English for the Thoughtful Child, Vol. 1

Rating:
Summary: My least favorite homeschooling book
Review: As a previous reviewer mentioned, there are many specific science questions in this book for which you need to know the answers and will have to do some advance research. If you want to combine unorganized science topics with your grammar lessons, this book will be great for you. I already have another organized science program I am using, so I find this irritating. I would prefer a grammar program that would concentrate on the grammar/language aspects.

Two of the four poems that are to be memorized seem too lengthy to be appropriate material for a 7-year old. One is a 21-line poem, and another is a 24-line poem from Coleridge. We are already memorizing Bible verses each week, so I just skipped those.

The majority of the lessons in this book offer one exercise to practice the concept, so if your child has some difficulty with grammar, you will probably have to make your own worksheets to make sure they've learned the concept.

This is the only homeschooling book we've used this year that has been disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Wow, what a book.
Review: I agree with all the positive comments. The approach here is not a copy of other workbooks. There are stories to create, poems to read and memorize, and generally learn English in a lovely, thoughtful way, just as the author suggests in the title. I used it with my son who is nine. His handwriting was poor, and he hates writing of any sort. The unique little lessons in this book are so different that he never realized that we were doing "English". The book offers a holistic way of helping a child and I am glad to have purchased it.

Rating:
Summary: Why Aren't There More Books Like This One?
Review: I can't say enough about how wonderful English for the Thoughtful Child is. I purchased this book because it is the recommended 2nd grade English text in the homeschooling book The Well-Trained Mind, A Guide to Classical Education At Home (another great book!). There was no description and no reviews here, so I wasn't sure what I was in for! This is most certainly a "thoughtful" book. While it covers the standard requirements for English ~ punctuation, nouns, verbs, abbreviations, etc. ~ the joy of this book is the emphasis on creative writing. Beautiful illustrations are provided for the child to look at and think about. They are then prompted with questions about what might be occurring in the illustration and are then instructed to write their own story about what they think is happening in the picture. A GREAT way to spur creative writing! Plus there are wonderful poems for the child to memorize and recite. A nice change of pace from humdrum grammar lessons!

Rating:
Summary: My least favorite homeschooling book
Review: I was refered to this book by "The Well Trained Mind". I am not homeschooling, but supplimenting. This book is a great overall start to teaching your child about the english language. It covers all areas incluing compostion, sentance structure, dictation and has a handy list of grammer rules. Is great for first to third grade or even could be adapted for kindergarten use.

Rating:
Summary: This Is A Beautiful Book but...
Review: It's not your normal text/workbook. You have to really be willing to take your time in order to get the most out of it. After several trials and errors, I can now appreciate why it works so well.

At first glance, I wanted to toss this for something more "structured" and "self-directed". I couldn't figure out how a child was supposed to learn anything by using this book. It is devoid of the normal jargon found in most workbooks. And what was up with the pictures? How can I ask my child to analyze a picture and call THAT a "grammar" lesson? What were they suppose to be learning from THAT? Weren't they suppose to be studying nouns and predicates and doing daily drills and such? But, alas, good things come to those who...slow down!

This book makes heavy use of narration (the child telling back a story in his/her own words), or "oral composition". If this is a foreign concept to you then delay this purchase and buy books by Dr. Ruth Beechick and/or anything about Charlotte Mason and her philosophy. You need to understand narration and why it works so effectively. If you are not sold on this approach, then don't buy this book. If you are familiar with the works of these two pioneers of "natural learning", and you feel comfortable with this approach, then this may be a great grammar/composition book to use with your 2nd - 4th Grader. Jessie Wise and Susan Bauer mention narration in _The Well Trained Mind_ , but they don't expound on it the way Beechick and Mason do.

The beauty of this book is in its simplicity. It causes a child to think deep and answer thoroughly; hence the title. This is not a book to rush through. Every page, every lesson is to be savored, and chewed thoroughly like a good meal. I realized this after changing my homeschool program into one that is more relaxed and focused on the joy of everyday learning. This book causes you to slow down and think. Think REAL hard. You may or may not want to put that much time into a grammar/composition program.

Having said that, I must say that I agree with some of the complaints mentioned here, but it took a second purchase (after selling my first copy) to force me to look at it more closely. I wouldn't exactly call this a self-directed, independent program. You have to like working closely with your child. You have to be willing to work slowly and thoughtfully. If that's not your style, then don't buy this book! Also, remember that some kids read better than they write. This book encompasses a lot of writing exercises, but they can be done orally.

My 8 year-old daughter and I loved working through this together. It was a struggle for me to slow down the pace and enjoy it, but I realized that she needed this time with me so I forced myself to stay cool and slow down. It was tough, but worth it. That relaxed pace has spilled over to other areas of our homeschool and I have found it really works well for us.

Hope that helps. Enjoy this one (if you can!)

Cris

Rating:
Summary: This Is A Beautiful Book but...
Review: It's not your normal text/workbook. You have to really be willing to take your time in order to get the most out of it. After several trials and errors, I can now appreciate why it works so well.

At first glance, I wanted to toss this for something more "structured" and "self-directed". I couldn't figure out how a child was supposed to learn anything by using this book. It is devoid of the normal jargon found in most workbooks. And what was up with the pictures? How can I ask my child to analyze a picture and call THAT a "grammar" lesson? What were they suppose to be learning from THAT? Weren't they suppose to be studying nouns and predicates and doing daily drills and such? But, alas, good things come to those who...slow down!

This book makes heavy use of narration (the child telling back a story in his/her own words), or "oral composition". If this is a foreign concept to you then delay this purchase and buy books by Dr. Ruth Beechick and/or anything about Charlotte Mason and her philosophy. You need to understand narration and why it works so effectively. If you are not sold on this approach, then don't buy this book. If you are familiar with the works of these two pioneers of "natural learning", and you feel comfortable with this approach, then this may be a great grammar/composition book to use with your 2nd - 4th Grader. Jessie Wise and Susan Bauer mention narration in _The Well Trained Mind_ , but they don't expound on it the way Beechick and Mason do.

The beauty of this book is in its simplicity. It causes a child to think deep and answer thoroughly; hence the title. This is not a book to rush through. Every page, every lesson is to be savored, and chewed thoroughly like a good meal. I realized this after changing my homeschool program into one that is more relaxed and focused on the joy of everyday learning. This book causes you to slow down and think. Think REAL hard. You may or may not want to put that much time into a grammar/composition program.

Having said that, I must say that I agree with some of the complaints mentioned here, but it took a second purchase (after selling my first copy) to force me to look at it more closely. I wouldn't exactly call this a self-directed, independent program. You have to like working closely with your child. You have to be willing to work slowly and thoughtfully. If that's not your style, then don't buy this book! Also, remember that some kids read better than they write. This book encompasses a lot of writing exercises, but they can be done orally.

My 8 year-old daughter and I loved working through this together. It was a struggle for me to slow down the pace and enjoy it, but I realized that she needed this time with me so I forced myself to stay cool and slow down. It was tough, but worth it. That relaxed pace has spilled over to other areas of our homeschool and I have found it really works well for us.

Hope that helps. Enjoy this one (if you can!)

Cris