K&Rs Mom Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 My oldest has finished our spelling & grammar programs (we use CHC for both) through the middle school levels, and I don't really see a need for her to continue either subject. She's a natural speller, getting lots of grammar through Latin (MP's Forms series), and reads a ton. As I'm planning out our next few weeks, that box in my planner is looking pretty bare. We're going to get back into IEW, but that and Latin are the only Language Arts subjects for her. I feel like there must be something I'm missing. Or do we just eventually do less in that category because they're already fluent and we can move on to other things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 I think you can probably move on to more writing, more analysis, etc. Calvin did lists of frequently-misspelled words, and we talked through grammar issues as they came up. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 We've upped intensity and expectations, so we're actually spending more time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heritagelearningacademy Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 We are doing a grammar program that is 8 weeks on, then some time off, come back again for several weeks, then time off. We have also added Literature analysis. And, we will begin Latin and Greek roots in the summer to assist with comprehension and writing. I would say, our focus has changed in what we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in CA Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 We don't spend less time on language arts. However, the focus has changed. While we spend less time on spelling or grammar we spend way more on writing and literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 Okay, tell me about literature - several people have mentioned transitioning to more of a focus there. She reads a LOT, mostly good stuff (her favorite book since she was 6 is Little Women), but we really don't discuss it. I did have her do a comprehension workbook last year, with some questions about the details and some opinion/discussion type questions, but more of the same seems like busywork. She's definitely writing more, and I'm expecting a lot more out of her writing, so the grammar practice is more "applied" than when she was working through the grammar instruction books. I try to integrate that into other subjects, like the 5-question paragraphs for history or a research paper for science, so it doesn't show up in the "language" box even though it is practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Okay, tell me about literature - several people have mentioned transitioning to more of a focus there. She reads a LOT, mostly good stuff (her favorite book since she was 6 is Little Women), but we really don't discuss it. I did have her do a comprehension workbook last year, with some questions about the details and some opinion/discussion type questions, but more of the same seems like busywork. She's definitely writing more, and I'm expecting a lot more out of her writing, so the grammar practice is more "applied" than when she was working through the grammar instruction books. I try to integrate that into other subjects, like the 5-question paragraphs for history or a research paper for science, so it doesn't show up in the "language" box even though it is practice. You may have seen this before, but I really like SWB's advice on literary analysis: http://www.welltrain...en-to-teach-it/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 You may have seen this before, but I really likes SWB's advice on literary analysis: http://www.welltrain...en-to-teach-it/ I hadn't seen that - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Okay, tell me about literature - several people have mentioned transitioning to more of a focus there. She reads a LOT, mostly good stuff (her favorite book since she was 6 is Little Women), but we really don't discuss it. I did have her do a comprehension workbook last year, with some questions about the details and some opinion/discussion type questions, but more of the same seems like busywork. We did a few things: we used Galore Park English, which includes analysis of passages from excellent literature; he often went on to read the full text afterwards. We also studied Lightning Literature 7 over two years. In addition, we did intensive study of a couple of Shakespeare plays, using simplified versions, films, and finally the text itself. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Well, after 6th grade we finished spelling and switched to vocabulary. We aren't stopping grammar until maybe after 9th grade. WWS has been quite a step up for composition so no time saved there. And, we also added in literature as a separate subject. We use Kolbe Literature. So, no I haven't found we are doing less in the language arts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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