I am currently using CLE's LA's program and really like its student-led approach and want to continue with it. I am seriously thinking about using R&S next year for all three of my children's writing program. Does anyone see a problem with this? I'd also like help with determining what levels to use. My middle child has previously done a year of IEW but is still rusty on basics like topic and clincher sentences. He will be entering 6th grade. Should I go with the 6th grade text or start baack at 5th? If I start back at 5th, I'm sure there would be some lessons I would feel confident skipping. Should I try to complete the 6th grade writing assignments also next year? My oldest I'm more unsure about. He will be entering 8th grade. Two and three years ago he went through IEW with average success. This year I made the mistake of putting him in a public school class that covered writing. They have not done near enough or been focused on structure and technique enough IMO. Where should he start? SWB says a starting 7th or 8th grader should start back at book 5, but I figure that's for the grammar specifically. What do you think as far as the writing only? What book should we try to complete next year to finish 8th grade? Thanks for your thoughts, April in WA

What exactly makes up a Freshman English I class? I know the obvious- grammar, literature and writing. Would you add anything else? What portion should each component be in the class? Hopefully that makes sense. Thanks, April in WA

I switched over to CLE LA and Reading this year with my current 3rd and 5th graders. I LOVE it! It is independently done and thorough. It is true, there is not much writing in the LA program. The 3rd grade book has the child write a simple three paragraph report on Caribou as a result of learning to use the encyclopedia. This takes about three lessons. The 5th grade book takes an entire Light Unit to teach the child how to use the encylopedia in more depth. Then the child picks a topic to research and write a three paragraph report on. It is very gradual over the course of 15 lessons with no quizzes or final test. The final report is the grade for that Light Unit. There really isn't any other writing that I can remember. I would suggest an additional writing program to go along with it. We have used Writing Tales II this year. It's a bit overkill when added to the grammar in CLE. We have also found it a bit boring since it's rewritng stories the whole year, but I know many love the program. I have never used LLATL books so I can't speak definitively to whether you should keep or drop it. I would think if your child is reading books for history and/or independent reading, they would be fine without it if you do the CLE Reading. My kids enjoy the stories and the questions do encourage them to think. They do learn about basic literary terms. HTH, April in WA

I was told today by someone who leaves in the same county of Washington state as me that our library system allows each card holder to print 75 sheets per week for free. I have not checked it out yet but intend to. That will make LL completely cost effective for me. So check, out your local library and see what their printing policy is. Blessings, April in WA

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Bumping this up for you. I'd be interested to hear more about this program as well. It sounds good. Blessings, April in WA

Donelda, I emailed Catherine Drown, the creator of Lively Latin, yesterday asking my question directly to her and she quickly responded. I 've included the complete text below. I hope this will benefit you and others. I will be ordering the first book this week in preparation for next year. Blessings, April in WA My email: I have two boys who have completed Latin Christiana I and half of LCII. I am having great difficulty keeping them interested and motivated to continue their Latin study. I am hopeful Lively Latin might help change that for them and my youngest who has completed Prima Latina and caught my sons’ bad attitude for Latin. It is my desire for all my children to continue learning Latin but don’t have the energy to force it. Also, next year I really need something that will not require a lot of time and effort for any of us because of other subjects needing attention. That said, I do not want to lose what we have learned. I am thinking Lively Latin would be a good review of what my boys have learned and keep their skills fresh to continue on with another program the following year. Since most of what I see in Lively Latin my boys have covered in LCI and LCII, I was thinking we could cover both your books in one school year. Do you think this would be an appropriate course of action? Thanks for helping me on the Latin journey. Her response: Thanks for your inquiry. I think using BB1 as a review is a great idea. It should be fairly easy for your older 2 boys and they should certainly be able to do most of it independently. BB2 will be a bit more of a challenge since it roughly parallels LCII and they haven’t finished it yet, but again, with the momentum of the review behind them and hopefully a more interesting course for them, they will be motivated to continue on. I think they could easily finish both books in a year (and perhaps be ready for BB3 when it appears in 2009). One suggestion: I don’t know if you all have studied Roman history along with LC, but whether you have or not, it’s something you can take or leave, depending on your schedule next year. It’s included in the BB but you can glide past those sections if you want, to make the course less demanding. It will be fun (hopefully!) for all your kids to be in the same book so they can chant together and quiz each other and play hangman on the Study with the Magistra site, etc. Hope this helps. --Catherine Drown

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Can someone tell me if LCI & II would be the equivalent of Lively Latin 1 & 2? I'm guessing it would since I think the LL author says to move into Henle I after her two courses. I would love someone with more exposure to both these programs to offer their opinions. I am also interested in knowing if it's feasible for a child who has already done LCI and half of LCII to cruise through LL1 & 2 in one school year? I know my boys do not have a solid understanding of what they have studied and need reinforcement. I also do not have the time this next year to devote to an intense Latin study but want to keep the skills fresh with the intention of continuing with another program the following year. Does this sound like a doable plan? I appreciate any wisdom you can give. Blessings, April in WA

I stumbled upon a cheap copy of Warriner's Second Course this year. I know quite a few people use the Third Course but I'm not sure about the Second Course. Is there any particular reason I don't see talk of the 2nd course? I'm only thinking about using the composition section for my 7th grader. Any suggested schedules for the composition section? Should I try to do this all in one year? Blessings, April in WA

I'm bumping this up in hopes someone will respond.

Just last week I became aware of Lively Latin and am quite interested. I have three children, currently 6th, 4th and 2nd grades. My older two started with Prima, moved through LCI last year and are almost halfway through LCII. My youngest went through Prima last year and primarily working through the LCI vocabulary this year in preparation for going through all of LCI next year. From this information I think you would be saying we're doing fine, but we're not. My boys, the older two, are so bored with the program they are not paying attention and I'm having to force them to accomplish their Latin work. Because of this, I don't feel they are retaining the grammar or vocabulary as well as they should. I really don't want it to be that way. My daughter has caught their bad attitude and is not very cooperative with LCI. I realize obedience and attitude of the heart are part of the problem here. My husband and I are addressing that but I think there is more here. From looking at the LL samples, I think it might be just what my kids need to put some spice back into their Latin study. I do want my children to continue on with the complete study of Latin, although it has been a struggle time wise this year. I expect next year will be similar because we need to focus on a couple of other areas for my oldest. I am thinking of starting all three of my children at the beginning of LL next year to solidify the previously learned skills for my boys and continue my daughter in something more fun. I read the previous posts saying that LL would be too bablyish for a 7th grader, but I'm thinking it might be a good fit for my oldest to get him back in the saddle so to speak since it should be mostly review. WIth that information, what do you think? I also have some other questions about LL in general as follows: 1)I read on the website her audio files are in the classical pronunciation but somewhere I read she had them in eccleciastical as well. Can anyone verify one way or the other? 2)Can you use LL without working through the history parts? 3)I see the author currently follows LL with an upper level course using Henle. Should I consider LL to equate to LCI/LCII? 4)I've seen mention of the author coming out with LL2. Do we know when that will be? Would it take the place of Henle Year 1 or something else? Thank you for taking the time to consider my situation and give me advice. Blessings, April in WA

I appreciate both of you taking the time to respond and give thorough explanations. I will go back and look at the them again. Blessings, April in WA

Tami, I've been trying to get some more detailed responses about this program also. Specificially, I am curious about the different books listed on Amazon for the same level. I'm hoping someone will answer for both of us. Blessings, April in WA

TracyR, Could you tell me what you like better about the new spelling vs. the old? I've used the old and really like it. I've never heard anyone say they liked the new. I have not been able to buy used the 5th grade cd I need for next year yet and need to decide if I will buy the new one or not. Your input is appreciatated. Blessings, April in WA

I SO needed to read these posts and have hope for tomorrow. It's been a really hard past two weeks. My husband reminded me tonight that we are only here on Earth for a short time when you consider eternity and not to sweat it. That helped me put things in perspective. Hopefully it will help you. Blessings, April in WA

Maryr in co, Can I ask a question about the Sentence Composing books since you said you have experience with them? If I go to Amazon I see two different books for each level. Do I need both of them or only one? Thanks for helping me out. Blessings, April in WA

Thanks for the recommendation of "Horatio Hornblower." We will be reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch in a couple of months. My library has several versions of the movie. Can anyone of you recommend a specific version? Thanks, April in WA

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I am finishing my second year using IEW. We have used the SWI-A some, Ancient HBL, and Medieval HBL. I do think it is quite helpful to watch the TWSS but not critical depending on you. I was able to borrow the dvds from a friend, but have not bought them myself. I did buy the SWI-A and it helps you quite a bit. Also, the History Based Lessons by Lori V. are loaded with teaching help. If you are unsure about purchasing the TWSS, I would order a HBL first to get a feel for it that way. Also, if you order from IEW directly you can return anything you decide against for a full refund. HTH, April in WA

I am interested in buying the Killgallon sentence composing books many have talked about, but I'm confused about which to buy. If I go to Amazon they show Story Grammar for the Elementary School: A Sentence-Composing Approach: A Student Worktext(Feb. 2008) and Sentence Composing for Elementary School: A Worktext to Build Better Sentences(March 2000). Are these the same books, just different editions? If so, which is prefered? If not, what is the difference? I have the same questions for the middle school books as well. Blessings, April in WA

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We will be starting our study of America again in just a few weeks. I LOVE this show. I have it set to record. Blessings, April in WA

I agree with everything Elegantlion said. And, Audrey, you and I are kindred spirits. I tell everyone I can't draw stick people to save my life. I actually think I shouldn't say that anymore because of this program. I'm not VanGogh, but I'm a whole lot more confident than I used to be, and my kids have gained skill. I wish he had other programs as well. Blessings, April in WA