How much of CLE do you use and love?

[EliseMcKenna]

I have heard so much praise for CLE math that I finally went and looked at it. (I have been avoiding it because we prefer secular resources.) However, now I've spent all morning on their site, and so much of it is appealing to me! Maybe because I'm ancient? ;-) The LA makes total straight-forward sense to me, which is possibly just because it is quite similar to the way "we used to do things." 

 

Anyway, in addition to the math, what other products of theirs do you use, love, and recommend? Thank you!

[Insertcreativenamehere]

We use their math. Tried to switch this year because I was getting some outside pressure about needing a more conceptual approach and both other options I tried fell flat. We're back to CLE now and I'm happy about it. The kids are learning and retaining. 

 

We also use their language arts. Also tried to switch to a less grammar-intensive approach but that also fell flat. The kids wanted their CLE LA back. So we're back doing LA, too. It is so straightforward and the kids like the format. It gets harder in the older grades but is still good.

 

I tried CLE Learning to Read with my kindergartner last year and we finished half of it before switching to something else. I didn't like how it tied writing and reading together. My daughter was more than ready to read but her fine motor skills weren't developed enough to handle all of the writing. We switched to AAR and her reading took off. She's completed AAR 2 and is now doing CLE LA 2 in 1st grade.

 

We also tried reading for grades 4-5 but it was too much workbook work for my boys. The content is fantastic -- but it just didn't go over well with those particular kids. I dropped it in favor of just reading and discussing at this point. I am considering 2nd grade reading for my daughter, thinking she might like it better.

 

I've not heard good things about most of the history or science except for the 8th grade US history. We just did US history this year but I'm hoping to use it in a few years with one of my younger kids. 

[UnlikelyHomeschoolingMama]

My DD has used the Reading and LA for the past two years (2nd and 3rd grade).  We love it.  We'll continue LA next year (4th) and move on for reading.  She loves it but is also ready to spend more time on "real books".  We'll see how it goes!  :)  

 

I love love LOVE their LA!

[EliseMcKenna]

Thanks, insertcreativenamehere.  :laugh:

 

My middle daughter will be doing AAR 1 soon. Should I hold off on any CLE LA for her? Or go ahead and start Grade 2? 

 

Also, I don't necessarily see any writing in the LA. Is that correct? Judging by your siggie, I am guessing the W&R Fable might be a good supplement for my 9-year old?

[mykidsrmyjoy]

We've used Math 1and 2, and DD is currently doing Math 3 this year. We also use LA and Reading.

 

I love their math. I tried switching to a couple other options for math when DD was in 1st grade, and both times we came back to CLE. Math is the "spinach" on my DD's school plate, so while she doesn't prefer it, she can do it and do it well. I don't think there will be any gaps in your child's math education if you stick with CLE.

 

We also really like their Reading and LA programs. The Reading is quite Christian-focused in content, so if you prefer secular materials you might not care for the religious emphasis of the Reading program.

[Insertcreativenamehere]

There is some writing in CLE LA but in my judgment, not nearly enough. There are many who disagree with me but I'm picky when it comes to writing. I've taught at the college level and haven't been impressed with my students' writing skills as a whole. I want my children to avoid the same fate so I supplement. Yes, W&R Fable would be great for a 9 yo. :) We also used WWE with great success prior to W&R. 

[EliseMcKenna]

We've used Math 1and 2, and DD is currently doing Math 3 this year. We also use LA and Reading.

 

I love their math. I tried switching to a couple other options for math when DD was in 1st grade, and both times we came back to CLE. Math is the "spinach" on my DD's school plate, so while she doesn't prefer it, she can do it and do it well. I don't think there will be any gaps in your child's math education if you stick with CLE.

 

We also really like their Reading and LA programs. The Reading is quite Christian-focused in content, so if you prefer secular materials you might not care for the religious emphasis of the Reading program.

 

Yes, looking further at the Reading, I would say you're right.

[chellesnead]

I use CLE LA for my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and it's been great!  I'm currently looking for something else to add to it for the writing but we didn't love W&R Fable.  I'm also using CLE Math 4 with my daughter who struggles with math and it's been fantastic!  My girls have done the 5th grade reading this year, but I won't continue with it next year.  It's been good, but with the other things we are doing it doesn't seem necessary.

[Mom28kds]

We use CLE for math, la and we used the Reading last year and the first half of this year. I felt like it was too much book work so I dropped the reading and just went to real books. I've done CLE for severe years and really like it. Next year I'm doing the Math but I think I'm switching to EIW for LA/writing. CLE is very good with grammar but I think it's becoming overkill as I think it'll be too much for my DD plus we needs more help in writing and EIW has video and grammsr/writing. It is a great LA program I just think we might need something else next year. I love the spiral that CLE provides also. I have the kids read the directions on Math and LA on their own and if they need help understanding it then they come to me. This makes it not teacher intensive at all. They younger years does need more parent/teacher time. The books we are using this year are 4, 5 and some 6 for my 3 kids. 

Edited March 23, 2017 by Mom28kds

[WoolC]

We use CLE math though I have had to tweak it quite a bit for my son. I'm interested in the CLE LA for next year but can't tell from the samples how many lessons are scheduled in a year (I'm looking at the second grade book). It looks like one lesson includes 4 to 5 worksheets, is this meant to be completed over a week or in a day?

[mamamoose]

The lessons are meant to be completed in one day...there are 10 books for each subject per grade, and 12 lessons per book I think. The language arts includes spelling and handwriting, and since we do those elsewhere, we don't complete that part of the workbook unless I feel it solidifies the rest of the lesson.

[rocassie]

I only use CLE LA.  It has been working great for us.  Bonus, the kids (2nd and 5th) are able to do most of independently.  They are retaining, understanding, and using what they have learned.  I do use their writing assignments, but I add more writing because I don't believe it is enough.

[KrissiK]

I use it for math for all of my kids and it's going really well. My two oldest had been doing TT and just really were floundering. Especially in the area of fractions. I think CLE teaches fractions, especially factoring and all that really well. I am sold on their Phonics program. I went through 3 different phonics programs with my middle DD in kinder and nothing worked. Finally, in first grade we tried CLE, since it is designed for first graders and she learned to read quickly and is an avid reader now a year later. I like the LA a lot, too. One thing I really like is that the kids can do it mostly independently. It is straightforward and easy to understand.

Edited March 23, 2017 by KrissiK

[bwdiaz]

I'm interested in using the Math. I had a thread a few weeks ago where a lot of people offered helpful Math advice and several mentioned CLE. I was reluctant to pursue it though because I understood it to be extremely Christian. When I asked about Christian perspective in the program people actually said, "I'm Christian so I guess I don't see it."

 

Well, some of the other suggestions given were so spot on I felt I should at least consider it. I downloaded the placement tests and I was really pleased with the format and that my daughter actually had higher scores than I expected. She even said, the Math seemed so clear to her as we worked through it together. However, there was religious content even in the placement test! So now I'm super conflicted about it.

 

(In case anyone is wondering, it was things like, "God loves everyone true or false." Or how many books of the Bible are there. I guess someone could perceive it as generically religious except Jews don't call it the Old Testament and we don't have Bible schools, which was mentioned in another place.)

[melissamomof5]

We used their math for years before trying anything else. We've done their LA on and off. I like it and I don't like it. 

 

This year we have continued with Math, LA, and added in their reading, Bible, and 5th grade science. It is definitely a get-er-done kind of curriculum. But the grading! Between 4 students...it's too much for me.

 

So, next year we are going back to what we used before, but will be keeping the Math for my 2 younger students. I am still undecided on the reading.

[Jame]

After seeing all the praise for their math I find myself intrigued. We're doing Horizons math right now, but the teacher's manual is not helpful to me at all. I thought about Saxon, but that sounds way too right. CLE math sounds just right!

[Misha]

We're super secular about homeschooling but I knew CLE would work for my girls. And it did. And I was humbled because I had always sworn I would never use religious curricula - we use the math and LA.

They both love the LA; my eldest has been having a bit of a tough time with the math (nothing to do with CLE, she's very math-anxious) and my youngest still loves it. 

 

[Ruthie in MS]

We've used CLE math from 100-600 and love it. I've looked at the LA program several times but can't bring myself to seriously consider it. It looks to rigorous for my taste. Both my older dd's are LAphobic. True story.

 

Grammar: I'm not sure I want to start diagramming sentences; something that I've never learned how to do. I have a wee little one and don't have time for that.

 

Writing: Way too much for my girls and my nerves

 

Reading: We prefer real books but I will say that I'm intrigued by how thorough the lessons seem to be in the samples.

[Ruthie in MS]

We've used CLE math from 100-600 and love it. I've looked at the LA program several times but can't bring myself to seriously consider it. It looks to rigorous for my taste. Both my older dd's are LAphobic. True story.

 

Grammar: I'm not sure I want to start diagramming sentences; something that I've never learned how to do. I have a wee little one and don't have time for that.

 

Writing: Way too much for my girls and my nerves

 

Reading: We prefer real books but I will say that I'm intrigued by how thorough the lessons seem to be in the samples.

[5hskids]

I use Cle math 200 la 200 la 100 and learn to read. I love how thorough math and la are. We also love the spiral method. We cannot handle the overkill and drill until you master a concept. Cle is so gentle they teach a lesson, do a problem or 2 from that lesson, then do a set of review questions from previous lessons. I see after a few lessons how my child is mastering a concept while learning new concepts and practicing old concepts. It's so gentle. I really love it. My child never gets bored with it and doesn't complain about having to do it. In fact she tells everyone how much she loves her homeschool workbooks

We have used Social studies and science 200. The social studies was a little boring for ex. Read a passage answer some comprehension questions and frankly we didn't get half way through the 2nd light unit. I loved the science but my daughter just wasn't a fan of so many workbooks so we laid them down for a while too and did a unit study.

[SamanthaCarter]

I like LA a lot. We supplement with IEW for writing and skip CLE writing assignments. My second grader flew through Math in focus for second grade this year but I didn't think she was ready to progress, so to solidify skills and confidence, I bought 205 -210 CLE math and we really like it!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FriedClams]

My kids are older, but we used CLE a lot during elementary and middle school. We used Reading, LA, and Bible. I LOVE CLE, but I want to throw some thoughts out there for anyone considering it...

 

1. If you don't start with CLE LA and Reading, then I would not recommend using it until Grade 3. They use a LOT of very traditional phonics markings and it takes up a lot of each reading and LA lesson. If your kid learns phonics through another system, wait until they're in Grade 3 to start CLE. 

 

2. CLE Reading is SO MUCH more than "reading". It covers everything that they'll need for test prep type of reading and reading comprehension. It's a FABULOUS curriculum that can cover a lot of gaps. With that said, the workbooks are much harder than the readers, so don't judge grade level by the readers. I think in Grade 4 it goes to 5 workbooks a year versus 10, so it's an easy add on subject that is so worth the time invested. (And for what it's worth, we used this alongside Sonlight, so we covered A LOT of books. My kids actually really loved the CLE books.)

 

2 a. I've seen some moms use CLE reading to help remediate older kids comprehension skills with great success. Since you can essentially double the speed by doing a lesson a day, it's a great resource for that. 

 

3. With Reading and LA, I wouldn't go above grade level, even with advanced readers (which my kids were). 

 

4. If you wait to start CLE LA in 3rd, I felt that the FLL 1 and 2 were excellent prep for CLE. 

 

5. Bible is great but uses KJV. It's hard to use any other translation after about Grade 3. 

 

6. I agree with many others that CLE needs a little more writing in the higher grades, but that's an easy add. Write some 5 paragraph history narrations, etc. and you're good. 

 

7. The scope and sequence on the CLE website is super helpful. 

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2017 by FriedClams

[UnlikelyHomeschoolingMama]

 

2. CLE Reading is SO MUCH more than "reading". It covers everything that they'll need for test prep type of reading and reading comprehension. It's a FABULOUS curriculum that can cover a lot of gaps. With that said, the workbooks are much harder than the readers, so don't judge grade level by the readers. I think in Grade 4 it goes to 5 workbooks a year versus 10, so it's an easy add on subject that is so worth the time invested. (And for what it's worth, we used this alongside Sonlight, so we covered A LOT of books. My kids actually really loved the CLE books.)

 

2 a. I've seen some moms use CLE reading to help remediate older kids comprehension skills with great success. Since you can essentially double the speed by doing a lesson a day, it's a great resource for that. 

 

 

 

My DD has done CLE Reading for two years now.  We are doing 300 right now.  She LOVES it.  We are also changing our History to Sonlight next year and we both want "real books" so we are changing her to Sonlight Readers.  She is a great reader, but I'm not sure her comprehension is where it should be.  Do you recommend sticking with CLE Reading a couple of times per week as well as Sonlight?   Seems like a lot of work, but maybe now is a good time to work on that before school gets harder.  

 

Thoughts?  

[FriedClams]

My DD has done CLE Reading for two years now. We are doing 300 right now. She LOVES it. We are also changing our History to Sonlight next year and we both want "real books" so we are changing her to Sonlight Readers. She is a great reader, but I'm not sure her comprehension is where it should be. Do you recommend sticking with CLE Reading a couple of times per week as well as Sonlight? Seems like a lot of work, but maybe now is a good time to work on that before school gets harder.

 

Thoughts?

Well, I can only share what we did. My kids used CLE through 7th grade, alongside Sunlight. It was time well spent for my kids.