Jessiepage Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Hi! I'm in my second year of homeschooling with a 2nd grader. I need some help deciding on a language arts curriculum and was hoping you could tell me your experiences. I am looking at rod and staff (used in for a few weeks but have to make my dd write it out for her to retain it), FLL (the drawback with this is that my dd is very independent so she likes to do as much as possible independently, however she loves poem memorization, BUT she totally spaces out when I talk for more than two seconds), easy grammer (looks short, sweet, and to the point), or language smarts by critical thinking co. (Used this book for grade 1 and she really really enjoys it BUT I've heard alot of people don't use it unless as a suppliment). I'm using daily 6 trait writing for writing pratice and spelling you see, so those are covered. Would love to hear opinions please!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 English Lessons Through Literature or CLE may be worth a look. CLE is very independent (assuming your DD can read fairly well). I'm not sure about ELTL. You can always add poetry memorization on your own, just pick favorite poems and review them periodically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Deleted post as it seems to have entirely missed the mark. :/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 First, a 2nd grader isn't expected to have mastery of grammar concepts the first time they cover them. Anything in a 2nd grade grammar book that is important will be repeated in the 3rd grade book, and the 4th grade book, and every grammar book they ever use. :001_smile: Second, a few weeks is not nearly enough time to know how thorough the retention will be for a new curriculum. ;) Third, just handing a book off to a 2nd grader and expecting them to do the work themselves with good retention is not a recipe for success, regardless of personality. (For what it's worth, I have an uber independent 2nd grader. She can get more work done independently than any of her four older siblings could at her age, but she is required to work at my elbow and discuss lessons with me regardless.) You already have R&S 2, so make it work for you instead of the other way around. Having her write it out is totally fine and beneficial, but for that age you really should be teaching the lesson yourself before setting her loose on the written exercises. The TM has a scripted presentation you can use if you're unsure how to teach that lesson, along with an oral review of old concepts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 We'll be using Grammar-land -there are free guides available online and it's short, sweet, and you can draw it out if necessary. The book itself is a free download from google books (or audio file available). It's a perfect introduction to the parts of speech in a way that is easily retainable. We work more diligently on grammar later, around 4th grade when we start doing foreign language study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessiepage Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I am on an iphone with my 3 year old climbing on me. That is why my grammar is not perfect. Plus I stink at texting fast. I never hand the book to my dd and expect her to do it by herself. I teach her the lesson, and she completes the work. Some days, if the lesson is review, she can do just fine on her own. I feel very judged and this is so disappointing. I will not be posting here again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessiepage Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 I don't need help teaching it, I was simply looking for those that have used this curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I am on an iphone with my 3 year old climbing on me. That is why my grammar is not perfect. Plus I stink at texting fast. I never hand the book to my dd and expect her to do it by herself. I teach her the lesson, and she completes the work. Some days, if the lesson is review, she can do just fine on her own. I feel very judged and this is so disappointing. I will not be posting here again. Well, I deleted my post since you misunderstood my intent, although I mentioned several times that I was trying to help, not judge, and I tried to give practical answers especially regarding two of the programs you mentioned in your OP. Nonetheless, if it failed, it failed. The post is gone now, if you'd like to stay and see if others are able to answer you in a way you like better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 easy grammer (looks short, sweet, and to the point) I'm using Easy Grammar 2 with a 2nd grader this year (also using it with my 4th grader, who is behind in LA). Both girls are enjoying it. We work through it together, discussing each concept (there are 4 parts each day). It is short and sweet. I went with EG this year because our state requires standardized testing at the end of the year, and I wanted to be sure to cover some of the punctuation/capitalization stuff, especially with practice finding errors in sentences. I originally ordered CLE LA for them but it just added too much to our day. Felt like soooo much more work. But YMMV. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TX Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 You don't need to do grammar with a second grader. All the typical grammar programs repeat, repeat, repeat concepts every year. Wait until next year and start with R&S 3rd grade or even better wait another year and start with 4th grade and you will do just fine. Susan in TX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeAndTheBoys Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I don't know exactly what the question is--but you might like Christian Light Language Arts. It includes grammar, spelling, and penmanship all in one book, is very solid, and very efficient since you're not having to use 3 different books. My youngest is about to start the grade 2; my olders used the 5th and 6th grade levels last year. ETA--I used Rod and Staff Grade 2 with my oldest -- it was too much writing for him and hard to use a textbook at that age; we did a lot orally. Christian Light is very similar in the grammar it covers, but easier to use because it is in a workbook and written to be nearly self-teaching and independent. B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
u2006kids Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 try cozy grammar....gets the basic concepts in. Then use EiW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 We love FLL! Quick, easy and my kids enjoy it. We use the old book combo book for 1st and 2nd and do it all orally. Occasionally do something grammar-ish for copywork. Very little of my 2nd grader's work is truly independent. All at least mom-at-elbow and most of it requires my direct participation. I agree with SilverMoon, go with what you have. Rod and Staff is thorough and clear. Save your money for fun history and science books and art supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 We have CLE. It is particularly helpful, IMO, for children who space out when mom teaches (I have some like that). It is written directly to the student in 2nd and up and isn't all grammar. It is a fairly comprehensive LA that includes spelling, penmanship instruction (starts cursive in 2nd), usage, dictionary skills, usage, homophones, and all of that good stuff that I was once always afraid that I'd forget to teach ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookMama13 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Maybe not helpful, but I started out grammar last year with apps for our iPad. There are a few that "teach" parts of speech and are fun enough to hold attention (like those old Schoolhouse Rock cartoons! Conjunction Junction what's your function...). For YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT ONLY look up "A Brief and Naughty Grammar" on YouTube. It's a hoot! Anyway, for more serious study we moved on to the Daily Skill Builder series along with Sentence a Day. Surprisingly the kids LOVE trying to spot grammar mistakes in SaD, though mine were 4th, 5th, and 8th last year so you may have to work up to it. IMHO grammar is best learned when studying a foreign language (or latin)! That's how I really truly learned it, and diagramming sentences (albeit in high school). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 I have a 2nd grader this year. He's my last kiddo that I'm homeschooling. I wouldnt stress over grammar with a 2nd grader, it's all review from now and all through school. My DS will be using Language Smarts. It's fun and easy to teach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhawk Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 We use FLL. If you want a program she can do independently, I would not recommend. BUT, If you want a program to do together that would combat the space-out tendency, this might work since the lessons are short and quick (less time to space out) and there is a lot of repetition on the same topic (so even if spaced out the first time you have a lot of times to get the topic). You mentioned poetry memorization as a plus for FLL. I would suggest getting the IEW Poetry memorization program or something similar, if that is something you are interested in. FLL doesn't have that many poems to memorize, or at least not as many as we would like. I've started to supplement with poems from books around the house, or found on the internet, etc. But that takes more time to pull together, find an appropriate level, etc. Whatever you decide to use, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
u2006kids Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/egumpp/?c=1 Interesting find.... any one have any opinions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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