Is MCT LA my best solution?

[musicianmom]

I need an accelerated grammar/composition program that is fun. Is MCT my best bet? Do I need the whole LA program if my concern is just grammar and writing skills? This is for a 6-year-old who's doing second-grade work easily, and could probably accelerate to third grade work if I could figure out how to cover the second grade material more efficiently without overwhelming her with extra work.

[Dmmetler]

It's been wonderful for my accelerated 6 yr old who loves language, words, and writing. I wouldn't just do part of it, mostly because the poetics book is so good!

[Spy Car]

I would do (am doing :D) the whole thing as well.

 

Bill

[catz]

I need an accelerated grammar/composition program that is fun. Is MCT my best bet? Do I need the whole LA program if my concern is just grammar and writing skills? This is for a 6-year-old who's doing second-grade work easily, and could probably accelerate to third grade work if I could figure out how to cover the second grade material more efficiently without overwhelming her with extra work.

 

MCT is great for us, but I probably wouldn't start it with a child who can't read and write at least at the 3rd or 4th grade level. Some people use it differently than we do. It's open ended. I do think it's a curriculum better started "too late" than "too early". Especially if you want continuity - there are large leaps between the levels. If you don't care about continuity, the first level does not require much writing and can be done mostly verbally.

 

My son had a great experience with it as a 3rd grader, and he was reading above 8th grade level and probably writing/spelling 5th grade level, maybe higher. I just added quite a bit more writing in for him and I think it really helped retention in his case. And he's going into voyage shortly as a 5th grader. He's had such a great experience starting "late" for him, that I'm holding off at least another year for my young 2nd grader (newly 7). She tested across the board as a late 3rd/early 4th grader last year in 1st. For her, I've done a comacted FLL 1/2 (don't love it for her, but it gets the job done) and just concentrated on having her write her own words with her own spelling. We're also using mad libs and she invents her own writing projects too.

 

I also don't recommend using it piecemeal. If you only want grammar and writing, there are likely better things to choose and maybe someone will weigh in on that. The pieces of MCT go extremely well together and reinforce each other in such a way that if you didn't do all the pieces I'm not sure it could be taught as well?

 

Good luck! :D

[Halcyon]

I would recommend MCT too, assuming your child doesn't require an overly structural approach to her language arts. My older didn't enjoy MCT because it was too "loosey goosey" for him. But my 6 year old really likes it, and is absorbing a huge amount. He's also doing GWG 2 and Daily Paragraph Editing for fun.

[Dmmetler]

I'd agree with the "Reading at a 3rd-4th grade level" part, but not necessarily the writing. My DD hadn't really written much except for copywork before starting MCT, and while her spelling and punctuation was better on the things she wrote, I don't think the quality of her writing was all that advanced compared to the examples I see hanging in the hall at church (our church has a parochial school-which makes it a great chance to see what is considered "good" X grade work, as long as X<8). But, once she started MCT, she really started writing, and by the end of Grammar Island, as we started on MoTH, a 5th grade teacher (who's specialty is teaching writing) commented that DD was writing better, more interesting, more detailed sentences than any of her 5th graders at the time, and that this was exactly what she wanted to see in a young writer. I think MCT has done a better job of bringing her composition skills up to the level of her other LA skills than anything else.

[JennyD]

I own the MCT Island series and have read it carefully but have decided that I prefer, for now, at least, Galore Park's Junior English. I'm not selling the MCT quite yet -- I think we'll use bits and pieces of it over time -- but the Galore Park is a better fit. My son enjoys it quite a lot and I am pleased with his progress.

[catz]

I'd agree with the "Reading at a 3rd-4th grade level" part, but not necessarily the writing. My DD hadn't really written much except for copywork before starting MCT, and while her spelling and punctuation was better on the things she wrote, I don't think the quality of her writing was all that advanced compared to the examples I see hanging in the hall at church (our church has a parochial school-which makes it a great chance to see what is considered "good" X grade work, as long as X<8). But, once she started MCT, she really started writing, and by the end of Grammar Island, as we started on MoTH, a 5th grade teacher (who's specialty is teaching writing) commented that DD was writing better, more interesting, more detailed sentences than any of her 5th graders at the time, and that this was exactly what she wanted to see in a young writer. I think MCT has done a better job of bringing her composition skills up to the level of her other LA skills than anything else.

 

By writing I just mean spelling and getting words down without a struggle. My oldest was completely fluent in writing by the time we started. His spelling/writing fluency really just barely trails his reading level. My youngest was in K when we did island level and she loved it and could do many of the oral exercises and was reading well. She just couldn't apply it to writing at the level of her brother. And so what she got out of it wasn't nearly as deep as what her brother got.

 

Anyway, just sharing our particular experience. I know lots of people use this successfully with younger kids. We've had a very good experience using with an older, quite accelerated kid and this is our 3rd year with it and I always feel like I should put that out there because not many people on this board seem to use it that way. I haven't use any other curriculum or any filler between levels.