CLE or R&S english

[pocjets]

Can anyone help me decide between these 2 programs? I have 6 children, only 2 are school aged, so i need something that gets the job done but also that isn't very teacher intensive. this will be for second and third grades. also, we have tried fll and it's not a big hit here so i don't want to use that. Thanks for the help!

[boscopup]

I haven't used CLE, but I like R&S English starting in grade 3. I wasn't impressed with the grade 2 book. I'm probably going to use FLL1/2 for my middle son and then switch him over to R&S when he's ready. I find R&S easy to use. The TM is simple. We do most of the textbook work orally, but I assign some writing most of the time, depending on how much writing we're doing in other subjects that day. Definitely gets the job done. Note that each level in the elementary years repeats the grammar taught in the previous year, so you can jump in at grade level any time up through grade 5. So the grade 2 child could wait until 3rd grade to start grammar and not have any issues.

 

My friend used to use CLE LA, and I think she didn't like the all in one aspect, plus the spelling and writing were both weak. They've since switched to GWG and like that better. Some people like CLE LA though, so of course YMMV. ;)

[Mommy22alyns]

I used CLE LA 100 and R&S 2, 3, and 4. CLE was easy to use, but I didn't care for the emphasis on diacritical markings. Sylvia knew how to read and it was all either frustrating or redundant. I prefer R&S. I do have to work with each girl individually, but it's very easy to teach and easy to adjust how much work you want to assign. It doesn't take very long.

 

I also agree that you can skip R&S 2 if you want.

[coffeegal]

Rod and Staff works well for us. I've also appeciated that R&S uses textbooks rather than workbooks. It reduces the expense of homeschooling. :001_smile:

[acsnmama]

We love R&S English 2!!

[Mom28kds]

I'm interested in this same question. I currently use CLE but I think it is overkill on having the kids remember all the dictionary sounds like the schwa. I'm researching a few more options for the younger years. My (now 6th grader) has used CLE for 5th and 6th grade and I like it. I use something else for handwriting and writing though.

[coralloyd]

I love R&S! We have done grades 2-5 so far. I am on my second go around with dd8. I like grade 2 because it is a very gentle start, perfect for a 2nd grader imo. R&S is very easy to teach. It's pick up and go. It takes very little time. Very easy to understand, cheap, non consumable, and solid grammar. I don't know anything about CLE, sorry.

[SFM]

I, too, don't know much about CLE, I have a few friends who use it but their children are older. I used FLL 1 & 2 and really liked them, I did not care for FLL 3 and moved over to R&S English 3. I plan to continue using it unless something changes. I really like it. It is easy to use, most of it is non-consumable, it's a student text and teacher text. We can do some orally and some written. I find it easy to use and teacher friendly yet very thorough. I appreciate that.

[ezrabean2005]

We've used CLE since K through today (9th grade for DS15). I have tried other programs including R&S, but we have always returned to CLE. For us, it is because my kids want to get the work done without having to wait for me. Between working and running our cafe, I can frequently get interrupted. With R&S, there was too much writing (IMO) if we didn't do some of it orally. Since CLE is consumable workbooks, there is less writing overall vs. having to copy from the R&S books.

 

At times CLE has felt overkill, but it is solid and my kids have never complained about it being "overkill". It was just me reviewing what they were going to do for the day and feeling that way. But they haven't said this. R&S is a great program too, but CLE made more sense for our family in application and day to day progress. Hope that made sense. :001_smile:

[Mom28kds]

Are there any other Mom's that have used both of these and can compare?

[Mrs Twain]

I used CLE 100 and didn't like it at all. I think you could skip all of the phonics, and maybe that would be better. I haven't used higher levels. Also, CLE 100 didn't last for an entire school year.

 

I have used R&S 2-4 and am very impressed with this solid program. There is a part where you do the review orally from the TM and then read through the lesson in the student book with your child. Then the child does independent written exercises. I only assign about half of the written exercises since there are usually more than is needed (as it is designed for a classroom). R&S 2 takes about 5-10 minutes of my time with my 2nd grader, and R&S 4 takes about 15 minutes (or maybe 20 minutes on certain lessons) of my time with my 4th grader.

 

R&S 2 is called something like "Foundations" (though I don't have it in front of me). I think it is designed to be a gentle introduction to grammar, and I like it for that reason. I don't see any need to accelerate grammar for a 2nd grader. R&S 3 really takes off into quite a bit of a rigorous grammar course for a 3rd grader IMO, and I also like that, too.

[suzielou]

We love R&S English! DS12 is working in the 7th grade book. DD8 has DS12's old 2nd grade book, and I bought another copy for DS7! We are almost through 2nd with DD8, and are excited about pulling 3rd of the shelf. She has a processing delay, so is working almost an entire grade behind (My heart surgery last year didn't help). DS7 is in the middle of Unit 2 and is doing great. It seems to start slow in 2nd, but it lays a solid foundation while building confidence. I am going to miss it when my kids are grown. Cost is great, too! I bought most of mine used (not that it is expensive) and it is on the 4th child that I know of. Two of my friends have switched after seeing it!