FLL old edition vs. new edition?

[tjarnold]

Hi, all,

 

I used First Language Lessons (c. 2003) with my two older children when it was first published. Now my youngest is almost ready to begin the program, and I'm wondering if you can advise me about the new version. I have looked at samples online, but I'm torn between my love of buying new books and my desire not to waste money.

 

Are there any compelling reasons that I should buy the new FLL?

 

Advantages/disadvantages of each?

 

FWIW, I already own Rod and Staff English 3 and 4, so it would probably be wise for me to transition to R&S after the first two years of FLL. But I'd be open to hearing opinions on why I might want to use FLL for the full four years.

 

Thanks,

 

Tiffany

[Dawn E]

I plan on using the old edition with ds when he is old enough (it wasn't a good fit with dd). I could be wrong, but I think the main reason it was updated was to remove issues of redundancy that would occur when using it in combination with WWE. So, you can either use it and skip the parts that are repeated in WWE, or use it fully without WWE.

[tjarnold]

Thank you, Dawn.

 

At this point, I'm planning on using WWE as well, so I wonder if that should be a significant point in my decision-making process.

 

Tiffany

[Crimson Wife]

I like having both the 1st grade and 2nd grade sections in a single book because it makes FLL 1/2 easier to condense.

 

The main thing I like better about the new edition is the "look" of it. It has a better font and nicer pictures. But those pros don't outweigh the cons of having 2 books instead of 1.

[tjarnold]

I like having both the 1st grade and 2nd grade sections in a single book because it makes FLL 1/2 easier to condense.

 

 

 

Do you find that you do a lot of condensing?

 

And then do you continue with FLL 3 and 4?

 

Thanks!

[Crimson Wife]

Do you find that you do a lot of condensing?

 

And then do you continue with FLL 3 and 4?

 

Thanks!

 

With my oldest, I did a ton of condensing, especially in the first half of the book. We started FLL 1/2 at the end of August and did the entire first half of the book by Thanksgiving. She slowed down a bit in FLL 2, but was still done with the entire thing by March. We did grammar 5 days/week and skipped all the lessons on what I consider to be pre-k topics that she already knew (days of the week, months of the year, family relationships, her address, etc.)

 

She did WWE 1 the following year but I did not continue on with FLL3 as it seemed very repetitive of FLL 1/2 with only a bit of new content. I tried a laundry list of things for grammar before hitting upon the combination that worked (Michael Clay Thompson's LA alternated with Don Killgallon's applied grammar/sentence composing books).

 

My DS is going through FLL 1/2 a bit more slowly than his sister, but we're still condensing and skipping certain topics. I don't know how long it's going to take him to finish, but it most likely isn't going to be two full years.

[tjarnold]

With my oldest, I did a ton of condensing, especially in the first half of the book. We started FLL 1/2 at the end of August and did the entire first half of the book by Thanksgiving. She slowed down a bit in FLL 2, but was still done with the entire thing by March. We did grammar 5 days/week and skipped all the lessons on what I consider to be pre-k topics that she already knew (days of the week, months of the year, family relationships, her address, etc.)

 

She did WWE 1 the following year but I did not continue on with FLL3 as it seemed very repetitive of FLL 1/2 with only a bit of new content. I tried a laundry list of things for grammar before hitting upon the combination that worked (Michael Clay Thompson's LA alternated with Don Killgallon's applied grammar/sentence composing books).

 

My DS is going through FLL 1/2 a bit more slowly than his sister, but we're still condensing and skipping certain topics. I don't know how long it's going to take him to finish, but it most likely isn't going to be two full years.

 

Thanks, Crimson Wife. That's very helpful.

 

Tiffany