Vocabulary: Vocabulary from Classical Roots or MCT Caesar's English? Help!

[Jennefer@SSA]

I have managed to avoid all the MCT hoopla up until now. :tongue_smilie: I have been looking at Vocabulary programs that incorporate Latin and Greek roots (as we have decided to hold off on a formal to start to Latin). I was drawn to Vocabulary from Classical Roots but then read a few more threads where MCT's Caesar's English kept coming up. Darn it, I just had to go check it out. ;)

 

I LOVE that they make the connection between English, Latin and Spanish as we a big Spanish family. I love the layout and the activities from the sample pages. But one of my concerns is that I would like to stick with one program all the way through and a few moms on other threads said that they were overwhelmed by Word Within the Word, MCT's follow up to Caesar's English.

 

Can anyone compare these two programs? Or share why you like one or the other if you don't have experience with both? Or why you don't like them?

And I am especially interested in learning more about Word Within a Word.

 

TIA!

 

ETA: And would it make sense to even use CE if this were to be the only MCT product we used?

Edited May 15, 2011 by Jennefer@SSA

[sewpeaceful]

Jen,

 

For whatever its worth, Ainsley will start Vocab from the Classical Roots Up in the fall. I spoke at length with JJ at HEP and this is what she strongly recommended. I like how it is laid out. I like that I can pick it and not have to change later.

 

A final thought: in the end, it doesn't matter which program you picked. What matters is how well YOU implemented it - did you stick with it? Did you find a way to review? etc.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

LB

[yvonne]

What is HEP?

[Spock]

 

ETA: And would it make sense to even use CE if this were to be the only MCT product we used?

 

{Note: We finished this school year April 1, and will be starting our next school year on June 13.}

 

My daughter used most of CE 1 last year and loved it. She also learned a lot.

 

I will be using CE 1 again with her younger brother this year, and she has agreed to listen in with him, since I won't be getting CE 2 until the following year. (For both financial and time reasons it wouldn't work out.)

 

Caesar's English works just fine without any of the other MCT materials, and is lots of fun, at least for us. My daughter loves the analogies and the quotes from lots of books she will be reading in upcoming years (plus a few she has already read). She also notices these words when she comes across them in read alouds and in her personal reading. She remembers the roots, and seems to be applying them. (The lessons alternate--one week will be Latin/Greek roots, the next week selected words. The root lessons take just under a week for us, while the vocabulary word lessons tend to take just over a week--done 4x a week.)

 

The MCT materials that need to be used together are the grammar/writing trio--the grammar text, grammar practice workbook, and writing text for each level. The grammar instruction is spread between those three. However, the poetry and vocabulary books can be used as stand-alone materials. (The grammar practice workbook does include words from the matching vocabulary book, but the vocabulary does not include content from grammar beyond parts of speech.)

 

I don't know whether we will use Word Within a Word or not, but I don't want to miss either of the CE books.

[Jennefer@SSA]

What is HEP?

 

It is a homeschool store in South Houston near where we live...well, near where I live. LB up and moved a few months ago!

[Colleen in SEVA]

They are very different in their approach and can each be done in half a year, so B is using both VfCR and MCT CE. :)

[Jennefer@SSA]

They are very different in their approach and can each be done in half a year, so B is using both VfCR and MCT CE. :)

 

Ahaaaa....you are speaking to the curriculum junkie in me. I have already ordered CE and was seriously thinking about adding VfCR to my RR order just in case he doesn't click with CE like I think he will.

 

Did you do this? Any suggestions to make it successful?

[Ali in OR]

My dd loved CE1 this year and did it all independently. I wish I had had time to keep up with her, because she knows more than I do now! It's a great book. And she retained it well. When we came across words or roots from CE1 in other reading she would offer up the definition.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I have managed to avoid all the MCT hoopla up until now. :tongue_smilie: I have been looking at Vocabulary programs that incorporate Latin and Greek roots (as we have decided to hold off on a formal to start to Latin). I was drawn to Vocabulary from Classical Roots but then read a few more threads where MCT's Caesar's English kept coming up. Darn it, I just had to go check it out. ;)

 

I LOVE that they make the connection between English, Latin and Spanish as we a big Spanish family. I love the layout and the activities from the sample pages. But one of my concerns is that I would like to stick with one program all the way through and a few moms on other threads said that they were overwhelmed by Word Within the Word, MCT's follow up to Caesar's English.

 

Can anyone compare these two programs? Or share why you like one or the other if you don't have experience with both? Or why you don't like them?

And I am especially interested in learning more about Word Within a Word.

 

TIA!

 

ETA: And would it make sense to even use CE if this were to be the only MCT product we used?

 

We started out in January with VfCR A with my 6th grader. We gave it a good try, but it just didn't work for us. For DD, there were too many words each lesson, and the definitions were too long. I was concerned that there was no retention from week to week. We switched to CE1 in March, and she loves it. There are fewer words per lesson. The definitions are much shorter. Seeing the words/stems used in all the different literary examples and having the continual review from lesson to lesson has made a tremendous difference. HTH

[Colleen in SEVA]

B did CE1 with a class, they did 2 chapters per week. CE chapters switch back & forth between a words chapter and a stems chapter, so combining them didn't necessarily double the workload. There are 20 chapters, so even doing 1 chapter per week you can still do it in half a year.

 

He has only done VfCR 4, but the books have 16 chapters so they are easily done in half a year. If you are using Latin for Children, VfCR goes well with it because in the higher level books it presents words in the same prinicple parts as LfC (other Latin books may do this, I'm only familiar with LfC).

 

Both NEEDED? No. Both DOABLE in 1 year? Yes. And neither one is painful, so doing both isn't a huge deal. I would do 1 book and then the other though, I think alternating them weekly would be confusing. And if you start with both, you can always drop one if he hates it. :)

[swimmermom3]

We have used both, but my youngest much prefers Caesar's English and thinks VfCR is dull. The bonus with CE is that MCT chose the words in such a manner that you come across them continuously in your reading. I wish that WWW was done nearly as well. VfCR is 3rd on our vocabulary list after MCT and Sadlier Oxford.

[sewpeaceful]

It is a homeschool store in South Houston near where we live...well, near where I live. LB up and moved a few months ago!

 

Jenn, it has been almost a year now. Hard to believe, huh? In fact, we closed on the house a year ago today.

[birchbark]

Bumping this as I'm looking to possibly switch from VfCR to CE.

 

If I'm starting with a fifth grader, should I begin with Building Language or go right to CE I?

[NorCalMom]

Bumping this as I'm looking to possibly switch from VfCR to CE.

 

If I'm starting with a fifth grader, should I begin with Building Language or go right to CE I?

 

I have a 5th grader also. I wasn't sure where to start and I ended up purchasing CE 1. I have lightly previewed it and I think it's going to work just fine. HTH

[radiobrain]

Bumping this as I'm looking to possibly switch from VfCR to CE.

 

If I'm starting with a fifth grader, should I begin with Building Language or go right to CE I?

 

CE I. Hands down. No-brainer.

 

:D

[Dana]

CE I. Hands down. No-brainer.

 

:D

 

:iagree:

Building Language only has about 20 stems total.

[oraetstudia]

My fifth grader did CE1 this year with no problems. He loved it and has since been making lists of how often the CE words appear in various books. :001_smile:

[Crimson Wife]

We have used both, but my youngest much prefers Caesar's English and thinks VfCR is dull. The bonus with CE is that MCT chose the words in such a manner that you come across them continuously in your reading. I wish that WWW was done nearly as well. VfCR is 3rd on our vocabulary list after MCT and Sadlier Oxford.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

I have previewed VfCR and it strikes me personally as having a lot of "busywork". My DD is currently working through CEII and will most likely switch to Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop rather than move on to WWW.

[lewelma]

My 7 year old has just finished A Wrinkle in Time, and he told my neighbor, "I found 'tangible' in the book, but didn't find 'manifest' or 'grotesque.'" All of that from overhearing the discussions I have had with his 10 year old brother using CE1. Wow! Will definitely be using CE2 next year.

 

Ruth in NZ