bluebonnetgirl Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) My son will be entering 8th grade in the fall. I am looking for a grammar program that would also expose him to literature, with the emphasis on grammar. Does such a thing exist? Thanks! ETA: Son will be taking a separate writing course, so I would prefer a program that does not include much writing. Edited February 1, 2016 by bluebonnetgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) Since Grammar is a subject that is intimately connected with Writing, you can find those subjects together in one program. By late middle school, Grammar is usually about completing any instruction in the subject, and beginning to move towards applying Grammar in the Writing -- through proper sentence structure; use of a variety of types of sentences; and "GUM" (grammar-usage-mechanics) for revising and proof-editing. This is largely how Grammar appears in high school as well -- no longer a separate "taught" subject, but put into daily use in the Writing. In contrast, Literature at the late middle school level (and into high school) moves to focus on learning about literary devices and how they work, beginning literary analysis, discussion of themes and "what's going on" in the work beyond just plot. Literature at this level also is about exposure to various types of writing (poetry, novels, novellas, short stories, plays, essays), and different types of fiction genres (realistic, fantasy, sci-fi, the epic, etc.). None of these goals of Literature connect very closely with Grammar at this stage, which is why you don't tend to find programs that are a combo of Grammar and Literature. There are a few programs that combine all of the LA areas -- Spelling, Vocabulary, Writing, Grammar -- as part of the study guide for a specific book, but the two I can think of (Total Language Plus, and Learning Language Arts Through Literature) appear to only do this for the elementary grades. By middle school, the Grammar is dropped out. Usually at the middle school level, if not using an all-in-one English program (like Bob Jones, which covers Grammar, Writing, and Literature in one place), you will use 3 separate programs or resources, one for each subject area of Grammar, Writing, and Literature. Since you have Writing covered and would prefer exposure to Literature and a heavier focus on Grammar, I would suggest: Analytical Grammar for a solid "wrap up" of Grammar concepts. Written to the student, and can be done largely solo. Lightning Literature (LL) for exposure to beginning formal Literature study: Written to the student, and can be done largely solo. Very gentle intro to beginning literary analysis. At the end of each unit is a 1-page "mini writing lesson" and choice of longer writing assignment, but these can easily be skipped, which no harm to the program. The grade 7 program can be used for grades 6-8, and is shorter (8 units); the grade 8 grade program can be used for grades 7-9, and is 1/3 longer (12 units). You can even have your student take these with online instruction via Online G3 ($220/semester), although the online course includes regular writing, so this may not be an option for you. LL7 units = 2 poetry units, 2 short stories (Rikki Tikki Tavi, Bride Comes to Yellow Sky), and 4 novels (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, All Creatures Great and Small, Helen Keller's Story of My Life) LL8 units = 3 poetry units, 3 short stories (Crazy Tale, Wakefield, Reflections), and 6 novels (The Hobbit, Treasure Island, A Christmas Carol, A Day of Pleasure, My Family and Other Animals, To Kill a Mockingbird) A more rigorous Literature program, and one that would require more more intensive parent/teacher time (although everything is there for you in the teacher guide) is Mosdos Press Literature Series: Gold (8th grade), or, Jade (7th grade) if you haven't done much formal Literature studies yet. There is a writing section to each unit, but you could likely drop that or pare that back. Here is the Cathy Duffy review. Edited February 1, 2016 by Lori D. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebonnetgirl Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Thank you so much Lori D. My son is doing an in depth Literature class this year (Total Language Plus), outsourced, and is doing well. With the in depth format writing program next year, I wanted to go much lighter on the literature as his workload will be quite full. Maybe the wrap up with Analytical Grammar and a literature study guide or two to keep him reading. Off to check out AG. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) ...My son is doing an in depth Literature class this year (Total Language Plus), outsourced, and is doing well. With the in depth format writing program next year, I wanted to go much lighter on the literature as his workload will be quite full. Maybe the wrap up with Analytical Grammar and a literature study guide or two to keep him reading... JMO, but I would be careful to move gently forward with Literature studies in 8th grade with another online class or through a Lit. program, rather than just "mark time" or "just keep reading" (i.e., doing more than just reading 4-5 Young Adult (YA) historical fiction books over the year). Unless DS has learning disabilities that made Literature overwhelming for him this year, I would NOT drop down in reading level or amount (rather, increase it gently), and I would definitely work to transition in some "formal" Literature study -- learning literary elements and beginning to discuss literature at a deeper level, try at least one harder "classic", shoot for exposure to some short stories and poetry and other fiction genres in addition to YA... Here's my thinking: 8th grade is a transition year that allows you to solidify foundations, work on weak areas, and gently explore ahead a little. High school really "steps on the gas", and there will be large amounts of reading and the expectation of deeper thinking across all the subject areas. In high school Literature, not only is there more volume of reading, but there is also reading of some classics -- which usually have tougher language and sentence structure, and are longer and slower to develop -- plus being able to use the literary elements to analyze/discuss the work. If you've had some gentle exposure to some of these aspects in 8th grade, it makes the transition into high school SOOO much easier and smoother for the student. If DS clicked with Total Language Plus (TLP) and the Literature they cover, and if TLP goes deeper into Literature and meets your Lit. goals, would that be a possibility -- to continue with the 8th grade TLP? Books of 8th grade level in the TLP list: Around the World in 80 Days Call of the Wild A Christmas Carol The Giver The Hiding Place The Hobbit Treasure Island Of that list, The Call of the Wild and The Giver are short and easy to read, and The Hiding Place, while long, is also easy to read and very straight-forward (an autobiography) so it will not require a lot of deep analysis/wrestling. I think you could pick 5 of the 7 TLP books above, add a 6th book from the lists below, or do some study of some short stories or poetry, and have a solid 8th grade Lit. year. Or, 3 of those 7 books are covered in LL8 (see previous post), so consider doing LL8, skip the writing portion, and make 1 unit each of poetry, a short story, and a novel optional; that would leave you with 9 units to cover in 9 months, which would be VERY do-able with LL8, as it is a gentle program… The work pages in the last half of the program really help guide the student into beginning analysis and putting what has been learned into practice. Or, if the TLP guides aren't doing what you need, and LL8 isn't a good option, and if you think DS might continue to do better transitioning into formal Literature studies with more high-interest, well-written Young Adult (YA) books with meaty lit. guides plus a few beginner classics, then here are some book and guide recommendations: YA works with meaty themes Tuck Everlasting -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide Maniac Magee -- Progeny Press guide A Wrinkle in Time -- Blackbird & Co. guide; Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Progeny Press guide Bridge to Terebithia -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Progeny Press guide The Giver -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide; Portals to Lit. guide; Progeny Press guide Across Five Aprils -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Blackbird & Co. guide; Progeny Press guide I Am David -- Blackbird & Co. guide Beginner Classics The Hobbit -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide Call of the Wild -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide, Portals to Lit. guide The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Portals to Lit. guide; Progeny Press guide The Outsiders -- Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide Treasure Island -- Blackbird & Co. guide Animal Farm -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Portals to Lit. guide The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide To Kill a Mockingbird -- Glencoe Lit. Library guide; Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guide A Christmas Carol -- Portals to Lit. guide The Time Machine -- Portals to Lit. guide If you want to outsource the Literature, you might look at Brave Writer Arrow (ages 11-13) or Boomerang (ages 13-18) online Lit. classes these are "a la carte" -- a book per month; sign up for as many of the specific books (1-10) as you are interested in. BEST of luck in planning your 8th grade English! :) Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited February 1, 2016 by Lori D. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Not sure if you want an online class, but Home School Book Study Junior High literature class may be a good fit. The teacher gives an essay prompt each week and offers a separate grading service, but if you wanted the reading & discussion without the writing, you can use it that way. My daughter was very young when we first enrolled, so she was ready for the input (reading and analysis), but not for the output of writing essays every week. It has been fine for our purposes. She chooses classic books and does a good job leading Socratic discussions of each. I'd send a link, but don't know how on my phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebonnetgirl Posted February 2, 2016 Author Share Posted February 2, 2016 Thank you all. Lots to research. Appreciate the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Since Grammar is a subject that is intimately connected with Writing, you can find those subjects together in one program. By late middle school, Grammar is usually about completing any instruction in the subject, and beginning to move towards applying Grammar in the Writing -- through proper sentence structure; use of a variety of types of sentences; and "GUM" (grammar-usage-mechanics) for revising and proof-editing. This is largely how Grammar appears in high school as well -- no longer a separate "taught" subject, but put into daily use in the Writing. In contrast, Literature at the late middle school level (and into high school) moves to focus on learning about literary devices and how they work, beginning literary analysis, discussion of themes and "what's going on" in the work beyond just plot. Literature at this level also is about exposure to various types of writing (poetry, novels, novellas, short stories, plays, essays), and different types of fiction genres (realistic, fantasy, sci-fi, the epic, etc.). None of these goals of Literature connect very closely with Grammar at this stage, which is why you don't tend to find programs that are a combo of Grammar and Literature. There are a few programs that combine all of the LA areas -- Spelling, Vocabulary, Writing, Grammar -- as part of the study guide for a specific book, but the two I can think of (Total Language Plus, and Learning Language Arts Through Literature) appear to only do this for the elementary grades. By middle school, the Grammar is dropped out. Usually at the middle school level, if not using an all-in-one English program (like Bob Jones, which covers Grammar, Writing, and Literature in one place), you will use 3 separate programs or resources, one for each subject area of Grammar, Writing, and Literature. Since you have Writing covered and would prefer exposure to Literature and a heavier focus on Grammar, I would suggest: Analytical Grammar for a solid "wrap up" of Grammar concepts. Written to the student, and can be done largely solo. Lightning Literature (LL) for exposure to beginning formal Literature study: Written to the student, and can be done largely solo. Very gentle intro to beginning literary analysis. At the end of each unit is a 1-page "mini writing lesson" and choice of longer writing assignment, but these can easily be skipped, which no harm to the program. The grade 7 program can be used for grades 6-8, and is shorter (8 units); the grade 8 grade program can be used for grades 7-9, and is 1/3 longer (12 units). You can even have your student take these with online instruction via Online G3 ($220/semester), although the online course includes regular writing, so this may not be an option for you. LL7 units = 2 poetry units, 2 short stories (Rikki Tikki Tavi, Bride Comes to Yellow Sky), and 4 novels (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, All Creatures Great and Small, Helen Keller's Story of My Life) LL8 units = 3 poetry units, 3 short stories (Crazy Tale, Wakefield, Reflections), and 6 novels (The Hobbit, Treasure Island, A Christmas Carol, A Day of Pleasure, My Family and Other Animals, To Kill a Mockingbird) A more rigorous Literature program, and one that would require more more intensive parent/teacher time (although everything is there for you in the teacher guide) is Mosdos Press Literature Series: Gold (8th grade), or, Jade (7th grade) if you haven't done much formal Literature studies yet. There is a writing section to each unit, but you could likely drop that or pare that back. Here is the Cathy Duffy review. The website for AG says it can be done in one year? Do you think that is realistic for, say, a grade 6 student? One that has done some grammar before and seemed to enjoy it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebonnetgirl Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) I actually wrote the Analytical Grammar people asking them about completing it in one year. DS will have completed 6th grade ACE English. Here is what they said: Yes, you can complete AG in one year. We recommend you use the "suggestions for shortcuts" outlined in the front of the book and set the timer (roughly 30 minutes a day). Most kids finish in around 25-30 weeks doing it that way. I am now debating between Analytical Grammar and GrammarKey Edited February 3, 2016 by bluebonnetgirl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I actually wrote the Analytical Grammar people asking them about completing it in one year. DS will have completed 6th grade ACE English. Here is what they said: Yes, you can complete AG in one year. We recommend you use the "suggestions for shortcuts" outlined in the front of the book and set the timer (roughly 30 minutes a day). Most kids finish in around 25-30 weeks doing it that way. I am now debating between Analytical Grammar and GrammarKey Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) The website for AG says it can be done in one year? Do you think that is realistic for, say, a grade 6 student? One that has done some grammar before and seemed to enjoy it? My understanding is that the 1-year schedule is for a high school student (or strong 8th grader) who needs a final completion/wrap-up of Grammar. I believe the 2-year or 3-year schedule is more typical, esp. for younger students. No personal experience with AG, but here's the scheduling info from their website: It is designed to be taught in three grammar “seasons†… over three years; however, it is flexible enough to be adapted to a one- or two-year schedule… We recommend breaking it up over three grammar 'seasons.' … Each unit in the program takes about a week to do… Here's the unit breakdown: 10 WEEKS = Units 1-10: Parts of speech, parts of the sentence and the basics of sentence diagraming 8 WEEKS = Units 11-17: All the phrases and clauses (this completes the study of grammar) 16 WEEKS = Units 18-34: All the rules of punctuation (commas, semi-colons, colons, quotations, etc.) and usage (who or whom, I or me, etc.) If your student begins AG in 8th, 9th, or 10th grade, we recommend this timeline [a 1.5 year schedule]... YEAR 1 = 10 weeks = units 1-10 … 10 weeks = reinforcement & review … 8 weeks = units 11-17 … 8 weeks reinforcement & review YEAR 2 = 16 weeks = units 18-34 If your student begins AG in 11th or 12th grade, it may be best to go through the program all in one year... Edited February 3, 2016 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebonnetgirl Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Thank you all for your feedback. After more research, I am thinking for my son's 8th grade year of using a combination (or in sequence) of Killgallon's Middle School Grammar and IEW's Fix it Grammar. They seem like they would complement one another. Instead of straight grammar, these programs have the student applying the grammar skills learned in earlier grades (my son is finishing up ACE English 6). With Killgallon you are modeling good literature, and writing well phrased sentences. With Fix it, you are editing sentences from good literature. Both are literature/story based. Both seem like they would work with a whole to parts learner, like my son. Edited February 4, 2016 by bluebonnetgirl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.