Look over our English plans?

[dragons in the flower bed]

If you've been carefully listening, you know how frustrated I've been with my sons' writing over the past couple of years. I decided not to just do Latin this year, although I don't regret focusing on that last year. My kid is not ready for CW Aesop yet, and Writing Strands didn't work out for him. WWE sounds like it would be perfect, but since it isn't going to be here in time for our new school year (starts Monday), I'm improvising until it shows up. (If this goes well, maybe I won't need it.) I tried to follow the WTM recommendations for second grade as precisely as possible, adding in our family's specific title preferences. What do you think? (Sorry for the size of the image.)

 

 

 

[BeckyFL]

Hi! Just my opinion... In 3rd grade, I believe that oral reading should be daily. I would rather see silent reading go down to 45 min/day and add oral reading for 15 min/day. HTH. :-)

[karensk]

If you've been carefully listening, you know how frustrated I've been with my sons' writing over the past couple of years. I decided not to just do Latin this year, although I don't regret focusing on that last year. My kid is not ready for CW Aesop yet, and Writing Strands didn't work out for him. WWE sounds like it would be perfect, but since it isn't going to be here in time for our new school year (starts Monday), I'm improvising until it shows up. (If this goes well, maybe I won't need it.) I tried to follow the WTM recommendations for second grade as precisely as possible, adding in our family's specific title preferences. What do you think? (Sorry for the size of the image.)

 

 

 

 

I like how you've arranged it so that there's some copywork everyday and that the grammar is done orally.

 

It may end up that your dictation only takes ~5-10 min. instead of 20 min. per day, since you're scheduling one sentence per session. If it were me, I'd be quite happy with my new 3rd grader spending a total ~10 min./day on quality copywork and/or dictation (I don't include their dawdling time), where he really focuses on doing it neatly and accurately. Over the weeks, I'd gradually increase it to 15 min./day.

 

As a backup, if he seems uninterested in the dictation sentences from the Noah Webster book, you could pull a sentence out of one of his current favorite books. If the words are above his spelling ability, use the sentence as copywork for a day or two or three; then when you think he's ready, dictate it to him. My kids usually do better quality work when the content is something they're interested in.

 

Looks like a great plan!

[michaeljenn]

WOW! You really thought this out. I think it looks great too. I do agree, though, that your child should do oral reading daily:)

 

Otherwise, it really looks good.

 

Jen

[Faithr]

Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth! I have late blossoming children when it comes to language arts, so nothing you've described looks remedial at all to me! I mean it's 3rd grade! We are fairly gentle around here because of that, in the early grades, at least.

 

But anyway, I agree with the others that I'd have him read to me aloud for 10 or 15 minutes every day. Frankly, if the child is struggling I would do studied copywork, where you go over a particular point or two you notice in the copywork like a spelling pattern or a form of punctuation and then have him copy. I wouldn't do dictation until 4th grade. To me, it is important to get a child's confidence up and I know dictation is too hard for my kids at that age. It just makes them wilt if I do it before they're ready.

 

I also follow Charlotte Mason and don't require written narrations until they are 10. So I have just had them dictate to me, I type, we print, he illustrates.

 

One thing that really got my kids writing with joy was doing something called Friday Freewrite. It comes from Julie Bogart's Bravewriter. We put the timer on for 10 minutes and the kids get to write whatever they want, however they want. The only rule is they must be writing the whole time. This little exercise has gotten my kids to write more than anything else. And it has had unexpected results, like they ask me to edit it and then they recopy all on their own initiative or they get so excited about what they are writing that they run off and wind up writing a whole page.

 

Sometimes less is more in my experience, especially with something that is largely developmental, like writing.

 

Okay, I'll shut up now!!!!

[Kelli in TN]

Rosie,

This is just my opinion but 60 minutes of independent reading might be a bit much at the start of 3rd grade unless the child is just a natural reader. If he is a bit more of a wiggler, 60 minutes might be a goal to work towards all year rather than starting there. Perhaps start with what is comfortable for him (maybe 30 minutes?) and then add about 5 minutes every 2 weeks or so until he can comfortably read for an hour at a time.

 

Now if he naturally reads this long for pleasure, disregard everything I just said!! I have kids at both ends of the reading spectrum!

[Rhondabee]

Hi! Just my opinion... In 3rd grade, I believe that oral reading should be daily. I would rather see silent reading go down to 45 min/day and add oral reading for 15 min/day. HTH. :-)

 

But the free reading was at night, before bed.

 

And, for assigned reading, I assigned specific pages and guesstimated how many it would take to fill 30+ minutes ~ so, you can imagine that the actual time was *quite* variable - LOL!

 

(hanging head in shame) - Does reading aloud from Math or Grammar count? If so, then - hey - we did Oral Reading every day, too. (pretty sure that one's not gonna fly around here :tongue_smilie:)

 

OP: btw - I love your charts!!!!

 

Rhonda

 

OH, hey! He read orally from SOTW, too. That counts, right?