Not sure about FLL3

[Tracy]

I have been considering using FLL3 for dd6 for next year. I am not entirely sold on teaching grammar formally at this age. But I like the idea of a gentle program, not just for dd, but also for me since my public school background did not teach much grammar (and absolutely no diagramming).

 

So I just pulled up the FLL3 student book sample to show dh, and the first lesson shown is #40, which is about the types of sentences. Dd was curious to see it, and she started reading the instructions and just gave me the answers to each one. I have never taught her about this topic, but she understood it on her own.

 

So if she already understands Lesson 40 without instruction, is FLL3 really the way to go? Add to that the fact that I wouldn't likely use the memory work since we are in a pretty good groove of choosing our own, and I don't care for the fact that some of the poems are adapted.

 

Since she seems to be able to grasp grammar concepts fairly easily, am I better off just waiting on formal grammar? Is there something out there that would work better for us? Or should I just use FLL3 and just breeze through it?

[Bloggermom]

Is there a reason you plan to do FLL3 for a 6 year old as compared to FLL1?

[Tracy]

Is there a reason you plan to do FLL3 for a 6 year old as compared to FLL1?

 

Well, she will 7.5yo when we start next fall. I saw that FLL3 was for grades 2-4. She will be the age for 2nd grade next year, but she is doing mostly 2nd grade work now. Also, I didn't want to use FLL1 or FLL2, because I have read that it is very repetitive, and that wouldn't work well for us.

[boscopup]

Is there a reason you plan to do FLL3 for a 6 year old as compared to FLL1?

 

FLL1 is awful for a kid that understands grammar quickly and easily. Ask me how I know. :tongue_smilie: Tracy was also saying she'd be using it for her daughter next year, which would put here at 7 years old, second grade (as my son is now, currently using FLL3 very happily).

 

Tracy, we just did lesson 40 in FLL3 this week. My son likewise understands grammar easily. Lesson 40 was completely review for him. He already knew types of sentences. We considered that a light, easy lesson. It's probably one of the easier lessons in the book. ;) Weeks prior to that lesson, we learned about predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives, which prior to doing FLL3, I could not have told you what those were. :D I probably learned them in high school, but I don't remember a lot of the grammar I learned in high school. We spent such a short time learning it, that I retained it only enough to pass the tests, which is why I will not be following the "learn it all in middle school" advice of some. We're starting early and reviewing year to year so it will be second nature by middle school and he can apply it to his writing at that point!

 

FLL3 has been really great for DS. He enjoys it. It is still easyish, but not TOO easy (not like FLL1 - that was painfully easy for him - he hated it). There is just enough writing to help get the concepts into their brains, but not so much that the pencil phobic will balk. The diagramming is well done. DS has learned a lot. He also enjoys diagramming (it's mathematical).

 

There is not a huge focus on memorization in FLL3. You can skip the poetry if you want. Those lessons are few and far between. The bulk of the instruction is grammar and diagramming.

 

Since I tend to challenge DS in several subjects, I consider grammar one where I'm ok with him not being horribly challenged, but I don't want it to be super duper easy either. FLL3 has been just right - easy enough to be a "break" from the rigor of his other subjects, but not so easy that he's bored with it. One thing to note: I don't always read the script word for word, and I don't repeat definitions 3 times - EVER. I say the definition and he repeats it. That's plenty for him. The definitions get reviewed enough throughout the book that we haven't needed to repeat it so much.

[Tracy]

Tracy, we just did lesson 40 in FLL3 this week. My son likewise understands grammar easily. Lesson 40 was completely review for him. He already knew types of sentences. We considered that a light, easy lesson. It's probably one of the easier lessons in the book. ;) Weeks prior to that lesson, we learned about predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives, which prior to doing FLL3, I could not have told you what those were. :D

 

Boscopup, thanks so much for this explanation! It really sets my mind at ease about using FLL3.

[justLisa]

I have a similar child to Boscopup and he is doing great in FLL3. I actually did NO formal grammar in 1st. The only grammar he was exposed to was from reading books. He is doing very well, except he prefers to not memorize the poems. He says there is no point and recently added "that dad says I should focus on things that are going to help me excel in my areas of interest." :001_huh: His very words LOL. I told him yes, however memorization is training your brain in a certain way. "Yes, mom, I already memorize multiplication facts." So, guess I cannot argue.

 

We love FLL3. I am actually doing MCT next year, and now that we are several lessons into FLL I know we will be totally set up for that. I have the full set for the first level but it was a bit much for now. *I* needed some basic grammar this year before the abstract approach in MCT.

 

I may be totally wrong but I think it's ok to teach it different ways in different years. They will not remember every single aspect of grammar, which is why you teach it every year. However, doing FLL year after year after year would definitely get old for us at least. This is why I didn't bother with 1 and 2, because I knew I wanted to do 3 but would get totally bored after one full year of FLL. DD OTOH is using FLL1. She likes the poetry and seems to be picking it up and remembering. I do NOT use the repetition though. I pretty much cannot use anything just as it is intended.

 

Moral of the story is I think you will do fine with it LOL!

[boscopup]

We love FLL3. I am actually doing MCT next year, and now that we are several lessons into FLL I know we will be totally set up for that.

 

We're doing the same thing - skipping FLL4 and going to MCT Island. I was going to come back and do ALL the following year, but that's out now. I will probably try KISS and may throw in some R&S (assuming upper levels are actually difficult as people say, because the lower levels are too easy for him... I have grades 2, 3, and 4).

 

We'll also throw in some Killgallon sometime in the next couple years (I'll get it next year, and if he's not ready, we'll wait a year). So we're hitting grammar from various sides. I'm not boring him with grammar from what curriculum company every single year. :)

[acurtis75]

I'm doing fll3 this year with dd6 because when we finished FLL 1 I looked through FLL 2 and it wasn't challenging enough. So far FLL3 is working great for us. It is a gentle introduction in to more formal grammar. It doesn't take very long every day and dd seems to enjoy it. I was planning to skip to the new curriculum that has been shelved so I'm not sure if we'll do level 4 next or just finish mct island and figure it out after that. I said all of that to say it should be fine for a gentle introduction.

[tlcspcarcetc]

We are using FLL3 for dd9 and it's quite easy for her. DD6 is doing FLL2. I can see her doing quite well in FLL3 if I wanted to. However, she loves the poem memorization, as does dd9. dd9 is totally into memorization. She memorizes the definitions the first time they introduce them. It's helpful for her to be able to pull up when she's trying to do something.

 

FLL3 has been pretty easy so far, but again, I'm working with a 9 year old who reads like crazy. What is MCT? I guess I should be thinking about what we'll do when we are done with FLL.