Just started HOD and love it, but....

[parias1126]

I went with R&S 2 because that's what HOD suggested I use at the homeschool convention. Wayyyyy too easy! I got it for my 3rd grade DS and my K DS is in the background doing the activities and yelling out answers as I dO it orally with DS8. :glare: Needless to say, I need another grammar curriculum. I would love suggestions for one that goes well with HOD.

 

Also, I don't think the spelling with HOD is enough for DS8. Everytime he has to write something he is asking me how to spell it or wants me to write things on the board so he can copy. He apparently needs some spelling help. I would love selling suggestions other then AAS. I have it already and it never seemed to get done. He can memorize a spelling list but then forgets as time goes on.

 

My other problem is that I thought there was writing involved with R&S grammar and so far this first week, there wasn't. My DS isn't getting enough writing. I though there would at least be more copywork. Again, I've only done one week so maybe it will pick up?

[gratitude]

Rod and Staff English 2 is the first level of grammar for Rod and Staff since they don't start children until age 6 for First Grade (they don't do Kindergarten). Thus, if you have done some grammar it would be reviewing what you may have covered. This is starting at the beginning of grammar.

 

Rod and Staff also tends to build a foundation slowly and then pick up speed. I have read many who find the later books, 5 and up, as very advanced and difficult.

 

In the initial Well Trained Mind Jessie Wise actually recommends Rod and Staff as a rigorous English and writing course that does not need supplement, such as IEW, for the elementary and Junior High Years.

 

If you have done some initial grammar perhaps starting Rod and Staff English 3 would be a better place to start. It is a great program, but starting at the beginning may not have made sense for you. My 3rd grader will be using Grade 3 this year.

 

I am sorry I can not help you with spelling! All About Spelling and HOD dictation combined with it have been a wonderful spelling program for my son.

 

I hope this is helpful.

[blessedmom3]

I agree r&s 2 would be too easy for a 3rd grader.Just use it at the grade level. Rod& staff does pick up in difficulty . We are doing 4 with a 4 th grader and it's not too easy! I also do not follow the sugested schedule for it , but just do it 4 days a week.

 

For spelling I use building spelling skills by Christian libery press. Affordable, easy to use, short lessons and independent. When I have time, I do some dictation from the guide, but it's just a waste of time, even at a higher level, the words are too easy. It's important though to do the dictation more as a reminder for correct punctuation than for spelling the words correctly.

[parias1126]

I would love to see some more responses.

[Michelle My Bell]

I agree with what has been said here, especially about the grammar. However, if you are looking for a spelling program, maybe you should look at Spelling Workout. In addition to doing the workbooks, we would...

 

• Copy the spelling rule into our spelling notebook
  
• Write sentences using the spelling words
  
• Study them using the methods from Spelling Power
  

 

Rod and Staff English 2 is the first level of grammar for Rod and Staff since they don't start children until age 6 for First Grade (they don't do Kindergarten). Thus, if you have done some grammar it would be reviewing what you may have covered. This is starting at the beginning of grammar.

 

Rod and Staff also tends to build a foundation slowly and then pick up speed. I have read many who find the later books, 5 and up, as very advanced and difficult.

 

In the initial Well Trained Mind Jessie Wise actually recommends Rod and Staff as a rigorous English and writing course that does not need supplement, such as IEW, for the elementary and Junior High Years.

 

If you have done some initial grammar perhaps starting Rod and Staff English 3 would be a better place to start. It is a great program, but starting at the beginning may not have made sense for you. My 3rd grader will be using Grade 3 this year.

 

I am sorry I can not help you with spelling! All About Spelling and HOD dictation combined with it have been a wonderful spelling program for my son.

 

I hope this is helpful.

[Sew happily ever after]

How about adding in some writing with IEW? A level a product woul add the writing component and be simple enough to complete in addition to the HOD materials. For grammar have you considered FLL3? It's a solid program and would fit nicely with HOD.

[Mommy22alyns]

I'm not an HOD person, but can't you just use R&S 3? 2 would be way too easy for a third grader.

[Alison in KY]

My 3rd grader is using RS 2 now. We started it in 2nd grade and are just continuing it. We typically do it orally and do 2 lessons a day. Yes, it's easy enough, but I'm happy with the pace. Her sister is using RS 3 and she's just starting5th grade. Again, she's in the middle of the book and we do most of it orally, but I think the 2nd grade level is working much better for my 3rd grader than the 3rd grade book would. Of course they are all different.

 

I think in most of the HOD levels they will give you a choice of 2 different levels in R and S. I'd look at the next level of HOD and see what is suggested and if it's no big deal then go with RS 3.

[jer2911mom]

We use Christian Light Education (CLE) LA with HOD. It includes spelling and penmanship. The first two levels have had extensive work with phonics/spelling rules.

 

You could add WWE for more writing. Are you doing the poetry copywork? You can make that as long as you want it to be.

 

HTH,

Kathy

Edited August 18, 2012 by jer2911mom

[boscopup]

I've found R&S to be too slow for my son who gets grammar easily. Even R&S 4 is too easy for him right now in 3rd grade (except the writing portions, which we don't do because we do IEW). I personally love KISS Grammar. We're doing level 1 grade 3 this year, and I just throw in occasional R&S 4 assignments when I feel like it. I skip a lot in R&S though because DS already understands it. It's too incremental for him.

 

You might also check out FLL. It moves a bit faster than R&S.

[Heather in WI]

Agreeing with others -- 2 would be too easy for a third grader.

 

Have you looked at the samples online to see if 3 would be a good fit?

http://www.rodandstaff.info/samples/3/english/

 

 

if you are looking for a spelling program, maybe you should look at Spelling Workout. In addition to doing the workbooks, we would...

 

• Copy the spelling rule into our spelling notebook
  
• Write sentences using the spelling words
  

 

:iagree:

Edited August 18, 2012 by Heather in WI

[abrightmom]

What HOD guide are you doing?

[gratitude]

Another thing you could do is order the tests that Rod and Staff sells that are for the end of each Unit for their English program. You could use the tests for placement. If he passes all the 2 tests, then starts to pass the 3 tests you could place him wherever he becomes stuck on knowledge he doesn't have. It was suggested to me a long time ago to use tests to pass units for children who assimilate information easily.

 

If you rather use another program beside Rod and Staff you certainly could do so with HOD. Her English program is a 'suggestion' in the catalogue; not mandatory to the program.

 

First Language Lessons at Peace Hill Press or Christian Light Education could easily work instead.

[parias1126]

What HOD guide are you doing?

 

We're using Bigger.

[parias1126]

Thanks for all the responses. I had ordered FLL 3 some time ago, but was going to use R&S 2 because that is what was suggested to me by Julie when I went to the homeschool convention. I assumed if I had used FLL that my DS would be getting too much dictation and/or copywork. Now that I sat and looked over FLL 3 tonight, it looks much more on level with where my DS is and I now see that (at least in the first few lessons), the dictation is optional.

 

I'm not really concerned that my son doesn't have a formal writing curriculum this year as long as he is getting more informal writing from somewhere so that we can work on his spelling and punctuation. I think I'm going to try the HOD spelling lists for now and add in more spelling activities like having him put the words in sentences. If I don't see an improvement in his spelling over the next 3 weeks, then I'll get a formal spelling curriculum. I'm hoping the fact that he is struggling is from our summer break.

Edited August 19, 2012 by parias1126

[gratitude]

Thanks for all the responses. I had ordered FLL 3 some time ago, but was going to use R&S 2 because that is what was suggested to me by Julie when I went to the homeschool convention. I assumed if I had used FLL that my DS would be getting too much dictation and/or copywork. Now that I sat and looked over FLL 3 tonight, it looks much more on level with where my DS is and I now see that (at least in the first few lessons), the dictation is optional.

 

I'm not really concerned that my son doesn't have a fireball writing curriculum this year as long as he is getting more informal writing from somewhere do that we can work on his spelling and punctuation. I think I'm going to try the HOD spelling lists for now and add in more spelling activities like have him put the words in sentences. If I don't see an improvement in his spelling over the next 3 weeks, then I'll get a formal spelling curriculum. I'm hoping the fact that he is struggling is from our summer break.

 

If you are wanting to have the spelling words in sentences you could start with the spelling words in bold for the dictation in the appendix of Bigger and then use the sentences that go with them (dictation) for spelling.

 

I think Bigger does start history note booking, so that will be some writing too. You could always have him write more than one or two sentences for the note booking if you wanted to. We are doing Preparing, but my understanding was that note booking started in Bigger to work on some writing.

[Homeschooling6]

With Ethan who will start Bigger in Sept. I decided to use Standard Based Grammar 3. There is also a Homeschool Edition too. Standards Based Grammar Homeschool Edition.I went with the 3rd grade one because Ethan hasn't really had any grammar yet.

 

There is no diagramming though but I don't want to start that with him right now. If you want diagramming Gowing with Grammar had Digging Into Diagramming.

 

Another option would be to use a higher level of R&S.

[Lab1]

I would go up to RS 3. There is no reason to hold your kid back. Many people do this with HoD. Just like math, you can easily customize!

 

We used Bigger last yr. My kids loved it! My oldest is not a natural speller. Spelling programs didn't work. She could spell correctly when tested, but it didn't translate to her writing! She improved so much with studied dictation! Her spelling is like night and day now. She's a visual learner, so it worked well for her. It took time though. After a school yr I rarely see a mistake in her spelling. She loves creative writing and it was painful to read as her spelling was so bad! I didn't want to squash her creative needs and kept spelling correction to school work. So my advise is to do studied dictation until the new yr and see if you are getting through to your kid! Its pretty short and painless. My kids loved not having a formal spelling program!