TinaSC Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I am trying to decide what to do with English/Grammar. can you help?? We have basically had a CM approach to English Grammar in our family, beginning grammar study in around 5th grade. My children have used CLE (lots of tears because of the repetition and long lessons) and then moved to R&S. 2 of my children have been using R&S 7 this past year (it is going fine) but I am trying to decide whether to keep going in R&S with them, or switch to AG. Just because it is to the point and not a year after year thing. I am also thinking that way because I have a 5th grade DD too. Is it better to wait and let her start AG in 6th grade, cover the material and be done, or start her in R&S 5 and plug away at English for the next 6 years? does that make sense? I just need to bounce these questions off on those who may have some good thoughts on it. thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaSC Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearLair Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 A lot has been discussed concerning R&S and AG but.... you have posed the exact question I still have about the two. Hoping someone can come along and enlighten us. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Well, I don't know that one method is better than the other. I just think that it will depend on what works best for your dc and yourself. I believe there are lots of dc out there who are language intuitive and would have no problem doing an intensive grammar study spanning several weeks per year over a few years. My dc aren't those dc. In my home, grammar needs to be done each year and we build upon what we've learned the previous year. Is there a lot of repeat? Yes. However, I feel that is what makes being able to use grammar correctly second nature. I looked at AG before we went with R&S and I chose against it because I just didn't feel it would provide enough structured practice to make the concepts stick for my dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaSC Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 I looked at AG before we went with R&S and I chose against it because I just didn't feel it would provide enough structured practice to make the concepts stick for my dc. Aimee, that is kind of where I am. I like the idea of AG, but I am just not sure if it will be what they really need out of an English/Grammar course. And it seems kind of monotonous, doing the same type thing page after page. On the other hand, R&S could be accused of covering things over and over year after year I guess. But there is some variety. i guess I am leaning more towards the kids needing more of that repetition through the years, like you. Anyone else have any thoughts on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 For us, AG worked very well for making grammar click and stick for my dd14. AG does have the review books to keep things fresh for those that need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Aimee, that is kind of where I am. I like the idea of AG, but I am just not sure if it will be what they really need out of an English/Grammar course. And it seems kind of monotonous, doing the same type thing page after page. On the other hand, R&S could be accused of covering things over and over year after year I guess. But there is some variety. i guess I am leaning more towards the kids needing more of that repetition through the years, like you. Anyone else have any thoughts on it? Here's our experience. Of course, families and children vary. For various reasons, we chose to use different curricula with our twins than with our other dc. Consequently, my twins used AG (after Shurley) while the rest of my dc have used R&S through level 10. (The younger ones have used FLL followed by R&S.) My dc who have used R&S are significantly more confident in their writing and grammar and score consistently in the 98th-99th percentile on the writing portion of standardized tests, including the SAT and ACT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Here's our experience. Of course, families and children vary. For various reasons, we chose to use different curricula with our twins than with our other dc. Consequently, my twins used AG (after Shurley) while the rest of my dc have used R&S through level 10. (The younger ones have used FLL followed by R&S.) My dc who have used R&S are significantly more confident in their writing and grammar and score consistently in the 98th-99th percentile on the writing portion of standardized tests, including the SAT and ACT. AG doesn't teach composition so using the results of the writing portion of standardized tests isn't really a fair comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 (edited) AG doesn't teach composition so using the results of the writing portion of standardized tests isn't really a fair comparison The writing portions of these tests cover sentence structure. We don't use the composition lessons in R&S. It's R&S's diagramming instruction (which I know AG covers) and the grammar and mechanics instruction and the consistent review (which I know AG has, but in IMHO it was not as thorough as R&S's), not the composition lessons in R&S, that boost the scores. I was not including the essay portion of the SAT and ACT. IEW helped with that. A student can only do well on the writing portion of these tests if they can break down a sentence, and that's what I think R&S teaches effectively. I will offer a disclaimer here though. Like I said in my original post, families and children vary. Obviously, in a family with 12 children, a program that is less teacher intensive and more student led is going to be more effective. I think that's at least part of our success with R&S. Another family, with different dynamics, might do better with AG than we did. Edited July 20, 2011 by Luann in ID Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in SC Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 We have never used AG, but I am a huge fan of R&S. It is repetitive throughout the years, but it seems to get more complex each year. I am so excited that my children are getting such a solid education in grammar. We do the lessons orally and then they do any worksheets or some extra problems as necessary. It doesn't take much time, and it really works. I am planning to use it through 10th grade at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 The writing portions of these tests cover sentence structure. We don't use the composition lessons in R&S. It's R&S's diagramming instruction (which I know AG covers) and the grammar and mechanics instruction and the consistent review (which I know AG has, but in IMHO it was not as thorough as R&S's), not the composition lessons in R&S, that boost the scores. I was not including the essay portion of the SAT and ACT. IEW helped with that. A student can only do well on the writing portion of these tests if they can break down a sentence, and that's what I think R&S teaches effectively. I will offer a disclaimer here though. Like I said in my original post, families and children vary. Obviously, in a family with 12 children, a program that is less teacher intensive and more student led is going to be more effective. I think that's at least part of our success with R&S. Another family, with different dynamics, might do better with AG than we did. Okay. That makes sense. I did not know it included breaking down sentences. I was thinking straight composition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Okay. That makes sense. I did not know it included breaking down sentences. I was thinking straight composition. LOL. Well, I'm glad it made sense. I was a little worried. When I read back over it, at least one of the sentences seemed pretty convoluted. But, I was trying to get everyone to do their morning chores when I wrote it.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaSC Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 Obviously, in a family with 12 children, a program that is less teacher intensive and more student led is going to be more effective. I think that's at least part of our success with R&S. Another family, with different dynamics, might do better with AG than we did. so would you consider R&S more of a student led curriculum over AG? I only have 7 children, not 12, (that is wonderful!)!!! But the more student led the better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Elliot Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 so would you consider R&S more of a student led curriculum over AG? I only have 7 children, not 12, (that is wonderful!)!!! But the more student led the better! Yes, I consider R&S more student led. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 so would you consider R&S more of a student led curriculum over AG? I only have 7 children, not 12, (that is wonderful!)!!! But the more student led the better! My girls did AG on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time for Chocolate Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I don't mean to hijack this thread, but may I ask R&S users if they think Growing with Grammar (which I understand is supposed to be a homeschool version of R&S) is just as good as R&S? Thanks, Judy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testimony Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I don't mean to hijack this thread, but may I ask R&S users if they think Growing with Grammar (which I understand is supposed to be a homeschool version of R&S) is just as good as R&S? Thanks, Judy I did Growing with Grammar 5 with both my sons. I loved the independent work that this curriculum offered. If you removed all the extra stuff that Rod and Staff has like the writing, the extra reviews, etc. If you whittled it down, you would have Growing with Grammar. I looked at Rod and Staff 5. I compared GWG with R&S and I noticed there were a lot of similarities in the subjects and what was being taught. So, I would say that Growing with Grammar is good in that it will teach your child grammar, but that's it. I enjoyed it, but my older son seemed to have retained more with R&S. Just my experience! Blessings, Karen http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I just wanted to chime back regarding info about R&S being student led. The lesson explanations in the student text are so thorough that a self motivated student could definitely work through this program on their own. Even an un-motivated student could work independently as long as you were close by to keep them motivated.;) However, I have found that if you aren't going to actually teach the lesson then atleast doing the oral review and quizzez that are scripted in the TM, help tremendously in cementing concepts. My oldest does R&S on her own but I still take 5 minutes a day to do those things with her...it makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 (edited) I left AG because I found it didn't cover all of the topics that a typical English grammar would cover. AG covers parts of speech and diagramming. It does not cover how to use apostrophes correctly (and there are some pretty ticky rules that I learned in book 8). It does not cover subject-verb agreement. I could go on and on and on. I'd have to get out my R&S book and just run through the table of contents but don't have the energy right now. I think AG would work if you had the right supplements to cover all the topics it doesn't cover or if you wanted to take a break from R&S for a year and do grammar differently. When I first bought AG I watched Robin's very long video. I think my eyes teared up because I resonated with what she was saying about grammar instruction not needing to take so long. Previously we'd been pretty laid back with grammar, kind of CM-ish. We did AG for 2 years. We started studying for the SAT, very informally. I ditched AG immediately. I've become a Rod & Staff groupie, starting in 2nd grade. Edited July 21, 2011 by silliness7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I left AG because I found it didn't cover all of the topics that a typical English grammar would cover. AG covers parts of speech and diagramming. It does not cover how to use apostrophes correctly (and there are some pretty ticky rules that I learned in book 8). It does not cover subject-verb agreement. I could go on and on and on. I'd have to get out my R&S book and just run through the table of contents but don't have the energy right now. Season 3 of AG covers punctuation and usage rules including using apostrophes and subject-verb agreement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.