About Language Arts

From Life Take 1
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Before we get to what I use/have used in the past. I want to address another topic that has been asked a lot recently. What are the sub-topics of LA? LA encompasses so much that many new homeschoolers feel overwhelmed with this subject and always feel that they are leaving something out. Below is a list of sub-subjects so that you won't have to feel like you forgot something anymore. If there is no starting time indicated, that means to start whenever developmentally appropriate. Ending times will depend upon the programs you use. All are suggestions based upon the "normal" recommendation for usage.

Spelling (starting at 1st grade)
Phonics (up to 2nd grade)
Grammar (starting at 3rd grade)
Handwriting (up to 6th grade)
Vocabulary (starting in 2nd grade)
Readers (books your child reads aloud)

I think I have covered them all. LOL!!!

Anyways, on with our journey with Language Arts. Kris showed all the signs of being able and wanting to learn how to read at the age of 3. By around 3.5, I still refused to teach him ... thinking later would be better than early. So, he decided to teach himself. If he couldn't figure out a sound, he would make one up. I quickly decided to put an end to that. So we began our journey in learning how to read.

The first book I choose to guide Kris was, Reading Made Easy. It is very similar to 100 EZ Lessons but was prefered by Rainbow Resource Center and a few other places so I went with it. I thought it looked like a great program. Kris had other ideas. He wanted his own book. He didn't want to share with me. The book seemed overwhelmingly big to him and he was instantly frustrated that he would never be able to complete it. After trying for a few months, I gave up on this program.

Shortly after this, I ordered SL LA K. Thinking we love all the other SL programs, why didn't I just get this in the first place. SL expected too much too fast for us. His reading level needed to be equal with his writing capabilities. Maybe his writing capabilities being ahead of his reading skills would have been even better. Regardless, it didn't work. Too much dictation. The introduction to letter sounds was to slow. We tried many suggestions to make it work by dropping this, adding that, etc.. etc... it all had they same affect for us. It didn't work. Later on, I gave SL LA 1 a chance ... thinking it maybe better for us now that we have the basics under our belt. I am sad to say, that it still did not work with for us. So, unless SL redoes their LA programs I do not see us using them in the future. However, I do like their readers (which I use) and the games for K and 1 were great as well.

So, tired of spending and getting nothing from it. I decide to let Kris make the choice of what he wants to use. I had 3 different programs in mind (Sing, Spell, Read and Write (SSRW), Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL), and Saxon Phonics) but I didn't tell Kris what they were. I just sat down with him and the big RR (Rainbow Resource Center) catalog and read discriptions to him. Thinking I would purchase the one that he picked that matches mine. Unfortunately, he picked 2 of the 3 I did. Now, I needed to narrow it down more. Another hs mom had Saxon Phonics and offered to let us come over and see it. Kris feel in love with it instantly and wanted to take it home (Thank you Marci!). So this is the program I ordered next.

Saxon Phonics was the perfect fit for us. We did not do everything the IG tells us too but took what we needed and left the rest. By the end of Saxon Phonics K ... Kris could read just about any picture book he could get his hands on. By the end of Saxon Phonics 1 ... he was reading chapter books, magazines, and the newspaper with ease. We did not think he need Saxon Phonics 2. So we skipped it.

Finally, we found the program that works for us. There is a saying that says, the 3rd LA program you buy is the one that will work. Whether it is finally learning your child's learning style or your child has finally had enough time or exposure to mature enough to handle phonics ... either way this has been the case for me. I just hope that the other 2 will use something we already own when it is their time to learn to read. If not, the next one I plan on trying is The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. The reviews so far have been fabulous!!

In addition to our phonics curriculum, we use several other workbooks. These have greatly helped improve Kris' abilities and I highly recommend them as do several other hsing moms I know. I plan to use these through the end of the series. When we have completed them all ... we will stop. I plan to use these with all 3 boys regardless of what phonics program works with them.

MCP Phonics (turns into Word Study at Book D)
MCP Spelling Workout (older edition ... my boys prefer sports; the newer edition is a multicultural theme. Both are in color and other than the theme are identical.)
Explore the Code (include the premiers for this series (Get Ready for the Code, Get Set for the Code, Go for the Code))
Reason for Handwriting
Wordly Wise (Books A-C)/Wordly Wise 3000 (starting in Book 1)

Handwriting was another hard choice for us. We started out wiht Handwriting without Tears but in this house it caused a lot of tears. The manipulatives for this program were a hit but Kris was confused by the 2 lines, never understood where to start his letters above the line, and hated the way that the letters look. He also did not like the black and white workbooks. In contrast, A Reason for Handwriting is a more traditional approach. While I was not to thrilled with the idea of writing Bible verses every week for handwriting ... Kris was. He loved the fact that some pages were in color and some in black and white. He also enjoyed the animal project pages that are a part of book K ... a lot! I really think it was those pages, and the ability to color the scripture pages any way he wanted to that made him want to use it. We use Startwrite Software to supplement our handwriting program. It can be used with any method you choose to teaching handwriting. It is an excellent program and one of those that I think should be found in every homeschool. If you can't afford a workbook program or prefer to make your own ... this is the one for you. Also, if you have more than one child using more than one style ... this would be a great investment for you.

Spelling caught me by surprise. I was planning on using the spelling that was part of Saxon Phonics but it just didn't work too well for us. So I picked up Spectrum Spelling 1 when I was out and about. The only program the store carried for spelling. It is too... schoolish for me. Word lists seem to be picked at random. We completed the year while I looked for something better. Spelling seems to be a schoolish subject regardless of what you use. I choose Spelling Workout because of its theme and recommendation by The Well Trained Mind. My son seems to learn anything related to sports so I figured I would capatilize on that love. I also very seriously considered Spelling Power which is recommended by SL but after hearing about all the teacher prep work needed to be done prior to using the program ... I decided against it. Anything with a lot of prep work is a big no in this house. I have no time for lots of prep work. I have 3 little boys!!

First Language Lessons (FLL) was brought up so many times during the end of 2004, that I decided that I should look into. The reviews were incredible but I wanted to see for myself if this grammar book aimed at 1st and 2nd graders was as wonderful as all the raves I have heard. I can now tell you that indeed it is! There is a rumor (or at least I think it is ... as I cannot find any information on it no matter how hard I try) that their is a Second Language Lessons (SLL) in the works. Oh how I pray that it is true! These books are similar to Primary Language Lessons (PLL) and Intermediate Language Lessons (ILL). If there is no SLL then I will probably be using ILL after FLL.

Leap Frog just came out with some Phonics DVDs this year (2004) that I cannot recommend highly enough. These would be perfect for introduction prior to starting any phonics program and would be great for review throughout your child's learning to read phase.

From Playpen to Podium was one of the first homeschool books I ever bought. It teaches speech and communication skills from your child's first word through college. It has 12 things every family should have available in their home to promote communication. This is an excellent resource for parents who think speech and debate are as big a part of LA as reading and writing.

There are the basics that you will need in addition to the actual program. A child's dictionary and thesaurus are one of those such items. Also paper and pencil. I also suggest having some fun LA manipulatives around the house ... magnetic letters, letter tiles, a chalk board for use anytime. These all will help promote LA skills through play. I am sure this section will grow over time ... I know there are a few things that I will be adding to it as we progress on our journey. But for now ... this is our plan.