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Starting out in first grade: Spelling, Grammar and Writing?


DoppeltGemoppelt
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Does anyone know what Susan Wise Bauer's newest recommendations are for spelling, grammar and writing?

I've just read the WTM and love the classical approach! I'm really confused though with these three areas and I'd really love some all-in-one approach in book format that is low on the budget.

 

Please do not use abbreviations when answering and feel free to use links.

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Well, I'm not sure about spelling but I'm sure her recommendations for writing and grammar for 1st are still First Language Lessons (grammar) and Writing with Ease (writing). We wait until second to use these with my boys but they both work really well. We use All About Spelling starting in first and we love it.

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I don't think she's ever recommended an all in one for language arts in TWTM.

 

A low cost option would be First Language Lessons for grammar. The older combined 1/2 version picked up on a used book site would be even more inexpensive.

 

If the child still needs daily phonics instructions I'd hold off on the spelling curriculum and just work through Phonics Pathways.

 

I did WTM-style writing for years with just the instructions in TWTM, before Writing With Ease ever existed. You can buy just the hardback Writing With Ease instructor text if you need more hand-holding than that.

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An option that combines phonics/reading instruction, spelling, and grammar is Logic of English. It even includes some basic composition, which may be plenty for a first grader. This program didn't exist when the last version of WTM came out, but I think it is amazing - definitely worth a look. LOE plus Writing with Ease would be my choice for a first grader's language arts. I'm not SWB, but there it is!

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An option that combines phonics/reading instruction, spelling, and grammar is Logic of English. It even includes some basic composition, which may be plenty for a first grader. This program didn't exist when the last version of WTM came out, but I think it is amazing - definitely worth a look. LOE plus Writing with Ease would be my choice for a first grader's language arts. I'm not SWB, but there it is!

 

 

Can you give a little more color on what sort of writing instruction it has? I also have to think about next year :)

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Can you give a little more color on what sort of writing instruction it has? I also have to think about next year :)

 

 

Hmm, well, I'll try - though I'm not using this part yet. I am going through LOE with my 10 yo using the advanced spelling lists, as a spelling program (and we're only on Lesson 6) and she's already past the grammar/composition pieces, so we're skipping over those. I will do them when I do LOE with her little sister, eventually.

 

But it looks like there is a dictation section, and a composition section, in each lesson, which have the student write using the spelling words and grammatical constructions that have been introduced. So in the early lessons, the dictatin might be just an adjective and a noun together, and the composition section might be pairing nouns and adjectives off the spelling list. Later on there is a greater emphasis on writing sentences from dictation, and composing original sentences and then paragraphs. But again, this is just from a quick glance at the material, I haven't gotten that far.

 

What ocurred to me when I saw this was that it might be ideal for those who have young, reluctant writers (often boys?) whose grammar/phonics abilities might be beyond their writing abilities. My 6 yo is already writing mutli-sentence stories on her own, so I can't see these early lessons being enough writing, which is why I would jump into WWE with her. But for kids for whom WWE would be too much writing, I think this could be a perfect, gentle introduction.

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What ocurred to me when I saw this was that it might be ideal for those who have young, reluctant writers (often boys?) whose grammar/phonics abilities might be beyond their writing abilities. My 6 yo is already writing mutli-sentence stories on her own, so I can't see these early lessons being enough writing, which is why I would jump into WWE with her. But for kids for whom WWE would be too much writing, I think this could be a perfect, gentle introduction.

 

 

This is extremely helpful. I was at first hoping it could be used instead of WWE.

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As mentioned, the recommendations in the WTM book are: First Language Lessons for grammar, Writing With Ease for writing, Spelling Workout for spelling.

 

We are doing First Language Lessons, Writing With Ease (just buy the workbook, it's all in there open-and-go!), and All About Spelling. It's working beautifully so far.

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