chickenpatty Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I have a boy who seriously struggles with the written word. He took a very long time learning to read and now, at 11 he reads, though not quickly. He has a great memory as far as listening to history/science and read alouds. He does okay with math. His spelling is atrocious, so we've gone back to mastering easy words (by using a list of the most commonly used words in English). But this grammar business... it is becoming seemingly pointless to carry on with exercises about participles, compound verbs, etc... I have to walk him through each and every question/exercise. (We're using Abeka Language 5th grade.) He can narrate a story very well, but to write it down, no. He's exceptionally creative with his hands, impulsive and hyper, too, if that helps you understand him better... What should I do? It is obvious that he is not getting it. I would like for him to know enough grammar & spelling to be able to write something comprehensible should he need to. The fill in the blanks of the Abeka Language book is just not working for him. What else is out there that might work for him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Easy Grammar.:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted November 3, 2011 Author Share Posted November 3, 2011 Thank you! I will look into this one. Anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 He sounds a lot like my dd, who's dyslexic. We use R&S for grammar, but do a lot orally. I purchased the extra worksheets as a supplement and she'll do those but most of the time we work orally or at the white board, which my kids don't seem to mind. We're continuing to work through WWE 4 for writing and hoping to start using WWS in a few months. When it comes out. Dd is an atrocious speller so I have to sit right there with her and correct mistakes as she makes them, so it's not smmoth and easy, but she seems to be gaining confidence. To help with spelling we're using the word lists/spelling rules on the cards from Phonetic Zoo. It's all helping little by little. I don't know if there are any easy answers when dealing with kids like these. We just have to keep trying to figure out what works for them. I would try doing some of the work orally and on a white board to mix it up a little. Try getting him to teach it back to you while doing the problems at the white board. Coach him along if needed. I think some kids need years of repition & practice before they really get it. Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I have a slow learner. We tried Easy Grammar for 2 years and it was not a good fit, not enough review. I had previously tried Rod & Staff but it was too hard. Looking back the problem was that I should have put her into a lower level. This year she is using English 4 (she's 12) and it is going much, much better. Because R&S orally reviews past lessons everyday, she is retaining the material, and the language used is simple enough. Really she'd do even better is she were in English 3 (everything is presented so clearly in that text), but her younger brother is using it and I didn't want the competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Cozy Grammar has DVD lessons and workbook pages. There's sample lessons on Youtube. She comes off as a little odd to some people, but have an open mind, she's awesome! Maybe your son would enjoy this approach? http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFGb1Stv8aA hth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Another vote for Rod & Staff. We did a lot of it orally in the early years as my ds struggled with handwriting. It's master based with a lot of built in review. Year 3 starts with the basics; each year the topics are increased and made a little more complex. You can preview samples of each level at Rod & Staff Books.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Look into some of these, and see if they might work better for him: The Sentence Family by St. Michael School, Grammar Tales by Scholastic, Grammarland by Nesbit, Michael Clay Thompson Grammar, Language Smarts by Critical Thinking Company, Fun Decks by Super Duper Inc. Teach him to type. Get a fun program (we used Spongebob). Dance Mat Typing is free on the internet. Copywork might be really helpful for him. Start with Writing with Ease 1 (Let him type it if writing is too hard.) or just find your own from good literature (you might read Ruth Beechick or Charlotte Mason on the benefits of copywork). My dd hates to write (composition), and right now, at age 11, we have started Winning with Writing Level 1. It's going well so far. She has an extensive background of copywork, though. Best of luck! 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.