Guest JulesM Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I am sure this is a repeat question for most of you, but I searched and searched and just didn't really find an answer (I am starting to feel like there isn't an answer actually). We are going w/ MUS for math but I just don't know what to get for language curriculum (spelling, vocab, etc). My DD was in PS for Kindergarten and 1st grade. She is a pretty good reader and likes it. She likes to do creative writing and make books. I was looking at Evan-Moor books but I just don't see any real "instruction" maybe workbooks are enough, I just expected to do more "teaching." Can someone talk to me about how you do things, what you use and why you like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 If you are interested in starting grammar this year (I am assuming 2nd grade?) we really like Growing with Grammar. It is a gentle, straight forward approach and not too teacher intensive. We started out with First Language Lessons...too much review (that sound silly, huh?! But it didn't "move" enough for us)...then switched to Queen's Homeschool Language Lessons...WAY to slow for my ds. GWG is just perfect for us! As far as spelling, we use All About Spelling. We like the hands on approach. I know others have had success with Spelling Workout and Natural Speller. Welcome to the community! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 (I am starting to feel like there isn't an answer actually). Can someone talk to me about how you do things, what you use and why you like it? There are answers. :) Have you read the Well Trained Mind book? The grammar stage language arts section will give you a comprehensive overview of what to teach, how to teach it, and some resources you can use to teach. I taught/am teaching my kids how to read, spelling (leaving vocab. for 5th grade and up), grammar, writing (through copywork/dictation and narration), and literature (reading and narrating) using the methods and several resources in the book. I like this way because it walked me through each step. The book also helped me to see how each skill builds on the last, and how skills are interconnected with each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 We are light on grammar, but the books have a lot of literature and self expression (both oral and written), as well as spelling, parts of speech and word origins. From 2nd grade the series would be Junior English, from Galore Park. We also do some copywork, using Hannah's Aesop's fables. You can find them at Lulu.com. This helps with spelling and punctuation. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JulesM Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 Yes 2nd grade is where we are. There are so many choices available, it is so overwhelming. I guess I had a picture in my mind that I would have to "stand up and teach" so many of these subjects yet when I look at what is available it is mostly book work, and very little "teaching" on my part. Which I am ok w/, I just have to get used to that idea. I think I need to unschool my brain, lol and be more confident in my abilities. I am just worried about missing something if I "do it myself" which is why I prefer a curriculum set. Hopefully once I get used to things we can loosen up more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeansvilleMom Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 We don't use a formal grammar text. We use Classical Writing (Progymnasmata) as well as the study of Latin (Latina Christina) and this gives us plenty of stuff to chew on for language purposes! DS is entering 4th grade this year and we are in Aesop A for CW and LC2 for Latin. b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I will tell you what we are using for 2nd/3rd grade, just FYI. We're using First Language Lessons (FLL) and Writing With Ease (WWE), both Peace Hill Press/Jessie Wise/Susan Wise Bauer books. Both my girls have loved FLL, and I'm excited to try WWE. FLL is nice because a lot of it is oral, and the lessons are short. It's a nice, gentle introduction to grammar. There is very little bookwork - you do the lessons together. There are some copywork activities and some gentle writing activities, but it's not busywork. You do the teaching. We use All About Spelling for spelling. I love it. It's so easy to teach, and still teaches using Orton/Gillingham phonograms, so they learn much more of the why of spelling, not just the how. It's multi-sensory so there are several ways to practice each lesson. The lessons again are also short. It's working really well for us so far. You'd probably want to start with Level 1, so that she really learns the phonograms, but you would move through it pretty quickly. There are 24 lessons in level 1, and we were able to do one per day through several lessons. Again, the lessons are scripted for you as the teacher; you help your child learn and practice the phonograms and rules. It's not a workbook approach at all. We decided to to use MUS this year too, because I've been having a hard time with math as a teacher and MUS came highly recommended. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I am sure this is a repeat question for most of you, but I searched and searched and just didn't really find an answer (I am starting to feel like there isn't an answer actually). We are going w/ MUS for math but I just don't know what to get for language curriculum (spelling, vocab, etc). My DD was in PS for Kindergarten and 1st grade. She is a pretty good reader and likes it. She likes to do creative writing and make books. I was looking at Evan-Moor books but I just don't see any real "instruction" maybe workbooks are enough, I just expected to do more "teaching." Can someone talk to me about how you do things, what you use and why you like it? If you dd is good at reading, I would start focusing on spelling, creative writing, and grammar basics. We use Spelling Power for spelling. It's a comprehensive curriculum with a lot of good practice and spelling rules for those who have a hard time (my ds isn't a natural speller and spelling is his most difficult subject). My dds are natural spellers so I work with them on commonly misspelled words using different lists like this. We also do copywork. This is a good place to find a lot of copybooks with various topics in history, science, etc. Copywork is good for teaching grammar, too. With copywork, you can start introducing punctuation, capitalization, etc. It's a good tool. For writing, I just have my dc do daily journals. Sometimes I use writing prompts. You can find more here, here, and here. Journaling is a good way to teach creative writing. If you want everything put into a curriculum, Learning Language Arts Through Literature is what I've used with all my dc from the beginning. You can find information and samples here. Good luck!! I hope you find something that works well for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 My son is in second grade and we are doing primary language lessons. I bought the classic version of the book because I didn't know there was an updated version. I plan to have him do it orally and blow through it pretty quickly. He also gets a lot of simple grammar from his Latin studies (Prima Latina and LIvely Latin). I'm also very interested in grammar island from this place: http://www.rfwp.com/mct.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I forgot to add that we are using Sequential Spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen in NS Posted July 30, 2008 Share Posted July 30, 2008 I am just worried about missing something if I "do it myself" which is why I prefer a curriculum set. This is exactly why I bought Well Trained Mind, because I didn't know *what* I was supposed to teach or how. After using the ideas from there, I finally figured out that the idea was to focus on the skills (reading, spelling, grammar, writing, arithmetic), then build from there. I'd recommend that you read the grammar stage section of WTM and get an overview of the elementary school years. And don't worry, pretty much everyone here has been or is where you are now - we understand the worries! :) (They resurface regularly for me, LOL!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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