Course: 7/8 Grammar & Composition '22/23

I am really excited to teach this class! I have always loved grammar (the Legos of language) and I enjoy teaching writing using the incredibly effective IEW approach. 

We will use Analytical Grammar (Student Workbook required: ISBN 978-1-60826-636-4) and comlete this comprehensive program in one year (whew!), laying a solid foundation for high school and beyond.  Analytical Grammar is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step approach that will prepare your student for more strenuous high school and college-level work.  The program covers all the parts of speech and parts of the sentence, phrases and clauses, classic sentence diagramming, rules of punctuation and capitalization, and common usage errors.¹ 

We will use IEW's Bible-Based Writing Lessons (Student Workbook required: ISBN 978-1-62341-315-6).  Students will explore the timeless truths of God's Word as they write about the Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul, Noah, Daniel, and other famous figures of the Bible using IEW's "Structure and Style" writing method.²

I will continue with English From the Roots Up, Volume 2.  This will be a brief, in-class exercise with optional homework, just for fun. No need to buy the book. The purpose is simply to increase vocabulary by understanding the meaning of the roots of English words derived from Greek and Latin.  If your child enjoys this part of class, I strongly encourage you to consider Latin or Greek at Cornerstone. Learning these foundation languages will improve your child's ability to think logically and foster excellence in every class ever after. 

Edit 6/15/22:  I think we can read together this year, and so I have chosen three books suggested by IEW as good companion works for our Bible-based writing.  They are: Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong, Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington, and The Trojan War and the Adventures of Odysseus by Padraic Colum.  Please find acceptable, inexpensive used copies - we will write in them.

Edit: 7/8/22 We will listen to excerpts from Mark Twain's Joan of Arc, (he thought it was his best work) and you may want to purchase a read-along copy, but it's not required. 

^{1. R. Robin Finley}

^{2. Andrew Pudewa, Dr. James B. Webster}