Anything You DON'T Like About CLE Language Arts?

[Bloggermom]

Currently, I am having my 3rd grader use First Language Lessons 3, Writing With Ease 2 AND CLE Language Arts 200. I am wondering if it is truly beneficial to continue with the CLE Language Arts or if it is too redundant?

 

Also, my 1st grader is using First Language Lessons 1, Writing With Ease 1, Explode the Code 3 and CLE Language Arts 100. Again, I am wondering if we should keep it or not.

 

If we dropped the CLE LA, is what we have enough in the Language Arts/Writing department or should we add in something different?

[Momling]

The two things I didn't like about CLE LA were:

-The weird diacritical marks... why not use established ways of showing a sound to symbol relationship?

-The religious/cultural focus was not a good fit for our family.

[....]

CLE LA is great, but I had one kid who would cry during it. So, it's not a good fit for every child. If I had to do over again, I would not have used a LA program with him until he was older. It's been 3 years and he still hates LA. (And, yes, it might not have been CLE's fault. I was way too strict with them that year.) :o

[jer2911mom]

We have been doing the same thing for 1st grade this year. I do like the phonics/spelling rules in CLE LA. Do you plan to use something else for spelling, since FLL won't cover that? Another thing to consider is when you want to start cursive, since the CLE LA would have that, too.

 

HTH,

Kathy

[lorisuewho]

Also, my 1st grader is using First Language Lessons 1, Writing With Ease 1, Explode the Code 3 and CLE Language Arts 100. Again, I am wondering if we should keep it or not.

 

 

This is my current plan for first grade also. . .FLL1, WWE1 (alternating days), ETC, and CLE LA 100.

Did you feel it was redundant for you this year? I was kind of excited for the line-up!

[mytwomonkeys]

i love CLE math, but i dislike all of their other subjects. i even ordered CLE LA 3 a couple of years ago, but i returned it before we even used it. i just didn't like the format at all. however, i love their math. weird.

[staceyobu]

This is my current plan for first grade also. . .FLL1, WWE1 (alternating days), ETC, and CLE LA 100.

Did you feel it was redundant for you this year? I was kind of excited for the line-up!

 

I think this is redundant. CLE is handwriting, phonics, spelling, grammar, and writing. The writing is creative writing based. We chose to skip CLE's writing and add WWE instead. But using both of these together will duplicate a lot of subjects - FLL will duplicate your grammar, ETC will duplicate phonics rules, WWE will duplicate writing. I would personally pick one or the other, but doing both won't hurt anything.

[lorisuewho]

I think this is redundant. CLE is handwriting, phonics, spelling, grammar, and writing. The writing is creative writing based. We chose to skip CLE's writing and add WWE instead. But using both of these together will duplicate a lot of subjects - FLL will duplicate your grammar, ETC will duplicate phonics rules, WWE will duplicate writing. I would personally pick one or the other, but doing both won't hurt anything.

 

 

Thank you for this. I DO want to streamline. I'm going to have to go back and relook at the CLE LA100 and see what it covers to figure out where I want to scale back.

[3byzaz]

I also think you are duplicating some. We use CLE LA with AAS just cuz they love it and it helps with spelling. Since using that, my son can easily do the Spelling in CLE. I also added WWE - very lightly and he loves this too. Always supplement the writing component in CLE, but that's it as they get older. It is complete on its own. I have seen how solid it is now that oldest has gone into English 1 for 9th. I do skip the penmanship for the most part right now for my youngest because we are doing HWT Cursive - which I have always loved and preferred over CLE's cursive.

[melmichigan]

The upside down e drives me nuts. I sometimes had to go through the LU and marked above with a short u so the kids understood.

[Mommy22alyns]

I would not do FLL and CLE. I would do WWE with CLE. As others have said, CLE also includes handwriting and spelling, so no need to double up on programs there either.

 

 

Sylvia is using CLE LA 100 right now and I'm kind of done with it. I just don't like the schwa love and some of the phonics instruction. Sylvia will switch to R&S 2 next year.

[Daisy]

-The weird diacritical marks... why not use established ways of showing a sound to symbol relationship?

 

Agree with above. Other reasons we didn't care for it included...

 

1. It was too much writing for my son. He hated it.

2. Having grammar, writing, and spelling combined was a disaster. My kids were at different levels in each of those subjects.

3. There seemed to be a lot of busy work. I got farther faster with R&S and could do most of it orally.

 

Just as a side note, every single time I use the word farther, I wonder if I should say further. I look it up and STILL don't always know which word to use. I was getting physically farther but it could be seen as figuratively further. :lol:

Edited February 13, 2012 by Daisy

[huntchaos]

I don't know that I would use both FLL and CLE. I have one that uses FLL and WWE. And, my oldest is using CLE LA and WWE.

 

I am not sure I will use CLE again next year. He does not mind it but, it takes him forever. FLL was just so much more efficient and yet they retain everything. I like the fact that he is independent though.

[jer2911mom]

This is my current plan for first grade also. . .FLL1, WWE1 (alternating days), ETC, and CLE LA 100.

Did you feel it was redundant for you this year? I was kind of excited for the line-up!

 

I find ETC and CLE LA to be somewhat redundant. We finished up ETC 3 and I'm not going to start the next one. I feel like CLE LA 100 has a heavier emphasis on phonics than grammar so far (we are starting 105). We have not touched on nouns or verbs like FLL has. Most of the grammar so far in CLE LA has just been usage (e.g., was/were, etc.). So far I don't feel FLL has been redundant at all. And it takes all of 5 minutes (we skip copywork). I'm not sure I would continue it in 2nd, though, since I would think the grammar would ramp up more in CLE LA. Also, we have not hit any writing assignments yet in CLE LA, so for 1st grade, I think using WWE is fine and does not overlap.

 

Kathy

[Tree House Academy]

CLE LA is not laid out in a way that made sense to my kids. I have a degree in English and it always came easy to me. Rod and Staff is my absolute top pick for Grammar due to the way each book is laid out and the order in which the parts of speech are introduced, and in later books, expanded upon. Sorry, but we absolutely hated CLE here.

[SnMomof7]

The only thing we don't like so far is that the spelling lists in our level (4) are pretty random. Related to a common theme perhaps, but certainly not phonetically grouped. Random list memorization essentially.

[1dawn]

Both my dds have used CLE LA for the past few years; they are now in grades 4 and 6. We skip the spelling and handwriting sections. In their place, we use WWE and Sequential Spelling. We all love CLE. It is very thorough, and my dds work through it pretty much on their own starting in third grade. My oldest is better in diagramming than I am, so she enjoys teaching me!

[m0mmaBuck]

DD6 is doing CLE LA 100 and LTR at present and does fine with it. We don't bother with the spelling lists because they seem random and she has not problem spelling the words that are in the lessons.

 

We tried CLE LA 100 w/ DS when I pulled him from PS midway through 2nd grade and the repetition and weird diacritical marks were just too much for him. Then again, R&S also proved to be overload. LA in general is his kryptonite.

[frankcassiesmom]

We're with Tree House Academy. Hated it here. Everything about the way it is laid out, presents topics, etc. didn't work for my children. My daughter literally couldn't remember topics one week from the next as nothing was really done to depth. LOVE LOVE Rod and Staff here.

[abrightmom]

We're with Tree House Academy. Hated it here. Everything about the way it is laid out, presents topics, etc. didn't work for my children. My daughter literally couldn't remember topics one week from the next as nothing was really done to depth. LOVE LOVE Rod and Staff here.

 

I feel a bit like this with CLE LA 200. I am ready to go back to Rod & Staff or FLL with DS8 as I believe we can work more efficiently. The presentation is too classroom oriented and I don't need my son to be underlining, circling, matching, etc. Blech. It was a band aid for me as I wasn't able to prep before school needed to start. We are getting our feet under us and I am ready to rip the band aid off. :D Time will tell though. I want to finish the LU we are in now for my son's sake and sometimes a curriculum grows on me. :lol:

 

He took the placement test and placed well for LA200 but so far the first two LUs have not presented much in the way of challenge or new material. I feel like we wade thru a lot of material to get to something I want to address. I also find myself setting the TM aside and teaching/condensing it like I teach R&S :D. I like the phonics review and spelling work as much as anything else although I despise the constant schwa work in any curriculum and find myself modifying some of the phonics to suit me.

 

I am liking 100 with DD6 though. :001_smile: It is a nice, gentle intro to "school", she is learning, and she is enjoying the work. We have plenty of time to dig into FLL and add WWE when she is 7.