Rating: 
Summary: Gentle method, great expectations...
Review: Most people would agree that when you have great expectations for a child, he or she is more likely to succeed."First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise, Sarah Park (Illustrator)undoubtedly has great expectations for families who use it. It expects children of a first and second grade level who have completed the book to understand adverbs, adjectives, interjections, direct and indirect quotations, paragraph formation and four basic types of sentences among other things. My first reaction on reading the Table of Contents was a little reticence. How frequently do you hear of first and second graders who have proficiency not only in the practice, but also the terminology, of grammar? I can, however, unequivocally state that this scripted language curriculum accomplishes its stated goals and does so painlessly. My son, who has been known to balk when it comes to school time in the morning, eagerly goes through his language lessons. He has gained confidence in our language and he is capable of giving you not only the definition, but also examples of many points of grammar. So what? Many kids can do that? I understand those may be some of your reactions. But how many kids age 6 can do it with enthusiasm??? After roughly 1 semester using this curriculum, my young son composed a poem today. A good one- using recognizable rhyme and meter- at that. THAT, to me, is the great success of this book. It not only delivers on the educational angle, it delivers on generating enthusiasm for the language. Not a homeschooler? This book is still for you and your kids. Many parents are displeased at some level with the education their children receive in school. The scripted lessons take only a few minutes per day and will exponentially enhance your kids' education. I'm certain that their increased language proficiency will improve their comprehension of other subjects. Give it a try! At best, your children will flower intellectually. At worst, you will have spent some extra time reading to your kids and interacting with them. Either way, you and your children come out ahead of the game. Bully for Jessie Wise for writing a fabulous language curriculum and bully for me for purchasing the book. I hope you do the same. Your kids' knowledge will be better off for it!
Rating:
Summary: What a treat for the child and teacher!!
Review: This book is a wonderful first guide to language! It presents concepts in such a way that a child readily applies them to things in his world - they are not just abstract rules!!Easy to use and lots of fun, you will be delighted with this great teaching tool!!
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This book is a wonderful way to begin homeschooling in a relaxed and easy way. This is easy on the teaching parent, and very easy on the young student, and takes no more than 5 minutes per day. An added benefit is that the learning percolates up: as the work is oral and repetitive, any older students in the family will absorb anything that they have missed along the way.
Rating:
Summary: A Gentle Start to Schooling
Review: This book is a wonderful way to begin homeschooling in a relaxed and easy way. This is easy on the teaching parent, and very easy on the young student, and takes no more than 5 minutes per day. An added benefit is that the learning percolates up: as the work is oral and repetitive, any older students in the family will absorb anything that they have missed along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Great beginning grammar book!!!
Review: This book is absolutely wonderful! My daughter and I love it to pieces. The lessons are brief and feel natural. The concepts are gently introduced and reviewed often throughout the text. There are also optional enrichment activity ideas for many of the lessons. This scripted book is truly a gem...including lessons requiring narration (for example, I read a fable and then I prompt my daughter with questions so that she can tell the story back to me), sweet poems for memorization, Picture studies/narrations, grammar rules and definitions, Copywork, and much, much more! The lessons often take no more than 15-20 minutes to complete, yet despite the short amount of time required for these, I've found that my daughter's retention of concepts is high.
If you're looking for a gentle approach to early grammar, this is it!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Beginning Grammar Program Yet
Review: This book is the answer to prayers! It is straight forward, engaging, and best of all - affordable! This is two years of excellent grammar instruction, plus good review for older students who have yet to receive a firm foundation in grammar. No gimmicks to keep track of, just snuggle time on the couch with your little one. A must have in your homeschool library!
Rating:
Summary: WE LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!
Review: This book is wonderful! My 7 year old son completed the first grade portion and is now half way through the second grade portion. Grammar is now his FAVORITE SUBJECT!!!! I used English for the Thoughtful Child for my older son and truly believe Wise's book is head and shoulders above it. If you want a thorough grammar curriculum that also gives you fun, quality time with your child THIS IS THE PROGRAM FOR YOU!!! Yes, you will have to repeat, "A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence" at least three times with your child during the short lesson. I submit that when your child can repeat that back to you independently (within just 2 or 3 lessons) you will see the value in this book!!! Simply by overhearing his younger brother move through these lessons my older son has filled in the gaps left behind with English for the Thoughtful Child and is now handling ABeka Grammar with ease!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Recommended for preschool language enrichment programs
Review: With it's easy-to-use scripted guide utilizing picture study and other classical techniques, First Language Lessons For The Well-Trained Mind by home educational consultant Jessie Wise offers parents a complete grammar and writing text for the first two years of their child's language development. Useful to both young learners (and older writers wanting to refresh their basic knowledge of language development), the plainly stated definitions, examples, lessons, enrichment activities, make First Language Lessons For The Well-Trained Mind an especially recommended instructional reference for preschool language enrichment programs.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Wow! Incredible balance of easy to teach from (no preparation), "meaty", quick paced, and gentle. Includes lots of repetition of only a few concepts so that the child really learns something. This is how I would write a first language book for my own kids if I had the time. It is good for my gifted kids, my learning disabled kids, and my ESL/internationally adopted kids. --by a homeschooling mom of six kids
| 
