FLL & WWE or ELTL

[Elizabeth86]

I'm already trying to figure out what my boys will be doing for next year.  I have to think ahead.  For my 2nd son for 2nd grade, I'm considering doing FLL and WWE or ELTL.  I love that ELTL is scheduled for 3 days each week, so this is really making me lean that way.  Also, I figure if ELTL doesn't work out we can just pick up with FLL3 the next year with no harm done.  I have only ever done FLL 3 with my oldest and haven't done WWE at all.  How might these 2 options differ?  Which do I want?  I feel FLL/WWE is geared toward me, I love the scripted nature of FLL.  I haven't done much narration with my kids and I understand WWE might give me a little more guidance on that.  I'm not sure how much help the teacher gets with ELTL, but I don't know that it would be that hard for me lol.  How is FLL/WWE scheduled.  Is it 2 days for FLL and 4 days for WWE?  Do I have that right?

 

What would I need to round out language arts for second grade with these 2 programs?  I would need handwriting, spelling (not sure if we would need spelling with ELTL?)  I think we will be good with phonics.  He will have completed Abeka K & 1 for phonics.  He is reading just about everything already.  We may do something light such as reading eggs, a workbook or read through abeka's handbook for reading again.  I also have to decide if we will do 2nd grade readers or do something like Memoria Press literature guides (not sure we would do them as intended or done orally)  I feel like I really want to keep 2nd grade pretty simple so I feel I just want to read and not do lit guides so young.

This is what's on my mind for 2nd grade language arts.   What should I do for a very simple, but thorough 2nd grade language arts?

[Elizabeth86]

17 minutes ago, Ordinary Shoes said:

Have you looked at the books used in 2nd grade ELTL? I really wanted to like ELTL but I struggled with how to use it because we weren't reading the same books. Some of the books used in ELTL are not books we would choose. The author chose them because they are out of print. 

Well, I have looked at them.  I honestly haven't read any of them.  They looked fine to me.  I'm pretty sure the author said if you didn't like the books, you shouldn't feel pressured to read them.  I didn't really give the books much thought.  Something to think about, that's what I'm looking for, so thanks!

[Noreen Claire]

3 hours ago, Elizabeth86 said:

How is FLL/WWE scheduled.  Is it 2 days for FLL and 4 days for WWE? 

We are using FLL2 & WWE2 right now. FLL2 is completely oral, with supplemental copywork/written activities that we do not do, because we are doing WWE2. FFL2 has 100 lessons, and I schedule it 3 days/week and don't stress if we miss a day. WWE2 is 4 days/week, with each week's lessons being based on the same story, so week1/day1, week1/day2, week1/day3, week1/day4, followed by week2/day1, and so on...

I'm not familiar with ELTL, so can't help you there.

Edited December 21, 2019 by Noreen Claire

[barnwife]

We use ELTL.

We don't always read the books. I don't make any attempt to come up with my own copywork. We still use whatever she has scheduled. Someday, if my kids need therapy because of that, I'll pay for it.

As for what else you'd need with it for second grade, I assume that if your child is doing copywork, they no longer need a handwriting program. You could certainly also do a spelling program. Basically, we language arts they have to read aloud to me every day, spend time reading to themselves, and do ELTL. Sometime in second or third grade-ish we add spelling and dictation.

FWIW, my kids love the poems and fables in each lesson of the first levels. On the days that don't have them, they make me reread one.

[silver]

I've not used FLL, but I've used WWE1 and most of 2 with my youngest and I've used ELTL1-4 (now A-D) with my older two.

I liked WWE1. Partway through WWE2, the dictation became too much for my daughter. The dictation selections include words that an average 2nd grader cannot spell and started to get longer than my daughter could handle. There is too much going on in a single dictation (remembering the sentences, figuring out commas and other punctuation from my pauses, trying to spell words she doesn't know, etc.). I'm finding myself having cut the dictation down, writing several words on the board, and/or making it into copywork. I'm going to take a year or so break before doing level 3, and even then, I might only use it for the narration pieces.

I love the grammar in ELTL. I love how it's taught. I love how it gets used so frequently. I love the emphasis on diagramming in levels C and beyond. The writing aspect didn't work as well. The transition from oral to written narration was really rough (to be fair, we haven't hit this transition yet with WWE with my youngest). In level 4/D the instruction for writing/explaining the assignments wasn't fleshed out enough for my kids, and they struggled. I wasn't sure on the purpose/details of the assignments, even though I was teaching it and not just handing them the book, and I had a hard time helping them. They didn't like the scientific narrations. The copywork in level 4/D is really long (but likely comparable to WWE4). Dictation, when it comes in ELTL, is prepared dictation (where the student studies the passage first), and is meant for spelling. I did a separate spelling program, so we skipped dictation in ELTL.

I wish I could have the grammar instruction on ELTL, the copywork and narration guidance of WWE, no dictation or more doable dictation, and then some kind of writing instruction to get a student able to write a few original sentences (maybe written narration?) before moving on to something like Classical Writing or W&R around 5th grade.