weird issue with Killgallon Sentence Composing

[redsquirrel]

I just recieved Killgallon's Sentence Composing for Middle School. I am planning to use it with my fourth grader.

 

The book is small and the writing is small. I don't see it being a practical workbook. I measured it and the book itself is 9X6.  That makes it similar in size to a SOTW on the shelf. The more standard workbooks on my shelves are 11X9.5.

 

The text is also small and the font is thin and not particularly dark. I feel my eyes straining a little bit when I read it, and that is not something I have ever noticed with a book before. Of course, my eyes have never been this old before, lol. There is very little space (none?) for a student to work in the book itself.

 

So, I am guessing this isn't meant to be consumable. It is called a 'worktext' and I assumed that meant it was made to be read for instruction (the text part of worktext) and written in (the work part of worktext) but that is not the case.  I can tell I am going to have to do something.... type all the exercises into word documents? Slice open this nicely bound book and copy enlarge it?

 

Any suggestions of ways to make it more workable? I have to say that the idea of having to do something to make it useable with my fourth grader is NOT making me love this book. I can deal with things that are not 'open and go' but I did not buy this with the intention of transcribing it into worksheets.

 

[Ohdanigirl]

You must have a different edition than I do. Although mine is thin, it sits on my bookshelf next to the SAT blue book; They are the same height. As for the font size, I wear glasses and have had multiple eye surguries but can read it without glasses. With that said. We do not write in the book. My children write it down on a ie e of paper. Sometime I will write in a white board or sit down one on one and do it orally. It huts depends on my mood/needs that day. From your description of the book, I think having your fourth grader write the answers out might be best.

 

HTH

[Roadrunner]

We used it as a textbook. My son wrote exercises in the journal.

[Clear Creek]

I have half dozen of the Killgallon books so far, and they are all textbooks, not workbooks. The elementary books are a larger size than the middle school books. I do it orally with my student, though...it is not something I give her and let her loose with. The only writing she does is the imitation sentences and paragraphs.

[Matryoshka]

The texts in the Grammar series (Story Grammar, Grammar for Middle School etc.) are a regular workbook size.  The Sentence Composing series books are smaller - no idea why.  Both series are textbooks - I had the kids write their work in a separate notebook.

[Momling]

I know what you mean! I have a full sized Sentence Composing for Elementary, but a tiny Sentence composing for middle school. I was disappointed when it arrived.

[Crimson Wife]

I haven't seen the ones marked "Sentence Composing" but the grammar ones are full-sized. When I used them with my DD, she dictated and I scribed. I did have enough space to write down the sentences so we used the books as consumable work texts.

[fourisenough]

We're doing Paragraphs for Elementary. Like others, we do most orally, but some responses are written in a composition book that we use for various things that fall under the heading "English" (some copy work, written narrations, dictations, occasional vocabulary exercises, etc). I wear glasses, but the font doesn't seem too small or light for my eyes. I like that the book is small so we can use it while snuggling on the couch.