Language Arts?? Inclusive approach vs pieced together approach.

[BlessedMom]

If you have tried both of these approaches from 3rd - 6th grade, can you please share which one works best for you and why?

 

If you use an all inclusive curricula, can you please share what you use and why you choose that curricula?

 

If you piece together the elements into a complete LA program is there a resource you use to be sure you are not missing anything?

 

 

Thanks!

[GoVanGogh]

:bigear:

 

I have always pieced together our LA, as DS's skills are all over the board. But I now feel like I have missed pieces here and there and am trying to decide what to do.

[Aurelia]

This may not help, since I did it for second grade, but you haven't gotten any replies yet, so here goes. I tried an all-inclusive approach via Oak Meadow for 2nd grade, but it didn't work for us because Ariel is all over the map with regards to her skills and OM is really gentle (too gentle for us in some areas). For example, she reads well and has good comprehension, but until recently couldn't spell her way out of a wet paper bag and was unable to tell an adverb from a hyacinth. I piece together things to make sure everything is covered, though for 3rd grade I'm doing a lot less of it (I hope) since I'm trying to take a middle road and do Galore Park's Junior English, which should cover everything, with AAS for US spelling. I think once I've gotten her up to speed (WRTR/AAS for spelling, WWW for composition) she won't struggle with the more inclusive LA.

[Pam in MA]

I also became frustrated with all the different pieces of our language arts, so I switched to Classical Writing. It included grammar, spelling, writing, vocabulary. I was also able to tie in some of our other reading in to it as well. And the girls liked it!

[Mallory]

I piece things together.

 

Here is a thread where I explained how I make sure I am covering what I need to- http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245775&highlight=lit+terms

 

Of course you can never cover it all, no matter how good of a job you do there will still be pieces missing. Hopefully you end up with a kid able to fill in thier own pieces!

[....]

For grades 1-3, we use parts of different programs...ILL, PLL, GWG... For 4th grade and beyond, we're using MCT's Language Arts program (Fireworks Press). The 4th grader is also going to try Classical Compositions (which is a classical writing program that starts at the 4th grade level).

 

I'm happy with our LA for 4th grade and beyond. My daughter seems to really click with MCT LA.

[Veritaserum]

Last year I switched all my kids from pieced together to integrated. Previously my kids did All About Spelling or Sequential Spelling, First Language Lessons FTWTM or Michael Clay Thompson or Voyages in English, handwriting, vocabulary, and Writing with Ease or IEW. Now they all do Phonics Road. I save so much time and mental energy having an all-in-one program. I have a review of PR in my blog. :)

[lillysmom216]

I have a review of PR in my blog. :)

 

I love your blog! I used portions to plan this year and just wanted to thank you.:001_smile:

[Karen in CO]

I have done both. I love the simplicity of an all-inclusive program, but it doesn't work for my students. Their skill levels are not properly matched in the all-in-ones. Typically my kids can read far above their ability to write, or the writing will be too basic and not what they need. We'll need more of one kind of grammar and less of another part. When I piece it together, I can fit things I need together.

[Veritaserum]

I love your blog! I used portions to plan this year and just wanted to thank you.:001_smile:

 

You're welcome. :)

[mothergooseof4]

I used SL LA when I hsed my step-dd. I would not say I was satisfied with it, but I was unfamiliar with anything else and had no idea how to piece it all together. That said, when she went to live with her mom and into ps, she did fine and has excelled.

 

With ds, I started with SL LA and saw very quickly that it was NOT going to work for him. Over the next few years, I did a variety of things including CLE, GWG, AAS, SWR, R&S, DITHOR, Write with the Best....... When piecing LA together, I always felt that some things were unnecessarily duplicated and that we were missing other things. Plus, LA took forever each day and we seemed to be constantly shifting gears. Each piece of LA felt like a different subjecct. For 5th, I took him back to PR1, not because he was "behind" in LA, but because PR recommends starting at the beginning so we did. He has completed PR 1 and 2 since October. At that accelerated pace, we still did not spend as much time or frustration on LA as we did previously. And, it has stuck.

 

My younger two started PR1 at normal pace in October and have recently picked up to a slightly accelerated pace. The workload at this age is so much easier than what I have done in the past and it is effective.

 

For us, using this all in one, has streamlined LA. There is no busy work or worksheets to fill in. Their dication is their spelling practice, their grammar review, and often their literary analysis all at the same time. And, my kids retain it unlike they did when just filling in a blank or circling the correct verb on a worksheet.

 

For my younger kids, this is it. They will keep on with PR and it will be their complete LA program through grades 5 or 6. My oldest will start PR3 for 6th grade. I feel the spelling/word study/grammar portions of PR3 and PR4 are enough for him. I will add in IEW SWI when/if we have time simply because I would like a little more writing from him. But, I am not stressing over getting to it.

Edited August 9, 2011 by mothergooseofthree

[Merry]

...........Oh, PR is Phonics Road so never mind my question...

Edited August 9, 2011 by Merry
Answered my own question

[SnMomof7]

I tried an all in one LA (Phonics Road) but sadly the teaching style didn't work for me so I'm piecing it together.

 

We use AAS for spelling and phonics review (now that our formal phonics instruction is over for my oldest), Rod and Staff English for grammar and some writing, narration and copywork. And for reading we do SL Readers 3 and free reading time. We also do some memorization and I think that counts for LA too :).

[SnMomof7]

I tried an all in one LA (Phonics Road) but sadly the teaching style didn't work for me so I'm piecing it together.

 

We use AAS for spelling and phonics review (now that our formal phonics instruction is over for my oldest), Rod and Staff English for grammar and some writing, narration and copywork. And for reading we do SL Readers 3 and free reading time. We also do some memorization and I think that counts for LA too :).

[BlessedMom]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, I really appreciate it. :)

[johnandtinagilbert]

I've done both. The first lot of dc (The Elders) were pieced together. Although I used quality materials, the crossover of authorship left gaps and lessor understanding of application. In other words, filling in blanks, spelling word families, and 10-zillion practice problems did nothing to teach them the grammar and spelling they were learning were also supposed to apply to writing. GAPS are not my friend. I sought something different with the next lot, The Little League. I had this experience, too:

:bigear:

 

I have always pieced together our LA, as DS's skills are all over the board. But I now feel like I have missed pieces here and there and am trying to decide what to do.

 

For the Little League, we use The Phonics Road. While my dcs reading skills are now (elementary school) above their grammar and writing (I think this is pretty common), their reading level has little to do with the foundational skills of spelling, grammar and writing. I have found over time that all of my children can read well above their writing capabilities, at least until middle or high school. So, in my experience, using a streamlined program not only saves me teaching time, but it also simplifies my children's studies. I now feel like the LL has time for science AND history AND language arts AND math AND art AND music. The first lot had longer, much more boring days.

 

With an AIO, I'm free of the burden of gaps. I'm confident in the quality of the materials. The big picture is finally clear for *me* (b/c I've seen the whole of the program). I spend less teaching time. PR has been my personal golden ticket.