CLE LA vs R&S English

[lulalu]

Looking for 3rd grade. As far as I can tell they are similar in rigor. I have used FLL. And have been loving Spelling You See, so I think I wouldn't use the spelling in CLE although it is nice to think of it altogether. 

If you have used these what are your thoughts. Which did you like more and why? 

[KrissiK]

It really depends on if you want a write in workbook. That’s one thing I really like about CLE as opposed to R&S.

[lulalu]

Ds likes workbooks, but I don'r want to overdo the workbooks either. 

[KrissiK]

1 hour ago, lulalu said:

Ds likes workbooks, but I don'r want to overdo the workbooks either. 

Well, he’s going to be writing, no matter what. So, does he want to write in the workbook, or have to copy everything down out of a consumable text?? We use Rod & Staff because I have it, and honestly, I like it better than CLE for some reason, but I make worksheets. Yes, it is incredibly time consuming,  but it is the only way I really know they are getting things right, short of hovering over them, or looking at their answers and the book at the same time.

[lulalu]

I was thinking of making worksheets for R&S! Glad that doesn't seem crazy. ?

[Susan in TX]

I prefer CLE for third grade. I like the workbook format and find it easier to implement with younger students. It is easier to teach than Rod and Staff because the workbook is written to the student and designed to be used independently. CLE also covers more than just grammar. I also like Rod and Staff and I prefer it for the upper grades. But I don't start using it until 4th grade. I have found that one can easily skip Rod and Staff 3rd grade and start in 4th with the 4th grade book.

Susan in TX 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Susan in TX

[Ellie]

10 hours ago, lulalu said:

Looking for 3rd grade. As far as I can tell they are similar in rigor. I have used FLL. And have been loving Spelling You See, so I think I wouldn't use the spelling in CLE although it is nice to think of it altogether. 

If you have used these what are your thoughts. Which did you like more and why? 

I prefer R&S because it is *not* a workbook. I think there's great value in the children having to write on actual paper.

Of course, R&S separates its English from its spelling. :-) I also like Spelling by Sound and Structure, though.

[KrissiK]

9 hours ago, Ellie said:

I prefer R&S because it is *not* a workbook. I think there's great value in the children having to write on actual paper.

Of course, R&S separates its English from its spelling. ? I also like Spelling by Sound and Structure, though.

You’ve mentioned that before, Ellie. And I completely agree with you. Unfortunately, with the way my four are, I need to look quickly down a page and see that they completed the work. And they do have writing to do, it’s not all “circle the nouns and underline the verbs.”

[lulalu]

10 hours ago, Ellie said:

I prefer R&S because it is *not* a workbook. I think there's great value in the children having to write on actual paper.

Of course, R&S separates its English from its spelling. ? I also like Spelling by Sound and Structure, though.

That makes sense. I have read that writing out notes vs typing makes things stick better. So I would imagine that writing a sentence out vs underlining and so forth would stick better. 

Thank you all for sharing your wisdom! 

[Another Lynn]

In addition to (or perhaps more important than) the text book vs. workbook choice, I would consider the organization of concepts - R&S is one part of speech at a time whereas CLE is not.  Once diagramming is introduced in CLE the student is diagramming whole sentences and when new things are taught they are incorporated.  In R&S the student is diagramming sentence skeletons for what seems like a really long time to me.  A student will not be equipped to or asked to diagram an entire sentence until the end of the text since some parts of speech are not taught until then.  Full disclosure - we never made it through an entire year of either CLE or R&S and it's been several years since I tried either one, so my memory of it may be off.  But honestly, these issues would effect my choice more so than text vs. workbook. 

[Ellie]

On 11/14/2018 at 9:47 AM, lulalu said:

That makes sense. I have read that writing out notes vs typing makes things stick better. So I would imagine that writing a sentence out vs underlining and so forth would stick better.

It's also continual usage of penmanship and writing skills (because *all* writing counts as writing, even if the actual topic isn't writing). :-)

[jaredluvsjoanie]

Rod and Staff publishes supplementary worksheets for English. Do you make use of those? I find them to be fantastic!

[Ellie]

14 hours ago, jaredluvsjoanie said:

Rod and Staff publishes supplementary worksheets for English. Do you make use of those? I find them to be fantastic!

I never used them. ?