What to buy for R&S English?

[Amy M]

I'm going to a homeschool convention (my first!) this week and can order what I need for R&S English. I have a TM and textbook but should I get tests and worksheets as well? Do most of you just use the textbook orally, or do you photocopy worksheets for extra students, or do you buy worksheets for each of your kids?

 

Any generic advice on going to a homeschool convention appreciated as well. :)

[KeriJ]

We do most of it orally in 2nd grade. About 2/3 of it orally in 3rd. Then I assign about 1/2 of the written exercises in 4th. We don't use the worksheets, just pencil and paper. It's worked really well for us that way.

[mom2boys030507]

I have really liked having the tests. I like that I have a test to give them at the end of each unit - mostly because my oldest decided that the word test meant it was hard and grammar tests have been a great way to work on this anxiety for him. Now, he knows that tests are a place to show what he knows and that it is okay if he doesn't get something - which rarely happens.

[Erica in OR]

A couple of the sets I bought secondhand included the tests and worksheets, but we never used them. We do a lot of it orally and diagram on a whiteboard, even with my 7th grader this past year.

 

Erica in OR

[SilverMoon]

We use the tests regularly, but rarely to never use the worksheets. We're most likely to use the worksheets for punctuation lessons; my kids are naturally good with punctuation and it gets the lesson over faster. The worksheets are just extra reinforcement, and only 1/3-1/2 of the lessons have one anyway.

[Dolphin]

I would get the tests and worksheets when they are older. We are using them this year for 5th grade. DS does even or odds on his own, then studies for the test and takes the test. This way I don't have to grade his work (and with 2 kids that is a time saver). If he gets 90% or above on the test we move on. Below that and he does the worksheets for that chapter and I correct those.

[twoxcell]

For R&S 2 we just use the textbook and do much of it orally and some of it written in a notebook. For 3 and up we use the TM and the textbook and any writing is done in a notebook.

[warneral]

I liked the tests but the worksheets were not useful. The exercises in the book were better because it combined review and not just problems from the lesson.

 

We wrote in student text :)

[Mommy22alyns]

I also buy and use the tests and worksheets. R&S 2 was mostly done orally though.

[Kipling]

We do use the tests and the worksheets. We go over the lessons from the book orally and then if there is a corresponding worksheet, I have my child do that. Eldest dd much prefers doing the worksheets to writing the lessons on paper, so it gets her practicing the skill without a battle. The worksheet books are so inexpensive that I think the cost to copy the pages for other students would be higher than the cost of a second book. So, we reuse the textbooks, and I buy new worksheet and test books for younger ds.

 

ETA: not sure what level you will be doing, but I'm pretty sure level 2 does not have any worksheets, just text book and tests.