CLE 1st grade or ETC 4,5,6 for kinder?

[staceyobu]

Which of these would you use for a kindergartner? We've enjoyed ETC 2 and 3... but it's starting to seem like it's moving painfully slow.

[rdolphingirl]

Hi there,

 

I must admit I've never used the ETC books, though I have looked at them and might still use them with my middle boy (borderline "retarded") who needs LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of practice at each level.

 

However I have used the CLE Learning to Read, as has my sister, and we both REALLY like it. They just recently re-did it and its even better then it was! The site has samples of each lightunit, reader, and the TM you can look at. She has a 6yr old ds who is using the new (2nd ed.) version now and she has said he really is enjoying it. It has handwriting built in also and is (of course) made to go together with their LA and Reading programs.

 

If you decide to use CLE, or just want more info about it even, there is a yahoo group of users (with a CLE Rep also) that you can join.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/christianlightfamilies/

 

Hope whatever you choose you enjoy this time!

 

~Rachel

[staceyobu]

Thanks for the advice... I'm leaning towards CLE.

 

Any other thoughts? Would CLE be way too much for a k'er? The samples look okay...

[KristenS]

ETC gets hard in book 4. I hear many parents skip it for later. (We don't.) It has syllabification, for one.

 

You might consider alternating, after ETC 3, the Beyond the Code books with the ETC books, for variety. My son liked that, and I figure my daughter will too.

 

We've only used ETC and BTC so I don't have a comparison, but it's working well for us. We just do a page or two a day. So we started very young but will probably wrap up the two sets by the end of 3rd grade, right on time. And then we'll do something for spelling, I guess.

[Blossom'sGirl]

I switched my 1st grader from ETC 3 to CLE learning to Read a few months ago. It has worked very well for my ds. ETC was great for my very reluctant writer oldest child, but this guy loves workbooks and writing. I think it also has really helped him retain rules and phonograms. I am planning on having him do some ETC over the summer to keep him going.

 

I haven't decided if I will start LTR with my youngest in K or 1st.

[Tabrett]

CLE is a complete reading program where ETC is just a phonics-only workbook. CLE has handwriting and spelling that go with what the dc is learning in phonics. It has stories to read. It teaches about science topics in an indirect way. For example. When you learn the letter "I" you read a story about poison ivy. I learned how to identify poison from the story. I then went to the internet and my dd and I looked up poison ivy pictures and facts. The stories in CLE are wonderful. They teach about correct behavior and what happens when you don't act right. It also works on blends with a blend ladder and has sound discrimination exercises. CLE 1st has pictures where the dc has to write the correct word just like ETC. It has speed drills for sounding out word and a very, very few sight words. I also use the CLE LA.

 

I tried ETC 1-3 last year with my dd and it was a failure. My dd is thriving with CLE 1st.

 

Next year I plan on using the new CLE LTR with my to be 5 yo ds. I am planning on only doing LTR LU 101-110 at half speed and start I Wonder at the beginning of 1st grade, that is unless he can handle it and wants to do more!

[rdolphingirl]

Thanks for the advice... I'm leaning towards CLE.

 

Any other thoughts? Would CLE be way too much for a k'er? The samples look okay...

 

That really depends on the child, if your k'er can write some and enjoys workbooks it should be great ( the 2nd ed. is even nicer then the 1st! )

 

If not then I would recommend the ABC series of workbooks that CLE and R&S sells. They are great for introducing basic concepts and getting a child used to seatwork.

 

~Rachel

[ele325]

We never used CLE so I can't give you a comparison, but we did use ETC up to book 6. At that point it just started to be too much busy work. We used Beyond the code in between for some variety as well. We also slowly started working on FLL in kindy to round out ETC.

 

Eleanor

[Guest]

My dd(6) did ETC 1,2,3 last year in K. She also got to lesson 80 in OPGTR. She was reading fairly well, but still having to sound out every letter. The readings were getting too long in OPGTR for her. We switched to CLE Learn to Read at the beginning of February. We both love it, and she just finished her first lightunit today. There is so much more to CLE's Learning to Read program than ETC. I definitely think this program could be done in K. You may have to take things slower once you get into later lightunits, but every child is different.

Edited February 24, 2010 by Guest

[staceyobu]

Hmmm. Okay. I'm looking again and realizing I've been looking at CLE "language arts". Not the reading portion. We may use sonlight's readers. So, I would need the language arts??? Language arts for first grade is what I'm looking at.... I think, anyways!