Alicia64 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 We moved two years ago -- and we got behind on everything except math and spelling. Someone I trusted said, "don't let those two things slide." But everything else did. Except SOTW. I stayed on that too because we loved it so much. The two things that fell way, way behind: First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease. I've been playing "catch up" ever since thinking I could actually catch up. Now I'm wondering. My eight-year-old boys are technically in third grade. But we're still in FLL -- about 1/2 through the second grade part. And we're only four weeks into Writing with Ease 2!!! (Realizing we're doing a chapter a week. . . we'll be in WWE at least through mid-Spring.) On the positive side, we do lessons in the summer. But I thought we'd catch up last summer and didn't. Any advice? Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I would say to relax. You are doing fine. My dd8 is also in WWE2 and we have just started FLL2. These are not necessarily grade specific but skill specific. Basically, it is wherever your child is not what grade they are in or how old they are. When my step daughter was schooling with us she was very behind coming from PS. I started her in WWE2 in her 5th grade year. However, she needed those skills at that time no matter how old she was. Math is, to me, the most important to stay on track with but even that is different with each child. Your kids are still young and you have years to go before they are finished with their school education. I try to focus more on letting them enjoy being young since at some point, especially the high school years, they have to really buckle down. There are also people who do not even start school with their children until around 8 years old. It sounds like you are doing a fine job and I would not worry!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadianmumof5 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Try FLL3 and WWE3....and see how they do. You may be surprised. Last year was our first year homeschooling and DD had zero grammar experience and she was fine with WWE3 and FLL3. They may surprise you. And remember that most public schools don't do much grammar anyway so I'm sure they are fine :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayt ul-Hikmah Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I would definitely look into FLL3. I did this with a 1st grader because the format of FLL 1/2 drove me crazy. Definitely give it a look. If you want to be further along in writing, I would suggest picking up the pace a bit with WWE2. You could easily combine days 1 and 2 (narration and copywork), leave days 3 and 4 as they are, and do it five days a week. There is definitely a skill jump with WWE3, so if your kids are comfortable in level 2, I wouldn't skip over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 You are about where my second grade girl is in those curricula and she just scored solidly in third grade on a standardized test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 You could go on into FLL3, as it repeats info from 1 and 2. We did 1 and half of 2 last year and had no problem jumping into 3. I would stick with WWE2 and not worry about being "behind" in that. It is skill based, not grade based. Some people don't even start WWE1 until 2nd grade. Also, many have said you can go from WWE3 to WWS, so if you get to 5th grade and think they're ready for WWS, you can give it a try and consider yourself caught up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in STL Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I wouldn't necessarily be concerned with finishing FLL2/WWE2 completely. There is a lot of repetition in these levels. I you feel like your kids are doing ok with them( I couldn't tell that from your post), I would suggest skipping lessons here and there to accelerate. You could do the same thing with WWE 3, and eventually you would be back on level, especially with summers. As far as FLL, my friend had her child start right in FLL 4 with no grammar before, so you might be able to finish FLL 2 then move to 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I've also felt behind with WWE and FLL for my 2nd grader. (We are also catching up after moving!) This thread made me feel so much better so thanks for asking. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I agree with the others. Go ahead and move on to FLL 3 and don't worry a bit about having an 8 yo in WWE 2. SWB has stated that a child who completes WWS will be prepared for college writing. You will finish WWS in 9th grade if you stay on your current track. She has also said that some older kids may be able to skip WWE 4 and move right into WWS after WWE 3. That may be a good option when you get there. Either way, you are right on track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I would stick with WWE2 and not worry about being "behind" in that. It is skill based, not grade based. Some people don't even start WWE1 until 2nd grade. Also, many have said you can go from WWE3 to WWS, so if you get to 5th grade and think they're ready for WWS, you can give it a try and consider yourself caught up! :iagree: I started my kids in WWE1 in 2nd grade. My 4th grader is working in WWE3 and Writing Tales 1. She isn't advanced, but I don't consider her behind either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted December 17, 2011 Author Share Posted December 17, 2011 Thank everyone!! Wonderful feedback! Question: I have the "old" FLL where 1 and 2 are combined into one fat book. FLL 3 looks like a workbook. So, if I have two kids, I assumed I need to. Do you also recommend that I get a teacher's guide? Thanks again! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homeschooling6 Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Thank everyone!! Wonderful feedback! Question: I have the "old" FLL where 1 and 2 are combined into one fat book. FLL 3 looks like a workbook. So, if I have two kids, I assumed I need to. Do you also recommend that I get a teacher's guide? Thanks again! Alley Yes, two workbooks and yes, do get the teacher's guide. You wouldn't be able to use it without the guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 (edited) Yeah, definitely jump into FLL 3. I didn't do FLL 1/2 with dd-now-9 because I knew she would be screamingly bored by it. We did Sheldon's Primary Language Lessons in 2nd grade. It's WAY more demanding than FLL 1/2. I moved her to FLL 3 in 3rd grade because she wasn't ready for Sheldon's Advanced LL. She has done great with FLL 3 ETA: and 4. She's almost done with 4 and will go into Hake 5. I did FLL 1/2 with my ds-now-8 and have since decided that it was a waste of time. There is nothing in FLL 1/2 that isn't covered in FLL 3. In fact, I have started recommending that people just skip FLL 1/2 and wait until their child is ready for FLL 3. As far as WWE: work where your kids are. If WWE 2 is too easy for them, move them ahead. If it's a good fit for them, keep them there. WWE is based on levels, not grades. There is no way my ds 3rd could handle WWE 3. Tara Edited December 17, 2011 by TaraTheLiberator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenjenn Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I have a 9-yr-old 3rd grader doing WWE2 (18 weeks in) and FLL3 (which I just added in a couple weeks ago) I think it is grade-appropriate. I purchased WWE3 to evaluate at the beginning of the year, but ultimately chose WWE2 because my daughter struggles with spelling (dyslexia) and WWE3 jumps to blind dictation. I agree the books are skill-based. The way I look at it, I have certain goals in mind for the elementary student to accomplish by middle school (6th grade). It's not about getting through certain curricula; it is about making sure my kids have the skills and knowledge necessary to advance to the next level of communication, logic, and critical thinking. Identify areas of weakness and work on those, keep plugging away with daily advancement with the basics, and read, read, read. It'll be OK. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 My 9 year olds (4th graders) are doing FLL 3 and WWE 3. It is FAR more than they'd be getting in PS and suits them well. Also, FLL3 is only 80something lessons, so you could get through it pretty fast. Personally, I think the passages in WWE 3 are fairly difficult, so I don't feel like it's "behind" for them at all. I really wouldn't stress. They'll be fine no matter what you decide to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 Thank you everyone! I feel a lot better and I've ordered FLL 3! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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