TwoToSchool Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I'm diving into homeschooling this fall with my 2nd and 4th graders (with my pre kindergardener following alongside) I've decided to build my own LA curriculum, as this is one area their public school had really lacked in (alongside a dozen others) So far we've decided on Wordly Wise 3000 for vocabulary (and a bit of spelling since they copy each word, daily, 5x) I decided to introduce WW already to gently break us into HSing:) Then, for grammar, I'm doing GWG for both kids. Spelling is currently un decided, but I'm struggling with where to go for a decent writing/composition curriculum. At 2nd grade level, is writing and composition important? I see so many programs typically start at 3rd/4th grade level...so I'm confused. I'd like to go with Writing Tales for my 4th grader, but I do think so much copy work would send my 2nd grader to tears. Any suggestions? Also, if I have a vocab, spelling, grammar and writing/compositon...is there anything additional I need to add to our LA curriculum? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I talked about how I do it in this thread. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245775&highlight=spelling I have my basic list in post #6 and a little more detail in post #14. I would use WWE for both of them. I'd get the hardback and have them both start at the beginning of the samples (there are about 5 for each level) until they get where they need to be. I don't think any child of any age can go wrong with getting these basic skills down first. Probably your 2nd grader will start at the beginning. I think few kids are ready to start in level 3 or 4, but the weeks in the text might be enough to get your older ready for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyderiver Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Sounds great so far! Have the kids had any formal phonics instruction? If not, I would suggest remediating some phonics. A phonics/rules based spelling curriculum would work great. Copy work for your 2nd grader can really help prepare kids for a more formal writing program. I'd keep getting your feet wet and wait to see if a writing program is needed for 2nd grade. Congrats on taking the homeschooling plunge and Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Reading/literature is part of "language arts." You don't have to have vocabulary-controlled readers and workbooks; sustained silent reading from good trade books, once your dc know how to read, is really sufficient, IMHO. If you haven't seen Writing With Ease, yet, that would be a good place to start for composition (there are workbooks for the dc to use). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I'm currently using Winning with Writing (from the GWG publishers) for my second grader and it's going well. We used WWE1 when she was 5 and it was good, but she wasn't ready for WWE2. I think you would be fine doing either WWE or WWW at that age. You don't have to use the same programs for each child, so if you want to do WT with your 4th grader and something else for the younger child, it's perfectly fine. All About Spelling is very popular here, and can fill in phonics gaps, if there are any. Apples & Pears is also good, and consists only of the TM and workbook, which is good for children and parents that don't do well with lots of "parts" to keep up with. Don't forget literature! One of the major components of LA is reading good books, and there are plenty of places that list books that are appropriate for different reading levels and ages. Since your kids may be reading anything from Little Bear to A Tale of Two Cities, I suggest you look at different publisher's sites to see which books would be a good fit and either purchase them (you don't need a curriculum) or check them out from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I would give them a reading grade level test and the MWIA to see if they need some phonics review, many students coming out of the public schools will need some review. If they have more than a 10% slowdown on the MWIA test (reading the phonetic words more than 10% slower than the holistic words) you will need to do some nonsense words with them, they can play my phonics concentration game together. Here is my page with some free tests. I would use the NRRF part II for grade level and the MWIA test to see if they need some nonsense words. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/readinggradeleve.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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