Starting FLL in gr 3 - where to begin?

[Guest dawn_clark]

We have used Sonlight LA up to this point in our family, but for various reasons are considering a switch for the fall. In the fall we will have 6th, 3rd, and 1st graders. I'm particularly wondering about my 3rd grader and where to begin with her - FLL 1 quotes a grade level of grade 1, but since this will be her first year, should she start there? I am also thinking of whether it would be possible to combine my 3rd and 1st graders as well, since with an extremely active 3yo tagging along, some days the available focused one-on-one school time is limited (not sure if I'd be able to keep up with different daily FLL for each of them).

 

I am planning to use WWE as well, starting the 1st grader with book 1 (possibly partway through the year as many have suggested), and my 3rd grader in book 2, and 6th grader probably in book 4 (don't think he's ready for WWS yet).

 

Any suggestions where to begin particularly with the 3rd grader? She has been exposed to basic grammar principles through SL - noun/verb/adjective, capitalization, punctuation.

[Five More Minutes]

I wouldn't do FLL1 with a third-grader; FLL3 repeats everything from FLL1, but goes through the material much faster. (FLL1, for example, spends 40 lessons on nouns.) I would start her there if you can at all.

 

With your younger Gr. 1 student, you could either do FLL1 (it's VERY easy, done orally, and has short lessons), or start right into FLL2 (also very easily done), or just wait until you're ready to start FLL3 with her. Because FLL3 repeats concepts from FLL1 & 2, it's not that hard to miss the first two levels.

[texasmama]

I agree with the pp that your 3rd grader can easily go into FLL3.

[boscopup]

I'd start at FLL3. FLL1 would be easy too easy for the average 3rd grader.

 

I would also recommend WWE3 instead of 4 for the older student, unless he passed the WWE3 evaluation. You can go from 3 to WWS.

[Guest dawn_clark]

Thank you for the suggestions! I will look at starting her in FLL 3. FLL 1 really is such short lessons, I'm sure I should be able to fit it in with the younger one.

 

As well, I remember now reading something saying that a student could go directly from WWE 3 to WWS, but I had forgotten - I think that will work better for him. He could probably pass the dictation portion of the year 3 evaluation (although it would be right at the limit of what we currently do in dictation), but he would have trouble with the narration, I'm sure.

 

As a side note in dictation - I've been requiring my oldest to do his dictation in cursive (which he's worked on for a couple of years, but it still requires conscious thought for him). He says because he has to think about how to make the letters, he can't do very long sentences at once. Should I let him do his dictation in printing instead so he can focus on the skill of holding longer pieces or information in his head?