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My dd is doing CTC with level 4 Rod & Staff English and she is having a very hard time learning the verb tenses and helping verbs. Does anyone have any tips or tricks you can share that might help her understand these types of verbs? She is very frustrated & I can't seem to explain it to her in a way she understands or can retain the information. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

I wonder if this book would be helpful.

Is it not clear enough in the Rod and Staff book, or is she just hitting a road block with understanding it? I'm curious since we haven't covered that information and I think I'll be using R and S 4 this fall.

Alison

She is having a hard time with the present, simple past, helper form chart & the present, past, future tense chart. When we go over it, she may know the present tense, but will struggle with the simple past & helper form. I am also having a hard time teaching her when a past tense verb needs a helping verb. She attended ps before this year & I really don't remember them stressing this too much. I actually had to move her down 2 levels in Language because I realized there were a lot of gaps once we began homeschooling.
I hope this makes sense. I am kind of at a loss & any help would be appreciated.

I found this will it help?
http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/schools/bri ... /1help.htm

mindy,

This is a tough concept for all ages! Even high school students struggle with it. Have no fear that your little honey will get this again later, so don't worry about mastery at this point. It is only an introduction. I do help my kiddos as needed to get through the introduction phase of new concepts, so they get an exposure without getting overwhelmed. We typically talk through the lessons together.

We've also found that if the kiddos are hitting a road block in a certain concept in Rod and Staff, it works to write the "boxed" items from their student book on index cards to review. The boxed items within the text are often the important rules. Or, it also works to have a page or two in the front of their notebook devoted to rules (or lists of helper verbs, pronouns etc.) that they copy when the concepts aren't coming to them as easily. Then, they can refer back to their cards or page of notes when needed.

Hope that helps!

Blessings,
Carrie

I would like to thank everyone for their helpful input & suggestions. It is so nice to have a place to go & get help or just reassurance from other moms who truly care! Carrie, you really put my mind at ease. I worry so much about my dd being behind that I panic at the first sign of struggle. I know I just need to relax & know that she will eventually "get it".

I just want to echo that this really takes time. My ds struggled with remembering the verbs of being for awhile. We just have said them together when they come up in the lesson, in kind of a little chant:
am, is, are
was, were
be, being, been

Now, he always remembers them, but it took a year of this. As we are moving through R & S 4, he is starting to realize on his own the benefit of memorizing a few things. First, he understands he will be asked these questions during the 5 question oral review (in the teacher's guide). Second, he will be asked these questions in his written work too. So, he's getting the picture these questions come back around and really do help him when he takes the time to commit them to memory. I am very glad that he doesn't have to recite a bunch of lists every day though, as the way R & S does it makes it be part of writing and not a separate list of facts to be memorized. I think if you just stick to doing the oral questions, talking through the assignments, and make index cards or a chant for the things over time he still can't quite remember, he'll do very well! R & S English is an outstanding program, and you really reap the benefits of it several years into it as it builds on what was learned each year so well, while still reviewing as you go.

In Christ,
Julie