When switching from Easy Grammar to Rod And Staff...

[fullhands_fullheart]

Planning ahead for this summer when we officially switch to HOD and begin using Preparing because I am buying as budget allows. Anyway, my 3 rd grader using grade 3 Easy Grammar does well with it, mostly independent. My 5th grader using grade 5 easy grammar...struggles, makes repetitive mistakes, and doesn't seem to absorb it. I have heard that R&S is harder, more advanced and some people go down a level when switching. Wondering if I should do that with both kids or progress my daughter to 4th grade R&S but not my son to 6th? Advice?

[Gwenny]

Have them both do R & S 4. If the older is struggling and making mistakes, there is no sense moving on. Rod and Staff is advanced. Let him get things down in 4 and do well instead of struggling.

[andreacress]

My son used Easy Grammar 5 for his 5th grade year. When we switched to HOD for this year, I ordered R & S 5. This has worked out very well. He also made numerous mistakes with Easy Grammar - I think he just got bored with all the workbook assignments and stopped paying attention to the details. I am finding R & S to be less demanding in terms of work load. A lot of it you can do orally. The explanations in R & S have filled in a lot of the gaps we had with Easy Grammar (though he definitely knows how to mark out a prepositional phrase after a year of Easy Grammar!) R & S really is a wonderful curriculum. I'm so grateful to HOD for introducing us to it! HTH

[fullhands_fullheart]

I was looking through some of the R&S example pages. In level 4 I noticed the diagramming . Is that initially taught in 4 or is it easy to switch to? My dd is doing great in EG 3, but there is not that type of diagraming in EG at all. Even for my son in EG 5. Just wondering about putting them in RS 4 together.

[andreacress]

Kindra - We switched from using Easy Grammar 5 in fifth grade to R & S 5 for 6th grade and had no problems learning the diagramming. As you said, we didn't do diagramming with Easy Grammar but we learned what subjects and verb phrases were so learning to diagram those was very simple. We are only half way through the R & S 5, but so far the diagramming has just been subjects and verb phrases. We are just getting to predicate nominatives and direct objects, again very simple to diagram. It is very well explained in the book. Your children should not have a problem switching from Easy Grammar to Rod and Staff and if your son has understood EG 5, I think he would do fine with R&S 5.

[fullhands_fullheart]

Thanks Andrea,
Actually he is still struggling with EG 5. He has to do a ton of corrections, the same things over and over. Sometimes I think it's laziness or trying to hurry through. But other times he seems to genuinely not "get it" no matter how many times I expain. We also use the Daily Grams. We aren't starting HOD and Preparing until at least May (I am buying a set from someone who is completing at the end of April), so I figured I would continue with EG until then. Then I wondered if it would be beneficial to step down to R&S 4 and just have him do it with his sister. Thoughts?

[andreacress]

I haven't done Rod and Staff 4 so maybe someone can chime in on that. I will say, my son made a lot of mistakes with Easy Grammar. There were so many pages in the workbook - I think he just got tired and wanted to get through it. I found the material in EG 5 to be at least as challenging, and maybe more so, than the R & S 5. That may be because Rod and Staff explains things better, so it seems easier. Also, since Carrie schedules Rod and Staff at half-pace, meaning it takes 2 years to complete the book, you aren't throwing a bunch of new stuff at them everyday. With EG we were doing multiple pages everyday just to get through the book. You could always buy the level 5, and then if he finds it to be too much, bump him back down with his sister. Then you would have level 5 for when he's ready for it.