Spelling, Grammar, Reading, Writing

The goal in first through fourth grade is to make the proper use of language second nature to your child. These first four years are essential for mastering the conventions and basic facts -the "grammar"- of each academic subject. Until a student reads without difficulty, they can't absorb the grammar of history, literature, or science; until a student write with ease, they can't express their growing mastery of this material.

By first grade, your child should have covered most of the major rules of phonics, and is reading simple books without reluctance. They should also know how to form their letters, although not necessarily write with ease.

For Language Skills, purchase a 3", 3-ringed notebook. Divide the language skills notebook into four divisions- "Spelling," "Grammar," "Reading," "Writing" (you'll probably want to start a new notebook each year).

Spelling
Spelling is the first step in writing. Before you can put a word on paper, you have to know what letters to use. My husband and I both feel that spelling is an extremely important subject to master. It aids in reading, and helps to cement the connection that is shared between sounds and letters. Bad spelling also gives others a bad impression about you. No matter what you write, if the spelling is poor, the reader will notice this before anything else. The spelling notes, trouble words, and rules will be written down and placed in the "Spelling" section of the notebook.

Resources we plan on using:
All About Spelling- There are 6 levels in this program that we plan on working through until grade 4. When you begin in 1st grade, purchase: Level 1 Materials (Student Packet and the Teacher's Manual) $29.95, Basic Spelling Interactive Kit $29.95, and a 2'x3' magnetic dry-erase board ~$30. As you progress, only purchase the next level's materials. You don't need to buy the interactive kit or dry-erase board again. Here are links to the other levels: Level 2 Materials $39.95, Level 3 Materials $39.95, Level 4 Materials $39.95, Level 5 Materials $39.95, and Level 6 Materials $39.95. Level 7 is due to be released July 2012. The guarantee from this company is an unbeatable offer, I feel like there is nothing to lose. You have a full year to try out the program, and if it doesn't meet your needs, you simply return the materials and receive a full refund.

Spelling Workout is recommended in the WTM, but the majority of reviews I have read have said this is a sub-par program, is dull, and is just busy-work. It would work well for a child who struggles immensely with spelling.


Grammar
In the elementary years, grammar involves learning the names of the parts of speech, the proper relationships between these parts of speech, and the mechanics of the English language. In first grade we'll begin oral grammar lessons, transitioning slowly into a more writing-intensive course. By the end of fourth grade, the child should learn the proper names and usages of all the parts of speech, the rules of punctuation and capitalization, dictionary use, and the proper forms for letters, reports, and other common pieces of writing.

Writing done in this course of study will be placed in the "Grammar" section on the language notebook.

Resources we plan on using:
First Language Lessons by Jessie Wise. To begin, I'd like to start with levels 1 and 2 ~$20. The reviews I have read about levels 3 and 4 have been discouraging, so I'm still looking for another good program for after completion of 1st and 2nd grade. The program is appealing because it is written with the classical approach in mind, and has narration, copy work, and dictation exercises included. However, the program is very scripted for the parent and would thus be difficult to transition my child to working independently in their grammar studies. I'm interested in learning more about the Rod & Staff textbook series: $32.15 for Grade 3 English "Beginning Wisely," and $40.00 for Grade 4 English "Building with Diligence." If we decide to use a writing program like Writing Strands, then it is suggested to not complete the composition exercises in Rod and Staff grammar.

Reading
During the first four years of education, you have two purposes: to get the child to read quickly, well, and habitually; and to fill their mind with stories of every kind- myths, legends, classic tales, biographies, great stories from history. Every day, the child reads or (at first) is read to. Begin with 20-30min of reading in first grade, work up to 45-60min by fourth grade. Give your 1st-4th grader simplified versions of the original literature that they'll be reading in the higher grades, or introduce them to a writer they'll encounter later.

In the reading notebook, you and the child will make a record of these stories. Divide the "Reading" section into two sub-sections: "My Reading" and "Memory Work."

-Narration removes the need for comprehension exercises. Instead of learning to complete fill-in-the-blank questions, the child uses all his mental faculties to understand, remember, and relate the main points of a story. The "My Reading" section of the notebook should be a record of books (narrations) that the child has read and enjoyed or that you have read to them. The reading you do for this notebook ought to be difficult because the child is building reading skills. At least twice a week have your child tell you, in 2-4 sentences, something about the plot of the book you have just read. Younger students will need you to ask them specific questions, like, "What was the most exciting thing that happened?" or "Who was your favorite character, and what did he do?" Some third and fourth graders will be able to answer the more general question, "What was the book about?" and will be able to expand their summaries to a few paragraphs. It is suggested that reading follow the same pattern as history studies.

-Memorization and recitation of poetry is an important part of the reading process; it exercises the child's memory, stores beautiful language in his mind, and gives him practice in speaking aloud. When a poem has been memorized and recited to your satisfaction, write it out (or have the child write it out if their skills are up for the job) and place it in "Memory Work" along with the date of recitation. Pick poems that that the child has read and enjoyed either during "assigned" reading or "free" reading; let them memorize anything they like.

Here is a brief outline of what to focus on in each grade. Again, the books read for the notebook should follow the history outline, and be simplified or abridged works of the greater versions they'll read in later grades. See pages 74-82 in the WTM for book ideas.

First Grade
Reading is focused on Ancients (5000bc-400ad).
Memorize 4-8 poems.
Make notebook pages at least twice a week. Write their narration down, have the child read it back to you, and then place it under "My Reading."

Second Grade 
Reading is focused on Medieval - Early Renaissance (400-1600).
Memorize 8-12 poems/speeches.
Continue making notebook pages 2-3 times a week. At this point, most children can dictate short narrations to you and then copy these narrations themselves. The notebook papers should now contain less of your writing and more of the child's.

Third Grade
Reading is focused on Late Renaissance - Early Modern (1600-1850).
Memorize 12-15 poems/speeches.
Your student should be able to narrate the plot back to you and write it down themselves without the intermediate step of dictating and copying.

Fourth Grade
Reading is focused on Modern (1850-present).
Memorize 15+ poems/speeches.
The student will now be able to make notebook pages on their own. Their written summaries should fill three-quarters of a notebook page or more.

Not all reading should be linked to the history outline, however. In addition to the reading time spent on assembling the reading notebook, the child should have a set time every day to read for fun. Begin with 30min for first graders, and build up to 60min. Enjoyable and easier reading will help the child learn to simply enjoy themselves, and will also help increase speed. This free reading time ought to be spent on literature at or slightly below the child's present reading level.


Writing
Writing is a difficult skills because it requires the child to express content at the same time that he is learning the tools of expression. For this reason, early writing should not involve a great deal of original content. Early writing instruction should involve copywork, dictation, and the retelling of passages from history, science, or literature. File away exercises you do for each grade under the "Writing" section of the notebook.

First Grade
-Penmanship. At the beginner level, writing is simply penmanship practice. As the child is able, work up from 5-15min using a handwriting book.
-Copywork: Once they're writing well, your child should begin to do simple copying exercises. These exercises are included in First Language Lessons, the manual we'll be using for grammar study. In addition to this, your child should copy sentences from the literature your reading, or science/history you are studying. This should be done 3-4 times a week. Aim to work up from 5-word sentences to longer, more complex sentences. Write these sentences out on first-grade manuscript paper, put the paper in front of the child, and ask him to copy the sentence.
-This copywork, along with the oral narration done in "Reading" (above) and in history and science, is sufficient for first grade writing.

Second Grade
-Begin teaching cursive with a handwriting program.
-Begin dictation. Dictate a short sentence slowly to the child as he writes. If the child makes a mistake, stop him and have him write the word correctly. Give him all necessary help with punctuation and spelling. Start with simple sentences, 3-4 words maximum. Work up to any 10-15 word sentences from good authors. Do this 10-20min, 3 days a week.
-Ask them to write a letter to a friend or relative. photo copy and place in the "Writing" section.
-Continue doing oral narration in reading, science, and history.

Third Grade
-Continue teaching cursive. Encourage that all writing be done in cursive once they have it mastered.
-Continue with dictation 2-3 times a week. Progress to more complex sentences or 2-3 sentences at a time. 
-Continue writing letters, or any stories on creative impulses.
-Continue doing oral narration in reading, science, and history.

Fourth Grade
-Continue doing dictation about twice a week now, working up to having your student do short paragraphs, inserting punctuation where needed.
-Continue writing letters, or any stories on creative impulses.
-Continue doing oral narration in reading, science, and history. At this point the student will begin to write his own summaries in these subjects.


Resources we plan on using:
Zaner-Bloser Grade 1 Student Book ~15
Zaner-Bloser Grade 2C Student Book ~15
Zaner-Bloser handwriting paper for 1st-4th grade, $8.99 a ream.
The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease- This outlines a complete four-year progression of copywork, dictation, and narration for elementary students, complete with weekly lesson plans. So, everything talked about above is found in this book. Purchase The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease ~$15, Level 1 Workbook for Writing with Ease ~$20, and Level 2 Workbook for Writing with Ease ~$20.
If my student is not struggling with the writing process, I may switch to Writing Strands for 3rd and 4th grade. Purchase Writing Strands Level 2 ~$7, and Writing Strands Level 3 ~$6.


OVERVIEW OF LANGUAGE WORK Daily Schedule
First Grade
Spelling- 10-15min Finish reading primer; begin All About Spelling Level 1.
Grammar- 15-20min First Language Lesson Levels 1 and 2.
Reading- 20-30min Structured reading focusing on ancient myths and legends. Schedule 30-60min at another time for fun reading.
Writing- 5-20min Begin with penmanship practice in Zaner-Bloser Grade 1. Progress to Level 1 of The Complete Writer.

Second Grade
Spelling- 10-15min Go onto All About Spelling 2 and 3.
Grammar- 20min First Language Lessons Levels 1 and 2.
Reading- 30min Structured reading focusing on stories of the Middle Ages. Schedule 30-60min at another time for fun reading.
Writing- 10-20min Begin cursive penmanship with Zaner-Bloser Grade 2C. Use Level 2 of The Complete Writer.

Third Grade
Spelling- 15min Go onto All About Spelling 3 and 4.
Grammar- 20-30min Use Rod and Staff "Beginning Wisely."
Reading- 30min Structured reading focusing on literature of the late Renaissance to early modern eras. Schedule 30-60min at another time for fun reading.
Writing- 20-30min Continue cursive penmanship. Use The Complete Writer or begin Writing Strands 2.

Fourth Grade
Spelling- 15min Continue using All About Spelling, working at least through level 4 (or 5 and 6).
Grammar- 20min Rod and Staff "Building with Diligence."
Reading- 30-45min Structured reading focusing on modern works. Schedule 30-60min at another time for fun reading.
Writing- 20-30min Practice penmanship. Continue with Writing Strands.