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This
section deals specifically with Grammar (capitalization, punctuation,
and parts of speech). Composition skills (sentence structure,
writing letters, reports, essays, fiction, nonfiction, and
poetry) is covered in Teaching
Composition. Handwriting is covered in Teaching
Handwriting. Although
these subjects overlap, it works better in a home school
situation to spend a day or two each week focusing on one
of these subjects at a time. (See Sample Curriculum
Plan for a recommended schedule.)
Many
traditional English curriculums spend too much time on grammar
(probably because it's much easier to correct thirty fill-in-the
blank, multiple-choice worksheets than it is to correct thirty
handwritten compositions) resulting in students who know everything
about diagramming sentences, but develop very few skills in
composition. As a home school parent; however, you can focus
two or three days per week on composition lessons, using these
compositions to also reinforce grammar skills, and the other
days working on specific grammar instruction. The result will
be that your child will not only learn proper grammar, but
he will also develop excellent composition skills.
Index:
FOR
THE VISUAL LEARNER:
Cozy
Grammar produced by Splashes from the River.
If you have a Visual or Auditory
Learner, you need to check out this video
curriculum.
Cut
& Paste Language Arts. by TCM. ISBN 0743937074.
This resource is enjoyed by K-2nd grade children who like
to cut and paste. It also includes a variety of hands-on,
craft activities designed to reinforce learning in phonics,
parts of speech, grammar and usage, homophones, contractions,
alphabetization, compound words, synonyms, antonyms and more.
Editor
In Chief, Beginning by Critical Thinking. Focuses
on editing in context. Each lesson includes a graphic
illustration, a caption to the illustration, and a short
paragraph. The student edits the caption and paragraph
for errors in grammar and mechanics. Visual Learners
will like working with the illustrations. Written for
grades 3rd-4th. ISBN 0894557661. Purchase at local educational
stores.
Editor
in Chief, A1. Written for grades 4th-6th. ISBN
. Purchase at local educational stores.
Editor
in Chief, B1. Written for grades 6th-8th. ISBN
894555162. Purchase at local educational stores.
The
Grammar Key. Here is a complete grammar
course for the Visual, Read/Write, and Auditory Learner.
The streamlined program makes teaching grammar easy
and complete in the shortest amount of time. This is what
I would use today - love this program! Windows program.
1-800-480-0539.
Grammar
Practice, Grades 1-2 by
TCM. Because of the excellent typesetting done on this
book, this grammar workbook works well with Visual Learners.
I also like the way it introduces one concept at a time
making it a good resource for fixing “holes” in
learning. It covers parts of speech and punctuation. ISBN
0743936205.
Grammar
Practice: Grades 3-4 by
TCM. Because of the excellent typesetting done on this
book, this grammar workbook works well with Visual Learners.
I also like the way it introduces one concept at a time
making it a good resource for fixing “holes” in
learning. It covers parts of speech and punctuation. ISBN
0743936213.
Grammar
Practice, Grades 5-6 by TCM. Grades 5-6. Because
of the excellent typesetting done on this book, this grammar
workbook works well with Visual Learners. I also like the
way it introduces one concept at a time making it a good
resource for fixing “holes” in learning. It
covers parts of speech and punctuation. ISBN 0743936221.
Internet
Activities for Language Arts by
TCM. Visual Learners will like using the Internet to learn
and reinforce language arts skills. Covers alphabetical order,
capitalization, punctuation, parts of speech, antonyms, synonyms,
and more. Recommended for 5th+. ISBN 1576904083.
Just
for fun grammar review, try some of these online Wacky
Stories: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/games/wildandwacky/
and http://www.eduplace.com/tales/
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FOR
THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER:
Reading
Rods®: Sentence Building Classroom Kit (Grades
2+) Parts of speech and sentence building
become easy with color-coded Reading Rods® that link
together! Students learn to distinguish the nine most common
parts of speech and put them together to form sentences.
Kit contains 24 double-sided activity cards, a 48-page
Instruction and Activity Book with over 100 full-color
demonstration cards, 4 activity trays, and 156 rods in
a storage tub. Ages 7-13. This is the best resource currently
available for your Kinesthetic Learner.
Games
Galore Language Arts by Mailbox. TEC 2514. Your children
will go on a scavenger hunt, play charades, go fishing
and much more while learning grammar. Great for the
child who hates to sit still! Not available online.
Purchase from Educational Stores.
Cut
& Paste Language Arts. by TCM. ISBN 0743937074.
This resource is enjoyed by K-2nd grade children who like
to cut and paste. It also includes a variety of hands-on,
craft activities designed to reinforce learning in phonics,
parts of speech, grammar and usage, homophones, contractions,
alphabetization, compound words, synonyms, antonyms and more.
Language
Arts Resources from Recyclables by Monday Morning.
Use milk jug caps, styrofoam meat trays, small milk
cartons, old magazines, construction paper, paper bags,
empty boxes, outdated calendars, old newspapers, wrapping
paper, popsicle sticks, egg cartons, and used greeting
cards to create games that will reinforce language
arts skills. This is out of print but it's worth looking
for a used copy. ISBN 1878279718. K-4th grade.
The
Grammar Key. Here is a complete grammar course for
the Visual, Read/Write, and Auditory Learner. The streamlined
program makes teaching grammar easy and complete in the
shortest amount of time. Windows program. 1-800-480-0539.
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FOR
THE AUDITORY LEARNER:
First
Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind by
Jessie Wise is a great grammar curriculum for Auditory
Learners. Grammar and mechanics are taught by reading the
lesson out loud to the child. It also includes copy work,
memory work, and an enrichment activity to go with the
lesson, but you don't have to do everything the author
suggests to profit from using this book. I would spend
no more than 15 minutes per day, two days per week, on
Grammar, at this age. You can reinforce what your child
learns in the grammar during composition lessons. I like
the way the grammar lessons are presented in this book;
however, be aware that this book and The
Well-Trained Mind by the same author do not come from
a Christian perspective. Therefore, some of the reading selections
might not be what you want your child to read. In addition,
this type of curriculum can be overwhelming for a Visual and
Kinesthetic learner. There is a lot I would skip in this book,
including memory work. I would substitute other things to
memorize, especially if memorizing is hard for your child.
I would not depend on this for composition, either. (Pictured
above)
Cozy
Grammar produced by Splashes from the River.
If you have a Visual or Auditory
Learner, you need to check out this video
curriculum. See my complete review on my blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/EmptyNestMom/46047/.
Grammar
Songs, Cassette & Book by Kathy Troxel. The Grammar
Songs Kit teaches all the parts of speech (except conjunctions)
and rules of punctuation and 72 Greek and Latin roots for
building vocabulary. It is appropriate for grades 3 - 8. It
includes a 72-page workbook with song lyrics, illustrations,
drills and writing exercises; a Teachers Guide and a long-playing
sound track with 16 songs.
Shurley
English (used
copies). I have not personally used this but I have
heard from a trusted source that this is a great program
for Auditory Learners. You can purchase it new online
at http://www.shurley.com/.
After
a good basics in grammar taught from any of the above resources,
your auditory learner can switch to a read/write curriculum.
See below for suggestions.
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FOR
THE READ/WRITE LEARNER:
The
Read/Write Learner can use just about any curriculum and be
successful. For my Read/Write child, my main goal was to cover
the most in the least amount of time. I found that we did
not have to do a full Language Arts program every year for
her to learn grammar. Instead, we focused on composition and
short grammar review most years, with a year here and there
of concentrated grammar lessons. Here is what I would recommend
for most Read/Write Learners during 1st-6th or 7th grade.
(For the English major or grammar buff, you will want to do
a lot more. See A Beka English below.)
YEAR
ONE
How
to Punctuate and Capitalize , Grades
2-5. A simple text with an emphasis on capitalization
and punctuation. Use for 3- 6 months. Answers included.
YEAR
TWO
How to Use Parts of Speech Grade 2-3.
A simple text with an emphasis on the eight parts of speech.
Answers included.
YEAR
THREE
Learning Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 3,
Yellow The reading selections are The White
Stallion, Madeline, Meet George Washington, and The Courage
of Sarah Noble. You will have to purchase these in addition
to the curriculum. You will need the teacher's edition also.
OR
Easy
Grammar Grades 3. An easy-to-understand,
grammar-only textbook. Children must memorize all the
prepositions first. Use for one year of concentrated
grammar instruction.
YEAR
FOUR
Daily
Language Review Grade 4 A daily 15 minutes review
that includes capitalization, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary,
syllables, plurals, parts of speech, sentence structure, contractions,
and more. This workbook is more visually appealing than Daily
Grams, important for the Visual Learner. Answers included.
ISBN 155799658X
OR
DAILY
GRAMS GRADE 4 A daily capitalization,
punctuation, parts of speech, and sentence structure
review that takes 15 minutes per day. Answers included.
OR
The
Grammar Key. Here is a complete grammar course for the
Visual, Read/Write, and Auditory Learner. The streamlined
program makes teaching grammar easy and complete in the shortest
amount of time. Windows program. 1-800-480-0539.
YEAR
FIVE
Learning
Language Arts Through Literature, Grade 5
A complete language arts textbook. Covers grammar,
composition, spelling, and vocabulary. The reading selections
are Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Trumpet of the Swan
by EB White, Meet Addy by Connie Porter, and Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink. You will have to purchase these in addition
to the curriculum. You will need the teacher's edition also.
OR
Easy
Grammar Grades 5. An easy-to-understand,
grammar-only textbook. Children must memorize all the
prepositions first.
YEAR
SIX
DAILY
LANGUAGE REVIEW GR 6 . A daily 15 minutes review
that includes capitalization, punctuation, grammar, vocabulary,
syllables, plurals, parts of speech, sentence structure, contractions,
and more. This workbook is more visually appealing than Daily
Grams, important for the Visual Learner. Answers included.
ISBN 1557997920.
OR
DAILY
GRAMS GRADE 6. A daily capitalization, punctuation,
parts of speech, and sentence structure review that
takes 15 minutes per day. Answers included.
ALL
YEARS
Read/Write
learners
often benefit from using A Beka English as it is the most
comprehensive English curriculum available. This curriculum
will most likely overwhelm Visual, Kinesthetic, and Auditory
learners. Sold only through A
Beka Book publishers.
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GRAMMAR
FOR JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL:
Easy
Grammar Plus, Student Workbook Plus. An easy-to-understand,
grammar-only textbook. Children must memorize all the prepositions
first. Use for one year of concentrated grammar instruction
during senior high for a high school English credit. Answer
Key:
DAILY
GRAMS JR/SR HIGH A daily capitalization, punctuation,
parts of speech, and sentence structure review that takes
15 minutes per day. Answers included. ISBN 0936981059.
The
Grammar Key. Here is a complete grammar course for the
Visual, Read/Write, and Auditory Learner. The streamlined
program makes teaching grammar easy and complete in the shortest
amount of time. Windows program. 1-800-480-0539.
Wordsmith,
New Edition Grammar and composition
for 7th - 9th graders.
Wordsmith
Craftsman . Grammar and composition
for 10th - 12th graders.
Read/Write
learners often benefit from using A Beka English as it is the most
comprehensive English curriculum available. This curriculum
will most likely overwhelm other learners. Sold only through
A Beka Book
publishers.
The
Elements of Grammar by Margaret
Shertzer. Presents a concise, comprehensive course in the
basic rules of grammar and usage, along with invaluable tips
on how to implement these rules in everyday writing and speaking.
Covers punctuation, capitalization, parts of a sentence, and
much more. The companion to the classic, The
Elements of Style. Both are recommended reference
resources. ISBN 0028614496.
Cracking
the AP English Language & Composition Exam, 2009 Edition
(College Test Preparation),
Practice for the Advanced Placement English test to earn
college credit.
Internet
Resources for Teaching Grammar
Grammar
Helps.
English
Lessons Online.
English
Grammar Quizzes.
Grammar
Gorillas from Funbrain. Identify parts of speech.
Guide
to Grammar and Writing.
Big
Dog's Grammar.
Scott
Foresman Writing and Grammar Online for Grades
1-6.
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