This post was written on November 5, 2011.
Our first year of Essentials has proven T-O-U-G-H. It would have been a challenge even if we hadn’t been battling all the noise from the ongoing construction.
In the process of learning how to implement Essentials in our own home, I have discovered some ways to make it work for us despite the fact that:
- My Essentials student does NOT like writing. He doesn’t even like the act of holding a pencil.
- My Essentials student does not like being “timed” for ANYTHING, and we’ve been timed in class on filling out lengthy English grammar charts and math activities for almost the entire semester. In a few (or more) instances, this has caused one grumpy kid.
- At age 8, my Essentials student is the youngest child in the class and gets overwhelmed because he’s not keeping up with the senior sitting next to him.
Last year, we “audited” an Essentials class to see if it was something we wanted to attempt. Our son understands and memorizes so much beyond his level but is limited by the act of writing because his hand starts to hurt. Because he will be in Essentials for 3 more years, we have quite a bit of flexibility to glean what we can this first year. My main goal is to keep him from throwing in the towel and saying he doesn’t want to ever learn to write well. And so, after a good deal of trial-and-error, here’s how we approach Essentials:
- I’ve made an audio CD of Cycles 1-3 English grammar songs from the Foundations tier of CC Connected. We do most of the chart practice orally now, since the writing was becoming too cumbersome for my child, and he was starting to loathe English grammar, which was NOT what I wanted. So, we memorize the structure of the chart by using abbreviations. This he writes out, but because it’s abbreviated and more of a structural-design-of-the-chart thing, it looks a lot like a hieroglyphical code of some sort. But that’s okay because he likes writing in code, as long as it doesn’t cause hand cramps. [UPDATE: The songs we selected were from before the CC Connected update from 4th to 5th edition in Summer 2018. I cannot offer this CD for sell, nor can I share the files due to copyright, but you can subscribe to the paid Foundations tier of CC Connected and browse through the audio files to see if any songs are available. At one time, you could also find chart songs on the Essentials tier of CC Connected. We are no longer subscribed to CC Connected and no longer participate in Classical Conversations, so I cannot recommend specific songs, nor do I know what’s currently available.]
- He LOVES diagramming sentences. I think it’s because it’s like a design or code of some sort. So, I let him code and decode sentences. He asks to do it (especially trying to un-diagram sentences – because he can do it orally! Less writing = happy child.)
- We have a fairly consistent schedule where we pace ourselves throughout the week. (See below.)
- Before looking at my proposed Essentials English grammar schedule, be sure to refer to your Essentials guide because a schedule is already in there for you!
Our schedule for Essentials
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Day 1
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Essentials Class at CC
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Day 2
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Day 3
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Day 4
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Day 5
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Our schedule for IEW
The following schedule is how we approach IEW at home. It makes it doable and keeps us from cramming it all into one day, which would cause a major blow-up at our house.
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Day 1 |
Essentials Class at CC |
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Day 2 |
Student write Key-Word-Outline. Introduce vocabulary. Select a “word of the day” (where we select one word from new vocabulary that we will try to use as often as possible throughout the day). |
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Day 3 |
Student dictates paper/poem/story from Key Word Outline while parent types. Practice vocabulary. New word of the day. |
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Day 4 |
First edit: Rearrange sentences to eliminate banned words. (Team effort by student and parent.) Start incorporating dress-ups, sentence openers, and/or decorations. (Team effort by student and parent) Practice vocabulary. New word of the day. |
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Day 5 |
Final edit: Finish incorporating dress-ups, sentence openers, and/or decorations. Check punctuation/spelling. Parent re-types. Mark-up of Final Draft by student. Practice vocabulary. New word of the day. |
Download the above schedules by clicking here.
Thoughts about Essentials
- The EEL guide provides something for every aspect of Language Arts: spelling and punctuation rules to memorize each week, weekly spelling lists (three years’ worth), weekly practice sentences for the analytical tasks (which includes diagramming and dictation exercises), English grammar charts for every part of speech, editing exercises, and, of course, lesson plans for the parents. I did not realize how much was included and I am still trying to incorporate all the different pieces of the program. [UPDATE (7 years and 3 children later): Even though it incorporates every aspect of Language Arts, it’s not necessarily the best program for every aspect of language arts. Since writing this post, we’ve discovered Fix It Grammar, which has provided a more structured method of learning sentence mechanics and proofreading skills. It has filled in the gaps we’ve seen in our students. We also use a separate spelling program due to our own personal preference.]
- It’s challenging, but the intention is that you just learn a portion the first year, then layer upon that until you’ve mastered it in subsequent years. Perhaps we’ll even have a good handle on English grammar when it’s all said and done.
- I love the IEW approach to writing, even though it can be challenging for us at this point. But my Essentials student is learning methods now that he can use throughout his life in his writing. And the IEW program steps us through going from a blank sheet of paper to something, which is saying a lot. [Update: Out of all we’ve done in Essentials, IEW has equipped our children the most for middle and high school writing assignments.]
If you still have questions about Essentials, or if you are confused about what I’ve stated here, or if you just need someone to identify with you as you attempt Essentials for the first (or second or third) time, please feel free to post a comment or email me directly.
Whatever is needed, equip your child to feel successful. You do not want him to absolutely dread writing for the rest of his life. Learn together. Laugh together. Enjoy the time as you learn how to write better together. Above all else, remember that Essentials is just one of many language arts programs. If it doesn’t work for you or your child, you are not a failure. There are other great options out there that will equip you to teach your children.
Try out Writing, Spelling, Poetry, and Grammar Programs for Free!
We highly recommend checking out the first three weeks of Structure & Style for Students program from IEW. (You can access the first three weeks free.)
Other IEW programs you can try out for free include…
- The Phonetic Zoo. Try a sample of a program that teaches spelling with an auditory approach towards mastery. (Requires free registration.)
- Structure and Style for Students. If you’d prefer Andrew Pudewa to teach writing structure and style to your student(s), this program is for you! Download the first lessons from each level for teaching composition to children in grades 3-12.
- Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization. Download the first five poems from this mastery approach to learning poetry.
- Fix It! Grammar. Download the first lessons of all four levels of this gentle introduction to grammar and mechanics with thorough yet simple instructions for the teacher.
- Introduction to Public Speaking. Download the first two lessons of this engaging program for learning to conquer the #1 fear of most people: public speaking.
- University-Ready Writing is a 12-week video-based course which teaches high school students advanced note-taking skills and writing techniques in preparation for college-level writing. Try it free here!
- Free audio talks, booklists, and more! (Our favorite audio is Nurturing Competent Communicators.)
Visit IEW to find out more about other programs to transform your students into proficient writers – from early elementary all the way through college! You may also be interested in our favorite resources for teaching grammar and composition to students in grades 3-12.
(Banned words were used in the making of this post. Feel free to print it out and give it to your Essentials student as an editing exercise.)