Lightning Lit comments?

[Margo out of lurking]

Wow, I've been searching recent threads and this looks well-liked here. Yippee!

 

Any negative comments that anyone would like to share?

 

I'm considering this for my 13yodd. We've loosely used Teaching the Classics for the past few years. This year, my time will be really short (working part time), and I'm looking for something that will give her more independence. She's a strong reader. She'll continue using Beautiful Feet for history. I don't think BF and LL would be too much reading for her.

 

It looks like Lightning Lit has good writing assignments, something I'd like to see more of in our school. She's used Writing Strands for the past few years (I think she did 5 last year?), but I've not found the assignments to be particularly challenging or long. She's also used Learn to Write the Novel Way, but it was too drawn out for her to enjoy it. She loves to write fiction, needs more practice and instruction in expository and opinion writing.

 

ANY advice or thoughts would be most welcomed!

[Tina in WA]

LL isn't really a writing program. They offer 2 writing assignment suggestions per book and occasionally writing in the activity pages. We use Home2teach online writing classes for writing.

 

I/we love LL! :)

 

My only disappointment... I wish they had pages number referrals to the answers to the compression questions in the teachers guides. Especially for the books they sell. It would make it easier on me and my dd if I could say, "look at page #... and see if you can find the right answer." Instead of saying, "well you got to search for it." or just tell her the answer when she gets it wrong. That is my only complaint thus far. :)

 

~Tina

[Christine]

They offer 2 writing assignment suggestions per book and occasionally writing in the activity pages.

 

I think they usually offer 5 questions for writing assignments, but suggest that you do two.

 

 

Any negative comments that anyone would like to share?

 

ANY advice or thoughts would be most welcomed!

 

Ohhh. . . .

 

So, I bought the program because I knew I was failing my kids in Lit analysis and writing.

 

And after using LL 7, 8 and Am Lit (both), I would say I still am. (DS1 did the Am Lits this year, and DS2 did both 7 & 8).

 

Let me caveat this statement upfront. You said you have already gone through TTC and have used it somewhat loosely through now. I just watched TTC this April and plan to use it here on out. (My caveat would be that you could "marry" TTC and LL.)

 

I found LL to be too easily made independent work. (Have schedules on my blog to "prove" that fact.) You make literature "independent" and you totally destroy any lit analysis benefit. LL 7 & 8, go into the parts of lit analysis, but there's not continuation from one unit to the next ("file dump" result).

 

The writing assignments were "okay", but not as in depth / extensive / thought provoking as I would have hoped. I stink at coming up with good questions / writing assignments and I was really hoping this would make up for my deficiency.

 

Nuts, I was going to say more, but just got distracted and lost my train of thought. . .(I've had sick kids all week, so my brain is foggy from lack of sleep, I apologize.) I'll try to regain my thoughts. . .

[DB in NJ]

I've used one of their high school courses and have just recently bought LL8 for my dd. LL8 has more instruction than the high school one; the high school program assumes you've already taught writing.

 

I suggest you join the yahoo group and ask questions there. The author, Elizabeth Kamath, is very active over there and will answer you personally.

 

Also, someone wonderful posted this site on the high school board. Plaid Dad now has it linked from his site. It's *wonderful*: http://hrsbstaff.ednet.ns.ca/mshaw/Revised_Analysis_Sheets%5B.pdf

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

We just started using LL7, and so far so good. The books are all very appealing to my dd, which is the main reason we chose LL. Prior to using this, we were using study guides and picking books at random. LL makes things a lot easier for me.

 

LL feels very comfortable to me. The scheduling for LL7 is not hurried in the least and easy to adapt to your needs. I like that there is a choice of writing assignments. That keeps dd more motivated in the writing department. The lessons and mini-lessons are very straightforward and written to the student.

 

I have never used a formal program because I never found one I thought was a good fit for my kid. I am so glad I ordered this one!