Prerequisite to R&S English 2?

[Lightly Salted]

otherwise titled, help me to stop worrying!

 

This past year, my 1st grader completed Sonlight LA 1, Growing With Grammar 1 and ETC 1-4. My kindergartener completed Sonlight LA K and ETC 1-2.

 

For next year, I'd like to start them both in WWE 1 and switch to Rod & Staff English with All About Spelling.

 

I think both can do WWE 1 and AAS 1 together. I'm stuck at Rod and Staff, though. It looks like R&S 2 is very similar to GWG 1 in scope and sequence, but I don't want to miss anything, so ...

 

* should I start DD in R&S 2 or 3?

* Can I start DS in R&S 2 with no prior grammar?

* will I go crazy trying to run 2 different grade levels of R&S?

 

I have GWG 1 and R&S 2 on my shelf and would love to combine the kids as much as possible, but not if it means truly holding one back; I'd buy what I need to in that case. Any advice appreciated, thanks! :D

Edited May 23, 2010 by Lightly Salted

[SilverMoon]

I would put the second grader in R&S English 2, and use something like FLL for the first grader if you want to cover grammar with him. R&S English is not a course I'd jump ahead with, or put a first grader in. :)

 

A child with no grammar should be fine starting the second grade book. If you plan on sticking with R&S you could just skip grammar with the younger one until they also begin second grade.

[Lightly Salted]

I would put the second grader in R&S English 2, and use something like FLL for the first grader if you want to cover grammar with him. R&S English is not a course I'd jump ahead with, or put a first grader in. :)

 

A child with no grammar should be fine starting the second grade book. If you plan on sticking with R&S you could just skip grammar with the younger one until they also begin second grade.

 

Thank you - that helps! I don't want to rush my first grader, so I may just wait on formal grammar til next year, if I can do R&S 2 without preparatory work. FLL looks good, but I don't know how necessary it is if we'll be moving to R&S next year. Our reader program is covering some very basic concepts (nouns, verbs, etc.) that I suppose are enough for now.

 

So you think R&S 2 is still the right program for my 2nd grader who has complete GWG 1? I know R&S is more than just grammar, so it should cover more even if the grammar covered is similar. Am I overthinking this? :tongue_smilie:

[Lightly Salted]

bumping for any other opinions ... :)

[JudoMom]

Thank you - that helps! I don't want to rush my first grader, so I may just wait on formal grammar til next year, if I can do R&S 2 without preparatory work. FLL looks good, but I don't know how necessary it is if we'll be moving to R&S next year. Our reader program is covering some very basic concepts (nouns, verbs, etc.) that I suppose are enough for now.

 

So you think R&S 2 is still the right program for my 2nd grader who has complete GWG 1? I know R&S is more than just grammar, so it should cover more even if the grammar covered is similar. Am I overthinking this? :tongue_smilie:

 

I've never looked at GWG, but I found R&S 2 to be a perfect fit for my 2nd grader (he had no prior grammar) this year. I've used 3 & 4 as well, and 3 jumps a bit in difficulty & expectations. I'd recommend going with 2 :001_smile:.

[Lightly Salted]

I've never looked at GWG, but I found R&S 2 to be a perfect fit for my 2nd grader (he had no prior grammar) this year. I've used 3 & 4 as well, and 3 jumps a bit in difficulty & expectations. I'd recommend going with 2 :001_smile:.

 

Thank you! :D

[jen_white]

* will I go crazy trying to run 2 different grade levels of R&S?

 

I've run up to three different grade levels of R&S...and I'm not crazy. I think you'll be ok. :D

[CalicoKat]

I would put the second grader in R&S English 2, and use something like FLL for the first grader if you want to cover grammar with him. R&S English is not a course I'd jump ahead with, or put a first grader in. :)

 

A child with no grammar should be fine starting the second grade book. If you plan on sticking with R&S you could just skip grammar with the younger one until they also begin second grade.

:iagree:this is what we've done. We also do R&S Eng. 2 orally.

 

In R&S Eng. 3, and above, we use the "worksheets for extra practice" as a workbook and lessons not in that booklet are done orally.

 

There are great lesson plans already done for you at Core Foundations.

[CalicoKat]

* will I go crazy trying to run 2 different grade levels of R&S?

 

I've run up to three different grade levels of R&S...and I'm not crazy. I think you'll be ok. :D

I'm currently doing three levels. I've found that the other kids listen into each other's lessons. The information is spiral and sometimes hearing To Be verbs discussed in your little brother's and lthen later in your sister's lesson reinforces what you've learned in your own.

 

Next year will involve three levels of grammar, FLL, R&S 3, R&S 4, and R&S 5

 

In 3 years it will be 5 levels. . . . . :D.

Edited May 24, 2010 by CalicoKat

[SilverMoon]

* will I go crazy trying to run 2 different grade levels of R&S?

 

I've run up to three different grade levels of R&S...and I'm not crazy. I think you'll be ok. :D

 

I have four separate grammar lessons to teach daily between 2 kids in different R&S English books and two kids in different places in FLL 1/2. Pretty sure I'm not crazy yet. ;) If you do those early books mostly orally you'll be surprised how quickly the lessons go.

[DarlaS]

I am doing Growing with Grammar with my first grader now (almost done!) but if I had been planning to put him in Rod and Staff 2 for gr 2 (which I've owned but decided not to use), I would probably not have bothered. It's a pretty gentle introduction.

[Ellie]

Remember that R&S doesn't *do* grammar before second grade, so clearly there aren't any prerequisites, other than being able to read.:)

[smilesonly]

I just wanted to chime in here to say that R&S is like any other curriculum aimed at the classroom. The first few months of the start of a new school year is all about review.

For us....

Our ds just finished 2nd grade and is almost 9yo. He has had no "formal" grammar, as we have done LA ala CM style. I already own a copy of R&S 3, and am confident that he will be just fine with it when he is does with his curent LA (I school LA and Math year round). I may have to go slow and do a lot of it orally, but that is fine! I am thinking I will also add in WWE.

 

HTH.

 

:001_smile:

 

ETA- R&S offers so much in the area of drill/review anyway, that I think jumping into level 2 would be fine!

Edited May 24, 2010 by smilesonly

[fractalgal]

otherwise titled, help me to stop worrying!

 

This past year, my 1st grader completed Sonlight LA 1, Growing With Grammar 1 and ETC 1-4. My kindergartener completed Sonlight LA K and ETC 1-2.

 

For next year, I'd like to start them both in WWE 1 and switch to Rod & Staff English with All About Spelling.

 

I think both can do WWE 1 and AAS 1 together. I'm stuck at Rod and Staff, though. It looks like R&S 2 is very similar to GWG 1 in scope and sequence, but I don't want to miss anything, so ...

 

* should I start DD in R&S 2 or 3?

* Can I start DS in R&S 2 with no prior grammar?

* will I go crazy trying to run 2 different grade levels of R&S?

 

I have GWG 1 and R&S 2 on my shelf and would love to combine the kids as much as possible, but not if it means truly holding one back; I'd buy what I need to in that case. Any advice appreciated, thanks! :D

 

We used R&S 2 with my second grader this past year. I overall like the book, and I plan to use it with my 5yo when he gets to 2nd grade. It does have a bit too much writing I think, but the way I resolved that issue was to have my son do most of it orally and then write one or two sentences on his paper from the exercises.

 

My daughter also completed R&S 4 recently. Doing too different grade levels of it seemed to work fine for us. I scheduled them at different times of the day. My son in the morning hours and my daughter in the afternoon.

 

Good luck. :)

[Lightly Salted]

:iagree:this is what we've done. We also do R&S Eng. 2 orally.

 

In R&S Eng. 3, and above, we use the "worksheets for extra practice" as a workbook and lessons not in that booklet are done orally.

 

There are great lesson plans already done for you at Core Foundations.

 

THANK YOU for that link! :D

[Lightly Salted]

* will I go crazy trying to run 2 different grade levels of R&S?

 

I've run up to three different grade levels of R&S...and I'm not crazy. I think you'll be ok.

 

:tongue_smilie: that's good to know!

 

 

I'm currently doing three levels. I've found that the other kids listen into each other's lessons. The information is spiral and sometimes hearing To Be verbs discussed in your little brother's and lthen later in your sister's lesson reinforces what you've learned in your own.

 

Next year will involve three levels of grammar, FLL, R&S 3, R&S 4, and R&S 5

 

In 3 years it will be 5 levels. . . . . :D.

 

Wow, bowing down to you!

 

You can start Rod and Staff with no prior experience through the third book. You can start the 4th book if the child knows what a noun and a verb are. Rod and staff is challenging, especially as you move into the upper levels. I would never accelerate a child in R&S grammar.

 

good, ok, no accelerating! :chillpill: for me!

 

I have four separate grammar lessons to teach daily between 2 kids in different R&S English books and two kids in different places in FLL 1/2. Pretty sure I'm not crazy yet. ;) If you do those early books mostly orally you'll be surprised how quickly the lessons go.

 

that's the plan, to do it orally. Glad to hear it works easily for you!

 

I am doing Growing with Grammar with my first grader now (almost done!) but if I had been planning to put him in Rod and Staff 2 for gr 2 (which I've owned but decided not to use), I would probably not have bothered. It's a pretty gentle introduction.

 

Thanks! :D

 

* will I go crazy trying to run 2 different grade levels of R&S?

 

I've run up to three different grade levels of R&S...and I'm not crazy. I think you'll be ok.

 

:tongue_smilie:

 

 

Remember that R&S doesn't *do* grammar before second grade, so clearly there aren't any prerequisites, other than being able to read.

 

good, reading we can do!

 

I just wanted to chime in here to say that R&S is like any other curriculum aimed at the classroom. The first few months of the start of a new school year is all about review.

For us....

Our ds just finished 2nd grade and is almost 9yo. He has had no "formal" grammar, as we have done LA ala CM style. I already own a copy of R&S 3, and am confident that he will be just fine with it when he is does with his curent LA (I school LA and Math year round). I may have to go slow and do a lot of it orally, but that is fine! I am thinking I will also add in WWE.

 

HTH.

 

ETA- R&S offers so much in the area of drill/review anyway, that I think jumping into level 2 would be fine!

 

thanks, that does help! :D

 

 

Ok, y'all are really reassuring me here! I bought R&S 2 after researching, thinking that would be right ... but now that I'm really looking at it, I had second thoughts. I've used Sonlight's LA this year, and had to tweak it too much to work for us, but the thought of doing a more parent-directed program (alongside AAS) had me second-guessing myself! I really appreciate your thoughts here, all of you! :D

[Lightly Salted]

We used R&S 2 with my second grader this past year. I overall like the book, and I plan to use it with my 5yo when he gets to 2nd grade. It does have a bit too much writing I think, but the way I resolved that issue was to have my son do most of it orally and then write one or two sentences on his paper from the exercises.

 

My daughter also completed R&S 4 recently. Doing too different grade levels of it seemed to work fine for us. I scheduled them at different times of the day. My son in the morning hours and my daughter in the afternoon.

 

Good luck. :)

 

:D thanks - glad to hear it's not too difficult to juggle 2 levels!

[Marsha SC]

I have to admit I am one of those crazy people who put my first grader into R&S English 2. Actually, I did it twice (for each of my girls). We have not had any problems so far. My oldest is now in third grade doing English 4 and my youngest is in first grade doing English 2. My oldest breezed through, but I have to admit we did Language Lessons 1 (before 2 came out) until I wanted to pull my own hair out. I also tried ABeka Language 1 and could not for the life of me understand why they had children writing stories and NEVER explained what makes a good sentence.

 

I love R&S English. Whatever you decide to do one thing will be guaranteed: they will know English. The workbooks are great too for the added practice, though my daughters dislikes them immensly. Good luck.

 

Marsha

[Jen S in Va]

You can start Rod and Staff with no prior experience through the third book. You can start the 4th book if the child knows what a noun and a verb are. Rod and staff is challenging, especially as you move into the upper levels. I would never accelerate a child in R&S grammar.

 

:iagree: I've been through levels 2-8 with both my older kids. The plan is to start #3 with R&S 2 this fall. I'll likely slow the sequence down a bit--doing two levels over two years each so that he will do the level 7 and 8 books in high school. It's that meaty.