ApronMama Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 It's so expensive, but I know DS8 would LOVE this program. He loves language and grammar, but not writing itself. Not sure I wanted to put out the money for the whole series, so if I had to pick parts, what do you recommend? I understand that this program was written for gifted learners. But for a very language gifted 3rd grader is it necessary to start with Grammar Island or can one go directly into the Grammar Town series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 It's so expensive, but I know DS8 would LOVE this program. He loves language and grammar, but not writing itself. Not sure I wanted to put out the money for the whole series, so if I had to pick parts, what do you recommend? The vocab and poetry books are the easiest to use as stand-alones and IMHO are the best parts of MCT. The grammar is the weakest and has the annoying factor of being spread out over 3 books which you really do need all of them in order to have any sort of "meat" to the program. The writing is very open-ended, which can be good or bad depending on the particular child. I understand that this program was written for gifted learners. But for a very language gifted 3rd grader is it necessary to start with Grammar Island or can one go directly into the Grammar Town series? If a student is working solidly at a late elementary level, there should be no problem skipping "island" and starting with "town". That's what I did with my DD and while the writing portion was a bit of a stretch, overall it was the right placement for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApronMama Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 Very, very helpful comments. Do you recommend a different program for grammar, but using MCT vocab and poetry, or just bite the bullet and do the whole thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy_overman Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I too am considering MCT, but it would be a very expensive mistake if it does not work. I love the idea of trying the vocabulary to see how that goes. So you think the vocabulary can be done independent of the other books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melora in NC Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 We've enjoyed the poetry the most. I love the way the poetry book pages are formatted to make it easy to focus on the sound and rhythm of words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I understand that this program was written for gifted learners. But for a very language gifted 3rd grader is it necessary to start with Grammar Island or can one go directly into the Grammar Town series? If you've done grammar and your child can write sentences well, you should be fine. I've used MCT with my oldest and we are into the 3rd level (voyage) and it's going great. I like the whole package for my particular kid. He's HG/PG and I started him as a 3rd grader w/the whole thing. Island was easy and FUN, but that was ok for just starting grammar. I also tweak the writing to do much more than suggested because he's a natural writer. I personally like that it's very flexible. We can walk away from it for a week to dig into a writing assignment and come back to it. I am dragging out voyage a bit because I don't want to get into the next level too soon. And my oldest spent 2 months writing basically a novel this fall starting with NaNoWriMo. I know many people have complaints and it's not perfect. But for my HG/PG kid without any grammar background (went to 2 years of PS) it's been a good fit and we don't use any other curriculum. We use the program as it's recommended (with tweaking along the way). My younger has tagged with Island and Voyage level as a K and 1st grader, but because she is just now getting comfortable with her writing voice, I'm going to come back around to island level with her eventually. The vocab as a standalone would be great! I think vocab is my favorite piece. Good luck! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 While I share Crimson Wife's appreciation for the MCT poetry and vocabulary books (they are terrific) I do not share her feelings about the grammar books. I love the grammar books. They have been a joy to use and have been very effective in my home. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I agree. The first year I skipped the grammar because we were finishing up FLL 4 and that just seemed like it would have been overkill. This year I'm using all of Town and I'm sorry I didn't do that with Island because it is all great and it's great used together as MCT intended. :iagree: I love how the program fits together too! I used FLL 1/2 with my younger after using Island with my older. We did get through half of level 2 with her using compacting, skipping around etc but neither couldn't take it any more. We're focusing on just getting pencil to paper more now and will (re)start Island with her in the fall. The discussion format and not too much repetition works particularly well for my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitascool Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 We are doing the complete series of Island and Town. I think it is worth the cost. Each book takes between 20-40 days to complete so you could just buy one at a time. It will end up costing more that way but if finances are tight one book every couple months might be more doable. You could get the poetry book 1st or the grammar book. My oldest didn't really need the Grammar Level of Island as he is advanced and older but he read through it on his own because his brother and I were having so much fun with it. We have completed the Grammar and writing books for their levels. The Grammar books were both review... but we had several light bulb moments in the process. And several conversations on why grammar worked the way it does... they already knew the rules and names, but not the whys behind them. We'll be finishing up the vocabulary and practice books shortly. The vocabulary books are a bit too easy for my boys. It's mostly review for them. But we are using the books at their recommended age. 8,9,10 Island and 9,10,11 for Town. The Practice books are just right for my boys... though there is quite a bit of repetition they can go through them fairly quickly which saves on the tediousness found in some other programs that we've tried. We'll be starting the Poetry books in a few weeks. The boys are very excited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I think it's worth the cost too. I used only some parts at first and wished I had just purchased the whole level. Keep your eyes on the For Sale board here. I sold Grammar Island and some parts used for about half price I think. You might find someone else doing same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 We are really, really enjoying MCT. It's not the only grammar/writing program we use, but it has improved my children's understanding of grammar by leaps and bounds. We start mixing in FLL with my younger two next week...I've started mixing in Killgallon (Story Grammar & Sentence Composing) with my oldest already. The 4-level analysis has already borne fruit in my oldest's grasp of writing. We enjoy the vocabulary, but since the kids are already learning Latin, it's not exactly "difficult" more supplemental. The poetry is a hit. But we don't do as much of the writing, because we follow along TWTM lines more now than in the past. MCT and SWB have the same goal, just differ a bit in their methods of getting there. Once we get to Voyage level (next year) the writing will become more important for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I'm eyeing this for DD for 3rd next year, but have been wondering if it would be better sooner - as the LA we're doing doesn't seem to be challenging her much, but she just can't keep up with higher mechanical writing output yet. I knew she'd be better with Aesop level CW conceptually - but she couldn't keep up with the writing, which is why I went with the primers to focus on output ready for next year. But I think that it's beginning to frustrate... Sorry, thinking out loud - I wonder if I could just start MCT as a supplement to challenge her and take our time with it - maybe over 2 years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 MCT Grammar Island was wonderful and so worth the money. My dd8 finished the bulk of it as a 2nd grader and now we have ventured into MCT Grammar Town. We also use CW Aesop but only use the writing sample/strategies for extra practice. I think we'll give WWS a try next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Another way to save on MCT is if you can get to a convention (and they don't happen to charge too much or anything to go). They give a discount (plus no shipping...their shipping is expensive). I am cost conscious and I really feel it's been worth the money. I plan to use the books with my second child. So you figure that technically lowers the cost as well. If they ever come down to Australia I'll do that! :D I'd definately pass the books through the all the kids, but ouch it's not cheap! I think it'll have to wait until 2013 for us, maybe it'll be a bit cheaper then (or their international shipping rates will be reasonable)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Another way to save on MCT is if you can get to a convention (and they don't happen to charge too much or anything to go). They give a discount (plus no shipping...their shipping is expensive). So glad you said this! I'm going to a convention that he'll be speaking at. Guess I'm spending a lot more than last year's convention! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCamper Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 It's already been said, but the whole is much better than the parts. The poetry, grammar, and vocabulary all work so well together. We added the literature component to the Town level and it reinforces the concepts so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanSebast Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 It's so expensive Yes it is, I forked the money and bought the whole set and ds8 is enjoying every minute of it. I understand that this program was written for gifted learners. But for a very language gifted 3rd grader is it necessary to start with Grammar Island or can one go directly into the Grammar Town series? DS is very gifted in the language department, and we started in the 3rd grade, and I went ahead and just got "Grammar Island" to use as a prep, we flew through it and went successfully into the town series. In my opinion, if you could afford the whole thing, it would be worth the money. Also, don't spend money on the student text, buy instead the teacher's manual and save money. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Yeah ouch....shipping is really expensive. MCT ships out of NY and I cringe at the shipping (I live in NY). Shipping to Australia....big super duper insane ouch I'm sure. It isn't them, international shipping rates are not reasonable. We ship to Germany a lot and it's just ridiculous. I shipped 2 CDs to my BIL for xmas and that cost around $19. That was close to what I paid for the 2 CDs. :glare: Yeah, it's not great. There are some companies that manage reasonable international shipping rates, but some are ridiculuous. Although - I just had a brainwave, my mother is going to NY in about a month, maybe she can bring them back for me??? Does MCT have a store front? Or could I organise them to ship to her hotel... or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I'm not totally sure about shipping to a hotel. I wonder if you could have them shipped to a UPS location. If I can help out somehow, let me know. I don't think they have a store front. You should sign up to the support board on RFWP and pose the question. Maybe they can work something out. Or call them because they are not quick about responding to e-mail. Thanks WendyK. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acrosier Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 My DD loved grammar Island so much she got teary when it was over. I learned a few things my patchy education had missed and am so grateful. I was able to resell my gently used books on EBAY for only $50 less than what I paid for them, not including the practice book and the student copy of Grammar Island which she wanted to keep for fun. There isn't much MCT for sale there and it went fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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