Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: Grammar, spelling wisdom, SW, ULW, unscripted lessons Pure CM, Using Language Well

This topic has 10 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 11 months ago by kernat.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

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June 27, 2023 at 11:07 am
kernat
Participant
I do not want to ruin my children, but I was thinking about the specific lessons the older ones have had in making plurals, contractions, etc. I’m second guessing the decision to do CM next year in a purist way. My kids do need refreshers from year to year. If I am designing my own curriculum and teaching these concepts from their own living books as they arise, I am worried I am not equipped to create a whole lesson around these concepts. Maybe I just need reassurance. I have rising 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th graders. The SW/ULW looks great, but I thought it was best for to use their own books in that manner. Maybe I should just give CM a chance?
June 27, 2023 at 5:33 pm
…..
Participant
I am not a purist.. I love something that is solid for each kid for spelling, grammar/writing, and phonics. It’s just easier for me.. and it does “work”.
June 27, 2023 at 6:02 pm
kernat
Participant
Rainne, may I ask what you like? I think I am having trust issues. I just don’t want to overdo it with the kids when I feel like we do need to have a year of reading a lot of good living books. But we’ve had these curriculums take up a lot of time, too.

June 27, 2023 at 8:47 pm
totheskydear
Participant
I just started Traditional Spelling from Memoria Press with my kids and like it so far. I just use the teacher’s guide and to reduce the time spent writing, do the word scrambles with Bananagrams tiles. But they still copy the words out in cursive because that is supposed to help with retention.
June 27, 2023 at 8:59 pm
kernat
Participant
Sky, thanks! We used that for 2nd grade this year. I wish they had it for 5th and 6th. We’ve also used Rod and Staff. It’s good, but I guess we were a bit bored of it.
June 28, 2023 at 1:30 pm
Ruralmama
Participant
We’re not purists either….we also have dyslexia in at least 1 if not 2 kids and parents who are really poor spellers… maybe some form of dyslexia here too? I also like to use the same curriculum for each child so I get used to teaching it.
I use All About Spelling and All About Reading. 15 min lessons 3-5 times a week for each child. The short lessons make this doable. I am a firm believer in thorough phonics for each child ( there are many good programs) and all about spelling seems to help my dislexic so we’re going with it.
Analytical Grammar for the oldest 2. You could use anything here you like. We do delay grammar till 4th grade or later. I informally introduce parts of speech before this along with copywork.
I have used primarily Language lessons for 2-5 in the past. I like the lower levels fine but not the 5 and 6 as well. Also you can do the same thing without a curriculum. That’s what I’m doing with my current 2nd grader.
If you read Know and Tell by Karen Glass or other similar book(s) or Charlotte Mason’s writings, I am positive you can teach composition without a curriculum. I do oral narrations with all my kids. With the dyslexia, I am trying WriteShop Jr this year just to help get words onto paper. I will use it for the oldest 2 (12 and 10) along with a goal of 1 written narration each week.
Just my thoughts if anything helps you great, if not disregard it:) each mother and student are different.
June 29, 2023 at 4:15 pm
kernat
Participant
Rural, thank you so much for sharing. My oldest never learned to read with formal phonics (public school), so his Rod & Staff spelling frustrates him. He doesn’t absorb the rules. But I am afraid to abandon it. I am going to keep researching!
June 29, 2023 at 7:14 pm
Ruralmama
Participant
Is his spelling good? How does he learn best? Do you have time to do it with him? Does he even need that?
For a more CM approach that is also somewhat systematic you could look at Dictation Day by Day. I haven’t used it, but it is in public domain so you can look at it and even try it for free. I have heard many people do like it.
June 30, 2023 at 9:25 pm
…..
Participant
For LA I like rod and staff English & Spelling beginning around grade 3- using grade 2 materials. They start off so gentle in the grade 2 books it’s been the perfect start for us. You might try spreading out the spelling more.
July 7, 2023 at 11:13 am
puddelilly
Participant
My daughter is just going into 7th grade this year. We are not purist anything – we did a real mashup of CM, Montessori, and the dreaded worksheets (and very occasionally computer games). We used the phonics readers from themeasuredmom.com when she was little, and she loved the teach your monster to read computer game which is totally phonics based. She loved playing the games up until she was about 8 or 9 (she was way past them, but they were somehow a comforting reminder of her younger years). I’ve never used a complete curriculum for any subject except Latin. We made use of worksheets from k-5 learning and k-12 reader for grammar rules, but didn’t use them every day – only when I noticed in her writing that she wasn’t getting or applying a concept. I wouldn’t sweat it too much. Just if you notice a consistent mistake or struggle grab a worksheet to cement the skill.
July 8, 2023 at 9:42 am
kernat
Participant
Thank you all very much! I do think all of my children need spelling and grammar instruction of some sort. My oldest, in particular, still misspells words when he writes. I am really liking a vintage book I found on spelling by William D. Swan. It has writing exercises, too. I worry about missing something, though!