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Behind in LA - please advise if familiar with WWE & FLL


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For a variety of reasons, my dds (turned 10 in May) are both behind in grammar and writing.  They are currently finishing Level 2 of First Language Lessons and in the middle of Workbook 3 of Writing With Ease.

 

I am wondering if we should jump ahead to Level 4 in both FLL and WWE.  What would you do?  Please be gentle, I feel terrible that they are behind and am trying to figure out what the best course of action is.

 

They are both reading at a 5th/6th grade level and are currently beginning 5th grade math. 

 

Thank you!

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I would move to Hake 5.  Even though Hake now has a 4th grade book, it was added recently, and the 5th grade book is a logical entry point (as is the 6th grade book).  It starts by assuming that the student knows nothing and goes from there.  As for WWE, I believe that SWB has said that students who have mastered level 3 can move directly to WWS 1 (which I might not want to use with a 5th grader anyway).

 

Problem solved! :D

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I'll assume they're not struggling students since their other subjects aren't behind. I'd just grab a grade 5 book like Rod and Staff English (or Hake if you require secular) and start diligently doing a lesson every day. If they're bogging down do the odds of a lesson one day and the evens the next day to give it more time to sink in.

 

FWIW, before FLL 3 and 4 existed and after completing FLL 1/2, my oldest just did piecemeal this and that and had a colossal flop with Easy Grammar before I just bit the bullet and ordered R&S 5. Then I promptly kicked myself for not switching sooner. R&S 5 starts at the beginning with subjects and verbs and works it's way up from there.

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I agree with others - choose Hake or R&S for grammar and start on grade level.  You're not behind with WWE.  Many people use it a year behind on purpose.  Additionally, I would recommend using something else after WWE3, omitting WWE4, and getting to WWS 1 when they are a little older.  Have you seen the options here?  http://downloads.peacehillpress.com/samples/pdf/WWEandWWSexplanation.pdf?utm_source=Catalog&utm_medium=Print&utm_content=Page%2B9&utm_campaign=2014%2BCatalog&page=10 (These are SWB's updated recommendations regarding WWE and WWS.  They're posted on a sticky on the K-8 Board.)

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Since you are already familiar with the FLL/WWE combination, I wouldn't switch. It's easy enough to accelerate FLL. All you do is the grammar, nothing else. Go through the lessons and make a list of those that are grammar lessons. Decide which lessons you could combine into one (slightly) longer lesson. Perhaps cut back on some of the review. Then just do those lessons consistently and you will be "caught up" in no time.

 

FWIW, we don't always try to complete one level of FLL for every year of school. Instead, we do it like this:

  • Kindergarten = FLL 1 (entire level, grammar only, all oral)
  • 1st Grade = FLL 2 (entire level, grammar only, mostly oral, a little bit of writing)
  • 2nd Grade = FLL 3 (first half, grammar only, gets more into writing)
  • 3rd Grade = FLL 3 (second half, grammar only)
  • 4th Grade = FLL 4 (first half, grammar only)
  • 5th Grade = FLL 4 (second half, grammar only)

You could skip the rest of Level 2 and just start on Level 3. It begins at the beginning, all over again. ;) IMO, there is no rush. Just work consistently along at the level of your students, and there will be progress over time.

 

Also, again FWIW, we don't attempt to complete an entire level of WWE in a year. Instead, we stretch it out, and that has been working out just fine.

  • Kindergarten = homemade copywork
  • 1st Grade = WWE 1 (entire level)
  • 2nd Grade = WWE 2 (Weeks 1-27), so 27 weeks + letter writing
  • 3rd Grade = WWE 2 (Weeks 28-36) + WWE 3 (Weeks 1-18), so 27 weeks + letter writing
  • 4th Grade = WWE 3 (Weeks 19-36), so 18 weeks + writing in History & Science + letter writing
  • 5th Grade = WWS 1 -- we'll see how this goes

 

Writing with Ease, Level 4 is completely optional (SWB says so), so if your student finishes Level 3, you can feel free to go into WWS, something else, or write "across the curriculum" (write from Literature, History & Science). My oldest is the same age as your girls (turned 10 in Feb.). She's a strong enough writer, and a diligent enough student, but I just wanted to give her more time to mature as a person, LOL, before starting Writing with Skill. We could have finished WWE 3 sooner, but we stretched it out, added in other things, and just gave her time to grow, KWIM? We'll start WWS1 this year.... we'll see. If it's at the right level for her -- challenging, but not overly frustrating -- we'll continue. If we need to find some other assignments, there are plenty of things to do in writing that will help a student to grow.

 

I'm not familiar with Hake, which some here are recommending. Perhaps it's easier to accelerate? FLL does plod along, doesn't it? But I think that, if you pull out the grammar, it moves along better. At least, it has for us. HTH.

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Would you still switch to Hake 5 or Rod & Staff if you already purchased FLL 4 and WWE 4? 

 

I appreciate the advice.  I am thinking it might be worth it to switch to Hake 5, even if it will stretch the budget. 

 

I would do it, but...

 

Many of us allow our children to write in the Hake book.  Otherwise there is *a lot* of handwriting involved (copying sentences to insert punctuation, for example).  If you want to use it this way, you will need to get two copies.

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Since you are already familiar with the FLL/WWE combination, I wouldn't switch. It's easy enough to accelerate FLL. All you do is the grammar, nothing else. Go through the lessons and make a list of those that are grammar lessons. Decide which lessons you could combine into one (slightly) longer lesson. Perhaps cut back on some of the review. Then just do those lessons consistently and you will be "caught up" in no time.

 

FWIW, we don't always try to complete one level of FLL for every year of school. Instead, we do it like this:

  • Kindergarten = FLL 1 (entire level, grammar only, all oral)
  • 1st Grade = FLL 2 (entire level, grammar only, mostly oral, a little bit of writing)
  • 2nd Grade = FLL 3 (first half, grammar only, gets more into writing)
  • 3rd Grade = FLL 3 (second half, grammar only)
  • 4th Grade = FLL 4 (first half, grammar only)
  • 5th Grade = FLL 4 (second half, grammar only)

You could skip the rest of Level 2 and just start on Level 3. It begins at the beginning, all over again. ;) IMO, there is no rush. Just work consistently along at the level of your students, and there will be progress over time.

 

Also, again FWIW, we don't attempt to complete an entire level of WWE in a year. Instead, we stretch it out, and that has been working out just fine.

  • Kindergarten = homemade copywork
  • 1st Grade = WWE 1 (entire level)
  • 2nd Grade = WWE 2 (Weeks 1-27), so 27 weeks + letter writing
  • 3rd Grade = WWE 2 (Weeks 28-36) + WWE 3 (Weeks 1-18), so 27 weeks + letter writing
  • 4th Grade = WWE 3 (Weeks 19-36), so 18 weeks + writing in History & Science + letter writing
  • 5th Grade = WWS 1 -- we'll see how this goes

 

Writing with Ease, Level 4 is completely optional (SWB says so), so if your student finishes Level 3, you can feel free to go into WWS, something else, or write "across the curriculum" (write from Literature, History & Science). My oldest is the same age as your girls (turned 10 in Feb.). She's a strong enough writer, and a diligent enough student, but I just wanted to give her more time to mature as a person, LOL, before starting Writing with Skill. We could have finished WWE 3 sooner, but we stretched it out, added in other things, and just gave her time to grow, KWIM? We'll start WWS1 this year.... we'll see. If it's at the right level for her -- challenging, but not overly frustrating -- we'll continue. If we need to find some other assignments, there are plenty of things to do in writing that will help a student to grow.

 

I'm not familiar with Hake, which some here are recommending. Perhaps it's easier to accelerate? FLL does plod along, doesn't it? But I think that, if you pull out the grammar, it moves along better. At least, it has for us. HTH.

 

This is so helpful!  Thank you!

 

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