for a way to take what she's learned and creatively *apply* it in context. Hope that helps!

 

Ok, now I understand what you are saying. ;)

 

Thank you all for your opinions/advice!