I am looking for a program that does phonics, grammar, and spelling all together, without having to have a separate curriculum for each one.

Is there such a thing that would go well with TOG?

SWR is a wonderful program that has evrything your looking for:
SWR
Blessings,
Jen

Learning Language Arts through Literature is another good curriculum that teach all language arts parts.

It starts from Blue program...1st grader.

Seconding SWR...based on The Writing Road to Reading, but much easier to use.

CamsShel

We're an SWR family all the way!

Donna in Idaho

Can't recommend SWR enough!

Hi,

I'd like to reccomend the Madsen Method. It is a complete k-8 (roughly) language arts program. It uses the recite as you write method that our fore fathers used to teach their children to be well spoken, well written, and well read. I am using it with my 5 yr. old and I am truly impressed. their website is www.readspell.com .

Bethel

Hello--just wanted to add another you may want to check out--it's called The Phonics Road (www.thephonicsroad.com). Best of luck

Rachel~

Hi everyone,
I am pretty new here. I bought TOG this last winter, intending to start it this fall with my boys who will be 6, 5, and 4. My mom got us a Hooked on Phonics kit for Christmas last year, and I am not super impressed with it. One out of 3 kids loves it, one absolutely hates it and the other doesn't really care for it.

I am wondering how much prep work SWR takes? How much sit-down, writing time does it take? My oldest loves drawing but not writing. It's an area we need to work on, for sure!

Also, I just did a search for the SWR program on Google and saw a site called All About Spelling--I am not sure about it because I saw most people on here talking about SWR. Anybody have any experience with this program? I like the concept of the letter tiles, but I suppose I could purchase those and use them with SWR. Any thoughts?

Thank you!
Brenda, mommy to Isaac, Kaleb & Noah, and adopting a baby girl soon!

If I was going to buy a SWR type program for the first time, I would go with All About Spelling. The lesson are very well laid out with nice scripts and the letter tiles are a wonderful idea.

Hope this helps.

Hi 3 Munchkins. I hope you see this. I was wondering how you were doing using The Madsen Method. I have a 5 year old that I just started this with, and so far it is like pulling teeth!! This is my first year homeschooling so I don't know if he just has to get used to this or if this is just to structured for us? So did your son like it right from the begining? Do we just need more time?

We Love CQLA (Character Quality Language Arts) - it doesn't do phonics but it does everything else. It is like TOG, in that you can customize each level to each individual child. You can check them out at: www.tfths.com

T

I've used CQLA too! It's a very good program and when I first used it you could download a whole MONTH worth to try at home! I hope that they still do that. I LOVED that!

Another one that is in "beta" form is called [URL=http://www.brightideaspress.com/ILLUM1.htm ]Illuminations[/URL]. It's based on another curriculum but it fits well with Tapestry Year 1. They have a Yahoo group Yahoo Illuminations 1

Hope this helps someone!

Hi puppypaws,

I saw your message with questions about using The Madsen Method.

I think sometimes there is resistance to using this method of teaching because it so different from what most children and parents are used to. Some days my daughter balks at having to recite things and give herself directions, so I am finding that I just really have to remind her of how her team ( speaking, hearing, doing and seeing)works together. Also, you may need to adjust the script to a level that your child can handle. He may dislike it just because he is being required to recite such long sentences. Don't be afraid to change things as needed. Even if your child is having an attitude problem when it comes time to do his lesson, he WILL learn and become proficient so long as you are making sure that he is saying and doing in a connected way. As my daughter begins to see all of the things she is capable of doing, her attitude begins to improve. The only other thing I can say is to remember to point out all of the little accomplishments your child is making and praise him for them. : ) If you are really struggling, it is very helpful to call and talk to Sharon personally. She has a wealth of information as well as a great deal of wisdom in dealing these types of problems.

Hope this helps.


Bethel