Rod & Staff Grammer 4 Writing Exercises

[CalicoKat]

DD will technically be in 5th grade next fall. I've been reading TWTM about her grammar and writing for the Logic stage. Right now we're working on finishing English 3 -- she's on lesson 68. Yes, we're behind. It's just been one of the subjects that gets "dropped" in lieu of getting Math done (she switched to Saxon in January and it's been quite an adjustment.) Also I've not been including it in the 3R's -- mostly alternating the guided reading and grammar throughout the year.

 

BUT now I'm realizing we won't be starting Eng. 5 in the fall, as we should. At best we'll be starting Eng. 4. (We're year round schoolers and if everything goes according to plan (crossing my fingers) we'll finish Eng. mid-July.

 

Soooo, will we be getting enough writing with Eng. 4? Or should I consider supplementing? We're also doing Biblioplan which has writing suggestions throughout.

 

For the record, my younger students are on track with their grammar and are working diligently through Engl. 2 together.

[amyco]

If I recall correctly, there is plenty of writing in R&S 4. It teaches about different ways to write sentences, using a variety of sentences in paragraphs, etc. So I wouldn't worry.

 

I would just be sure to include dictation once or twice a week, and also some narrations at least once or twice a week from history, science, reading, whatever. You'll both be fine! And good luck!

 

Amy

[Ellie]

It will be enough.

[Brindee]

Sure, and just so you know, a LOT of kids do the R&S English 1 or 2 levels "behind". I think which level you're using is less important than putting them in a place where they are advancing and learning well, but not getting overwhelmed or bogged down! R&S isn't easy, so work through it at her level and she'll be fine! I also think there's enough writing in it. If you feel she needs more, you can always add some of your own, that work on the same concepts she's currently working on, to give her more practice.

[Colleen in NS]

DD will technically be in 5th grade next fall. I've been reading TWTM about her grammar and writing for the Logic stage. Right now we're working on finishing English 3 -- she's on lesson 68. Yes, we're behind. It's just been one of the subjects that gets "dropped" in lieu of getting Math done (she switched to Saxon in January and it's been quite an adjustment.) Also I've not been including it in the 3R's -- mostly alternating the guided reading and grammar throughout the year.

 

BUT now I'm realizing we won't be starting Eng. 5 in the fall, as we should. At best we'll be starting Eng. 4. (We're year round schoolers and if everything goes according to plan (crossing my fingers) we'll finish Eng. mid-July.

 

Soooo, will we be getting enough writing with Eng. 4? Or should I consider supplementing? We're also doing Biblioplan which has writing suggestions throughout.

 

For the record, my younger students are on track with their grammar and are working diligently through Engl. 2 together.

 

Is your rising 5th grader also doing dictations and narrations (I'm asking because you mentioned reading WTM suggestions)? If she is working on that and working towards where she could write a 2-3 sentence narration of a passage on her own, then I'd even say you could skip the writing exercises in R&S 3 and 4. WWE (which uses WTM-style dictation and narrations) has kids working towards this goal of combining narration and dictation on their own, and no other writing exercises are really needed until they are comfortable with doing this. It sets the foundation for other writing exercises/programs. It would eliminate quite a bit of the R&S work so you could catch up in grammar faster, too.

 

You could possibly even finish book 3, and skip to book 5 - have a look at it and see if you think the lessons would be understandable to her. Or, you could even NOT finish book 3 and possibly move to book 5. It repeats all of what is in book 4, just at a very slightly higher level of understanding.

 

hth

[Caroline4kids]

 

You could possibly even finish book 3, and skip to book 5 - have a look at it and see if you think the lessons would be understandable to her. Or, you could even NOT finish book 3 and possibly move to book 5. It repeats all of what is in book 4, just at a very slightly higher level of understanding.

 

hth

 

We do most of R&S orally because my oldest does dictation and written narrations and he is skipping from 3 to 5. So much is review that it seems to me all should work out fine this way.:)

[Colleen in NS]

We do most of R&S orally because my oldest does dictation and written narrations and he is skipping from 3 to 5. So much is review that it seems to me all should work out fine this way.:)

 

OH yes, I forgot to mention doing it orally!!! This really helps cut down on the time - because we do dictations and narrations, I don't find we need to do things like punctuation and capitalization exercises on paper - I just get ds to tell me the answers. The only thing on paper is diagraming, and even that is sometimes done orally. It saves a ton of time!

[CalicoKat]

Sure, and just so you know, a LOT of kids do the R&S English 1 or 2 levels "behind". I think which level you're using is less important than putting them in a place where they are advancing and learning well, but not getting overwhelmed or bogged down! R&S isn't easy, so work through it at her level and she'll be fine! I also think there's enough writing in it. If you feel she needs more, you can always add some of your own, that work on the same concepts she's currently working on, to give her more practice.

This is encouraging. Making sure she's getting it is why we've been going so sloowly ---that and 2nd semester last year I got sick, we moved twice....

 

I'm not comfortable it mostly orally. I've found that while my kids can spout off the correct answers verbally they don't remember to actually write it. Since it's really about being able to write well, well, writing they shall do.

 

We'll just keep plodding along then.