Bookworm & Others – Another question, this time Literature focused

Christie, we use Bravewriter’s materials but I have not used The Wand, The Arrow, Boomerang yet.  I believe there are free samples of each on her site and you can buy them at a good price in packages on Homeschool Buyer’s CoOp.  That is where I bought the following Bravewriter Products a while back:

The Writer’s Jungle

Jot It Down

Partnership Writing

I also have her Movie related ebook, a few samples, etc.

I’m no help!  Just this last week I threw out every Grammar and Language Arts and Composition material I had in favor of a few solid writing manuals to use for reference.  The kids and I sat down and discussed them and this was their response to my idea that there was some “need” to teach these things formally through a program:

“Mama, we’ve learned all this by reading.  We just don’t know the formal name for what we know, but if you’ll keep that list of definitions then I think we’ll be fine.” 

And because they are very very good readers and don’t struggle with writing either … TADA … Freedom!  I have never felt better about abandoning a whole lesson before. 

I love to write.  I was a Literature major in college and all we did was write.  I don’t think you’ll here me throwing out Math any time soon!  LOL.

We have used Total Language Plus on and off for several years.  I started using it as a way to help the older kids; my oldest used it for high school language arts, all the way through the senior studies in short stories, poems, and essays.  We liked it OK.  Some of it is kind of busywork-ish.  So we would skip some activities.  My youngest one for some reason really, really likes these; he has done several and kind of likes the structure.  I prefer using simpler CM methods in younger years.  The TLP is a somewhat helpful tool for secondary grades.

However, we prefer Lightning Lit and my second son did mostly these for high school age.  He likes them better than TLP; so do I.  He has done 5, I think.

TLP strengths:  Easy to use, uses good, real, whole books; has some writing assignments (of so-so quality) uses dictation (although not always the sentences the spelling words come from–you have to look those up if you want to use them.)

LL strengts; Much like a strong high school or college level lit class; entire books read.  VERY good writing assignments.  Does not teach any grammar, spelling or HOW to write, so that is recommended to learn either beforehand or separately.  

My third son will be 9th grade next year.  I am having him do the Jump In high school writing program next year as he needs the extra work.  So we will be reading literature and doing things on our own.  But his sophomore through senior years I plan to have him do LL.  

I see Bookworm’s mention of Jump In.  Is there only one version of Jump In?  Or is there one version for middle school and one for high school?

Thank you, Bookworm!  In your experience, do we achieve best results using BOTH?    Jump In around grade 7 or 8, and then The Power In Your Hands in high school? 

Or, has it been your experience that a formal writing curriculum can just wait until High School (if our kids are doing decent written narrations in the middle school years….)

Sorry, Christie, I know this is off your literature topic… But given that your original question asked about Total Language Plus and LL, both of which have writing components, hopefully this clarification on Jump In is relevant to some extent.