How do you use Killgallon's? (x-post)

[KellyMama]

I've been using Daily Grams alongside our grammar for 2 years and what I'm noticing is that my oldest DD really needs to focus on her sentence structure/combining skills. To that end, I'm debating adding in a Killgallon's book for 8th grade (probably Grammar for Middle School because it's the newer text), but I'm not sure how to use it? Do I schedule her an activity per week in addition to her grammar (GWG 8)? Do some people use it as "stand-alone" grammar? I'm open to ideas. :)

 

If it helps, I'm planning to use IEW SWI B for writing next year and we'll also be doing a vocab program (Sadlier-Oxford) and a lit program (LL8) - so I don't want this to be an over-balance of LA but I do feel it's an important skill for her to master. I'm hoping it can just step in and fill the 10 minutes in DD's morning that Daily Grams used to fill - but maybe I'm not fully understanding how to use it. ;)

[Jyniffrec]

I think she could get it done in 10 minutes if she works on it without dawdling. It is a straightforward program that seems fairly easy but that is very beneficial. Others may think differently but this has been our experience.

[KellyMama]

I think she could get it done in 10 minutes if she works on it without dawdling. It is a straightforward program that seems fairly easy but that is very beneficial. Others may think differently but this has been our experience.

 

 

Thanks, Jennifer. Can you tell me which book you used? I've been looking at the various options. :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

We've started Grammar for Middle School, we use it ~ once a week, in "writing time" - she does the exercise and copies out the sentence, so it's copywork practice as well as Invention/Style practice.

G4MS covers everything that Sentence Composing for Middle School does, and does it better, IMO. I would just use G4MS, not both, it would be redundant. I am intrigued by the new Paragraphs for Middle School book, and we may use it after we finish G4MS.

It's a good idea to make sure your dc is pretty solid on phrases - appositives & verbals - before you do G4MS, IMO. It introduces these as stylistic techniques to improve sentences, and I think this is more effective if the student has already studied these as a grammatical construct.