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1.
Choose Spelling Materials |
Recommended for 3rd -12th grades
  Spelling
Power
The publisher says it best:
"Requiring just 15 minutes
a day, Spelling Power is totally individualized.
Everything needed to
teach each of your students spelling skills to the college level is
contained in this one easy-to-use, step-by-step curriculum manual.
Placement tests tell you exactly where each of your students should
begin. Once their placement level has been determined, your students
will use the research proven test-study-test method, along with
immediate self-correction, to master word lists which are organized by
phonetic principles and spelling rules."The manual begins with a 12-page Quick
Start Introduction that will help busy home school moms get their
children started working with Spelling Power right away. For many
families, this will be all they have to read to begin using the program.
For ease in use, there is also an Index and a Glossary.
Even if you are new to teaching, you'll find that Spelling Power is easy to understand
and step-by-step instructions
will help you integrate your spelling instruction with your other school
work and unit studies.
$49.99 softcover
$5.95 -optional
student record book arranged on the inside specifically for use with the
Spelling Power book, very useful
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Spectrum Spellers
The thirty-six colorful lessons each containing four fun but simple
pages, have words and activities based on phonetic principles in
addition to study skill (dictionary, thesaurus, etc) practice and
writing exercises.
If you prefer
to have a workbook with all of the spelling lessons laid out for you,
this is a great one!
Spectrum Spelling Grade 4 -$8.95
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2. Choose Phonics
Materials |
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Really
Reading!
Tanglewood's own reading program
is now available
through a free PDF download!
If your 4th grader
needs a
review of the most basic phonetic principles, try this!
Click here:
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 Spectrum
Phonics
These phonics workbooks have been around for years as Merrill
Phonics Skilltexts. Now, with a new name and a new color look,
they are actually cheaper! I couldn't do without these workbooks.
As much as I like natural learning (no workbooks), I depend on these for
order and thoroughness. Each page is one short lesson, and each
lesson briefly explains a phonetic rule and then has a straightforward
activity illustrating the rule. (Dictionary and
study/comprehension skills are briefly covered too.) In my
opinion, a necessity!*I've found that the grade levels are on
the easy side. I suggest using a grade 5 book with a fourth grader,
and so on.
Recommended for 4th grade:
Phonics Skilltext Grade 5 (E) -$8.95
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3. Choose your English Grammar
materials |
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Choices for 4th grade:
Choice #1
 Rod
and Staff Building with Diligence
This is a very comprehensive English grammar study. The easy to
understand lessons are arranged so that the parent covers the first part
with the child and then the child does written exercises on his own.
There are 127 lessons in addition to reviews and extra activities.
There are several composition lessons as well. This book makes a
separate writing program such as Writing Strands unnecessary.
* R & S has heavy Bible themes and all of the lessons refer to God
and/or a Bible story in some way.
Also, God as the Creator is a strong theme throughout the book. *We don't
carry Rod & Staff yet.
The apple is a link to a store that sells them:
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Choice #2
 Primary Language Lessons
by Emma Serl
This is more than just a simple grammar text! While the child
gets a comprehensive education in English grammar and usage, he also
gets a good dose of fine literature written by the likes of Robert Louis
Stevenson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge as well as fables, folklore and
maxims.Charlotte Mason"ites" will like Miss
Serl's use of reproduced paintings to train children in the art of
observation and oral language skills.
Intended for use in 3rd and 4th grades,
ages 7-9
$14.95 hardcover
160pp
not available- awaiting publisher reprint |
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A great workbook series to
consider:
 Language
Practice series
Although I'm not much of a workbook person, I really like these workbooks
and would suggest using them during the second half of the school year.
I recommend these books especially for those who use Primary Language Lessons
and/or simply copywork for teaching English grammar. (You probably
won't need it if you use the Rod & Staff grammar books.)
Each book is designed for a specific grade level and covers most (if not
all) of the important concepts your child should know in simple one-page
lessons. Each concept is briefly, but clearly explained, followed by
meaningful practice exercises. Great preparation for those
standardized tests, in addition to being short & sweet!!
(I've found that the grade
levels are appropriately assigned for these workbooks and would suggest
sticking to your child's grade level regardless of whether you're doing
a 'slower' Charlotte Mason track or a 'faster' classical track.)
Language Practice 4-$11.99
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Remember to get your
Tanglewood Corebook! |
