We had the opportunity to review the physical copy of Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3, which is published by Hake Publishing
If something works, don’t break it. If something works, make more of the same. That is what Mary Hake and Christie Curtis did when they co-authored Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3, which is a brand new publication from Hake Publishing.
While using Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3, students learn grammar and writing in a process that involves “incremental development” and “continual review“, otherwise know an interleaving. Concepts are presented to them in small doses and review of those concepts continue as they progress through the lessons. It sounds simple and it really is that simple. The process is how Saxon Math is presented to students and it works!
The Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 set includes a Teacher Guide, a consumable Writing Workbook and a Consumable Textbook for the student. Each piece of the set may be purchased separately, but all three are necessary to effectively teach the course. REPEAT! Also, note that the student books are consumables, so you will need to purchase one for each child you are teaching.
There are 111 grammar lessons to complete, but the school year is broken up into about 146 days. That includes covering all of the lessons, all 22 tests and all 21 writing assignments, some which take two days to complete.
The Teacher Guide includes the course schedule, scripts for the Grammar Meetings; answers to the grammar and writing lessons, tests and the test masters and additional practice. The Teacher Guide is must-have even if you know your grammar. You want to be sure you are teaching your child in the correct way the lesson is to be presented. Plus, there are additional teacher notes and tips that are not included in the student Textbook.
The Consumable Textbook includes the Grammar Meeting and Vocabulary sections, but also has the instruction, examples with solutions, practice lessons and the Review Set exercises. If a student reads well or is on the more advanced side, he could actually read through the lessons independently. They are written for easy understanding.
The Writing Workbook covers the structure and components of a sentence, creating a paragraph with sentences that support the theme, evaluation of own paragraphs, evaluations of narratives and writing chapter summaries.
We are currently using the Saxon Math program and I noticed some similarities with the way the material is presented. It is logically presented, thorough in content and has just enough exercises for the student to complete that reinforces the material. There is no fluff, pictures, etc. and the everything is black and white. Students are encouraged to complete all of the exercises and the lessons are long 😉 with 30 exercises per lesson. For math, I think that is a great thing . . . for grammar, well . . . hmm, bad, maybe not . . . good, I am still thinking. One thing that is for sure, after the student completes the lesson and practice master sheets, they will know the concept.
We worked through each lesson in this manner:
1. Covered the directive of the lesson during the Grammar Meeting.
2. Read through the examples and discussed further is any questions arose.
3. I let Canyon complete the Practice exercises by himself and then we checked them together.
4. Some of the lessons have what is called More Practice exercises. If those were part of the lesson, he would complete those. If not . . .
5. Canyon would complete the Review Set for the lesson.
I jumped him into the study around lesson 74 – Diagramming Pronouns, because he already knew a lot of the material. He completed all of the work with doing every exercise (as I have them do with their math – we don’t skip), it took Canyon about 45 minutes to one hour.
The first test is to be given after lesson 10 and after that, your child will take a test after every five lessons. Canyon worked from Lesson 1 in the Writing Workbook for review and I matched the grammar lessons up with those.
I have a special appreciation for anything English, because I have a B.A. in the subject. Until this curriculum came up for review, I never knew grammar and writing was available from this publisher. Although Canyon (fourth/fifth grade) knows much of the material presented in Grammar and Writing 3, it is right on target for children in the third grade.
At first, I was disappointed with the Writing Workbook, because I wanted more. I had to remind myself that this is a book for a third grade student, so more may be too much in that grade. The Writing Workbook is actually a nice introduction to writing at that level. My only other issue I have with it is, I am more of a creative writer and teach my children in that same manner. I will note the Writing Workbook does what it is supposed to do, it teaches a child how to write.
I was able to view some samples of the other levels (and you may see them too). The books have themes that are interwoven into the instruction of the material. I would really love to put my hands on some of those books to see what is taught and how it is taught. Being able to see, touch and flip through the pages is what led me to move my children to Saxon Math. I am hoping the writing portion of the curriculum is more the direction I prefer. I will say, my interest has definitely been peeked by this new Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 from Hake Publishing. Although River and Lily are passed the levels offered, Canyon still has a few years where he could possible use the higher level books.
If you already use Saxon Math, the transition to Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 will be easy. If you do not, starting new with the program will be easy too. Just like with the Saxon Math, this homeschool grammar curriculum is written with a purpose. The purpose is to teach your student grammar and writing and it will.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
You may purchase the Hake/Saxon Grammar and Writing 3 set for about $60.
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