kirstenhill Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 For those of you using English Lessons through Literature, how long are the lessons taking you? I'd like to know for levels 1-3. Levels 4 and 5 are pretty new, right? So I am guessing no one has used them very much yet? I'm just playing around in my head with ways I could incorporate this, and possibly do some combination between at least two kids. I am not sure how many levels I could run separately with multiple kids with the lit reading involved. I am most interested in this for DS7 (rising 2nd grader)...it seems like Level 1 would almost be too light for him, but I don't want to miss anything that he could benefit from either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 We aren't too far into level 1 right now (we're still working through the Beatrix Potter books right now), but it's very quick. The longest portion is the literature reading. I know some people have their kids read on their own or do audio books to help with that. The teaching time is very short (at least in level 1). Then a poem and fable, which are, again, short. If I were just counting the teaching, poem, and fable, I would probably say it's less than 10 minutes. I'm not sure how long the reading has been taking us, but it's less than 20 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I haven't used it yet, but the author uses it with her sons a year behind, I believe. I am starting my older kids a year behind, not because it is too advanced for them, because its not, but I don't want them to miss out on the stories and poetry and writing instruction as I think it is really well done. I don't see a reason to rush language arts. I want them to enjoy the books. Plus a little grammar review couldn't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 We're using it one year behind. Oldest ds (just finished 2nd grade) is working on level 1. Oldest dd (just finished 4th grade) will be using level 4 next year. I agree, the longest part of the lesson is the reading. My current plan is to do all of the reading for both kids. The Beatrix Potter tales aren't very long, but the other stories are much longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I followed the author's advice and do the reading the day before, then the actual lesson (with the poetry and fable reading) the next day. Works out great this way and hits both the read aloud and grammar niche. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 Those are good thoughts...part of the reason I am not sure I would want to use it a grade behind with DS7 is that I think my DS5 is going to be a bit on the more advanced side when it comes to language -- he isn't reading fluently yet by any means, but I have spent very little time instructing him and yet he is making great progress at reading -- and he would definitely be ready for level 1 in first grade. I am not sure I want to do level 1 two years in a row (mostly for my sanity of not reading the same books two years in a row), but I don't think DS5 will quite get enough out of it yet to be able to get enough out of it this year for it to "count" as his year doing it, if that makes sense. At least if I did level 2 with DS7 this year, I would not be repeating to do level 1 with DS5 next year. I was also pondering whether there would be anyway to combine DS7 and DD10 in this, but I don't think there is. DS7 is pretty average in LA skills while DD10 is a strong reader and has made a lot of progress in writing. I don't think ELTL is necessarily a super great fit for DD anyhow. I was mostly just playing around with the idea of it in my head for her... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Those are good thoughts...part of the reason I am not sure I would want to use it a grade behind with DS7 is that I think my DS5 is going to be a bit on the more advanced side when it comes to language -- he isn't reading fluently yet by any means, but I have spent very little time instructing him and yet he is making great progress at reading -- and he would definitely be ready for level 1 in first grade. I am not sure I want to do level 1 two years in a row (mostly for my sanity of not reading the same books two years in a row), but I don't think DS5 will quite get enough out of it yet to be able to get enough out of it this year for it to "count" as his year doing it, if that makes sense. At least if I did level 2 with DS7 this year, I would not be repeating to do level 1 with DS5 next year. I was also pondering whether there would be anyway to combine DS7 and DD10 in this, but I don't think there is. DS7 is pretty average in LA skills while DD10 is a strong reader and has made a lot of progress in writing. I don't think ELTL is necessarily a super great fit for DD anyhow. I was mostly just playing around with the idea of it in my head for her... :-) I am doing level 1 with DD almost 7 and level 2 with DD8. Like others have mentioned, I do the reading the day/night before. This is very manageable since the lessons are set up to be 3xweek. YDD listens to hers on audio. We will do the same next year so that I won't be reading the books again. This is fine for us since I have other read alouds going. I appreciate the break!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silver Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 My kindergartner listens in to the 1 book that I do with my older. She doesn't do the copywork, but she is picking up some of the grammar. Depending on how well she is reading in a year, I may fold her into level 2 next year and have her work through it at the same time as my son. If she stops listening in and/or understanding the lessons, I'll probably just wait until she's in 2nd to do level 1 with her. That way I won't be reading the same books two years in a row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Can anyone compare this program to Christian Light Language Arts? I know they are extremely different, but what I really want to know is how well do the concepts stick. Is this program really thorough? I was all set to try Christian Light because of the ease of use (I have used CL Math for years and we love it) but this just pulls at my heart strings. I am a huge Charlotte Mason fan but I am concerned this program doesn't have enough... enough meat... enough review... I don't know, but it still looks so good. How many have used this for a year at least? What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondchen Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 I followed the author's advice and do the reading the day before, then the actual lesson (with the poetry and fable reading) the next day. Works out great this way and hits both the read aloud and grammar niche. Chelli, how much time do you spend on the lesson, then? I'd really like to try that this next year, since I found that reading the story often took most of the lesson time and I'd like to streamline the actual lesson. We'll be using Level 2, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Chelli, how much time do you spend on the lesson, then? I'd really like to try that this next year, since I found that reading the story often took most of the lesson time and I'd like to streamline the actual lesson. We'll be using Level 2, btw. The actual lesson is about 15-20 minutes depending on how much my dd wants to draw. It takes about that long to do the reading the day before as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondchen Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 The actual lesson is about 15-20 minutes depending on how much my dd wants to draw. It takes about that long to do the reading the day before as well. Great! I was thinking I would need to allot more time than that. And it's helpful to know that the reading can be done at the beginning of our read-aloud time without taking over most of it. Thanks for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimk3 Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 We are about 2/3 done with level 2. My son is 8 (second grade) and it has been a good fit for him. He is reading at about 7th/8th grade level and he can read the lit selections on his own but since he does quite a bit of reading already, he listens to the auto book the evening before. We spend about 15-20 min on the lesson the next day. I have him read either the poem or the fable to me so that I can hear his fluency. We have made memory cards for the grammar as the author recommends and he spends about 3-5 min reviewing the cards as well. So although it is not a drill and kill type program, there is still plenty of opportunity for review and retention. I feel it is thorough and effective while being a delight to both my son and myself. He will do level 3 in third and I may have him do it independently once he had diagraming down. Not sure yet. Something to consider if you have multiple levels going. My girls are 6 (rising first graders) and will start level 1 in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 We used LLTL 2 through The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The actual lesson doesn't take long (about 20 minutes...depends on the copy work), but reading the selection beforehand each day was taking way too much time for my taste. About halfway through, we switched to making it a bedtime read-aloud and just read through to the end. We were only using LLTL three days per week, so it didn't take us long to get through the book reading it each night or whenever we had a few minutes. Reading ahead didn't effect DD's ability to complete the lessons. Sometimes, she would go back and look at the pics for a particular chapter so she could draw a character "correctly." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted June 28, 2014 Author Share Posted June 28, 2014 Is the a drawing component to both levels 1 and 2? I don't feel like I saw this at all in the sample lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 Yeah, I didn't know there was drawing involved. Can someone explain its purpose and how it is done? It sounds good, I just want to understand it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poiema Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 We don't use the WB so it's possible there are instructions to draw in there, but my kids just choose to illustrate their copywork. Every other week or so in level 1 (I'm not sure about level 2 since we are only a few lessons in) they are asked to illustrate the fable to use for retelling. Again, my dc usually choose to draw the fable anyway. I know from samples that the WB leaves space for illustrating the poetry as well. Anyway, I think PP are just talking about their children choosing to illustrate the copywork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 We use the WB and above the copywork about half of the space is left blank for them to draw a picture that goes with the copywork for that day. There are no instructions in the TM to do this, but since I have the WB and there is this huge space I assumed that is what it was for. Plus my dd6 likes to draw. The only instructions to draw are every other week or so when they are told to illustrate a fable because they will use that illustration to narrate the fable back to you. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimk3 Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 We don't use the WB. My son uses a primary comp notebook with the top portion blank. There is no instruction to draw, but he sometimes does illustrate his narrations. Level 1 starts out with picture narrations and then about half way into the year, transitions to standard narrations. So, there are no "picture narrations" in level 2. I am assuming the space in the WB is provided for a child to illustrate just as in a primary comp notebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 So is it recommended to start at grade level or just start at level 2 if they haven't had a lot of formal grammar? For instance, if my child has gone through about 1/2 of 4th grade BJU Grammar (which is pretty simplistic) where should I start? Also, if I have a emergent reader, should I start with level 1 or just start with level 2 and do it together? I plan to use Audio books for the stories as we will be using a literature rich history program and I don't want to overwhelm them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimk3 Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 So is it recommended to start at grade level or just start at level 2 if they haven't had a lot of formal grammar? For instance, if my child has gone through about 1/2 of 4th grade BJU Grammar (which is pretty simplistic) where should I start? Also, if I have a emergent reader, should I start with level 1 or just start with level 2 and do it together? I plan to use Audio books for the stories as we will be using a literature rich history program and I don't want to overwhelm them. Your child will not miss any grammar if you start at level 3 because level 2 is not a prerequisite for level 3. Level 3 reviews the grammar, starts diagraming sentences, and begins prepared dictation. So, I think it depends more on your child's writing ability. You would miss the reading selections, but when your younger child comes up the levels, your older child could listen in. You can view three weeks of samples at Lulu.com to see which level would be the best fit. As far as your emergent reader, I will speak to my situation. I have twin 6 year olds (emergent readers) that will start Level 1 in the fall. They are doing Reading Lessons Through Literature 1 this summer and they will start ELTL 1 when they start RLTL2. I have chosen to do this for a couple reasons. I am trying not to over-schedule language arts right now for their age, so we are focusing on reading/handwriting and waiting on grammar/writing. I want them to be able to read the copywork in ELTL 1 and I have one dd that needs to work a bit more on her handwriting before she starts the copywork. If I follow this progression we will start diagraming in third grade, as I do not want to start any earlier. If you use audio books, I think managing two levels will not be difficult. That is what I plan to do. : ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted June 28, 2014 Share Posted June 28, 2014 This is so incredibly helpful, Thank You! Yes, I think level 3 would be ideal. Your child will not miss any grammar if you start at level 3 because level 2 is not a prerequisite for level 3. Level 3 reviews the grammar, starts diagraming sentences, and begins prepared dictation. So, I think it depends more on your child's writing ability. You would miss the reading selections, but when your younger child comes up the levels, your older child could listen in. You can view three weeks of samples at Lulu.com to see which level would be the best fit. As far as your emergent reader, I will speak to my situation. I have twin 6 year olds (emergent readers) that will start Level 1 in the fall. They are doing Reading Lessons Through Literature 1 this summer and they will start ELTL 1 when they start RLTL2. I have chosen to do this for a couple reasons. I am trying not to over-schedule language arts right now for their age, so we are focusing on reading/handwriting and waiting on grammar/writing. I want them to be able to read the copywork in ELTL 1 and I have one dd that needs to work a bit more on her handwriting before she starts the copywork. If I follow this progression we will start diagraming in third grade, as I do not want to start any earlier. If you use audio books, I think managing two levels will not be difficult. That is what I plan to do. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.