Mom28kds Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I thought I had a LA program figured out and went to the convention and didn't like it like I thought I would. Now I'm starting over. If I piece parted a curriculum what all do I need to include. I'm tempted to go back to ABEKA which I used in the past to make sure I covered it all. Do I need a program like that which is comprehensive? I hesitate because so many people don't like it that I'm thinking there must be better stuff that I'm not aware of. If so, any recommendations? If not, tell me what all I need to have to make sure my son gets what he needs. What do you use for LA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) we use bju english. this is our first with it & i absolutely love it. therefore, we'll be sticking with bju english for 4th grade as well. in the past we used WWE, R&S english, and writing strands. i really liked those as well, but for a number of reasons we switched. i'm happy we did, as the choice has been very good for my daughter. there are so many great LA options, so hopefully you will find what works best for your family:) ETA - we use dictation for spelling. BJU doesn't cover that, only grammar & writing. Edited April 1, 2011 by mytwomonkeys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelissaMinNC Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We use narration/copywork/dictation (across curriculum), Intermediate Language Lessons (part 1 this year in 4th, part 2 next year), and Writing Strands. We read lots of good books - some classics, some not. We do them as read-alouds, independent reading, audio books, etc., but we do not do any formal literary analysis in the elementary grades. (Although we do have lots of discussions!) HTH, Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 CLE for grammar and spelling and some copy work/writing along w/WWE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houseofkids&pets Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I finally took the plunge this evening and ordered Hake Grammar and Writing for fifth grade from Christianbook.com. It is from the creators of Saxon math (which I don't use). You can read a review about it on Cathy Duffy's site and on the Rainbow Resource site. I'll post more when we receive it and start using it. Good luck to you!:001_smile: Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) My 5th grader this year is using Writing Tales 2 and Megawords 1. My 4th grader (behind in reading and writing) is doing WWE 3 and cursive handwriting. They both do memory work, reading, narrations (summaries), and dictations (my 4th grader) or outlines (my 5th grader) across the curriculum at thier own levels. Next year my 5th grader will be doing Writing Strands (I hope 2 and 3), R&S English 5, and Spelling Workout (I haven't decided what level). We will be continuing everything in blue and hope to do Classical Writing Poetry at some point ;). But for piecing together your own plan, you might try this thread- How do you piece together LA? Edited April 2, 2011 by Mallory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in CA Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 We've used Abeka and R&S and much preferred the latter. The examples are a bit more involved, and the diagramming instruction is excellent. We do the bulk of instruction orally and only enough for mastery. We diagram sentences on a whiteboard. The writing instruction is also very helpful. We change the topics according to what the student is studying. For 5th grade we add dictation 2 x's /week and write across the curriculum in science/history/reading. So one science write-up/week, two history outlines, one 1-page summary from their assigned reading. Spelling is SWO F, making lists of rules, mispelled words, prefixes/suffixes. Reading is history books/biographies/historical fiction in the history time period, 45 mins/day with written summaries. We follow the WTM rec's pretty closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) I've gone two totally different routes with my kids. My son uses Saxon (Hake) Grammar, SRA Spelling Mastery and he takes an IEW writing class. My daughter uses CLE LA, A Reason for handwriting and WWE (though we are taking a little break from that right now and using Writing Tales). Lisa ETA: I forgot we were posting 4th and 5th grade suggestions. My son is in 5th. My daughter is only in 3rd, but her 4th grade LA will be the same as 3rd. Edited April 2, 2011 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) My dd10's using: MCT Town Grammar/Writing/Vocab Killgallon Story Grammar Sequential Spelling Getty-Dubay Penmanship Next year, I'm dying to get my hands on WWS! I'd be using it with her now if it were out... Edited April 2, 2011 by matroyshka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I thought I had a LA program figured out and went to the convention and didn't like it like I thought I would. Now I'm starting over.If I piece parted a curriculum what all do I need to include. I'm tempted to go back to ABEKA which I used in the past to make sure I covered it all. Do I need a program like that which is comprehensive? I hesitate because so many people don't like it that I'm thinking there must be better stuff that I'm not aware of. If so, any recommendations? If not, tell me what all I need to have to make sure my son gets what he needs. What do you use for LA? My 5th grader is doing R&S 5 English, grammar only. He does 2 WWE4-ish narrative summaries every day 4x per week. I work with him on a fairy tale from My Book House. And he independently will do one on his Bible story. A couple times a week he will write one on his history reading. We do not do WWE dictations. He also does R&S Spelling 3, Wordly Wise Book 2 (original), and reads one chapter book per week, something like Old Yeller. Sometimes I'll help him write up a narrative summary WWE-style and sometimes we'll just discuss it as if he were going to write it but we skip the writing. He also memorizes approximately one stanza of poetry per week from IEW's poetry program and a Bible verse. I have him review all old work from this year (not last year) 4x per week. ETA: He also does a tiny bit of cursive copywork 4x per week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Dd5th is doing MCT Town level for grammar, poetry, writing, and vocabulary. Ds4th uses Growing with Grammar 4th and Cursive Success HWT for handwriting. They both use Natural Speller for spelling, History Odyssey for writing and literature, and assigned by mom books for literature. I also have been adding in writing assignments at random since ds15 is fighting me on writing and I don't want them to as they get older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 CLE for grammar and handwriting Rod and Staff for spelling Killgallon and Just Write for writing Vocabulary (have to change what we are currently using) Reading - Assorted classic books Literature - Read alouds and discussion of classic books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My 4th grader next year will do R&S english 4 and spelling 5, reading classics and writing narrations on them, narrations and dictation across the curriculum as well. We will also begin Latina Christiana which should reinforce grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My 9 y/o ds next year: CLE IEW writing AAS Maybe Wordly Wise, but I'm not 100% sure. It might be too much for him. His handwriting is pretty rough, but I am hoping with more writing assignments, I won't need another formal 'handwriting curriculum.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My 4th grader will be using CLE Reaing 4 plus Ambleside Literature Year 3 copywork/ dictation across the curriculum CLE Level 300 for grammar, spelling, penmanship, and writing WWE for writing Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) I will try and list everything *eek R&S Killgallon Sentence Composing Wordly Wise English from the Roots Up Start Write for copywork Megawords Elson Reader (I may choose another reading program, but I like the selections.) Progeny Press Study Guides Story Elements Finding the Main Idea Outlining Summarizing Listening Skills (workbook) and dictation (passages and selections from literature and history) Write with the Best and Write Source (We also use imitation and modeling for learning to write.) Oh, and a few more things for editing, analogies, idioms, LOL .... OK the list is lengthy! :D Edited April 2, 2011 by ChrissySC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmwife Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My 4th grades does: Rod & Staff English 4 Spell to write and Read (awesome improvement in spelling this year! yay!) BobJones Reading 4 w/worktext Weekly reading comp lessons in the McCall-Crabbs Writing Tales 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom28kds Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thanks everyone :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Researcher Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Our 4th grade lineup for next year is looking like this: WWE (also using narration, dictation, & copywork in other subjects) FLL 4 AAS ETC WordlyWise Reading List Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 4th grader: MCT LA: Grammar Island, Sentence Island, Building Language, Practice Island Megawords II Growing with Grammar 3/4 We've started logic stage writing: 2 Narrative summaries per week, 1 one-level outline, and one literary essay. (She was ueber-ready.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 We'll be using: R&S English 3 R&S Spelling 4 DITHOR for literature HOD for copywork (classic poems--in cursive), dictation, vocabulary, and narrations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My current 4th grader is using Sonlight readers from Core 4 which coordinate with our history, WWE 3, FLL 4, and Sequential Spelling for language arts. This is working well for us. This summer, he will be doing The Sentence Family and learning to type via a keyboarding program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_Uhura Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 LA is a huge chunk for us. MCT Town level Killgallon Sentence Composing for Elementary Grades How to Teach Spelling and switching back to SWR SWB"s WWS beta tester Daily editing workbook WWE4 Literature goes along w/ history. Teaching the Classics Deconstructing Penguins Julie Bogart's Arrow subscriptions and Boomerang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 For my 4th grader: copywork/dictation Winstons Grammar CW--Aesop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My 4th grader will continue with Rod and Staff 2 and AAS. I'm not sure if I'll be adding a writing program or not. If I do, it'll probably be Writing Strands. Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom28kds Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 So if I piece meal it. Is this what I need to have? Spelling handwriting grammar writing Vocabulary If I have all these things would that be what I need for LA. I will be working part time, do you think doing all these independantly would be more time consuming than doing something like CLE, ABEKA, or Bob Jones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 So if I piece meal it. Is this what I need to have?Spelling handwriting grammar writing Vocabulary If I have all these things would that be what I need for LA. I will be working part time, do you think doing all these independantly would be more time consuming than doing something like CLE, ABEKA, or Bob Jones? Yeah, that's it. Sometimes, I incorporate spelling, handwriting and writing into the same exercise. Do you still need handwriting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in CA Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 So if I piece meal it. Is this what I need to have?Spelling handwriting grammar writing Vocabulary If I have all these things would that be what I need for LA. I will be working part time, do you think doing all these independantly would be more time consuming than doing something like CLE, ABEKA, or Bob Jones? We don't do vocabulary until after the spelling workbooks are done. (Just too much to do!) We also found that the kids who read more are the ones with the bigger vocabulary... So we tend to make reading a priority (classics, biographies, history books) things are a bit above their reading level to stretch them. If you have a visual speller, like some of our children, reading a lot will also automatically improve spelling. The ones who read a lot also are better writers, because they have many words, examples of good writing to draw upon. All this to say, if things get a bit crazy for you and you are "running out of time" I'd keep up the assigned reading (60 mins/day) and free reading and drop the vocab and handwriting first). If your child is writing summaries, narrations, and dictations on a regular basis, he can practice handwriting at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrissySC Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Time wise it is about the same. I would start out with basics. I look at the standards and toss in a few lessons from workbooks here and there. It looks more daunting than what it really is in reality. It takes about an hour and a half to two to cover all of LA. And yes, you nailed it. It is Grammar, Writing, Reading/Literature, Spelling/Phonics, Vocabulary - I use copywork for cursive practice from history or literature passages for imitative writing practice which is why I don't have a formal workbook, but use Start Write software. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) For next year, we'll be doing: WWE 3 and 4 (finishing 3 and completing as much as we can of 4) Vocabulary Workshop Orange Spelling Power Daily cursive practice during narration Kilgallon Story Grammar Write Shop (these last two more on an occasional basis as a supplement to the narration and dictation) Maxwell's Intermediate Language Lessons All will be done daily except Spelling, whcih is twice a week. Edited April 2, 2011 by Halcyon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 So if I piece meal it. Is this what I need to have?Spelling handwriting grammar writing Vocabulary If I have all these things would that be what I need for LA. I will be working part time, do you think doing all these independantly would be more time consuming than doing something like CLE, ABEKA, or Bob Jones? I work part time and just adjust our homeschool days/hours accordingly. It is a nontraditional way to do it, but it works for us. I basically double up on two days a week and then skip one day completely (my long work day). The other two days, we either do co op or light schoolwork. Friday afternoon is a make up time for work not done. We rarely need to use it because I rabidly guard our other homeschooling times. I personally like working one on one with my kids because it leads to many meaningful "lessons within the lessons", and I always know whether or not they are absorbing the material. You can see what we use in my siggie. Also, I don't do vocabularly, per se, at this stage. They get plenty of vocabulary as I do read alouds and define words as we go. Also, our spelling list doubles as light vocabulary work. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 -Easy Grammar and Daily Grams 4 Wordsmith Apprentice alternated with -Copywork for Boys- but we will use only one section a week, copying it 3 times and dictation the 4th day -Sequential Spelling No handwriting program- he writes in copywork, spelling, and Wordsmith No reading program - he reads a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 LA is a huge chunk for us. MCT Town level Killgallon Sentence Composing for Elementary Grades How to Teach Spelling and switching back to SWR SWB"s WWS beta tester Daily editing workbook WWE4 Literature goes along w/ history. Teaching the Classics Deconstructing Penguins Julie Bogart's Arrow subscriptions and Boomerang Capt Uhura - Oh My Goodness! I thought we did a lot! :D:D:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom28kds Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 He does need handwriting because he is coming out of public school and hasn't leaned cursive yet. He'll be in 5th grade but I think he is behind that't why I said 4th or 5th. I HSed him up to 2nd grade and sent him to PS because I needed it at the time. We will be doing Sonlight so he will be reading alot. He is an excellent reader so I'm not doing a formal reading program. Thanks for everyone's help :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom28kds Posted April 3, 2011 Author Share Posted April 3, 2011 Would this be enough? A reason for Spelling A reason for Handwriting Winston Grammar Wordly Wise Would I need somethink like Easy Grammar and Daily Grams also? I'm horrible at Writing so I would need to find a writing program easy for me, haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 We use a little of this and a little of that... Wordly Wise - vocab IEW - writing Rod and Staff English - grammar SpellWell - spelling HTH, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Would this be enough? A reason for Spelling A reason for Handwriting Winston Grammar Wordly Wise Would I need somethink like Easy Grammar and Daily Grams also? I'm horrible at Writing so I would need to find a writing program easy for me, haha What you have listed will be enough. Winston moves very slow, but I really like it, and if you read all their info, they want it to move slow and give kids time for it to soak in. You could always add in Daily Grams after you've been doing Winston for 6 months or so...but only if you think they need some extra help. Also, I believe Winston is only grammar, so you'd eventually have to add in those capitalization and punctuation rules (or I might be wrong about WG). Alison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 For fourth grade, I used Abeka grammar, Wordsmith Apprentice, and Spelling Workout. I also used some miscellaneous things for dictionary/word study. I believe we also went through a Writer's Workshop book that year. I did not use anything for lit study during the grammar stage. We just read good books and talked about them. I also used Abeka grammar and Spelling Workout in fifth grade. I used Writing Strands that year, but it was not really a good fit for my non-writer guy. Again, I always used some miscellaneous things for word study, but the later editions of Spelling Workout really become word studies, anyway. I found lesson info and worksheets online for a lit study and put together a notebook that I used along with mythology studies that year (and also used it the next year some, too).... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 WWE 3 Intermediate Language Lessons Vocabulary Workshop Orange Studied Dictation (spelling & grammar) Daily Copywork Narration across the curriculum (transitioning to written by year-end) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 We're using a vintage text called Grammarland, it explains the 9 parts of speech, as well as the "case" in a story format (find it on google books). Also Barrons Grammar (mostly for me) and Spectrum Grammar 6 workbook. SWO D, WWE3 workbook, GSWL has some grammar in it also. 1X a week we pick 3-5 sentences and "imitate/model" them? I'm not sure what thats called but it's what the Killgallon book does. I'm looking to add a vocabulary program, probably VW orange level, mostly because the online stuff is fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennismomkelly Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 We've done way too much for 4th grade this year! I'm going to streamline our 5th grade plans for the upcoming year. 4th grade Shurley English 4 (only some of the writing assignments) IEW SWI-A Killgallon Sentence Composing for Elementary a few writing assignments from the VP Scholars lesson plans Phonetic Zoo (just now moving into Level B) Daily Grams Grade 4 Daily Paragraph Editing 4 VP 4th grade literature with book guides Dynamic Literacy WordBuild ETA: I forgot about HWT Cursive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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