Composition and Grammar Curriculum Reviews

A good Grammar and Composition program will help your student learn how to communicate more effectively.

In this post, I will be reviewing eight different programs that teach Grammar adn Composition. I chose each option because I was already familiar with the program (either because I have used all or part of the program or I have considered it myself). There are so many different curriculum options out there that I could not comprehensively cover all of them.. For more curriculum reviews, I recommend checking out Cathy Duffy Reviews for professional reviews or The Homeschool Mom for parent reviews.

Abeka

Abeka’s Composition and Grammar teaching is part of a comprehensive language arts program that includes phonics, reading, grammar and composition skills, spelling, poetry, and handwriting. Language arts programs are available through 12th grade.

Grammar and Spelling are taught in a very traditional manner. Students will learn grammar rules and will diagram sentences. This is the only program that I will review today that teaches sentence diagraming, as many homeschool programs to do teach this skill. Like phonics, grammar is taught through repetition in a spiraling manner. This may get boring for more advanced students. Spelling is taught through a traditional teach, practice, test approach. Words are arranged phonetically and vocabulary is added into the program during the upper elementary grades.

The language program is geared towards independent study, especially after 2nd grade. Much of the work is done in a workbook.

Abeka handwriting teaches a traditional cursive handwriting style using a proper slant. Parents may choose print or cursive formats for handwriting for all grade levels (even as young as K4). Penmanship continues through third grade.

Abeka also offers online options for all of their courses.

Grade 1 Language Arts Parent and Child Kits: $360.50

Grade 2 Language Arts Parent and Child Kits: $414.55

Grade 3 Language Arts Parent and Child Kits: $379.60

You may purchase Abeka product directly from Abeka.

Building Christian English (Rod and Staff)

The Building Christian English series is published by the Mennonite publishing group, Rod and Staff. These black and white hardback books feature a traditional approach to grammar and mechanics. Lessons use a Biblical tone and example sentences usually involve Biblical concepts, traditional family life, and historical and scientific facts.

This is a no-frills but thorough grammar program. While it is not exciting, the clear explanations and thorough coverage make it a solid program. There may be too much writing or busywork for some students, so a parent may choose to skip exercises or do them orally.

The series is available for grades 2-10. Each set includes a teacher’s manual, student text, and test booklet. If a student copies answers into a notebook, the books may be reused for additional students in the home.

Each Set: $35.85-55.70

The books can be purchased at Milestone Books.

Essentials in Writing

Essentials in Writing uses a traditional approach to teach grammar and composition. There are twelve levels so you may use one level per grade, but it is recommended to choose a level based on your child's ability. The program begins with a focus on grammar and parts of speech, but as the program progresses, students will be working more on composition work.

Essentials in writing presents a short, engaging video lesson for each concept followed by one or two pages in a student workbook. The workbooks are spiral bound and printed in black and white. There is plenty of room for writing within the workbook.

There is no planning or prep for this program and parental involvement is very minimal especially for older children.

You may choose to purchase lessons via streaming or DVD. All materials are consumable. A scoring service is available for grades 7-12, where students may submit one composition for each assignment for grading by EIW.

Levels 1-6 (Each): $89

Levels 7-12 (Each): $69

Scoring Service (Levels 7-12): $99

You may purchase each level through Essentials in Writing.

Fix It! Grammar (Institute for Excellence in Writing)

There are six levels of Fix It! Grammar, each based on a different story. Because each book builds on concepts taught in prior levels, it is usually recommended that children start in Book 1.

Fix It! Grammar does not have children memorizing grammar rules. Instead, they practice grammar in context. Students make grammar, punctuation, usage, and spelling corrections to a short excerpt from a continuous story each day. At the end of each week, students will rewrite all of their sentences into a student notebook. At the end of the year, they will have written an entire story in their notebook. This could also work as a vocabulary program because students do look up and define vocabulary words each week.

This course requires no teacher prep or planning. Like the other IEW courses, Fix It! Grammar is parent led. On the first day of each week, the parent will teach the new grammar rules and concepts. The remaining four days are mostly independent as the students use grammar cards to reinforce the rules and rewrite all of the sentences they have corrected into a notebook. Assignments take less than fifteen minutes and should be done five days per week. There are 33 weeks per book.

For each level, all you will need is a teacher’s manual. The manual comes with a PDF copy of the student workbook, which you will need to print for each student. You may also purchase a printed student workbook if you would rather have it pre-printed.

Fix It! Grammar Teacher’s Manual (Each Level): $19

All 6 Fix It! Grammar Levels: $89

You can purchase Fix It! Grammar through the IEW Website.

Language Lessons for Today

Language Lessons for Today is an adaptation of Primary Language Lessons and Intermediate Language Lessons written by Emma Serl in the early 1900s. There have been significant revisions including updated language. Books are available for grades 2-6.

This is a Charlotte Mason inspired English grammar program based on the theory that children learn language best by hearing and saying it that by writing it. Students will focus on Picture Study, Grammar, Dictation and Copywork, Oral Composition and Narration, and Poetry Memorization.

The program is open and go and there is no prep time for the teacher. However, lessons are parent led and (outside of copywork or written narrations) there is very little independent work. Lessons take approximately 15 minutes.

Language Lessons for Today is designed to be non-consumable, meaning you may pass it down from child to child.

You may purchase Language Lessons for Today from My Father’s World.

Grades 2-4 (Each): $22.95

Grades 5-6 (Each): $26.95

You may purchase Language Lessons for Today from My Father's World.

Handwriting

Abeka

Abeka’s Handwriting program is part of a comprehensive language arts program that includes phonics, reading, grammar and composition skills, spelling, poetry, and handwriting. Language arts programs are available through 12th grade.

Abeka handwriting teaches a traditional cursive handwriting style using a proper slant. Parents may choose print or cursive formats for handwriting for all grade levels (even as young as K4). Penmanship continues through third grade.

Grammar and Spelling are taught in a very traditional manner. Students will learn grammar rules and will diagram sentences. Grammar is taught through repetition in a spiraling manner. This may get boring for more advanced students. Spelling is taught through a traditional teach, practice, test approach. Words are arranged phonetically and vocabulary is added into the program during the upper elementary grades.

The language program is geared towards independent study, especially after 2nd grade. Much of the work is done in a workbook.

Abeka also offers online options for all of their courses.

Grade 1 Language Arts Parent and Child Kits: $360.50

Grade 2 Language Arts Parent and Child Kits: $414.55

Grade 3 Language Arts Parent and Child Kits: $379.60

You may purchase Abeka product directly from Abeka.

A Reason For Handwriting

A Reason for Handwriting uses a style similar to Zaner-Bloser. There are eight different student workbooks: Kindergarten, Levels A-F, and a transition level.

The Kindergarten book is formatted differently from the alphabetical leveled books. Each week the student practices writing one letter of the alphabet. Children start with the lowercase alphabet first and move to the uppercase alphabet after that. Each week features a different animal and there are fun facts to read about the animal in the Teacher’s Guidebook.

The alphabetically leveled books give children a literal “reason for handwriting.” Each week the student practices letters and words from a weekly Bible verse for three days. On the fourth day of the week, the student writes the verse on a decorative border sheet that can be colored and given to a friend or relative. Levels A and B focus on manuscript and C through F focus on cursive. There is a transition book to be used in place of level B or C to transition from manuscript to cursive.

The Handwriting Teacher Guidebook provides lesson plans, teaching suggestions, and vocabulary and skill lists for the student workbooks. You can teach without this book but some parents find it to be valuable.

Student Book (Each Level): $15.95

Teacher Guidebook (Covers all levels): $22.95

You may purchase A Reason For Handwriting through various retailers. I like Rainbow Resources.

The Good and the Beautiful

The Good and the Beautiful offers 8 levels of handwriting books that teach traditional forms of printing and cursive. Cursive is introduced in Level 3. Each book in the series contains 100 total pages. Students complete 3-4 pages throughout the school year.

The books contain drawing activities in addition to handwriting practice, which might make the program seem a little more inviting to reluctant writers.

The author of The Good and the Beautiful is LDS although she strives to make her resources as non-denominational as possible.

Each Level: $13.99

You may purchase PDF or physical copies of the workbooks at The Good and the Beautiful’s Website.