How to Teach Grammar in Homeschool: Hake/Saxon Grammar Review
Today I want to introduce you a homeschool grammar program, Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3, from Hake Publishing.
I was excited to review the Grammar workbook from Hake Publishing since I am always working to improve my daughter’s grammar skills.
Even in public school, language arts is not usually as focused on as far as the rules are concerned. In order to become a better writer, children need to learn the rules of grammar.
I was pleasantly surprised to see when I opened the box that the curriculum includes a Teacher Guide, Student Textbook, and Student Writing Workbook.
This curriculum is clear and easy to use even if you have never taught before. There are three products in the set which includes the student workbook, a student writing book, and a teacher guidebook.
The Products:
Student Workbook
The student workbook contains 111 grammar lessons. Each lesson is divided as follows:
- Grammar meeting
- Vocabulary
- Teaching
- Examples and solutions
- Practice
- Review set
The beginning of the book starts with learning about sentence structure and at the end students learn how to write a chapter summary. I like how they added the writing piece to make the grammar that children learn have a purpose and be used in context.
The student workbook is definitely designed for older students in mind, there are no pictures or clipart, just the work. It was an adjustment for my daughter from her previous language arts book that she used. I think that the lack of images prepares children for middle and high school textbooks.
Student Writing Book
The Student Workbook has 21 lessons. The writing lessons are designed to be done on the test days. The writing activities include short answer and paragraph writing practice.
Teacher Guidebook
The teacher guidebook has answers so that you can help your child with their lessons. The teacher guidebook also has teacher notes, as well as a teaching schedule to help you plan your lessons accordingly. It is recommended to teach the lessons in order so that your child doesn’t miss out on any important skills that are taught.
There are also additional review pages for selected lessons when you need to review with your child.
How We Used It:
My daughter completed one lesson a day each week. It took her about 15-20 minutes to complete the activities, then we spent another 10-15 minutes going over the answers and clarifying the information.
There is a Meeting component of the lesson that we didn’t always do, since it seems more geared to a group of students in a class setting.
After every five lessons, there is a test that you can give to check on your student’s progress. I would actually do them every six weeks, so that way there could be a one week of review before the test.
I like how the curriculum progresses in difficulty, so that it builds student confidence as they are working.
Overall:
I really liked the layout of the book. It is great for homeschooling parents as well as parents who see that their child is either lacking or needs more assistance with their grammar.
It is also helpful that the curriculum constantly reviews what was previously taught, so students do not forget what they have learned.
This is one of the most comprehensive grammar curriculums I have seen, and I will continue to use this curriculum for all of my children. The curriculum actually goes up to the 8th grade, and even if your child attends a traditional school, I would definitely recommend this program to supplement their learning.
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