what are you using for your LA ?? ( for 7th nd 8th grade)

Hi everyone!

We are almost finished with the LA program we're using now..(Total Language Plus) and I would like to try something different...Could you please let me know what your dc are using? Thanks for your help!

Michelle

 

We are using Lightning Literature. It is ok so far...we have read Rikki Tikki Tavi and are almost done with Tom Sawyer. The boys were a bit daunted by Tom Sawyer...but if I read it, or they listen to it it is ok. (this is the 7th grade level) The eldest can read a paragraph or two but I find it works much better if I am there reading and we discuss the vocabulary.
We have had some great discussions. BUT as far as the program goes...there are not enough exercises...and they are a bit advanced for my two. (7th and 4th grade) or too easy...like the crossword or wordsearch puzzles wich the boys don't like and so I think of as busy work. But with some tweaking it has worked so far...and I bought a writing spectrum book they are both doing (5th grade level) that has some tie in...as far as paragraph construction etc. So it will work for this year...and I might do the 8th grade year next year...I don't know... I am not as excited about the books for next year.
I might just do what I did last year, which was choose books that I felt were iconic and make up writing exercises around them. (such as with A Wrinkle in Time...we rewrote a bunch of that book, because her writing is fairly convoluted and confusing at times...so we just rewrote it so it said the same thing but in a clearer manner.)

But, I am open to suggestions for next year.

 

I put mine together myself this year and am pretty excited!
I have daily grams, writting strands and sstech vaughn vocabulary for my 7th grader, they are working wonderfully, the first time my ds every said he didnt want to do any of it was today! lol that is a big thing!
We also do reading by choice and library books that go with our history and science lessons on the side for lit.

 

I'm using Rod and Staff for grammar. I also liked Easy Grammar at that age for Rachael!

 

By 7th and 8th grade I was concentrating pretty hard on writing and speech. My children were doing things I counted towards their high school credits.

I really liked the Writer's Inc. products a LOT. They have different age level books available. I think Write Source might have been the one for that grade level???

I also used a Literature Course that covered English lit one year and American lit the other. I happened upon one I loved that had quite a huge variety of authors including stories on Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, the first women judges, and great poetry as well. It contained the classics as well as more modern. I just loved it, but I sure can't remember who it was by.

Vocabulary was still there, and speech was taught as part of 4-H and as presentations we gave in church, to other homeschoolers, even to small private schools in the area.

If they still needed some grammar I used a standard text (I preferred Bob Jones) to fill in the gaps in their grammar.

It has always been my philosophy that our public schools teach children the language but not how to use it. I think writing and speech are waaayyyyyy undertaught.

 

Rachael took a grammar class, taught by a FANTASTIC retired high school English teacher. I don't think he really used a text book, but the kids had to buy Writer's Inc. for reference. It's an excellent source book!

If you can remember that lit source, I'd love to know. She's doing Notgrass World History this year, which combines World History, World Literature, and Bible into one class. She's got a pretty extensive reading list from it...Julius Ceasar, Animal Farm, Mere Christianity, Pilgrim's Progress, Heart of Darkness, A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice.... That's part of it!

 

For 7th grade this year we are using Alpha Omega Lifepacs and an old Lit book I found at a used book sale. I love the Lifepacs because they include so many topics that using just a grammar program you would miss out on like the History of English and forms of communication. They also have units devoted to literary analysis. I tend to alternate years using Rod and Staff for a good grammar foundation and Lifepacs for the survey topics.

 

We're using the Barron's Painless series for English, Vocabulary, and Writing. We also use the Daily Sparks books for daily thinking exercises. And of course lots of classic literature reading. :love:

 

We're using Christian Light Education. The reading/literature is a separate course from the grammar/writing/spelling/handwriting. That enables the student to be in two different levels if that's what's needed. I like it a lot.

 

My dd is using write source right now for the 7th grade.

 

how doyou like that, RHI? the write source ?

 

We use Life Pacs, although we will be switching to SOS soon. We also use Zaner Bloser separately for spelling and handwriting.

 

We like it my oldest is now using writers Inc and they were both using write source last year until my oldest moved up to high school. I like that the handbook you can use for I think 3 years and just get the different work books and teacher's editions as you need them. My kids like them because it doesn't take a lot of time and that handbook is great for explaining things that maybe I'm not getting across right.

 

I called my daughter and between the two of us we figured out what the literature course was!!!

It was Glencoe American and Glencoe British Literature by McGraw Hill.

*whew*

btw - all of the above, the Writer's Inc Books and these Lit books are available on Amazon. That's where I've been looking them up!

 

oh cool
I like them!

 

We did Tom Sawyer last year and used the read along with audio-book method. He loved it! The vocabulary is hard and the southern accent in writing doesn't help either, so the listening and reading along worked great.

This year we are using Jump In Writing, Inspiration 8 (for writing), Working With Words for vocabulary and grammar, and novels. He's read 2 fluff novels so far but next we will do something with a little more meat. Probably The Outsiders.

 

We are using Rod and Staff, Writing Strands, & English from the Roots Up. He also continues to do spelling with a free program I found on-line.
For literature we do period related fiction & non fiction. I sometimes use Abeka "of People" literature book also but that is more of a filler than used regularly.

 

I read Tom Sawyer to them a few years ago, and was surprised with the ease of it. So this year, studying the Renaissance and the time of Henry VIII, I decided to go back to Twain and read The Prince and the Pauper. OMG!!! It is IMPOSSIBLE to read aloud!!! But we're sticking with it, and the kids are at least following along with the story. We're about half-way through, and will be GLAD to have it finished!!!

 

Are any of the above LA programs recommended for kids who LOATHE LA?

 

Writing strands and daily grams!
they are easy because it is slowly more detailed and reminders in DG, and WS is teaching to the homeschooler so it talks to them, reminds them to bring thier work to us to be checked even!
My ds was getting really tired of doing LA with the diagrams and all that, so with WS you are using those things in your writing without the boring parts.
I chose a couple of printable story starters today for his age level and he took off with it, off the internet one of the many email newsletters I sub to.
I am so glad that I am going with these this year because the less stress will help him be geared up for high school levels in a couple years!