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Grammar recommendations?


Guest AnnMarie
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Guest AnnMarie

I am not a parent but a private school teacher trying to help other small schools improve their curriculum. I am in search of recommendations for an elementary grammar textbook, in print or out of print, which would focus on analysis, a grammar progression teaching parsing, definitions, etc., but which could then be integrated with the poems, dictations and readings chosen by the school. I would like something drawing students slowly to penetrate the nature of words & the structure of sentences, every year going deeper, not just fill in blanks and jump through hoops of randomly organized grammar worksheets! Whole-sentence exercises are great! Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Ann Marie

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I am not a parent but a private school teacher trying to help other small schools improve their curriculum. I am in search of recommendations for an elementary grammar textbook, in print or out of print, which would focus on analysis, a grammar progression teaching parsing, definitions, etc., but which could then be integrated with the poems, dictations and readings chosen by the school. I would like something drawing students slowly to penetrate the nature of words & the structure of sentences, every year going deeper, not just fill in blanks and jump through hoops of randomly organized grammar worksheets! Whole-sentence exercises are great! Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

 

MCT?? :D

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Guest AnnMarie

Thank you for so many suggestions of resources! I'm going to look into all of those, most of which I have never heard of.

 

I appreciate the completeness of Harvey's Elementary English Grammar, but it is a little off-putting, not very user friendly for people today. (1878 reprint)

 

Has anyone tried Shurley English? Too gimmicky?

 

Ann Marie

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We use Shurley English and we love it. I started using it because the private Classical Christian school that my dd attended for K and 1st grade used Shurley. It is very comprehensive. There are jingles that the kids recite to help them to learn the parts of speech. Some people have complained that it is redundant but, as one parent of our former school said, "Our children will REALLY know their grammar!". But, that is exactly what I want for my dc.

 

We are using Shurley English 3 this year. There are some new jingles added from Shurley 2 so, that has helped to keep things more interesting. At this point, both of my dc are able to parse sentences very well and they know the parts of speech that have been introduced to this point. Shurley also includes vocabulary and instruction in different styles of writing, e.g. letters, journaling, creative, etc. I use a different vocabulary & writing program but, if you wanted to use it, Shurley is very complete.

 

Next fall, I'm enrolling my dc in an "Institutes for Excellence in Writing" course, which also covers some grammar but, I'm still considering using Shurley to supplement her coursework during the summers. I've really been pleased with the past two years that I have used it and the year that my dd used Shurley in school.

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Guest Cheryl in SoCal
Thank you for so many suggestions of resources! I'm going to look into all of those, most of which I have never heard of.

 

I appreciate the completeness of Harvey's Elementary English Grammar, but it is a little off-putting, not very user friendly for people today. (1878 reprint)

 

Has anyone tried Shurley English? Too gimmicky?

 

Ann Marie

I LOVE Shurley English (I've used it from Level 3 through Level 7). My older boys didn't love the jingles but they REALLY know grammar. I also used ONLY the grammar portions or I wouldn't have loved it;) It doesn't teach diagramming if that is something important to you. Since it only goes up to Level 7 (Jr High) I follow it up with Analytical Grammar because it teaches diagramming and more on clauses (Shurley introduces clauses towards the end of Level 7).

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I.. I would like something drawing students slowly to penetrate the nature of words & the structure of sentences, every year going deeper, not just fill in blanks and jump through hoops of randomly organized grammar worksheets! Whole-sentence exercises are great!...

 

Hi,

 

I am not sure what you mean by "Whole-sentence exercises", because I think all grammar programs eventually ask the student to analyze complete sentences. If you mean sentences from real literature, then I know of only two choices - Michael Clay Thomson grammar or KISS grammar, both of which have been suggested by pp. Both skip the usual grammar worksheets and instead teach analysis of complete sentences from children's lit.

 

HTH

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