Do you use Abeka Grammar? How do your dc...

[LillianinAL]

like it, and how well do they master the material? Is it easy for you to use? Overall, how do you like it? I am considering a change from R&S next year. We'd be using God's Gift of Language B and C. Thanks, Lillian

[debbiec]

It was the first recommendation in TWTM, and so that was what I went with. It's a workbook. It's very clear mostly, presents the grammar rule, and many exercises for practice. At the end of each unit, there is a cumlative review of everything covered to date that is pretty thorough. The lessons give you LOTS of practice, probably more than you may even want. I found it simple, easy to implement, no planning, etc. Just pick it up and continue the next part of the lesson. And it has diagramming.

 

Did he learn grammar well? He didn't like doing 2 pages a day, because it would get so boring, but in my book, that meant he was learning it and it was becoming second nature. Yes, he learned it well. Did he like it, no. But oh well.

 

I'm sure there are other great grammar programs out there, but frankly, for the ease of having it all laid out, and can be self teaching (though we always went over the "lesson" part together, he would do the first set, and I would check it to make sure he understood, before he would go on by himself). I bought the TE, just to make checking answers faster. He did lots of writing for other subjects, so it wasn't imperative for him to have to write out his grammar sentences like in other programs and most are all preprinted, with a few exceptions. You just make the corrections, circle the right answer or write in the correct word. He did like that part:)

 

That may not be helpful. Overall, it's just a workbook that gives you lots of practice with preprinted lessons, and that's what I wanted.

[sassenach]

We've used Abeka for grammar for 2 years now, Language A and B. It's really worked for us. My dd is able to work through it for the most part on her own. I actually talked with SWB at our last convention about it and she agrees that it is a solid grammar program (just don't use it for writing). It has a ton of review and very clear teaching. We also like the workbook format. My dd is doing well with it and I plan to continue using it as long as it works. hth,

[awanama]

We are using it this year for third. It has cemented the information into my daughter. I really like how much she has retained from it. This was her first year of formal grammar to.

[Suzannah]

As someone else said, it's very thorough with way more review than you will probably need. I actually go through every few weeks or months and circle excercises that I think are most important and note things which DS needs to copy (rules, charts, diagrams, etc). Then when I assign say pages 38-40, DS does whichever excercises have been circled. This extra step became necessary for me within the first semester or so of Language 3. We were doing 2-3 pages three times a week and I realized that we would never get through the book at that pace, but DS was (and still is to some extent) reluctant to write much and we were often ending the day in tears. Anyway, this was what worked for us. DS is now in 5th grade and has a pretty good grasp of grammar.

[mcconnellboys]

Yeah, what she said.....

 

I used it with my oldest, all the way through Grammar and Comp III (he returned to private school this year). And I'm using it with my younger son; we began this year in level A.

 

As Debbie told you, there's more than enough practice for a whole classroom full of children. Do we do all the exercises? Well yeah, most of them. I agree with Debbie that it's not going to kill them and it does insure that they will learn the material well. That said, I don't make them do excessive writing, as she also mentioned. Where corrections can be made to the text, I allow them to use their editing skills to do that rather than recopying sentences, which would be snoringly boring and take too long.

 

I do some exercises orally with them. I try to always go over the first problem of any exercise to make sure they understand it before they get started on their own. We, too, tend to do about 2 pages per day. So I go over the material, reading any sections that give instruction, and going over the first problem in each exercise with them, then leave them to complete the work. They can always come to me if they run into problems.

 

This method seemed to serve my older son very well. He's a great writer and has experienced no difficulties with grammar in school or with the grammar related portions of any testing he's ever done. I'm hopeful that it will serve my younger son just as well.

 

I know a lot of other programs get recommended over time, but my philosophy has always been if it ain't broke.....

 

Regena

[LillianinAL]

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