Help please! I need help deciding between Logic of English Foundations and AAR!

[QueenT]

I am desperately needing help deciding between LOE Foundations and AAR. I have read reviews for days on both and have read SO many great things about each program, that I'm having a really difficult time deciding between the two.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!!

[BusyMom5]

Hi, you are in the "Logic" forum, the place for middle school, so not a lot of people may be familiar w/ thse programs.  Maybe post in the general K-8 curriculm board. 
 

I am using Foundations A w/ my Kindergartener, and have used B&C for 1st grade w/ my older kids.  THen we tried AAR and I had a revolt on my hands!  We did AAR3 and 4, but it wasn't pretty.  I wish I had stuck w/ LOE instead, and just supplemented more books from the library.  I would put the pros and cons like this:

 

LOE- assuming Foundaitons A for a beginner?

 

Pros- lots of phonemeic awareness activities, has speech pronunciation helps for kids who have a harder time making certain sounds, easy to teach, fun games that get kids moving, card games to practice phonograms, colorful worksheets (minimal), and incorporates writing activities as well.

 

Cons- may move too fast, not a lot of actual reading practice- you will need to get library books to supplement if this is your only reading

 

AAR- *we only did 3&4

 

Pros- has actual reading books, the stories are okay, easy to teach, lots more review and practice built into the program via worksheets w/ lots of words on them (this is a pro and a con IMO- my kids hated them!)

 

Cons- the fluency sheets- my kids just hated them, also absolutely NOTHING you kid needs to write- I guess this might be a pro if you working w/ a young child not yet ready to write, games seemed not as game-like and sort of corny, like flip the card over and read, match up certain types of words- not real games like Old Maid and Go Fish (LOE has it's own version of those games). 

 

A good combo IMO would be to get LOE and the AAR readers, but that's pretty $$.  You should take a look at your library first, and see ifyou will be able to find enough easy readers to use LOE.  They do have readers, but it isn't many.  You may want to add some Bob books or other easy readers if your library doesn't have many.