WP La vs CLE

[swellmomma]

I spent a good chunk of today ignoring my children and working on my long term plans for our homeschool (nothing set in stone just t a general guide line of the core subjects to make sure I am reaching provincial and personal standards/goals by graduation).

 

Anyway, I was looking at WP LA as it ties into their history programs. Starting this year I am combining WP and SL to make my ideal history program. I really like how it looks in the catalogue but as someone who has never tried it I don't know if it is or not. I have seen lots of posts about CLE LA, and it got me wondering how it compares to a program like WP LA.

 

IF you have tried either one or both of these programs I would like to hear from you, or if you decided against one of these programs I would like know why. For the rest of elementary/ middle school I am not hugely concerned. However, I want to make sure I have a strong Lang arts program for high school and don't want to curriculum jump a bunch before then kwim. This year I have peiced together things to make LA work for us, but would like to start streamlining things next year and could use some help deciding between these two programs to use starting in gr 6 right through high school graduation.

[ondreeuh]

I haven't used WP but I have used many of the workbooks they include, and I think they are good choices. I assume the WP guide ties everything in. I am hesitant to use WP LA just because my son's skills are sort of varied, and I'm not sure how easy it is to work ahead in one workbook and behind in another. My own experience using various workbooks for grammar, spelling, phonics and writing are that there can be gaps and overlap between the programs.

 

CLE's LA is all integrated into one set of workbooks (LightUnits). We are in our 2nd week of CLE LA (201) and so far, I really like it. I think it is probably still reviewing what was taught in the 100 level, but I really like the presentation (bite sized pieces of info with simple illustrations and poems) along with regular review. My son enjoys it as well. It is a lot less expensive ($31 for a year's worth of LA, but not including readers). It has already simplified our LA, yet I still feel everything is being covered. It's easy to supplement with extra work in certain areas if you want (parts of speech, word families, more spelling practice) without confusing the program.

[SnowWhite]

My parents homeschooled me using CLE LA, and it got me into college with no (non-credit) Prerequisite remedial type English classes.

 

I am currently using WP LA for my children. They are very young though so I can't really weigh in on the high school portion. That said, I also don't think it hurts anything to switch curriculum at 9th grade for LA if you want. Math, probably it would matter, but LA not so much.

 

Pros for WP LA:

 

Uses "real literature" rather than basal readers.

Uses narration for comprehension.

Allows you to tailor the program if your child is gifted or challenged in spelling by getting a lower or higher spelling book.

Integrates history into the reading and creative writing.

Much of it is independent for the child (not the creative writing portion though).

Very appealing and "gentle" for the child.

 

Pros for CLE LA:

 

One book for writing/vocab/spelling (you have to buy another LU set and text for reading).

Mostly independent.

Rigorous, includes diagramming (we haven't done any diagramming yet in 3rd grade WP).

Includes tests/quizzes and comprehension questions for reading.

 

Be aware that you are expected to teach a separate/additional creative writing class on your own using CLE's creative writing handbook. While the LA program includes some writing it is not considered sufficient in and of itself (CLE customers who use their entire curric will see their children writing in the other subject areas as well to round out the writing program).

 

I find it curious that a one size fits all approach in lightunits fits the previous responder's student while a one size fits all program (which could be tweaked book by book) from WP didn't. Different strokes fit different folks I suppose.

[MIch elle]

I would NOT wait until high school to start CLE LA! It would be overwhelming to start a rigorous grammar program like CLE or R&S in 9th grade. If you did start it in 9th grade you may have to begin with CLE LA or R&S E. 6.

 

ADDED LATER: I looked at WP LA and you would need CLE LA and CLE reading to cover all that WP covers in grade 6.

Edited October 6, 2009 by MIch elle

[ondreeuh]

 

I find it curious that a one size fits all approach in lightunits fits the previous responder's student while a one size fits all program (which could be tweaked book by book) from WP didn't. Different strokes fit different folks I suppose.

 

I agree that it sounds contradictory. I find that the skills in CLE are matched pretty well - he's being asked to write words that he's been taught, for example. Putting together my own program from various workbooks has caused different topics to be covered at different times. Sometimes he's expected to use a skill in one workbook that he hasn't yet learned in another. We came upon this a lot between spelling, phonics and grammar. We were using AAS (stuck in level 1 because he hadn't mastered a couple of the spelling rules), ETC 4 (which taught completely different reading rules that AAS didn't cover until level 2) and Easy Grammar 2 (which felt like a list of non-sequitors as it didn't relate to anything else).

 

I'm really curious about WP's LA guides but didn't find a sample. Maybe they line everything up and bridge the gaps? I don't know. I can tell from their website that my son would need elements of LA1 and LA 2.

 

ETA: found a sample :)