I have figured out how to make our grammar, Rod & Staff English, not be so cumbersome!
Currently, we do a lesson in R&S English 4 days a week. They write everything out. It really doesn't take Savannah that long. She did it last year and she is used to it and she writes quickly. CHARLOTTE on the other hand spent about 2 hours today completing her English lesson. (grrrrr....) She writes slow and beautiful and is so easily distracted.
We just spend way too much time devoted to it. We're studying Latin and memorizing grammar terms through Grammar Recitations. R&S English is overkill, but I need it because it is all new for me, and I want the kids to have a solid foundation too.
Here's what I figured out:
Book 3: Cut out the first lesson on how to take care of your English book, cut out ALL reviews and extra activities, and cut out the last section on poetry. You get 80 lessons left over. I can do 2 lessons over 40 weeks.
Book 4: Cut out the first two lessons on how to take care of your English book, cut out all reviews, and cut out all *composition lessons. You get 80 lessons left over.
Book 5: Same as book 4. 80 lessons. 2 lessons/week.
BIG sigh of relief. We'll do two days of grammar and two days of Classical studies, which also contains a little writing. I'm going to add in two days of copywork and two days of dictation. Still a good amount of writing, but copywork and dictation shouldn't take Charlotte as long to complete. Plus copywork and dictation serve as better models of writing than the samples in R&S English.
I feel better. Whew!
-----Update----
This week I decided to do R&S completely oral and combined. I'm starting in Book 3 since Charlotte hasn't had any grammar yet. We will do 4 lessons a week, orally, with both Savannah and Charlotte. They'll take turns answering questions with me. Today it took about 10 minutes. I figure I can probably get through Book 3 & 4 this year.
However, even though grammar went from over an hour to do, to only 10 minutes, the day was still really, really long. I don't know what to do. I'm frustrated. :(
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