Rod & Staff English

[MamaBear]

We have been using R&S English for 3 years and I am wondering why some things just don't stick with my dd. She did a chapter review this week and blew it on the diagramming and much more. I also notice when we do oral review she can't remember some things and has to refer back to the lesson to review the topic. Sometimes I wonder if we should be using a spiral program instead of a mastery program. Anyone have comments/advice to share?

[Ellie]

I believe with all my heart that spiral vs. mastery is not as big a deal as people make it out to be.

 

Does your dd write her assignments, or are y'all doing them orally?

 

When she writes and speaks, is her grammar correct? (or at least age appropriate, lol).

[boscopup]

The oral review essentially makes the program spiral. I agree though... Are you doing the oral review everyday? Are you having her write the exercises? You can also use the worksheets for reinforcement.

[MyLittleBears]

She may be more of a visual learner and may need to write and see things on paper. Some children's auditory memory is stronger than others. This is not a weakness, just a difference in learning style. KWIM:001_smile:

[LindaOz]

Do you do any dictation? Maybe it would help to apply the current grammar concepts to a dictation passage so that she is seeing the concepts in a 'real-life' passage of writing, not just in a sentence in a text book. For example, if she is learning about adverbs, you could have her identify adverbs in the passage and then substitute them for other adverbs. She could diagram a sentence from the dictation passage etc. Sometimes just pointing out and discussing the grammar concepts as you come across them in other writing can provide a link in learning.

 

HTH

[MamaBear]

We do the oral review daily before the lesson, then read the lesson and complete all of written practice on paper. I assign the review and practice if I feel she needs the extra practice on something and we will usually do that orally unless it is diagramming. She has trouble diagramming prepositional phrases, adjectives and adverbs. She knows the difference between adj and adv but gets them mixed up when diagramming them. She is not identifying prepositional phrases at all which is why she doesn't know how to diagram them. Perhaps assigning all of the chapter review in one day is too much for her? Sometimes it seems that in oral review, something that has not been reviewed for awhile surfaces and neither of us can remember what the answer is. Which is why I thought in a spiral program maybe things would get more review more often. But then we are happy with R&S and I hate to make changes because the grass is not always greener:)

[MamaBear]

Do you do any dictation? Maybe it would help to apply the current grammar concepts to a dictation passage so that she is seeing the concepts in a 'real-life' passage of writing, not just in a sentence in a text book. For example, if she is learning about adverbs, you could have her identify adverbs in the passage and then substitute them for other adverbs. She could diagram a sentence from the dictation passage etc. Sometimes just pointing out and discussing the grammar concepts as you come across them in other writing can provide a link in learning.

 

HTH

 

Linda, never thought of this.

We are so use to opening the textbook and doing the next lesson, but that would be a nice change and a different way of reinforcing a grammer lesson. Thanks for the tip.

[LindaOz]

Linda, never thought of this.

We are so use to opening the textbook and doing the next lesson, but that would be a nice change and a different way of reinforcing a grammer lesson. Thanks for the tip.

 

You're welcome. I hope it helps. We use R&S Grammar too, but I like helping my kids see the connection in other writing.

[Ellie]

We do the oral review daily before the lesson, then read the lesson and complete all of written practice on paper. I assign the review and practice if I feel she needs the extra practice on something and we will usually do that orally unless it is diagramming. She has trouble diagramming prepositional phrases, adjectives and adverbs. She knows the difference between adj and adv but gets them mixed up when diagramming them. She is not identifying prepositional phrases at all which is why she doesn't know how to diagram them. Perhaps assigning all of the chapter review in one day is too much for her? Sometimes it seems that in oral review, something that has not been reviewed for awhile surfaces and neither of us can remember what the answer is. Which is why I thought in a spiral program maybe things would get more review more often. But then we are happy with R&S and I hate to make changes because the grass is not always greener:)

You could take a break from R&S and do Easy Grammar.

[MamaBear]

You could take a break from R&S and do Easy Grammar.

 

Ellie,

How does Easy Grammer compare to R&S? I don't use a separate writing program so would I need to need to if I used EG? Thanks for your replies:)

[Hsmomto4]

My daughter sounds a lot like your yours. I would go over the lesson, do the oral exercises and then the writen and later....NOTHING! However, I noticed that just because she couldn't tell me what they were called, she could find them by asking questions as she did the work. She is going into book 6 now and while she still has to review the names of things from time to time, she understands how to write well and has wonderful grammar.

[Ellie]

Ellie,

How does Easy Grammer compare to R&S? I don't use a separate writing program so would I need to need to if I used EG? Thanks for your replies:)

You can't really compare EG to R&S because EG only does grammar, punctuation and capitalization. :-) EG teaches preprositions and prepositional phrases first, which is really very logical when you stop to think about it: once you identify and cross out prepositional phrases, it's much easier to figure out the functions of the rest of the words in the sentence.

 

I don't think it would hurt on a short-term basis to focus on grammar with EG and not worry about the writing and other things that R&S covers.

[Janice in NJ]

This mom used the stickie note system. :001_smile:

 

If she misses something in the Oral review - even after you give her a hint, tell her to look it up and read the information aloud to you. Then look back at the exercises and ask her to explain how to apply the rule.

 

Then take a post-it note and write "Review ____." Place the post-it next to tomorrow's oral review to remind you to review the concept again. If she misses it again, have her look it up again and explain the rule to you again. Move the post-it to the next day. IF she gets it right on Day #2, move the post-it two or three days ahead; this way you will reinforce it again within the next couple of days.

 

As far as the diagramming: find a sentence in her literature, history, or science book that uses that construction. Bring it up when you are doing another subject. "Oh. Wait. An adjective clause. How would we diagram it? What is it modifying?" Sometimes the act of doing grammar outside of "grammar time" is all kids need to start thinking globally instead of in itty-bitty chunks.

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[MamaBear]

Ellie, thanks again for your reply. I am curious so I am off to check out Easy Grammer. I have not seen it so I don't know anything about it.

And thanks Janice, I do like the sticky note/review idea - I always wonder why I can't think of these things myself:) I love this board!

Edited September 16, 2011 by MamaBear
wrong name

[Barb_]

Your daughter will see this again next year. And the next. And the next. It really doesn't matter if she nails some things and misses others because there will be more opportunity for mastery--during dictation as Linda mentioned--during composition, and next year when she sees it again. Some kids just have a head for grammar and mastery comes easily. To others it's more of a struggle, like a foreign language. If you have one of the second type, don't assume something is wrong with you, or your daughter, or the curriculum. I have one of the second type, and it took puberty for it to finally stick and stay stuck. She's 12 and all of the foundational work is paying off. The older three found Grammar easy, so it was tough to keep returning to the same concepts year after year with her. Just keep pecking away :001_smile:

[MamaBear]

Your daughter will see this again next year. And the next. And the next. It really doesn't matter if she nails some things and misses others because there will be more opportunity for mastery--during dictation as Linda mentioned--during composition, and next year when she sees it again. Some kids just have a head for grammar and mastery comes easily. To others it's more of a struggle, like a foreign language. If you have one of the second type, don't assume something is wrong with you, or your daughter, or the curriculum. I have one of the second type, and it took puberty for it to finally stick and stay stuck. She's 12 and all of the foundational work is paying off. The older three found Grammar easy, so it was tough to keep returning to the same concepts year after year with her. Just keep pecking away :001_smile:

 

Thanks Barb, I know that we will go over these topics again (and again) when we start the 6th grade text, but sometimes I just wonder, "ok enough of this already, can we move on to something else?" :banghead: Do you ever get tired of the mundane routine of this English program? Are they all this way?

[Barb_]

Thanks Barb, I know that we will go over these topics again (and again) when we start the 6th grade text, but sometimes I just wonder, "ok enough of this already, can we move on to something else?" :banghead: Do you ever get tired of the mundane routine of this English program? Are they all this way?

 

Yes, and yes :D We do the easy stuff aloud and stop to do the writing only when a concept is challenging. We do the diagramming on the whiteboard sometimes. For some reason, diagramming one sentence at a time is less daunting than doing a bunch on a page.