MCT Island or GWG/WWW3?

[Kathryn]

Help! I had everything all planned out and bought for next year and then I bought MCT Island. DS *loves* WWE and FLL, so we'll be moving on to level three in both of those this coming school year. We've done WWW and GWG along with them the past two years. This was at his request. He asked to continue with them again next year when we discussed it, even when I warned him that the workload was going to be increasing.

 

I came across a used Island package and bought it, figuring I'd maybe use it the year after the next one (he has a November birthday, so is technically entering second grade, though he will be going into third grade work). Now he says he *doesn't* want to continue with GWG/WWW. I have both programs on the shelf.

 

So, keeping in mind that we will also be using WWE3/FLL3 and that he's a year ahead for now (I plan on taking a year to do something else between WWE4 and WWS), which program would you use this coming school year?

[Spy Car]

I would not miss out on using Island. MCT is joyous, inspiring, fun, and efficient.

 

Don't miss out on this one!

 

Bill

[Five More Minutes]

I agree with Bill -- MCT Island isn't one to miss! I use it with WWE because MCT's writing is more enrichment than instructional.

 

For a while I used parts of FLL3 (for the diagramming, which we just think is cool around here), but backed off of FLL when my dd (Gr. 2) told me that she just wasn't enjoying that part very much any more. MCT has given her a deep understanding of grammar and has fed her love of words.

[HRAAB]

I have used both, and the winner is MCT. I used GWG and WWW with MCT, and after some time, we shelved it. GWG didn't require the analysis and thought that MCT did. There is so much more depth to MCT. I have continued to use WWE and WWS in addition to MCT's writing. If I were to only use one level of MCT, it would be the Island level because it lays such a fabulous foundation for future language studies. I have used MCT with my current high schooler, and it has done more to develop a deep understanding of language than any other program I've tried.

[clemota]

MCT, no question about it! Bill is correct: it is a wonderful curriculum. It's our number 1 favorite around here, and we came in to it late (second semester of 4th grade). We're looking forward to starting Town next year.

We used it alongside WWE this year. They both work on different things.

 

I can't address FLL - we don't like it much around here. :leaving:

[Kathryn]

So, you'd go ahead and start MCT this year with a 7.75-8.5 year old student doing third grade work and not hold off for another year? I do plan on doing it, it's a question of whether to do it this year or next year.

[clemota]

Island could easily be done by your DS. If he doesn't have the writing ability to do the written parts, you can do them orally - they are quite simple at the Island level. Even the 4 level analysis could be done together on a whiteboard or sheet of paper.

 

From what I understand, the writing portion of MCT ramps up with Town. So depending on your child, you may want to wait a year between them, maybe do GWG or even take 2 years to do Island. But I wouldn't wait on Island. It's considered a 3rd grade curriculum, and if that's where he is academically, you should go for it!

[Spy Car]

So, you'd go ahead and start MCT this year with a 7.75-8.5 year old student doing third grade work and not hold off for another year? I do plan on doing it, it's a question of whether to do it this year or next year.

 

 

This is what we did. Island was a 7th birthday gift. My son is a "summer baby" so we started MCT the summer before he started 2nd Grade. I was very glad we didn't hold off.

 

The Grammar portions were no problem for him (it is the most relatively "easy" portion of Island). We did only some of the suggested writing, and spoke about some exercises. The vocabulary book is also "easy."

 

The one "difficult" book is the poetics. It is very advanced. So I treated this one as an "exposure" pass, rather than expecting "mastery." If you are one to expect "mastery" of the materials your children use (and I have a tendency in this direction) this is the one book where you will need to adapt. It is, however, a truly unique way of teaching poetry to young people on a really deep level, and can be returned to later for a second pass.

 

I was really glad we did not wait until Third Grade.

 

Bill

[Five More Minutes]

Island could easily be done by your DS. If he doesn't have the writing ability to do the written parts, you can do them orally - they are quite simple at the Island level. Even the 4 level analysis could be done together on a whiteboard or sheet of paper.

 

From what I understand, the writing portion of MCT ramps up with Town. So depending on your child, you may want to wait a year between them, maybe do GWG or even take 2 years to do Island. But I wouldn't wait on Island. It's considered a 3rd grade curriculum, and if that's where he is academically, you should go for it!

 

 

I agree! Go for it now.

 

Rose (Chrysalis Academy) and Crimson Wife gave me some good advice on what to do after Island in this thread. The gist of is it to add in Killgallon to spread out MCT and allow writing to catch up with grammatical understanding. Here's a quote from Crimson Wife from that thread:

 

I would hold off on starting Killgallon until after MCT "Grammar Town" because it will go much more smoothly if the student has a decent grasp on phrases & clauses. My oldest did Killgallon "Story Grammar" before "town" and I wish in retrospect I did them the other way around. My 2nd student will start "Grammar Town" after he finishes "Sentence Island" and then I plan to do Killgallon "Sentence Composing for Elementary" while waiting on the rest of the "town" level. That book appears to be easiest of the Killgallon books.

 

[HRAAB]

My girls knew the parts of speech and could find the subject and predicate before we began the Island level. I had taught them using copy work primarily. In our case the Island level was a great way to really cement how the parts of speech work together within the context of the sentence. I'm assuming your son has covered all this with FLL. I would certainly go ahead and start him with the Island level. As the other poster said, you can do the sentences orally or on a whiteboard. We used the whiteboard and talked our way through the analysis. Often I would do the writing portion for my girls.

[Spy Car]

My girls knew the parts of speech and could find the subject and predicate before we began the Island level. I had taught them using copy work primarily. In our case the Island level was a great way to really cement how the parts of speech work together within the context of the sentence. I'm assuming your son has covered all this with FLL. I would certainly go ahead and start him with the Island level. As the other poster said, you can do the sentences orally or on a whiteboard. We used the whiteboard and talked our way through the analysis. Often I would do the writing portion for my girls.

 

In contrast, my son started MCT Island as almost a "blank slate." I say "almost" because we had blasted though reading "Grammar-land" (which we throughly enjoyed) just days prior to the arrival of Island. But aside from that, parts of speech and subjects and predicates were areas of very slight knowledge.

 

The explainations in MCT were perfect for my son. He is one who is "fast on the uptake" and one who would cringe at the repetition of something like FLL. Kids are different. But he went from basically knowing nothing when he started, to successfully finding a couple errors in the Practice Island sentences. The degree of mastery he got from using Island grammar materials far surpassed my expectations (which were high to begin with). And the best part is he was sad when Practice Island ran out, as he thought the analysis was fun.

 

When effective, deep, and fun all come together in one package (as in MCT) it is my kind of program.

 

Bill

[HRAAB]

In contrast, my son started MCT Island as almost a "blank slate." I say "almost" because we had blasted though reading "Grammar-land" (which we throughly enjoyed) just days prior to the arrival of Island. But aside from that, parts of speech and subjects and predicates were areas of very slight knowledge.

 

The explainations in MCT were perfect for my son. He is one who is "fast on the uptake" and one who would cringe at the repetition of something like FLL. Kids are different. But he went from basically knowing nothing when he started, to successfully finding a couple errors in the Practice Island sentences. The degree of mastery he got from using Island grammar materials far surpassed my expectations (which were high to begin with). And the best part is he was sad when Practice Island ran out, as he thought the analysis was fun.

 

When effective, deep, and fun all come together in one package (as in MCT) it is my kind of program.

 

Bill

 

One of the reasons I didn't start with MCT is because I heard it was for gifted students. One of my twins is a quick learner and needs little instruction; the other is much slower and needs more instruction. Both of them have done exceptionally well with MCT grammar but especially my dd that needs more instruction. The stories provided another approach to tackling grammar, and the practice book gave her plenty of opportunity to master the material. Her favorite subject now is grammar and writing. We are huge MCT fans. It's the one curriculum package that I would call almost perfect.

[prissygirls]

We just started MCT island. We had finished FLL level 3 for my 3rd grader and level 4 for my 4th grader. I was so surprised at what my kids did not know after completing FLL. MCT island is absolutely the best curriculum I have ever bought. My kids love it and what they have learned is amazing. They really know their grammar.

[JBJones]

Definitely MCT.

[Kathryn]

I'm convinced! I'm going through it now. Thank you!