jenrysdam Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I'm looking for a language arts curriculum for my daughter. The Well Trained Mind recommends Voyages in English. It's quite expensive, but homeschool buyers coop has it on sale until tomorrow! I'm kind of in a time crunch here, but I'm wondering if any of you use it or have used it, and did you like it or not? My daughter will be in 4th next year and I'm also thinking of it for my 3rd grade son. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much, Jennifer Mom to 4, foster Mom to 4 more, working on TTC my #5 :o) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Which edition of WTM do you have? I'm surprised the recommendation is for Voyages in English rather than First Language Lessons. This program does look great though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I haven't used it yet, but will use it as part of Kolbe homeschool in a couple of years. It is supposed to be a very good program and I saw it in WTM as well (the most recent edition). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 WTM recommends skipping the writing portions in favor of IEW or something else as it doesn't build expository writing skills well. Other than that, there are waay less costly options like Growing With Grammar for secular grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 You can buy older editions of VIE inexpensively. I own all of the 95 eds. The 2006 eds would probably be the best option, though, b/c the 95 eds still have students using card catalogs. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I've read that Voyages in English is like BJU English on steroids. You may want to read as many reviews as possible before you buy it. If you do buy it, I'd use the 2006 edition. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 We have it. BORING. Dropped it after 2 weeks. (well, my kids dropped it after one. I kept going the extra week. haha.) I'm keeping it for nostalgia purposes. It reminds me of the way grammar used to be taught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 We use Exercises in English, which is the grammar worktexts component of Voyages in English. We're using EIE through k12 right now but I plan on buying the EIE worktext by itself for grammar for next year. IDK what all comes with VIE but I've heard good things about it (and had a great experience with the EIE worktexts we've been using...I'm just finding that the whole language arts program (through k12) to be a bit much for us so we're jus buying what we want/need next year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genevieve Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Eight, Curious... why did you choose the '95 edition of Voyages over the old Catholic reprints. I'm Catholic myself and if the content/presentation is similar, I would have thought the Catholic references a nice bonus. But if the teaching material isn't, then I'll try the newer editions. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReneTL Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 We have it. BORING. Dropped it after 2 weeks. (well, my kids dropped it after one. I kept going the extra week. haha.) I'm keeping it for nostalgia purposes. It reminds me of the way grammar used to be taught. :iagree: We tried it last year with my then 2nd and 4th grader. I bought the 4th grade 95 edition used on Amazon and the new 2006 editions for the 2nd grader. (I still have them for sale if you want to ignore our advice. ;)) We couldn't get through them. If you don't use them for the writing, you have to get something else. If you do use them for the writing, you're constantly flipping back and forth as the 4th grade book is broken into two sections. The 2nd grade book is laid out better, but my dd hated the writing prompts. They are effective at teaching grammar, but there are better and cheaper ways to get the job done. We're using FLL 3 & 4 now. They aren't a day at the amusement park, but they're very efficient, effective and open & go. IMHO, a HUGE improvement. Good luck! Peace, Rene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 For the younger grade I would use FLL 3 and 4. However, I don't find Voyages of English any more or less boring than any other Grammar books (including FLL) I have seen. It is what it is--Grammar.:tongue_smilie: Very few people find that subject exciting. Susie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Eight, Curious... why did you choose the '95 edition of Voyages over the old Catholic reprints. I'm Catholic myself and if the content/presentation is similar, I would have thought the Catholic references a nice bonus. But if the teaching material isn't, then I'll try the newer editions. Thanks! They are not structured the same way (or even close). My kids thought the older Catholic versions were tortuously dull. FWIW......I only used the books with my oldest 2. I used them to teach grammar and writing structure but never used the writing assignments contained in the books. I took the ideas and created my own cross-curriculum assignments. I don't think they are perfect by any means. But neither are they awful. They are the books that I learned grammar from b/c I had no formal understanding of English grammar prior to homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genevieve Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 They are not structured the same way (or even close). My kids thought the older Catholic versions were tortuously dull. How are they structured differently? I can view '95 edition online but only the older Catholic version TOC via Seton. Because of my very limited understanding of grammar, they *appear* similar, i.e., going through the nine parts of speech each year but in greater depth. The older Catholic edition also uses less technical terms in the earlier grades, e.g. describing sentences. Also I like diagramming but can't seem to find it in the '95 edition. I do plan to use the writing suggestion across curriculum but need hand-holding in what skill to focus on at what stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papillon Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 We use Exercises in English, which is the grammar worktexts component of Voyages in English. We're using EIE through k12 right now but I plan on buying the EIE worktext by itself for grammar for next year. IDK what all comes with VIE but I've heard good things about it (and had a great experience with the EIE worktexts we've been using...I'm just finding that the whole language arts program (through k12) to be a bit much for us so we're jus buying what we want/need next year... Thanks for posting this ~ it's exactly what I've been looking for! I didn't realized it could be used as a stand-alone program. Also, just curious, you said you were using K12 LA...what do they use for writing? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I also use the Exercises in English worktexts. For writing, we are currently using this from Singapore called Sentences to Paragraphs: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=sentences+to+paragraphs&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCN&nav_search=1&cms=1&search= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 We use Exercises in English, which is the grammar worktexts component of Voyages in English. We're using EIE through k12 right now but I plan on buying the EIE worktext by itself for grammar for next year. IDK what all comes with VIE but I've heard good things about it (and had a great experience with the EIE worktexts we've been using...I'm just finding that the whole language arts program (through k12) to be a bit much for us so we're jus buying what we want/need next year... I'm toying with this for next year for my youngest. He seems to do best with programs that are thorough but concise. It's between this and FLL3. What do you plan to use for writing? I was thinking WWE, but starting him with level 2 and maybe adding something like Evan-Moor for sentences and paragraphs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I stumbled across the 5th grade book in our co-op lending library and it has been a great fit for us. It's dated 1999, but I think it's a reprint of the 1995 edition. We use the grammar and parts of the writing, but I tweak the writing to be more across the curriculum (inspired by 8filltheheart's great suggestions). I am finding it to be solid with just the right amount of review, and it's easy to skip over topics that dd is already familiar with. Honestly, I am happy enough with the older edition and plan to buy the 6th grade book used on Amazon for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennismomkelly Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I don't think they are perfect by any means. But neither are they awful. They are the books that I learned grammar from b/c I had no formal understanding of English grammar prior to homeschooling. I stumbled across the 5th grade book in our co-op lending library and it has been a great fit for us. It's dated 1999, but I think it's a reprint of the 1995 edition. We use the grammar and parts of the writing, but I tweak the writing to be more across the curriculum (inspired by 8filltheheart's great suggestions). I am finding it to be solid with just the right amount of review, and it's easy to skip over topics that dd is already familiar with. Honestly, I am happy enough with the older edition and plan to buy the 6th grade book used on Amazon for next year. This is good to hear. I ordered the 5th grade books from the coop and was starting to worry about my choice. Before I ordered them I had asked my MIL who is a 4th grade English teacher at a very expensive private school to look over the samples and she had given them her seal of approval so I figured that they couldn't be that bad. Feeling much better now. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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