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LA confusion
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LA is the hardest subject to plan! I am going round in circles right now trying to figure out what to use, how to cover everything, but keep it simple, trying to balance my ideal with reality…
I’m using AAR with my 7 & 4 yo (4yo only cause he asks for it). It’s not my favorite, but it’s working for DD and both kids like it. So I’m choosing to just consider this settled.
im considering using AAS. I used it in their past, levels 1-2, then dropped it last year due to pregnancy tiredness. I wasn’t sure how well it stuck, but my oldest occasionally informs the younger kids of something he learned from it. Just the other day he told DD ‘English words don’t end in u.’ I feel like my oldest could use some more phonics instructions, because he only received very, very basic phonics teaching. Then he just started reading and I quit trying to figure out what to teach next. I do like the dictation included in each AAS lesson. We never seem to get to dictation. My oldest struggled with handwriting. This year 9&7 yo began cursive, switching from italic because it just wasn’t working for my kids.
i recently found handwriting lessons through literature, which uses a style just like what I’ve cobbled together because I didn’t like anything I found. After initial letter formation, it uses copywork from the Elson readers. The same people also make English lessons through literature, which looks fantastic. Grammar and writing and studied dictation using real literature. And it’s open and go and all in three lessons a week, though there’s enough copywork for five days.
So I’m trying to figure out how to change our line up to utilize these resources. Currently My 9yo uses climbing to good English 2 (independent workbook covering phonics/spelling rules and, eventually, grammar and writing), copywork from dictation day by day, and an occasional narration exercise from WWE or syllabication lesson from the phone it’s page (based on websters speller). My 7yo currently uses AAR (just finished level 1), copywork from the McGuffey primer and CGE 1.
CGE has the benefit of being independent, for my 9yo anyway. It’s…. Practical. However I feel like the dictation from AAS is much more likely to actually work than a fill in the blank workbook. And the grammar and writing from ELTL is much more in line with my CM ideals. CGE does a good job of teaching what it does cover, it’s a solid, practical program with no fluff/busy work. It’s written for one room Amish schools. I feel bad ditching it. But if I use AAS and ELTL, it’s certainly redundant.
does this seem like too much?
9yo: cursive copywork from HLTL daily, AAS (discuss phonics lesson briefly, focus would be on the dictation sentences) twice a week, and ELTL three times per week. Or maybe I could drop HLTL with him after he finishes learning all the letters, and just use the ELTL copywork. ELTL has the benefit of being available in the cursive we use. No more writing everything out myself! this would be for next year, so actually he would be 10. For the rest of this year he could do HLTL daily, AAS 2x and CGE 3x a week.
7yo: AAR, Cursive copywork from HLTL. Not sure if I should go ahead and use CGE this year and wait to start AAS next year? Or drop CGE entirely? She only does it occasionally. ELTL I think I’d hold off till she finishes AAR.
but then I worry that everything I’m picking is too mom intensive. AAS, ELTL. Both are one on one with mom. Times four kids (eventually). But it seems like when I try to make these skill subjects independent, it backfires and I have to go back and remediate that area. Which is even more mom intensive. These programs are atleast open and go, which is a big help. I use or used to use things that required a lot of prep (diy CM reading lessons, MEP math, picking out my own copy work). Switching to open and go programs has been part of my school overhaul and simplification I’ve been working on this year, and even more so for next year. I have totally simplified my plan for history, science, literature, even Shakespeare and poetry. So all of that will help too. And perhaps free me up to spend the one on one time for these skill subjects?
I can relate to being pregnant and tired. It seems pregnancy also makes me feel a little scatter-brained! For that reason, I purchased ELTL for my 9 year old daughter(4th grade) mid way through this year. I too was drawn to “everything is right there,” and I liked the literature choices. She loves it! She even said that she hopes we always use this English program. We’ll see. I did choose a lower level than what may be considered her grade (level 2), but that was because she had no previous grammar instruction. Level 2 of ElTL is where grammar (parts of speech) begins. The plus side of starting at that level is that she reads the literature selections independently. I require her to do all her writing in cursive, so she does not have a separate cursive program this year. Also, she was already doing some dictation, so twice each week, I have her use the “copywork” as a dictation exercise.
I did not understand why you feel your oldest needs more phonics practice if he is a fluent reader. Difficulty spelling, perhaps? If so, dictation should help with that.
Just thought I would share our experience with ELTL since you are considering that program.
I also have a 7 year old this year. He is a late bloomer compared to his older sister. He works on some phonics daily (I think this would compare to your AAS), reads aloud to me for about 10 minutes, and works on cursive (most days). I also read aloud to him, and he gives an oral narration. This is the extent of his Language Arts.
Hope that offers you a helpful perspective. I’m not insinuating this is what you should do, just thought it might help to share what’s working for us. 😉
Ok this is where I get confused… Dictation is for spelling, but my son has struggled with his handwriting so much, writing letters bottom up, etc. that I kept him at very basic copywork. I just could not break that bottom up letter formation habit. So this year I switched him to cursive. His personal writng continues to be a weird mix of upper and lowercase, despite everything I’ve done over the last three years. Cursive is going pretty well. I want to help the cursive become automatic for him. Dictation will help this. But since he’s still a reluctant writer, and new to cursive, most dictation resources just seem to hard. He will have to be thinking of how to spell the words, how to write them in cursive… A friend of mine shared with me how she uses AAS, when I said I wanted to do dictation with him. It would give me easy, slowly increasing dictation. I feel like he needs to move on to dictation, not be stuck forever at copywork. Because copywork is not improving his handwriting or spelling. ELTL is for everything else, and once his handwriting is up to speed, maybe I could drop AAS and just use ELTL. AAS also includes info on suffixes etc, that CM would have you include naturally I’m copywork and dictation, that I am just not going to think to teach because I am distracted by many little ones.
the other thing is DD, she has needed slower, more incremental reading instruction. Which is how we ended up at AAR and it works well for her. I’m wondering if she will need AAS? If I’m going to end up using it anyway, might as well use it with everybody? Some may do it xloser to as written, while others I may accelerate through.
Hello again, Rebekah!
I am not familiar with AAR or AAS so I did not understand the difference. If the cursive course is helping your child with his handwriting, then certainly continue it until you feel it is “automatic” for him. The lessons in ELTL are not long. Sometimes the Literature passage is long, but you could read it at a different time of day or your child could read it independently if he is able. If he is still learning cursive, I would lean towards copywork in cursive rather than dictation for the same reasons you mentioned above. The other parts of the lesson could be completed mostly orally, though I think that at Level 3 ELTL begins written narrations – gently, I am sure.
I am thinking of waiting on ELTL with my 7 year old. Like your 7 year old, he is not yet a fluent reader. I want him to be comfortable reading before we move on to more Language Arts. ELTL Level 1 is copywork with emphasis on capitals and punctuation – I think. I do not own it, but that is what I remember from the Barefoot Meandering website. We work on that within our reading/phonics lessons, as it sounds you do as well.
Overall, I think your plan sounds solid, Rebekah. I guess you’re just concerned that it may be too teacher intensive. Am I understanding that correctly? If so, could you break up so that you have time to breathe? Maybe set a time limit of working with each of your school age children for about 20-30 minutes. Do as much as you/they are able within that time frame, then take a break. The other children could draw or do some other quiet activity, perhaps. Then if you need to meet with each child again, do so later in the day… I don’t know. Just helping you think out ideas. I know it is easy to feel overwhelmed. I am expecting in April and just keep telling myself that we’ll figure it out as we go along! 🙂
Rebekah,
I am so glad you posted because something you said caused a light bulb moment for me. It was the part about when you try to make these areas independent and then it backfires, requiring remediation which is even more time intensive.
I have experienced this several times with math and language arts, but it didn’t click until you said that.
The problem with language arts is that most of us can’t find an all inclusive program that we love, so we piece things together and many end up too LA heavy.
I don’t have great advice, but your post was very helpful to me, so I wanted to say Thank you:)
Your welcome . 🙂 once I typed it out I realized that whatever I use, I need to work with my son for LA. making CGE not independent anymore. If it has to be one on one anyway, then I’m going to go with programs I like. And really I think using ELTL and AAS will take less time and energy from me then dragging my son through a page of CGE. He hates workbooks. It takes him forever, but when done independently it doesn’t ruin my day. But if I have to sit with him while he does it. Ay yi yi!
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