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All inclusive LA?


mothergooseof4
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I am not sure I would consider a LA change for us at this point in the year, but perhaps for next year. I want something that includes it all, well perhaps not spelling, but I want grammar, literary terms/analysis, writing instruction, etc. all in one program.

 

We have tried CLE and it seemed like overkill and lacked in writing instruction. Phonics Road took too much of our day. What other choices are out there?

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For what age?

 

Michael Clay Thompson (Royal Fireworks Press) starts at about grade 3, and includes grammar, grammar practice, writing, poetics, literature, and vocabulary that will provide a long-term assist with spelling because it begins with Latin-based vocabulary and stems (which over years expands to include Greek, Old English, and more).

 

The cool thing about its design is that the program is integrated... Although you can pick and choose components freely, they definitely reinforce one another; poetics reinforces grammar and vocabulary and so on. None of the components requires all year by itself, so you can stagger them a bit so you are not spending all morning on language arts, but because they reinforce each other (and because of the way the practice book works) there will be review all year long.

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For what age?

 

Michael Clay Thompson (Royal Fireworks Press) starts at about grade 3, and includes grammar, grammar practice, writing, poetics, literature, and vocabulary that will provide a long-term assist with spelling because it begins with Latin-based vocabulary and stems (which over years expands to include Greek, Old English, and more).

 

The cool thing about its design is that the program is integrated... Although you can pick and choose components freely, they definitely reinforce one another; poetics reinforces grammar and vocabulary and so on. None of the components requires all year by itself, so you can stagger them a bit so you are not spending all morning on language arts, but because they reinforce each other (and because of the way the practice book works) there will be review all year long.

 

I will take a look at this again. I have before and it didn't appeal to me. Does it go all the way through hs?

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MBTP and Bravewriter, here, are holistic and our foundation that extend into our other subjects. We are bathed in words all day long, but not in like a tortured, overkill way. :) I have a philosophy that nothing in life is isolated, so our subjects aren't either. ymmv, of course.

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I will take a look at this again. I have before and it didn't appeal to me. Does it go all the way through hs?

 

It depends on when you start it. The Magic Lens levels are very challenging; if you did not start them in early middle school, you can start them in mid to late middle school without insulting the student at all. The vocabulary program includes explicit instruction on how to do analogies (are those still a big part of the SAT?).

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Essentials in Writing would have grammar and writing, but not lit. analysis. I think lit. analysis would usually come in with whatever you do for reading though. Have you ever looked at Deconstructing Penguins? Not a program, but easy to add in discussions with whatever you are already doing for reading.

 

Merry :-)

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I chose LLATL. I looked at each of the above recommendations and more.

 

My younger two will do the orange book leaving out the spelling since they will continue with Apples and Pears spelling. They are using Essentials in Writing and will stop for now. We will do all of LLATL orange, then I will select what I want them to finish up the year with in EIW, or I may just fit in the writing skills as they apply to what we are doing elsewhere. I like EIW, but it seems too structured for this age. I like the writing in LLATL at this stage and will continue with written narrations in content subjects as well.

 

My oldest will continue EIW 7 and will do LLATL green. He is weak in writing and needs EIW, which is perfect at his level. I like that LLATL keeps grammar fresh, covers some basic lit. analysis/terms, and provides for some other skills. I also allows us to ditch our various components for spelling, dictation, etc. and get it all in one place. I know others say the spelling is weak, but he just needs review after years of OG intense spelling programs. Others say the lit. is weak, but he reads tons of books and answers the question in Notgrass and BF. I really just want strong writing and then a broad sweep of the other LA topics for him.

 

This combined with all of our literature based studies in BF satisfies me. And, hopefully, my oldest and I will have a chance to set this all aside and do Teaching the Classics together at some point this year.

Edited by mothergooseofthree
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