FLL or ELTL?

[blue daisy]

Opinions?  This would be for my third grader, advanced reader.  I might consider ETLT for my 6th grader too.  Please help - I can only see so much with samples online and I'm having a hard time figuring which would be best.

 

I plan to stick to FLL for my 1st grader. It seems gentler for that age which is what she needs.

[boscopup]

ELTL is kind of a full language arts curriculum, whereas FLL is mostly just grammar. Would you plan to add WWE to FLL also?

 

I've used FLL1, 2, and part of 3 (alongside WWE). I am about a month into ELTL 2, 3, and 5. I like ELTL a lot better, because FLL was a bit monotonous in the lower levels. :)

 

The way an ELTL lesson works...

 

They read (or listen to on Librivox) a chapter of classic literature.

In level 2, they do copywork from that literature (and there is space in the workbook to draw a picture, which my little guy likes). In level 3, they do copywork from the literature and a very short dictation sentence twice a week. In level 5, they do dictation from the literature (fairly lengthy piece, but it's studied dictation). In all levels, the copywork/dictation piece is used for grammar study - finding whatever they've been learning to find up to that point.

They read poetry each lesson.

They do picture study every couple weeks.

They read short stories (Aesop's fables or children's fairy tales, etc.) and do narrations: oral for level 2, oral with one or more sentences dictated back in level 3, written in level 5.

Level 5 includes some literary analysis, so they might have the child write a narration and then add something else that involves literary analysis.

Level 5 also includes use of a commonplace book, where they fill 1/2-1 page of a notebook with copywork from a specific type of reading (history, literature, science, poetry). So there is a fair amount of writing each day at this level, although you can do the dictation on a separate day, as ELTL is scheduled 3 days a week and dictation is in two of those lessons.

 

The studied dictation in levels 3 and up can be used for spelling. She has a free spelling journal available in her store, so you can find any words not already known and analyze them for spelling, placing them in the spelling journal.

 

I've been very happy with ELTL so far. My kids enjoy the literature, and we're getting to poetry and picture study and memorization that I otherwise would forget to do. :P FLL has the memorization and some poetry... can't remember if it had picture study. But its main focus is grammar, whereas ELTL is trying to hit all the main language arts areas.

 

I have not done ELTL 1, but it seemed quite gentle also, similar to FLL 1 and 2. The levels 2 and 3 grammar have been quite gentle. Level 5 is definitely a step up. My oldest will be using it for most of 7th grade, and I think it will be fine for him (and he's good at grammar and reading, a little behind in writing, so the writing is spot on for him). My middle son is using ELTL a level behind (level 3 for 4th grade), and my little guy is using it at grade level (level 2 for 2nd grade).

[blue daisy]

This is very, very helpful!  Thank you!!!

 

ELTL is kind of a full language arts curriculum, whereas FLL is mostly just grammar. Would you plan to add WWE to FLL also?

 

I've used FLL1, 2, and part of 3 (alongside WWE). I am about a month into ELTL 2, 3, and 5. I like ELTL a lot better, because FLL was a bit monotonous in the lower levels. :)

 

The way an ELTL lesson works...

 

They read (or listen to on Librivox) a chapter of classic literature.

In level 2, they do copywork from that literature (and there is space in the workbook to draw a picture, which my little guy likes). In level 3, they do copywork from the literature and a very short dictation sentence twice a week. In level 5, they do dictation from the literature (fairly lengthy piece, but it's studied dictation). In all levels, the copywork/dictation piece is used for grammar study - finding whatever they've been learning to find up to that point.

They read poetry each lesson.

They do picture study every couple weeks.

They read short stories (Aesop's fables or children's fairy tales, etc.) and do narrations: oral for level 2, oral with one or more sentences dictated back in level 3, written in level 5.

Level 5 includes some literary analysis, so they might have the child write a narration and then add something else that involves literary analysis.

Level 5 also includes use of a commonplace book, where they fill 1/2-1 page of a notebook with copywork from a specific type of reading (history, literature, science, poetry). So there is a fair amount of writing each day at this level, although you can do the dictation on a separate day, as ELTL is scheduled 3 days a week and dictation is in two of those lessons.

 

The studied dictation in levels 3 and up can be used for spelling. She has a free spelling journal available in her store, so you can find any words not already known and analyze them for spelling, placing them in the spelling journal.

 

I've been very happy with ELTL so far. My kids enjoy the literature, and we're getting to poetry and picture study and memorization that I otherwise would forget to do. :p FLL has the memorization and some poetry... can't remember if it had picture study. But its main focus is grammar, whereas ELTL is trying to hit all the main language arts areas.

 

I have not done ELTL 1, but it seemed quite gentle also, similar to FLL 1 and 2. The levels 2 and 3 grammar have been quite gentle. Level 5 is definitely a step up. My oldest will be using it for most of 7th grade, and I think it will be fine for him (and he's good at grammar and reading, a little behind in writing, so the writing is spot on for him). My middle son is using ELTL a level behind (level 3 for 4th grade), and my little guy is using it at grade level (level 2 for 2nd grade).

 

[AmandaVT]

We use FLL and WWE (writing with ease) and I enjoy them both. My 2nd grader (advanced reader as well) really liked them. There is a bit of overlap, and FLL can get a bit repetitive, but I find it very easy to make it work. I was really impressed with WWE this year. DS went from barely being able to answer the comprehension questions to easily answering all of them and giving a nice summary statement for the passage of the day. We use All About Spelling as well and love it. I felt like it was overkill when we finished AAS 2 last year, so I tried switching to Spelling Workout, but DS asked for AAS back, so we went back to it and completed level 3 this year. Even though he's a natural speller, he really enjoys learning the phonograms, rules and doing word analysis.

[Susie in MS]

"They read short stories (Aesop's fables or children's fairy tales, etc.) and do narrations: oral for level 2, oral with one or more sentences dictated back in level 3, written in level 5.

Level 5 includes some literary analysis, so they might have the child write a narration and then add something else that involves literary analysis.

Level 5 also includes use of a commonplace book, where they fill 1/2-1 page of a notebook with copywork from a specific type of reading (history, literature, science, poetry). So there is a fair amount of writing each day at this level, although you can do the dictation on a separate day, as ELTL is scheduled 3 days a week and dictation is in two of those lessons."

 

I just wanted to add that written narrations, lit analysis, and commonplace book copywork are all done in level 4 as well. 

Edited June 6, 2016 by Susie in MS