ANalytical Grammar is a LOT harder than GWG6

[Reya]

DS breezed through GWG2 so quickly that I knew I needed to jump him far forward. My eventual goal is Analytical Grammar for him, so I bought that, and it's just too much too fast. GWG6, though, is far more incremental and simple. It reteaches from the beginning, though it goes at a faster pace, and AG kinda does that, but with nouns, articles, and adjectives all introduced in one lesson with sophisticated sentences, it's a whole dimension of difficulty beyond GWG.

 

(JAG is virtually identical to AG's first sections, just with different sentences, so I saw no advantage in going there.)

 

So if you're on the fence between GWG/R&S or AG, keep in mind the difference in difficulty. If you're ready for a capstone grammar, AG is excellent, but it's not something that many kids will be able to jump into.

[Chris in VA]

How old is your son again, Reya?

I wasn't impressed with GWG, but I'm thinking of ditching Rod and Staff--it's excellent, but dd doesn't like it (I'm draconian enough not to let that totally sway my decision, but I do want to take it into consideration!)

[siloam]

DS breezed through GWG2 so quickly that I knew I needed to jump him far forward. My eventual goal is Analytical Grammar for him, so I bought that, and it's just too much too fast. GWG6, though, is far more incremental and simple. It reteaches from the beginning, though it goes at a faster pace, and AG kinda does that, but with nouns, articles, and adjectives all introduced in one lesson with sophisticated sentences, it's a whole dimension of difficulty beyond GWG.

 

(JAG is virtually identical to AG's first sections, just with different sentences, so I saw no advantage in going there.)

 

So if you're on the fence between GWG/R&S or AG, keep in mind the difference in difficulty. If you're ready for a capstone grammar, AG is excellent, but it's not something that many kids will be able to jump into.

 

Personally I think that first unit is the most difficult till you get to season 2. Got my lowest scores there. :001_huh: The rest of it really wasn't that bad after doing JAG. Season 2 I am going back and re-doing because I still don't have it straight in my head (though the break in the middle with Christmas didn't help). Though I am math minded. My oldest who is language minded is doing fine with season 2. :glare:

 

But if I were in your shoes choosing between GWG6 and AG I would probably do GWG6 this year and start AG the next. There is no need to push, and a year of maturity and continued exposure can't hurt.

 

Heather

 

[Reya]

How old is your son again, Reya?

I wasn't impressed with GWG, but I'm thinking of ditching Rod and Staff--it's excellent, but dd doesn't like it (I'm draconian enough not to let that totally sway my decision, but I do want to take it into consideration!)

 

He's a 7-y-o "first grader."

 

We'll use AG again next year. :-) For many students, this will be just dandy. But be prepared for it to be harder/faster than GWG, as a direct comparison.

 

I like AG better because I don't like to draw things out so much, but it requires a certain maturity and fluency with the language. Our only previous grammar was GWG 2, and DS was taking 6 minutes per lesson--not page-by the end. GWG2 was so easy for him that he wasn't retaining much because he didn't really have to think to do what they asked. "Too easy" really is too easy.

 

GWG 6 is somewhat better in that regard. It's a jump in the amount of writing required. Conceptually, though, it's really not much harder than GWG 2, and so far, only very simple sentences have been used. It's a very different thing to ask a student to find the nouns in a very simple sentence than in a complex one with multiple clauses, etc. I anticipate there still being quite a conceptual jump from GWG 6 to AG, even though AG is written for middle school.

[Reya]

There is no need to push, and a year of maturity and continued exposure can't hurt.

 

Yup.

 

It's also important to me that DS is as independent as possible, especially since I'm going to be stuck teaching him directly in languages and music for a LONG time. (It's not that I don't like it. It's just that it wipes me out after a certain amount of time!)

[Heather in VA]

Analytical Grammar has a very different approach than something like GWG where you learn the concept and then answer the questions. It becomes a pattern that students can recognize without really understanding. Analytical Grammar is set up to be very difficult unless the student can understand and can analyze the sentence. This is also why there is a JAG. It has simpler sentence structure for those students who need it.

 

Heather

[DianeJM]

I have JAG but wasn't planning to use it until 5th. But we didn't get to it this year, so I'll use it in 6th. We did Winston Basic last year a little bit.

Maybe 1st grade is too young for JAG?

[Sue G in PA]

I thought AG was recommended for older children? Like 7th grade or something? At least that is when MFW recommends starting AG. Can't imagine doing it with a 2nd grader.

[Heather in VA]

I thought AG was recommended for older children? Like 7th grade or something? At least that is when MFW recommends starting AG. Can't imagine doing it with a 2nd grader.

 

It is. JAG is for 4th or 5th grade and AG can (but doesn't have to) start around 6th grade. I know Reya's son is very advanced. Some curriculum can be used younger for gifted children. Honestly, I don't think AG is as good for that.

 

Heather