Growing With Grammar Gr 3
“Growing with Grammar: Grade 3″ by Tamela Davis; includes student manual, student workbook, and answer key, $29.99 for complete set (manual and workbook/answer key can be purchased separately) www.growingwithgrammar.com
Because I had met Tamy online in other hs’ing groups, when I heard she was preparing a new 3rd grade grammar text, I — and my eight-year-old daughter — jumped at the chance to be “guinea pigs” recently.
Although we had started using another, very thorough grammar program, in September when my daughter started 3rd grade, she and I much prefer the more secular approach of “Growing with Grammar.” In fact, there were times in the other program when my daughter’s ignorance of the subject matter was, at the least, distracting and, at the most, confusing for the task at hand; for example, when diagramming or determining a direct object.
I also like the very comprehensive cumulative review throughout the entire book; the fact that all of the exercises are contained in a separate, spiral-bound (at the top, which will work very well for both my two righties as well as for my lefty) workbook; and that the exercises don’t require the child to copy out a great many sentences.
While my daughter enjoys the writing and copying in the other program, I know that my sons will much prefer the variety of GWG’s exercises, from underlining to checking to circling to completing sentences with a few extra words. I’ve also found that the workbook is very easy for my daughter to use on her own (there is no teacher’s guide, and in fact one isn’t necessary) and has been a big help in getting to her to work more independently in the subject of grammar. That said, the workbook is amazingly comprehensive — at 230 pages, it’s only seven pages shorter than the manual. By the time your son or daughter is done with the set, s/he should have the grammar down pat.
When I asked my daughter what she liked about the program, she answered, “I like that the activity pages [workbook] are fun, I can work on them by myself, and it’s about kids like me and families like mine.”
Becky Sharp (aka “Becky in Alberta” at WTMS, WTMD, etc.)
Alberta, Canada
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If you have comments on this program, please make them! This has been set up in blog form so that the reviews can be participatory.
November 27th, 2005 at 7:47 am
I wholeheartedly agree with your review. I also have Growing with Grammar and it’s wonderful!!
November 28th, 2005 at 5:28 am
Because I have a child in the target age range, I was fortunate to
be able to participate in a focus group for the Growing with Grammar
Grade 3 program. I found it to be a very accessible, easy-to-use,
and thorough grammar program.
The material that is included is covered very thoroughly, and there
is continuous review of previous material in the workbook. The
manual is very straightforward and easy to understand and use. The
workbook has a very good balance of writing versus other activities
such as underlining and checking, so it’s not overwhelming for those
who still struggle with, or are resistant to, writing. The program
also introduces diagramming, and covers other basic skills, such as
letter writing. Here’s a link directly to the index page of the
website:
http://www.growingwithgrammar.com/3rdgradestudmanindex.html for the
full list of what areas are covered.
I also really like the tone of the program. There is no moralizing,
nor is there use of recognizable characters of any kind. All the
examples and workbook “problems” are about every-day events and
people.
I like this program very much and plan to use it next year when my
ds is ready.
December 1st, 2005 at 10:37 am
We just got our copy of Growing with Grammar & I was able to spend some time last night looking through it. Wow! It looks great.
I like that the student manual is clean, clear, and concise. I like the amount of white space & the use of bold lettering because I think that helps young learners when they’re figuring out how to ’skim’ a page for
information. (Ultimately the goal of a grammar book, I think, to be able to find the nugget of info you need & move on…). The sections
are well-defined & are in a nice, logical progression (in a subject that is not always logical, lol).
In the workbook, I think it’s great that there are reminders of the appropriate rule/info & references back to the manual in case the
student needs to refresh his memory. The space in which to write also looks sufficient, even for those who write in a large hand.
Plus, the workbook nicely balances review of newly-introduced info & older info.
My dd has enjoyed FLL (we are close to completing it) & we have done most of FLL orally. GWG looks like a perfect fit to move into after FLL, slowly increasing her written work & independence too. I’m guessing that the GWG workbook will also be a great skill-builder for the 3rd grade level tests that she will have to take (a requirement in our state).
I’m so impressed w/ all these homeschooling moms who are sharing their talents by creating great programs like these. Kudos to Tamy for GWG!