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Can we stand another grammar thread? Need help starting over with dd11.


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I have dropped the ball on doing grammar with dd11. We had been doing MCT, after we had done FLL ages ago. But, I haven't been getting around to MCT because of some other stuff taking priority. Is there a grammar program that can catch her up, that doesn't need a ton of face time with me, that isn't terribly repetitious, etc. Oh, and that doesn't bash our Catholic faith. Is there a quick one-year study to get her (and me) up to where she should be now?

 

I don't feel competent to "teach" grammar as I never had a good formal study of it myself. (It didn't seem to impact my foreign language study, though because I minored in Spanish in college back in the dinosaur age.) My boys did Abeka, but, my middle son had an out-and-out mutiny about how boring and repetitious with was. Also, after looking at it more closely, I became more aware of the anti-Catholic flavor.

 

What does the hive recommend?

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We love Easy Grammar, but wanted a bit more rigor. We recently started with Rod & Staff. So far it's going well.

ITA that R&S's grammar is more rigorous (although I confess that I'm feeling a little tired of that word, lol), but it does cover a boatload more stuff, too. Sometimes if you just want grammar, enough to fill in some gaps before moving on to something more, EG does the trick, KWIM?

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Where would I start with Easy Grammar? I have Daily Grams Junior/Senior High - recently found behind the piano, all packaged up to send back to Rainbow since it was too basic for my teens. However, it is too advanced for her. What all do I need to order? (If I do get this, I want to get it today, since I have things in my cart that I need soon.)

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What grade is she in 5th? If so, I think you could go with her grade level and be fine.

 

Where would I start with Easy Grammar? I have Daily Grams Junior/Senior High - recently found behind the piano, all packaged up to send back to Rainbow since it was too basic for my teens. However, it is too advanced for her. What all do I need to order? (If I do get this, I want to get it today, since I have things in my cart that I need soon.)
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ITA that R&S's grammar is more rigorous (although I confess that I'm feeling a little tired of that word, lol), but it does cover a boatload more stuff, too. Sometimes if you just want grammar, enough to fill in some gaps before moving on to something more, EG does the trick, KWIM?

 

:iagree:

 

Rigorous isn't in my usual vocabulary.:lol: do you have a better adjective to describe R&S?

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I would go with Analytical Grammar. It is intended to be a one time, hard driving teaching of grammar.

 

I would also suggest rehearsing the 8 parts of speech regularly, and parsing or diagramming one-two simple sentences together every day, for practice.

 

Also, get the Rod and Staff handbook to use as a reference. It's reasonably priced and very thorough.

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Where would I start with Easy Grammar? I have Daily Grams Junior/Senior High - recently found behind the piano, all packaged up to send back to Rainbow since it was too basic for my teens. However, it is too advanced for her. What all do I need to order? (If I do get this, I want to get it today, since I have things in my cart that I need soon.)

 

Fwiw, that is the exact book I am using with my dd.

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This is exactly where I found myself with dd11 this year. She has just finished Winston Grammar basic and it worked great. There are some other more complex grammar issues that it did not cover and at first I was concerned. However, after rethinking it I think it has done a fine job. We will be skipping a formal grammar for the rest of the year and start on AG next year following there 3 year sequence.

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I love Easy Grammar!!!! I've used it with my 3rd grader this year (he's finished with it) and he has 100% retention and it is showing in his writing this term. I didn't care for Daily Grams though. I found it too lacking.

 

I'm using an Evan Moor book called Daily Language Review and I believe they have them at the 5th/6th grade level. I would suggest that and the Easy Grammar (at her grade level should be fine) worktext and teacher's book. ;)

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What level of Grammar do you have with MCT? Is it the Island level?

 

If it is, I would simplify and have dd do it as independent work, just for this year. Angela at Satori Smiles has it all broken down. I would have her read through the Grammar Island, Then Sentence Island and practice Island and forget the rest. Just do it independently. You don't have to spend money as you are using what you have. As you started it you (and dd) have some familiarity with it.

 

For plain old fun, not rigorous and just the main parts of speech. Mad Libs!

 

Maybe next year look back at Advanced Language Lessons. I found FLL overwhelming so I switched to MCT. I have found it a struggle, but we are getting through it (TT for Math really helped free up some time for me). I am going to try SWB with ALL again next year. I read that it is going to start with parent involvement, but it will shift over the program to being more independent.

 

Best of luck.

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KISS Grammar is wonderful, but it does require face time (but only about 10 mins per day, 3-4 days per week), and it takes longer than one year to get through the system -- but your child is not "behind" because everyone starts KISS at the beginning. If you are really interested in it, I would start by searching the forum here. We've had several threads in the last few months. For instance, here is a general introduction, and here is a question about how KISS compares to other programs.

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I have to second AG. It might be a bit difficult for your dd. Mine started when she was 11 and is flying through it and loving it. DS is struggling a bit in the second season. I just bought the dvd for him to solidify things.

 

It is very organized, simple, and independent. You can do just the first season for 10 weeks. I think it's a 7-9th grade program. They have JAG, but I think for my youngest I'm just going to wait til she's old enough to do AG from FLL and skip JAG.

 

Best of luck,

Laura

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I would probably go with Hake Grammar.

 

My boys hated Easy Grammar because they learned nothing. They asked to go back to Rod & Staff. I would recommend R&S, but I'm not sure if there is any anti-Catholic stuff in there.

 

I really like Hake, and used it one year with one of my sons. I would've continued, but I like that R&S starts in 2 and goes through 10.

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We went from FLL to MCT and then switched to Hake. Hake is working very well here, but I'm not sure you'd want it, since it does have repetition. It works like Saxon math works, so if you like Saxon, chances are you'll like Hake, but it's definitely secular, which is always preferred here.

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We went from FLL to MCT and then switched to Hake. Hake is working very well here, but I'm not sure you'd want it, since it does have repetition. It works like Saxon math works, so if you like Saxon, chances are you'll like Hake, but it's definitely secular, which is always preferred here.

 

Would you mind elaborating on why you switched from MCT? Which levels of MCT did you do? Are you still using any parts of MCT?

 

We are doing the Voyage level and don't like it as well as the first two levels. I'm trying to decide whether to supplement or change completely.

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We did the Island level last year, with my 4th grader. She liked the stories, and the characters, especially Mud. We still talk about Mud when we talk grammar issues. But I switched because I was really looking for more mechanics, more practice and traditional diagramming, and MCT didn't offer that. I liked MCT a lot, but considering how expensive it is, and realizing that I'd need to supplement the mechanics practice, diagramming, and writing with 2 or 3 other programs, I couldn't justify the cost of it.

 

What I would love to be able to do, actually, is supplement all my other language arts stuff with MCT. If my library offered MCT, that would be ideal.

 

If I keep anything out of MCT, it will be the poetry component. In fact, I might at some point, puchase the entire poetry series and use it as an independent writing study, but other than that, we're happy with Hake. I use all of the Hake, too, including the writing part, but I supplement only with Writing Strands. Cost wise, I think it's the best curricula choice I've found for my dollar. Not to mention, my dd herself said that Hake was probably the best she'd used.

 

HTH.

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Saxon/Hake grammar. It goes from 5th to 8th grade so its the perfect time to use it.

 

Easy Grammar was a failure here. Not enough repetition, not enough review, not enough application.

 

 

EG repeats the lessons multiple times, with numerous cumulative reviews and tests, and a pre and post assessment, finishing with a writing unit.

 

I have a hard time understanding why people hate it so much when a child couldn't even complete the subsequent units unless the previous were mastered, and if one grade level was completed in it's entirety there would have been many many opportunities to find any weak links in a child's learning.

 

The only way I could see it not appealing would be on a learning style or aesthetics level. The grammar is solid. And "rigorous" imo. ;) There are no bells and whistles attached.

 

Just a list of what my 3rd grader has mastered with one term of EG.

 

Parts of speech:

nouns/pronouns (personal/common/proper)

verbs (regular/irregular/auxiliary)

prepositions

adjectives (comparative/superlative/limiting/articles)

adverbs (degrees)

interjections

conjunctions

 

Parts of sentence:

types of sentences

subject (compound/singular)

predicate (verb phrase)

direct objects/prepositional object

prepositional phrases

appositives

 

Other:

contractions

double negatives

subject verb agreement

tenses

spelling rules

dictionary usage

possessives

capitalization

punctuation

writing process

 

I think it's okay not to like something. But it's definitely not because EG is lacking in solid grammar instruction.

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I thought that MCT's grammar was like about 6 weeks. My impression is that he did not want you to spend too much time on grammar. So, you did it for the first 6 weeks of school and then the rest of the school year you write. I could be wrong. That was what someone told me.

 

I was wondering what made MCT grammar harder than a full year's program. I ask because I like his thinking on grammar. He parses the sentences and has the child identify the different parts to the sentence.

 

I would recommend Growing with Grammar because it is just straightforward grammar. There are no bells and whistles with it. And the best is that the child does it independently.

 

Blessings in your homeschooling journey!

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

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We did the Island level last year, with my 4th grader. She liked the stories, and the characters, especially Mud. We still talk about Mud when we talk grammar issues. But I switched because I was really looking for more mechanics, more practice and traditional diagramming, and MCT didn't offer that. I liked MCT a lot, but considering how expensive it is, and realizing that I'd need to supplement the mechanics practice, diagramming, and writing with 2 or 3 other programs, I couldn't justify the cost of it.

 

What I would love to be able to do, actually, is supplement all my other language arts stuff with MCT. If my library offered MCT, that would be ideal.

 

If I keep anything out of MCT, it will be the poetry component. In fact, I might at some point, puchase the entire poetry series and use it as an independent writing study, but other than that, we're happy with Hake. I use all of the Hake, too, including the writing part, but I supplement only with Writing Strands. Cost wise, I think it's the best curricula choice I've found for my dollar. Not to mention, my dd herself said that Hake was probably the best she'd used.

 

HTH.

 

Thanks. I appreciate your input.

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