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Analytical Grammar
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I’m having doubts. We just started this program with the DVD and are on the 2nd exercise of Unit 1, but my DD 14 is making a lot of mistakes which she marks with a red pen (ACE background for mom coming out) the page is covered with these little marks. I’m just not seeing how she is going to learn the stuff.? And this isn’t her first exposure to grammar. She’s previously use rod and staff and the ace school of tomorrow. I’m not always available to help nor do I understand it myself at times
Hi Becky,
I do not own Analytical Grammar so cannot look at it for guidance. Is she struggling with the diagramming? Grammar can be a struggle. My daughter, who struggles with grammar retention, is doing better with Spelling Wisdom and Using Language Well. She does not need to focus on diagramming but instead parses sentences (it achieves the same goal but is a different method).
If you have not looked at Using Language Well, I’d love to encourage you to look through our samples. We have a placement guide available approximately 2/3 down each Using Language Well Student Guide’s page in our Bookstore. It sounds like she would place in Book 2 of Using Language Well. While we recommend each book be used 2x per week over 2 years, you may be able to have her work through 3 lessons a week (unless you find it too much for her). There will be some involvement from you however I find it only requires approximately 10 minutes from me for each of my students.
We tried Analytical Grammar but it was just too much. My kids do really well with Spelling Wisdom and Using Language Well, they seem to get it much easier with smaller chunks at a time. I do really love diagramming though, so we got these super simple diagramming-only books. We work through 2-3 sentences on days we do not do ULW. It is super fun. The diagramming is behind the grammar we are learning so that makes it easy. I feel they are getting the best of both worlds.
No diagramming yet. She did fine with diagramming when she was doing the rod and staff and ACE. She understands (or she seemed to) nouns, verb, adjectives, pronouns, etc. when the sentences are simple. Its when we were having more complicated sentences combined with learning about helping verbs, linking verbs and finding predicate adjectives, and predicate nouns etc. that she has started to loose her grip so to speak (in the ACE School of tomorrow English we were using before we bought Analytical grammar).
Analytical Grammar Unit 1 is teaching her to find Nouns including proper nouns, articles, & adjectives. She is just to label the sentences, no diagramming at this point. here is a sample sentence….” This delightful legend about Betsy Ross gained popularity with the American Public at the time of the national centennial in 1876.” In that one sentence she got 5 wrong. Didn’t mark them correctly or not at all.
Last year she did really well with the ACE school of tomorrow English. I’m not sure what’s happening or how to help now. I feel really helpless at this point with the ace. It is in booklet form, 12 booklets for a year. So, if linking verbs were taught in PACE such and such you have to dig that finished pace out and try to find where it was taught. We did take some notes, but I don’t know, its really hard for me to help her.
I could look again at Using Language Well…… It just didn’t seem to be the thing.. not enough instruction that I could see. Oh, and I really need to her to be more independent than what this allows though I understand its not much time. I can’t be relied on all the time right now because of…Life.
Maybe she just needs a little break. Grammar overload perhaps? Maybe just do a review of what she knows. Have you thought about something like Daily Grams. Or redo some of the ACE books she has already done as a review. I felt like just the set up and presentation of Analytical Grammar was overwhelming. The sentences are complex and the passages seem so long. My kids just got so confused. We couldn’t get passed the first few lessons. And my daughter takes Latin, and loves parsing and diagramming. But couldn’t do the AG. Learning style thing maybe???
Maybe so……
It’s crazy how we can look at samples and watch reviews and think it looks like it would work and then you get it and ugh…… and all that money for something that isn’t going well at all. My daughter even watched the sample and some reviews and was excited for it. Today she even said it’s nice to be excited for grammar for once. But she’s losing confidence seeing all her mistakes..
She really likes the DVD. She likes to have a teacher talking to her etc….
You could let her continue but only do half or a quarter of the assignment. Just pick one or two or three sentences that you know she will be successful with. Cross the rest off. It may take a little more prep work from you. But it will be worth it. More isnt always more you know.
I cannot tell you how much I have spent on unused curriculum, I am like a junky. After 11 years of homeschooling I am starting to realize changing isn’t always the answer and that what I am doing is good enough. Hopefully I will kearn before my homeschooling journey ends.
I have never seen the AG video, but I taught season 1 and 2 to my daughter and two of my sister’s children. It is a lot of material. I would either take a break from grammar for a time or spread the lessons out more. Maybe take 2 days to complete a page. The way the sentences are written they get more complex towards the end of unit so just crossing out some of the sentences on the earlier pages might not make it easier.
We are using it for the first time. Since I plan to spread it out over 3 years, we are only doing about 5 sentences at a time, twice a week.
I need the emoji of the monkey covering his eyes 🙂 but I put Analytical Grammar aside. We have been using Winston Grammar. The child uses color-coded clue cards along with a book of exercises. So they are doing multi-sensory activities like moving, seeing, hearing, speaking. The sentences are simpler than Analytical. Using the clue cards has really been helping her. It doesn’t take very long either. I do have to be right there with her for the lessons that are teaching a new part of speech but it doesn’t take but a few minutes. Some lessons are review of the previous lesson so she could do those worksheets independently if I know she’s understanding it well.
I haven’t totally ditched the Analytical Grammar . Its just been put away until later. Maybe next year 🙂
Thank you for all your thoughts and comments!
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