Country Girl Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I would love to find an LA curriculum that has the student reading real books, pulls passages from the books for copywork/dictation, highlights and teaches grammar concepts based on these passages, schedules comprehension/narration questions about the books, and highlights literery terms etc. Does an LA program like this exist? Please tell me it does and I just haven't found it yet:D! Oh, and if it included some writing instruction that would be icing on the cake:D. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Sonlight is like that. I believe Learning Language Arts Through Literature is similar as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudreyTN Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 We've just started LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) yellow book. It seems to fit the bill. Some say it's weak on spelling, but for my "natural speller" it's plenty. www.commonsensepress.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I love Learning Language Arts Through Literature! you can view samples of each level http://www.cspress.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm going to check them out. Heather in VA, Is it possible to use the Sonlight LA without using a core? Is it a stand alone program? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Is it possible to use the Sonlight LA without using a core? Is it a stand alone program? Thanks! Yes you can use it as a stand alone program. You would need the LA guide and the books but you wouldn't need the core. What is your child's reading level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks again Heather! I'm not sure what my son's reading level is (he is 6 yo) but he can really read pretty much anything. I will say that Tom Sawyer gave him problems, not because of the actual words, but more the understanding of what some of the sayings meant, and the written accents. We dropped that one. Some recent reads have been The Mysterious Benedict Society, Chronicles of Narnia, YWAM Heroes in History biographies, just to give an idea of level. A potential problem I see is matching his reading level (both ability and interest) with the output required from an LA program. My thought is that I can adapt by having him do copywork instead of a dictation and breaking it up into smaller chunks. I think grammar wise he can understand the concepts okay so I think we would be okay there. I'm definitely going to take a look at Sonlight and see if it might fit the bill. If you have used this, do you have any recommendations on level or just how the program has worked for you? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraDumas Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 is Total Language Plus but that is only for middle grade students 5-7th grade I think...just put it in for your research but I think LLATL is closer to what you're asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks Sandra, I'm always looking for more options in my quest for the perfect program :D! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 is Total Language Plus but that is only for middle grade students 5-7th grade I think...just put it in for your research but I think LLATL is closer to what you're asking. TLP is a good program but it doesn't have grammar or writing instruction. It has plenty of reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, and writing opportunities. They now have samples on their site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks Hidden Jewel, I am really kind of looking for grammar instruction included but I'll still head over and check out the samples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 If you go the Sonlight route, I'd recommend the 3-5 grade readers/LA. You don't want super challenging books when doing LA work with them. If anything you want to lean toward easier so they can concentrate on the work without struggling for the reading portion. You don't have to buy the books from SL - you can get them yourself or use the library but you would want the guide. You can see samples on their website. If you happen to be doing American history, with any program, you could use the Core 3 readers and LA too. They are American history books. (Core 3/4 covers all of American history in one year and Core 3 and 4 do it over two years. The level of the books is a bit more challenging in 3/4 or 4 since they expect you do use it with slightly older kids) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 it is like what you are looking for. We enjoy it and it's been great for my dc. Some say it's not rigorous enough for grammar, but, for us it's been great. I do add Ridgewood Grammar in at about 4th grade and it complements it perfectly. It introduces things in a gentle way and is not overwhelming, but, it is thorough. We are currently using Orange (4th), Tan (6th), and Gray (8th). I have seen the total progressing and I am very pleased with it and the skill my dc have in LA as a whole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Classical Writing is not just writing. It can be used as a total LA program, with maybe some added spelling or grammar exercises, depending on your child's needs. Here's the format for the Aesop level, which uses fables, fairy tales, legends and Bible stories for models: Day 1: Read the model, discuss with teacher. Narrate orally. Day 2: Choose words to study - alpabetize, spelling markings, find related words. Begin rough draft of writing project (this can be done orally). Day 3: Look at sentences - beginning grammar/punctuation. Edit rough draft with your teacher. (This is very simple at first.) Day 4: Copywork/dictation. Later -- look at paragraphs. Final draft of project. At the Homer level, things ramp up, with short stories, or passages from literature. Sentence diagramming is also introduced. I love it! LLATL looks great too, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johanna Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Does LLATL cover writing adequately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Julie, thanks for more suggestions. Off to check them out. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Dayle, Thanks for chiming in about LLATL. I've only had a second to glance over the website but it looks promising. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I would love to find an LA curriculum that has the student reading real books, pulls passages from the books for copywork/dictation, highlights and teaches grammar concepts based on these passages, schedules comprehension/narration questions about the books, and highlights literery terms etc. Does an LA program like this exist? Please tell me it does and I just haven't found it yet:D! Oh, and if it included some writing instruction that would be icing on the cake:D. Thanks! Two more options. Bravewriter has three levels called The Arrow, The Boomerang and The Slingshot. I really like that I can order just one book for $6. Classical Writing does not have books, but does use classical literature. The difference and why it might be attractive, is that LLATL, Bravewriter and SL are all based on Dr. Ruth Beehick (RB) models, thus they all spiral grammar and are light on grammar. RB doesn't seek to master grammar. Instead she recommends you cover it once at the Jr. High level and once at the High School level. Spiraling means they introduce a concept and cover it for a while then drop it. Eventually they come back to it, but in random fashion (at least in SL and Bravewriter, I haven't used LLATL). Classical Writing, being classical, is mastery based, so they introduce a concept, stick with it long enough to master it then review it weekly for a good period of time. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 Heather, Thanks for giving an explanation of the difference between the different programs. I have looked at the Arrow samples and really like them, I just wish they included literature analysis, then I think they'd be a great fit for what I'm looking for. I still might go with them and add narration. I still haven't had a enough time to properly look over the LLATL, Sonlight, and Classical Writing samples so I need to make some time to spend on this. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Heather, Thanks for giving an explanation of the difference between the different programs. I have looked at the Arrow samples and really like them, I just wish they included literature analysis, then I think they'd be a great fit for what I'm looking for. I still might go with them and add narration. I still haven't had a enough time to properly look over the LLATL, Sonlight, and Classical Writing samples so I need to make some time to spend on this. Thanks! I don't remember what age we are looking at here, but Classical Writing is for 3rd grade on up, mostly because the Homer level is intense, not because the Aesop level is. For those wanting to start sooner there is a program called Writing Tales, which follows the same principles, but starts earlier and only has published material for the Aesop level. A lot of people start in 2nd grade with Writing Tales then switch to Classical Writing at the Homer Level. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Heather, Thanks again for the information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osaubi Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 It is not a LA program, but it does have grammer and living books. Here is the website www.fiarhq.com . You can get a better understanding of what it is like from a free FIAR like site www.homeschoolshare.com . A lot of people I know that use it just pull out a sentence for copywork. HTH, Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted March 7, 2008 Author Share Posted March 7, 2008 Thanks, I'll take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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