TOG question

[dkt320]

What all do I have to add to Tapestry of Grace? My DS (8) is doing Horizons Math, Spelling Workout, Plaid Phonics, Growing with Grammar, and A Reason for Handwriting. I am having a hard time getting him to do the workbooks. Just wondering how others have streamlined their day with Tapestry of Grace, I would like to include as much as possible in that. We are doing Tapestry of Grace for History.

[susie in tx]

I use TOG for history, geography, literature, and church history. My 10 yo is also using it for her writing.

 

I'm adding math, science, handwriting and phonics (for 7 yo), and grammar (for 10 yo and 7 yo). Oh, and spelling. My 13 yo is using Classical Writing and some WA for her writing. I don't require writing from my 7 yo.

 

I find that TOG helps me to streamline our homeschool quite a bit.

[NevadaRabbit]

What all do I have to add to Tapestry of Grace? My DS (8) is doing Horizons Math, Spelling Workout, Plaid Phonics, Growing with Grammar, and A Reason for Handwriting. I am having a hard time getting him to do the workbooks. Just wondering how others have streamlined their day with Tapestry of Grace, I would like to include as much as possible in that. We are doing Tapestry of Grace for History.

 

Do you mean you are only using TOG for history - not doing lit, geography, arts, crafts, etc from TOG?

 

I'd recommend using TOG with as much of a unit-study mindset as you can. Use TOG reading for vocabulary and copywork and spelling. That sort of thing.

[Trivium Academy]

We use Tapestry of Grace for history, literature reading, geography and a portion of our writing. I think in Year 1 you could use TOG for your Bible studies as well.

[Another Lynn]

I'm not a TOG user, but if you're looking to eliminate some of your workbooks, what about the phonics vs. spelling? I don't use plaid phonics or spelling workout, so this may not apply .... but it seems like a lot of folks finish phonics before adding in spelling just to keep from having too much going on at one time...

 

Also, is a Reason for Handwriting designed to last an entire school year? We use HWOT and as soon as we complete a book of instruction (probably by Thanksgiving?) we'll ditch it and increase our copywork.

[Melissa in CA]

if you're looking to eliminate some of your workbooks, what about the phonics vs. spelling? .... but it seems like a lot of folks finish phonics before adding in spelling just to keep from having too much going on at one time...

 

 

:iagree: I fact, we didn't really begin formal spelling until 4th grade, and even then I used Spelling Power sporadically. We now use Sequential Spelling and love it. ;)

 

I personally would ditch the spelling and just focus on Phonics. Plaid is good, and also Explode the Code books if you have not used those. Pick up Spelling again next year.

 

Also, if it were me, I wouldn't push the formal grammar too much at 8 years old either. I would seriously concentrate on assigning copywork, and then use the copywork for dictation. I would also use narration as much as possible. When my son was 2nd & 3rd grades I used to assign him one copywork passage to complete each week. That was his copywork for Monday thru Thur...the same passage written neatly each day. Then on Friday I would dictate the same passage to him orally, and he would write it out from my dictation. It never failed that not only would he get each and every word spelled correctly, even the long difficult words, but all the punctuation as well. This was our spelling. ;)

 

Not much help for you with TOG, but thought I would add in my 2 cents. :w00t:

[dkt320]

Thank you all for your help. About copy work, where do you get the passages they copy?

[Melissa in CA]

Thank you all for your help. About copy work, where do you get the passages they copy?

 

Well, at the time we were using the old Sonlight LA which had activity sheets with passages from a book the child was currently reading. I would use these for our copywork/dictation/spelling/punctuation. :D

 

I have also used MANY bible passages. Proverbs has lots to pick and choose from. ;) Sandi Queen from Queen Homeschool has some wonderful copywork books. I have two for boys and my favorite is "Copywork for Boys." It contains 180 passages you can pick and choose from.

 

One VERY easy way to do copywork though is to pick a passage from one your son's current readers...preferably something he will read during the week it is assigned. This is probably the best choice. As he matures, and gets used to copywork/dictation you would want to gradually add more to the passage, making it longer. Start out slow though...two, three, maybe four sentences or so until he is able to copy and write from dictation entire paragraphs.

 

HTH's

[Melissa in CA]

Oh, I wanted to add one more thing: Handwriting.

 

We also ditched a formal handwriting curriculum around 3rd grade as well. My son had learned all his letter formations, including cursive, so his copywork each day was ALSO his handwriting. I took a letter formation handwriting sheet from his old curriculum and laminated it. He kept this with him as he was writing his copywork for reference purposes. His copywork HAD to be written VERY neatly. I made sure I had appropriate handwriting paper onhand as well. You know, the kind with the special lines...whatever he had been using with his previous curriculum.

 

This worked great for us, and I got to stop purchasing handwriting curriculum each year. :tongue_smilie:

[dkt320]

Thank you so much for the suggestions, I switched from a very structured workbook curriculum, because we just weren't happy with it last year, but have found myself falling into the same routine with workbooks I have picked out on my own! Definitely not the way I wanted to go this year so I am trying to tweak it before we get too far into the year.