Hello Sonia! This will be my second year using your material of SCM and my son love it. We are from México and even if is a hard work, I try to adapt your Learning English Well and Spelling Wisdom to Spanish grammar. It would be wonderful if we had these books in Spanish, too. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You have been a guide for me from some years now.
I love hearing the explanation, it does make sense to teach it this way. I also love and enjoy hearing you speak, your voice is soothing and you enunciate the words so perfectly! 😊
I am homeschooling my 1st grader. We won’t be doing grammar yet but I enjoyed listening to this! Good tips for moving forward. We are loving the SCM curriculum !
Learning English grammar reminds me of a story C.S. Lewis tells in his book, Miracles: He says that there was once a Native American who "having learned several other languages, was asked to write a grammar of the language used by his own tribe. He replied, after some thought, that it had no grammar. The grammar he had used all his life had escaped his notice all his life." Sometimes it's easier to see grammar in other languages than one's own. I like Charlotte Mason's idea of learning grammar naturally through living books.
My daughter is 8, we have used other LA curriculums. I completely agree with Miss. Mason, not a point in doing grammar before 10! I am considering completely changing to SCM. I promised myself that I would stick to going by the “Stages” series and only do History/ Bible and Geography but the more I learn the more I can see my child really growing and blooming as a person using this approach. We had a rough year… I tried all the other “easier” and less elaborated ways… The less mother involved more independent focus and my heart and my child need something deeper and alive. I started my SCM cart with Laying down the rails bundle and handwriting proverbs and I have a full cart of it all! Do I absolutely need the individual studies lessons plans 3 to be able to use language arts book 1 and spelling wisdom? Thank you very much! It is wonderful that you provide all these great videos!
Hi Mila! If you are comfortable plugging Spelling Wisdom and Using Language Well into your schedule 2x per week, and are comfortable scheduling math and science, then you do not need Individual Studies for Grade 3. That particular resource creates a schedule for you with some helpful notes but not necessary if you are comfortable scheduling everything yourself.
@@SimplyCharlotteMason wonderful! Thank you for your help and honesty, incredibly appreciate it. I will be using the HBG planner Genesis Ancient Egypt and will plan around that together with the subject cards. I will continue to use this year as a gradual transition to SCM and to CM education all together. God bless! Thank you.
You say wait till 10 but then the spelling grammar books start at grade 3? Just wondering if it would be good to start the books then or wait till 10 or so?
If you start the Using Language Well/Spelling Wisdom Books 1 in third grade, the passages in the Spelling Wisdom book are used for transcription, not dictation. Since each book is designed to last for two years, the Using Language Well Book 1 walk the student through making the transition from transcription to dictation once the student is in fourth grade, about halfway through the book. As far as the grammar component goes, the focus of ULW Book 1 is on usage and mechanics-such as simple capitalization and punctuation, contractions, syllables, compound words, and using A and An. ULW does not begin analyzing with parts of speech until Book 2. So if you are wanting to use the Spelling Wisdom books strictly for dictation passages, without the corresponding Using Language Well books, we would recommend you wait until at least fourth grade. But if you are using the two books together, you can start SW/ULW Books 1 in third grade and be fine.
Keep up the great work! Love these books! When will we be able to purchase books 4 & 5 any timeline for the availability? Book 4-Composition Sharpening Book 5-Advanced Composition
Thanks for the encouragement, Reba! There is not a set timeline for Books 4 and 5 but they are certainly in the works and we will be sure to share the announcement as soon as they are available.
I need help. I’ve been using Abeka with my boys but my older one who is 9 has really struggled with it. We only do the phonics workbooks, not the whole curriculum. He absolutely hates it. I just don’t know how to teach it otherwise. If I were to switch him to Charlotte mason, where would I start? He isn’t a super strong speller although he’s getting better since we have done spelling words each week.
Hi, Thank you for reaching out with your questions! Charlotte Mason believed in delaying formal grammar instruction until a child is around 10 years old. You can see Simply Charlotte Mason's grade level recommendations by clicking on the drop down links at the page below. simplycharlottemason.com/planning/curriculum-guide/individual-graded-subjects/ SCM would recommend the use of "Using Language Well" and "Spelling Wisdom" in grade three to target introducing English usage, grammar, and spelling. You can read more about these resources here: simplycharlottemason.com/store/using-language-well/ In a Charlotte Mason approach to education, language arts incorporates many areas. You can read more about this approach to language arts and what it includes at the link below. This is the first in a multi-post series that is very helpful in understanding this approach. simplycharlottemason.com/blog/what-exactly-is-language-arts-language-arts-part-1/
My 14-year-old daughter has significant spelling/reading learning disabilities. We are coverting to as much CM as possible this coming year. Starting her in level 2, with the Spelling Wisdom, do I stay on each lesson until she is able to do the prepared dictation without mistakes? Which would also mean stay on the same ULW lesson until that time? Also, any advice on the best way to use both with her so she can be successful? I love your podcasts/videos, so very helpful!
Due to your daughter's spelling/reading challenges, if you have not yet utilized the placement guide for Using Language Well and Spelling Wisdom, we encourage you to do so. Spelling Wisdom 1 requires approximately a 4th grade reading level and Using Language Well is best utilized when placed at the proper level. When you determine best placement, you'll want to make certain that there are no more than 3-5 words in the lesson that are unfamiliar (not able to be spelled) by your daughter. Our normal recommendation for those new to dictation is to have the student study the passage but only dictate 1 sentence to them. As a student improves in their ability, you can begin to dictate longer passages. Depending on your daughter's specific struggles, you may need to take lessons more slowly utilizing various means to learn a new word. Some children are tactile so the act of touching letter tiles can help, for others, writing the word multiple times help, for others, seeing the word can help. A tool that has helped some students who are more auditory is to write the word out on a small white board and have the student speak the letters out loud. Example: h-u-n-g-r-y. After the student has read each letter (and said the word), erase 1 letter: h-u-n-_-r-y. The student spells the word again, adding in the missing letter as they approach the letter. Continue erasing a letter until all letters are erased and the student is able to spell the word aloud without seeing the word. Take the lessons at your daughter's pace. Our normal recommendation is to work through 2 lessons of both Spelling Wisdom and Using Language Well each week but if you need to space the lessons out longer, please feel the freedom to do so.
@@SimplyCharlotteMason thank-you for the detailed answer! I went ahead and watched the YT video on placement, which was very helpful. I have already purchased the PDFs for levels 1 and 2 (younger daughter will be using level 1), and I've decided to just back her up and use the level 1 with both girls. With her language challenges, I felt like that would be best. She knows a lot of the punctuation but I don't think she would be able to explain the "why" part of it, so that will be a good skill to work on. So now I have LA materials for at least 4 more years! (smile)
We are still working on publishing the rest of the Using Language Well series and don't yet have a release date for those. When we have new resources available, we'll announce them on our blog and in our weekly e-mails you can subscribe to here: simplycharlottemason.com/subscribe/
First, make sure you have oral narration solidly in place. The child needs to have a foundation of ordering his thoughts first before you add the component of writing. Then, make the transition gradually. For the first few times, you might have the child dictate it to you, then you hand it off for him to finish at the end. See this article for some more thoughts on making the transition: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/written-narration-next-step-composition-narration-q-part-14/
Hello Sonia! This will be my second year using your material of SCM and my son love it. We are from México and even if is a hard work, I try to adapt your Learning English Well and Spelling Wisdom to Spanish grammar. It would be wonderful if we had these books in Spanish, too. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. You have been a guide for me from some years now.
I love hearing the explanation, it does make sense to teach it this way.
I also love and enjoy hearing you speak, your voice is soothing and you enunciate the words so perfectly! 😊
Thank you for your kind words! So glad you are enjoying these videos!
So happy to see this pop up! I'm new to CM and still learning.
I am homeschooling my 1st grader. We won’t be doing grammar yet but I enjoyed listening to this! Good tips for moving forward. We are loving the SCM curriculum !
I love this gentle approach. We are new to this curriculum this year and it has been a breath of fresh air. Thank you for teaching me how to teach!
Learning English grammar reminds me of a story C.S. Lewis tells in his book, Miracles: He says that there was once a Native American who "having learned several other languages, was asked to write a grammar of the language used by his own tribe. He replied, after some thought, that it had no grammar. The grammar he had used all his life had escaped his notice all his life." Sometimes it's easier to see grammar in other languages than one's own. I like Charlotte Mason's idea of learning grammar naturally through living books.
These videos are always so helpful. I really needed this today ❤
So glad this episode was timely for you! Thank you for joining us!
Thank you for the video.
My daughter is 8, we have used other LA curriculums. I completely agree with Miss. Mason, not a point in doing grammar before 10!
I am considering completely changing to SCM. I promised myself that I would stick to going by the “Stages” series and only do History/ Bible and Geography but the more I learn the more I can see my child really growing and blooming as a person using this approach. We had a rough year… I tried all the other “easier” and less elaborated ways… The less mother involved more independent focus and my heart and my child need something deeper and alive.
I started my SCM cart with Laying down the rails bundle and handwriting proverbs and I have a full cart of it all!
Do I absolutely need the individual studies lessons plans 3 to be able to use language arts book 1 and spelling wisdom?
Thank you very much! It is wonderful that you provide all these great videos!
Hi Mila! If you are comfortable plugging Spelling Wisdom and Using Language Well into your schedule 2x per week, and are comfortable scheduling math and science, then you do not need Individual Studies for Grade 3. That particular resource creates a schedule for you with some helpful notes but not necessary if you are comfortable scheduling everything yourself.
@@SimplyCharlotteMason wonderful! Thank you for your help and honesty, incredibly appreciate it. I will be using the HBG planner Genesis Ancient Egypt and will plan around that together with the subject cards. I will continue to use this year as a gradual transition to SCM and to CM education all together. God bless! Thank you.
You say wait till 10 but then the spelling grammar books start at grade 3? Just wondering if it would be good to start the books then or wait till 10 or so?
If you start the Using Language Well/Spelling Wisdom Books 1 in third grade, the passages in the Spelling Wisdom book are used for transcription, not dictation. Since each book is designed to last for two years, the Using Language Well Book 1 walk the student through making the transition from transcription to dictation once the student is in fourth grade, about halfway through the book. As far as the grammar component goes, the focus of ULW Book 1 is on usage and mechanics-such as simple capitalization and punctuation, contractions, syllables, compound words, and using A and An. ULW does not begin analyzing with parts of speech until Book 2.
So if you are wanting to use the Spelling Wisdom books strictly for dictation passages, without the corresponding Using Language Well books, we would recommend you wait until at least fourth grade. But if you are using the two books together, you can start SW/ULW Books 1 in third grade and be fine.
Keep up the great work! Love these books! When will we be able to purchase books 4 & 5 any timeline for the availability? Book 4-Composition Sharpening
Book 5-Advanced Composition
Thanks for the encouragement, Reba! There is not a set timeline for Books 4 and 5 but they are certainly in the works and we will be sure to share the announcement as soon as they are available.
I need help. I’ve been using Abeka with my boys but my older one who is 9 has really struggled with it. We only do the phonics workbooks, not the whole curriculum. He absolutely hates it. I just don’t know how to teach it otherwise. If I were to switch him to Charlotte mason, where would I start? He isn’t a super strong speller although he’s getting better since we have done spelling words each week.
Hi, Thank you for reaching out with your questions! Charlotte Mason believed in delaying formal grammar instruction until a child is around 10 years old. You can see Simply Charlotte Mason's grade level recommendations by clicking on the drop down links at the page below.
simplycharlottemason.com/planning/curriculum-guide/individual-graded-subjects/
SCM would recommend the use of "Using Language Well" and "Spelling Wisdom" in grade three to target introducing English usage, grammar, and spelling. You can read more about these resources here:
simplycharlottemason.com/store/using-language-well/
In a Charlotte Mason approach to education, language arts incorporates many areas. You can read more about this approach to language arts and what it includes at the link below. This is the first in a multi-post series that is very helpful in understanding this approach.
simplycharlottemason.com/blog/what-exactly-is-language-arts-language-arts-part-1/
My 14-year-old daughter has significant spelling/reading learning disabilities. We are coverting to as much CM as possible this coming year. Starting her in level 2, with the Spelling Wisdom, do I stay on each lesson until she is able to do the prepared dictation without mistakes? Which would also mean stay on the same ULW lesson until that time? Also, any advice on the best way to use both with her so she can be successful? I love your podcasts/videos, so very helpful!
Due to your daughter's spelling/reading challenges, if you have not yet utilized the placement guide for Using Language Well and Spelling Wisdom, we encourage you to do so. Spelling Wisdom 1 requires approximately a 4th grade reading level and Using Language Well is best utilized when placed at the proper level.
When you determine best placement, you'll want to make certain that there are no more than 3-5 words in the lesson that are unfamiliar (not able to be spelled) by your daughter. Our normal recommendation for those new to dictation is to have the student study the passage but only dictate 1 sentence to them. As a student improves in their ability, you can begin to dictate longer passages.
Depending on your daughter's specific struggles, you may need to take lessons more slowly utilizing various means to learn a new word. Some children are tactile so the act of touching letter tiles can help, for others, writing the word multiple times help, for others, seeing the word can help. A tool that has helped some students who are more auditory is to write the word out on a small white board and have the student speak the letters out loud. Example: h-u-n-g-r-y. After the student has read each letter (and said the word), erase 1 letter: h-u-n-_-r-y. The student spells the word again, adding in the missing letter as they approach the letter. Continue erasing a letter until all letters are erased and the student is able to spell the word aloud without seeing the word.
Take the lessons at your daughter's pace. Our normal recommendation is to work through 2 lessons of both Spelling Wisdom and Using Language Well each week but if you need to space the lessons out longer, please feel the freedom to do so.
@@SimplyCharlotteMason thank-you for the detailed answer! I went ahead and watched the YT video on placement, which was very helpful. I have already purchased the PDFs for levels 1 and 2 (younger daughter will be using level 1), and I've decided to just back her up and use the level 1 with both girls. With her language challenges, I felt like that would be best. She knows a lot of the punctuation but I don't think she would be able to explain the "why" part of it, so that will be a good skill to work on. So now I have LA materials for at least 4 more years! (smile)
Will there be a level 4 and 5 of Using Language Well?
We are still working on publishing the rest of the Using Language Well series and don't yet have a release date for those. When we have new resources available, we'll announce them on our blog and in our weekly e-mails you can subscribe to here: simplycharlottemason.com/subscribe/
Thanks for this! Any advice or tips for a child upper elementary and middle school age struggling with transitioning to written narration? Thanks!
First, make sure you have oral narration solidly in place. The child needs to have a foundation of ordering his thoughts first before you add the component of writing. Then, make the transition gradually. For the first few times, you might have the child dictate it to you, then you hand it off for him to finish at the end. See this article for some more thoughts on making the transition: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/written-narration-next-step-composition-narration-q-part-14/
Simply Charlotte Mason thank you!!