Product Description

Parents can assure their child's success in language arts with this simple-to-use, scripted guide. First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind uses picture study and other classical techniques to develop the child's language study in those first two all-important years of school. Each lesson leads the parent, step-by-step, through the simple oral and written projects that build reading, writing, spelling, storytelling, and comprehension skills. Use this book to supplement school learning, or as the center of a home-school language arts course.

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First Language Lessons        Rating:

This is a very good book in teaching your child grammar. I used it with my son and now will be using it with my daughter. I had borrowed it, but enjoyed it so much that I decided to buy it.

Easy to Use        Rating:

Very simple and low key, easy to use. Used it with my oldest daughter and using it with my 2nd daughter this fall. A good grammar resource for a classical or eclectic homeschool approach.

This Is A Gift To Any Child!!!        Rating:

As a grand-mother trying to help my son with his daughter in first grade, I have searched high and low for some good grammar books. We purchased several homeschooling books to help enchance her skills. After reading the first grade portion of this book, I realized that this is one of the best books I have read on grammar in years. I have taken several classes in grammar and I even took a class at the U. of Chicago for my job some years ago and I didn't learn a thing. The instructor was good but the book was a bunch of mumble jumble. Jessie White in my estimation has got it right - repetition, copywork, enrichment activity, etc. I have worked with my grand-daughter for a half an hour, 5 days a week and she now knows what common and proper nouns are in just two weeks. I highly recommend this book to anyone who may need a refresher in grammar like I do or just want to really teach their kids basic grammar. Jessie White and her daughter, Susan are absolutely right, our children are not learning the basics of writting.

excellent old-fashioned grammar        Rating:

This is old-fashioned grammar with common-sense. It is easy enough for slow learners with enrichment activities for those who need it. This one book covers two years including teacher instruction. Excellent for the money! Hard to find a grammar book for this age that doesn't also have penmanship and spelling. These lessons teach a multitude of non-grammar info such as learning your address, family names, memorization, summarizing, and even analyzing (more than just written works). All of this is age appropriate! My 6 year old can summarize a story better than most public schooled children his age I am sure. He knows his family's names and relations better than before (it's big and complicated), and he can analyze as well! He has already memorized two poems and is working on the third. Excellent teaching book!!!!

Simple, Easy to Use, and Easy to Teach        Rating:

I have been using this book since the beginning of the school year. We are now at lesson 50. I have to say, "I love it!" The lessons are short, but to the point. My daughter is in first grade and it is just the right level for her. And her 4 year old sister can listen and memorize the poems because they are short. It works really well for our family.

I am always curious about negative reviews. So, I read them for this book. One reviewer mentioned that the author adapted many of the poems. Honestly, I suspected that when we learned the Monday's Child poem. But, I was thankful that it was adapted. The poem that I remember had several negative things. And my son was born on Wednesday--Ugh! In the original poem he would be full of woe--I think the version in this book is one I much prefer. I noticed that other language in that poem is also updated. I think that's okay. "Happy and Cheerful" is a lot easier for a first grader to understand than "bonny and blithe". I am comfortable with those modifications.

Another interesting thing that people also commented about not liking the directions for what the parent is to say. I remember one school that I subbed for that used Saxon Phonics. It drove me crazy at the time! It was written out exactly what I needed to say and it seemed a bit extreme to me (first graders were diagramming sentences and words)and it seemed to me that you had to cover every question they had written down exactly a they had written. It truly was a script that needed to be followed. But, not all teaching materials with directions for parents are like that. I don't think this book is. I do follow it most of the time, but I modify the questions when I need to for my children. For teaching reading, I use How to teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons and love that book. Now, I am so familiar with that book though that I say very little of the script. We go over the sounds and words and story and questions. But--I still appreciate the script if I need it as a reference. I have realized that scripted lessons are not loved by everyone--we all find what method of teaching works best for us and for our kids!

I would recommend this book highly. I am a certified teacher and as I started using this book, I really saw the logic of how the lessons are organized. The lessons are varied--periodically, there is a story or picture with questions about it. I think it is very important for children to understand grammar and so often it seems to be overlooked in our country. I know that when I was student teaching 10 years ago, we never touched it in first grade--or third--or fifth.

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