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What grade/age do you start FLL1 and WWE?


Smiles
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We started at the beginning of first grade. We recently finished FLL1 (so beg of Sept to mid-March). There were some days that we combined multiple lessons because there is only so much you can take of learning about nouns.

 

To fill the gap left by FLL1, we're going to start LanguageSmarts B by CTC this week.

 

We're still working through WWE1. We do one lesson per week, split over two days.

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They are both intended for first grade, though FLL1 *can* be started earlier (it's very easy and gentle) and some kids need to wait until 2nd to start WWE1 (it's sometimes challenging). My oldest did both in the 2nd half of first grade when I pulled him out of school, but he completed FLL1 in 3 weeks. He should have started with FLL2 or even 3 (he picks up grammar very easily). WWE1 was spot on for that age. My middle son will start FLL1 and WWE1 this summer for first grade. He'll be about the same age that my oldest was. I think he's more than ready for WWE1, and we'll see how FLL goes. I think he'll do fine with it.

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So far...

 

Kindergarten

FLL 1 (orally, grammar only)

Copywork

 

1st Grade

FLL 2 (mostly orally, grammar only)

WWE 1

 

2nd Grade

FLL 3 (grammar only) -- 1/2 the lessons

WWE 2

 

Future plans...

 

3rd Grade (next year)

FLL 3 (grammar only) -- 1/2 the lessons

WWE 3

 

4th Grade (tentative)

FLL 4 (grammar only) -- 1/2 the lessons

WWE 4 (if needed) + something else ?? (creative writing? our homemade writing course, inspired by EightFilltheHeart's posts about teaching writing??)

 

5th Grade (tentative)

FLL 4 (grammar only) -- 1/2 the lessons

WWS 1 (not the entire level)

 

6th Grade (tentative)

Rod & Staff English (if we can stand it; grammar only)

WWS 1 (complete the level?) + WWS 2 (begin the level?)

 

7th Grade (tentative)

Rod & Staff English (grammar only)

WWS 2 (complete the level?) + WWS 3 (complete the level?)

 

8th Grade (tentative)

Rod & Staff English (grammar only, if needed)

WWS 3 (complete the level?) -- this could spill over into 9th, I think?

 

 

Looking back, I could have started WWE 1 halfway through Kindergarten, but no harm was done in waiting until 1st. However, the second half of WWE 1 was more than my 1st grader needed. I now think it would be best to work through Weeks 1-18, then do the Evaluation (Week 36), and then decide if any more work is needed. If so, there would be 18 more weeks to work through. If the student has mastered (or nearly mastered) the skills of that level, you could work through every other lesson, just to practice. You could save the other nine lessons to intersperse with the beginning of the next level, or simply move on to the next level. Or, you could take nine weeks to do something else, something more creative than WWE. Start a journal, write stories, write poems, write letters to relatives, make lists! :) My child could have really used that breath of fresh air, KWIM? She didn't complain, but she was sighing toward the end of WWE 1. I didn't know enough to stop, so we slogged through all the lessons. It wasn't necessary, and could have burned her out. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

This year, I could see it coming again toward the second half of WWE 2. ;) So she "tested out" and can now move on to all the great, creative and real life writing she wants to do, while still working on those last nine lessons for maintenance. ;)

 

I do appreciate that WWE has plenty of material to work on in order to master the skills of each level. It's just good to keep in mind that there is more material than some students need, and it's okay to evaluate when that mastery has been achieved and move on. HTH.

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On average my four DC above first grade started FLL 1 and WWE-style writing assignments (sans WWE) in first grade. My late bloomer didn't do any grammar until third grade, and the one who read phonetically at 3yo started it around 4.5yo. She was pleading for her own school work, and FLL was a great, gentle start to having her own lessons.

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I started WWE with my oldest mid-way through 3rd grade last year. That wasn't by plan, but just the time I became aware of it as an option. I hated Writing Strands and was looking for alternatives. I used the text at first to find his level and started him on WWE3 but quickly backed up and had him do WWE2 at a double pace. He's in 3 now and sometimes we can do it at a double pace and sometimes we slow down. I had hoped to be in 4 by the end of this year, but I expect we'll still work in 4 part of next year as well. I'm okay with that. We've just found the reading selections in 3 to be a bit harder at times than 2.

 

I didn't do FLL with him, but I am going to use the FLL 1/2 combo book with my youngest next. I don't feel quite ready to start it now. My Kinder wants to do WWE, so we have played around with WWE1 using the text. I may do WWE1 with him next as well, but really slow and as interest is there. No pressure.

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I do not use FLL, though I have seen people start it as young as K. WWE is a whole different ball game. I don't think it is a good idea to start WWE1 before 1st grade. I also think that the dc should be reading and writing fairly well before starting it. WWE1 has copywork, which would be very hard if the child can't read it. And WWE2 significantly increases in difficulty.

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I was thinking FLL1 1st grade and WWE 2nd or 3rd. But I was unsure about that but now I feel a little better with this. My ds is reading but not that great yet but he is trying so hard! He also likes to write he copies words all the time from his childs dictionary I don't have him do that he just enjoys doing this I don't know why! But I think WWE might be a little much right now but we will see a lot changes in several mths and then I will make my final decision. Thank you all for the advice.

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We started FLL in 1st and WWE in 2nd (level 2). In hind sight, I'd just jump into the second book of both books in 2nd grade. FLL 1 is SO slow and repetitive and I'm very comfortable teaching grammar so I'd just make a list of the basic concepts and integrate them into things we're already doing. We did narrations and copywork on our own in 1st and that was fine.

 

I like to keep the early grades as simple as possible!

 

WWE has an evaluation (online? can't remember!) that you can use for placement.

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I have the older FLL that is a combined 1 and 2. I start with this in 2nd grade and work through the whole book. For mine, it was just a wash to start in 1st--they either didn't understand it or didn't retain it. I started WWE 1 with ds in 2nd grade, and decided to start dd with it in 1st. That decision was made most because ds does not like writing (physically I mean) and dd loves it.

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I was thinking FLL1 1st grade and WWE 2nd or 3rd. But I was unsure about that but now I feel a little better with this. My ds is reading but not that great yet but he is trying so hard! He also likes to write he copies words all the time from his childs dictionary I don't have him do that he just enjoys doing this I don't know why! But I think WWE might be a little much right now but we will see a lot changes in several mths and then I will make my final decision. Thank you all for the advice.

 

 

I think either choice can certainly work well. You can go from WWE3 to WWS, so you don't need to worry about being "behind" in WWE (and some prefer WWS in a later grade anyway!).

 

My middle son may not be able to read the copywork in WWE1 when we start. We'll see. What I do think he's ready for is the narrations. He has developed such excellent listening skills and story retelling skills lately, that I think WWE will be right up his alley. He also enjoys copying words and sentences, even if he can't read them. So I may just point out the phonics involved in each word and go for it. :tongue_smilie: He's basically the opposite of my older son, who could read the passages himself in 1st grade no problem, but he hated to write and struggled a bit with the questions about the passages (he did better if he read the passage himself, as you do in WWE3). I'm glad I kept plugging away at it with him though, because it really helped his listening skills.

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I have just started after schooling WWE1 with as who is six on Saturday and started year 2 (grade 1) in Feb. At the moment we combine two lessons in one and do that two or three times a week but I imagine we will slow down later. I don't think we will do FFL1 but I plan to add FFL2 in later and alternate it with WWE.

 

May not work but that is the plan.

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I have the older FLL that is a combined 1 and 2. I start with this in 2nd grade and work through the whole book. For mine, it was just a wash to start in 1st--they either didn't understand it or didn't retain it. I started WWE 1 with ds in 2nd grade, and decided to start dd with it in 1st. That decision was made most because ds does not like writing (physically I mean) and dd loves it.

 

I have the older book also. There's a lot of repetition between Levels 1 and 2. I think a parent could easily skip Level 1 and just start in 2nd grade with Level 2, or do what you do and go through the entire book at a faster pace.

 

To the OP: With my dd, I started FLL in K and WWE in first. With my ds, I started both in first. I think it's nice to do FLL and WWE together because some of the topics overlap, but FLL 1 is easy enough that you could start it in K if you wanted. I agree with the person who said that it's better not to start WWE too early because the difficulty level goes up considerably after Level 1.

 

Sue

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I was thinking FLL1 1st grade and WWE 2nd or 3rd. But I was unsure about that but now I feel a little better with this. My ds is reading but not that great yet but he is trying so hard! He also likes to write he copies words all the time from his childs dictionary I don't have him do that he just enjoys doing this I don't know why! But I think WWE might be a little much right now but we will see a lot changes in several mths and then I will make my final decision. Thank you all for the advice.

 

 

What dictionary do you have for him?

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What dictionary do you have for him?

The American Heritage First Dictionary by Houghton Mifflin. We got it at the library they handed out free books and he picked this one, he carries it around all the time! Sorry it took me so long to post.

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I was thinking FLL1 1st grade and WWE 2nd or 3rd. But I was unsure about that but now I feel a little better with this. My ds is reading but not that great yet but he is trying so hard! He also likes to write he copies words all the time from his childs dictionary I don't have him do that he just enjoys doing this I don't know why! But I think WWE might be a little much right now but we will see a lot changes in several mths and then I will make my final decision. Thank you all for the advice.

 

 

My son does the same thing - copies words from the dictionary! He loves to write! I'm going to try WWE and FLL when we start 1st grade this fall. I've looked at WWE and it doesn't seem too difficult, especially at first.

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