Language arts for 2nd grader

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  • May 9, 2015 at 5:14 pm
    rhondajennings68
    Participant

    My son is going into 2nd grade next year and is a very advanced reader and excellent speller.  I would like some suggestions on language arts for him.  I know it is not Charlotte Mason to do diagraming sentences, but I LOVED THAT AS A CHILD.  I know that makes me a nerd but still I loved it.  I love taking apart sentence structure, etc

     

    Also, how do you search the forum now? I can’t figure out how to do it.

     

    Thx,

    Rhonda

    May 9, 2015 at 6:23 pm
    retrofam
    Participant

    I am probably in the minority,  but I like Spelling You See.  It includes copywork and dictation.

    The CM principle of narration is a favorite too.

    For a formal curriculum,  Character Qualities Language Arts starts with advanced 2nd graders .

     

    May 9, 2015 at 7:30 pm
    HollyS
    Participant

    You might like ELTL.  It uses sentence diagramming, but not until the 3rd or 4th level.  For a 2nd grader, you’d use either level 1 or 2.  I’d consider it Charlotte Mason with some Classical elements.  I just received my books for next year (we’ll be using levels 2, 4, and 5) and am really impressed with what I’ve read through so far.

    Here’s the link:  http://barefootmeandering.com/

    To search the forum, go to Google (or another search engine) and type Simply Charlotte Mason with whatever topic you want to search.  It should list a few threads for your topic.

    May 9, 2015 at 10:09 pm
    JenniferM
    Participant

    HollyS, I was looking at LLATL for my upcoming third grader based on your  post on another thread.  Why have you chosen ELTL instead?  (just gathering info in order to choose wisely myself)

    Thanks!

    May 9, 2015 at 10:53 pm
    Monica
    Participant

    Jennifer, thought I’d give some insight because I’ve used both LLATL and ELTL.

    My oldest used LLATL (Purple) in 4th grade.  He really disliked what he considered “busy work” and the workbook-y style.

    I used ELTL this year with my 3rd grader.  He listens to the books that supplement the book on audio (I get them from Librivox) and then 3x/week we sit together on the couch and discuss the grammar lesson.  Here’s the beauty in ELTL.  You know your child, so you have the option of doing the lessons orally (which works for us this year), or using the accompanying workbook (which will appeal to my daughters next year).  It has been a great fit for us, the ELTL incorporates picture study, poetry, Aesop’s Fables, and narrations, and my son has retained a great deal of what we have studied.  I’m planning to continue ELTL with him next year and start my two daughters on Level 1, also.  I’m tempted to start my 8th grader, who hasn’t had a lot of formal grammar, on Level 5 next year, but between IEW and Latin this year I think his grammar has gotten a lot stronger.

    May 10, 2015 at 12:18 am
    HollyS
    Participant

    Jennifer,

    I used 3 levels of LLATL this year.  I have mixed feelings about the Red book.  IMO it didn’t have enough reading practice for 2nd grade and was a bit too much busy work.  I also used the Orange and Tan levels and am pretty happy with them.  There was a bit of busy work, but not as much as the other level.  The book selections are good and they’ve enjoyed the lessons for the most part.

    I did struggle with whether to stick with LLATL or switch to ELTL.  In the end, I liked the idea of a completely non-consumable book as well as 3 lessons per week (LLATL is 5 lessons per week and a workbook much be purchased for each child).  I also feel like ELTL follows CM methods a bit closer…although it almost has a classical feel with the writing and grammar portions (it has sentence diagramming and writing outlines).  The other thing is that ELTL has prepared dictation.  LLATL doesn’t really have them prepare for their dictation lesson and that has bothered me.

    I am a bit worried about how much time ELTL will take on a daily basis.  LLATL takes a significant portion of our school time with 3 levels (in addition to phonics with my K’er). The thought of only have 3 lessons per week is a big draw for me…it’s very difficult to fit in 5 lessons each week with everything else we have going on.

    I think LLATL is a good program.  I have a friend who has used it with her children and they’ve done very well with it.  However, ELTL seems like it will be a better fit for us.  I wish I’d taken a closer look at it last year!

    May 11, 2015 at 7:52 am
    rhondajennings68
    Participant

    Thanks for the responses. I find this helpful

    May 11, 2015 at 10:41 am
    JenniferM
    Participant

    Thank you for sharing your experiences Holly and Jawgee.   I used ELTL 2 with my older child for a portion of this school year.  I agree that it has more of a CM flavor.  I liked the literature selections.

    For my son, upcoming third grader, I don’t think it would be the best fit.  He needs more guidance in reading.  I’m not as concerned about grammar work with him at this stage.  I like the suggested lessons in Ruth Beechick’s language section of The Three R’s, but don’t want to come up with my own on a regular basis.  I suppose that is the appeal of LLATL- that it is based on Beechick’s ideas.  I am also looking at Hymns in Prose teacher’s guide for continued guidance in reading.  I’m just not sure of the CM approach for reading for this particular child.  (that may be dangerous to admit on a CM forum!).  He gets discouraged so easily with his reading.  I really want to help him feel successful.

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