sunshineslp Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I'm wanting to place my upcoming 3rd grader into ELTL 2 next year but we have a pretty heavy reading curriculum (HOD) and I'm not sure if adding a LA program which is also reading heavy is too much? So my question is, 1) do you think it's too much and 2) how is it independent? I know they can do the book independently on audio, but past that, is any of the hands on/workbook independent? It's between ELTL, R&S, or CLE. Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 (edited) Your children could listen to the novel on audio book, but other than that it is not independent at all in my opinion. It is a sit on the sofa and do it together type of curriculum. We really did enjoy level 2 of ELTL. Rod and Staff isn't really independent either. The bulk of the review material is in the teacher's manual. My children did best if I personally taught the lesson. However, the work in the text and/or worksheets can be done mostly independently. CLE is designed to be the most independent of the ones you listed. Edited June 6, 2016 by lorisuewho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Level 2 doesn't take much time here. My rising 2nd grader started it (we got through 4 weeks before the end of the school year after we switched from CLE). He is my independent guy, so he usually does the copywork on his own and draws a picture. Then we get together to read over the lesson and do the grammar. That level is definitely the quickest of the 3 we're doing (2, 3, and 5). Also, it's only 3 times a week, so you could even split a lesson into two days twice a week if you needed to. CLE is 5 days per week, and I can't remember R&S... maybe 4? CLE has a lot more seat work than ELTL, while ELTL has more reading (one chapter, 3 times a week). I let my kids read it themselves or listen on Librivox while following along on their Kindle, so the reading doesn't take me any time at all. There is a fable and some poetry to read in the lesson, but that's short. I read those aloud. I'm not using it independently, as I found that CLE being used independently just wasn't a great idea, so I'm trying to NOT be as independent. :) But I also have a toddler and 3 homeschooled kids, so yeah... school takes us a while. I switched to ELTL to streamline our language arts. It is the only thing we're doing for language arts. I'm not adding other things to it. So it is taking us less time than slogging through CLE lessons 5 times a week. :) The ELTL samples include 2 or 3 weeks of lessons, so you could try out a lesson or two and see how long it takes you. The sample does not include the workbook, which just has the copywork printed out to mark up for grammar and then printed again for copywork. So that's not absolutely necessary (it's a nice to have, and I'm using it, but for sampling, you don't need it). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Thanks, all! I should explain, I don't want 100% independent. I want me teaching a short lesson (10-15 min) and then him being able to work independently while I move on to the next kid. So even with CLE I would work with him on parts, just so I know he understands and also because he still needs me there some of the time. So can R&S be used how I want? I don't want a ton of writing though. What about level 3 R&S... It had some workbook pages. Maybe it would be the best of both worlds... Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 ELTL 2 will probably be your shortest lesson time. Rod and staff has quite a bit of work to it at level 3. Using some workbook pages instead of the book would cut that down. You could do grade 2 of Rod and Staff and just do most of it together orally. ELTL would still probably be the shortest lesson time if you aren't including the reading time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I should add that all three of these are really good solid programs. They are just different in the presentation and amount of written work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Right. I agree that ELTL might be shorter. Hmmmm. My issue is alllllll the reading because we are doing HOD next year and there is lots of reading involved already. Wondering if the added reading for ELTL is just too much. Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Right. I agree that ELTL might be shorter. Hmmmm. My issue is alllllll the reading because we are doing HOD next year and there is lots of reading involved already. Wondering if the added reading for ELTL is just too much. Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Well, even though I have used CLE, R&S, and ELTL, I have never used HOD except for preschool so I really can't help you out on that. Hopefully someone else can! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 It's nice that you've used all of my top picks! So you prefer ELTL over all three la options? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Is CLE just too much busy work? I only want it for the grammar. And for R&S, is it doable to do 2/3 of it orally or on whiteboard and have the child only do 1/3 written? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Honestly, CLE would be easiest I guess, workbook wise. Have you used abeka la? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmyn Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 You can skip the literature entirely and just use the rest of it. We did with levels 1 and 3 this year because we'd already read many of the selections, and I had other plans for literature. I didn't feel like it took anything away from the program. From what I remember of the level 2 I bought but haven't started, I think you could do the rest of it in 10 mins plus copywork time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshineslp Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 You can skip the literature entirely and just use the rest of it. We did with levels 1 and 3 this year because we'd already read many of the selections, and I had other plans for literature. I didn't feel like it took anything away from the program. From what I remember of the level 2 I bought but haven't started, I think you could do the rest of it in 10 mins plus copywork time. This is interesting... You think it's really doable? Even in level 3? Is the grammar in ELTL very strong or have you ever felt the need to add to it? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 Is CLE just too much busy work? I only want it for the grammar. And for R&S, is it doable to do 2/3 of it orally or on whiteboard and have the child only do 1/3 written? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) It is absolutely doable at that level to do most of it orally and with the whiteboard and do the rest independently. I personally don't think CLE is busy work, but if you aren't going to use the spelling or the writing than maybe it is a lot of extra that you don't want. I really like all three programs. However, I seem to have found my groove with Rod and Staff right now, so that is what we are going with for now. But if I was pressed for time, I think I would do ELTL because I feel it is very solid and beautiful with very little busy work. Honestly, CLE would be easiest I guess, workbook wise. Have you used abeka la? Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:) I haven't used Abeka at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UCF612 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 If you just want grammar what about Fix It! by IEW? My son did it independently and I just checked his work daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 The literature in ELTL is only 1 chapter, 3 times a week. And they can listen to it on Librivox, so you could use that for quiet time or something. :) YOU don't have to do much reading. And it's really not a ton of reading. I am using it with Wayfarers, which also has a lot of reading (similar to HOD). The ELTL reading has been no big deal at all. I just send the kid to the computer and let them listen and follow along on their Kindle. I spend about 10-15 minutes going over the lesson itself. They do copywork on their own. In level 3 I need to read the dictation twice a week, but it's super short (not like level 5, which is a paragraph!). On Friday we do an oral narration, and in level 3, I dictate one sentence back. The grammar is very strong. When I compare it to other programs I've used (R&S, CLE, FLL, Hake), it's covering all the bases, and I like that it's hitting grammar, spelling (via studied dictation), composition, and literature all at once. If you're looking for ONLY grammar, ELTL may not be what you're wanting though. I'm using it to streamline things and to make language arts a little more enjoyable for everyone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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