Grammar question for CTC

[tbarr12]

I am still researching carefully whether HOD is right for us for next year. Sorry for all the nitpicky questions, but I have a tendency to change curricula, and I really want to be sure before I order.

I will be using CTC with my 4th grade ds and 5th grade dd. I was planning to use R&S 4 with both of them. Do I understand correctly that you do R&S 4 at half-pace through CTC - i.e., it takes you 2 years to finish it? I bought a student book yesterday at a used-curriculum sale, and, as I look at it, we have already covered much of this material in Easy Grammar this year. I don't want to lose a year. I suppose I could do R&S4 with my son, and R&S 5 with my daughter. Are schedules for both in the TM? A friend here whom I respect greatly in her homeschooling is highly recommending I use Shurley Grammar, which looks a little intimidating, but good. Is it an HOD "sin" to deviate from the author's selections? (I'm being facetious, but you know what I mean). I know probably those of you who are long-time HOD users recommend staying with her suggestions, but I am just really trying to do the right thing. I lean towards wanting to be fairly rigorous in our grammar and writing; thus the selections I'm considering.

Any help would be great. If there are too many things about this curriculum that don't "fit", then I will conclude it's not the right one for us, but right now I'm still thinking it is.

Thanks again! Tracey

[Kathleen]

Tracey,

You are free to use whatever you want for grammar with HOD. They leave the choices up to you with phonics, math, grammar. They make suggestions though, and I know our family is loving them! The thing I like about their suggestions is that they do a great job teaching the subject while keeping a great balance in our day. Anyway, you are absolutely free to use whatever your family desires...just keep in mind that if you're choosing something that takes a bigger chunk of time your overall school day will be longer. (And, this could affect how happy everyone is with school - at least it would in my house. ) I don't have the CTC manual in hand yet, but I'm quite sure that it has both R&S 4 and 5 scheduled. And, I do believe that they're scheduled at a pace to make them last 2 years. CTC and RTR are the only 2 HOD guides to do it that way. (The others have you completing a level of R&S per year - including the HOD guides yet to come, I believe.) If you choose R&S, I'd start wherever it seems like your kids fit. If it looks like you've covered what's in level 4, choose level 5. And, I know that you could choose to complete the entire R&S book as well, you'd just need to do it daily (and figure out a pace to complete it), if that's your desire. This would make your day a little longer on the days that CTC doesn't have grammar scheduled, too.

Kathleen

[tbarr12]

Yes, I realize that if I "monkey around" too much with a packaged curriculum, it changes it so much that it doesn't work like it's supposed to. I have done that in the past, and that's what I'm trying to avoid this time. I'm inclined to use R&S 4 and 5 both. I don't want to hold my oldest back.

[my3sons]

Kathleen already did a super job of answering your questions! I'll just add that if you lean toward being rigorous with grammar, R & S has you covered. R & S English Levels 7 and 8 are considered high school credit worthy. HOD suggests doing a portion of it orally. Here are a few links that may be beneficial reading, though I like your idea here already of doing 4 and 5:

R & S English (describes doing portions of each section orally/on markerboard then writing the rest:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4659&p=34269#p34269
R & S English (why I love it)
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4077&p=30147&hilit= ... ion#p30147

R & S English pacing – Carrie explains why the half-pacing, etc.:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=5494

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie