I'm finally ready to get CW...help me decide what level and ? about the grammar.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I can't stand it any longer! I am going to take the plunge and order Classical Writing. I love writing across the curriculum and definitely see the benefits of it but have always drooled over the depth of CW. Today I found an old post where someone mentioned that CW suggests writing assignments using other subject matter and that got me even more excited. I can do both! Anyway, to the point.

 

I have now spent close to 30 weeks doing Aesop style writing assignments (of my own design), we have been and are still working with diagramming (no parsing though), both dds have done exercises in copywork and narration (can summarize 4-6 paragraphs) and are still working on dictation (this is slow going).

 

Dd11(halfway through 6th) is closer to the ability of dd12(halfway through 7th) now than she was a year ago so I feel more confident in them being able to work within the same level. I want to start after the new year which will be a half way point in our school year. I'm not sure whether to start with Homer A or Older Beginners, both of which I could complete by the beginning of next school year. One of my other concerns is the grammar. Both of my girls are doing level 5 of R&S. I feel it is very easy for them and that, in hind sight, they probably could have both been in level 6. I do have Harvey's but really like R&S.

 

So in summary:

 

1. Based on the above would you start with OB or Homer. (I asked this almost a year ago:blushing: but decided to wait until I worked on some skills with each of them.)

2. Is R&S 5 sufficient for the level of grammar required in either OB or Homer?

 

Thanks...again!

[siloam]

I can't stand it any longer! I am going to take the plunge and order Classical Writing. I love writing across the curriculum and definitely see the benefits of it but have always drooled over the depth of CW. Today I found an old post where someone mentioned that CW suggests writing assignments using other subject matter and that got me even more excited. I can do both! Anyway, to the point.

 

I have now spent close to 30 weeks doing Aesop style writing assignments (of my own design), we have been and are still working with diagramming (no parsing though), both dds have done exercises in copywork and narration (can summarize 4-6 paragraphs) and are still working on dictation (this is slow going).

 

Dd11(halfway through 6th) is closer to the ability of dd12(halfway through 7th) now than she was a year ago so I feel more confident in them being able to work within the same level. I want to start after the new year which will be a half way point in our school year. I'm not sure whether to start with Homer A or Older Beginners, both of which I could complete by the beginning of next school year. One of my other concerns is the grammar. Both of my girls are doing level 5 of R&S. I feel it is very easy for them and that, in hind sight, they probably could have both been in level 6. I do have Harvey's but really like R&S.

 

So in summary:

 

1. Based on the above would you start with OB or Homer. (I asked this almost a year ago:blushing: but decided to wait until I worked on some skills with each of them.)

2. Is R&S 5 sufficient for the level of grammar required in either OB or Homer?

 

Thanks...again!

I would tend towards O/B and then if needed you can slow it down. Though Homer is the most time intensive level, from what I hear, so that might be a good argument for doing the separate homer levels, then if you want to speed up things it would be easier to do so later. One gal posted her daughter did almost all of Diogenes in one year, which is scheduled as a two year program. Also do you plan to do the Poetry? If you are looking at two full years of Homer plus one level of Diogenes your oldest is approaching High school before they are solidly writing essays, and can use it for other topics. If you don't do the poetry Homer A is 20 weeks, and Homer B is 20 weeks, which is a little over a year, so even with Diogenes you are writing essays with outside topics before High School.

 

If you want to do Poetry I would do OB Homer and OB Poetry. If you are willing to drop Poetry then I would do separate Homer A and B.

 

In Homer A you cover all the parts of speech and one word verbals. In Homer B is where you dive into clauses and phrases of all types. My guess is it would be ideal to have done R&S 6, but I suspect you can make due with 5. Most of the clause, verbal and phrase work is moving them in a sentence or switching which type. I struggle with identifying each separate one by its name, though I can generally spot one easily enough. That was enough knowledge to do the work in Homer B (though probably not the grammar in Harvey's :D ). I did begin to allow my dd to use the answer key to finish her diagramming about 1/3 of the way through Homer B. They just got so complicated, and she is still scoring well in Analytical Grammar. I didn't see a need to make a big deal out of it.

 

Heather

[Mallory]

My 14yo did OB last year for 8th/9th grade. I think it is sooo hard, worth it, but hard. I am thinking about starting my next on CW next year. He will be 12. I wouldn't even consider OB at that age.

 

I think that Homer A in 6th and 7th, then B in 7th and 8th (and poetry even poetry OB), then Diogenes in 8th and 9th really is going to be okay.

 

I also think the poetry is one of the best parts of CW, we love it! I would hate to recomend that you skip it to slog through Homer. But I also think it could be done next year as the OB edition with Homer B and still get through it all in one year.

 

We are also finding Diogenes much easier and will probably get through both levels of it this year for her 10th grade year (and do Int. Poetry too.)

 

I can't help with R&S, but I really like that Harvey's is all scheduled out!

[5LittleMonkeys]

 

If you are willing to drop Poetry then I would do separate Homer A and B.

I think I like this option better. We have essentially done a whole year of Aesop style work so I feel I would be skipping the Aesop in the OB anyway. I think spending a whole year on Homer would be a better option for my younger dc and it couldn't possibly hurt my older either.

 

In Homer A you cover all the parts of speech and one word verbals. In Homer B is where you dive into clauses and phrases of all types. My guess is it would be ideal to have done R&S 6, but I suspect you can make due with 5. The more I think about it the more I'm considering skipping the rest of 5 and going ahead and moving them into R&S 6 at the same time we start Homer. This way we will be half way through it by the time we start Homer B. If we still have trouble I could always pull out the Harvey's that I have to supplement in whatever area they need more help.

 

I did begin to allow my dd to use the answer key to finish her diagramming about 1/3 of the way through Homer B. They just got so complicated, and she is still scoring well in Analytical Grammar. I didn't see a need to make a big deal out of it. This is good to know. I looked at some of the diagramming samples in Homer and they looked a bit scary. I think I may be stealing you method for dealing with some of those.:tongue_smilie:

 

Heather

 

My 14yo did OB last year for 8th/9th grade. I think it is sooo hard, worth it, but hard. I am thinking about starting my next on CW next year. He will be 12. I wouldn't even consider OB at that age.

 

I think that Homer A in 6th and 7th, then B in 7th and 8th (and poetry even poetry OB), then Diogenes in 8th and 9th really is going to be okay.

 

I also think the poetry is one of the best parts of CW, we love it! I would hate to recomend that you skip it to slog through Homer. But I also think it could be done next year as the OB edition with Homer B and still get through it all in one year.

 

We are also finding Diogenes much easier and will probably get through both levels of it this year for her 10th grade year (and do Int. Poetry too.)As I mentioned above, I think what you've laid out here is the way we will go. We can complete Homer A in the 2nd part of this year and then do Homer B with OB Poetry next year. I have read of many people saying that they moved through Diogenes much quicker so I thought doing it in one year might work for us too. I hadn't thought of trying to do Int. Poetry in that same year too but I will definitely consider it.

 

I can't help with R&S, but I really like that Harvey's is all scheduled out!It is tempting considering I already own it, but I am very fond of R&S. We will see how it all plays out...I must be the reed not the oak.:tongue_smilie: I just had to throw that in...my sister told me today that she admired me because I was like a reed...I told her I felt more like a wet noodle!

 

Thanks both of you! I'm so excited...I'll post how I feel once I get those books and try to make heads or tails of them.;)