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frustration - grammar or attitude?


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We are finishing up 5th grade with my oldest dd. She is 10 going on 11. We are using Rod and Staff Grammar (5th grade). We used First Language Lessons 1-4 and started Advanced Language Lessons and then switched to R&S when we realized ALL wouldn't be done.

 

Last year, grammar was one of her best subjects, she rarely had a problem with diagramming, but this year :eek:. Her diagrams are almost always wrong, she doesn't want help, she doesn't follow the directions completely (for example it says, "write if the bolded word is an adverb or a preposition. If it is a preposition, write the object of the preposition." she will just follow the first part of the instructions and not write the object of the prepositions).

 

She wants to work on her own, I like her to work on her own, R&S is well suited to her working on her own - BUT clearly something is not working this year.

 

Any advice or suggestions?

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Well, we do R&S mostly orally. It goes very well and doesn't take too long that way.

 

How much are you assigning? If you are assigning all the exercises in R&S she might be getting bored and sloppy. I know I would.

 

We also used FLL and then had to move to R&S. After the guided FLL, it might be a difficult transition to working through grammar on her own.

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My daughter does this. She has done R&S for two years now (so 10 and 11) and I can go over the instructions with her, she can work an example with me there, and then forget to do half the instructions and do the diagramming wrong (the same kind she just breezed through with me). I just think it is the age; their minds are not totally engaged.

 

I just make her re-read the instructions and finish the lesson.

 

Linda

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When she is doing the work on her own - I usually have her do only about half of each set of exercises, and if she has trouble with them the other half (which is often its own battle).

 

She prefers working on her own to going over it with me (probably because I won't let her do it fast and sloppy and wrong).

 

It is good to know (I guess) that some of it is just an age thing. We'll just keep plugging away at it :001_smile:.

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A few thoughts:

 

She is a young 5th grader. R&S is a very academically strong curriculum. She may just need to slow down a bit.

 

I don't like to have core subjects (math and language arts) done alone. I think they are far too important for that. I have used R&S for many years (about 9, I guess :eek:), and I have had great success doing it as written: "teacher"/student time followed by independent written work.

 

So take that for what it's worth. :D R&S is great; I wouldn't mess with that. I would think about slowing down a bit (and then you can skip some when it clicks again) or changing your MO.

 

ETA: Sometimes my dc would prefer to rush through their work without me. I didn't allow that. Even IF it is work that can be done independently now, there will come a time when you will need to work with them (high school discussion of literature comes to mind,) and you need to have that pattern extablished, imho.

Edited by angela in ohio
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A few thoughts:

 

She is a young 5th grader. R&S is a very academically strong curriculum. She may just need to slow down a bit.

 

I don't like to have core subjects (math and language arts) done alone. I think they are far too important for that. I have used R&S for many years (about 9, I guess :eek:), and I have had great success doing it as written: "teacher"/student time followed by independent written work.

 

So take that for what it's worth. :D R&S is great; I wouldn't mess with that. I would think about slowing down a bit (and then you can skip some when it clicks again) or changing your MO.

 

ETA: Sometimes my dc would prefer to rush through their work without me. I didn't allow that. Even IF it is work that can be done independently now, there will come a time when you will need to work with them (high school discussion of literature comes to mind,) and you need to have that pattern extablished, imho.

 

Thanks for the encouragement:001_smile:

The working alone is often her preference (I'd rather have her get the work done, then have a big fight to make her do it with me). We aren't doing the tests this year, but my plan for the rest of 5th grade (and probably next year as well) is that I will let her chose working with me or doing it on her own, but she has to fix any she gets wrong on review lessons (I typically just go over mistakes with her on regular lessons). Since she doesn't like doing corrections, I am hoping this will encourage her to pay closer attention to the directions (her biggest problem right now).

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