English Lessons Through Literature

I have Level 1 and plan on using it with my younger kids. I was planning most of the things that she has scheduled in there anyway so it keeps me from re-inventing another wheel. 😉

My friend just ordered and is waiting on Level 3. 

I like the way they are laid out…seems pretty staightforward to me, especially since I already have the books. She included a free color download of the picture study pages which makes picture study much more fun. I appreciated the subjects of the pictures that she has chosen.

I’m planning to use English Lessons through Literature this coming year with my 2nd and 3rd graders.  A new member on the yahoo group for barefootmeandering asked about using ELtL instead of Rod and Staff.  I posted my thoughts to the group and someone suggested that I copy that response and post it here also.  I hope it is helpful to someone :o)

I, too, had a hard time at the thought of letting go of Rod and Staff, which I considered to be the gold standard of grammar instruction.  So this is what I did.

1.  First, I got out my Rod and Staff book and went through it and wrote down what grammar skills were going to be covered at the level we were working.  Then I went through ELtL and found that all those same skills and terms were going to be covered.

2.  Then I went through and wrote down the Rod and Staff writing assignments.  I found most of the writing assignments I would be doing naturally in my home anyway (writing a friendly letter, writing a descriptive paragraph–which we would cover in notebooking about science, reading, etc.)  Plus ELtL had the narration, cipywork and dictation that I really wanted.

3.  I read through ELtL for about the fifth time and remembered how beautiful, rich, and natural this program is, and this reinforced that ELtL is indeed the way I want my children to learn.  Poetry, fables, artwork, literature, Bible verses, all in a lovely complete package.  Rod and Staff doesn’t have that.

4.  I bought the Rod and Staff workbook for our level as a safety net.  I told myself that if there is a skill in ELtL that I don’t feel my children pick up and they need extra practice I *could* pull out a worksheet.

5.  I bought the next level up of ELtL, and I had the opportunity to preview an even higher level.  I knew that I knew that I knew that this is where I wanted to go with my children’s learning.  I look at Rod and Staff and YES, it is full of skills that I want my children to have and we could get there through drill and kill.  But I look at ELtL, and I see all the same skills covered in a beautiful and natural way that resonates with me.