Anyone else using the vintage English books by William Henry Maxwell?

[myfatherslily]

I've been using First Book in English with my 3rd grader all year, alongside A Beka Language 3. I've been focusing on grammar with A Beka and writing assignments with First Book. What I'm finding is that First Book is covering almost all the same important things that A Beka does. I just haven't gained the confidence to use it by itself! Today we discussed a lovely poem about snow. She then had to answer specific questions as a guided way to write about the poem, and compare the rewritten version and the original to see which is a more beautiful way of writing.

 

Now I've just started using Primary Lessons in Language and Composition with my 1st grader and I love it so far! We're only through lesson 7. He has learned how to answer in a complete sentence, correct usage of a and an, and how to make a word plural. As written, there is too much writing for him, so we do almost all of it orally. They are expected to memorize those grammar rules I mentioned.

 

I just think they are such beautiful books! I found them on Google Books (now called Google Play) and we use them on our iPad.

[Zoo Keeper]

I have good memories of using Primary Lessons with my two oldest; I really like the writing assignments as well. The year I used Primary Lessons, I also used Abeka along with it- I used an older Abeka Language 3 TM I got at Goodwill for $.99! I had the boys memorize the definitions from Abeka, and then apply it using *some* of the sentences from the TM that I copied out for them. They enjoyed using the Maxwell book as something "fun" and different. Good times!