We are loving Reading Lessons Through Literature!

[IHaveNoIdeawhatIAmDoing]

We've been using it for months now and my daughter's reading and handwriting have both improved drastically. And she doesn't hate learning how to read anymore. I just had to put that out there, because I haven't seen many reviews for it yet. 

[plumshadow]

Would you find it to be of benefit for a reader who is no longer an emergent reader?  We use LLTL and like it also and I'm looking for a reading program that can push a student through and past I guess a 3rd grade equivalent.

[IHaveNoIdeawhatIAmDoing]

I'm not sure because I've only done it with an emergent reader, but I sent a message to the author. Hopefully she can jump on and answer your question!

[silver]

I started it with my son when he was able to read books like Frog and Toad (I think that's about a late 1st grade/early 2nd?). He already knew the phonograms and the various reasons for silent e and other basics like those when we started. We're using it more for a spelling program that reinforces phonics than as a reading program. His reading has improved and he's reading chapter books like My Father's Dragon and The Littles now; but it's hard to say how much of that is the program and how much is just time/practice.

I like that it includes the Elson Readers and that the stories are tied to the spelling lists. It's hard to keep enough early reader books from the library around, so it gives him something to read aloud during school even if he's run out of library books.

[SereneHome]

I just looked at it and it starts with learning phonograms, but we are already doing AAS.  I don't want to have two curriculums doing the same thing. 

 

Would you mind describing a bit how RLTL works? 

 

Thank you!!

[IHaveNoIdeawhatIAmDoing]

It does start with phonograms. Now, two days a week my daughter will write her spelling lists in her spelling journal and then we analyze them (for example, writing a 3 above an A that makes the third A sound). The other 3 days a week, she reads 10 of her spelling lists to make 100 words (we take a break in the middle because it's too much for her). There are corresponding readers but we haven't gotten there yet. 

[wehave8]

It does start with phonograms. Now, two days a week my daughter will write her spelling lists in her spelling journal and then we analyze them (for example, writing a 3 above an A that makes the third A sound). The other 3 days a week, she reads 10 of her spelling lists to make 100 words (we take a break in the middle because it's too much for her). There are corresponding readers but we haven't gotten there yet. 

 

Do you use the Workbook?

 

Pam

[IHaveNoIdeawhatIAmDoing]

Do you use the Workbook?

 

Pam

 

We don't. While we were learning the phonograms, I let my daughter write them out on our whiteboard instead of on paper. She enjoyed that. 

[silver]

I just looked at it and it starts with learning phonograms, but we are already doing AAS.  I don't want to have two curriculums doing the same thing. 

 

Would you mind describing a bit how RLTL works? 

 

 

If you were to use RLTL, you wouldn't need to be doing AAS as well. RLTL is a Spalding spin off, which means it teaches reading through spelling. So having a 2nd spelling curriculum would be redundant. If you didn't want to let go of AAS, the rules and most of the phonograms in RLTL are compatible with AAS. There are a few slight differences (I think /y/ is taught as a sound of the letter i in RLTL, but not in AAS, for example), but nothing major.

 

In RLTL level 1, a child first learns all the sounds of the first 26 phonograms (a-z). Then they start the spelling lists while continuing to learn the multi-letter phonograms. Since you already have done some of AAS, I would assume that you've covered the first 26 phonograms and would be able to jump right into the spelling lists. With the spelling lists, you dictate the words (there are notes in the spelling lists to help, so that you can learn the process as you go). The student writes the words down and marks them (underlining multi-letter phonograms, marking which sound a phonogram makes when it has more than one sound, marking the reason for a silent E, etc). Then your student reads the list back to you. The spelling rules are learned through repetition in the spelling lists. Reading fluency is built through practice in reading the spelling words and the included Elson Reader book. 

[SereneHome]

Thank you!!!

 

Can I just get Elson Reader books as we really like AAS and I don't want to stop using that

[silver]

You can find the Elson Readers either free online (they are in the public domain) or buy them from another company that has reprints on Amazon. They won't line up as nicely with AAS; for example, the first story in the Elson Primer (used in level 1 of RLTL) has silent e words ("come" and "mouse") as well as long vowel words and several phonograms that aren't introduced early on in AAS.

If you're going to stick with AAS, you may want to look into the readers put out by them for their All About Reading program. They line up with the AAS program as well so you would have the benefit of readers that only have words that your child has learned how to read/spell. The AAS readers are more expensive than the Elson Readers, but they're nicely done--I think the stories in the AAR books are better than most phonetic readers available.