My daughter is now in seventh grade and thereby her high school years are fast approaching. We haven’t utilized a formal grammar curriculum in years and a little voice in my head has been prodding me to find an independent study course. When I was offered the opportunity to check out the new Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (PAC), I jumped at the chance.
In our homeschool, we read a lot of living books, study nature, dive deeply into history, and immerse ourselves in other cultures via geography and language studies. With the exception of math, neither of my kids had previously used a workbook/textbook approach.
As my daughter has gotten older, she has been completing more and more of her work independently. When I shared with her the work-book based approach of Paradigm Accelerated, she was delighted to give it a try. “That’s just what I want, Mom!”
As my daughter began to work through the chapters on her own, she would share snippets of what she learned and quote from the vignettes. This intrigued my son and he soon began to sit next to her and do the assignment alongside her. I loved watching them work together. Paradigm (www.pacworks.com) is a perfect alternative to traditional textbook learning.
About English Grammar Skills
The English Grammar Skills course consists of 5 Work Texts, 5 Activity Texts, and a Teacher Resource Kit, complete with teaching instructions, and answers to all activity assignments, quizzes and tests. Each chapter begins with a vignette of real people who have modeled persistence, courage, and fortitude to overcome adversity.
The course is applicable to both regular classrooms or guided, independent learning programs. Each lesson and the corresponding activity questions are based on a vignette or story of a real person. These vignettes are what my children found most appealing – real life examples of people overcoming adversity – with lesson vocabulary interspersed. In the activity texts and assessments, grammar rules and parts of speech are covered multiple times in sentences drawn from the vignette.
I think PAC is a great fit for gifted middle and high school aged kids. We have been using the English Grammar program geared for eighth graders with both our seventh (independently) and fifth grader (with guidance).
Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum is a workbook-based program with a standardized format which is perfect for independent learning. Both digital and print curriculum are available, thus eliminating the tedious chore of lesson planning and test preparation. PAC’s uniquely structured system enables each teen to accelerate learning according to his or her personal ability and initiative.
The full course kit comes with:
- individually saddle-stitched text books (broken down into 5 separate booklets)
- individually saddle-stitched student activity books
- a teacher guide that includes tests and quizzes
Click here to download an English Grammar Skills text sample and activity sample.
Digital Options
Besides the print option, Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum also offers a digital version of their course with an audio enhancement to appeal to those kids who need the auditory piece. They are also working toward adding in QR codes to allow kids to access extra content via their smartphones.
Not only is the curriculum available in workbook form, it is also available in an online interactive format and can be used on laptops, tablets, or even smartphones.*
(*Please Note: PAC is in the process of incorporating QR codes into all of their courses which will allow students to access extra content via smartphone. As of now, the only course with this capability is biology.)
There is also an audio-enhanced format, which is perfect for students who are auditory learners or those who struggle with reading due to dyslexia or other learning disabilities.
Upon purchase of the print curriculum you will receive:
- 5 (or 6, depending on the course) individual chapter Text Books
- 5 (or 6, depending on the course) individual chapter companion Activity Workbooks
- a Teacher’s Resource Kit containing answers to activity questions, section quizzes, chapter tests, and answers
- a Transcript Planner to chart courses for a high school diploma
- an Academic Goal Chart to plan weekly and daily lessons
- an Academic Contract (which makes better sense for a private school — not our homeschool)
What We Love Most About Paradigm Accelerated
1. The materials are user friendly! Everything is open-and-go, giving students the ability to guide themselves through the course.
2. The materials are flexible! The various formats allow for different types of learning (computer based, book-based, audio) and can be used at home, in the car, or online.
3. The materials require very little teacher interaction for success – perfect for independent learners!
Get to Know Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum
Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum also offers science, math, and history programs in addition to English Grammar and other language arts courses. These programs were created for at-risk high school students, and can be used for high school credit.
If you are wanting to direct your teen(s) on a more independent course of learning, I encourage you check out Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum. And don’t miss out on these generous discounts:
40% off for
- homeschool groups (minimum purchase $1000)
- single parents
20% off for
- ministry families
- military families
- farmers and ranchers
- first responders
- foster parents
Call PAC at (325) 649-0976 for a discount code to use during the checkout process if you fit into one of these categories.