Please recommend a language arts curriculum for my 7 year old son.?

Question

We are in the middle of the "1st grade" school year using Learning Language Arts with Literature, Red Book. This is a book for 2nd graders. My son reads chapter books meant for 9-12 year olds and is not happy with the Red Book. He says the stories, which are the basis for the lessons, are too simple and babyish. He really needs a good foundation for spelling, grammar and writing. In other words, he is an excellent reader and has a high IQ (WISC 4) but he still needs to learn the basics. We use k12.com for math and when we had him tested we were told to place him (if we used their curriculum, which we do not) in 4th grade language arts. I believe that if we were to accelerate him that much he would be missing some foundations in grammar and spelling. He also has the handwriting of a typical 1st grader and the writing requirements for the higher grades would be stressful for him as he is still developing physically. He cannot type.

Answer 1

I have heard really good things about primary language lessons.

http://www.amazon.com/Primary-Language-L...

It is an old fashioned book but gives an excellent foundation in writing and grammar, and holds the interest of the child.  It is not "dumbed down" like some current programs are.

You may also want to try Easy Grammar.  

http://www.easygrammar.com/index2.html

These are short, daily lessons that do not require a bunch of writing.

You could work on his handwriting by doing copy work according to the Charlotte Mason method.  

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

There is detailed info on copywork/dictation here if you scroll down a little.  This might work out well for your son:

http://charlottemason.tripod.com/Jumpsta...

By copying short passages from good literature he will improve handwriting and learn grammar, spelling and writing structure all at the same time.

Another thing you may want to consider is to just let your child enjoy reading and maybe do some spelling practice until his other skills catch up.  Some experts don't recommend teaching grammar until the 3rd grade anyway.  Up until then kids are repeating the same grammar lessons year after year because they are forgetting over the summer (which means they really didn't learn it to begin with).

It is great that your son is reading at a high level.  Just don't rush him in the other subjects so as not to damage his love for learning.  Good luck finding something that works!

Answer 2

My son is profoundly gifted and started the full K12 curriculum at age 5 with a Kdg-2nd mix.  When he was 4 and we were looking into K12, he passed all the LA placement tests through 8th grade (the highest their grade levels went at the time).  Well, I would have been insane to place him that high at Kdg age :-).  So I only advanced him a year in LA, and he started with LA 1.  It was a great fit, except for literature.  But he did (and still does) *lots* of independent reading at higher levels.  K12's Literature program (one strand of LA) is soooooo much more than "just" reading.  It progresses year by year.  We're in LA 5 now and I've seen the progression now and it's fantastic!!!

I wish we would have skipped over LA 2 and gone from 1st to 3rd.  Perhaps you could do the same.  Do LA 1 then jump to 3rd with him.  LA 2 is "light" for an academically gifted child.  What it *does* do, though, is allow their fine motor skills catch up a bit with the handwriting requirements.

The Analogies and Vocabulary have been easy for my son, but I'm fine with that, as I want him to balance out some of the higher level academics he does.  He does plenty of critical thinking through other venues, and his vocabulary is through the roof.  Next year when English A (6th) uses Vocabulary from Classical Roots, it will be a very good fit for him.

With K12's LA, you always want to place a child where their *composition* level is, because comp is a tough one with K12.  K12 does a LOT of grammar, which I love!  I didn't start learning it until 6th grade.  K12 starts in 1st grade.

I assume you're an independent K12 user like me, since you're only using K12 Math.  Why not add another course to your subscription and try LA out?  I would imagine, since he placed into LA 4, that LA 3 would be a *great* fit.  There is a huge jump from 2 to 3.  You can always allow him to do verbal/dictated answers when writing is involved.  My son does that a lot.  We just look at the objectives, and typically they don't say *anything* about having to write out an answer.  You can slowly wean him into more handwriting.  I did that w/ my DS and now at nearly 10, he had a HUGE jump in stamina and skill (he tested spot-on for his age at 7, so while the rest of him was advanced, that wasn't).

With K12 you have 30 days to change your mind if things aren't working out.  You could go much slower in LA 3 if need be - do it over 12 or 18 months, etc.

How is your son's spelling?  That's something else to consider w/ K12.  Personally, I love having all the strands from one place.  It would drive me nuts to have bits and pieces from different curricula.  It is always easier to supplement literature than it is grammar, vocabulary, etc.

Let me know if you want more input.  You may also consider joining the K12 Gifted Yahoo Group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12Gifted/

HTH!