Your Favorite Grammar Program?

[redsnapper]

Can you tell me what your favorite Grammar Program is and what you like so much about it? Next year I'll have 4th and 2nd graders home schooling.

 

A friend referred me to the Winston Grammar program which sounds great, but I thought I'd poll the HS universe first :D...

 

PS> Please don't use the acronyms for programs w/o spelling them out first. I know what so few mean at this point...:confused: Thanks!

 

Thank you!

-Melissa

[Kathie in VA]

I've used First Language Lessons (FLL) with my younger kids and it was really easy to do but best of all they learned and remembered so much.

 

I've used the Classical Conversations - Foundations program. It incorporates grammar terms for memory work. Using them for understanding is up to the parent at home. This has helped re-inforce and build on what they learned with FLL.

 

I have also used Rod and Staff English 3. This was a great text book approach. We only switched because we choose Classical Writing. Also the textbooks seems to include lots of repetition from level to level.

 

Mary Daly's First Book of Diagramming is a good book that just teaches diagramming. We use it along with Classical Writing- Aesop.

 

I've used Harvey's Grammar for the older kids along with Classical Writing - Homer. This is a good combination.

 

hths

[Mynyel]

MCT :D and LLATL

 

ETA: Forgot to answer why!

 

MCT: My son loves the story/stories. (Island level). He wants to read it on his own and it is written in a way that he can with a little help with words like adjective and conjunction :) He has learned a lot already and we have just started. Shoot I have learned a lot already! (We have Town for dd12 but haven't started it yet)

 

LLTAL: All around goodness. There is review and interduction. There is spelling, vocab, grammar, phonics (for lover levels), dictation etc... I like this program as well because it never seems the same. They do the exercises in such a way that each lesson isn't a cookie cutter of the previous. The only thing I can see as beinf repetitive is dictation...can't really change that up too much!

Edited July 1, 2010 by Mynyel

[catz]

Can you tell me what your favorite Grammar Program is and what you like so much about it? Next year I'll have 4th and 2nd graders home schooling.

 

A friend referred me to the Winston Grammar program which sounds great, but I thought I'd poll the HS universe first :D...

 

PS> Please don't use the acronyms for programs w/o spelling them out first. I know what so few mean at this point...:confused: Thanks!

 

Thank you!

-Melissa

 

We LOVE MCT (Michael Clay Thompson)

 

http://www.rfwp.com/mct.php

 

Your kids are at the exact right age to start Island level. I don't think this program is perfect for every kid. But it has been a great fit and fun for us! If you search on MCT on this board you will find plenty of posts on it.

[redsnapper]

I forgot that I actually have LLATL for next year :tongue_smilie:

 

..but I have heard that it does not have enough grammar and I should supplement with one of these programs you ladies have suggested?

 

How do you know if your kids are getting enough?

-Melissa

[Ellie]

Easy Grammar. It doesn't do diagramming, which is just fine with me; EG was our favorite.

 

We did NOT like Winston Grammar.

[SilverMoon]

I like First Language Lessons for the early years. It only goes up to fourth grade. It teaches with gentle, bite-size pieces of grammar that are perfect for little ones. The first two grades are done all orally, with some poetry, picture study and copywork on the side. Grades 3 and 4 have their own optional workbook for the student. My older two kids both have fond memories of the FLL 1/2 book and have jumped right in when they year their favorite lessons. Imagine 3 silly kids acting out action verbs together. ;-)

 

Past that we switch to Rod and Staff English. When done orally the lessons go quick, and I'm able to catch any misunderstandings immediately. These books are very thorough, effective, and user friendly. The TEs are awesome and will hold your hand through concepts that may be new to you.

[renabeth]

We used Shurley for our first year of homeschooling. My daughter really learned a lot. She could pick out direct objects and indirect by the end of fourth grade. I'm not sure were going to use it this year because I don't know if kids need grammar every year. But for grammar it can't be beat...just skip the writing at the end of the week.:)

[Paula in PA]

We used First Language Lessons for 1st and 2nd grade, and it was great. My dd learned a lot and retained much of it. After that, we moved to Growing with Grammar and are continuing to use it. We had decided against using FLL for 3rd and 4th because we wanted a grammar-only program to go with Classical Writing. We've been very pleased with GWG and dd can do it mostly independently now, which is helpful. Her retention is excellent.

[debinindy]

When I taught middle school, I utilized Easy Grammar a lot... prepositions first just makes sense to me.

 

Also, I really like Analytical Grammar/Junior AG for the younger ones.

 

Rod and Staff is a favorite for a textbook approach.

:)

[t-hat]

We have used R&S English 3 and 4 and will use 5 next year - I really like the program - very thorough and well laid out. We definitely do many lessons orally or skipping a few exercises, but I really like the review built in with the new concepts.

 

I had asked my son if he wanted to switch to CLE for a more workbook approach and he definitely wanted to stick with R&S.

[Crimson Wife]

After trying a bunch of different stuff with my oldest, this is the sequence I'm leaning towards for my kids:

 

First Language Lessons 1/2 started once the child is reading fluently

Michael Clay Thompson's elementary grammar alternated with the Killgallon applied grammar books

Mark Twain Diagramming Sentences workbook, then probably Rex Barks.

Either Holt Elements of Language or Traditions Warriner's (haven't decided yet)

 

I might continue on with the MCT middle school books but I think probably not since they don't have the story aspect (which is the part of MCT I really like) and I'm not crazy about the way he organizes the grammar instruction. I'll have to look through the materials to decide when the time comes.

 

Programs I've tried and did not care for:

Language of God for Little Folks from Catholic Heritage Curricula

1962 edition of Voyages in English

Thinking Through Grammar 5th & 6th Grade by Dr. Arthur Whimbey

 

Programs I previewed and did not care for the looks of:

Rod & Staff (even if this fit our religious beliefs it looked very dull like VIE was)

Easy Grammar Plus

Harvey's

all the Charlotte Mason approach LA programs I've seen (Simply Grammar, EFTTC, PLL, ILL, Queen's)

[thundersweet]

Easy Grammar. It doesn't do diagramming, which is just fine with me; EG was our favorite.

 

We did NOT like Winston Grammar.

 

Mind sharing why you didn't like WG? We use Easy Grammar as well but I was planning on doing WG once per week. I thought it would be a good hands on supplement.

 

Sandy

[robsiew]

We've used a few grammar programs, but I've settled on First Language Lessons through 4th grade and Rod and Staff from there on out.

 

My 3 and 4 grader are both using R&S because I didn't start them in FLL. We grammar hopped a bit!:001_huh:

 

I like FLL for the gentleness. My 6 year old already knows what nouns, pronouns and verbs are, yet he doesn't have to write much at all. (he has some fine motor issues). We do some of the writing, but all on the white board which he loves.

 

I like R&S because it's a good, trusted long term program. It's also non-consumable. It doesn't keep changing, making me feel like I need to update. It has stood strong over time. I know that when we finish the series my kids will have an excellent grammar base. I like the oral review... I just modify the writing portion if there seems to be too much writing. Since I use WWE (Writing with Ease) for writing we don't do the writing exercises.

 

Both are easy to execute making grammar lessons go pretty fast.

[StephanieZ]

#1) MCT (for sure)

 

#2) Rod & Staff (gets the job done, but not as fun or as deep as MCT)

[Talmidim]

We use First Language Lessons starting in first grade up to fourth grade and it is well-rounded instruction.

 

I like to use Winston Grammar in 5th grade and there is something about those flash cards that makes it all "click," maybe b/c it is hands-on. Since WG is only grammar (it doesn't cover punctuation, sentence-combining, etc.) we use Daily Grams as well.

 

There is also Advanced Winston Grammar which my ds will be using this next year and he will be in 7th.

 

HTH (hope that helps)!

[Ellie]

Mind sharing why you didn't like WG? We use Easy Grammar as well but I was planning on doing WG once per week. I thought it would be a good hands on supplement.

 

Sandy

My dd hated having to use those little cards for each word in a sentence. The sentences were pretty dry and boring, too; the author wrote WG such that children of all readying levels would be able to do it, which meant the sentences were not the east bit interesting.

 

We much preferred EG's methodology of marking out prepositional phrases first.

[Mandy in TN]

a flip-flop here

 

l like Winston Grammar and dislike Easy Grammar.

 

Through the use of the cards, Winston Grammar gives a concrete visual representation of how words are used in a sentence.

 

Easy Grammar is just a bunch of worksheets where you can glance at the top of the page, figure out what you need to do, fill in the sheet, and learn nothing.

 

FWIW-

If I were to supplement LLATL with a 2nd grader, it would be phonics/ spelling not grammar- either Spelling Workout or Plaid Phonics depending on the child.

 

If I were to supplement LLATL with a 4th grader, I would definitely use Winston Grammar. If the child wasn't a natural speller, I would add Spelling Workout or Plaid Phonics Word Study.

 

Be careful. LLATL is easy to supplement out of existence. I know I have done it 3 times- once with my oldest and twice with my second.:blushing:

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Ellie]

a flip-flop here

 

l like Winston Grammar and dislike Easy Grammar.

 

Through the use of the cards, Winston Grammar gives a concrete visual representation of how words are used in a sentence.

 

Easy Grammar is just a bunch of worksheets where you can glance at the top of the page, figure out what you need to do, fill in the sheet, and learn nothing.

That wasn't our experience at all. And many children are NOT able to glance at the top of the page and figure out what they're supposed to do. Really.

 

My dd only finished about 10 WG lessons before she refused to do.any.more. It was the only thing my dd ever refused to do in all the years we hsed.

[redsnapper]

Robyn,

 

My son will be in 2nd grade, and also resists writing. Would you recommend FLL level one for him or 2?

[SnMomof7]

I'm just curious Paula - what level in Growing with Grammar did you transition into after you did FLL 1 and 2? Did you hop right into 3 and 4?

 

Thanks!

[Tammy]

it give you a system to use.....and you get practice with all the parts of speech learned from beginning to end.

 

.

[Annie Laurie]

CLE (Christian Light Education) because it's straightforward, the lessons are short and varied, and it's thorough. Though it does include a little bit of spelling and penmanship as well, so not strictly grammar. You can see samples at www.clp.org

[Matryoshka]

Our favorite here is MCT. I also like and use the Killgallon books, but I'd only use as a supplement, not a stand-alone.

 

Easy Grammar is just a bunch of worksheets where you can glance at the top of the page, figure out what you need to do, fill in the sheet, and learn nothing.

 

 

The year before I found MCT, we used Easy Grammar, and I have to say I liked it very much. However, if I had used it as you described, I wouldn't have liked it at all, and you're right, my kids would've learned nothing.

 

Easy Grammar is designed to be taught. I would go over a lesson on the white board (lessons are in the Teacher's Guide) before handing them a worksheet, and the next day we went over every single sentence they got wrong and why before moving on. We still use the prepositional phrases first eliminations when doing the 4-level analysis in MCT.

 

Not only did my older two learn a lot from the EG lessons, my younger dd who listened in and never did a worksheet learned a ton.

[kalanamak]

Can you tell me what your favorite Grammar Program is and what you like so much about it? Next year I'll have 4th and 2nd graders home schooling.

 

A friend referred me to the Winston Grammar program which sounds great, but I thought I'd poll the HS universe first :D...

 

PS> Please don't use the acronyms for programs w/o spelling them out first. I know what so few mean at this point...:confused: Thanks!

 

Thank you!

-Melissa

 

Google

Growing with Grammar

and give it a look. I did level 1 and 2 for second grade, just a two sided page a day about 20 days a month. Between that and mentioning the things covered during our regular readings ("Can you find three nouns in this sentence?"), it was pleasant, painless, and has stuck. We are enjoying GWG 3 so far, and will finish it by early spring, when I'll give MCT a shot. If that fails, I'm trying JAG next....or GWG 4.

[Satori]

We haven't found one that I love yet. I think we're between programs. My daughter learns this stuff so easily and wants to be a writer, so I really am in search of a great, fast-paced grammar program.

 

FLL is wonderful and I love the memorization, but it's too slow for us. MCT looks very cool but we're too young for it (she's only five). Maybe next year. So our plans for this year is to use FLL in a very accelerated pace as well as Growing With Grammar. Easy Grammar looks too simple for us, but I purchased it and thought we could try just one day a week. Then, in 2011, we can move on to MCT!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

We finally settled on Easy Grammar in combination with Daily Grams. It has been a great fit and the kids are learning the vocabulary of grammar with few issues. Does require some teacher input but not as intensive as other programs. Rather than diagramming the student labels sentences with parts of speech.

[Hedgehog]

Rod and Staff.

 

We use it because it's extremely thorough, and as Christians we like the use of Scripture in it.

[mystika1]

Hi,

I am using Kiss Grammar with my daughter and so far it has been great. It is also free! I printed out the complete 2nd grade workbook which has the teacher materials included in the back of the workbook download. It really works and I have no cons as of yet.

 

HTH,

 

Penny

[Joy at Home]

First Language Lessons then Rod and Staff 3 here.

[Shelly in the Country]

Rod and Staff English

[Guest]

I am planning on FLL 1-4 then R&S if a FLL 5-8 isn't ready yet.

[HollyDay]

I've liked Queen's Language Lessons quite a bit. Traditional textbook style, I preferred BJU. Winston is great! But, I would not do it with a 2nd grader. It is also a quick course, maybe a couple months. We are using AG this year for the first time and it is okay. I think it does a good job. No regrets purchasing it. Personally, I did not like Rod and Staff (no flames please). Abeka is good for traditional approach but I think I would burn out doing it year after year.

[Kay in Cal]

We start with FLL, then move on to GWG. My older son (8) now is able to do it entirely on his own. Easy to use, textbook is reusable with more than one child. Secular. Includes diagramming.

[robsiew]

Ugggg... Grammar has been a sore spot for us, but we are finally happy!

 

I've been using First Language Lessons for my 6 y/o and I really like it. I'll take the younger two through level 4, then move to R&S. My ds6 has many definitions of parts of speech memorized already and he hardly ever writes! (He actually has fine motor issues so FLL is perfect for him because it has no to very little writing at 1/2 level)

 

My older one has unfortunately been through the gammet with grammar. Started with Easy Grammar. It was too..... well, easy. Same format day after day. He didn't really pick up the concepts well, but could fill in the blanks. I was not impressed.

 

My older two did a year of Growing with Grammar. This is a solid grammar program, but I learned not to use it independently because they didn't have a clue what anything was, yet again, could fill in the blanks correctly. I started going over the lesson with them each day and this helped. I didn't continue with this because the levels were too much the same year after year. I didn't feel it added enough new things each year.

 

My eldest ds and I gave Junior Analytical Grammar a try. It was too much for him at that age. Also, WAY too detailed for him. Lots of parsing. It killed him. It also moved quicker than I'd like, not leaving many years of usage. Just not for us.

 

Finally, my older two are now in R&S grades 3 and 4 respectively. I finally think we have found the grammar we'll settle on. Much of it is a review right now for poor ds... however, after the rough road we had with JAG I think it's okay with him! I'm guessing this year will be easy for him and I've heard it ramps up in 5th. My dd is doing well with 3rd grade.

 

We will most likely stick with R&S. It's non-consumable so I can reuse it. I can use the lessons very flexibly.. assigning just evens/odds, then going back and doing the rest for review if needed. I love the oral exercises. I use those to teach the concept, then they do the written exercises. Sometimes we do the writing assignments, but most of the time not. They are there though if I ever want to ramp up writing. Teacher's editions are very detailed and easy to follow. Complete answers are given. Grammar takes us an appropriate amount of time to do and little time for me to prepare. :D

[karensk]

I used Winston Grammar in 4th gr. with my first child, and though it went smoothly and he liked it well enough, the retention was poor. He did R&S 5 and R&S 6 from the beginning of 5th through the end of 7th grades....it's my top pick for grammar (except for all the Bible-parts, which is fine for us, but not for everyone). The program is very thorough with the grammar. Ds took a practice SAT last spring and did very well on the grammar section of it; all credit goes to R&S.

 

For pre-5th grade, I love using FLL-3 & FLL-4 with dd. The content is very advanced but the delivery method is kid-friendly. Dd will finish FLL-4 sometime this fall semester and then will start R&S 5.

 

Both FLL and R&S seem very advanced to me, maybe 2 to 3 years ahead of most American graded-English programs.

 

Re. LLATL: I used and loved LLATL-Orange, but did not rely on that for our grammar instruction. It's not necessarily a big deal...just depends on when you want to start grammar instruction. (My preference is somewhere around 3rd grade.) It's easy enough to do a separate grammar program and do LLATL mainly as your literature/reading program (we also did a separate spelling program alongside LLATL).

 

HTH!

[radiobrain]

MCT is my favorite, but honestly, I can't compare it to anything else...it is the only formal LA program I have ever used.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Review here.

[Shellydon]

I've used GWG for the last 2 years and like it. I switched to FLL for my current 1st grader because she does not like to write. I am really enjoying FLL and am going to switch my 3rd grader to it this year. I will probably do GWG 3rd grade as independent work to solidify concepts.