I may have found what I'm looking for in a program that truly uses literature to study LA skills.

[SEGway]

Learning the spelling rules in RLTL depends on the repetition of hearing the rule stated with individual words rather than studying the rule and then focusing on words that use that rule. I imagine that either method could work beautifully, depending on the child. But because of the focus on repetition, I feel it's best to go through as many books as possible. The issue is knowing how much of the material they've already covered in another program. 

 

I usually say to start with 1, especially since you already have it. I figured it out once, and an older child doing 40-50 words per week could complete all three levels in 34-43 weeks. Level 1 has 480 words, so at 40 words per week, it would only take 12 weeks to complete. I also think that doing more words leads to the parent becoming more confident about how to analyze the words, something that will help when you come into contact with new words to analyze. The competence and the CONFIDENCE, which is harder for some of us, both come from feeling like you've analyzed so many words you could do it in your sleep. :-D 

 

But if you feel like she already knows and understands everything in Level 1, and she's really not getting anything out of it, you can certainly move on to Level 2. Part of the reason for simple rules only in Level 1 is to keep from overwhelming the beginner, which she's not. The rules get a little more complicated as the word lists do, but the simpler ones are still mentioned, so she'd still be getting them.

 

All of the actual markings are mentioned in Level 1; there's not a lot of them. Level 3 has the most rules mentioned. Any level you start with will give her a basic familiarity with the rules so that using the spelling journal and prepared dictation will be easier. 

 

Did that help at all? 

Thanks for responding so thoroughly. That helps. I think we'll just speed through them all before starting the spelling journal/prepared dictation. She's getting bored of easy words. But, she's picking up the rules/markings, and I'm gaining familiarity. Win/win. :) 

[Coco_Clark]

Ok, thanks.  My kids are young, and so far we've only ever done 1 read aloud at a time.  Morning time right now consists of: 1 picture book per kid (so 2 total), 1 chapter of our read aloud, 1 chapter of our children's bible, and 1 poem.  Then we alternate with either art appreciation, music appreciation, nature study, history, or saints lives and finish up with some sort of output (drawing, oral narration, art project, ect)

 

Since it sounds like most kids don't mind the "breaks" I'll just schedule it 3 days a week.  It will give us more time for things that sometimes take longer than planned, like art appreciation or history :)  And I do like the idea of having "time" for books that aren't necessarily listed in LLTL.  If we find we have time for it, I can always add in another read aloud for the other 2 days, or even have one that spans the entire week.

 

Thanks everyone!

[Aspasia]

I also have an obsessive personality type. Come spring, when I stop cursing the cold weather, I start looking for a project, and I'll spend insane amounts of time working on it. My family lets me get it out of my system (mostly) without complaining, and then I go back to my normal pace until it strikes again. I probably have some sort of disorder. B)

This is totally me! I always tell people I have the opposite of ADD--hyper focus disorder. I get so obsessively focused on projects that I neglect everything else until I'm done. Luckily, I only do it occasionally.

[KathyJo]

This is totally me! I always tell people I have the opposite of ADD--hyper focus disorder. I get so obsessively focused on projects that I neglect everything else until I'm done. Luckily, I only do it occasionally.

 

*snort* I'm using that. HFD. 

[mom@shiloh]

Me too.  I get so focused that I kinda resent my family for thinking they need to be fed while I'm trying to get a project done.  :>

[MotherOfBoys]

So the books in LLTL are in public domain. Are they the original Pinocchio or a Classic start easier reader version? The child reads them right? Th I s isn't read aloud time right? I want this program to be my spelling, reading (child read), and grammar altogether. It just sounds to good to be true for the price.

 

I hate spelling workout because the words come from a list that have no interest to my son. He is flying through pathway reader books for his reading practice and I would like to show him he's ready for real books. But I want grammar (nouns, verbs, etc with punctuation) . Thorough and pushing the child just a little out of comfort.

 

We start back up Dec 30th so I have to decide fast.

[Aspasia]

Me too. I get so focused that I kinda resent my family for thinking they need to be fed while I'm trying to get a project done. :>

During my "episodes", my kids eat a lot of meals that consist of cheese, crackers, and fruit. I also put out some veggies and dip to make myself feel better.

[Aspasia]

So the books in LLTL are in public domain. Are they the original Pinocchio or a Classic start easier reader version? The child reads them right? Th I s isn't read aloud time right? I want this program to be my spelling, reading (child read), and grammar altogether. It just sounds to good to be true for the price.

 

I hate spelling workout because the words come from a list that have no interest to my son. He is flying through pathway reader books for his reading practice and I would like to show him he's ready for real books. But I want grammar (nouns, verbs, etc with punctuation) . Thorough and pushing the child just a little out of comfort.

 

We start back up Dec 30th so I have to decide fast.

From what I understand (from the LLTL introductory info), these are read-alouds. Correct me if I'm wrong, Kathy Jo. :)

[silver]

For spelling, it's taught by prepared dictation in LLtL (where the student studies the passage) and similar to the Spalding method (by marking the word and discussing the rules that apply) in RLtL? Are markings/spelling rules used in LLtL?

[KathyJo]

So the books in LLTL are in public domain. Are they the original Pinocchio or a Classic start easier reader version? The child reads them right? Th I s isn't read aloud time right? I want this program to be my spelling, reading (child read), and grammar altogether. It just sounds to good to be true for the price.

 

I hate spelling workout because the words come from a list that have no interest to my son. He is flying through pathway reader books for his reading practice and I would like to show him he's ready for real books. But I want grammar (nouns, verbs, etc with punctuation) . Thorough and pushing the child just a little out of comfort.

 

We start back up Dec 30th so I have to decide fast.

 

If it makes you feel better, I can charge more.  :lol:

 

They are the original books, not simplified. My older boys read their books. When they're younger, we often use audio books (I love Louis Carroll, but I can't read his books aloud.) and sometimes I read them aloud. Since they're in the public domain, Librivox.org has free audio versions. 

 

Grammar doesn't begin until Level 2, and prepared dictation for spelling doesn't begin until Level 3. 

 

"Thorough and pushing the child just a little out of comfort."

 

In all honesty, this is not what my program is about. You could make it so, by putting him in Level 2 instead of Level 1. But my personal philosophy, which is what is behind LLTL, is that skills taught gently are learned just as well, and sometimes better, than skills taught through pushing. Many 5 year olds would not be developmentally ready for Level 2, nor 6 year olds ready for Level 3, etc.

[KathyJo]

For spelling, it's taught by prepared dictation in LLtL (where the student studies the passage) and similar to the Spalding method (by marking the word and discussing the rules that apply) in RLtL?

 

Exactly.

 

 

Are markings/spelling rules used in LLtL?

 

No. The spelling journal lists the phonograms and spelling rules, but you could use it however you want. LLTL leaves it up to you how you want to analyze the words. In a more pure CM method, children would take a mental picture of the word, but that's one of the places where I disagree with Miss Mason. :-) So, you could do the dictations even if you don't care to learn phonograms, or you could skip the dictations and continue to use your current spelling program. 

 

Does that help?

[KathyJo]

During my "episodes", my kids eat a lot of meals that consist of cheese, crackers, and fruit. I also put out some veggies and dip to make myself feel better.

 

We're gluten free by necessity, and low carb by choice. Throw together dinners are difficult when they're not impossible.

 

OTOH, I've taught two of my boys to cook. ;-)

[KathyJo]

Levels 1 and 2 are now separated. Level 2 is available now through CreateSpace. Level 1 should be available through CreateSpace tomorrow; there was a problem with the cover file that needed correction. Both levels should be available through Amazon within a week. Amazon will discount them and they'll be eligible for free shipping offers

 

For the time being, I'm leaving the single book that includes both Levels 1 & 2 up as well, for anyone who prefers it.

[mom@shiloh]

Thanks Kathy Jo!  Good work!  Go reward yourself with some gluten free, low carb chocolate, or the equivalent.

 

 

[KathyJo]

Thanks Kathy Jo!  Good work!  Go reward yourself with some gluten free, low carb chocolate, or the equivalent.

 

70% dark, either Lindt or Green & Black's. In case you're ever considering a bribe. :-D

[Kathleen.]

I bought the pdf versions for Levels 1, 2, and 3 through lulu using the the coupon "bookdeal" and got 30% off :)  YAY!

[mom@shiloh]

70% dark, either Lindt or Green & Black's. In case you're ever considering a bribe. :-D

Would it get me level 4 or 5 any faster?  That would be totally worth it.

[mathnmusic]

Install dropbox on your computer and on your iPad. Drag the files into the dropbox folder on your computer. Then open the dropbox app on your iPad and you will see the files there.

 

I didn't use this option, so I'm not sure what happens then with THESE files. but often you can just read files right in dropbox and others need to be opened in another app, and often the options of what to do next are clear.

 

If you can't figure it out, I'll go through the process on my iPad and write down exactly what I did.

 

I put my files in iBooks and read them there. iBooks is doing a beautiful job with them. I can tap the color pictures and pinch them to fill the screen.

Thanks so much, Hunter!  I really appreciate your help, I'm going to try this soon.   

 

Prepared dictation is typically a sentence or two or three (depending on age and ability)  taken directly from a book.  The passage will contain spelling words that a child might need practice on, but they are in context of the sentence and not just a list of words.  When we do prepared dictation, my younger children might first use the passage as copywork.  Then, the next day, we'll discuss certain things about the passage.  Maybe capitalization of proper nouns, or compound words, or commas, whatever.  (Perhaps we'll discuss incomplete sentences such as the one I just used.)  We'll also make note of words that he/she might have difficulty spelling and discuss the "rules" for the correct spelling.  For example, we just talked about using a 'tch' after a short vowel instead of using a 'ch' after a long vowel.  Then, when they feel confident of writing the passage correctly, we'll do the dictation.  Your goal is to have your child so prepared for the dictation that there will be no mistakes by the time they do it.  And, yes, you dictate the full passage to them and have them write it.

 

With my older children, we often skip the copywork part of it and discuss the dictation, taking note of words that might be difficult to spell.

 

hth,

 

Thanks so much for this, mom@shiloh!  The light bulb is turning on now and I really like this way of doing dictation, preparing the dc for success rather than testing.  We'll be doing dictation like this from now on.  

 

Can I just say how much I appreciate the awesome ladies on this forum, for your willingness to share advice and stories of btdt...It's made all the difference to the health of our homeschool and MY mental health.  Hugs to you all!

[4maybabies]

I have to say I LOVE that I can get the audiobooks on Librivox! As much as I would like to read aloud to my kids...doing 3 levels of LLTL, and all our other subjects, there is just not enough time in the day! My kids listen to the chapters independently, and then we do the lesson together. Love it! We get our lessons done and then it leaves time for our family read alouds later in the day.

[KathyJo]

I have to say I LOVE that I can get the audiobooks on Librivox! As much as I would like to read aloud to my kids...doing 3 levels of LLTL, and all our other subjects, there is just not enough time in the day! My kids listen to the chapters independently, and then we do the lesson together. Love it! We get our lessons done and then it leaves time for our family read alouds later in the day.

 

I've gotten better about read alouds over the years, but I would still have trouble using multiple levels with younger children without audio books. I have audio versions of various books from both Audible and Librivox. Because these are childhood classics, there are some really good readers who do the Librivox versions! I regretted wasting my Audible credits on a few. :-)

[KathyJo]

Karen Savage is one Librivox reader we like, and she has a lot of books. We downloaded her version of The Story of Doctor Dolittle.

[Kathleen.]

Karen Savage is one Librivox reader we like, and she has a lot of books. We downloaded her version of The Story of Doctor Dolittle.

 

 

What a delightful surprise.  I just listened to bits of it and I love her voice.

[KathyJo]

Here are the planned literature selections for Levels 4, 5, and 6. I'm going to get them posted on my site (eventually), but at least one person has indicated that she'd like to see them here. These are subject to change! But this is the current plan. And yes, there's an Oz book in every level except Level 1. Oz is where I started this journey, so it just seemed right. Plus, I like them, and so do the boys.

 

I liked the idea of covering more fairy tale type books (Oz and The Princess and the Goblin kind of books), ones that were "outside" of history studies, but I couldn't actually seem to make it work that way. I am open to suggestions if you can think of books of that sort (ETA: in the public domain), but I make no guarantees of changing my mind. :-)

 

Level 4

 

Black Beauty

The Book of Dragons

Heidi

Ozma of Oz

Tanglewood Tales

The Reluctant Dragon

 

Level 5

 

Tom Sawyer

Around the World in 80 Days

The Emerald City of Oz

Little Women

Two short stories by O. Henry

The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde

 

Level 6

 

At the Back of the North Wind

Call of the Wild

The Patchwork Girl of Oz

A Christmas Carol

Sherlock Holmes stories

Other short stories

[Hunter]

Alcazar Audioworks books frequently go on sale at Currclick. Sometimes if I "buy" a free Kindle book, I get a steep discount on an Audible.com book through a Whispersync deal. Sometimes I can download them from the library. There was a post at AO recently with a link to free streaming audio books at the NYC library site.

 

I'm a real snob about audiobooks. I can't afford to spend much, but it it's just a few dollars I try to splurge.

[mama25angels]

Kathy Jo, would you recommend level 3 for a pencil phobic boy who forgets grammar terms two seconds after he's learned them? My original plan was too finish Hake, but I am very interested in trying LLTL. I don't know if it matters, but he's still using a cursive handwriting program.

[Hunter]

Here are the planned literature selections for Levels 4, 5, and 6. I'm going to get them posted on my site (eventually), but at least one person has indicated that she'd like to see them here. These are subject to change! But this is the current plan. And yes, there's an Oz book in every level except Level 1. Oz is where I started this journey, so it just seemed right. Plus, I like them, and so do the boys.

 

I liked the idea of covering more fairy tale type books (Oz and The Princess and the Goblin kind of books), ones that were "outside" of history studies, but I couldn't actually seem to make it work that way. I am open to suggestions if you can think of books of that sort, but I make no guarantees of changing my mind. :-)

 

Level 4

 

Black Beauty

The Book of Dragons

Heidi

Ozma of Oz

Tanglewood Tales

The Reluctant Dragon

 

Level 5

 

Tom Sawyer

Around the World in 80 Days

The Emerald City of Oz

Little Women

Two short stories by O. Henry

The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde

 

Level 6

 

At the Back of the North Wind

Call of the Wild

The Patchwork Girl of Oz

A Christmas Carol

Sherlock Holmes stories

Other short stories

Thank you so much for posting this!

[KathyJo]

Kathy Jo, would you recommend level 3 for a pencil phobic boy who forgets grammar terms two seconds after he's learned them? My original plan was too finish Hake, but I am very interested in trying LLTL. I don't know if it matters, but he's still using a cursive handwriting program.

 

The exercises require very little writing. Most of the writing is in the copywork; you could do the dictation like we do--on the computer--if he types already. If not, I also recommend getting him started on typing. :-) 

 

With the copywork, you could let him work up to the full amount. For example, he could start off only copying one sentence of the copywork. After a few weeks of this, bump it up to two sentences. Repeat this process until he's doing all of it, always waiting until he's grown comfortable with the new amount before increasing it again.

 

As for the grammar terms, whatever program you use, just practice saying the definitions. I recommend repeating memory work three times a day until it's memorized, then reviewing it periodically. We stopped reviewing last year, so now Joshua is relearning the definitions. LLTL has a list in the back to make it easy to review the terms and lists mentioned in the book.

 

In Level 3, my original idea was that children are transitioning from having to have an exact model to copy to being able to correctly form the letters no matter the source material. With that in mind, I only provided one workbook, in italic. However, there have been some concerns about this. I've already created a cursive italic font workbook, and I'm going to create a regular cursive font workbook, too. So, soon there will be three choices for workbooks for Level 3. For Level 4, the workbook will be in a standard font like Times, and Levels 5 and up will not have workbooks at all.

 

Hope this helps!

[FO4UR]

Here are the planned literature selections for Levels 4, 5, and 6. I'm going to get them posted on my site (eventually), but at least one person has indicated that she'd like to see them here. These are subject to change! But this is the current plan. And yes, there's an Oz book in every level except Level 1. Oz is where I started this journey, so it just seemed right. Plus, I like them, and so do the boys.

 

I liked the idea of covering more fairy tale type books (Oz and The Princess and the Goblin kind of books), ones that were "outside" of history studies, but I couldn't actually seem to make it work that way. I am open to suggestions if you can think of books of that sort, but I make no guarantees of changing my mind. :-)

 

Level 4

 

Black Beauty

The Book of Dragons

Heidi

Ozma of Oz

Tanglewood Tales

The Reluctant Dragon

 

Level 5

 

Tom Sawyer

Around the World in 80 Days

The Emerald City of Oz

Little Women

Two short stories by O. Henry

The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde

 

Level 6

 

At the Back of the North Wind

Call of the Wild

The Patchwork Girl of Oz

A Christmas Carol

Sherlock Holmes stories

Other short stories

 

 

You rock!!!   :hurray:

[Tardis Girl]

A friend of mine was asking, so I thought I'd get some additional feedback here: What's the thought on using the program without actively reading the books at the same time? For example, in the case of this family, many of the books used have already been read by the time they come up in the various levels. And even for those that have not already been read, there is a regular, involved "progam" (for lack of a better word) of reading classic literature already in place. So...ya...what about just doing the exercises and all of that without the literature -- sometimes knowing/remembering the book, sometimes not. 

[KathyJo]

A friend of mine was asking, so I thought I'd get some additional feedback here: What's the thought on using the program without actively reading the books at the same time? For example, in the case of this family, many of the books used have already been read by the time they come up in the various levels. And even for those that have not already been read, there is a regular, involved "progam" (for lack of a better word) of reading classic literature already in place. So...ya...what about just doing the exercises and all of that without the literature -- sometimes knowing/remembering the book, sometimes not. 

 

We've done it after having already read the books. When I wrote Level 2, I used some books that we'd already read that year, so we didn't feel like rereading them so soon. It worked fine. 

 

The only problem with doing the lessons without having ever read the books is the possibility of, as River Song would say, "Spoilers!" ;-)

 

We wouldn't choose to do it that way, and I think doing it that way would take away what I see as one of the benefits, the integration of the reading, the examples, and the exercises. However, that's a personal decision. The examples and the exercises are still real sentences from classic literature. In my opinion, that's still preferable to using manufactured sentences.

[KathyJo]

I will be putting some of my oldest son's papers up on my blog for people to read. Obviously, he did not learn to write using my program. But it should also be obvious that I'm adding to my program the same types of activities that made him a good writer.

 

I'm not comfortable posting the link here for a number of reasons. See my Facebook page, link in my sig, or PM me if you're interested. 

 

I posted my reasoning for doing this on FB, so I'll copy and paste it here:

 

"I'm considering posting some of Jared's (17yos, 11th grade) papers on my blog, with his permission. My reason for considering this is to demonstrate the power of narration and imitation in teaching writing. Jared is a 'natural,' in that writing has come easily to him. However, he did have to learn, and he's learned completely through imitation. I'm pretty sure he's never had a single lesson on writing paragraphs, and he certainly NEVER learned the 5 paragraph essay. I did explain to him that he needed an intro and a conclusion, and what transition sentences are."

 

He started writing essays for me a year or two ago. Before that, it was all imitation, and lots of reading.

[Hunter]

 

The exercises require very little writing. Most of the writing is in the copywork; you could do the dictation like we do--on the computer--if he types already. If not, I also recommend getting him started on typing. :-)

 

With the copywork, you could let him work up to the full amount. For example, he could start off only copying one sentence of the copywork. After a few weeks of this, bump it up to two sentences. Repeat this process until he's doing all of it, always waiting until he's grown comfortable with the new amount before increasing it again.

 

As for the grammar terms, whatever program you use, just practice saying the definitions. I recommend repeating memory work three times a day until it's memorized, then reviewing it periodically. We stopped reviewing last year, so now Joshua is relearning the definitions. LLTL has a list in the back to make it easy to review the terms and lists mentioned in the book.

 

In Level 3, my original idea was that children are transitioning from having to have an exact model to copy to being able to correctly form the letters no matter the source material. With that in mind, I only provided one workbook, in italic. However, there have been some concerns about this. I've already created a cursive italic font workbook, and I'm going to create a regular cursive font workbook, too. So, soon there will be three choices for workbooks for Level 3. For Level 4, the workbook will be in a standard font like Times, and Levels 5 and up will not have workbooks at all.

 

Hope this helps!

I cannot properly teach any level without knowing what came before and what is coming up. This helps a lot. I now know that at the end of level 3, I need to make it a priority that the student will no longer need handwriting models to be successful with copywork, if I have been relying on the prepared models.

 

I still haven't decided which hand I am going to teach. I downloaded the free "Handwriting Repair" pdf from briem.net and now better under the underlying system of zig zags and triangles that italic is based on. So I can better teach italic now. But if I want to be able to write in italic to produce my own models, I have a LOT of work ahead of me.

 

I have already mastered the Spalding hand and sometimes I just won't have access to a printer. The prepared workbooks are LOVELY, but I'm trying to be realistic about the reality of my average tutoring session. No matter which hand I choose, I appreciate the workbooks as a model for me.

[KathyJo]

I cannot properly teach any level without knowing what came before and what is coming up. This helps a lot. I now know that at the end of level 3, I need to make it a priority that the student will no longer need handwriting models to be successful with copywork, if I have been relying on the prepared models.

 

Does anyone feel like this is not realistic? Level 4 will be recommended for 4th or 5th grade. Joshua can handle this now, in 4th grade, but Joshua is... well, "special" in a number of ways, not all of them good. :-D

[lorisuewho]

Does anyone feel like this is not realistic? Level 4 will be recommended for 4th or 5th grade. Joshua can handle this now, in 4th grade, but Joshua is... well, "special" in a number of ways, not all of them good. :-D

For my kiddos, I think that is a realistic goal.

[BatmansWife]

Karen Savage is one Librivox reader we like, and she has a lot of books. We downloaded her version of The Story of Doctor Dolittle.

 

Is it this one?  I'm wondering why it says "version 3"...so I'm not sure if this is the same book that is used in LLTL3. 

 

[KathyJo]

Is it this one?  I'm wondering why it says "version 3"...so I'm not sure if this is the same book that is used in LLTL3. 

 

 

Yes, it's version 3. That just means that there are three different readings of the book on Librivox. The first one, I think, has many different readers. Versions 2 and 3 each have a single reader from beginning to end. My husband used to use Librivox a lot when he was traveling, and he says the quality there is a really mixed bag.

[BatmansWife]

Yes, it's version 3. That just means that there are three different readings of the book on Librivox. The first one, I think, has many different readers. Versions 2 and 3 each have a single reader from beginning to end. My husband used to use Librivox a lot when he was traveling, and he says the quality there is a really mixed bag.

 

Thank you!  I just downloaded it, I love her voice.  Thanks for recommending her. BTW, I'm loving the looks of the books!  Thank you again!  I can't wait to start level 3.  I see our library has the Dr. Dolittle book, so I might try to get that tomorrow so we can follow along as we listen to the audio reading. 

 

ETA: Actually I can't wait.  I'm going to the library right now to get it (before somebody else gets it!).  :lol:

[BatmansWife]

I liked the idea of covering more fairy tale type books (Oz and The Princess and the Goblin kind of books), ones that were "outside" of history studies, but I couldn't actually seem to make it work that way. I am open to suggestions if you can think of books of that sort, but I make no guarantees of changing my mind. :-)

 

Your list looks really good.  Buuutt....since you asked....and since you mentioned fairy tale type books.....  When my oldest daughter was young, an old gentleman friend of ours gave her a gift.  It was a copy of The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, written by none other than Julie Andrews.  She loved that book so much.  She read it aloud to me.  She's 21 now and still has that book and remembers it with great fondness.  You can see samples and reviews at Amazon.  Not sure if you'd call it a fairy tale...maybe more fantasy? 

[Hunter]

I think that those not able to handle copywork without a model also won't be ready for the language lessons either. It think level 4 is a logical place to stop offering the models.

 

Really a child that cannot write without models needs to STOP and address that.

 

You are using a well known font. The teacher/mom that needs to address remedial handwriting, can purchase the necessary resources to create remedial lessons on her own.

[KathyJo]

Your list looks really good.  Buuutt....since you asked....and since you mentioned fairy tale type books.....  When my oldest daughter was young, an old gentleman friend of ours gave her a gift.  It was a copy of The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, written by none other than Julie Andrews.  She loved that book so much.  She read it aloud to me.  She's 21 now and still has that book and remembers it with great fondness.  You can see samples and reviews at Amazon.  Not sure if you'd call it a fairy tale...maybe more fantasy? 

 

It looks great, but it's not public domain. I decided to steer clear of anything that would require me to ask permission. Plus, I like keeping the program inexpensive to use.

 

You begin to see my problem now, huh? Some of the publishers require some sort of proof that you have a real publisher just to consider a request for using their copyrighted material. The lion on the cover of Level 3 was supposed to be Aslan. *shrug* I liked the cover, so I decided he was the lion from Dolittle. 

 

But thanks! It looks like a fun read aloud.

[BatmansWife]

It looks great, but it's not public domain. I decided to steer clear of anything that would require me to ask permission. Plus, I like keeping the program inexpensive to use.

 

You begin to see my problem now, huh? Some of the publishers require some sort of proof that you have a real publisher just to consider a request for using their copyrighted material. The lion on the cover of Level 3 was supposed to be Aslan. *shrug* I liked the cover, so I decided he was the lion from Dolittle. 

 

But thanks! It looks like a fun read aloud.

 

Oh yes!  I never even thought of that!  :banghead:  Wow...I can't even imagine the hours you've had to put into this.  I love the covers of your books!  I'll tell my daughter that the lion is from Dr. Dolittle.  ;)  I just got back from the library and have the book now.  Our librarian is sweet.  I told her I needed it for 21 lessons and maybe I'd be doing like 3 or 4 lessons a week.  She checked the book out to me until Jan. 31st.  :thumbup:

 

[KathyJo]

Oh yes!  I never even thought of that!  :banghead:  Wow...I can't even imagine the hours you've had to put into this.  I love the covers of your books!  I'll tell my daughter that the lion is from Dr. Dolittle.  ;)  I just got back from the library and have the book now.  Our librarian is sweet.  I told her I needed it for 21 lessons and maybe I'd be doing like 3 or 4 lessons a week.  She checked the book out to me until Jan. 31st.  :thumbup:

 

 

I designed the cover for three before I was completely sure I would write it.  :lol: I'm glad y'all like them. And y'all have one cool librarian. Our library has very strict rules, despite the fact that it's small and we've only seen other people in the children's section on one occasion.

[KathyJo]

Level 1 and Level 2 are both available as stand alone books now on Amazon, but the combined edition is still available.

 

 

[mama25angels]

Kathy Jo or anyone who can help, would my 6yo use LLTL 1 and RTL? We're still using OPGTR and he's only on lesson 39 or 40 ( can't remember exactly which one) or would I wait for him to complete RTL before beginning LLTL? Thanks

[Chelli]

Kathy Jo or anyone who can help, would my 6yo use LLTL 1 and RTL? We're still using OPGTR and he's only on lesson 39 or 40 ( can't remember exactly which one) or would I wait for him to complete RTL before beginning LLTL? Thanks

I'm using Level 1 with 6 yo who is in first grade and it's perfect.

[KathyJo]

Kathy Jo or anyone who can help, would my 6yo use LLTL 1 and RTL? We're still using OPGTR and he's only on lesson 39 or 40 ( can't remember exactly which one) or would I wait for him to complete RTL before beginning LLTL? Thanks

 

You don't have to use RLTL to use LLTL, but you certainly can.

 

If you want to use both, you don't have to finish RLTL before starting LLTL 1. I did wait until Eli could sound out the words he would be using for copywork, though. I helped him (and sometimes, still do) to mark words on the copywork page to make them easier for him, and I would draw a line between syllables. So he could not read fluently when we started, but he was at least sounding words out without TOO much difficulty. 

[CherryBlossomMJ]

This looks fabulous and I just made the connection. I printed some of your notebook covers and planners years ago!

 

I'm excited about the product, but it has been my experience with CreateSpace books that they just don't seem to last more than one read. For those of you that have had them in hand what is your experience? (My exp w CS is from reviewing fiction).

 

I do love the idea of digital things but prefer to unplug our school day as much as possible plus my eReading is on a 1st gen Kindle Fire which doesn't afford much space.

[KathyJo]

This looks fabulous and I just made the connection. I printed some of your notebook covers and planners years ago!

 

I'm excited about the product, but it has been my experience with CreateSpace books that they just don't seem to last more than one read. For those of you that have had them in hand what is your experience? (My exp w CS is from reviewing fiction).

 

I do love the idea of digital things but prefer to unplug our school day as much as possible plus my eReading is on a 1st gen Kindle Fire which doesn't afford much space.

 

Yep, I have the notebook covers, planning pages, and some reading lists that have been around for years. :-)

 

I don't like hearing that about CreateSpace. I hadn't heard anything negative about their printing. I only have a printed copy of one of my books from them, 50 States, and I love it. It's still fairly new, but it's not showing any quality problems that make me feel like it's likely to fall apart quickly.

 

Tomorrow, I will try to make sure that there's a print option for all of my books at Lulu. That way, if anyone is concerned about the quality, Lulu is also an option. I have a number of books from Lulu which I've had for years, and I've been very pleased with the quality.

 

ETA: I found two threads online with authors talking about CreateSpace quality. Overall, they seem happy. Only an occasional problem is mentioned.

 

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198525

 

http://www.kboards.com/index.php?topic=163511.0

[Coco_Clark]

My 6 yr old is using LLTL1. We started just as he was beginning to read (reading CVC words with ease and sounding out other words by syllable). We don't use RTL but we are phonogram based, and he knows about 50 of his phonograms by heart.

 

Unfortunately I'm not familiar with OPGTR enough to say if lesson 40 is advanced enough to begin LLTL but I'd personally not suggest starting until your child: 1. Can form all upper and lowercase letters. 2. Can read (with help) the copywork sentence as he writes it.

 

Hopefully other chime in :)

[Dory]

I'm popping my head into this lengthy thread for a minute just to say thank you soooooo much for this course. I found it just when I needed something different for a boy who was dragging his feet through everything that was related to Language Arts. I cried when I found the program. The next few months are looking a little less dismal now. Thank you again.