[Larissa.]

Hi ladies,

I was wondering what you would recommend for a 4th grade reading program?

Also, I need to find a grammar program but I have no idea what grade level for. We will be homeschooling my ss14 but he is severely behind academically. He has not had a formal writing program ever and has trouble even with basic rules like capitalizing sentences, what a noun is, etc. So first grade maybe? What would you recommend there?

Thank you so much!

[BensMom]

Do you want Christian, secular, or it doesn't matter?

For reading, are you looking for phonics, comprehension, or what exactly? What about spelling and vocabulary?

[clouise]

I love Rod & Staff English. My kids are using their second and third grade programs this year, and the grammar lessons are very thorough.

[BensMom]

Ditto... we also use R&S. It's very Christian-heavy, though, so some people don't like that. Their reading program is good, too. R&S English is very repetitive in grades 2-4, but 5th steps up the challenge quite a bit. It only goes through 10th, but the 9th and 10th grade books are college level. You only need to go through 8th for most kids, and the books can be stretched across two years and/or repeated if necessary. For a child who isn't strong in language and doesn't really need college prep materials, I'd recommend starting the 5th grade book in 5th grade and taking 2 years to cover each of the 5th thru 8th grade books.

A good writing program is Writing Strands, because it's not done by grade level. Each book is for multiple levels, and you move onto the next book whenever you're ready, regardless of age or grade. (If you're looking for spelling, Sequential Spelling is the same way... everyone starts with book 1, no matter what grade you're in).