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

I have also used Writings Strands along with Daily Grams.

In all honestly, I didn't think they were nearly complete or challenging enough.(but then I minored in Eng. Composition - lol). I might be kind of biased towards learning writing. :wink: But I loved them for a semester or even a year "break" from a heavier curriculum, or for certain ages where we just seemed to be stymied.

They might work really great for a child who hates LA, especially to get them started writing. Then you could go to a different writing program once they got started! I also used Spell Power for Spelling. while the complete program is rather overwhelming, it DOES work, and is pretty simple to use and my kids didn't mind it very much. :mrgreen:

 

COuntry Gal that is why I am using it, we have done BJU for two years, and it has a lot of heavy learning, but he would ask me what do I do with this stuff I am learning. WS and DG are great for using what you have learned, reminding you what you have learned. So in a sence it is putting it into action and for 7th grader that is awesome! They need to be prepared for all those essays they will be writting when they reach highschool and if they take the time to learn to enjoy written word instead of dreading it I think it is worth having a year of FUN education too!
of course we added a vocabulary /reading comp book to them for a full thing but these two are what has made my son say "how many days ahead can I work?"
and "Are you sure this is my English? Its too much fun!"

 

I agree with you 100% Teachermom. I taught the basics of grammar and that was about it. I hate grammar. lol I had the honor to study under teachers in college who believed "If you speak well you will write well". None of them taught grammar. lol.

My whole curriculum, other than grammar reviews, revolved around writing and literature by jr. high and high school. I always based on the 3-Rs. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Where we got so carried away with grammar in our curriculums is beyond me!

I think the "wake-up call" for me was when I attended a homeschool conference. I was talking with the major Christian curriculum reps. BJU was bragging that they taught writing very heavily. That as a freshman the text was about 20% writing and it increased by 10% each year. The rest was, basically, grammar. AMAZING!!!

To me, if a child has not learned enough grammar by 7th grade, they are behind. Why keep repeating everything ad infinitum to distraction?

Get busy and USE it! Write!!! Exactly what you said, teachermom! I just happened to prefer the Writer's Inc Curriculum, but whatever works for your child is what is best for you!

 

That's how my mom taught me as a kid. She would make me read my reports out loud. "If it sounds weird to you, you probably made a mistake, and need to change it until it sounds 'right'." And I was LOUSY in ANYTHING that did Grammar! I could tell you a noun, verb, adjective, and adverb, and that was IT!!!

It haunted me mostly in French. I wasn't sure what it was in English, so how the heck could I understand it in French?

So I DO tell my kids to read it out loud, but I am LOVING R&S and it's making sense!!! And I'm even (checking to make sure Deena isn't around to read this, as she'll NEVER let me live it down!) OK with diagramming sentence!!!

 

Jackie, come and do them with me! You need a thanksgiving break? Come go over the diagrams with me! I had to learn them with my kids and I hate them, lol. Back in my day ( yeah Im that old) we did subject and predicate, then nouns, verbs etc, but all these sections off to the side with types verbs, and parts of styles of portions of nouns lol, you get the idea, I got so confused when I first did it with BJU cause Alpha Omega taught it to the kids easier, not that it was less on a level but BJU was tougher sentences to diagram!
dd in 12th english this year is workin on diagraming and asked me to help her remember what was what.. I actually went and got ds' 6th grade BJU and went over it with her using it as examples! lol!

 

I have never diagrammed a sentence until R&S last year! It just seems to work well for Faythe. Phillip hates it, but that's because he's a boy and would much rather be doing anything that involves sports or swords or catapults or....

 

Oh, I hear you teachermom - they are just awful! Maybe we could all meet somewhere and Jackie could teach me, too! I am horrible at it, and barely got through it all!

Jackie, I LOVE Rod and Staff! I am already looking for the 1st grade Reading curriculum for my gs who is not quite 4. lol. If anyone has one for sale....... I want to start reading the reading text stories out loud to him!

But in all honesty, I usually only taught R&S through about grade 4 - 6. Then went into full-time writing with grammar reviews. Sometimes I taught it in addition to grammar from another source, like BJU. Just because I already had the materials, or got them from a friend. So I don't know how well it would have worked for me. I'm glad it is working well for you!

It is always such a joy and pleasure when something comes together and works well, isn't it??

And always so confusing when two years later the same thing doesn't work at all...... :S

 

Or when you FINALLY get it all figured out, and you know EXACTLY what you're doing, only to discover that ONE child who has to have a VERY distinct learning style, and won't fit into ANY box you've ever heard of, or even imagined.....