Wow, that is so good to hear! We are contiplating going from CLE 2 to R&S 3 next year. I am noticing that they do seem to be a year ahead of other curric. so we'd use R&S 3 for 4th grade. They sure have alot of stuff packed in that little book ... YEAH!!

Good point scuff on the extra stuff they can learn in every day life. This was a huge decision factor when I was contiplating switching from CLE to R&S. I still use CLE bt she does not have her Add/sub. facts down cold. Our old program taught them by scrambling them all up and it obviously didnt work for her. I didn't realize it at the time, but do now. So now, I'm teaching her mult. by families and it's working perfectly and she's memorizing them quickly I too have now realized after 4 years, that if they know the basics, the rest will fall into place.

I do cross out a few problems if I know she has them down, but she has to do a few of them for review. We do not do the timed speed drills in the back. I do them orally, and we are on multiplication and division. They are still doing plus and minus, so were so done with that. I still do a skip counting everyday and 2x a week we do things like money, calendar, ruler, word problems for real life situations for review. HTH

You know, I like them both for different reasons, so I probely won't be a big help. I can only help you with 3rd at this point. CLE starts diagramming at the end of level 200. Super easy to digest it. Exspecially when I don't even remember doing it. I like CLE because it is spiral, so they are constently reviewing stuff so they don't forget. I do think that there spelling words are weak along with their cursive writing, so we have to supplement those. I like R&S becuase it is pretty meaty and it seems to make it really easy for a parent to teach something. It's also directed to a child in their text book. In CLE the child writes in their books, in R&S, they write on a serate paper (which will help in their handwriting) but, alot of time, a child can write in their text book or circle things since we do it orally. With R&S, you can customize your subjects to match your childs ability. So if they are a better speller, you get the right level. I believe writing is built into R&S but not for CLE, so you need a seperate writing curric. Like I say, I like them both and I use CLE as my main and R&S as my helper for MORE! It works great. I am trying to decide it I just want to use R&S next year or stay with CLE, a big choice. I hope this helps you a little in your decision. R&S is not boring, so don't let that cover fool you.

We will be using it possibly for 4th grade because it is ahead. We are using 200 for 3rd grade and it is getting pretty challenging with all the different types of verbs. I gotta keep notes to keep them straight. Like the other PP said, make sure your child takes the placement test, it's free now. It really depends what curric. you are using now that will affect where your child will be placed. Then start diagraming at the end of level 200. So, level 200 is comparible to 3rd grade public schools and also Abeka LA. Good luck.

I would be starting it in 4th grade. Not sure which level to start with. As of right now, my child can write a good paragraph. I'm still deciding if we'll continue on with CLE LA 3 next year or switch over to R&S 3 for English. Either way, would I need a seperate writing program like WS with Rod and Staff 3or CLE 3? And what level should I start with? Do you recomend WS or do you prefer something else? Remember it is for a up and coming 4th grader. Thanks.

Dysgraphia sounds just like what my son has. His teacher will explain everything with him and he understands it, but then he gets back to his desk and he forgot it. Also, he can't get things from his brain to paper, so she tests him orally for big things and he does so much better. Oh, I did email the school testing lady to ask if they tested him for this. Haven't heard from her yet. Thanks

I have a son who really struggles in spelling. He really struggles with smaller words, like with phonetics. But, he still has to really memorize those big words for his spelling tests at school. If I don't study with him, he bombs the tests. I have to give him tricks to remember how to spell the word cuz he will always get a letter wrong in the word. He's been tested by the school district but I hadn't heard of any mention of Dysgraphia or dyslexia. Is it possible he has this. His reading has gotten better this year, but he's still slower. He's in 6th grade this year. Thanks...

I've always heard you either love it, or hate it. So, for those of you who didn't like it, can you tell me why. And for those of you who loved it, can you share with me all the positives. We are in Saxon 3 so you know. Oh, also, did you feel the need to supplement with Saxon or not? Thanks so much.

Saxon 3 math? I see alot of people do and I have too in the past, but is it because it is lacking or we just want more? Can you successfully use saxon alone and the child gets enough for requirements?

For 3rd grade it is still important to sit with them while they read, to make sure they are reading correctly. I have mine read Abeka readers cuz we really like them, but you can read what ever. I don't believe in making "reading" a class, cuz they will probely end up hating it. It's really good that your child reads on their own for silent time, that is important. Usually, in 4th or so if they child is a good reader, you don't have to sit with them anymore. Just set a timer for 1/2 hour or so and let them sit down quietly and read. HTH

We are battleing this right now too but in the 200 level. We stopped using their speed drill cuz she hated them so badly cuz they focus on really large numbers. I do my own speed drills with flash cards and have used calculadder. Mine is having a really hard time staying focused and trying to get all those pages done. I eventually have to sit there and keep her moving. I'm tossing around the idea of going back to saxon, which seemed to work so much better for her and she loved it. So, to answer your question....If he has mastered something, you can cross it out from time to time, but make sure you do it every now and again so that he won't forget it. HTH

Hmmmmm. Makes me think! I started out the year with Saxon 3 and WOW, it was so good for my 3rd grader. She learned how to skip count like no other, do calendar, money, etc. Things she could not grasp at all last year. For some reason, I decided to go back to CLE. BUT, I still continued to and still do, use the meeting strip. When we started back up with CLE, she had to go into Light unit 206 to start off. Now, the only problem is that.... A. She hates working in those books cuz it's alot pages. B. She's getting held up because she has mastered alot of the material. But because some of the geom. stuff or other pittely things are new, She can't work ahead in cle. C. She has already been doing mult. and div. on the side. D. Thinking I made a mistake???? It gets to be alot each day when your doing Saxon mtg. strip, CLE math and all my mult. flashcards. I try to look ahead at which one would be easier for me in the long run to teach. CLE is very easy and Saxon TM can be overwhelming. Any suggestions??? Of course if we started back up with Saxon 3 (by the way, my Dd loved it, the only math she has loved) we would probely have to start at lesson 33 or so because of where we left off and she wouldn't know the material that comes quickly. Is this a bad thing? Math has always been a real struggle but this year she has just grown mathmatically. IDEAS??? Thanks.

I have no idea what TWTM teaching ways are. But, I use CLE LA 2 this year so I can help you with that. I do not think it is alot of writing at all. There is a free online Diagnostic testing you can have your child do to see where they place into CLE. It can be advanced depending what you used before. I don't know anything about ACE beyond 3rd grade, as we are supplementing with it right now for LA. I think the CLE LA doesn't have enough stuff so I add in more to reinforce. The spelling is too easy for my Dd and not enough words so I add in ACE word building, and we like that. CLE 1st grade really works on phonics and spelling/suffix rules. Level 2 gets hard into Nouns, pronouns, adj., verbs. They still do a spelling rules for suffixes (which is good). They start to teach how to write paragraphs, etc. I add in Ace now because I want more on Nouns, verbs, pronouns, etc..CLE is very spiral so we need more on one topic plus it doesn't take to long to finish CLE so I want a longer class. I like what I see with Ace English/word building. Not sure about their math. I really like CLE Math alot. It is gradually buiding and they get a variety of stuff to learn and becuase they do it everyday, it sticks. I also add in more stuff on the side cuz my Dd is needing to go farther in so areas but it won't get taught till next year. She's stuck a little back in CLE math cuz of the few things that are advanced, like Geom./measurements, etc.. I hope this helps a little.

For 3rd grade, we spend a total of 3 hours.