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Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling
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I know these topics have been rehashed several times, but here is my concern with my younger three (will be 7th, 5th, and 4th):
1. They do not punctuate well. We’ve never done formal grammar. We did do a year of ELTL, but the multiple enrichment activities make it a bit choppy and difficult for me to implement. I am also not a fan of traditional sentence diagramming.
2. Grammar came to me naturally, I guess, and I’m not sure how to teach it. Looking for suggestions for that and identifying parts of speech.
3. I see spelling errors for words we’ve been through time and again! Words like their/there/they’re, than/then, to/too, etc. I’d like a spelling program that is list-based, possibly the same list for each of them week-to-week since they’re only 2 years apart.
I am looking for a practical, easy to implement program that will (hopefully daily) focus on these things. I need something that does not require a lot of preparation or time on my part. A workbook-based program is fine.
I have a degree in English and my radar is telling me to focus on these things now! Any suggestions are welcome.
My first thought is copywork and later dictation. Are you not wanting to use CM methods for language arts? For 4th and 5th grades, copywork is 3 to 5 days per week. I select a variety from Currclick to download and print out as needed. For 7th grade, copywork days 1 & 3 and dictation of the same passage on days 2 & 4. We use Spelling Wisdom for this. It is open and go. “Learn today’s 6,000 most frequently used words presented in the writings of great men and women of history! Now you can have the confidence that you’re teaching the words your student needs to know, using the Charlotte Mason method of prepared dictation.”
https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/spelling-wisdom/
My dd had more struggles with spelling. We used Sequential Spelling for her. Everyone starts at book 1, so multiple children can use it together. They are lists based on word families.
4th and 5th grades can do Writing Tales together. This also helped our transition from oral to written narrations. It covers grammar. There are optional games to reinforce.
Mad Libs are fun to use with basic parts of speech.
Currently with grades 5 & 8, we are using Simply Grammar together a few days per week, casually for about 20 minute lessons. We have enjoyed it so far. We started in term 3, so we aren’t very far into it yet. We will carry it over into next year. In high school, each will use Our Mother Tongue independently. I understand there is little or no diagramming in it. Ambleside Online suggests it.
I just flipped through OMT and it has more diagramming than I thought it would. I am not sure if this could be skipped or not. Another option for no diagramming is Winston Grammar, which we have not used yet either.
CM methods (and specifically prepared dictation) are definitely not a match for two of the three kids I am talking about. One I suspect has mild dyslexia, and the other needs a more comprehensive program.
We used the first book of Fix It Grammar and I actually think it did a great job teaching the basics! Check out the sample online. I had my 4th, 6th, and 7th graders using it this year.
Oh, wow, Tristan! Fix-It Grammar looks like just the kind of thing I was looking for. Fantastic – grammar, vocabulary, copywork, and parts of speech all in one. I’m going to start with the 1st level for my 7th, 5th, and 4th graders.
Thank you, thank you!
3/5 of my kids struggle/d with spelling. We didn’t ditch copywork and prepared dictation. There is too much value in these. They seem to be an “over time” help with sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation. They just tend to be slooooow on spelling help for some strugglers (dyslexics mild, or more serious). And, OMT is a great resource for upper jrhi/highschool.
For my strugglers, we tried a few resources based on lists/phonics rules. Some of them helped to correct very little. The biggest things I can say about AAS for one of mine was that it helped him with his reversal of b/d. We got into the second level before it was laid to the side as more trouble than it was worth price and time wise. I do have to say that because we bailed on it, I cannot say that it’s not the right resource because it may be an “over time” situation with which we didn’t follow through and missed the benefits of it all coming together and the fruit of learning to do hard things. So, there’s that…
AVKO is the Sequential Spelling publisher. They have an awesome resource that has helped all of my strugglers see that they can learn to spell by learning patterns without realizing they are rules.
The resource we’ve used from AVKO is called If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me To Do It. It’s their adult literacy resource. It’s made a huge difference in spelling at our house as far as testing is concerned. It doesn’t always carry over into daily use unless I deliberately point out the fact that they can think the word through and remember the way they spelled it in the spelling lesson. Which makes me wonder? Are we as parents just super impatient when it comes to waiting for proof that the learning is “in there”? Maybe we just need to point out past successes, in the moment, and help them remember that they can think it through, even if slowly, to get better results.
When my strugglers practice spelling words/ hearing words spelled repeatedly out loud, they tend to remember them better (thanks, Andrew Pudewa). While not an everytime fix, we’ve seen it help.
I’m just thinking out loud. I’ve graduated 4/5 of my kids now and some excel at math, some are good spellers, some are crafty, but they all tell great stories (spelled correctly, or not). I really think the studied dictation combined with AVKOs resources are what I’d suggest to other homeschoolers from now on…
I’d encourage them not to give up on the resources they have on hand, but to look at them/use them differently than the teacher’s guide suggests. They are tools for long term construction projects, not quick fixes in many cases. Similar to covering different topics in math during the week, CM style, try approaching spelling from different angles. Out loud, on paper, with discussion and usage. The only thing I really don’t suggest is the fix the incorrect spelling/word shuffle types of things because it’s just too confusing for dyslexics, and may even be troubling to good spellers.
Fix It Grammar was mentioned. I haven’t used it, but another mom shared this link with me earlier in the week, so I thought I’d post it here.
https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/iew-free-for-summer/
Practice, practice, practice, sigh. 😉
3/5 of my kids struggle/d with spelling. We didn’t ditch copywork and prepared dictation. There is too much value in these. They seem to be an “over time” help with sentence structure, capitalization, and punctuation. They just tend to be slooooow on spelling help for some strugglers (dyslexics mild, or more serious). And, OMT is a great resource for upper jrhi/highschool.
For my strugglers, we tried a few resources based on lists/phonics rules. Some of them helped to correct very little. The biggest things I can say about AAS for one of mine was that it helped him with his reversal of b/d. We got into the second level before it was laid to the side as more trouble than it was worth price and time wise. I do have to say that because we bailed on it, I cannot say that it’s not the right resource because it may be an “over time” situation with which we didn’t follow through and missed the benefits of it all coming together and the fruit of learning to do hard things. So, there’s that…
AVKO is the Sequential Spelling publisher. They have an awesome resource that has helped all of my strugglers see that they can learn to spell by learning patterns without realizing they are rules.
The resource we’ve used from AVKO is called If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me To Do It. (I don’t always use the sentences suggested during lessons! It’s their adult literacy resource.) It’s made a huge difference in spelling at our house as far as testing is concerned. It doesn’t always carry over into daily use unless I deliberately point out the fact that they can think the word through and remember the way they spelled it in the spelling lesson. Which makes me wonder? Are we as parents just super impatient when it comes to waiting for proof that the learning is “in there”? Maybe we just need to point out past successes, in the moment, and help them remember that they can think it through, even if slowly, to get better results.
When my strugglers practice spelling words/ hearing words spelled repeatedly out loud, they tend to remember them better (thanks, Andrew Pudewa). While not an everytime fix, we’ve seen it help.
I’m just thinking out loud. I’ve graduated 4/5 of my kids now and some excel at math, some are good spellers, some are crafty, but they all tell great stories (spelled correctly, or not). I really think the studied dictation combined with AVKOs resources are what I’d suggest to other homeschoolers from now on…
I’d encourage them not to give up on the resources they have on hand, but to look at them/use them differently than the teacher’s guide suggests. They are tools for long term construction projects, not quick fixes in many cases. Similar to covering different topics in math during the week, CM style, try approaching spelling from different angles. Out loud, on paper, with discussion and usage. The only thing I really don’t suggest is the fix the incorrect spelling/word shuffle types of things because it’s just too confusing for dyslexics, and may even be troubling to good spellers.
Fix It Grammar was mentioned. I haven’t used it, but another mom shared this link with me earlier in the week, so I thought I’d post it here.
https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/iew-free-for-summer/
Practice, practice, practice, sigh. 😉
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