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Mommyfaithe
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Would the LA for grade 3 replace WWE, FLL, ETC, and AAS? Does it teach cursive?

 

Tonight is the first night I've ever looked at this curriculum and now my wheels are spinning for my soon to be 3rd grader.

 

YES. I do not use anything else for LA. Cursive begins in the 200 books. Spelling begins in LTR. Phonics is included in all the spelling lessons and also taught daily in Level 100...gently, methodically, thoroughly.

 

Faithe

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We just started LA here :) And LOVE it. I'm looking at the reading and Bible. I'm very happy with our Math, so we'll leave that where it is.

 

We're starting in the 200's. And after the first 5 lessons, it started creative writing. I was reluctant, after all, she's just turned 7. But it was so gentle.

 

First day, it asked to help the child choose a topic. She was stumped, so I through ideas out there. She has a great imagination in play, so I suggested writing a story about her Littlest Pet Shops, or about her dogs, or her gecko, or about a trip. That sparked. She chose to write about camping. Then I had her jot down ideas she *might* want to write about camping. Point form, just words, or short phrases.

 

Day 2. We looked at her ideas, and I asked her to put them in a logical order. She numbered them in a sequence she liked. Then wrote. She wrote approx 12 sentences! I didn't intervene, I just let her write. When she was done, I told her the next day, we'd go over it, look for spelling mistakes and use the dictionary. We'd look at how to build better sentences.

 

Day 3. Wellllll... revising was a challenge, but she wasn't feeling well. She wanted to use only pronouns,no names, to specifics..lol. She was very upset to hear that while it was a good sentence, it could be made better. So we put it away and went for a nap. We'll try again another day. As I said, she wasn't feeling well, and it was better left alone. She came to me after nap and wanted to work on making it "even BETTER". So, note to self, sometimes school just needs to wait.

 

Day 4 is also a day for editing. Making sure grammar rules are being followed(at an age appropriate level), punctuation, capitalization, etc.

 

Day 5, which could be a few days later, is presentation. Getting them to read their paper out loud. DD7 LOVES this! She does it for her sisters, brother and her daddy. We all make a big to do about it, as speaking out loud is hard. ***NOTE**** I speak to her siblings prior, they are not to correct her at all. That is NOT their place. They tend to be very critical. Her perfectionist streak can be paralyzing at times. So it's all about positive. As she gets older, we'll work through those issues gently.

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Cursive is taught beginning in the 200 level (2nd grade). You can see pretty extensive samples on the website.

 

 

 

Would you recommend that I start the 2nd grade level with my ds? He's not had much cursive writing instruction, I was going to wait until 3rd grade to begin it. He'll be 3rd next year.

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I would have him do a placement test first. If he places in the 300's then I wouldn't worry too much about the 200's. There are many free worksheets you could use to get him started in cursive. If the 200's are any indication, there is a full sheet showing how to make the letters at the back of the LU's.

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I would have him do a placement test first. If he places in the 300's then I wouldn't worry too much about the 200's. There are many free worksheets you could use to get him started in cursive. If the 200's are any indication, there is a full sheet showing how to make the letters at the back of the LU's.

 

 

 

Thank you!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by guateangel viewpost.gif

Would the LA for grade 3 replace WWE, FLL, ETC, and AAS? Does it teach cursive?

 

Tonight is the first night I've ever looked at this curriculum and now my wheels are spinning for my soon to be 3rd grader.

 

YES. I do not use anything else for LA. Cursive begins in the 200 books. Spelling begins in LTR. Phonics is included in all the spelling lessons and also taught daily in Level 100...gently, methodically, thoroughly.

Faithe

 

Faithe, thank you!

 

Another question, I hope you don't mind. :)

 

Is there more of a discription of their LA on their site (I'm sure it's just me!)? I opened each sample for Grade 3 and am not seeing that it covers narration, dictation, copywork, etc. in order to cover WWE.

 

I was also planning on purchasing IEW -- SWI, level A, is this not necessary if we do CLE LA300?

 

We are really enjoying AAS but it be overkill to do both?

 

I've always been aprehensive of worksheets and this appears to be nothing but worksheet material. I'm wondering if I should just stick to our plan with my auditory learner/reluctant writer (she groans at handwriting.) Lots to think about. UGH!!!!

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Geesh, I just looked at their math and like what I'm seeing. Maybe as a MM supplement. :confused1:

 

My head is spinning out of control. :D

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Faithe, thank you!

 

We are really enjoying AAS but it be overkill to do both?

 

 

 

I have continued with AAS. It isn't over kill. Right now dd is able to do 2 lessons of AAS in a week. So I will be able to slow it down as we continue with CLE. AAS doesn't take that long, I love the program, so I won't stop it.

 

I also do WWE too. First, dd loves the excerpts of the classic stories. She gets to hear a greater variety. That is all good :)

 

CLE is complete, but I enhance with the other programs now.

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Actually' date=' I'm pretty sure there is copywork in the LA. I remember my 1st grader doing it last year and my 7th grader is doing it this year. I usually do dictation / narration with history.[/quote']

 

There is copywork in all grades in the LA. We do the reading books orally and often narrate from that or our history/ science books. I haven't done much dictation, but I would do that from our read-alouds or our literature books.

 

HTH

Faithe

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We are switching to CLE LA next year, mostly for the grammar, penmanship, and copywork. Because my dd needs extra help in spelling, we will be continuing with AAS, although I wouldn't hesitate to use the spelling in CLE only if she was a more natural speller. We will be doing narrations from our science and history, and dictation using an old book on Google called Dictation Day by Day. I personally don't think the writing is enough in CLE alone for 4th grade and because we are using the Progymnasmata for writing we will be continuing our rewrites using Classical Composition. So our total LA lineup will look something like this: CLE LA, AAS (3xs/wk), Dictation Day by Day, CC: Fable/Narrative.

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Nope, I don't skip spelling. It reinforces the rules. A lesson at the 200 level is taking dd7 about 15 minutes, which includes the grammar, spelling, penmanship, comprehension, etc. Since it takes so little time, I don't skip it.

 

As to copy work, I haven't seen much, unless it's in penmanship. We've had a couple come up. I'm skimming through the 200's, there is some, but not consistent like WWE. And neither one takes a tremendous amount of time.

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Nope, I don't skip spelling. It reinforces the rules. A lesson at the 200 level is taking dd7 about 15 minutes, which includes the grammar, spelling, penmanship, comprehension, etc. Since it takes so little time, I don't skip it.

 

As to copy work, I haven't seen much, unless it's in penmanship. We've had a couple come up. I'm skimming through the 200's, there is some, but not consistent like WWE. And neither one takes a tremendous amount of time.

 

There is not much penmanship in the 200 level because that is the book where they learn cursive. The copy work is the penmanship.

 

There is more as the kids get older...and level 100 has copy work at the end of the light units 107-110. It is manuscript and one sentence per day.

 

Faithe

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  • 1 month later...
Uggh! This thread is not helping me decide at all!!! I've been waffling between staying with R&S or switching to CLE language arts. I change my mind every other week. We already use CLE for math and its been great. I've heard some here say it was very weak in conceptual math yet I've watched my 5th grader grow by leaps and bounds in that area while using CLE.

 

I do have a question about the spelling. Do you all find it to be enough or do you supplement? In the scope and sequence it lists spelling only in section 1 of each lightunit. Is it all the way through? Thanks!

I'm curious about which you've decided on.:D

There is not much penmanship in the 200 level because that is the book where they learn cursive. The copy work is the penmanship.

 

There is more as the kids get older...and level 100 has copy work at the end of the light units 107-110. It is manuscript and one sentence per day.

 

Faithe

 

Faithe-questions for you...

 

My ds is a natural speller-will I be able to skip the spelling portion?

 

Which style of cursive does CLE use? I just ordered a Penmanship curriculum that is the zaner-bloser/traditional style-like I was taught.

 

Is the instruction as good as R&S??

 

Thank you!:grouphug:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here I was looking through the archives to review views of CLE LA as compared to other language arts programs with CM based methods and I came across this thread.

 

We have used CLE LTR with my K and he is reading very well for his age. My 1st grader is using CLE LA 100 and Reading 100 and it has gone well also.

 

I guess I'm wondering how do you use CLE with CM methods and get it all done? It is taking us a lot longer to finish it up compared to our other subjects.

 

I will admit that we are also doing WWE for my 1st grader and have quickly gone through AAS 1 (I think my 1st grader could have gone to AAS2 but we just didn't get around to it).

 

I am also trying to do more of the books from the Ambleside Online site as well.

 

Any thoughts?

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I'm not sure CLE lends itself to CM but here's what we do (I used it this year and next year am plugging it into HOD instead of R&S and SM). We start the morning with math. We don't do the flashcards. They haven't needed them. My 1st grader (in CLE math 203) does the speed drill because she likes it. My 4th grader (in CLE 407) does the problems without the timer because he doesn't like it. They read the lesson, I explain anything that's not understood and they do the lesson. It takes dd about 10 minutes and ds about 20 or a little longer. They pretty much do the same with LA. They read, I explain and they do it. Easy peasy. I was trying to teach them all the new stuff and read it with them and they hated that. They just want to read it and do it. Since we do history, science, Lit and Latin together I figure I'm not shirking too badly. I do check the work and have them correct it ASAP.

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Was it a light unit that guided him through writing, or did you use the "On Teaching Writing" for that?

 

ETA: Another question: I started my youngers on their Reading program, which I too love, but was hesitant to start my 7th grader because I wasn't sure if jumping in that "late in the game" would be good. Would you think that a 7th grader w/no prior CLE reading experience could handle the 700 series?

 

I started my older at about this level in reading and it went fine. There were a few holes, but they were able to adapt fairly well. They like the stories and it's turning into their favourite subject.

 

With LA, I started them back in LA5 and worked them through quicker. They do not like LA - likely because they're not good at it. I tried to accelerate the older quicker, but it's been a struggle. I think they have some remedial material for older learners. Or was it RS?

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I'm curious about which you've decided on.:D

 

 

Faithe-questions for you...

 

My ds is a natural speller-will I be able to skip the spelling portion?

 

Which style of cursive does CLE use? I just ordered a Penmanship curriculum that is the zaner-bloser/traditional style-like I was taught.

 

Is the instruction as good as R&S??

 

Thank you!:grouphug:

 

Another huge fan! I use both LA and Reading.

 

Yes, you can skip the spelling. We do. We've worked from level 4 to level 6 no problem.

 

We switched from R&S English. We are both so happy now. I hated R&S because it was just so much. R&S was not a good fit for us. We want spiral. She can be independent"ish." You get so much bang for your time.

 

I love the reading for the level of literary analysis they do. The stories are simple. Yet, the LUs get so much from them.

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If you are looking, I would also add that in the "reading" - don't judge the level based on the reading level of the text. The workbook questions and application are much more meaty than the reading level of the book reader. If you child reads well it doesn't mean that the grade level will automatically be too easy for them. My kids both read WELL and I've found grade level work to be a good fit - challenging without being too much or too little.

 

 

It may be time to take him for some testing. I would do that prior to purchasing new curriculum.

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Wow, maybe this is an answer for my daughter for the coming year. I have never looked at this, but I just spent time researching SOS, in desperation. I have ruled out SOS. Maybe this would work? We are using R&S English 2 (completed last week), TT 3 (almost done), AAS spelling, and some other things. I was planning to use HOD with her. But she needs a little independence. I need her to be a bit more independent, she relies on me for a LOT of hand holding. My question is, how is CLE HISTORY AND SCIENCE? Those are the areas in which she needs the most help and consistency. Anyone used these?

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Wow, maybe this is an answer for my daughter for the coming year. I have never looked at this, but I just spent time researching SOS, in desperation. I have ruled out SOS. Maybe this would work? We are using R&S English 2 (completed last week), TT 3 (almost done), AAS spelling, and some other things. I was planning to use HOD with her. But she needs a little independence. I need her to be a bit more independent, she relies on me for a LOT of hand holding. My question is, how is CLE HISTORY AND SCIENCE? Those are the areas in which she needs the most help and consistency. Anyone used these?

 

I will try to be nice....CLE history and science stinks.

Really.

 

For things like science and history...you could still do HOD or SOTW and Elemental Science etc. We use and love CLE for our skill subjects...and I consider their reading program a skill subject....we use other books for history and literature reading.

 

Sorry...I really wish their history and science were real book based...or at least interesting:D. However, they are about as dry and boring as one can get...and their upper levels have not been redone with Sunrise editions...they are just Lifepacs with a CLE cover.

 

Faithe

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I am wondering about how much time it takes your dc to complete CLE math or language each day. I am especially interested in the 4th and 5th grade years.

 

Thanks!

Angela

 

It takes us about 45 minutes per subject....but we do every part of the lesson.

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Just to make a comment about CM and CLE....

 

When I decided I needed to simplify my school due to family obligations, I began to look for a program for my kids that mirrored what I was doing with them ala CM. I wanted short lessons for my youngers which would pack a good bang for my buck. I wanted a math program that was both gentle, yet thorough. It need to be both conceptual and spiral. The LA need to teach the parts of speech, include well written sentences, copywork, phonics and rule based spelling, and diagramming. I wanted a reading program where my kids would learn vocabulary, the stories would be engaging enough that they would want to read the entire works not just snippets, where literary terms would be introduced early and used consistently so they would become a part of the child's core knowledge. I wanted poetry study and not just...read this poem with feeling. :D

 

CLE filled this need. Many of the lessons I was putting together myself, were incorporated into these light units. My kids do not work independently. They are just not that kind of kid and I am not that kind of parent....however, when my illness, or my workload gets overwhelming, I know we can still have a great day of school...without ME having to write out all of the lessons, find the copy work, pre-read our lit selections and find which literary terms I wish to cover. I can...and have done these things for years.....but, my life at this point will not allow me that luxury. CLE, in their sunrise editions, has done this work for me...in a way I am comfortable teaching, and in which my kids learn in a meaningful way.

 

So, yes, CLE and CM can be compatible....And it has been working very well for us. I feel I can continue to homeschool without compromising my educational philosophies or goals, during flare ups of my chronic health issues and without neglecting my responsibilities to our home business and my home making.

 

I hope this helps,

Faithe

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Oh bummer. I am looking for a quick and easy history/science that she can start on her own....ideas?

 

I am looking at History Odyssey and Elemental Science. I am also looking at REAL science odyssey. For my older dd Apologia worked very well. She could read and do the narration questions on her own...and then we would do the projects or experiments together. As far as history, we spent many, many years reading and writing short narrations.

 

Faithe

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I also love CLE. I switched two years ago from R & S English and Bob Jones math. In fact, I loved the LA, Reading, and Math so much that I decided last year to add in the Science and Social Studies for my 1st/2nd, 5th, and 8th graders. It was ok for the 1st/2nd graders. I would rather read James Herriott books or nature study books and be done with science. We can do read-alouds for history and be off on Fridays if I want to without feeling like they will finish their school a day later into the summer if I give them a day off of science. With the 5th & 8th graders, we dropped both levels after only 1 light unit. It was that horrible for us.

 

This year, we are dropping the science and social studies. I also added in Bible last year, and they like it, so we will keep it.

 

I did buy the book "On Teaching Writing", and I really don't like it. It does give ideas, but it would be hard for us to get it done that way. I have used Write Shop with my 8th grader, and he gets it done. I've tweaked it to meet my needs, and it's working for us right now.

 

 

April in TX

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  • 1 year later...
I am looking at History Odyssey and Elemental Science. I am also looking at REAL science odyssey. For my older dd Apologia worked very well. She could read and do the narration questions on her own...and then we would do the projects or experiments together. As far as history, we spent many, many years reading and writing short narrations.

 

Faithe

 

As you can see by my siggy, I decided on HO & ES for my boys.

DD will be using Sonlight Core W w/ PH Text and Holt Bio w/ Oak Meadow syllabus.

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loved reading this thread! i was wondering if anyone who posted that they were loving it last year still loves it?

 

I still love CLE....

I will be using the Math and reading for ds in 5th grade

I will be using the Reading for Ds in 3rd grade.

 

DD finished up with their 7th grade math and 8th reading and LA....we are now moving into High School level work, which I am specializing more for her.

 

My youngest ds does not do well with CLE....which makes me sad...but, I think I have him all set for next year too.

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Well, I didn't post on this thread last year, but I remember reading it. We are continuing with CLE Math. This is my dd's 4th year with it and my ds's 3rd. It's been great for us and still is. My dd did use CLE LA for a number of years, but, frankly, I started to feel it was too scattered for me last year, so she will be switching to Hake Grammar like her brother. I love Hake for grammar.

 

Lisa

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

So, big question. I'm looking to have more independent work for my oldest (4th grade) but she's been working slowly in math, I've been inconsistent in English etc. etc.

 

SO - can she jump into the English in 4th? It looks like it has a lot of review. I might try her with the 4th grade reading too - she's an awesome reader, but hasn't done any formal analysis/comprehension etc.

 

In math we'd have to backtrack though - 2nd/3rd is gappy for her.

 

And - Bible question. Is it slanted strongly Arminian? It looks more theological in the upper grades, but maybe the lower grades aren't too much? Would they work for us as Calvinist leaners? I signed up for a free postal Bible study that is sort of like a mini-workbook and she REALLY likes that, if she had something to do like that daily, she'd dig it :).

 

Thanks!

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So, big question. I'm looking to have more independent work for my oldest (4th grade) but she's been working slowly in math, I've been inconsistent in English etc. etc.

 

SO - can she jump into the English in 4th? It looks like it has a lot of review. I might try her with the 4th grade reading too - she's an awesome reader, but hasn't done any formal analysis/comprehension etc.

 

In math we'd have to backtrack though - 2nd/3rd is gappy for her.

 

And - Bible question. Is it slanted strongly Arminian? It looks more theological in the upper grades, but maybe the lower grades aren't too much? Would they work for us as Calvinist leaners? I signed up for a free postal Bible study that is sort of like a mini-workbook and she REALLY likes that, if she had something to do like that daily, she'd dig it :).

 

Thanks!

 

I've been quietly following the thread as I'm considering CLE for the 3 R's for my youngest, so I can't help with those questions. But regarding Bible, have you looked at CLP's Bible curriculum? I've always been curious whether CLE's would work here, too (as Calvinists), but we've used several CLP Studying God's Word workbooks over the years and have been pleased with them. We mostly do Bible together with MFW, but sometimes I like to have them doing their own study out of their own age-appropriate workbook, too. http://www.shopchristianliberty.com/bible-and-theology/?sort=priceasc

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I got cle reading 4 for my two to try but it was a little too challenging for them. We have only done the first 4 lessons but it is taking close to an hour per day and causing frustration. I'm tabling it for a while. They like the stories but don't do well with the questions and vocab. Some of it feels like busywork. I should try it longer but we are just not spending our time in a way that is beneficial.

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Thanks Donna, I'll check that out - my oldest is really liking a worktext type format that she looks passages up in her Bible with, and I'd like something EASY to administer (new baby coming in November!)

 

Thanks Alison - we might, erm - keep skipping 'formal' reading in that case ;).

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For the CLP Bible do you need the teacher's manual? I love the looks of their 4th grade - chronological, maps, timelines - wowza!

 

Before I respond, I want to verify that you're talking about Studying God's Word from Christian Liberty Press, right? (CLE and CLP are often confused because of same/similar acronyms... CLE's web address is clp.org, but that's NOT CLP=Christian Liberty Press. Confusing!)

 

If so, then I would say the TM is optional. You probably know/can figure out the answers yourself, but because there are so many different activities in each lesson, it's helpful to have the TM for quick checking of answers. If it was me, I'd go ahead and get it since it's cheap. Then when she's finished with the book, I don't feel badly about pitching the barely-used TM. ;)

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