prim*rose Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I'm contemplating this for 2nd grade for dd. Dh doesn't think think there's a benefit to something like this, and the cost seems a bit steep. Any thoughts from anyone who has used it? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanaTron Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I would like to know what others think, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I've been singing the praises of this particular curriculum for years now, so if anyone is tired of it, my apologies :-) I think it's worth it for us. Now keep in mind that I have 5 children and have been using it since my oldest was 6 (5 years now). The poems begin very simply. There is a great blend of silly and serious poetry and the CD, for me, is invaluable because it makes it so simple for me. We just pop it in, listen to the last 5 selections once through, and then our current selection 3 times. We incorporate the older selections about once a week during our morning memory time. Every Friday we have a recitation day. I keep a clear plastic container with all of our memorized poems on slips of paper. We each choose a slip and recite in front of the whole family. Everyone recites 3-4 poems each week and we work on diction, posture, and feeling. I feel it has helped my children with vocabulary and an appreciation of fine language. Not to mention the recitation skills. It is a fun, easy, and quick curriculum to implement. We spend 10-15 minutes/day on it. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cout7 Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 :iagree: We picked it up at last years HS conference. My DC and I have been very pleased. My kiddos are not big on poetry, but this has been fun for them. The system that is outlined in the curriculum is easy enough to implement with all 5 of my kiddos, too. I bought the cds of Andrew Pudewa reciting the poems, also. He does a great job putting emphasis where it is supposed to. Olga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 My answer to this question is always Yes and No. I think it is overpriced for what it is. It is a collection of poems and a CD recording of them. Could you do this yourself? Absolutely! However, we have really enjoyed it and it has made all the difference between actually doing it and not doing it. You could just buy the book, but my kids really like Mr Pudewa's voice. So, for us it was worth it, although I still think it is quite overpriced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMarie Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 Every Friday we have a recitation day. I keep a clear plastic container with all of our memorized poems on slips of paper. We each choose a slip and recite in front of the whole family. Everyone recites 3-4 poems each week and we work on diction, posture, and feeling. Nancy, what a great idea! I think we'll try having a recitation night so they can recite for dad. (We use the cds in the car, they are great for those 20 minute drives across town.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bula Mama Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I just use the book and think it's great! My dc prefer saying it with me instead of the CD. The selection of poems is quite good. With work I could have probably come up with something like it but IEW has done the research already and has put together a really nice selection. I haven't studied it enough to give you an intelligent answer as to why it works (although I'm sure that there are good explanations in Classical Ed. or Charlotte Mason books!) but I believe that reading poetry regularly really does unlock something in a dc's head as far as literacy and the appreciation of language and literature. And memorizing poetry takes it a step further. For example, I had one dc who stuttered until he started memorizing and saying poems out loud with FLL! I wish I had utilized poetry memorization more with my older dc when they were little. Oh well, live and learn! HTH, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prim*rose Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 Thanks so much for the great feedback, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanaTron Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 reading poetry regularly really does unlock something in a dc's head as far as literacy and the appreciation of language and literature. And memorizing poetry takes it a step further. For example, I had one dc who stuttered until he started memorizing and saying poems out loud with FLL! According to Mr. Pudewa, most of the language our children hear, and thus have inputted into their minds, is not terribly complex and may or may not be comprised of correct linguistic patterns (think media and peers). How can we expect to get "sophisticated and reliably correct" language out, i.e. when they write, if it was never put into their brains to begin with? He recommends reading out loud to children of all ages, even those who can read to themselves, and poetry memorization to correct this issue. This is what I understood from his workshop "Nurturing Confident Communicators," that I heard at a conference in June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happymom Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 My children are 11 and 9 yrs old. Has anyone started this with children this old. If so did you start at the beginning? Have any of you noticed an improvement in writing since using this program? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 My children are 11 and 9 yrs old. Has anyone started this with children this old. If so did you start at the beginning? Have any of you noticed an improvement in writing since using this program? My kids were older than this when we started with the program, and they have enjoyed it immensely. I do it fairly informally. I only use the book- the CD is way overpriced and unnecessary . Takes us 5-10 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Its a great way to do pick up and go poetry memorisation, and because the first section is mostly fun poems, the kids really enjoyed them even though they were older. Yes, we started at the beginning. I don't care if we get to the end, we just move at the pace the kids naturally memorise the poems. No, I am not sure I would buy this program for the benefit of an improvement in writing. I would buy it for the benefit of having poetry memorisation done in an easy way, but you would have to be convinced of the benefit of poetry memorsation to do that, i guess. I personally feel the benefit is fairly intrinsic...I don't do it with another agenda other than poetry memorisation just seems like a great thing to do as part of an overall LA program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Every Friday we have a recitation day. I keep a clear plastic container with all of our memorized poems on slips of paper. We each choose a slip and recite in front of the whole family. Everyone recites 3-4 poems each week and we work on diction, posture, and feeling. We do the same thing. It has been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 You can download his talk "Nuturing Confident Communicators" from the IEW website for $3. It's well worth it, IMHO. I really, really enoyed hearing Pudewa speak at convention this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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