Comprehensive language arts program for grades 5-8

[hs03842]

What language arts curricula have you seen out there or used yourself that include all aspects of ELA (including writing) in one program?  I’m looking for well known, much used, time tested “classic” homeschool programs.  We wouldn’t necessarily stay with it forever but would need it to get started.  

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by JoyKM

[Momto6inIN]

Analytical Grammar combined with their Beyond the Book Report is for 6th - 8th. It's not completely comprehensive but includes plenty of grammar and composition as well as some good classic lit and poetry in a very well respected package. I think they recommend just adding in something for vocab.

[Violet Crown]

On 3/6/2020 at 11:30 AM, JoyKM said:

spelling, grammar, writing, reading comprehension and literature

Galore Park's English course (Junior English and So You Really Want to Learn English) incorporates all those. It's British so "Year 3 to Year 8" means 2nd-7th grade. 

[Ellie]

On 3/6/2020 at 9:30 AM, JoyKM said:

Background:  I know I could teach history, math and science. Language Arts, however, intimidates me because of its scope.   There are so many subtopics in ELA—spelling, grammar, writing, reading comprehension and literature!  I actually got quite a good foundation in ELA at public school—sentence diagramming, root words, classic literature, lots of poetry, editing, solid writing—so for us there isn’t really an aspect of ELA that I feel comfortable leaving out or skipping (unless my children started to show signs of special learning needs).  It all works together to form a complete language mastery package. If I could find a curriculum that taught all of these subtopics together as a true Language Arts (including writing) course, then I feel like I could homeschool all subjects.  

Why not a la carte the subtopics?  My main goal in homeschooling those grades is to open more time in the day to pursue interests, volunteer in the community and for personal development. Having too many programs to juggle would work against us in streamlining and time saving. Also I would be new to homeschooling and don’t want to do that just yet. I need something that covers the bases without me needing to find five or six separate programs to do that—at least at first.

Question to you veterans:  What langauge arts curriculums have you seen out there or used yourself that include all aspects of ELA (including writing) in one program?  I’m looking for well known, much used, time tested “classic” homeschool programs.  We wouldn’t necessarily stay with it forever but would need it to get started.  

 

Don't forget penmanship and vocabulary. 🙂

And that's why it's tricky to find a single *book* that has everything in it. 

School publishers such as ABeka, BJUP, and Rod and Staff Publishers tend to have grammar and composition in one text; spelling/vocabulary, penmanship (in lower grades), and reading/literature are separate. If I were doing those, I would not think of them as "separate programs." The subject is grammar, composition, spelling, literature, not lumped together as one subject; and I would use something for each of them as necessary.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature and Total Language Plus, both written by homeschoolers, are supposed to be complete. I was just finishing my homeschooling when they were written, so I have never used them. 🙂

[wendyroo]

It's not everyone's cup of tea, but Michael Clay Thompson's Language Arts program includes grammar, vocabulary, writing, poetry and literature.  We don't personally use all the components, but we love his poetry books and some of his grammar, vocab and literature.

[Lori D.]

On 3/6/2020 at 10:30 AM, JoyKM said:

... There are so many subtopics in ELA—spelling, grammar, writing, reading comprehension and literature!  I actually got quite a good foundation in ELA at public school—sentence diagramming, root words, classic literature, lots of poetry, editing, solid writing...

A lot of what you are listing as separate topics actually ARE covered in one place with a solid "a la carte" program. For example:

Literature = most programs include some Vocabulary, and cover a variety of types of works (novels, poetry, short stories, plays), as well as guide into "digging deeper"
Writing = many programs include solid Writing instruction, as well as Dictation, Narration, and Note-Taking practice, plus writing a variety of types of assignments
Grammar = many programs includes solid Grammar instruction as well as Diagramming, and Proof-Editing practice
Vocabulary = many programs are Root Word-based, and by middle school, if your student does not still need formal Spelling instruction, the Vocab. program can also BE your Spelling
 

On 3/6/2020 at 10:30 AM, JoyKM said:

... for us there isn’t really an aspect of ELA that I feel comfortable leaving out or skipping (unless my children started to show signs of special learning needs).  It all works together to form a complete language mastery package. If I could find a curriculum that taught all of these subtopics together as a true Language Arts (including writing) course, then I feel like I could homeschool all subjects...

...What langauge arts curriculums have you seen out there or used yourself that include all aspects of ELA (including writing) in one program?  I’m looking for well known, much used, time tested “classic” homeschool programs.  We wouldn’t necessarily stay with it forever but would need it to get started.  

I never found an all-in-one LA program that matched our needs in all of the topic areas -- a few aspects were on target, while other areas were too light/below the child's working level, while still other areas were too hard/above the child's working level. That was exactly our problem when we tried LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) -- I had to do so much tweaking and supplementing, it was just easier and faster to target each language arts area with the specific resource/program that was the best fit for that child at that time.

Also, I think it is extremely difficult to get solid instruction in ALL the diverse topic areas from a single publisher. Usually, a resource that is good at teaching Spelling or Grammar is not going to be great at teaching Literature. A resource that is good at teaching Handwriting/Penmanship is not likely to be good at teaching Writing. etc.

I do think you can streamline so that you're covering 2-3 LA areas with one resource that is "tried and true". Examples:

Writing + Grammar
- Rod and Staff
- Voyages in English

Grammar + Vocabulary
- Caughtya Grammar series

Spelling + Vocabulary
- Megawords (gr. 4-12) -- spelling-based with good vocabulary words -- you would have to work with the words
- IEW: Advanced Spelling and Vocabulary (gr. 9-12)

Literature + Vocabulary
- Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings (gr. 7-10)
- some individual Lit. guides (gr. 6-12) -- although they usually have a list of vocabulary from the book with definitions; you would need to work with the words

I also think that you can go "a la carte" and still streamline by choosing materials that already combine 2 LA topics in a good/strong way, AND through the way you schedule your week. Ideas for streamlining:

Combine some subjects (although you may need to "Design It Yourself" to work the way you want):
* Spelling and Vocabulary very easily and naturally combine
* Grammar (with Editing) and Writing are really *meant* to go together, especially in the later middle school/high school years
• Dictation, Handwriting, Grammar, and possibly even Spelling can all work together in the late elementary/early middle school years
* Literature and Vocabulary naturally combine at all levels, and in the late middle school/high school years, Literature and Writing combine, as Lit is often the source of the Writing assignments
* Literature naturally lends itself to covering all types of works -- novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, plays, and nonfiction of essay, memoir, and autobiography

Scheduling - rotate through your LA topics in longer blocks of time, but fewer days (depending on each student's specific needs and style of working). Examples of only 3-4 LA topics per day:
- Mon/Wed/Fri = Literature/Reading and Writing
- Tues/Thur = Grammar; Spelling; Handwriting
- 1x/week, where each fits in = Vocabulary; Poetry; Dictation

Scheduling - do some of the LA topics "sporadically" (rather than all-year-long), in 6 to 9-week units. Example:
- all year topics = Literature/Reading and Writing
- alternate 6 week "units" of = Grammar and Spelling
- alternate "units" of = poetry appreciation; dictation; vocabulary/root word study; etc.
 

On 3/6/2020 at 10:30 AM, JoyKM said:

...My main goal in homeschooling those grades is to open more time in the day to pursue interests, volunteer in the community and for personal development. Having too many programs to juggle would work against us in streamlining and time saving. Also I would be new to homeschooling and don’t want to do that just yet. I need something that covers the bases without me needing to find five or six separate programs to do that—at least at first.

... What langauge arts curriculums have you seen out there or used yourself that include all aspects of ELA (including writing) in one program?  I’m looking for well known, much used, time tested “classic” homeschool programs.  We wouldn’t necessarily stay with it forever but would need it to get started.  

Since you would be new to homeschooling, my advice (which is what I would suggest to ANYone just starting to homeschool), would be to start slow; take time to "de-school" and transition -- allow both you and your children to SLOWLY get used to the new way of learning at home. That means you could just stick with lots of Reading (and discussing together) all kinds of books, a bit of Math, and a little Writing -- and explore! Do field trips, volunteer regularly, sign up for a few extracurricular activities, and designate an hour or two each day for personal exploration. As you all get more settled in, and more efficient with your "formal schooling", you slowly start adding in the other topics.

JMO, but that is the best of both worlds, as you get to use the individual programs that are strongest in teaching the different LA topics, but you add them in slowly one at a time and build into seeing how to schedule them so that you can continue to enjoy the flexibility of homeschooling.

However, if you really feel you need to start off with a single resource provider or publisher, then you might go with a "box" curriculum, although those tend to be more like doing traditional/formal school, just at home rather than in a classroom. That would be things like K-12 (secular), Christian Light Education (Christian), Bob Jones (Christian), or Abeka (Christian) -- or even an online provider of the core subjects, such as Time 4 Learning.

And finally -- Welcome! And, BEST of luck as you first sort through whether or not homeschooling is a good fit for your students' learning styles and needs, as well as your goals and abilities, and then in finding what resources would best help you start homeschooling, if that is the best choice for your family. 😄 Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited March 10, 2020 by Lori D.