Alana in Canada Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 do you find them more helpful than not--or do you find they push you along faster than you'd want to go? Would you feel like you weren't getting the full benefit of the program if you didn't use them? I am of two minds about the workbooks. I would actually rather do my own thing with CW--that one can seems to be its strength. And I'm intimidated by the program--but maybe I'm just intimidated by the workbook? The program itself seems awfully straightforward, if somewhat complex. Does the workbook actually help? Will I regret NOT using it? TIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I would not attempt Homer without the workbooks personally. I'm not good at implementing the steps on my own. Have you seen the samples of the workbook? That might help you decide. Dd13 is using the Older Beginner workbook and it has been great. It is very fast-paced and would not use it with a student who is struggling either in grammar or writing. I have Homer A on the way for my 6th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chai Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I used Aesop without the workbooks, but I don't know if I could do Homer without them. We are about half-way through Homer A and the workbooks have really helped me understand how to implement the program. I think, now that I've gone through it, I could plan out Homer B, but I prefer having the work done for me. Perhaps you could buy the first workbook as a guide and then plan your own thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 Hmmm. I do have both workbooks (A & B)--I was just sort of hoping not to use them. What I want in a writing program, what I have always wanted is something we can use alongside our regular studies. That has zero chance of happening if I use the workbooks. But, if I must, then I must. I'm always looking to integrate subjects--and all I have is a tremendous amount of overlap. For example, yesterday in Aesop we did Noun and verbs. Today in Lating we did nouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives. And then, of course, we also have our Rod and Staff grammar! (The boy is just learning direct objects and predicate nouns and my daughter is learning how to diagram skeletons.) We are all over the place: and it seems like we're drowning in grammar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenadina Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I would say, plan your own (integrated if you want) stuff based on the workbooks; maybe even use the same format if that appeals to you. It was originally designed to be used without the workbooks, but the authors really recommend that you *do* use the workbook for the levels after Homer. They are really helpful on the Classical Writing forum; have you thought of asking over there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I have used Aesop without the workbooks and had no problems, but I did buy the workbooks for Homer as the general consensus is that Homer is a totally different animal than Aesop. I have decided to use the workbook for Homer A and see we do. If I gain confidence as we go along then I will not use the workbook for B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 I am such a contrary animal! I love the program: I just want to do it "my way" lol! I have this crazy idea that I ought to tweak the program so that we are doing the grammar at our own pace (or rather at the pace of R&S grammar 4&5--we're doing 5 lessons a week right now in order to "catch up.") I love, love the idea of analysing sentences and learning grammar that way: I love the rigour of the questioning method presented in Homer and learning to write by close and careful imitation. But I am an impatient soul and I crave variety. The repetitive routine of Aesop, even, drives me insane. Ok. Maybe I don't need advice about how to use the program so much as I needed to vent my frustrations a little! :D Still, advice is welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 If I were in your shoes I would use the workbooks, but feel free to substitute your own model and shake things up every now (order of how it is done, or focus one problem area) and then when your child seems to need a break or more time. That way it would break things up but still give you the support you need. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friederike in Persia Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Why don't you copy some lessons and with time become more independent? After a few weeks of following the workbook I feel a lot more confident and am getting the 'grove' of it. We've also found that the grammar eases up at times (like you having somewhat drowned in Harvey and German grammar for the first month or two). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 We are about 18 weeks into CW Older Beginner workbook. I would not try Homer without the workbook because I am not good on finding my own passages. Nor would I want to try implement the steps on my own. Maybe the 3rd time through I might be comfortable enough to make my own exercises. Homer is a chunk to wrap your brain around. I definitely recommend reading through the complete core BEFORE your child starts. It will give you the big picture of what is going to take place. As others have suggested, breaking it down by step is very helpful. Then reread it midyear. I do find discussing the title, etc. quite tedious. I also struggle seeing the big picture of breaking the passage into scenes. But I am rereading the core to see if I can get a clearer perspective. I do like the Imitation exercises and love the six sentence shuffle! I wasn't going to have dd#2 do Homer but after more thought on the richness of the program, I changed my mind. I have not seen a program that stretches writing skills to the level that CW Homer does. What on the surface can seem like busywork is really giving the student tools that they can use in all avenues of communication. We are not using Harvey's Grammar and it is working out just fine. I am glad to hear the Diogenes is a breeze after Homer. It has been a wild ride but now that we are on the home stretch I am really seeing the value in the exercises. Cynthia (Mom to dd 7/95, dd 11/96, dd 10/03, ds 4/07) 8th: TruthQuest History Ancient Greece & Rome / BJU Earth Science / VT Alg / Jensen Grammar / Classical Writing / Latin's Not So Tough 6th: TruthQuest History Ancient Greece & Rome / Abeka Science / Life of Fred Fractions & Decimals / Hake Grammar / BJU Reading 6 Visit my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyJo Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I've used Homer without the workbooks and had not trouble at all. However, we did NOT do all the grammar recommended Homer. I'm not sure if that would have made a difference, though I suspect not. I do not regret that we didn't use the student books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I've used Homer without the workbooks and had not trouble at all. However, we did NOT do all the grammar recommended Homer. I'm not sure if that would have made a difference, though I suspect not. I do not regret that we didn't use the student books. By not doing the grammar do you mean not using Harvey's or not doing days 2-4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alana in Canada Posted March 1, 2009 Author Share Posted March 1, 2009 Thank you Hidden Jewel. I have been going through the core again, this time in conjunction with the workbook. For example, Lesson 1, LESSON 1, we're to distinquish phrases and clauses in order to begin diagramming. Oy, yoy, yoy. Fortunately, the Core references a great site I was pouring over last night....but this IS going to take some time. On my own, I would not "get" to that for some time. But then I notice that lessons 2, 3, and 4 do not have difficult sentences to diagram. My fellow will be able to handle them. Week 5 is another kettle of fish--but hey, I've a month before we get there, lol! Something else is going to have to give in our day and I just don't know what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Thank you Hidden Jewel. I have been going through the core again, this time in conjunction with the workbook. For example, Lesson 1, LESSON 1, we're to distinquish phrases and clauses in order to begin diagramming. Oy, yoy, yoy. Fortunately, the Core references a great site I was pouring over last night....but this IS going to take some time. On my own, I would not "get" to that for some time. But then I notice that lessons 2, 3, and 4 do not have difficult sentences to diagram. My fellow will be able to handle them. Week 5 is another kettle of fish--but hey, I've a month before we get there, lol! Something else is going to have to give in our day and I just don't know what. And the workbooks take 40 weeks to cover all 10 steps so it doesn't speed through it. The Older Beginner has been a whirlwind. I had to look through the Homer core at least twice before it started to make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyJo Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 By not doing the grammar do you mean not using Harvey's or not doing days 2-4? Not doing Harvey's, and we didn't do the sentence diagramming. I see sentence diagramming the same way that I see math-- it's best taught in a systematic fashion. Therefore, we used a sentence diagramming workbook to cover diagramming. With Homer, my goal was only to cover writing. We did cover grammar as necessary to do the sentence shuffles, which were my son's favorite parts of the program, and the area where I'm convinced he learned the most about writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Not doing Harvey's, and we didn't do the sentence diagramming. I see sentence diagramming the same way that I see math-- it's best taught in a systematic fashion. Therefore, we used a sentence diagramming workbook to cover diagramming. With Homer, my goal was only to cover writing. We did cover grammar as necessary to do the sentence shuffles, which were my son's favorite parts of the program, and the area where I'm convinced he learned the most about writing. The six sentence shuffle is my favorite as well and also the part that I feel has been most valuable for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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