I'm looking for a grammar series for my fourth grader. We already use Excellence in Writing as our writing curriculum, so I just need something that teaches and/or reinforces the rules of grammar. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you!
My favorite is Easy Grammar. It's a bit dry, but it is very thorough. I've heard good things about Simply Grammar as well. I'd use Rod & Staff if I could convince my kids to write that much! LOL
I like Analytical Grammar... for 4th grade I would look at their Junior Analytical Grammar. Easy Grammar is good too.
There really isn't that much writing in R&S as you would think. Most of the time, you can do a huge chunk of it orally, and when you do need to write something it's like a word, a phrase, the word with the punctuation mark that follows it, just the words that need capitals, the correctly spelled word, or something like that. It's not large chunks of copying whole sentences MOST of the time. Occasionally, there are paragraphs to copy correctly, in the right order, eliminating unneeded sentences, placing capitals and punctuation in the right places, indenting properly, such as that. I was really surprised, actually! IMO, there's more to be written in CLE workbooks than with R&S textbooks. CLE is another excellent grammar program, BTW, for those who are more into workbooks than textbooks. Where R&S is designed to be teacher-led, CLE can be done very independently by the student. Students can even check their own daily work, if you're so inclined (I'm not).
I also think Easy Grammar is a good pick if you want it quick and simple. If you want in depth, go with R&S.
I love GUM grammar. http://www.zaner-bloser.com/writing/gum It is great and workbook style through 8th grade. It isn't too heavy and you can use it 2-3 times a week and easily rotate it with your other language arts subjects.
