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Your thoughts on language arts for 9th grade
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Okay, so far in my planning for our 9th grade year, we will be doing Easy Grammar Plus. I really like this program and the lessons are short as well. We are already doing some copywork (to work on neatness of handwriting) and oral narrations. (As I’ve mentioned before, we are fairly new to implementing some of CM’s methods.)
I would love to know what aspects of CM language arts you would recommend me to include since we are fairly new to implementing some of CM’s methods.
I understand the concepts of copywork, transcription, dictation, and narrations. But I’m not for sure how they should be approached as a person new to those methods going into high school. Does that make sense?
My daughter is an excellent speller. She has also already learned how to write paragraphs, essays, and book reports. She has learned both the expository and persuasive essay forms.
If you download the free sample of Hearing and Reading, Telling and Writing: A Charlotte Mason Language Arts Handbook, there is a chart in one of the first sections that will outline CM Language Arts for each grade.
For 9th grade, you would typically include
- Good literature (which is incorporated into most subjects anyway)
- Oral and written narrations
- Dictation (to reinforce good writing style, good grammar, and spelling)
- Poetry
- Shakespeare
- English Grammar
Dictation would encourage her to form the habit of looking at how words are spelled as she is reading. That habit will ensure that she will continue learning to spell new words she comes across the rest of her life. Plus, it reinforces good writing style, good grammar, good punctuation, and gives good ideas to mull over.
For her written narrations, it sounds like she has a good foundation on which to build. You could encourage her to try writing them from various points of view or different styles, such as diary entries, a scene from a play, poetry, comparisons and contrasts, etc. If you see points that she needs to work on, focus on only one or two at a time until she has mastered those in her narrations, then move to another one or two.
Does that give you some ideas?
Sonya,
Yes that helps tremendously. I had looked at the chart you mentioned but the further clarification you gave in your response helped me a lot.
So if I can run this by you and you let me know your thoughts – that would be awesome.
Easy Grammar Plus – daily (takes maybe 15 minutes max. for the most part)
One dictation lesson each week
Oral narrations daily
1 written narration per week to start and try to build up to maybe 1 written narration daily??We already have poetry scheduled daily
In regards to Shakespeare, I was thinking we may hold off on that this year. Then do one of Shakespeare’s work in 10th grade.
Also, she has started doing copywork just for working on neat handwriting. She tends to write sloppy even though she can write neatly. Would you consider neatness in handwriting something to continue to pursue through copywork amongst all the other transitions of moving into more of CM’s methods at a high school level? OR should one not worry about doing copywork at this point? Would you just expect neat writing whenever the child does writing (like written narrations if they are in handwriting) or not worry about it? I’d really like to know your thoughts on this.
I’m not Sonya, but my opinion is that if your daughter can write neatly and she is choosing to be lazy about it during school work, that she is not given copywork for that purpose. I think that you let her know up front that you expect neatness on every assignment and enforce it using Lindsey’s motto “Do it nice or do it twice.” A few times of that and you know that she’d be more careful. =) My experience with my daughter is that she just wants to get the formalities over and doesn’t care how it looks. =( (Yes, the motto does help).
Can’t really chime in on the grammar part of it with experience, since we’re still in lower elementary ages. Think it looks good though =)
Sonya, I thought I had looked at that chart you mentioned in your reply above but I hadn’t. I just now looked at it and it does help! Thanks for drawing my attention to it.
sheraz,
Thank you for your input about the neat writing. Maybe the issue of neat handwriting needs to be addressed more as a habit issue. Writing neatly, whether it’s a sentence, two numbers, or a paragraph, takes more time. My daughter typically will just jot down her answers really quick and move on to the next thing instead of taking the time it takes to form the letters/numbers neatly. The fact is, most of us do that as well from time to time. Wouldn’t you say? I know for me, whether I take the time to make it as neat as it possibly could be will usually depend on what it is I’m writing. If I’m just jotting down a grocery list, then I’m most likely not going to pour over every letter to make sure it’s as neat as it could be. However, if I’m writing a letter to someone, I want my writing to be neat. 🙂 Maybe it’s a matter of focus. For my daughter, school work is important so maybe she needs to regard her handwriting in all her subjects as important as well. Does that make sense? Maybe I need some habit training in handwriting myself! LOLAlso, we haven’t been doing copywork until recently. So it’s a fairly new thing for her. Although, I have often asked her to write something neater. I required writing for compositions to be neat; but didn’t require writing for other subjects to be super neat (like math or science).
I’m not an expert on any of this, but the habit of neatness should not be overlooked in the grand scheme of life – =) You are right of course, there are different situations requiring different levels of attention and neatness, but school work habits can translate to college situations and workforce situations, including those habits as a mother (doctor’s instructions, recipes, homework assignments (heehee),etc) that need attention given. All I think is that if you take the time to set the rail of neatness now when she is first getting the hang of CM methods, you might save her some problems in the future.
You know her best, if copywork will help her, then use it. I just thought that since she can write neatly already, copywork could be illiminated by having her do all school work neatly (in its varying degrees for each subject) and that would leave you both more time for other interesting things. And, if she is remotely interested in math or science related fields, neatness could make a difference as well – =) Enough said by me, especially since we struggle with that so much around here! sigh…….
sheraz,
I think you are right about school work habits, even for handwriting, can translate to college situations, work, and so forth. I really appreciate you throwing out some good food for thought concerning the habit of neat handwriting. And you are right, neatness in certain fields of work could definitely make a difference.
The bottom line, too, is that when you think about it, focusing on neat handwriting in all assignments gives practice in the habit of attention. And that is a habit we are working on.
Once again, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on the subject. I really appreciate it. I am so glad I became a member of this forum!
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