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Question re: English Lessons through Literature
- This topic has 8 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 11 months ago by
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I think I’ve pretty well decided to use this. But what I’m wondering about is what level to use. I know the author suggests Level 2 or 3 for grade 3 (which my son is in), but I also know that CM recommendations are to not start formal grammar until grade 4, so that would mean using Level 2 in grade 4, which I’m quite fine with.
But then, I also have DD who is 5.5 in K, who LOVES doing copywork, and I think it would just be so much easier to have one program to use with both of them for poetry, copywork, picture study etc…
So do you think it would “work” to start Level 1 now with both of them. We would likely finish it up around Christmas of next year (4/1). I could perhaps move into level 2 then and just require the copywork of my daughter, not the grammar lessons. Or do you think that would make my son a bit behind on the grammar?
I’m using Levels 2, 4, & 5 with my DC (for grades 3, 5, & 8). You could definitely combine them for picture study, literature, oral narrations, and poetry. The copywork does get a bit more difficult through the levels, so I’m not sure I’d want to combine there unless you shortened the passages for your younger child.
The grammar is starting to become and issue for us. My older two are doing fine with it, but I’m starting to feel it’s getting too much for the 3rd grader. I think we may end up skipping those portions of the lessons before long (I’m pretty sure I saw some diagramming coming up). The grammar is re-taught each year (at a slightly quicker pace), so I think we’d be fine skipping some or all of it in Level 2. I just received Level 3 for next year, so I haven’t looked at the grammar there, but my understanding is that the focus is on narrations.
Level 4 has the strongest focus on grammar. DS usually has more sentences to diagram than DD. Level 5 usually has a couple to diagram and Level 4 usually has 4 sentences. Sometimes I have them diagram a couple sentences together or we just pick a couple to diagram. I think I’d make sure your child was really ready for grammar lessons in this book (at least 4-6th grade).
My DD hadn’t done much grammar before, aside from learning parts of speech. She is using Level 5 as and 8th grader and I think she’ll have a great understanding of it before beginning high school. I think your DC would be fine holding off on the grammar portions until later.
You can definitely combine them for the literature, picture study, copy work, etc., but for the actual lessons, I think ELTL (any level) would be quite difficult for a 5.5 YO. I started my daughters on Level 1 when they were a bright-6 and 7, and I think it is about right for them.
I haven’t started ELTL yet, but I am planning to use it two years behind for this very reason (the grammar). If I use ELTL with my third grader, it will be level one (I may hold off till fourth, because she’s still working on AAR and that takes lots of time).
What about if you put your oldest in the appropriate level, combine them for poetry/art/literature, and then for copy work you could either give your 5yo a shortened version of the copy work OR use the free Elson primer copy work available from the same author for her. At some point you’d need to separate her into her own level of ELTL, at which point she could do the full copy work.
And personally, I wouldn’t worry about your daughter doing the same books over again in a few years when you split them up. They are good books, she will enjoy hearing them again, perhaps reading them herself that time.
Thanks. So, if I take my daughter out of the consideration, would you say start Level 1 with my 8.5 year now, since it’s mostly just copywork, poetry etc… or wait until fall and start Level 2?
The good thing is thanks to Mad Libs, which he loves, lol, and also just copywork, he already knows noun, verb, adverb, adjective, etc… and knows proper usage for period, question and exclamation marks and quotation marks. He also has a general idea of the usage for comma, but doesn’t always use it correctly 🙂
I just love the idea that one resource will cover not only grammar (eventually), but poetry, fables, literature, copywork and picture study!
I think level 1 would be far too easy for a 3rd grader. I am using it with my 1st grader and it is perfect for him. There has not been any grammar at all in it yet, just covering punctuation and days of the week and stuff like that. Also, it is very short so easy to do separately with another child–we don’t use their literature selections, and it takes all of 5 minutes plus copywork time.
You can always skip the grammar in a higher level. My 4th grader is using ELTL 3 and we skip the grammar stuff (though use other instructional parts like dictionary use). She will likely use level 4 next year and do the same thing (I’m using something else for more basic grammar and will probably cover it thoroughly in 6th grade with Get Smart Grammar).
Anyway, to answer your question (not having used level 2 yet myself), I would probably start level 2 with him now and just move on to level 3 when he has finished that since he already has some basic grammar understanding.
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