Question for ELTL Users

[sdobis]

I'm planning on using ELTL next year. We tend to read aloud about one book every two weeks. I don't like the idea of slowing down our read aloud pace to read only 5 titles throughout the year. I know I can read other books while reading the books that are used in ELTL, but would I be able to read these books faster? Does the specific reading selection per day affect the lesson that much?

[silver]

We read two books at a time, the ELTL selection at the slow pace and a book of our own choosing at our normal pace. If you didn't want to do that, you could read the ELTL book faster. I've only used the lower levels, but in those the copywork/exercises come from that day's reading. I don't think it's a big deal to have read it a few weeks prior.

 

If you're on a higher level, you may want to wait for someone else to chime in. I think the higher levels include some sort of analysis. That may use the fables or it may use the book being read, I'm not sure.

[lorisuewho]

I only can speak to the lower levels as well.  We did our ELtL book at the designated pace and I had a second book of our own choosing for read aloud going at the same time, plus our history and science read alouds.  That worked out well for us.

[MotherOfBoys]

We block scheduled level 1. I can't wait that long to hear the end of a story. We do it five days a week till the story is done then switch to WWE for the rest of the month till out week off. We schooled 4 to 5 weeks in a row last year and then took a week off. I love this schedule and I've already scheduled level 2 the same way for next year. They listen to ELTL at bed time and then we discuss and do the lesson the next day. I've looked at the samples for the older levels and I don't see why we can't continue this way.

[sdobis]

We block scheduled level 1. I can't wait that long to hear the end of a story. We do it five days a week till the story is done then switch to WWE for the rest of the month till out week off. We schooled 4 to 5 weeks in a row last year and then took a week off. I love this schedule and I've already scheduled level 2 the same way for next year. They listen to ELTL at bed time and then we discuss and do the lesson the next day. I've looked at the samples for the older levels and I don't see why we can't continue this way.

 

I love this idea! We're using EIW with this program as well, so block scheduling them will be perfect! We'll still have to overlap books a little, but not as much. 

[sdobis]

I may use audiobooks for these at bedtime. That could lessen my load as well. 

[Heathermomster]

For my 1st grader, some of the ELTL reads stank so I changed books and created other copywork sentences.  I also read books for other subjects and phonics.  ETTL was very easy to adjust and implement.

[Coco_Clark]

I use Audiobooks for ELTL selections.  So it is completely independent of our read-aloud.  This is my favorite answer to this problem :)

Block scheduling would work though.  I'm considering doing this in later grades, and filling the holes with writing projects.

 

Or you could just read ahead.  The quotes you use for the grammar and copywork would be "old" but plenty of programs use cold quotes pulled out of the air.  It would personally bug me, but I'm OCD like that.  YMMV.