Lori in MS Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Please advise me. My 5th grader will complete R&S 4 this spring. He does very well. I'm trying to decide if I should switch to AG. The reason I would is that it takes less time and I would have time to do other types of LA, literature analysis, writing etc. Yet I like R&S a lot. It's cheaper. It just takes too long. We already do most of it orally except diagramming and the tests. Should I switch to AG or stay with R&S? We are doing IEW for writing so it would just be for grammar. If I stay with R&S can I skip a book or should I go with 5? My son is in 5th grade this year but he is an older 5th grader. He will be 12 in September of his 6th grade year. Thank you, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Well I can't tell you what you should do but I can tell you what we did and how it turned out. We used R&S 5 and 6. My daughter did well. She got the answers right. We got enormously bored and we wanted more time for writing, lit etc. So we switched to AG. It is wonderful. Not only did it provide that extra time and teach grammar very well, but I found out that R&S wasn't actually working for her. The way R&S taught she got the answers right but really didn't "get" it. With AG, she gets it. It clicked and it's been the very best purchase of my homeschooling career. I don't want to leave you with the impression that I think R&S doesn't work at all. There are plenty here who will tell you that it does. I have just found that for my daughter, the AG approach made much more sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Here's my review: Analytical Grammar website is http://www.analyticalgrammar.com. The videos at the website do a great job of explaining the program. We are using Analytical Grammar for 6th-7th-8th grade. AG breaks it up into 3 seasons. 6th grade has 10 weeks of daily grammar work, then review 1x every 2 weeks. 7th grade has 7 weeks of daily grammar work, then review 1x every month. 8th grade has 17 weeks of daily grammar work and then you are done. It can be completed in 1 or 2 years as well. We have completed Season 1 and are reviewing the rest of the year. Season 1 - basic grammar (parts of speech, parts of a sentence, basics of diagramming Season 2 - advanced grammar (verbal phrases and subordinate clauses) (this completes the study of grammar) Season 3 - application of grammatical knowledge to the rules of capitalization, punctuation and usage Pros: • Clear and concise • Pick up and go (little to no preparation required from mom) • Teach lesson on first day of week and student can work on their own for rest of week. Only checking/correcting required from mom. • Each lesson has a theme (American flag, humorous Johnny Carson story, women & math, Mexican-Americans, Martin Luther King Jr., Jewish Americans, fairy tales, etc.) which makes the lessons more interesting. • Sentences are much more complex than Shurley grammar • Novelty of getting a letter grade on test • Comfort of letter grade for perfectionist mom (ds is missing some but still getting an A) • Student book turns into a reference manual when you remove student exercises. Cons: • None that I have found • Some say it’s expensive. I spent $120 but will use it over 3 years. Disclaimer: I have a master’s degree in Operations Research, which is concerned with all things efficiency. Part of the reason I love AG is that it is the most efficient use of my time and my child’s time. This leaves time for other wonderful things like math, history, music, and sports! I suppose if you are a good teacher and you teach grammar year after year after year, you learn to make your lessons more and more efficient. That must be with the author, Robin Finley, did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litabitm Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I just posted a question about AG on the high school board. I didn't look to see what board I was on at the time. I too am really thinking of using this with my 6th grader. This program appealed to my "sense of order" in much the same way IEW does. I am fond of a systematic approach to learning and teaching things. I was concerned about the price, but, you're right, it does cover 3 years - (I think I might use it myself - that last sentence had a lot of commas!) Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda...inOwasso Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Go with Analytical Grammar. Don't give it a second thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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