Trying a New Grammar Curriculum

I'm very excited about a new grammar program that I am going to be trying out. It is called Foundation of Grammar and it is free for now through Anne's School Place - Curriculum Development Blog.  I ran across that website while I was browsing through The Encouraging Mom blog.

http://annesschoolplace.com/blog/

 

 

My son, Zachary, has covered the very basic grammar lessons that seem to be offered in most curriculum for his age/grade.  This seems to be a strange level when it comes to grammar. Most of the books I've tried for 3rd-4th grade have a simple review of a specific topic along with 8-10 sentences,  and the student is supposed to circle the noun or verb or adverb, etc. The problem I have with this type of practice is that my son picks up on the patterns of the sentences because they are all so similar and he just flies through all the questions without really thinking about what he's doing. Later if I say, find the prepositional phrase, he sort of has a blank look on his face. I'd like a curriculum that uses more complete paragraphs, where the sentences don't all have the same format, and lessons that require him to think about how the sentences are structured.

So this is why I'm going to be trying Foundation of Grammar by Anne Elliot. First of all I like that it uses the Bible as the main source text. The fact that it is free to anyone willing to use it and give feedback to the author is also a bonus. I liked what I reviewed of the teacher's manual. It is concise and although it is scripted, it has a very natural flow. The lessons explain the material thoroughly and, very importantly for me, the examples and practice texts have a wide variety of sentence styles that are all structured beautifully. What a great way to hide God's word in the heart of a child!

Another thing I like about the Lessons is that as the student learns a new definition/topic, they are instructed to find it in the text, but they are also still asked to find the items that they were learning about in the last lesson. So, the lessons build upon each other and they continue to practice locating each part of the sentence, even as they are going on to learn new topics. Again, this will force my son to think about the structure of each sentence and not just look for the repetitive patterns that are so often found in simpler grammar lessons.

This is how the program is set up:

There are 3 units. Unit 1 has Lessons 1-15, Unit 2 has Lessons 16-25, and Unit 3 has Lessons 26-30.


Each lesson introduces a new topic with a definition of a new part of speech. The introduction is followed by a variety of 4-5 Exercises. One exercise may ask the student to cross out any prepositional phrases, underline any verbs twice, and underline any subjects one time. The next exercise may have the student combine choppy sentences using compound verbs, and the next may tell them to fill in the missing prepositions.

The Teacher's Manual - has scripted lessons along with the identical text that the student sees in his book, except that the TM has the answers marked on its pages.

Student Book - since this is a .pdf file, it can be printed out all at one time or as needed. Here is a sample of one of the lessons:

Lesson 12
Exercise A - Cross out any prepositional phrases. Underline any verbs twice.

o Check for action verbs.
o Check for being verbs.
o Check for helping verbs.
o Remember that verbs will never be part of prepositional phrases.

1. This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2. Long ago Isaiah the prophet wrote, “I will send my messenger ahead of you.
3. He will prepare your way.”
4. “A messenger is calling out in the desert, „Prepare the way for the Lord.‟”
5. And so John came.
6. He baptized people in the desert.
7. He also preached that people should be baptized and turn away from their sins.
8. Then God would forgive them.
9. All the people from the countryside of Judea went out to him.
10. All the people from Jerusalem went too.
11. When they admitted they had sinned, John baptized them in the Jordan River.
12. John wore clothes made out of camel's hair.
13. He had a leather belt around his waist.
14. He ate locusts and wild honey.
Mark 1:1-6, NIrV

Extra Practice Exercises - these are available to provide additional practice for the student as necessary

Learning Aids - these are 8 1/2 x 11 posters, covering information covered in each lesson, to place in a mini grammar folder or to post on the wall.


I'm excited to try it out. We've been needing to add something with more substance and structure. This seems to be a good fit for us. I'll be posting more in the future to let you know how it's going and how much I think Zachary is getting out of the program.

Blessings,
Vicki