3browneyedboys4me Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I've just stumbled upon his series of sentence composing text books. I'm very interested and intrigued, but I am hesitant to purchase anything mid year without some opinions from the hive. Has anyone heard of this series? Any thoughts about what you liked or disliked about the curricula? thanks so much, Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I think you can do a search for it and will find more info. I really liked it. It can lead to some pretty impressive sentences. Once kids get the idea that they can create their own cool and exciting sentences, it really improves writing style. The grammar in the books is included as it applies to the writing process, which I think is good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Love, love, love these books! I have both the grammar and both the middle school books. I used parts of Sentence Composing for Elementary School last year with my two oldest and then moved onto Grammar for Middle School this year. It took a while to figure out the best way to actually "teach" this. I started out by letting the dc use it as a workbook but I really felt that there wasn't enough exploration and discussion going on that way, so I decided to teach this one on one. I write out the daily lesson on the white board and then we talk about the concept, look at the examples, complete the exercises together (writing their responses on the board), and then we extend the lesson for additional understanding and practice. I suppose if I had to pick one thing that wasn't a complete thumbs up it would be that it isn't scripted and you need to figure out the best way for you to schedule and teach this to your dc. I really like the way this program focuses on beautiful sentences. Not only does it teach you what specific grammar concepts are, it teaches you how to use them effectively. It helps a dc see that composing amazing sentences is easy once you learn how to build it one piece at a time. Start with a subject and a verb and you can add, move and manipulate pieces of the sentence until you have created a passage that accurately portrays the image, feeling and idea that you want the reader to experience. Now, as I mentioned previously, I do extend the lessons a bit. We do some diagramming and we move parts around a bit more than they do in the books. We also come up with WAY more examples. We also talk about when it is appropriate to add more style and when it's not. Certain phrases aren't going to be used the same way, or at all, in a research paper as they will in a creative writing piece. However, even used just as is, I think these books are invaluable in helping a student apply grammar concepts and add style to their writing. I just want to add that I don't think these books are enough for grammar or writing on their own. I would not introduce these books to a dc who has had little to no grammar exposure. My younger dd will start in 4th grade as even the elementary books were a little over her head for this year. These, imo, are excellent supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3browneyedboys4me Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thank you both so much! I just don't understand why I haven't heard of them before now? They look amazing! Aime- have you ever used "story grammar" for the elementary levels? I know you had mentioned not using it for children with little exposure. I was just curious if the elementary level was helpful in that area. Well, thank you so much. I feel very confident in purchasing several of these books now. I always hate to take a plunge without any reference to guide me in my decision. Blessings, Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thank you both so much! I just don't understand why I haven't heard of them before now? They look amazing! Aime- have you ever used "story grammar" for the elementary levels? I know you had mentioned not using it for children with little exposure. I was just curious if the elementary level was helpful in that area. Well, thank you so much. I feel very confident in purchasing several of these books now. I always hate to take a plunge without any reference to guide me in my decision. Blessings, Bethany I started Story Grammar with dd8 at the beginning of the year but many of the sentences they used as models were a little too complex for her to even understand. I think a child who has been exposed to good literature from early on would have an easier time with that aspect of it. Also, the first lesson in the book is where you have to "chunk" the sentence into parts. For example, this is from page 2 of Story Grammar: The idea of cutting and sewing a dress by herself was novel and exciting. (You are to choose from two different ways of chunking the sentence.) a. The\idea of cutting and sewing a\dress by\herself was novel and exciting. b. The idea\of cutting and sewing a dress\by herself\was novel and exciting. B is the correct way to chunk the sentence. My dd just wasn't getting the concept...her own reading wasn't fluent so that may have been a factor. The lessons also require the student to come up with their own sentences to imitate the models and dd wasn't comfortable doing that yet. The book talks about subjects, predicates, words, clauses, independent clauses and dependent clauses, but not nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns... I wanted dd to have a basic understanding of the 8 parts of speech before we started working with clauses and phrases, but that's just me. I think that we could probably pick it up at this point and do fine with it but I'm content to wait until 4th when I know she will be ready for all aspects of it. Now, this is just MY dd. Other 3rd graders may be more than capable of working with this book. Hope that helps a little. I feel it was a little disjointed...trying to get everyone fed right now. If you have any other questions let me know. I know there are others who have used SG for Elementary...hopefully more that have worked through that particular book will chime in for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Love, love, love these books! I have both the grammar and both the middle school books. I used parts of Sentence Composing for Elementary School last year with my two oldest and then moved onto Grammar for Middle School this year. It took a while to figure out the best way to actually "teach" this. I started out by letting the dc use it as a workbook but I really felt that there wasn't enough exploration and discussion going on that way, so I decided to teach this one on one. I write out the daily lesson on the white board and then we talk about the concept, look at the examples, complete the exercises together (writing their responses on the board), and then we extend the lesson for additional understanding and practice. I suppose if I had to pick one thing that wasn't a complete thumbs up it would be that it isn't scripted and you need to figure out the best way for you to schedule and teach this to your dc. I really like the way this program focuses on beautiful sentences. Not only does it teach you what specific grammar concepts are, it teaches you how to use them effectively. It helps a dc see that composing amazing sentences is easy once you learn how to build it one piece at a time. Start with a subject and a verb and you can add, move and manipulate pieces of the sentence until you have created a passage that accurately portrays the image, feeling and idea that you want the reader to experience. Now, as I mentioned previously, I do extend the lessons a bit. We do some diagramming and we move parts around a bit more than they do in the books. We also come up with WAY more examples. We also talk about when it is appropriate to add more style and when it's not. Certain phrases aren't going to be used the same way, or at all, in a research paper as they will in a creative writing piece. However, even used just as is, I think these books are invaluable in helping a student apply grammar concepts and add style to their writing. I just want to add that I don't think these books are enough for grammar or writing on their own. I would not introduce these books to a dc who has had little to no grammar exposure. My younger dd will start in 4th grade as even the elementary books were a little over her head for this year. These, imo, are excellent supplements. :iagree:We love them here, too. I think they've made a difference in dd's writing and understanding of grammatical structures in real writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3browneyedboys4me Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thank you, Aime! You explained that very well. It made perfect sense to me. I will use them with my fifth grade and seventh grade sons. My 3rd grader can wait until next year. That will make a big difference for him. His reading is still not strong enough to read indepth literature. He does well with grade level material, but I'm not sure he would understand much more than that at this point. I'll probably assign some lit. reading this next semester and just test the waters. :) Again, many thanks!!! Bethany Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Some threads on Killgallon: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279029 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=254163 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=306255 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=286215 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261267 http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259739 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 I love it. You can find extensive samples on their website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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