heartofdakota.com

In the Fall my dd will turn 7. We will be using the Beyond guide. Should I do the English that is written in the guide or use R&S English instead? Thanks.

My dd was 7 when we started Beyond last year (we ended up dropping it for a while, but that's a whole other topic!), and we used R&S English 2 instead of the plans in Beyond. Language arts are her strength, so she was ready.

My ds on the other hand, is young for his grade, plus isn't as strong in language arts as his sister. So, for his 2nd grade year we are going to start English 2 but do it half-speed. We don't have the Beyond guide here anymore (I don't need it for this coming school year); otherwise I'd consider using those plans with ds. When my next ds gets to Beyond (2011), I'll see where he is at that point and decide what path to take with him for English.

So, I'd say it all depends on your child and whether or not they are ready.

We are using Beyond with my dd, who is 7, and we are using the LA as is in the book. When we move to Bigger, she will be 8 and in 2nd grade. We plan to take it at least half pace in the beginning.


LeAnna

If your dd has not had any exposure to the parts of speech, I'd do the Beyond activities for grammar first. They are a super way to teach the parts of speech in a fun way that usually doesn't require writing on the children's part. All of the grammar activities are on Day 5 of the LA box of Beyond. I don't see any reason why you couldn't do 2 or 3 of them a week, just moving your sticky note ahead for that box as you do them, and then start R & S English 2 whenever you complete the Beyond activities. Both of our dc could have started R & S English 2 earlier than they did, but now that we're working in R & S English 4 with my oldest, I am so glad we didn't jump into it too early. Both of our dc thought grammar was fun due to the way it was done in Beyond - it was a great way to start it. I wouldn't skip them unless your dd already has a fairly good grasp of the basic parts of speech. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

my3sons wrote:Both of our dc could have started R & S English 2 earlier than they did, but now that we're working in R & S English 4 with my oldest, I am so glad we didn't jump into it too early.

I'm agreeing with Julie here. (Even though I only have one child doing grammar...and he's just now finishing R&S 3...I'm already seeing this.) R&S 2 was pretty easy, but it's really stepped up this year and I'm so glad that we started it with Bigger. Grant was 8 doing Bigger and R&S 2. This year he's 9 doing Preparing with R&S 3. It's plenty challenging! So, if it were me I'd wait.

Kathleen

Thanks everyone. Waiting another year sounds good to me so that's what we'll do.