Rod and Staff  4.8/5 (62)

Rod and Staff is a comprehensive textbook and workbook style curriculum designed by Mennonites. Rod and Staff materials consist of simple black and white pictures.

Rod and Staff Math is a Christian-based traditional math program with a focus on drill and the use of those skills in word problems.  Curriculum is available for grades 1-9.

Rod and Staff Reading is a Christian-based curriculum that believes it is important for a child to learn to read Biblical content.  The reading curriculum extends from 1st through 9th grade.

Rod and Staff Phonics is a Christian-based phonics curriculum designed for 1st and 2nd grade.  It can be used with the Rod and Staff Reading curriculum or by itself.

Rod and Staff Spelling is a Christian-based spelling curriculum that is phonics and rule-based.

Rod and Staff English is a Christian-based solid grammar and writing curriculum that goes from 2nd grade through 10th grade.

Rod and Staff Science is a textbook-based approach to young earth science.  It is available for grades 2-8.

Rod and Staff Social Studies is available for grades 2-3.  History is combined with geography for grades 4-9.  Rod and Staff is a Mennonite curriculum so pacifism and missionary history are part of the curriculum.  They also have separate books for Biblical, Mennonite, and Anabaptist history.

Rod and Staff Music is a Christian-based music theory curriculum designed to teach a child how to read music and sing four part harmony.  It utilizes shaped notes.

Read more about them at the Milestone Books website.

Rating Entries

deborah	Comment: We have used the Phonics, Reading and English Programs through the 7th grade. They are thorough, easy to teach and provide mastery of the subject with proven results on both end of grade testing and SAT preparation for grammar skills. The reading assignments in the early years prepare students to read their Bible well and provide excellent character training. Five Stars for R&S!!!  5/5
Dishawna Barnard	Comment: We have used Rod and staff for phonics as well as other subjects for 5 years. Both of my students are proficient readers and became solid readers early on. I believe the phonics emphasis was foundational.  5/5
Linda Sprague	Comment: I have used Rod & Staff Phonics, Grammar, and Spelling with my two daughters. This has worked so well for us. My younger daughter is advanced and my older daughter is delayed. Both of them are doing great with this curriculum. We tried others, but this is the best.  5/5
Stacey hoffman	Comment: We love Rod & Staff!!! I can't say enough wonderful things! Excellent curriculum,Affordable, Teachers Manuals are to die for -easy to use and explains all well and how to teach each lesson.  5/5
Courtney	Comment: This is such a sweet program. God is used throughout the entire curriculum. It is straight forward, with no bells or whistles. Each year builds on from the previous year. We will continue to use this.  5/5
Melissa	Comment: I have used Rod and Staff language consecutively for grades 4th-9th. My only regret is not finding the Rod and Staff Language curriculum for our home school use sooner. I utilized another well known curriculum for grades 1-3. The other curriculum was for 180 days of lessons and was full of "busy work" that wasn't necessary. Looking back, my child was very frustrated with the amount of work it required, and how they quickly introduced new concepts in a very sporadic manner. Rod and Staff Language is well written and provides a better foundation with an appropriate amount of review. The student lessons have illustration examples for the student to follow, and the curriculum builds upon itself. The teacher's guide contains all of the answers to the students questions and the tests. I appreciate not having to buy numerous teacher's keys. I also appreciate the sections on writing reports, and how to write and prepare speech presentations.  5/5
Lily	Comment: Very short and sweet lessons, great review. My child loves it. Used this up to 3rd grade so far.  5/5
Darcy Griffin	Comment: We love Rod and Staff. I used it to help teach reading.We love that they are christian based.  5/5
Kris	Comment: We have used Rod and Staff for math, English, and Social Studies. The math starts simply and gradually adds concepts in such a way that they never seem overwhelming or difficult. I feel like my children have a very solid understanding of basic math and problem solving because of this curriculum. I even made my son try out a Singapore math book of the same level in order to compare the curriculum, and he was able to easily work through the Singapore book because Rod and Staff had been so thorough. The English books follow this same gradual approach and are very easy to use. These books are also very affordable.  5/5
Beverly Shephard	Comment: I became interested in Rod and Staff English after reading that it got in the top 102 ratings of Cathy Duffy. No wonder! Not only is it very thorough, but also very reasonable. With a large family trying to afford quality curriculum that also teaches Biblical principles can be challenging. I'm so thankful for this program and after seeing for myself how great it was, I bought the phonics set for my younger student, with the same great results. The math is also great. I haven't tried the history and science yet because we were already entrenched in another set, but after looking at it on their site, I'm considering buying them just for our reading pleasure. You can't go wrong with Rod and Staff!  5/5
Vanessa	Comment: This review is for the Rod and Staff English Only not the full curriculum. Extensive, Classical, Advanced, Complete, and understandable! It gives a very good understanding of diagramming that is unparalleled with other curriculum. My children are able to diagram Bible verses now. I could not ask for anything better than to give my children a greater ability to study God's Holy Word! This is just what R&S English has enabled for them. What a blessing!  5/5
Colleen	5/5
Teresa	Comment: I do not know of another thorough, student-led English program that also incorporates writing and poetry. Lessons are well laid out for the student to read. Teacher's manuals give extra guidance. Much more is covered that just basic grammar. Excellent, low cost program.  5/5
Cherilyn	Comment: I really enjoy Rod and Staff for my younger ones. My 5 year old loves the pictures and the best part for us the use of the KJV and the biblical family values.  5/5
Elizabeth Machado	Comment: After 6 years of using many different history/social studies and science curriculum, I finally found one that both my children and I loved. Rod and Staff History is written in a story format that includes factual information. It is informative without being too much for children. The science curriculum is also told in story form talking directly to the child and also as conversation. The concepts are explained in a way that is easy and the experiments can be done with little preparation or really expensive or hard to find items. I am so grateful that my children, who generally dislike both history and science, finally enjoy doing both.  5/5
Kate Mobley	Comment: After years of trying various curriculum, I discovered Rod and Staff this year, and what a blessing it has been! We love it! The lessons are straightforward and so much easier for my children to follow and understand. The teachers manuals actually help instead of hinder, and they are very no-nonsense. My children love the feel of the hardcover books and they hold up better in the long run. Just wish I'd found this curriculum sooner!  5/5
Dishawna Barnard	Comment: I appreciate the simplicity of the drawings and examples, the morality of the characters (in their other reading books), and the bible-emphasis. I like the country home feel in the examples as well.  5/5
Stacey Hoffman	Comment: R&S English is top notch! Excellent, affordable , complete curriculum that teaches grammar as well as punctuation, reading, writing, spelling, vocabulary.  5/5
Sue McQuillin	Comment: Rod and Staff is a quality curriculum at an affordable price. The material is not updated frequently and I have been able to use the same non consumables over and over. It is always Christian, I don't have to sort through stories and tell the children not to read them. You get one teacher's book with all the answer keys in it, not several for the quizzes, tests, etc. Making it more streamlined and very easy to understand how to use and grade student work. I have been using it for 23 years.  5/5
Susan Tucker	Comment: Rod and Staff is very affordable and I love love love their books Highly Recommend Them 🙂  5/5
Laura Sasser	Comment: After spending too much money on "gentle" grammar we decided to go back to basics. We used 3rd grade English and found it very thorough with tons of review. While I hate diagramming my child actually likes that it helps her remember sentence structure. We do some lessons orally as it is a lot of writing . All in all it is a great LA program.  5/5
Vanessa	Comment: Rod and Staff Reading Review Only... Godly, wholesome, complete, enjoyable and easy on mama!  5/5
Natasha Brady	Comment: We have used Rod and Staff first and third grade math. I love how first grade math has 2 workbooks. There is plenty of review with R&S math. I wish there was workbooks for third grade and beyond. There is also quite a bit of questions for each lesson, so I often divide the lessons in 2, or highlight the problems I want them to do. Since R&S math is made for a one room schoolhouse, it makes sense that there is a lot of problems, because it would give the teacher time to work with a different grade. However, in a homeschool, we can often accomplish the same results in less time. I love how affordable it is. The teacher's guide is very thorough, and I definitely recommend it, because it gives information about what you should be teaching that is not in the book/workbook, and not just answers.  5/5
Teresa	Comment: Rod and Staff Spelling has been the best program we have used. It goes far beyond just learning to spell by driving home phonics, vocabulary, and so much more. No fluff, no twaddle, all worthwhile exercises.  5/5
Terrie	Comment: We love this English. This is our second year using these English books. They are so great at explaining things and go back to the basics. The teacher's manuals are awesome.  5/5
Carrie Merriott	Comment: I found a used copy of Rod and Staff English 2 and used it with my daughter last year. I liked it so much that I bought English 3 for this year. I used to teach school myself before having children and am kind of picky about curriculum because I want it to be comprehensive and teach what the child needs to know to have a solid foundation in a subject. I was new to homeschooling and this program more than met my expectations. It is simple and easy to understand and the amount of coverage of the topics was sufficient for my daughter. I also appreciate that it is Christian based.  5/5
Kathryn Wright	Comment: I have been using Rod & Staff text since 1995. My children and I have always enjoyed the plain text and the ability to see how it relates to our personal walk in life with God and each other. There are times when I wish that there were more worksheets for specific subjects due to my individual child's needs. Overall, I always recommend Rod & Staff to anyone beginning their homeschooling journey or in need of remedial attention to a specific area.  5/5
Melinda Speece	Comment: After four years of using First Language Lessons, it felt like a challenge to pick a new curriculum for 5th grade. Pouring over all the options, I finally picked Rod and Staff after being able to compare several hard copies in a Christian bookstore. Two years later, I am so pleased with Rod and Staff. I tell everyone it is "old school," and I mean it as a compliment! The lessons are incremental, thorough, and clear. You can do as much or as little drill as is necessary. Diagramming, writing, and oral activities are added bonuses to the regular grammar activities. For two years, I have used the student text, teacher text, workbook, and test booklets to teach my two oldest children. I enthusiastically recommend Rod and Staff!  5/5
Stefanie	Comment: I LOVE Rod and Staff!!!. We especially like their reading (for 1st through 3rd grade; after that the reading comprehension is more difficult than we want) and their English. I love that they use the King James Bible, that the reading is totally Bible based, that reading is challenging and comprehensive, that it is simple yet varies to keep interest high, that it is very "academic," and that it is so easily affordable. It has been such a tremendous blessing in our family! The English is great because you buy the book and re-use it for multiple students. I can't praise the lower elementary reading enough. Great Bible stories and comprehensive education. Thank you!!!!!  5/5
Susan Tucker	Comment: Very Affordable and Their books are Amazing I Love them 🙂  5/5
Kitrena	Comment: Rod & Staff are thorough. I trust that my children are getting a solid foundation in the essentials, especially Math and English. They present Christian principals in every aspect of the curriculum. I appreciate that it is so simple to follow as the teacher. First time teachers (Mom's) are given such clear concise instructions it alleviates so much of the stress of preparing classes. I personally like the black and white presentation. I find it calming and not as distracting from the subject being learned. I truly cannot say enough positive about Rod & Staff. I was introduced to them 20 years ago and I use them to this day!  5/5
Angela Baker	Comment: I have had my daughter use this English curriculum for 4 years! We love it. Easy to use. Very wholesome and Biblical text. Teaches grammar, writing, punctuation and poetry.  5/5
Lindsey	Comment: We love Rod and Staff. We've been using the math for a couple of years and it's really the only thing that has clicked with my daughter. She loves getting to the bottom of her work page and reading the verses to me. Just this year we started using other subjects from R&S - Social Studies, English, Spelling, and Science. Spelling and English are favorites by far. I will say, our oldest is young for her grade level, so the amount of work can be a little overwhelming for her. But we'll adjust it as we need to.  5/5
Vanessa	Comment: Review for Rod and Staff Spelling and Grammar review ONLY. My children tested in the 8th grade after completing almost 8 years of Rod and Staff. I do not normally test my children. I am very aware of what they know and retain. But I was quite shocked when told my children had the Spelling and Grammar of college students. i am just impressed by the godly instruction steeped in every line.  5/5
Naomi	Comment: Before I had children, I knew I wanted to use Rod and Staff. Now that my children are school-age, that is what we use. It is easy to use, the children are picking up the concepts easily and are literally flying through their books. The readers capture their attention so well that they are way ahead of any reading lessons--they literally sit on the couch and read, over and over again. I love Rod and Staff, the simplicity it offers and how well it works for our children.  5/5
Tammy	Comment: I pull this off of the shelf with sheer JOY everyday. My child cheerfully completes the work daily. It provides plenty of practice for mastery of a skill before moving on to another skill (I am a tenured teacher and I prefer the mastery method over the spiral method). It is inexpensive and thorough.  5/5
Vanessa	Comment: Though I left a review for the complete curriculum I am leaving this one in particularly for the Math portion. When my children were younger the bees and flowers, the animals all of it was a hit. My children enjoyed math. I never had a problem transitioning into higher mathematics because they were used to the format and it flows in a very understandable manner. It does end with 8 but my children were easily introduced to Video Text Algebra through the foundation that was laid in the first 8 years. Again, thank you Rod and Staff!  5/5
Tonia	Comment: Have used this for my sons now for several years.. You can use as much per day or as little as you want and they will definately get a solid basis in English language  5/5
Ashley Lowry	Comment: I'm currently using Rod & Staff in several subjects for Pre-K, kindergarten, and middle school. It's so straight forward and simple to understand my children are able to work independently.  5/5
Dishawna Barnard	Comment: Rod and staff is a one-stop-shop. They offer Reading, English, Phonics, Spelling, Penmanship, Music, Art, Science, Social Studies, Math, and others. I like how my children's education is submerged in christian values. Also their reading levels are above grade level. I attribute it to Rod and Staff.  5/5
Paige	Comment: Rod and Staff is our go-to for grammar. I believe is a very thorough and complete curriculum. The teachers manual is easy to use.  4.9/5
Dishawna Barnard	Comment: I think this method of teaching math-with lots of repetition is geared more for a class room to have busy work to do to keep them occupied. I do think drills can be effective, but I ended up using the same book for 2 students slitting the lesson pages in half. There would be several ages er lesson and 100+ lessons for the year. I believe once a child has understood and mastered a skill, we do not need to over exhaust them with more of the same. Let them move on. I would still use this curriculum, but would split the lessons up so that it could be used for more then one child. Having said that, I appreciate Rod and Staffs as a whole, they provide an affordable Christian education.  4.9/5
yvonne	Comment: We use Rod and Staff English Series. It is one of the most comprehensive and thorough curriculum for English that we have used. It is simple to follow with the teacher's manual and very affordable since it can be used for each of my children. Highly recommend!  4.9/5
Linda	Comment: There are several misstatements in this review. The R&S educational program is complete K-10. K is not "mini first grade" like public schools, but a gentle introduction to school skills. After Arithmetic 8, there are Recordkeeping and Accounting for 9 and 10. There is no algebra course. Science, Bible, and English are covered as well in grade 10 (no history). The Mennonites are not "pacifists" but are "non-resistant" (and there is a difference!). All their courses are well-designed, thorough, and age-appropriate. The Teacher's Manuals are mostly scripted, which is excellent for parent-teachers, and very easy to use for homeschool although designed primarily for Mennonite parochial schools.  4.9/5
Katrina	Comment: Part of the reason I chose this spelling curriculum was because it's set up to be easy to use in a setting where there are multiple ages of children and it doesn't take large amounts of time or prep. This is our first year using it but it seems to be an effective curriculum thus far and is well received by my child.  4.9/5
Homeschool Curriculum Reviews	Comment: I love Rod and Staff Spelling. It is so easy to use. My oldest child did very well with it and is a natural speller. We stopped using it for him because he didn\'t need a spelling program any more. My other child used the 2nd grade book, but was not retaining missed words. He needed a more customized approach and is now thriving with AVKO\'s Individualized Spelling.  4.7/5
Sarah Marie	Comment: I have used Rod and Staff Reading and Spelling. My kids and I love them. What I have especially noticed about my third and second grader's spelling is that the words they learn from R&S carry over into their written work in other subject!  4.7/5
Seka	Comment: Rod and Staff is a great and thorough curriculum. We used them mostly in first grade. They have an amazing phonics and reading program for first grade which extremely built my daughter into being the amazing reader she is now. She used to have speech delay when she was 4-5 years old, and now she is in third grade and reads and retains at a 5th grade level. And I really think a lot of it had to do with Rod and Staff first grade language arts program. It is very thorough and strong on phonics which is important for building reading skills. It does require a little more time and effort from the teacher that's the only down fall if you have more kids in different levels. But I would for sure and will get it again for my younger ones when they get to first grade. I will be using Rod and Staff for history/geography for my oldest next year in fourth grade. I can't wait. Rod and Stafff is wonderful cause it's very thorough and affordable!!  4.7/5
Vanessa	Comment: I have used Rod and Staff full curriculum for 18 years. From before I had my own children and was teaching in a co-op environment of sorts. It is the most Biblically sound curriculum we have found. It stays away from fad type teaching methods and emphasizes excellence. The teachers manuals are simple to follow with clearly understood examples. I appreciate the flow of the curriculum. It does not bog you down with yearly repetition. I cannot say enough about it but thank God for it!  4.7/5
Dishawna Barnard	Comment: Penmanship Review-- Someone is still teaching cursive!! All the examples are of Gods Creation. My 2 students penmanship is really coming along because of the practice. There is a perfect amount of practice.  4.7/5
Shannyn Mitchell	Comment: I started with Rod and Staff 5 years ago with my oldest child with English, science and social studies. I had tried a lot of different curriculum finding one to suit my child. I now use solely Rod and Staff with all four of my children. I am not worried about my children 'missing' any area of their education as the curriculum is so thorough. God is the center of each lesson and even in maths we are learning more about God and building Character. It took me a little while to sort out the grade 1 teachers manual but now find it easy to follow. I find I am learning along with my children. I would recommend Rod and Staff to the family who are willing to work closely with their children and have an excellent eucation.  4.7/5
Jessica Blanks	Comment: Rod and Staff has made a huge difference in my childrens' attitudes toward math. We used Switched On Schoolhouse before which only frustrated them (and in turn, me). They never seemed to grasp what they were doing but it's been much easier with Rod and Staff. I think this is partly due to the more down-to-earth scenarios given in the book (farm life examples and such) that they see an actual NEED to learn this stuff. I've heard a lot less "when will we ever need to use this" this year (7th grade).  4.6/5
Heather	Comment: I love Rod and Staff English Curriculum. It is an excellent comprehensive grammar, and teaches parts of speech and other points of grammar very well. It even teaches diagramming sentences, which I feel gives a good visualization of the parts of speech and how they are connected. There is a fair bit of teacher involvement (though if you have a really independent learner that may be adjustable). While the series is Christian based, I did not find it overbearing. It is mainly using Bible stories as sentence examples.  4.6/5
Krystal	Comment: We are using the ABC Series. So far we have completed Adventures with Books and Counting with Numbers. My only complaint about Adventures with Books was the amount of coloring involved. My son became bored with that very quickly. I am very impressed with the material covered and the activities in Counting with Numbers. We are also reading through Bible Stories to Read each day. I like that each reading is followed by 3 questions to check comprehension.  4.4/5
Jenny B.	Comment: Very thorough grammar program and very advanced for grade levels. I recommend not doing all of the problems (it's not necessary) and doing them orally if your child prefers.  4.4/5
Alisha Strunk	Comment: We have used Rod and Staff for 2 years and we still love it! My children are learning in leaps and bounds compared to our old curriculum. I feel like they are being taught the way myself and my mother were! It is a blessing to have such a great curriculum that teaches the real basics again!  4.3/5
Jennifer	Comment: We have used the preschool books through first grade texts for phonics/reading, handwriting, and math. My students enjoy the readers and I love how the bible lesson is built into the academic lesson! Great for character development. Also, this entire curriculum was one of the most affordable I found using the Authorized version of scripture. It's simplicity in lessons and endless options of worksheets to review the information really put the parent at the advantage to address each child's learning style. Great curriculum!  4.3/5
Cheryl Powell	Comment: We used Rod & Staff English 3 with my oldest. She cried everyday. I began to allow her to do it orally with me. That helped but still was a rough year. We use their junior high workbooks still, but that's it. I know it is a very thorough program, but I have no interest in torturing my children that much.  4.1/5
Diana	Comment: We have it, and I really like it. My kids can sit down and do it themselves without much help, and then I review the words with them when they are done. Rod & Staff makes their students work, but there is a nice payoff in the end if you can stand it. Used for 2 years in 2nd - 4th Attainable word list, not too many but enough. Works the word list into sentences and shows uses.  4/5
tammy	Comment: Rod and Staff worked well for us in the lower grades. I didn't like the math, but the English was fine. As we approached upper grades, we felt the English was too detailed and the diagramming especially was way too much.  3.7/5
Mary	Comment: I have used this for 1st grade along with path way readers. It nice and simply late out. It's easy to teach, you don't need a lot of extra stuff to do the lessions. I also like since it's black and white my son has less of an issue with be distacted from what he's reading. The storys are also short so he finishes his reading without having to force him to sit still to long.I would also like to say that 1st grade works well for kids who are between K and 1st grade we will be using 2 grade next year for our 6 year old.  3.7/5
Amy Rohrer	Comment: We enjoy R&S's christian base. The spelling program is working very well for us this year. We have used math in the past and my D struggled through it. We also tried a reading book on loan from a friend but I found it boring. We will continue with spelling next year but that is the only subject we'll use R&S for. I do love R&S and their suppliers we meet at conventions are always wonderful. Their readers and Jewel books are great too. The core curriculum was not a good fit for us.  3.6/5