I'm very new to TOG. I'm starting w/ my 1st grader. For the weekly chart on writing assignments, it then states on the student pages, "your teacher will teach you about nouns. Begin your word bank on nouns." (something like that). Are there instructions somewhere as to what exactly I'm supposed to be teaching or how? I feel like I'm missing the instructions for teaching writing! Thanks.

Hi!

Please don't stress too much about teaching writing to your first grader; he (or she) has plenty of years to learn how to write.

Do you own Writing Aids? If so, look at the sections entitled Parts of Speech for basic definitions, and then turn to the section entitled Word Banks for instructions on building and using word banks.

Each week, the assignments are given in the curriculum on the red bordered pages. The instructions (for teacher & student), samples, grading strategies, and graphic organizers are found in Writing Aids (in the book, on the CD, on the website).

HTH!

Hi! Last year was my first year with TOG, and I wondered the exact same thing. A lot of the assignments (especially the early ones) build a basic grammar vocabulary, so I use the composition grammar assignments (like "define a noun") as a supplement to our regular grammar work. My children are older so they do grammar daily. When we do TOG compostion, I review those grammar basics orally and then we move on. (We already have grammar notebooks set up where my children record the grammar rules so it would be a duplication of effort to have them write it in their composition notebook.)

If my child was in the first grade, then I'd keep it sweet and simple. I'd use Writing Aids or a grammar manual to define a noun, play a quick game of pointing out nouns in the room, and then move into the writing portion of the assignment.

With a first grader, I'd be tempted to get a copy of School House Rock. Play that and then off and on all week ask for them to name 3 or 5 nouns.