Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: Language arts

This topic has 7 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 1 month ago by Rachel White.

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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May 2, 2010 at 1:37 am
Rachel White
Participant
Since my son is going into 4th next year (In the Fall), I am thinking about his middle school years. I have a sense about me that this a cornerstone year and I should have a general idea for where he’s going. And I’m a planning junkie, too; but we won’t talk about that-“Hi, my name is Rachel and I’m a schedulaholic”
I would like opinions on my ideas so far for 4-6th grade for my son:
Dictation/spelling/some copywork-Spelling Wisdom throughout
Latin 4 Children starting in 4th
Writing Tales 1 and ILL for 4th
Writing Tales 2 and ILL for 5th
Meaningful Composition (4+) and Our Mother Tongue for 6th (Continuing w/Latin, Dictation and Spelling Wisdom)
Other than continuing Meaningful Composition, Latin and some speech/debate curricula, I think that’ll be enough in the grammer department unless there’s a follow-up to OMT that just periodically reviews for retaining purposes in the upper years of which I’m unaware. He’ll be reading excellent lit. during this time, w/some written narrations (oh yeah, how often on those?).
I appreciate everyone’s responses. Anything missing or overlapping?
Thank you,
Rachel

May 3, 2010 at 2:39 am
Rachel White
Participant
I thought I would bump this back up.
Looking forward to “hearing” any perspectives.
Thanks in advance!
Rachel
May 3, 2010 at 5:30 am
Polly
Participant
Why are you choosing Writing Tales instead of MC for 4th grade? I haven’t used WT but have looked at their samples. I’m thinking that it is a bit redundant to do WT 1 and 2 and the MC4. I’m sure you can compare table of contents and see. I was just wondering what your thought was behind that.
May 3, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Rachel White
Participant
Because I like the method of “rewriting” selections from good literature. It seems to be very easy for me to implement. My son is a very reluctant writer (though a very neat one) and I think WT will catch his interest better as a starter course because he loves stories and is a good teller of one, I just have to get him writing things down on paper. I definitely think he would balk if I tried MC next year.
Yes, the first semester of MC covers some similar things right at the beginning; but nothing that can’t be skipped over. However, there are other things in the latter part of the first semester that is not in WT. MC 4+ is recommended for 4-6th. As I look through ILL, I may decide to start with the Second semester anyway; I haven’t done that yet. I hope they get the remaining parts of MC available by the time he gets there; level 10 and 11.
Thank you for your question!
Rachel
May 3, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Des
Participant
I don’t think you’re missing anything at all. I’ve not used WT or MC, but we did use ILL for a while and it was nice.
May 3, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Polly
Participant
Sounds reasonable and good. I’m doing a similar concept with my 4th grader this year because he is not ready for MC. I’m going to you Karen Andreola’s Story Starters along with narration and then start MC 4 next year.
May 3, 2010 at 3:14 pm
momto2blessings
Participant
I’m not too familar with MC, but am using WT and am familar with ILL. All good programs, I would just caution that it may be a bit much to use mulitiple programs. I think ILL or WT with a spelling program would be enough, personally.
I have a CM friend who thought ILL alone was plenty for writing and grammar for her 4th grader. Just my .02:) Gina
P.S. For 4th this year, I used WT, Spelling Workout and am starting Analytical Grammar and it is plenty (we use AG earlier than SCM rec. because we need the grammar for Classical Writing that we’ll be starting after WT).
May 4, 2010 at 1:51 am
Rachel White
Participant
Gina, you bring up some good points. I have the ILL Teacher’s Guide and I can see in it that much is covered, more than I thought; just at a slower, less nuts-n-bolts style. After ookingover the scope and sequence of WT and my ILL Teach. Guide, I would have to admit that both would be redundant.
I discovered that ILL does use classic literature “rewriting” to teach composition concepts. So I guess I’ve decided to just stick w/ILL, Spelling Wisdom, copywork and the Latin stuff. Then when I get to the latter part of 5th or come 6th, he can start w/MC at either 4 or 5, depending on his progress. It’s ok w/me if he gets a little overlap there since MC can fill in any gaps (along w/using OMT) that exists in ILL.
Well, that simplifies my life, a little! You know, one can’t use everything can one? I just need to stick with what I have and trust my original judgement call for when I decided on the LL series in the first place. I am really happy I came across the MC series (Thanks Pollysoup!). I don’t know where to go w/Grammer after OMT, as he will still be doing Latin so I wasn’t looking for anything too intensive, just more review based, of course continuing w/dictation; but we’ll see. I can decide that later!
Thanks everybody!
Rachel