Writing, MCT, etc (lots and lots of questions)

[Mimm]

I recently bought MCT Island without a very clear idea of what it was or which of my children I would use it with. I know, what in the world was I thinking, right? :) I will use it, I'm sure, I just need advice.

 

My nine year old (she'll be ten in a week or so) is in fourth grade. She's doing WWE 4 and getting through it fairly easily. She does narration most days. She's doing abeka grammar for fourth grade and not having any problems with it. I feel like MCT Island is a too easy for her. But I like the poetry component, and she's gotten very little poetry this year, beyond us simply memorizing a few poems and the poem section in WWE4. Should I use MCT with her now and just go quickly through it? Also, what writing program should I use in fifth grade? And should I combine it with the next level of MCT? And should I use a grammar program in addition to it? Is it overkill to do MCT, a writing curriculum and a grammar curriculum? Even if I'm not expecting them to do all three every day? Keeping in mind that this is an area I want to be demanding (but not overwhelming).

 

My 8 year old is in second grade. She's doing third grade grammar from Abeka and finding it very easy. She's doing WWE2 and she struggles with narration a little bit. She doesn't like thinking up sentences to write. I think using MCT Island would be good for her but I'm thinking of using it next year for third grade? I don't know which components to use in what order, but I'm sure that information in found in some other thread (though if someone wants to summarize it for me real quick, I appreciate it so much). :) I plan to do WWE3 with her next year as well as some other, more challenging grammar program. Something with sentence diagramming.

 

Ok, I'm going to stop rambling now and thank you to anyone who replies! I appreciate the input and information. :)

[Mimm]

bump?

[rachel_rfwp]

Just in case you dont get a reply from others here, have you tried the RFWP website and the MCT implementation slideshow there for some answers to your questions? There are sample pages, articles and an MCT support forum and Yahoo Group where others have posted lesson plans. You could also call the Royal Fireworks Office, but Dr Tom and MCT are in Cincinnati till Monday.

 

Here is something to be going on with: The books are meant to be read, you and child together. Just go at the pace of the child. If they get the early pages quickly, move on but dont miss them out as Island builds on the early pages as it gets more complex. As your 9 year old has already done grammar, Island will be a revision but you will find the practice sentences and exercises towards the end very useful to see if she has grasped all the concepts before going on to the next level. It certainly should suit your 8 year old.

 

There is no poetry in Grammar Island. The poetics program starts with Music of the Hemispheres, which many parents can vouch for having inspired their children to appreciate poetry for the first time.

 

There are the basics of writing though in Grammar Island. The MCT Writing program is based on grammar and Sentence Island can be added as soon as Grammar Island is mastered, or for your older child, the next level in the Town series: Paragraph Town.

 

If you find that Grammar Island is too simple for your 9 year old, keep it for the younger one and move on to Grammar Town.

 

Hope this isn't too much information for now. It will all become clear as you get into the program.

[Shawna in Texas]

I was going to tackle this last night, but I'm less succinct, and incomprehensible :001_smile:

 

My nine year old (she'll be ten in a week or so) is in fourth grade. She's doing WWE 4 and getting through it fairly easily. She does narration most days. She's doing abeka grammar for fourth grade and not having any problems with it. I feel like MCT Island is a too easy for her. But I like the poetry component, and she's gotten very little poetry this year, beyond us simply memorizing a few poems and the poem section in WWE4. I've not used the Island level, but there is quite a leap (not so much the grammar, but the writing), from what I understand, to Town, so with my youngest, my plans are to make sure she has narrations, dictations, etc. down before we start Town.

 

Should I use MCT with her now and just go quickly through it? Sure, go as quickly as she needs. Also, what writing program should I use in fifth grade? We did Town in 6th, but if she's writing well, start Town and take it slow. Do some of the exercises twice. And should I combine it with the next level of MCT? Since I use only MCT, I don't know how helpful this will be. This is where you come down to need and preference. I didn't feel a need to supplement and I still don't at this point. I plan to supplement in high school with a rhetorics course, but that's a little ways off. For now MCT is providing enough instruction, and grammar practice. It's quite easy to practice paragraphs across curriculum at that level and there's the grammar practice book along with grammar instruction in the writing. But, we're homeschoolers, and we like to try different things. There are quite a few long threads about writing on the logic stage board and many of those women use and try a number of things to supplement. And should I use a grammar program in addition to it? Only if you need it. I find enough, but many here are using the Killgallon series in addition. I'm tempted to get it, and I may, but we don't need it. That excuse really hasn't stopped me before, though. :tongue_smilie: Is it overkill to do MCT, a writing curriculum and a grammar curriculum? It could be. It would all depend on your children and the other program. Paragraph Town is fairly time consuming, so you would have to be careful how to add to this. Plus, PT covers grammar as well, if not better than Grammar Town. It's one of those things you are going to have to put into action to see if it's lacking anything that your children need. If you are able to squeeze every last drop from the MCT books, then I think you'll not want to supplement too much. Maybe a little. Only because we are homeschoolers and we can't seem to help ourselves. :D

 

My 8 year old is in second grade. She's doing third grade grammar from Abeka and finding it very easy. She's doing WWE2 and she struggles with narration a little bit. She doesn't like thinking up sentences to write. I think using MCT Island would be good for her but I'm thinking of using it next year for third grade? I plan on using it for 3rd grade for my youngest, but I've never seen it, so I may change my mind once I buy it and sit and read it. I would still practice narrations, She might find the exercises for MCT to be a good change in routine, though I don't know which components to use in what order, but I'm sure that information in found in some other thread (though if someone wants to summarize it for me real quick, I appreciate it so much). :) You read through the grammar book first, however long you need to. I can't remember if you start the others all at the same time, but we began the vocab and writing after the grammar book, then we start the poetry after vocab. Saving the poetry for last isn't what's recommended, but we get more out of it when I can concentrate on it more. I plan to do WWE3 with her next year as well as some other, more challenging grammar program. Something with sentence diagramming. If this is the case, I would do Island now and read over Paragraph Town to see what your youngest needs to accomplish before you begin this. For my youngest, I don't know what I'm going to do yet between Island and Town, Maybe WWE and Killgallon.

[Mimm]

It sounds like maybe I'm trying to do too much. :) We do Killgallon too, forgot to mention that.

 

Is there a place on the web site where I can buy just the books that they write in? I'm sure there is, but somehow I'm missing it.

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I read through Grammar Island with my boys (1st and 3rd grade) first. Right now we read a bit of Sentence Island, do about 6-8 sentences in Practice Island together on the whiteboard, and read through one stem lesson in Building Language each week. We don't do any of the writing exercises because the boys and I have a really hard time with such creative/open-ended assignments. We've started IEW for writing. I will read Music of the Hemispheres when we finish Sentence Island, since I don't want too many books going at once. The boys have been memorizing grammar facts/definitions in Classical Conversations, and I will probably use the sentence diagramming book recommended in TWTM.

 

I will have to get the Town level of MCT before deciding whether to add in any additional grammar next year, but we'll be continuing with IEW for writing.

[TKDmom]

I recently bought MCT Island without a very clear idea of what it was or which of my children I would use it with. I know, what in the world was I thinking, right? :) I will use it, I'm sure, I just need advice.

 

Did you buy the whole Island level? I'm just making sure, b/c I was confused by something you said farther down on the thread.

 

My nine year old (she'll be ten in a week or so) is in fourth grade. She's doing WWE 4 and getting through it fairly easily. She does narration most days. She's doing abeka grammar for fourth grade and not having any problems with it. I feel like MCT Island is a too easy for her. But I like the poetry component, and she's gotten very little poetry this year, beyond us simply memorizing a few poems and the poem section in WWE4. Should I use MCT with her now and just go quickly through it?

It might be easy for her, but she would have so much fun with it. When I first got my Island books, I devoured them, and I even learned some things about grammar. ;)

 

I'd have her go through them, as quickly as she'd like, just to help her develop that love of playing with language.

 

I'm using Town this year with a 4th grader, and it's too much. There seems to be a big jump each year (in the writing books) between levels. I don't have my dd writing enough in general right now, so when we get to one of the PT assignments, it feels like this big, difficult step. I need something that requires more frequent, smaller assignments.

 

We're going to put MCT on hold for a year or two and use R&S, CW, and/or Kilgallon ( I have too many resources sitting on my shelf right now!)

 

Also, what writing program should I use in fifth grade? And should I combine it with the next level of MCT?

If you're already using Kilgallon, I'd hold off on adding another writing program in addition to Paragraph Town. You could always throw WWS into the mix once it comes out...

 

And should I use a grammar program in addition to it? Is it overkill to do MCT, a writing curriculum and a grammar curriculum? Even if I'm not expecting them to do all three every day? Keeping in mind that this is an area I want to be demanding (but not overwhelming).

Probably too much. MCT looks light in the grammar, but the sentences in the practice books can be challenging. They force the child to really consider how each word in the sentence is acting and how it relates to other words in the sentence. My dd enjoys using the space at the bottom of the page to diagram the sentence. That makes Practice Town feel a little more like a traditional grammar program to me. :001_smile:

 

My 8 year old is in second grade. She's doing third grade grammar from Abeka and finding it very easy. She's doing WWE2 and she struggles with narration a little bit. She doesn't like thinking up sentences to write. I think using MCT Island would be good for her but I'm thinking of using it next year for third grade? I don't know which components to use in what order, but I'm sure that information in found in some other thread (though if someone wants to summarize it for me real quick, I appreciate it so much). :) I plan to do WWE3 with her next year as well as some other, more challenging grammar program. Something with sentence diagramming.

 

I used the Island level with my dd, when she was in 3rd grade, and I'll use it with my ds this fall, when he turns 8. My ideal book order would be Grammar Island first. Then start Practice Island 3-4 times per week. At the same time, I would start Sentence Island 2-3 times/week, Music of the Hemispheres 1x/week, and Building language 1x/week. You can either add a diagramming workbook, or just have your dd diagram the sentences in Practice Island. If she's never done diagramming, it might be too hard to start off by diagramming the sentences in Practice Town.

 

Hopefully, this is coherent enough to be of some use to you. :001_smile:

[Shawna in Texas]

It sounds like maybe I'm trying to do too much. :) We do Killgallon too, forgot to mention that.

 

Is there a place on the web site where I can buy just the books that they write in? I'm sure there is, but somehow I'm missing it.

 

Here are the practice books.

 

If you are wanting to do MCT, though, at the very least, get the writing books. An argument could be made to get the vocab, but the writing is my favorite. DD loves it. Just getting the practice books would be a waste because you could analyze any sentence using the 4-level method for any program.

[Mimm]

Did you buy the whole Island level? I'm just making sure, b/c I was confused by something you said farther down on the thread.

 

Yes, I have the whole Island level but not all the student books. It's the homeschool basic package or something like that?

 

I used the Island level with my dd, when she was in 3rd grade, and I'll use it with my ds this fall, when he turns 8. My ideal book order would be Grammar Island first. Then start Practice Island 3-4 times per week. At the same time, I would start Sentence Island 2-3 times/week, Music of the Hemispheres 1x/week, and Building language 1x/week. You can either add a diagramming workbook, or just have your dd diagram the sentences in Practice Island. If she's never done diagramming, it might be too hard to start off by diagramming the sentences in Practice Town.

 

Hopefully, this is coherent enough to be of some use to you. :001_smile:

 

Yes, that does make sense, thank you. :)

[Mimm]

Here are the practice books.

 

If you are wanting to do MCT, though, at the very least, get the writing books. An argument could be made to get the vocab, but the writing is my favorite. DD loves it. Just getting the practice books would be a waste because you could analyze any sentence using the 4-level method for any program.

 

The MCT I got comes with the Practice Island book. But I will need another one if I want to use it with both kids. Thank you for the link. I'm not sure why I couldn't find it. :)