CLE LA placement question

[Sheila in OK]

OK, all these posts about CLE have gotten me interested since I'm currently searching for a good grammar program for my dc next year (6th dd and 3rd ds). I am a bit confused about placement, though. I printed out the placement test from the website and had my dd go through the 4th grade one. She did fine on it except for the diagramming. The only formal grammar we have done is Easy Grammar, so of course she doesn't have a clue about how to diagram a sentence. How far back do we need to go so she can get this? I hate to admit it, but I don't remember enough about diagramming sentences to help her out.

 

I'm honestly not really concerned about 'grade level' and don't mind starting back a level or two. I just don't want to go back so far she isn't challenged in the other LA areas, which she is actually pretty strong in.

 

Also--my 2nd grade ds is almost finished with WWE level 1 but has done no formal grammar. Should I start him in Level 2?

 

TIA!

[mamaof2andtwins]

Sheila,

 

You need to look at the Teacher's Guide for the diagnostic tests. This will tell you how to give the test and interpret the results.

 

If you need further help, let us know.

 

Jennie

[3byzaz]

For your older one, you could just get CLE's Diagramming book--it's really cheap and should help with the basics. My middle son is in the 400 level now and the diagramming is very basic. Subjects/Verbs and adjectives. Adverbs doesn't even start until 407.

 

The 100 level is pretty basic in the beginning...there isn't any grammar yet and I am in the 102 with my youngest. I'm not sure when that starts. You might want to join the Yahoo group if for no other reason than to see the scope and sequence under files on the main page. You might be able to start midway or something like that.

[mamaof2andtwins]

The scope and sequence is available to anyone. You do not need to join the email group, but if you want more indepth discussion of CLE then by all mean join up. :)

 

Jennie

[titianmom]

Hi!

 

We've been doing CLE this past year and we love it...at least I do, ha! For once, my daughter has actually had to work in LA.

 

Anyway, I introduced diagramming long ago, but hadn't really done it extensively and so, my daughter could only diagram subj and verb and maybe figure out where the adjs go, ha!

 

As suggested, just pick up there cheap diagramming book and work through it a bit; mine caught on quickly and I'm sure yours will, too. At first she wasn't crazy about diagramming but now she diagrams to "beat the band" as they say. It's amazing how much LA she's learned this year, alone. She enjoys the diagramming, now.

 

We have a large whiteboard on the wall where we work the tougher ones, together.

 

(We tested through 600 except for diagramming and a few parts of speech, so I started her on some 600 level books over the summer to catch up so that she could start 700 last fall, and it has gone just fine.)

 

Kim

[TracyR]

Honestly you could start with the 300 level. My daughter is in 5th and has never diagrammed a sentence in her life. The 300 level is pretty basic and she is doing really well with it. Actually the 300 level is where the grammar really begins with the CLE LA.

You could also buy the book " Basics of Diagramming" from CLE. Its an inexpensive $3 book and I recommend it for anyone who uses CLE for grades 3 and up. It shows you all types of examples on how to diagram sentences. So if you think she would do fine with the level 400 and diagramming is just what is holding her back then I suggest this book. I agree even at the 400 level the diagramming is pretty "simple" still.

[Sheila in OK]

Thanks for all your help. Kim, that's exactly what I'm looking for--something that makes dd have to 'work' in LA. ;) She blows through all her LA work in less than 20 minutes now and I really feel the need to step it up a bit.

 

I didn't know about the diagramming book; guess I need to check out the website a bit more.