Need LA help for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders

[chellesnead]

I am going in circles trying to plan our LA for this next school year! Some background...  We used BJU distance learning for Reading and English last school year.  We started with both of those this school year, but a month in the kids were all whining and miserable.  They LOVED the Reading, not the English.  We dropped the English, did some simple workbooks for grammar and some story writing which they have loved.  We have used Sequential Spelling this year for all three of them, and while a couple complain that it is too easy, it's actually been really good for all of them.  We use Sonlight for our history.  Next year we will move into Core D which is the first year that the history core and the readers are aligned. I considered using the Sonlight LA next year b/c they are aligned, but when I look at the samples and the scope and sequence, I'm not loving it.  Lots of different types of writing, but only a week on each.  I don't see how most of it can be done well in a week.  There's no writing process happening which is something that has worked so well for my kids.

 

A little background on the kids for next school year...

3rd grade boy, super bright, excellent reader and spells better than either of his sisters, writes well but with much less depth than his sisters, still working on higher level thinking skills

4th grade girl, excels in all LA areas, really struggles in math 

5th grade girl, my worst speller, a good reader, and an average writer though she loves writing and is constantly improving

Thoughts I've had...

 

1) Stick with BJU Reading distance learning because my kids have enjoyed it so much.  They are doing really well with it, so if it isn't broken, why fix it?  Use the Sonlight LA b/c we will be reading the readers anyway.

 

2) Just try to keep things simple and do only SL LA.  Maybe I will grow to like it.

 

What I'm leaning towards...

 

3) Stick with BJU reading DL, again b/c the kids are so happy with it and it's worked.  The kids do a ton of reading on their own and love it, so we'd still read the SL readers just not do the LA.  Possibly continue with Sequential Spelling.  Add something else in for writing and grammar that is more structured and systematic than what we used this year.  Something that I've looked at and think my kids would really enjoy is Writing & Rhetoric.  I'd like to add some grammar in with that, though, and that is where I'm getting tripped up!  I know that I want something with built in review/taught spirally.  I want it to be enough that the kids learn the grammar well, unlike the simple workbooks we've used this year.  However, I don't want something that is going to bog them down as we'd do it along with the BJU and W&R.  Programs I've looked at and seem that they would fit my teaching style and the kids' learning style well are Easy Grammar and CLE.  Easy Grammar feels like it would be a good supplement to W&R without bogging the kids down.  CLE seems to be the most thorough, but it also includes spelling.  I'm not sure it we'd just skip those parts, do them just because they are there, or if we would ditch SS and keep things simple with CLE.  The kids have no experience with diagramming sentences, so would that be a difficult program to start with at say a 4th or 5th grade level for the girls?  If we did it with my son, would he be bored with the spelling or other parts of the program that he's mastered b/c he typically works at the same level as his sisters but may not be quite ready for the same level as them? Of course there are other great programs I could add for grammar, but I'm feeling overwhelmed looking at all of the options.  If you've found something that may work well I'd love to hear!  I need something that is at least somewhat independent as I've also got a 4th child with learning disabilities that I'm teaching but who is unable to do most of with the other three are working on, and then there's the toddler. :)

 

I'm grateful for any advice or help, even if you think my plan is terrible. :)  We ditched probably 50% of what we started this school year with, so I'm hoping to get it a little closer to right from the beginning for next school year.

 

Thoughts on anything? 

Thanks so much!
Michelle

 

[beka87]

If you like the look of Writing and Rhetoric, you might consider Well-Ordered Language.  This is a new grammar curriculum from CAP and I bet you could easily do it with all of your kids at once.  I'm not familiar with the reading program you're talking about, but do they really need a reading program?  If they are reading well and on their own, couldn't you just assign a certain amount of reading from good books every week and either talk about it/let them illustrate it/let them write about it once a week or so?  I'm guessing that dropping the reading program would free up some time for you.

 

I'm not a fan of total LA programs...as your kids have different needs and your spelling is already working, why grab CLE and then skip bits?  I think you should stick with what's working, cut what you can (even if you keep the reading), and focus on helping your kids improve their writing skills.

 

Treasured Conversations may be another good option to look into.  TC and WOL may not be independent enough for you, however.  Easy Grammar would work well there.  So would Fix-It Grammar and much of the work found in the Cottage Press materials.  Hope this helps, and good luck! :)

[sbgrace]

Well, if BJU Reading is working well and beneficial, I would keep it.

 

I have mixed feelings on Writing and Rhetoric. I used all the levels to Chreia, which I also own but didn't finish. I wish Writing and Rhetoric provided more systemic/clear instruction in the how of the skills they teach. To that end, I stopped the first level of Writing and Rhetoric and did The Most Wonderful Writing Lessons first. We then used those skills in the narrative portions of Writing and Rhetoric. The Most Wonderful book is excellent in the clear instruction/how to of narrative writing, but is teacher oriented as was Writing and Rhetoric here. My boys did enjoy the Writing and Rhetoric program too, and that's a big deal with reluctant writers especially. I just found myself frustrated.

 

I started a child with no previous diagramming instruction in CLE LA 5. It went fine for him, and grammar is his weak spot. I do skip the spelling and handwriting for him. I still think the program is worth the cost and time. It steps up a lot in the 6th grade level. It is independent with my son. He doesn't have special needs or attention issues. I think my son with special needs could probably do it independently too at his age if I used it with him. It's meant to be independent. I haven't used Easy Grammar to compare.

Edited May 8, 2016 by sbgrace

[Emba]

I don't know that it is really spiral, but Climbing to Good English is what I have been using with my 4th grader  and I have liked it.  There is plenty of review, especially if you get the extra worksheets, and it  is very affordable.  It's also somewhat independent.  The explanations are all there, and usually I just give a short explanation and send her off to do the exercises.  My daughter had no experience with diagramming sentences, but she's doing pretty good with that part of it. 

 

There is a little composition toward the end of the fourth grade book.  I'm not sure if that is true of all grade levels.  It isn't enough that I would want it to be my entire writing program.

[Peaceful Isle]

I love BJU reading program. :) my kids have all used it.

BJU English is good too, but not my favorite. I love FLL, and then voyages in English is my second choice.

[chellesnead]

Love these suggestions!  I'm sifting through them to see what might fit well with what I've already chosen for next year.

 

I don't know that it is really spiral, but Climbing to Good English is what I have been using with my 4th grader  and I have liked it.  There is plenty of review, especially if you get the extra worksheets, and it  is very affordable.  It's also somewhat independent.  The explanations are all there, and usually I just give a short explanation and send her off to do the exercises.  My daughter had no experience with diagramming sentences, but she's doing pretty good with that part of it. 

 

There is a little composition toward the end of the fourth grade book.  I'm not sure if that is true of all grade levels.  It isn't enough that I would want it to be my entire writing program.

 

Wow, this really is very affordable, but also seems to be thorough!

 

What do you use for your writing?  

[Emba]

For my writing this year I have used several different things, not any one program.  Mostly I have just assigned different writing projects - personal essay, research report, letters, etc.  She does some sort of writing every day.  I've used some of the exercises out of Progressive Composition by Ida M. Brautigam, which is a vintage text available free online.  I skipped many of the first lessons, which were too basic. 

 

Next year, I'm not sure what I'll use for writing.  I want something more organized, but I'm still researching.

[chellesnead]

Looking at all of this has put me into overload mode!  :laugh:  Seeing the price of so many other curriculums that look really great makes me wonder why I'd pay the price for the BJU reading.  My kids love reading so much that I could probably give them anything and they'd be happy!  For a fifth of the price that I would pay for the BJU DL reading, I could get CLE reading which looks very good.  Even less for the Pathway Readers which people seem to really like.  I feel like my kids still need the extra input for vocab and deeper understanding of what they are reading, as this is something I'm actually really weak in, so even though they are good readers I'm not ready to drop a reading curriculum at this point. The CLE LA also looks great, but what I'm leaning towards is Climbing to Good English.  While the curriculum looks so outdated, the content looks fantastic!  Was trying to narrow things down, and now I feel like I have more to choose from!  :lol:

Edited May 10, 2016 by misn0224

[Emba]

Well, I've got BJU reading for next year, though we haven't used it this year, and I've got a Pathways reader/workbook/teacher's workbook, and I think the BJU reading is way better.  The Pathways reader is inexpensive, and I do thing the workbook is pretty good, as far as exercises that really help with vocabulary and comprehension, but there's not nearly as much help for the teacher (the teacher's manual is just an answer key) and the stories, though some are cute and all are quite wholesome, are overly moralistic for my taste.  I've read through about half of the book so far and every story is about a child with a moral dilemma or who learns a lesson of some sort (be grateful for what they have, to realize there is always someone who has it worse, etc.).  Later in the book there may be some nature stories.

 

Anyway, I'm going to keep using it, I don't think it's harmful, I just think the BJU Reading program is better.  If the cost is the problem, maybe you can find a good deal used?  I got mine off of ebay used, though I had to buy the workbook new, and altogether saved half off of the cost new.  And I was in Mardel bookstore the other day and they had the teacher's manual in the clearance section for like $10.

Edited May 12, 2016 by emba56