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Easy Grammar 4 and diagramming....


SS in MD
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Hi all,

I am on the quest to find a grammar curriculum that works for dd (9 yo). She has LDs and we've tried GWG,FLL3, R&S 4 (currently). My older girls have used R&S sucessfully and I feel it's a great curriculum, but concepts just aren't sticking/retaining with dd. Someone told me to look into Easy Grammar 4. I had a few questions-

1) Have you all used it with a dc that stuggles with grammar? Dd understands the R&S lessons (I read it with her and explain along the way), but bombs the written practice.

2) Anyone use EG all the way into high school? If so, does it sucessfully and thoroughly teach upper grammar concepts (phrases, clauses, infinitives, gerunds etc)

3) EG doesn't include diagramming. I'd like to teach diagramming to dd. For those that teach diagramming, what books/supplements do you use?

4) Any pros/cons? Would you recommend using EG?

 

Thanks!

Sangita

dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)

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Well, we used EG last year and it did not work for us but I know there are people that really like it. I will give you the reasons we didn't like it.

 

1. Not enough instruction.

2. The practice pages were very formulaic and the sentence structure was so similar that once my dds figured out the pattern it was just a matter of repeating the pattern through the entire practice page.

3. Had to go to another source for diagramming.

4. The content between grades are so similar that if you do 5th and then the 6th you feel like you are doing almost the exact same book. I actually had both books and ended up dropping the 4th and just putting both my dc into the 6th.

5. Not intuitive. It doesn't give you an overview of what the goal of each lesson is.

 

Now I will tell you what I did like about it.

 

1. Taught prepositions first. Made picking out other things very easy.

2. Open and go. Not teacher intensive at all. (Although for my dc this was not a good thing.)

 

I'd say that if you have a child that is language intuitive EG would be a good choice but mine just needed way more explanation and needed practice that actually made them think instead of just underlining this or that. We are using R&S this year and are really liking it. The dialogue that goes on during the oral review and oral lessons has helped a lot with understanding and retention.

 

You say she bombs the written practice...could you just do all of it orally, including the test? We do a lot of the written stuff orally also. My dd7 does all of her work orally unless I just give her different directions like, just write the word that needs to be capitalized instead of write the whole sentence. Could you do some of the work on the dry erase board? Have you started diagramming with her yet. (I've not used the 4th grade book) Diagramming was a breakthrough for one of my dds.

 

Probably not the response you were looking for but just thought I'd put it out there. Some of my best choices were based on what someone didn't like about a curriculum.:D

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Well, we used EG last year and it did not work for us but I know there are people that really like it. I will give you the reasons we didn't like it.

 

1. Not enough instruction.

2. The practice pages were very formulaic and the sentence structure was so similar that once my dds figured out the pattern it was just a matter of repeating the pattern through the entire practice page.

3. Had to go to another source for diagramming.

4. The content between grades are so similar that if you do 5th and then the 6th you feel like you are doing almost the exact same book. I actually had both books and ended up dropping the 4th and just putting both my dc into the 6th.

5. Not intuitive. It doesn't give you an overview of what the goal of each lesson is.

 

Now I will tell you what I did like about it.

 

1. Taught prepositions first. Made picking out other things very easy.

2. Open and go. Not teacher intensive at all. (Although for my dc this was not a good thing.)

 

I'd say that if you have a child that is language intuitive EG would be a good choice but mine just needed way more explanation and needed practice that actually made them think instead of just underlining this or that. We are using R&S this year and are really liking it. The dialogue that goes on during the oral review and oral lessons has helped a lot with understanding and retention.

 

You say she bombs the written practice...could you just do all of it orally, including the test? We do a lot of the written stuff orally also. My dd7 does all of her work orally unless I just give her different directions like, just write the word that needs to be capitalized instead of write the whole sentence. Could you do some of the work on the dry erase board? Have you started diagramming with her yet. (I've not used the 4th grade book) Diagramming was a breakthrough for one of my dds.

 

Probably not the response you were looking for but just thought I'd put it out there. Some of my best choices were based on what someone didn't like about a curriculum.:D

 

Aimee,

You're post is just what I'm looking for - the good, the bad, the ugly! :D I think dd may have some LDs, she just doesn't seem to process what she's reading. The lesson we did yesterday was on compound subjects & compound predicates. In the written practice she had to find each then diagram the sentence skeleton. This was all review for her, but she couldn't find the subjects or predicates. So, I helped her with that... then she didn't remember how to diagram them, even though we had just read the lesson together. She kept putting the two subjects on the main line (like if the sentence was - Ducks and geese swam in the lake, she would put Ducks and geese | swam ) even though we had just minutes before talked about drawing a "fork" to show both simple subjects. I'm really frustrated... we ended up doing English for almost an hour! ugh! Dd did FLL3 last year; we struggled through... but I don't think she retained much. Maybe I should try R&S Eng 3? (I have it on my shelf)... I'm also looking into BJU online English 4... maybe the video may keep her attention...

 

Sorry to ramble...... I just want English for dd not be a subject dd dreads! for my sanity as well as her attitude! lol!

 

Thanks so much for your advice!

Sangita

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Okay, I'm just going to throw a suggestion out there for you. My dd11 is very tactile\visual so actually manipulating things sometimes helps cement it in her mind.

 

It sounds like she knew what the compound subject and the verb were; she just got confused on how to make the diagram. It could just be a matter of repetition but if it were my dc I would start trying some other methods. It will be a little time consuming but could you write the words of the sentence on index cards or even slips of paper and then on a larger sheet of paper draw a diagram for a simple subject sentence and a diagram for a compound subject sentence. Explain to her that when you have a sentence with two subjects they have to "build" one on top of the other. Give her the words and ask her to place them on the diagram that they belong on. This will give her a physical and mental picture of what it should look like.

Perhaps explain to her that diagrams are like the plans for a house and all of the pieces have to be attached at certain places or the house will fall down. Later when you get to the words that stick out off of the bottom of the subject and verb diagram you could explain that these are like the supports that go into the walls. When you get to prepositional phrases you could explain that it is an extra suite being added on directly under the word that is in charge of it (modifies). You get the idea.

 

Another idea is to have a master sheet with many different diagrams on it labeled with the type of word that goes in each spot. I would start out with only the ones she is working on now and have her draw the diagram and label it. This way if she gets stuck she can look at her cheat sheet to give her a little help.

 

I'm sorry you are so frustrated. :grouphug: I would keep working in the 4th level a while longer and see if maybe by using some other methods you might be able to find something that helps it click with her. I'm constantly having to think outside the box, as they say, to help my dd11 see things. Sometimes its the most bizarre things that make her finally get it.:confused:

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You know, that's sort of what I had to do in FLL 3 for dd to remember the parts of speech definitions. I wrote the definitions of paper then cut them out in strips and further cut each word out. Then I would say the definition 3 or 4 times and dd would piece together the cut out words to make the definition. That was the only way she could memorize the pts. of speech. So, you maybe right, I need to approach dds areas of confusion with a different method...

 

Gotta get to bed! Thanks so much for your suggestion... I'll put it to use tomorrow!

Sangita

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