Sadlier Grammar Workshop, Tools For Writing (Grades 3-5)

Description

Refreshing in its "let's get down to business" approach, Grammar Workshop's focus is on teaching how to use grammar "tools" (i.e. rules) in writing. The movement of every lesson is to equip the student to write effective (and grammatically correct) sentences. Accordingly, each grade level covers basic sentence construction, parts of speech, and mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, and spelling). Each course has six units divided into 4-12 lessons, with a total of 51 lessons. Each unit concludes with a review, a proofreading exercise, and a short writing assignment.

Student Worktexts are consumable with an accent color. Lessons are straight-forward providing instruction, several practice exercises including editing practice, and ending with sentence composition. These exercises are the gem of the course (in my opinion), and often include sentence combining – a personal favorite of mine for its effectiveness in strengthening sentence construction skills.

Teacher Editions provide three components: lesson plans, schedules, and student pages with answers. Introductory information shows the CCSS correlations plus a 30-week pacing chart. The daily lessons are brief, clear, concise and include suggestions for ELL learners. Answers to all exercises from the Student Book are provided, including the unit reviews. A code for the online resources is found in the teacher edition.

Online Resources are primarily for the students and include printable additional practice worksheets, self-checking quizzes, interactive activities (i.e. games, etc), an interactive proofreading practice, and some printable resources – proofreading checklist, test-taking strategies, and a writing rubric. The website for these resources is easy to navigate.

Test Booklets are available for this course and provide Unit Tests, Mastery Tests for every 2 units, and a Final Mastery Test. The Answer Key is found in the Online Resources.

This course is a solid choice for the grammar component of English and especially if your goal is to provide a foundation for writing/composition. The focus is on sentence construction skills and the grammar rules that govern them. Diagramming is not included. Student book – 240 pgs, pb. The Teacher Book is 240 pages, plus 48 teacher pages, pb. ~ Janice

Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.