Help me with a language arts curriculum

[DesertBlossom]

I've been homeschooling DS7 (2nd grade) for almost 4 weeks now. I spent a couple weeks prior to that finding out all I could about the homeschooling materials available. (overwhelming, to say the least!) I looked for things that were highly rated and low prep for me but ordered everything online without being able to see it first. 

 

Well, I bought FLL Grade 3 and about died when I realized how much repetition there was. Also, I think it's too easy. Granted, we're only 6 lessons into it, but I've already decided once we're through with this I'll find a different curriculum for grammar.

 

So I'm looking for recommendations for next year.

 

And just some background on DS7-- his school taught Spalding, which he did well at because he memorizes so well. I don't think he ever got less than 100% on spelling tests.  In first grade I couldn't get him to read much until I realized he preferred non-fiction and then he'd read books faster than I could bring the stacks home from the library. Because of his love of non-fiction and being exposed to higher-level vocabulary, he's a really good reader. I've given him one McCall Crabbs test from book B and he got 8/8 and it said a 6th grade reading level. 

 

Every once in a while he'll get excited about writing his own stories and it's almost always dragon related. He does not like copying sentences or dictation (who does?), but he has a really good grasp of conventions. His handwriting is beautiful when he wants it to be, but usually not.

 

So... help me. What is out there that is not FLL? I keep hearing good things about MCT. Is that just grammar? Is that also a writing program? How do you know what level to start at?

 

What else works for a 7 year old who doesn't need a week's worth of lessons on how to make nouns plural!  :blink:

 

And if you use an acronym for a program, will you spell it out once in your post, please? I'm still learning what all these are!

 

 

[Freckles]

I've heard good things about CLE Christian Light Education. I'm sure you will get lots of great advice from the hive. There are so many choices. What type of learner is he? Does he like to work independently or with you by his side?

[MamaSprout]

Second grade is a tough year for Language Arts. Consider compacting FLL (don't review material, just move to the next thing). After that, take a look at MCT: http://www.rfwp.com/pages/michael-clay-thompson/ . Some accelerated kiddos like it.

[CardinalAlt]

I do it in little pieces with my 6yo b/c it's an area where she's all over the map. 5-10 minutes each morning doing short handwriting practice (a challenge area for her), 10-20m on spelling words from free k12reader lists (we pre-test, also a challenge area for her) with a little Logic of English app supplementation, she picks a couple of recommended picture books each week that we read together and notice literary elements, we do read alouds, she reads all the time, we're about to start some Scholastic online program with reading comprehension questions for books she's reading anyways (I'm hoping it will help her find some other good books, too, not get too stuck in certain series), so we'll see how that goes... We do MadLibs, I'd like to try Grammarland soon for something more organized but not dry or excessive... I need to find a good resource for prefixes, suffixes, roots, etc.- Rummy Roots seems a bit much for her age.

 

Not sure what we'll do next year, but this ragtag combo is working ok so far! Each element is either short or fun... Maybe Bravewriter and whatever I think I need to supplement it...

[Crimson Wife]

I would recommend getting MCT's "town" level + "Sentence Island". Start with SI, then move directly into "town". You might need to wait on "Paragraph Town" though as the writing is the most challenging part of MCT.

 

My DS just finished "Grammar Town" but he is not yet ready for "Paragraph Town" so he'll be doing some other things in the interim. I have Singapore "Sentences to Paragraphs" books 3 & 4 on tap next, then probably he'll do Killgallon's "Sentence Composing for Elementary" and some or all of EPS' "The Paragraph Book" series.

 

ETA: You'll probably want a mechanics supplement as MCT does not cover much in the way of mechanics until the middle school level (I just got a copy of Magic Lens 1 and there is a fair amount of mechanics covered in that book, though why MCT waits so long in the series to add that in is beyond me). I have used Evan-Moor "Daily Language Review" and "Daily Paragraph Editing" to supplement the elementary MCT books.

[Korrale]

Have you looked into Logic of English?

[SnMomof7]

We do like CLE quite a bit here, integrates all of LA, even copywork in the lower grades. Not to fond of the spelling after 2nd, but that's easy to skip. It is spiral though, we like that. :)

[DesertBlossom]

Thank you for the replies. It sounds like MCT is highly recommended and that's probably where I'm leaning. Is that a complete language arts program?  I find myself worrying that I'm completely leaving things out when it comes to stuff I'm supposed to teach and that stresses me out. And the fact that I can't see the materials before I buy doesn't help. 

 

I will look into CLE. And I looked up Logic of English. With the phonograms and spelling rules it sounds a bit like Spalding, but maybe a more complete program?  I did buy the SWR, and while I love how well DS already knows the phonograms and spelling rules from his years in PS, I'm finding that I'm struggling with it. He's just goofy and uninterested when we sit down to do it. (it honestly surprises me that his behavior was so good at school, because at home he's a silly, distracted little boy!)  I'm thinking something more independent might work better.

 

As for his learning style... I don't know! He just seems to absorb everything intuitively. We started at 4th grade math because he seems to have figured out everything in between, despite not being taught it. The same with LA-- he LOVES to read and reads well, so he catches on to a lot of things. He's also a fountain of random bits of knowledge. :)

[The Governess]

I think FLL specifies which lessons are review, right? You could probably just skip these if he doesn't need them - I would estimate that probably 1/3 of the lessons are review lessons.

 

Dd is strong in grammar. She used FLL4 and it gave her such a good foundation that we have skipped to R&S English 6 and she is doing great.

[DesertBlossom]

I think FLL specifies which lessons are review, right? You could probably just skip these if he doesn't need them - I would estimate that probably 1/3 of the lessons are review lessons.

 

Dd is strong in grammar. She used FLL4 and it gave her such a good foundation that we have skipped to R&S English 6 and she is doing great.

 

Just curious, how old is your DD?

[The Governess]

Just curious, how old is your DD?

She is 9.

[JennW in SoCal]

Thank you for the replies. It sounds like MCT is highly recommended and that's probably where I'm leaning. Is that a complete language arts program?  I find myself worrying that I'm completely leaving things out when it comes to stuff I'm supposed to teach and that stresses me out. And the fact that I can't see the materials before I buy doesn't help. 

 

I will look into CLE. And I looked up Logic of English. With the phonograms and spelling rules it sounds a bit like Spalding, but maybe a more complete program?  I did buy the SWR, and while I love how well DS already knows the phonograms and spelling rules from his years in PS, I'm finding that I'm struggling with it. He's just goofy and uninterested when we sit down to do it. (it honestly surprises me that his behavior was so good at school, because at home he's a silly, distracted little boy!)  I'm thinking something more independent might work better.

 

As for his learning style... I don't know! He just seems to absorb everything intuitively. We started at 4th grade math because he seems to have figured out everything in between, despite not being taught it. The same with LA-- he LOVES to read and reads well, so he catches on to a lot of things. He's also a fountain of random bits of knowledge. :)

 

First of all, welcome to the crazy world of homeschooling where nothing is ever, ever like we expect it to be. Young boys are squirrelly and silly and can drive an organized, by the book kind of mom absolutely nuts.  And curriculum programs are often unnecessarily boring and repetitive.  You will find your way, but you first need to trust that you are not ruining your child if you "leave something out".  Your child WILL have large gaping holes in his knowledge, no matter how diligent you are in following a program.  He is a kid, kids get bored and they forget stuff.  They most often they forget spelling and and basic punctuation when they go to write, leaving you bewildered and frustrated that program x, y, or z isn't working.  It isn't the program -- it is a kid being a kid.  You have years and years of school ahead to work on all the usage, spelling and grammar rules.  

 

I think you need less in the way of language arts curriculum than you think.  Perhaps it would help to think instead that you need a guide to give you a big picture of what your son ought to be tackling, and you may want some materials to pull out for specific lessons. But grammar or spelling lessons do not have to be every single day.  You don't need to keep adding seat work to a 7 year old's day.  I myself didn't make regular use language arts materials, preferring instead to work on egregious errors that came up during short writing assignments.  My kids could do a worksheet perfectly but would NEVER apply the lesson to their own writing.  Made me crazy.  But I found that doing copy work helped make those rules a natural part of writing.  Even better was rewriting their narrations, or later on their essays, to correct mistakes.  

 

We also made use of the same games CardinalAlt described.  We played MadLibs, we diagrammed goofy Mad Lib sentences.  We played rummy roots both when they were young (using the basic set of cards and making it a concentration kind of game) and when they were much older.  I had a sentence puzzle game where each part of speech had a color code and could only be put together in correct word order.

 

Having a rich language environment is really the most important element.  Read aloud a wide variety of books that he wouldn't read independently, let him read whatever he wants, and talk about what you like, what you're learning.  Play with words, too, with puns and riddles.  All of this is far more important than having the perfect "complete" language arts program.  It is a leap of faith, but it works.  

 

That said, I discovered MCT when my youngest was a sophomore or junior.  It wasn't around or I was unaware of it during our elementary years of homeschooling.  I loved the style of it, and just assume the younger materials would be as good.  But just like FLL, you do not have to use it exactly as it is sold.  Make it work for YOU!

[Crimson Wife]

MCT covers grammar, writing, vocab, poetry, and also literature if you get his lit guides. So you would still need something for spelling and penmanship/copywork/dictation. If you're in a state where standardized testing is required, you'd probably also want a mechanics supplement and maybe something for reading comp.

 

My DS is doing MCT "town", All About Spelling 5 (which includes dictation), Evan-Moor Daily Language Review Grade 3, and Critical Thinking Press "Inference Jones" Level 1 (I found with my older child that inferences were an area she struggled with on standardized tests).

[Laura Corin]

If you want to touch on grammar lightly and work with really good texts (non-fiction as well as fiction) I recommend the Galore Park texts.  For a bright 7yo, Junior English 1 would probably be appropriate.  The first chapter is here - each chapter has a similar format.

 

L

[DesertBlossom]

If you want to touch on grammar lightly and work with really good texts (non-fiction as well as fiction) I recommend the Galore Park texts.  For a bright 7yo, Junior English 1 would probably be appropriate.  The first chapter is here - each chapter has a similar format.

 

L

 

I like the looks of this a lot! Is it more independent? 

 

That's the one thing that worries me about MCT. People say they snuggle up and read it together... and I'm finding DS is just a goofy kid that plays around whenever we're trying to do something serious. However, if he sits down at the desk in his room (with the door shut to keep out little brothers), he'll work really well for 30-45 minutes.  If he find the material interesting and engaging, he'll read forever. He is a very independent learner.

 

Also, I've got 3 other littles at home which means I have less time to sit with him one-on-one.

[DesertBlossom]

 

 Oops, I meant to edit, not quote myself!!

[DesertBlossom]

First of all, welcome to the crazy world of homeschooling where nothing is ever, ever like we expect it to be. Young boys are squirrelly and silly and can drive an organized, by the book kind of mom absolutely nuts.  And curriculum programs are often unnecessarily boring and repetitive.  You will find your way, but you first need to trust that you are not ruining your child if you "leave something out".  Your child WILL have large gaping holes in his knowledge, no matter how diligent you are in following a program.  He is a kid, kids get bored and they forget stuff.  They most often they forget spelling and and basic punctuation when they go to write, leaving you bewildered and frustrated that program x, y, or z isn't working.  It isn't the program -- it is a kid being a kid.  You have years and years of school ahead to work on all the usage, spelling and grammar rules.  

 

I think you need less in the way of language arts curriculum than you think.  Perhaps it would help to think instead that you need a guide to give you a big picture of what your son ought to be tackling, and you may want some materials to pull out for specific lessons. But grammar or spelling lessons do not have to be every single day.  You don't need to keep adding seat work to a 7 year old's day.  I myself didn't make regular use language arts materials, preferring instead to work on egregious errors that came up during short writing assignments.  My kids could do a worksheet perfectly but would NEVER apply the lesson to their own writing.  Made me crazy.  But I found that doing copy work helped make those rules a natural part of writing.  Even better was rewriting their narrations, or later on their essays, to correct mistakes.  

 

We also made use of the same games CardinalAlt described.  We played MadLibs, we diagrammed goofy Mad Lib sentences.  We played rummy roots both when they were young (using the basic set of cards and making it a concentration kind of game) and when they were much older.  I had a sentence puzzle game where each part of speech had a color code and could only be put together in correct word order.

 

Having a rich language environment is really the most important element.  Read aloud a wide variety of books that he wouldn't read independently, let him read whatever he wants, and talk about what you like, what you're learning.  Play with words, too, with puns and riddles.  All of this is far more important than having the perfect "complete" language arts program.  It is a leap of faith, but it works.  

 

That said, I discovered MCT when my youngest was a sophomore or junior.  It wasn't around or I was unaware of it during our elementary years of homeschooling.  I loved the style of it, and just assume the younger materials would be as good.  But just like FLL, you do not have to use it exactly as it is sold.  Make it work for YOU!

 

Thank you for this. I do like the idea of using games. (I love madlibs and will have to get some of those!) I feel like we've got a pretty rich language environment here. We've always got a stack of books from the library we're rotating through and we've been doing chapter book read alouds at night. My kids are 7, 6, 5, 3 and 5 months, but DS7 is the only one being homeschooled.  While he loves learning, he's also got a house full of playmates, so he's constantly distracted!!

 

I think a lot of my worries just stem from being so new to this. I need to find myself a really good resource that outlines what kids should be taught and when to have as a guide so that at least I know I'm covering all the bases. I have this fear I'm going to leave entire subjects out. :)

[EKS]

In 2nd grade my son did well with MCT Island level.  I didn't do the writing assignments though.  Instead, I just had him write about what he was learning about in history and science.  For reading/literature, we used Mosdos Ruby level.  I also assigned supplemental reading for history, literature, and science.  For spelling, we used Spelling Power.

[Laura Corin]

I like the looks of this a lot! Is it more independent? 

 

That's the one thing that worries me about MCT. People say they snuggle up and read it together... and I'm finding DS is just a goofy kid that plays around whenever we're trying to do something serious. However, if he sits down at the desk in his room (with the door shut to keep out little brothers), he'll work really well for 30-45 minutes.  If he find the material interesting and engaging, he'll read forever. He is a very independent learner.

 

Also, I've got 3 other littles at home which means I have less time to sit with him one-on-one.

 

It depends on the child.  My boys are pretty good at English, so they worked fairly independently.  I did sit alongside them, just to keep the concentration going.  They weren't ready to work alone, but it sounds as if your son may be.

 

L