amselby81 Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 We just started K, but I'm already kind of thinking about next year. We're using a couple different programs for phonics, and we're doing handwriting, but we're not really doing anything as far as grammar. My main goal this year is to get her reading. We will add grammar next year. I'd like to either use FLL or Abeka Language for grammar. Should I just stick with one, or would it be possible to do both? I don't really know FLL. I only know what I've read about it and I've seen sample pages online, but I've never used it and I've never put my hands on it. I am familiar with Abeka though. I've taught first grade in a private school using Abeka. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 Oh my. Just pick one. Many children are still nailing down reading and more intensive phonics in 1st which should be the priority :). Two grammar programs at that age would be overkill. Really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SorrelZG Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 FLL is such a sweet, on your lap, short and to the point program. It would be my first choice for first grade. It's a gentle introduction. IMO (and as a former first grade teacher), your time would be better spent reading aloud than doing another grammar program. They are still acquiring so much language at that age. It's hard to start to analyze it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 There's no way I would saddle a first grader with 2 grammar programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gracesteacher Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I think it really depends on the kid. This is the subject my 1st loves the most. She is also reading The Magicians Nephew on her own. If she was struggling with reading that would be our focus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 To be honest, I've found that FLL is more than just grammar. It's a great little treasure trove of memory work, copy work and narration as well. Obviously, it's not all the memory work, copy work and narration we do, but I appreciate that it is built in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 No. If your child speaks correct English, that's enough grammar for first grade. If you must do something, use FLL. More importantly, read to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 No. If your child speaks correct English, that's enough grammar for first grade. If you must do something, use FLL. More importantly, read to her. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 No. If your child speaks correct English, that's enough grammar for first grade. If you must do something, use FLL. More importantly, read to her. :iagree: I'm a huge fan of supplementing complete curricula :D, but there's just no need for two grammar programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 No. If your child speaks correct English, that's enough grammar for first grade. If you must do something, use FLL. More importantly, read to her. My son is in 5th grade and only just started formal grammar and is handlng it like a pro. I never understood starting it early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloudswinger Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I didn't do any grammar at all in 1st grade. We only really started some grammar at the end of 2nd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonia Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 I have no experience with Abeka but we love FLL. The first two levels are so gentle and easy. That would be (and was!) my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 No. If your child speaks correct English, that's enough grammar for first grade. If you must do something, use FLL. More importantly, read to her. :iagree: I really like FLL! I 100% agree about speaking correct English, and I appreciate the way oral usage is presented in FLL. I find myself repeating those lessons off the cuff as my dc need reminding. I also agree with the poster who said it's more important to spend time reading aloud high quality literature. A 1st grader is better off having quotes from Beatrix Potter and AA Milne floating around in their minds than going through "grammar lessons." Grammar is too abstract unless a child has a strong language foundation anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 My son is in 5th grade and only just started formal grammar and is handlng it like a pro. I never understood starting it early. We're just start MCT this year in 4th grade. I don't plan to do it with my ds6 for a couple years. It's going so much better starting grade 4 (I attempted it last year and it just didn't feel quite right). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janainaz Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I love FLL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perogi Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I loved using FLL with my first grader. This year I added GWG to FLL and I'm already regretting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I'll be the other end of the spectrum & say that I chose to NOT include grammar this year. We're focusing on reading for 1st and will add in grammar for 2nd grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 No. If your child speaks correct English, that's enough grammar for first grade. If you must do something, use FLL. More importantly, read to her. :iagree: I would not start formal grammar until 3rd or 4th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 We do FLL and GWG. DS chose to do both, and when I tried to get him to choose just one to continue for the second level, he said he wanted to keep doing both. Seriously, it takes ten minutes, maximum, to do both books. It is not overkill. If your child hated it, sure, but it's going to depend on you and your child and the programs you're looking at using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I've chosen to delay grammar a bit. After using R&S for a couple years, we've recently dropped it. They've picked the rules up immediately and it seems a waste of our limited school-time. We are using PLL/ILL from 2nd until 6th and it has a gentle introduction to grammar. I think that along with quality literature is more than enough for those ages! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I've hesitated to answer on this thread, but yes, last year my first grader used MCT and GWG. We switched from GWG to KISS about midway. It worked well because MCT was a cuddle -on-the-couch sort of grammar, and he enjoys grammar and diagramming. It has worked for him. He also started Latin in first, with GSWL, and is now about midway through Lively Latin. Knowing proper grammar has made Latin much easier for him, and i Have no regrets about starting him earlier in grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 No, I don't use any grammar program in first grade (and I am not by any stretch a relaxed homeschooler.) I concentrate on phonics and reading for K-2, then start grammar in 3rd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 I've hesitated to answer on this thread, but yes, last year my first grader used MCT and GWG. We switched from GWG to KISS about midway. It worked well because MCT was a cuddle -on-the-couch sort of grammar, and he enjoys grammar and diagramming. It has worked for him. He also started Latin in first, with GSWL, and is now about midway through Lively Latin. Knowing proper grammar has made Latin much easier for him, and i Have no regrets about starting him earlier in grammar. I myself agree with all the posts about 1 grammar being more than enough; but, depending on your child, Halcyon's approach may suit better. I'd do KISS second grade (there is no first, and the third grade ramps up very quickly) if you were going to do this. However, Halcyon's child is clearly one with a natural proclivity for these things -- we stalled out in GSWL (Getting Started with Latin) with Button in first grade last year, when it came to things like 1st/2nd/3rd persons and singular plural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Well, you're getting a pretty unanimous response. Of all the programs to double on, grammar would be my last pick... double up on read alouds, writing, math... something else. Once you know grammar, you know grammar. I really think it's something you could omit for early elementary completely and be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 We do FLL and GWG. DS chose to do both, and when I tried to get him to choose just one to continue for the second level, he said he wanted to keep doing both. Seriously, it takes ten minutes, maximum, to do both books. It is not overkill. If your child hated it, sure, but it's going to depend on you and your child and the programs you're looking at using. We are also doing FLL and GWG, but just started with 2nd grade. It doesn't take long per day and the boys are not complaining :D. Both boys are reading well and read often so I'm comfortable focusing on grammar and writing (we also do WWE and WWW). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I'm not doing any formal grammar in first grade other than teaching to capitalize first words of a sentence and put some punctuation at the end. We're focusing on reading and phonics and working toward spelling. I think that's enough for first. I would only pick 1 or consider not using a grammar program and waiting until 2nd grade (or later) to really work on formal grammar topics. My first grader has enough on her plate with reading, phonics, spelling, and addition. Her brain would explode if we added much grammar into the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 For First grade, I'd vote more story time or more art time or more time outdoors INSTEAD of grammar. But if you're doing grammar, please pick just one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 We are also doing FLL and GWG, but just started with 2nd grade. It doesn't take long per day and the boys are not complaining :D. Both boys are reading well and read often so I'm comfortable focusing on grammar and writing (we also do WWE and WWW). That's a good point. A lot of people are talking about focusing on reading/phonics instruction instead. My son was finished with that already by the start of last year (which was technically kindergarten, but he was doing first grade work). If we had been focused on learning to read, I probably would have left grammar alone until we finished that. But, having finished phonics and having a child who had to be told to STOP reading, that wasn't an issue here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amselby81 Posted September 14, 2012 Author Share Posted September 14, 2012 Thank you so much for responding, everyone! Sorry it took me so long to come back and check on this thread, but I really appreciate all of this advice. We shall see where we are when the time comes, and if I feel that a grammar program is needed, we will look into FLL. :) And I will try not to feel like anything else is needed. I realized when buying for this year that I tend to want to do too much. For instance, I got three phonics programs for this year, AND I wanted to add some Abeka phonics to the mix too! I'm glad I didn't buy the Abeka Phonics, b/c I can't fit everything that I've already bought. I decided just to mix ETC and HOP for now. So lesson learned, more is not better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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