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Having trouble finding a grammar program


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I'm looking for something next year to take us up to high school level English. We tend to be math/science people, so when I start looking at grammar programs, this weird fog sets in. Next year, my daughter will be in 6th grade and my son will be in 5th grade.

 

My daughter has been using MCT LA, but I plan to switch. I'm looking for something that she can work on with my son (who does NOT like MCT - he won't even look at it). These two are 13 months apart and are pretty much on the same level with everything. I have them combined in everything, but math.

 

I'm looking at:

 

Winston Grammar (3 levels) with Jensen's Punctuation. Would this be enough grammar to take us to high school? My only concern...after looking at the samples, it looks like my daughter already knows a lot of the content (from using MCT LA).

 

I also looked at Rod and Staff...but my daughter does not like a ton of review. Review = Bad. :D

 

Also looking at Analytical Grammar and it looks very cost-effective. You use the one program for 3 years (if I understand this correctly)? And it covers everything?

 

Thanks for your help!

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I know she recommends R&S in WTM and I looked at samples of it this morning. Is it repetitive? I wish there was somewhere I could actually look thru the book. Would she be behind if she started book 5 next year? Can you only buy it thru the R&S website?

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I think it depends if you are looking for strictly grammar or all the other aspects of language arts as well.

 

AFAIK, Analytical Grammar contains ONLY grammar.

 

My oldest is using Hake after the MCT elementary series, there are books for 5th - 8th grade. A lot of it is review, but Hake covers the aspects that MCT did not (usage, mechanics, etc). Hake is set up with lots of spiral review built in every single day, which is why I dismissed it when I first looked at it (thinking my son didn't need it), but it has proven to be helpful as he was going through the "I forgot how to do everything, and what is a preposition again?" phase.

 

Many people don't use the writing portion, but I am using it as an opportunity to introduce him to the type of writing assignments he will likely get from outside classes as he gets older (so I view it as an extra layer of writing, not his primary writing instruction). There are copywork and dictation paragraphs at the back of the book to work through as needed. We are not using the journal prompts.

 

Hake can be done completely independently. My son completes the lesson and all of the practice, then we go over it at our meeting at the end of the day.

Edited by Colleen in SEVA
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Also: Mr. Thompson would probably not like Hake, as it is exactly what he says he does not like about grammar instruction -- filling in blanks, memorizing lists, doing lots of the same thing. However... after teaching grammar to 2 kids with very different learning styles, I can see the importance of this kind of grammar learning. We still love MCT and will use it with my youngers, but there is a lot that it is missing. Even though MCT and Hake are practically opposites in their approach, I think they present a nice balance and between the 2 of them my kids will have a very solid grammar background heading into high school (I'm saving the later 3 levels of MCT for after Hake).

 

Along the same line, I am having my second son use Saxon along side the Beast Academy. It gives him the best of both approaches. :)

Edited by Colleen in SEVA
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If you're wanting only grammar, then I wouldn't recommend R&S, which is a more comprehensive English.

 

Winston Grammar was the only thing that my older, normally-compliant dd absolutely refused to do. :glare:

 

We liked Easy Grammar. Both your dc could do Easy Grammar Plus.

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The three seasons of AG include: Introduction to and cementing of basic parts of speech in Season 1, phrases and clauses in Season 2, and punctuation rules and parts of speech usage rules in Season 3.

 

The first season is going to be review for any student who has had formal grammar before (remember this program was written for a student with no prior grammar experience to start with in middle school). I don't know that you will be able to find any grammar program that your oldest isn't going to have to do some review in. Most grammar programs are going to go over the same material year after year, only adding in a small amount of new material as the student progresses in grade level. If she doesn't like review overkill then AG would probably be her best bet.

 

Each new concept is followed by 3 pages of parsing\ diagramming practice, a skills support page in which the student parses a paragraph then writes a summary of that paragraph, then the final page is test for that concept. Each day should take no more than 30-40 minutes including checking and correcting.

 

I've used Easy Grammar, R&S, and Hake (each for a year or more), and AG is the program I will be using with the remainder of my dc. R&S is thorough but using it over and over every year was mind numbing for us, EG was too easy to find the pattern and blow through the page not really knowing what you were doing, Hake was R&S light - after doing R&S I just couldn't bring myself to repeat the same information over and over every year.

 

I think they are all about the same in teaching grammar though - it's just a matter of finding the method that works best for your dc. Good Luck!

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I'm still having a hard time deciding, but I just wanted to thank everybody for your replies!!

 

I do have a couple of questions...if I buy R&S, do I need the TM and the student textbook? Also, does anyone sell it besides the publisher ?

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I'm still having a hard time deciding, but I just wanted to thank everybody for your replies!!

 

I do have a couple of questions...if I buy R&S, do I need the TM and the student textbook? Also, does anyone sell it besides the publisher ?

 

You may be able to find them used. Last I checked, the website is *not* the publisher. I can find the number for you. The program brought Fury to tears. I may try it with Dragon as he is my LA kid.

 

I don't know if this helps but we are going to try Applications of Grammar with Fury when he is done with CGE. It seems painless for the non-LA kid that he is.

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We used Easy Grammar and for my oldest it seemed to be enough. For my youngest, it just wasn't sticking.

 

This year she is going through AG all in one year. It does cover everything and she has really learned a lot already. She is taking the last test in Season 1 today. She does spend quite a bit of time on it, but I really feel like she will be ready for high school when she is finished.

 

I kept hearing how teacher intensive this program is and it just hasn't been. We do one day a week (Monday) where I go through the new lesson with her. Then she does practice pages and grades them the next two days. She does one skill day, then takes the test. I grade the test. ;) It has been easy and very successful.

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This year she is going through AG all in one year. It does cover everything and she has really learned a lot already. She is taking the last test in Season 1 today. She does spend quite a bit of time on it, but I really feel like she will be ready for high school when she is finished.

 

I kept hearing how teacher intensive this program is and it just hasn't been. We do one day a week (Monday) where I go through the new lesson with her. Then she does practice pages and grades them the next two days. She does one skill day, then takes the test. I grade the test. ;) It has been easy and very successful.

 

:iagree: My ds and I watch the DVD together (I think that was a good deal.)

 

I spent the first six weeks working through each day's homework with ds as he hasn't had any formal grammar. Now, he does the work on his own and checks it half way through and at the end of each lesson. I grade each weekly test. It's working out really well.

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