LLATL Blue for K program?

[WeeBeaks]

Does anyone use the LLATL Blue for a K program? Share thoughts please?

 

My first I used 100EZ Lessons, but honestly he started to read on his own at 3 and any program out there would probably have done fine. By the middle of the book he was reading the parent instructions to me. He remains a fine reader.

 

Second child we used Sonlight LA. It went okay, but he is a much weaker reader, and I don't think I can live through that program again teaching it. Besides the fact it asked copywork of full sentences from the first few weeks while somehow teaching letter formation a letter or so a week. :confused: I do still have the Fun Tales readers, which DS did like. It just felt disjoined, sometimes skipping ahead in pieces, and sometimes seeming to go backwards and repeat information the child already learned. Just not cohesive and linear IMHO. [Old one by the way, obviously haven't done the brand new LA.]

 

So now I have third child ready to learn to read. She hated 100EZ Lessons with a passion when I brought it out to show her upon her expressing a desire to learn to read (she is 4 by the way). No problem as I wasn't terribly a fan either - sold that and moved on. She likes Funnix, which is the computer version of 100EZ, but doesn't love it for sure. Reading Eggs she likes a lot but appears to be actually teaching her zero. Games are fun for her though. :tongue_smilie: So I need a reading program for her.

 

I have done LLATL in the Red book I think it was, which was a dismal thing for my advanced 1st child. Just a totally wrong fit for us at the time. I never used it with the others and haven't seen the blue program. I'm thinking though it might be a nice gentle intro, systematic? DD likes workbooks and actually has quite good letter formation already (knows all her letters already just from having homeschooled brothers and her love of workbooks).

 

My other thought is just perhaps doing Explode the Code and Bob books, both of which we have. She has completed Get Ready/Set/Go books A and B already, enjoys them.

 

By the third child, you would think I have this down, but these three children are very different from each other.

[LMD]

Pick me!

 

I'm using blue atm with my 4.5y/o new K-er. We are actually really enjoying it. My 2nd did Red in 1st and is doing Yellow now too which is good. We likely won't go further than Yellow though.

 

We also use some ETC which is good. If your DD already knows the basics then the first part of Blue will probably be review - it starts at the very beginning of beginning reading. I would say definitely that it is gentle and systematic, and it is working really well with my DS. We've just finished the first section/first readers and he is doing great, confidence is way up - and he's now at the 'picking out words around him' stage which I love. We enjoy the little games, worksheets, activities and the books are lovely (just had a bunch delivered for the next part today actually!)

 

If you have any specific q's I have it here so can answer.

 

ETC is good but I find it to be a lot of writing and repetition, not a lot of variety in the activities so far. I use it as independent work/review, just a little at a time.

 

HTH.

[WeeBeaks]

So the very first part of it is learning the letters, blends, etc? I so wish I had a good place to see everything next to each other and compare!

[LMD]

No the very first part is pre-reading stuff - pattern recognition etc.

 

The chapters go:

 

1. Readiness (2 lessons) - patterns, shapes, listening comprehension, words going left to right etc.

 

2. Short Vowels (17 lessons) - from Ran to Vet, introduces short vowels & consonants - We have just finished this section.

 

3. Consonant Blends and short vowels (5 lessons)

 

4. Long Vowels (12 lessons)

 

Each of section 2-4 comes with a set of readers. There is also a little handwriting practice and real books.

 

:)