Language Arts, Lost on what to do?

I think both grammar and spelling at her age are a matter of diligent daiky practice whether through workbooks, prepared dictation, or by practicing words out loud over and over. Same with handwriting. The sandbox idea or hand strengthening exercises with fairly good clay may help some.

Something I’m doing with prepared dictation is to use a small marker board for the preliminary days practice. The only time we have a paper copy is once they’ve shown mastery of the words/sentences/punctuation. This is done with “best” handwriting for keeps. I haven’t always done this, but it seems to be making a difference in neatness and in how many days they are taking to master the sentences. Somehow, I think the marker board makes it more “play” like vs. school type work.

Study these subjects for yourself, too, and use them “out loud” to build yourself up and it will become a habit for both of you. We used Easy Grammar one year. It was easy. But, it didn’t seem to stick. It was good preparation for sitting and accomplishing the completion of a lesson, so it served a good purpose. Some actual learning of grammar concepts took place, but didn’t necessarily transfer to written evidence.

Try learning one part of speech by using it to improve sentences for awhile. You’ll see a change. Then, add another idea while continuing to use what you’vexalready learned.

Be encouraged. Consistent exposure brings improvement, especially if you are careful to watch for it and make a big deal over improvement.

Blessings,

Becca<><

My now 28 year old had ( & has) severe dysgraphia all his life. When he was younger I did a lot of transposing and dictation and narration with him and a lot of scribing his words for him. Now, he has graduated with a degree in Cultural Communications and he has told me the only thing that would have helped him is if I had forced him to do copywork every day! Yikes, I thought I was doing him a favor since he had so much to say and writing was so difficult. The issues he had carried on through college and at that level he had to undergo testing in order to be able to use a computer for his notes and exams. He missed being labelled as ‘needing help’ by about 2%. SO they allowed him computer in the class to take notes, and extra time for his written exams. At the end of the year his handwriting and his ability to write were vastly improved. He now says that while his writing will likely always be messy, at least he has the confidence to know he Can do it. I think this is one area where Charlotte Mason really shines. Copywork requires little to no ‘creative output’ but it requires concentration, and it trains the muscles and the mind to notice when something is well written and it builds confidence in the children when they can look at a body of work and say “I did that” and you can really see the improvement. I did it with all the younger siblings and it has paid off for everyone. They all have some level of dysgraphia, but their confidence is so much higher and they know they can do whatever they want to do despite their issues.