I have spelling but still not possitive on english. What is anyone else wiht 7 or 8th grader using? Why?
http://www.cbv.ns.ca/sstudies/english/eng.html while I was looking for curriculum I found this web page full of leson plans step by step what to say and what to do! Sounds good if you are looking for this kind of thing? Thought I would pass it on
I use Sonlight for English for my 8th grader. I find that I don't need a grammar curric as the Sonlight IG is very good with definitions so we just do the diagraming on their worksheets. For spelling we are looking at rules rather than spelling lists. I found my list of about 36 spelling rules for English on~line. Creative writing we generally do NaNoWriMo.
Have you looked at the free glenco stuff...http://www.glencoe.com/sites/georgia/student/languageart/assets/workbooks.html Or www.englishgrammar101.com
I have heard of the nanowrimo but I thought that was in November or something? and do they have it for kids? How cool! Looking at the English grama 101.... looks to cover the stuff I need, but we are already doing one or two courses in SOS and my ds gets tendonitis when on computer too much. (He creates awesome videos, made a comercial for Sams club soda this morning) So I am trying to get a mix of bookwork and computer work. I am bookmarking it though and checking the other link next.
wow saved the hand book and put the rest in ds' school folder so I have that if nothig else. It will cover the basics of what I need,not as colorful but if I tweek it and print what I want from that site if I dont find anything else I may just make it with this! $$$ thhat it consts for Jr High levels! not fair not fair, lol
in case annyone else is out there what are you using? lol, I want to see it all! For English that is, English 7/8, either grade is fine. I may just create a writing workbook for creative writing stuff, but Grammar I am looking for a workbook form, I like this glencoe cause he would be doing simliar to a good friennd of ours whos dd is in ps. They do good homework projects... but my dh is totally not into ps stuff so still want to see what else is out there
I sent for thier catalogue, I hope they have more info for me in it. I remember years ago thinking it was good, but then thinking it wasn't colorful enough for ds, but then we are choosing a colorful history book so he can add his own color to english ahahh( I laugh but thats exactly what he does!) Still up for ideas, what are you useing again Deena> Are you still doing R&S? I forget? You two and Kris are usually really helpful in my choice making. I value your years of experience! Thanks!
Hey T'mom, I am not using anythig for spelling & grammar with dd 8th grade. She finished what we were using, and i figure you don't need to do it forever. We study various literature, using resources from all over. And we work on writing...essays, speeches, stories, poetry, letters....also using resources from all over. I often find that if I read the novel, then search online I can find free lesson plans that I can adapt for our use. Saves heaps of $$$ HTH K
ok, I can do that for lit. read and come up with answers, but its the rules, and splicing of sentence structures that I have a hard time with. With the tests they have here in Ca just to get out of highschool I want to be sure that my kids could pass it if they changed the law to make us. That is really the only time I can come up with that diagraming a silly sentence will come in handy lol. So I want something that works like BJU did, for that stuff. Explaining and then doing...
yea, some how I got away wiht out doing it with the older two, oldest had to do some high school catch up in that area but still got fair grades at his prep school. dd knows what things are but I dont recall a lot of writing of diagrams, she has always done schoool independantly though. I know with ds we have diagramed for two years so maybe thats enough for now and I could skip it for one year and focus on actual writing and spelling and literature? I always worry now that I am not using out of the box stufff that I am getting it all. KWIM?
Yeah, I think we all worry about that. I would skip it for now, but I personally believe that learning to write well is a skill for life, and so that's where my focus is. Read great literature. Write well, all different text types. You can always look up grammar/spelling if you need it. And if you have developed the skills to study & learn independently.
I used BJU English one year and Easy Grammar with an added writing program on a different year. I was very happy with both. I plan to use Bju English next year. I like the results from switching between the two too, as DD got both perspectives. Her writing is very good at this point. I liked Write Shop too.
I have also used Easy Grammar, and liked it fine. Actually, I had started the year out with Rachael in Easy Grammar, and Faythe in Abeka. After a few weeks, I dropped the Abeka, and put Faythe with her sister! (BTW, Rachael had taken a grammar/composition class the year before. She said that she really wishes she had had Easy Grammar first; it would have made her class so much easier!)
And now that I talked her into R&S, my dd wants to do something different! She loved the 4th grade book, and is doing fine with the 5th grade book this year (R&S Grammar is ahead, we were behind, so she is doing a level one year lower than her supposed school grade level. I just work them where they're at, despite someones arbitrary labeling of a school grade! ). She just REALLY didn't want to do it again next year. I ended up ordering "Language Lessons for the Elementary Child 2" for dd. Not sure if that's the right level, or if she'll like it, but it's more of a Charlotte Masony type approach, so thought we'd give it a try and see how it goes. Has anyone used this before? Here's where I got it: http://www.queenhomeschool.com/productpages/Language Lessons/Language Lessons.html
My ds15 will be in 10th grade next year and will be doing BJU English--but not at the 10th grade level. My oldest ds's strong point is languages, and he aced everything we did with English. He did BJU in 10th grade, and wow, that English was HARD! He made it through the English fine, but he had to study for it and work hard at it, which was basically a first for him! I was glad he did that, cuz when he went to school as a Junior, he knew how to study and had had that English, so did much better than I think he would have otherwise in English at the school! DS15 is not strong in Languages, so we are doing a lower level BJU English, to make sure he understands it well. I'd rather he understand it well and build the base, than insist he do grade level work!!! I just ordered Write Shop used from someone on the WTM site. Momofafew, what grade levels did you use that for? It sounded good! I'm hoping it works for us, because we (dd12, ds15 and I) are not strong in writing. I'd like them to be more prepared--especially ds for PSAT's and ACT/SAT stuff, but also I think it's good to be able to write and articulate well! What did you like about it?
Actually, I used BJU for so long (started with 2nd grade), that when I purchased Write Shop, it was not really needed. I thought it was great though so I suggested it. So if one were to do Easy Grammar, I would recommend Write Shop as the writing program. I think it would be reasonable to start it in 6th grade, but 7th is when it was intended for, or 8th. I love both ways of doing it...BJU English or Easy Grammar with Write Shop. Easy Grammar has so many pages and so much to it, I would recommend buying it only every other year and let it lapse in to the next year. That would save on cost for sure, and I feel it would be as thorough used every other year. There were close to 400 pages in the book we used so we could have easily have made it last 2 years. I have not decided which route to go with my next in line child. Both are so good.
I have not used it, but I saw it in the store and thought it looked great. It also has gotten great reviews.