Emagine Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I am looking into these and wondering what everyones thoughts are? Growing with Grammar Growing with Spelling Winning with Writing TY kindly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Soaring with Spelling was okay. We found mistakes in the Grade Five book. But the most disappointing aspect was the activities... too many word searches, alphabetizing, fill in the blank .... without any real work with the spelling patterns. My son is a natural speller, and we chose a level ahead. Yet, the words were still too easy. We are going to try Rod and Staff next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nov05mama Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 We like Growing w/ Grammar and Winning w/ Writing a lot. My son loves the simple, quick lessons and for HIM, the material really seems to stick (I know many have mentioned that wasn't the case for their child though). Soaring w/ Spelling is just OK in my book. We like it, but don't LOVE it. We will continue with it (all of them actually) through this coming year and I will see how we still feel about them 2 years into them. For the price, I think they are wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 We love Winning with Writing! My dd does not like to write at all and WWW was a great way this year to get her familiar with the concepts of good sentences/writing.. without a lot of actual writing=D Next year in WWW3 I think there is more actual writing. It seems very systematic in it's teaching and I love the Week 1 Day 1 format. We are switching from Easy Grammar 3 to Growing with Grammar 4 next year. Again, we went with Easy Grammar because it's more circle/underline than write and I like the whole crossing-out-the-prepositional-phrase idea. However, EG4 looked just like this year! So, I decided to try out GWG since I liked WWW so much. GWG also teaches diagramming, which I would like dd to know about but don't feel like going into full bore like some curriculums do. And I know I'm going to love the Week 1, Day 1 format! Hoping I love the content too! =D Soaring with Spelling s a NO for us. DD is also a natural speller and SWS is WAY to easy.. from the lists I saw anyway. We are sticking with Abeka spelling. So Cons for me would be: WWW - None for me! Others might wish more actual writing, but if you are doing WWE or other copywork, I think that's quite enough writing for the lower grades. GWG - Haven't tried it yet. Others have said that GWG is predictable and easily "cheated" at.. being able to "get the pattern" of the worksheets and not really grasping the material. ACK, I'm nervous but going to try it anyway. SWS - Way to easy for my natural speller. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 We **really like** GWG. SWS was flop for us because the pre-test was a meltdown every week. Haven't looked at WWW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 We used WWW3 and GWG3. I like Growing With Grammar as a refresher. DS started with FLL3 5 days a week and since I skip all narration and memorization exercises, he finished it midway through the year. We don't use the student textbook often as I just use the FLL3 definitions to remind him. I think WWW3 is a good writing mechanics program, but I stopped using it after the first semester. My ds was doing narrations in science, history, and literature with my guidance. Before chucking the second semester, I checked through the workbook and found nothing I wasn't teaching my son myself. I haven't used SWS as my son is good at spelling and I found most of the SWS activities busywork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I like GWG for an "easy to use" (for mom & kid), quick grammar for those years where you don't have time for something in-depth. I definitely wouldn't use it every year as 1) retention can be low (especially if you are letting your child do it independently) and 2) the material can be presented in such a way that it is easy to get a lot of things correct without really knowing what you are doing. GWG 3 is a great "intro" to grammar for kids who don't know much grammar prevoiously. It is gentle and there is diagramming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 SWS is okay... We'll finish off the year with it, but I won't buy it again. The exercises are repetitive and uninteresting and the vocabulary is kind of a joke. But... on the plus side. It is quick and it gets done. We add in spelling city for variety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I like GWG for an "easy to use" (for mom & kid), quick grammar for those years where you don't have time for something in-depth. I definitely wouldn't use it every year as 1) retention can be low (especially if you are letting your child do it independently) and 2) the material can be presented in such a way that it is easy to get a lot of things correct without really knowing what you are doing. GWG 3 is a great "intro" to grammar for kids who don't know much grammar prevoiously. It is gentle and there is diagramming. Would you say GWG would work even better if the mom is teaching and willing to come up with some of her own questions and additional review to make sure retention is happening? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 We love GWG. I go over the "teaching" part of it, and DD does the exercises independently. We have started dabbling in KISS as well, and she's able to apply what she's learned with GWG. Retention appears to be good. I did make it a point to read/highlight the instruction part of it with her. She's really enjoyed it - probably the most of all our resources. We tried WWW- suffered through level one, but DD hated it, and I felt it was reminiscent of PS writing instruction, if that makes sense. We've not tried the spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgr Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Would you say GWG would work even better if the mom is teaching and willing to come up with some of her own questions and additional review to make sure retention is happening? I would say that is what we're doing :) (so, in answer to your question - yes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Would you say GWG would work even better if the mom is teaching and willing to come up with some of her own questions and additional review to make sure retention is happening? This is how we do it. I have them read their lesson, and I will help by rephrasing or pointing out bits and pieces. Then, I will throw out an example or question. If they have questions, I answer them and so forth. I check their assignment and ask them to correct any that are wrong. If they get any wrong in a section where the answer is one of two options, then I tell them "In section A you got 3 wrong. Review all of them and correct the ones you think are wrong." Then I point out which section/chapter that lesson is and have them review it. This helps to cut down on the habit to just change the answer without actually looking at the problem. I really like this program, and it seems to be a good fit for both my dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 We will finish this week with GWG and WWW level 1 and will begin level 2 in July. DS really enjoys them. I like WWE and FLL better, but he asked to continue with them all, and they're fine programs, so we will. We do it all orally together. I can see how a student working independently could easily "cheat" or not really know thee material while still answering correctly. The each only take about five minutes, so it's not a big deal at all for us to go over it together so that I know he understands. They're both very formulaic and workbooky, but other than that I can't think of anything "bad" about them if you'll be checking comprehension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 Would you say GWG would work even better if the mom is teaching and willing to come up with some of her own questions and additional review to make sure retention is happening? FYI, we did 1/2 during second grade. I felt like nothing stuck. I added the Brian Cleary books (Stop and Go, Yes and No, etc). I was going to give up on GWG but I'd already bought 3. We went on. Well, as kiddo got older, more things stuck, and now, almost done with 4, he catches each topic, his diagramming is great, etc. So, I sometimes wonder if the "it didn't stick" parents are talking about younger ages, or the first time through at an older age. You master each topic, but you spiral back through it the next year, at a more complex level. Of course, I learn what he is learning, and I do point out examples as we go through other work. There is a bit of mechanics and grammar in WWE, and I'm currently detouring thought WT 1 and 2 before picking up WWE 4, and there is grammar in them to, as a reinforcer. You can also pick up the GWG tests for extra practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 We love GWG. I go over the "teaching" part of it, and DD does the exercises independently. One of the things I love about GWG is the short, sweet "teaching" parts. As kiddo got older, I would have him read it to me, as a quick new-word attack session wrapped into the grammar. Having a big word here and there has helped on that, and if you glance ahead a bit, you can discuss the roots of those big words in the lesson, too. And the spiral top is WONderful. No fighting the spine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shukriyya Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 So, I sometimes wonder if the "it didn't stick" parents are talking about younger ages, or the first time through at an older age. You master each topic, but you spiral back through it the next year, at a more complex level. :iagree:The teaching of language is a planting of seeds. The watering and nourishing happens on a year by year basis with the hope for lovely strong plants as an end result. Garden metaphor aside, I will say that we use this in conjunction with other grammar work so I can't speak to it as a stand alone curric. but as an adjunct program I do like it. I concur with others who've said that SWS is meh. Haven't used WWW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabbymom Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 WWW3 is a different than WWW2, in that there is more writing. WWW3 is a very good at teaching paragraph writing. It also teaches the format of other types of writing assignments, such as how to write a friendly letter and a compare/contrast paragraph. It filled a hole in our curriculum for my 3rd grader this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinmami01 Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 No cons here. After unsuccessfully using WWE and FLL, we made the move to GWG and WWW 2, we are halfway through levels 3 and will continue to the next level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 We have used all 3 in our home...this is my opinion on each one. GWG: love it. The kids like it too. I love that diagraming starts in 3rd grade...very slow and methodical. I think that also helps with the kids "cheating" on the predictablity of some of the sentences. But I like how it is laid out. We will continue to use it. SWS: didn't like so much. The activities are too repeative and the kids got bored. But I really didn't like the spiral at the top becasue so many time they asked you to go back to a previous page for a definition or something, and my kids hated doing that. So we ended up removing the spiral all together. we will be trying a different program next year. WWW: didn't like either. too much like the grammar books I thought...lots of repeating of information. Still trying to figure out what we will be doing for writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 We used Level 1 of Growing with Grammar and Soaring with Spelling. We really liked GWG and got a lot out of it. We disliked SWS though. It didn't really teach spelling rules, you just got a list and a weeks worth of activity sheets. Thumbs up for Growing with Grammar Thumbs down for Soaring with Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 And the spiral top is WONderful. No fighting the spine. :iagree: Exactly!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshomework Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 We use GWG combined with FLL for 2nd and now in 3rd. I agree it is not complete. I think grammar requires more hands on teaching for my dd and so I combine it so she gets extra practice and on days I am too busy she still has some grammar to do. She enjoys it because it's fairly simple. She just started WWW2 at the beginning of this year and we combine that with WWE2 which we have just finished. So far WWW2 is very simple just simple sentences like picking main idea sentences. Choosing which sentence does not belong, writing another sentence to include, etc. It is a good combo with WWE for us because I would like her to have more actual school type writing and this provides it so far. I plan to do WWW3. I have not used SWS so I have no opinion on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianmumof5 Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I like GWG for an "easy to use" (for mom & kid), quick grammar for those years where you don't have time for something in-depth. I definitely wouldn't use it every year as 1) retention can be low (especially if you are letting your child do it independently) and 2) the material can be presented in such a way that it is easy to get a lot of things correct without really knowing what you are doing. GWG 3 is a great "intro" to grammar for kids who don't know much grammar prevoiously. It is gentle and there is diagramming. :iagree: 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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