Language Arts for 6th Grade

[MollyJ]

I just discovered the Literature Guides this past school year. We really love them and enjoy digging into reading now (finally).

My question is this - What do you all use for Language Arts?

Do you use a specific Spelling curriculum with your 6th grader?

Do you use a specific Grammar curriculum with your 6th grader?

Do you use a specific Writing/Composition curriculum with your 6th grader?

Do you use a Vocabulary or Word Study curriculum with your 6th grader?

If you use Memoria Press products for these subjects, please mention specifically what you use and which subject(s) it covers from the above list.

I am looking to condense down as much as possible as I think my (currently) 5th grader has too many individual subjects. Right now she does:

MP Lit Guides
MCP Spelling
MCP Word Study
Singapore Grammar
Jump In Writing
and cursive (copywork) for Handwriting

How can I reduce her workload -- specifically if it involves using MP products???

Thank you!

[momgineer]

For my upcoming 6th grader I will be using All About Spelling for spelling. Otherwise it will all be MP material. Grammar and vocab will mainly be Latin. Vocab also is in literature and history. We add in English Grammar recitation which takes about 15 minutes a week. Composition is Classical Composition and the literature books.

[KF2000]

Molly,
The classical methodology that MP uses is all about consolidating as much as possible. In that light, the core element of Language Arts at any grade level of the grammar school and up is the study of classical languages. MP focuses on Latin, but offers Greek as well, once a student has a good bit of progress in Latin.

Therefore, the first thing I would suggest to you is to consider starting your sixth grader in First Form Latin. This is an introductory level course for an older student, and would be an excellent beginning point. Secondary to Latin, MP does include additional LA elements, but as supplements to the Latin study.

English grammar is such a supplement, for which MP has produced the Grammar Recitation program, a condensed look at the specifics of English grammar which are necessary in addition to Latin. Even though you have an older student, the program is cumulative, so you would want to begin with book one.

Another option MP offers for older students is to spend a year or more on a Rod and Staff English textbook, especially if the student is not pursuing Latin, as it is a more complete treatment of grammar.

Like Latin, and Grammar Recitation, the composition program MP produces is also cumulative. It is a series of texts which help children proceed through the steps of the progymnasmata, the ancient Greek method of learning to write. The program is called, Classical Composition, and begins with Fable. This would be a good starting point for your sixth grader. If you have a strong writer, it is possible that your child could seek to complete both Fable and Narrative in a single year, placing him or her in good position for seventh grade.

Handwriting is not included in the upper grades, but if your student requires it, there is a great book for older students, Teach Yourself Cursive. It can be used as needed, or as a full year text.

Spelling is completed in sixth grade with Spelling Workout.

Feel free to ask any further questions!
AMDG,
Sarah

[MollyJ]

So, Sarah, MP continues on with Spelling? For how long? I don't recall doing "spelling" in middle school. I thought past 5th grade it was pretty obsolete. Thoughts?

[pschaeffer]

Sarah did a great job explaining what we do at MP!

To clarify the spelling issue, we do continue to do Spelling Workout through 7th grade. 8th grade is the first year that they do not have a spelling course. In 3rd grade and up we don't spend a whole lot of time on spelling (maybe 15 minutes per day), but it does continue to reinforce and clarify phonetic concepts that they might have just naturally gotten used to without any direct instruction. We have found that this works well with most children.

Of course you may have a natural speller on your hands. If that is the case, you might want to scrap a spelling "course" and instead require them to practice words that you have found misspelled, giving them a quiz on them every two weeks or so. Some parents might find that too much to keep up with, so they end up choosing to do a spelling course anyway.

I hope that helps,
Paul

[KF2000]

Okay, so I just saw Paul beat me to it, and gave the MP answer, which is more succint than mine. But here is mylong version, as I tend to mull more....

The full curriculum of MP is really a three tier progression....you have Primary school, which focuses almost solely and exclusively on helping children set a firm foundation in reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. This firm foundation allows children to be well-prepared to enter the Grammar school, which is when children focus on mastering the foundations of Latin grammar, the four operations of arithmetic and their relationships, the techniques of putting thougbts coherently into written work, and the historical foundation of Western Civilization. Children are excellent memorizers at this point, so there is strong emphasis on memory work, again, as a foundation. The top tier is then the Upper school, where children take their foundations and apply them. Latin grammar study gives way to translation, an analytical process that requires a more mature mind. Arithmetic gives way to mathematics, such as Algebra and above, where the concrete study of number relationships gives way to more abstract relationships of unknown quatities and the like. Learning the mechanics of putting thoughts on paper gives way to practicing the art of rhetoric, where children must have something to say and learn how to develop it, support it, and make it compelling.

So.....why spelling all the way to sixth? Because it still fits into that model of the Grammar years. Children are still memorizing and practicing their foundational tools. Spelling is not a subject for the Primary years as much because the emphasis is still on Phonics. It is appropriate for the Grammar school because it is a basic skill to becoming a good communicator. Continuing it to sixth or even seventh grade allows for repetition to mastery, which is what the classical mindset seeks to attain in every area. It finishes there because by seventh grade and the Upper school, children are expected to move on to higher level thinking skills.

That was the long way to go about it, but I hope it was helpful!

AMDG,
Sarah

[Maggie]

Sarah I am going to copy and paste your response and save it! I love that explanation and 3 tier vision. Thank you for sharing your "mulling" with us, it's helpful!

[Lemonade]

Finishing 6th grade here.

We are on the home stretch of 6th grade here. Here is what we used:

Spelling: Spelling through Morphographs (not a MP product, but is SRA). My son was in ps till this year and had abysmal spelling instruction---none past 3rd grade. This program is a one year remedial, and has worked wonders for us.
Grammar: R&S 5 English text. I went one grade level down to build a solid foundation.
Writing: Fable/Narrative (MP) combination. I struggle to teach and grade it. DS likes some aspects and dislikes others.
Vocab/word study: We dropped Latin, but feel each course we are taking is filled with rich vocabulary (MP history, literature, writing).
Literature: MP set of Adam of the Road, Door in the Wall, Robin Hood, And King Arthur. We LOVE the lit guides and look forward to a new set next year.
Handwriting: Teach Yourself Cursive (MP). What improvement we've seen!

Even though we dropped Latin, we still do spend a lot of time in the language arts area, but that is what I wanted in the first place. In ps, I felt there was not enough time devoted to it.