Grade 1 First Language Lessons & Writing with Ease Questions

[Guest sterling]

Hello!  I am confused about using First Language Lessons (Levels 1 & 2) and Writing with Ease for my first grader...

My background is teaching middle and high school (public school) students.  So, perhaps some of my difficulty is in transitioning to teaching elementary?

 

1. My child is an advanced reader (FWIW).   I am feeling as if First Language Lessons is too repetitive (ie:39 lessons reviewing proper and common nouns) and maybe longer/less repetitive would be better.  Am I missing something here?  Maybe it is just me that finds this too drawn out; maybe this much repetition is good, but I don't want my child to get stalled when maybe she should be moving faster.

 

2.  I maybe misread something about using both First Language Lessons and Writing with Ease, but to me, they are so similar, I don't see the point of using both books.  Do I have this wrong?  Is the recommendation to use one or the other?

 

Thank you!

[Kiara.I]

1. We started FLL when my son was in Grade 2. I liberally condensed because yes, 39 lessons on proper and common nouns was more than we required.

 

2.  FLL teaches primarily grammar, WWE teaches primarily composition.  Composition naturally includes small amounts of grammar, but only in passing.  FLL includes some copywork and narration, but we mostly skipped the copywork.  (We did the narration because my children enjoy it, even though they were also getting it in WWE.)  Other than that, we found them different enough that it has been well worth doing both.

[carriede]

For my DS6, I use FLL 1/2 combined edition and WWE Instructor Text, so I'm not sure my experience will be helpful...

 

WWE alternates copywork and narration daily for 4 days. On Monday I read a grammar lesson from FLL (skipping the narration lessons) and have him do the copywork associated with that lesson. Sometimes I have to make up a sentence. Same on Wednesday.

 

On Tues/Thurs, I read a section from SOTW 1 and he'll do a narration for that. You can use any book... the WWE workbook, or a read aloud, or a science something.

[wendyroo]

I found FLL to be much too slow and repetitive even for my 4 year old.  Even though it was very gentle and only took us a few minutes, it still felt like a waste of our time.  I didn't like the poetry selections, so we were already doing our own thing for poetry memorization.  I didn't like the picture study selections, so we were already doing out own thing for that.  I didn't like the extreme grammar repetition, so we were skipping 75% of those lessons.  I did like the narration exercises, but that is thoroughly covered in WWE, so we were skipping them in FLL.

 

In the end, I decided the only part of FLL I liked was the grammar definitions, so we (both the 4 and 6 year olds) went through The Sentence Family and memorized the FLL definitions for the parts of speech.

 

WWE I use with the 6 year old exactly as written.  I find it to be an excellent beginning composition curriculum through which we can review and practice our grammar (discussing punctuation and parts of speech in the copywork sentences).

 

Wendy

[carriede]

Also, it helps if you listen to SWB's audio lectures to understand the process of teaching writing from her perspective.

[Sahamamama]

We used FLL 1 (orally) in Kindergarten and FLL 2 (mostly orally) in 1st Grade, and only did the grammar lessons (no poetry, no picture narrations, no copywork, etc.). Just grammar. It is easy to combine 2-3 of these short lessons on nouns, especially if you glance ahead at them and decide which ones combine nicely. That way, there is less need to repeat definitions and do the review at the beginning of lessons.

 

For WWE, it's usually possible to combine two "days" into one lesson -- Day One and Day Two, then Day Three and Day Four.

 

That said, looking back, I honestly think we could have skipped FLL 1 & 2, and ended up in the same place. As it is, we started FLL 3 (grammar only) in 2nd Grade, and finished about half of the grammar lessons that year, then completed FLL 3 in 3rd Grade. We started FLL 4 in 4th Grade, and will finish that level this year in 5th Grade. Since FLL 3 is written as a starting point, FLL 1 & 2 are really not necessary. HTH.

[El...]

For us, FLL 1 and 2 took exactly the right amount of time - 5-10 minutes per lesson.  We had so much else we need to accomplish every day, that I didn't want to spend much time on grammar at this age.  I did skim or modify a few lessons if I thought they were too repetitive for my kid.  If the lesson goal was to learn the definition of a noun, she'd recite, and we'd put the book away!  I didn't read every scripted word if she already knew the material.

 

One day during FLL 1 we were doing a science lesson on air as matter, and I was trying to explain that air is a thing, not emptiness.  I'll never forget when she looked up at me with triumphant eyes and said, "Air is a NOUN!"   

 

We are now cruising through FLL 3.  Dd easily identifies most parts of speech and enjoys putting them on her first diagrams.  She thinks grammar is easy.  It still takes only 5-15 minutes a day.  That's a feature, not a bug!  ;)

 

We also use WWE.  I'm seeing good results there, too.  I don't think the two programs overlap too much.  I second (third?) the recommendation of SWB's lecture on teaching writing.

[MrsWeasley]

I guess I need to listen to SWB's lecture on teaching writing, because now in FLL3 with my oldest, I'm thinking about dropping grammar until 2/3rd grade with my second child and putting him straight in FLL3.

[ALB]

I found FLL frustratingly slow at that level.  We switched to R&S for 2nd, and then for my son just waited until 2nd to do grammar.  

FWIW, I also ended up dropping WWE and just doing copy work and narrations from books we were already reading, along with history and sometimes science.

[lmrich]

I loved FLL 1/2, the original. We could do two or three lessons a day, but I love that what she memorized years ago, she still remembers in 8th grade. Just my 2  cents!

 

[mohop]

Sounds like you would like English Lessons Through Literature.

[kalusignan]

We have loved FLL and WWE!

 

The repetition might be boring for you, but it really helps kids memorize, and you can always skip along if they have it down pat.

 

I think the poetry in FLL is lovely and has been such an enriching experience for us. My youngest (2 years at the time) memorized The Caterpillar along with us. My dd7 LOVES to memorize, so that was always a fun, easy break from the WORK of phonics and math at this age.

 

We also really enjoy the literature selections in WWE.

 

When doing both FLL and WWE together, we skip the copywork in FLL. Otherwise they don't really overlap.

[Jacbeaumont]

I just listened to a Q and A with SWB today from the peace hill press youtube channel. I think it was one of the first two Q and A's. Anyways, she answered this exact question and I believe she basically said you can skip the dictation and narration and just do the WWE exercises. With the release of the revised FLL in 2010, they did try to cut down on the redundancy.

I would go listen to her answer there. :) I'm on my phone otherwise I'd go find the link for you.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[Jacbeaumont]

Here it is!