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Hi all,

I've just been reading through my CTC manual which arrived in the mail today and I'm noticing that the Rod and Staff Grammar is scheduled at a pace which will take 2 years to complete. Since, I have a 7th grader - soon to be 13 year old (2 weeks to go) - who will be working in this material I'm wondering if I should up the pace for him, so he finishes it in a year and then completes Book 6 in a year, as well. Which would have him in the middle of 9th grade. OR are we okay to move at the half a book a year pace?

Any thoughts!

I am pretty sure Carrie has said that the level 6 book is more like 8th grade work...or even higher? I'm sure she'll be along to help you out. We just started using level 6 with my 12 year old and I have to say it's proving more difficult for him than we thought it would be. We may have to revisit our decision to move him up, and he's strong in LA.

Florence,

Our recommendation is going to be that students have a goal of working through Rod and Staff English 6 by the end of grade 8. Then, we'll likely recommend doing 7 and 8 through high school, doing half of each level each year.

With that in mind, we'd likely recommend doing as you suggested and working through Rod and Staff English 5 in grade 7 and English 6 in grade 8.

Blessings,
Carrie

inHistiming,

Rod and Staff 5 is considered a key level of Rod and Staff. It is typically advised for older students to begin in Level 5, so it's likely not the level you'd want to skip. I know it can be difficult to balance your husband's preferences with your own thoughts about schooling. One thing that may help would be to have your husband do the grammar lesson with that particular child in the evening three times a week or so. By involving your husband in the grammar instruction, he will really see how VERY advanced Rod and Staff grammar is compared to the grammar most of us had in middle school. I know it made a believer out of my husband, when he began going over my oldest son's grammar with him once or twice a week last year, just to see what our son was learning. My hubby is strong in grammar, but he said there are many things in the Rod and Staff 5 and 6 books that he never had in high school (and we had the same excellent high school grammar teacher as we were in the same high school).

Just a thought!

Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie wrote: Our recommendation is going to be that students have a goal of working through Rod and Staff English 6 by the end of grade 8. Then, we'll likely recommend doing 7 and 8 through high school, doing half of each level each year.

With that in mind, we'd likely recommend doing as you suggested and working through Rod and Staff English 5 in grade 7 and English 6 in grade 8.

Blessings,
Carrie

Carrie,

Since my son is in the middle of 7th grade beginning Rod and Staff 5, do you have any suggestions on how we can complete both books 5 and 6 in a year and a half, putting him "on track" for high school by the end of 8th grade? Would you consider eliminating the writing and composition lessons, since we are now using Write with the Best or_________?

Florence,

I wouldn't worry too much about finishing Level 6 exactly at the end of grade 8. Levels 5 and 6 are so meaty that rushing them would really make the coverage spotty and also be overwhelming for both teacher and student. I think it will be fine to be finishing 6 for half of a year as a freshman, and then downshift to half-speed or 3 times a week for the remaining two Rod and Staff levels 7-8.

The composition lessons within Rod and Staff are actually very good and do a good job of reinforcing other writing the kiddos are doing, including Write with the Best. I think the two together work well in preparing a student for high school level grammar and writing.

So, feel good that you're on a strong grammar/writing path and just steadily move through the books lesson by lesson.

Blessings,
Carrie

Good words, Carrie. Thank you.