Let's Talk About...Grammar and Spelling

Welcome back to week four of our Let's Talk About...Series!  

If you are just finding us, links for our first three weeks can be found at the bottom of this post.  Feel free to poke around.

Ok, now we are talking subjects I like!  I loved diagramming sentences in high school.  I don't like teaching it as much, but all of those the neat, organized lines make me happy.  I am weird like that.  Spelling wasn't my strongest subject but I managed.  Remember that lots of little subsets fall under Literature, so for now let's focus on just the mechanics of things.  We will cover writing and reading specific programs next week.




PAL- I cannot gush about this product enough.  I mean, seriously!  It made learning so much fun and even the most active kiddos will love it.  It takes a slight learning curve to get into the rhythm of teaching it and some time to put the games together but I am convinced my son learned to read so well because of this program!

Look how little he was!  7th grade now!

Phonics Museum- Phonics Museum, although pricey, was what saved me when teaching my first son to read.  He loved it, he learned to read, and all was well with the world.  'nuff said!  If you have a child struggling with reading check it out!

Reading Kingdom- This online program is intended for 4-10 year olds and is a great resource if your child does well working on a computer.  It is bright and game-like and captures a child's attention easily.  It encompasses both reading and grammar shills.  We enjoyed using it and Colby did well with it.

Reading Eggs- Another spot on online program.  We actually worked our way through ALL of the levels of this one and were so sad to be done.  Again, very game-like but the levels make it a challenge that a kid WANTS to complete.  We would do this one again in a heartbeat!

Hake Grammar-  A true Grammar program with a little writing thrown in.  We just found this a few years ago and man do I like it.  True to the Saxon math format, the creators of this program are organized and formula freaks, which, of course, is why I like it.  No frills and busy work, just clear instruction with practice to follow.  The spiral teaching model does a lot of review.  If you hate worksheets, this is NOT the program for you!  We just began using the 7th grade level a few weeks ago and still are happy with the solid teaching.  And yes, it does diagram some sentences, but not hundreds like some programs!

Spelling Power- This is an all in one book that covers your entire homeschool career.  It cuts out all of the busy work and just gives you lists of words to test at different levels.  You call out words and if your child knows them, great, they move on.  If not, they study the words they missed and are tested on them the following day.  If your child dislikes workbooks and busy work, they will love this.  It is a get it done quick way to learn to spell.  Bonus, you get to buy one book and never buy anything else- a HUGE savings!

All About Spelling- Hands down the most awesome spelling program out there if your child is a hands on or visual learner!   The letter tiles allow your child to be actively involved in learning and it is just plain spot on!  Multiple levels allow you to start anytime, but I would say start from the beginning and allow your child to build on the concepts.

Wordly Wise- Just sneaking this in, but if you are looking for a strong, basic vocabulary program I would recommend this one.  You can run through the program levels for years and it is pretty straightforward.  We use it in workbook form but you can also do an online version if that works better for you.  It has proven to be quite good at SAT and ACT prep!

Again, are there more?  I assure you there are!  But these are a few we have had great success with and I can easily recommend.   Do your research and love what you use!

Blessings,

Let's Talk about...Science
Let's Talk About...Math
Let's Talk ABout...History