Rod and Staff English Question

[Red Dove]

Is there a lot of overlap between grades in the Rod and Staff English books?  I am considering starting my two children (11 and 13) all the way down to the 2nd grade level because of the many gaps in grammar they have.  Would that be overkill?  Could I instead do the 3rd, 5th, 7th books and not miss anything?  Or is there not that much overlap in the grades for that to be possible?  

Also, where do you buy the curriculum?  I’m mostly seeing the curriculum on used sites like eBay.  

Edited May 30, 2022 by Red Dove

[freesia]

Susan Wise Bauer recommends starting with 5 for children your age. I agree. Every book repeats and then builds, but the fifth grade book doesn’t move too fast for a beginner or someone with gaps. Those ages are perfect for doing formal grammar. While I do teach basic grammar in the early years, most of my kids have only done formal grammar for grades 5-8. One did books 5-8, the other 3 have done 5-7, all with good results. (Well my youngest just finished the 7th grade one, so I don’t know any long term results, but the other three have done great with writing and SAT scores. )

[freesia]

Oh, and you can buy it here: https://www.milestonebooks.com/list/Building_Christian_English_Series/

[Red Dove]

Thank you so much!  

[lmrich]

The grade 5 Rod and Staff book is my favorite grammar book of all times! You will all learn so much. Get the teacher's edition and do the reviews there, too. I let my kids write in the Rod and Staff book to save time. 

[Brittany1116]

You definitely don't have to start below level 4. Level 2 would be far too basic. We have used 2-6 and 5 doesn't stand out to me in particular, but it would likely be a good starting point as suggested. They do build incrementally. Much can be done orally, and the very end of the book tends to be how to use a dictionary or answer a phone. We skip much of the end each year.

[Servant4Christ]

Most stuff is repeated from year to year and then expanded upon. However, it seems to do so more quickly the higher the grade level if that makes sense. If you go to milestones website, you can download the english placement test. It's in the second yellow box as you scroll down:

https://www.milestonebooks.com/list/Building_Christian_English_Series/

I call and buy directly from the publisher instead of milestones because the price is better, their customer service and curriculum support is outstanding, and they ship faster due to being closer to me geographically.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Servant4Christ

[SilverMoon]

Level 2 would be very babyish for average students of those ages. I would not go back that far. 

 

Level 5 is a good starting place. If it's too much at once you could do odds of a lesson one day and evens of that lesson the next day. Doing the class time WITH them will help set them up for better success too. It's in the TM and scripted for you if needed. I'd stay with them all through the oral drill and then they should be equipped to do the written drill independently. 

[Servant4Christ]

6 hours ago, SilverMoon said:

Level 2 would be very babyish for average students of those ages. I would not go back that far. 

 

Level 5 is a good starting place. If it's too much at once you could do odds of a lesson one day and evens of that lesson the next day. Doing the class time WITH them will help set them up for better success too. It's in the TM and scripted for you if needed. I'd stay with them all through the oral drill and then they should be equipped to do the written drill independently. 

I completely agree with this and teach very similarly. 

I loved the fourth grade book and learned a lot with my oldest, but the fifth grade book seems like a close repeat of each section/topic that reviews fourth grade and then goes further with each. The fifth grade writing assignments are a step up, though, so some of them I allowed to be done on the computer just because mine hates writing and the computer makes him much more receptive to writing, editing, and expanding on things as needed. I will say that we took extra time getting through the chapter covering pronouns (that chapter nearly did me in!) and again when we hit prepositions and prepositional phrases in the fifth grade book.

Edited June 1, 2022 by Servant4Christ

[Brittany1116]

20 minutes ago, Servant4Christ said:

I completely agree with this and teach very similarly. 

I loved the fourth grade book and learned a lot with my oldest, but the fifth grade book seems like a close repeat of each section/topic that reviews fourth grade and then goes further with each. The fifth grade writing assignments are a step up, though, so some of them I allowed to be done on the computer just because mine hates writing and the computer makes him much more receptive to writing, editing, and expanding on things as needed. I will say that we took extra time getting through the chapter covering pronouns (that chapter nearly did me in!) and again when we hit prepositions and prepositional phrases in the fifth grade book.

There is a noticeable step up in writing in book 6, as well. And yes, the pronouns! They occasionally tripped me up, while prepositions are my student's sticky spot. Even so, he is averaging a 92 on the tests now and better on the daily work, even working a level above his age grade. So there is much to be said for the continual building through the levels. 

[Servant4Christ]

I am sooo glad the last chapter is usually the easier stuff like telephone skills, dictionary skills, using a Bible concordance, ect. When spring/summer weather comes around, R&S must know that my children are looking out the window and counting the time until they can go outside and play!

Edited June 1, 2022 by Servant4Christ

[lulalu]

Level 2 would be far too young for those ages. 

4 or 5 would be a good jumping in point. Getting through 6 or 7 is a very solid foundation in English. So, don't look at it like you need to get through book 8 if you step back. 

[Ellie]

On 5/30/2022 at 2:06 PM, Red Dove said:

Is there a lot of overlap between grades in the Rod and Staff English books?  I am considering starting my two children (11 and 13) all the way down to the 2nd grade level because of the many gaps in grammar they have.  Would that be overkill?  Could I instead do the 3rd, 5th, 7th books and not miss anything?  Or is there not that much overlap in the grades for that to be possible?  

Also, where do you buy the curriculum?  I’m mostly seeing the curriculum on used sites like eBay.  

Oh, no, your dc would definitely NOT need to go back to the 2nd grade text. I agree with the others about starting with the 4th or 5th text. Also, FYI, there's a *big* jump in writing instruction and assignments starting with the 7th grade text.

If you decide to do R&S, my recommendation would be to have your dc do *all* of the assignments in writing, on actual paper, rather than doing some of it orally (except the exercises which are *supposed* to be done orally). Doing things orally doesn't have the same impact, IMHO. And I would have them do *most* of the assignments.

You can buy R&S directly from the publisher; call (606) 522-4348, and request a catalog, a scope and sequence, and curriculum samples--all free. R&S does not have Internet, so you can't email them. Also, I prefer ordering from the publisher. I don't know why, except that I've been doing it for upwards of 40 years and see no reason to change. 🙂 When you call, you can ask questions and whatnot.