Your "nerdy homeschool videos" are so valuable. I always walk away feeling informed, affirmed, and calmer about curriculum decisions I need to make, or have made. Thank you!
What you said about writing is exactly what I needed to hear! My oldest is starting 4th grade and writing is his hardest subject. I’m all stressed that in curriculum his level seems to be about level 1-2, whereas his reading is at grade level or higher. He excelled with phonics in the younger years, and this year I started him on a reading comprehension workbook that’s his grade level. I have been thinking about just doing notebooking and copy work for his writing this year because that’s what he needs the most help with, and I want to take away the pressure of “grade levels”. He is also doing Gentle Grammar workbook which is a gentle Charlotte Mason style approach to grammar, which is also additional writing practice. And he’s still working on his manuscript handwriting workbook, and will be starting cursive. After watching this I feel content that’s enough for him in this season. Thank you for this video ❤
Writing can definitely still be very challenging for a 4th grader. Getting all those fundamental skills down first--reading, handwriting, a basic understanding of the rules and order of written English--are the fundamentals that have to come first. It sounds like you've got the reading down solid, and you're working on the handwriting and the basic rules and order of English--you're doing exactly what you need to. A little more work on those fundamentals and gradually he can start synthesizing them into producing written work.
You nailed it regarding the all-in-one curricula. I have tried them several of them and always walk away feeling that you can't lump all the skills into one book without having major frustration in one or more of the subjects that are included.
You know what my favorite part of this video was?! The shortbread tin container in the top right of the screen! It’s probably filled with something tried and true that your mom used with you or your siblings decades ago and now you will use it with your boys. That’s what I love about your content….it is extremely practical!! No fluff. No frills. Just tried and true experience and this video was no exception and excellent. I wish I could have watched this as a new homeschool mom a decade ago! Instead I had to learn through trial and error. There are definitely seasons where all in one LA is the best option but I would say in general we are more of a piece it together family. I love All About Reading and Logic of English for phonics (depending on the student) with explode the code as fun reinforcement. For spelling I love All About Spelling and then my oldest is doing Phonetic Zoo Level C for spelling this year and I’ve been impressed with that. Even though it is an all in one curriculum, I do love Masterbooks for grammar and writing introduction with their levels 2 and 3. After that, we have enjoyed Beowulf’s Grammar and Fix It Grammar. For writing I like IEW and The Lost Tools of Writing. And then, of course, lots and lots of good quality literature to be read aloud and to be read independently. This is such a valuable video especially for those starting to homeschool!!!
hahaha--and you've pinpointed why you won't ever see me making organization videos with everything in pretty, matching or color-coded organization boxes. The shortbread tin actually stores a lot of Gentle + Classical memory cards...BUT the cardboard boxes on the shelf behind me mostly store learning games and materials passed down to the 2nd generation, and I've also got my hand-me-down pattern blocks stored in a bright green plastic container that Kit-Kats originally came in. Fancy is not my strength...so I lean into practical. :) Thank you for recognizing and appreciating the practical, non-glamorous approach. I hope this will be a helpful video for moms beginning the journey of LA in the elementary years, and you listed many high-quality resources in your comment!
Loved this video! Thank you so much for the info you shared. I think I’ve been wanting an all in one, but it’s not going to fit my son who is excelling in reading, but not as quickly in spelling. A great imagination for stories, but not if he has to write them himself. When Mama writes his thoughts, it’s completely different. Thanks again for your insight, especially when you start taking writing more seriously.
Yes, sometimes all-in-one curriculum can happen to work out great...but other times, it's not worth the contortions necessary to try to make it 'fit' when it just doesn't really fit your student. And the stage of writing where the child composes and the parent scribes can last a long time. My now-12th grade sister was extremely small for her age in her early years and lacked the motor skills/control to write long after she was very verbal and very capable of composition. My mom scribed for her for years, but eventually her little body caught up to her brain, and having been her writing teacher throughout high school, I'd say she's one of the best writers in the family--a fantastic grasp on logical reasoning and creative composition.
I love your balanced and no worry approach to schooling! You convinced me to try a workbook for my oldest who HATES copywork and learns nothing from it...unless she decides to copy bible verses during Sunday mass 😂. I've been loving Spell to Write and Read which is marketed as an all in one, but I can't seem to get to all aspects of LA to my satisfaction using it. (It is absolutely Fantastic for phonics, spelling, and penmenship though! Especially if used with Cursive First.) So I added First Language Lessons based on another of your recommendations and it is going very well! I have my 5 & 7 year olds going through it together. We also learn grammar through Classical Conversations memory work, but FLL gives them hands-on practice. I line up with you pretty well on writing. Foundation skills first. But I think holding off on creative writing and starting with source material to write from is easier than coming up with original thoughts and holding them in your head long enough to write them down. I did start slowly working through an early IEW program with my 7 year old this year and it is going well. It starts with having the child find the main ideas in paragrah by the use of a key word outline and having them retell it orally. Then progresses into having them use that outline to retell the information by writing a paragraph. It will progress to some creative/original writing toward the end of the book, but I doubt we will get there this year as we will take an extended Christmas/ new baby break soon. You are looking beautiful for 3rd trimester! I'm a month ahead of you with baby 5 and feel like I swallowed a whole watermelon to smuggle it somewhere 😂😂
Copywork might be an excellent approach for learning many skills...and yet there WILL be students who simply don't get anything out of it. That's always the reality when applying theoretical teaching techniques to individual students--some things will work effectively and others just won't. "Original thought" develops at different stages for different kids, I think. Some seem to be overloaded with original thought before they develop the foundational skills needed to put that thought on paper--ideas, explanations for the phenomena they observe, stories from their own experience and/or imagination...and for others, it develops more gradually. These 'talking head' videos don't show it but I am definitely experiencing the swallowed watermelon effect. Getting closer and closer, each passing day and week!
I never thought of myself as a nerd, until I became a homeschool parent and fell in love with learning again. After watching your channel and many others the last several years, I would say I’ve definitely climbed aboard the nerd train! 😂 I always love your channel and look forward to your wisdom in different areas. I would love to see you continue this Language arts learning videos into upper elementary and middle school. I know you have touched on it for high school before. Language arts is hands down the hardest subject for me to plan, and so far only 1 of my 4 children have enjoyed it. I sort of dread even thinking about picking curriculum for the fallowing school year. 😢 Thanks for breaking this all down for us. It truly helps!😊
Fantastic video! I’m in my 5th year homeschooling and I wish I would’ve known most of this three years ago! I totally agree with that you said about writing. I used to teach fourth grade and most of the students weren’t developmentally ready to plan, write and edit/revise a story, as they were being asked to do. I don’t stress much about writing, knowing it takes time and maturity to become a good writer. I do struggle with the all-in-one versus piecing together the different strands. I have done both, and they each have their place. I reevaluate each year. What we have used and liked: First Language Lessons, Writing with Ease, Abeka phonics, Handwriting without tears, Explode the Code, Total Language Plus, Writing and Rhetoric from Classical Academic Press
Yes, this is why it's important to point out, as you said, that even if writing assignments are being handed out to elementary students at these grades in a traditional school setting...it doesn't actually mean that these students have developed the underlying set of skills necessary to write well. I worked as a writing tutor, mainly with high school students, who were being given very impressive and challenging writing assignments...but many of them lacked the basic skills that would make the challenging writing assignments much more doable. We've used many of the same resources in our own family!
This is our 4th year homeschooling and we’ve done a mix of both. The past two years I had started piecing everything together and it was working great. However, this year my mother (who lives with us) was diagnosed with cancer, and I’ve become her caretaker. My third and youngest also started kindergarten. So with it being such a busy and crazy time I went back to the good and the beautiful for the year since it was an all-in-one that I didn’t really have to think about. When things calm down again I’ll probably go back to piecing everything together.
That's a wise point to bring up--different seasons and needs of life can lead to different curriculum needs. I am so sorry to hear of your mother's diagnosis. That's so heavy, for everyone in the family.
This is so helpful!! I never realized that there were two entirely different approaches to language arts. It makes so much sense now!! Thank you. I feel so much less confused about what to look for now!
Yes--getting the hang of the 'buzzwords' in curriculum descriptions can be very helpful, as well as identifying what approaches fit your own teaching style and your student the best! I'm glad this explanation helped make sense of it all. LA is one of my very favorite subject areas.
So glad you made this. I’ve been really struggling with Writing and thinking we are way behind. But that is because of my public school teacher background and what they do in school which is much different from what I have learned about writing via Charlotte Mason and other methods in homeschooling.😊
Yes, the flow and progression in a school setting can be quite different. When I was tutoring upper elementary - high school students in English and writing, and I found that while the assignments they were getting sure looked impressive, the building block skills necessary (for summary, organization, creating strong arguments) were frequently missing, and we were often needing to scale backwards to work on more basic skills needed to effectively accomplish the impressive assignments. This is why I lean strongly toward being very aware of a natural progression of skills for each student, and building up all the underlying skills that must work together for solid writing skills to be possible.
Great video and points! This is my first year of homeschooling my kindergardener and i was trying to get him to do creative writing right away because i remember writing stories and a picture with it when i was in kindergarden public school. He was very confused and didnt know how to write it and realized my class probably had key words on the board and had a assistant teacher spoon feeding us words. We are focusing on handwriting , phonics and reading only right now and its been going great
Yes--if you want to do creative writing--typically in kindergarten I will "scribe" for my son and let him tell me a story that I write down or type, and have him draw pictures for his story. I had him "write" several stories this way during his kindergarten year and the stories he created are so precious to me--will definitely be saving them forever. :)
I really enjoyed this video! This is technically my 3rd year homeschooling. My oldest is about to start 1st grade curriculum and i found myself piecing her stuff instead of an all in one like i did for Kinder. You said this and i heard this a lot when i first started but its so important to know your child's pace. I didnt get that when i started and it honestly scared me when i would hear a homeschool mom say, " you will know when they are ready" but the longer I homeschool, the more i know my child and know when they are ready to move on.
Glad this was helpful! And yes, I understand that that advice can seem confusing before you begin...but it's very true, the longer you've been teaching and working with a child, the more you can really 'see' when different skills begin to click and when they're ready for more.
Solid phonics can be extremely helpful for later spelling! It's not always a guarantee, depending on the learner's brain--I learned to read largely on my own with very little phonetic instruction, but I've always been able to spell any word I've ever seen, because I simply remember them all. My sister who has dyslexia had VERY thorough phonics instruction during her years of learning to read, she was a very diligent student, and even as an adult, spelling is not a strength for her. So...I strongly support thorough phonics instruction even while realizing that when applied to individual students...results will always vary! :)
@@SevenInAll so true! I have 7 kids that have all had solid phonics and yet not all of them are good spellers. I do think I used a better phonics program with my 2nd grader though. I am using it now with her very different younger sister starting in K so we shall see if it works again or if it was just the way my 2nd grader was made.
Language arts has been quite the journey for us. Because of a family history of dyslexia, we started with programs that were theoretically designed to be good for dyslexics. At kindergarten age, Logic of English was first, but by the second unit it wasn't working and I couldn't figure out a way to slow the pace enough for my child who just seemed to be guessing at letter sounds. Next, we used Treasure Hunt Reading by Prenda (it's free online!). My child really liked the video lessons and that the child had so much ownership of their journey and lessons. I really liked some of the mindsets reinforced in that program like that mistakes are part of learning. But after introducing all the short vowel and consonant sounds, the program began introducing sight words at far too quick a pace. Next we tried Gather Round's Ready to Read program because I was hoping that incorporating other subjects would help with the developing aversion to reading. That part did work as hoped but my child couldn't sound out/blend more than two CVC words in a sitting without becoming frustrated. It was clear there was an issue. After many assessments, we learned our child was definitely in the struggling reader/dyslexic group and needed more than just phonics. LOE included phonemic awareness but we have also had to work on phonological awareness (who knew those were different?!). Now we're using a combo of Equipped for Reading Success by David Kilpatrick and an all-in-one LA program, Pinwheels by Rooted in Language. So far so good. There are so many options for reading programs out there that work for so many people!
I've heard great things about Pinwheels! Yes, there are many options, and for students who naturally have a tougher journey to reading, it can be challenging as the parent to find which techniques and approaches are most effective in helping things to 'click.' And we often adjust as we go. I picked a phonics program for my son that didn't involve any writing, because in my head, it made sense to not over-complicate learning to read with adding in copywork or spelling words just yet. However, in practice, I realized pretty quickly that he seems to like writing and copying words and that he was getting a much better grasp on reading when I began incorporating more opportunities for him to write and spell a few words. That led to adjusting to incorporate more handwriting and basic spelling into our days than I had initially planned on.
Have you heard of All about reading? It's a reading curriculum that uses a multisensory approach to help students learn how to read. The founder's son had severe dyslexia and that it what motivated her to formulate this curriculum. I have heard great things about it. It's pricey but they guarantee it will work and if it doesn't, you can send it back within a year and receive a full refund. I hope this is helpful
Loved this! Such wisdom there, and your caveats for learning disabilities are right on. My kiddo with dyslexia is still working on reading but we have brought in grammar through First Language Lessons, and narrations to help formulate thoughts that one day will be written instead.
Yes! While in general I lean toward waiting till a good level of phonics/handwriting/spelling are mastered before going further with grammar and other strands of LA, when dealing with dyslexia and special needs, it's very necessary to start winding those strands in along the way when learning to read itself is going to be a long, slow journey.
I like the CM way of good books and narrations and copywork, but I also believe that children need explicit instruction from K-2nd/3rd. So I'm a mix. We do narration, copywork, and worksheets. Right now I have a 1st grader and am using Memoria Press First Start Reading (meh), Explode the Code (good), Reading Pathways (good), First Language Lessons (meh), grammar worksheets as needed, daily copywork (one sentence), and reading.
I also find a lot of benefit in a mix! Explode the Code has stood the test of time for good reason! And I do think narration is a very powerful learning tool, regardless of which educational 'method' a family aligns with.
Rachel I can't say how helpful and timely this video is!! I also have a Kindergartener and we are currently using TGATB but I am seeing it's shortcomings specifically with phonics. My son can still learn this way but I feel I want him to have a stronger foundation and to understand more of the phonics rules rather than memorizing words. I am considering switching to All About Reading but am left with not knowing how to add in the rest of LA for 1st grade specifically. Thank you for this video!
So glad that it's helpful! I'll be sharing the resources I'm putting together to create a Language Arts plan for my upcoming 1st grader soon--videos on my 1st grade curriculum picks will be coming later in February.
I am wondering the exact same thing but for second grade. We are currently using All About Reading level 1 and parts of Sonlight 1 (handwriting, copy work, explode the code, and writing assignments). I want to continue AAR for grade 2, but I am not sure I want to buy the whole Sonlight level 1 for just copy work, writing assignments, and a few grammar ideas here and there.
We've had good luck with TGATB, but we have switched the spelling to Spelling U See. I decided if I had to switch much else we'd ditch it, and just grab pieces. But so far, so good.
This was such a helpful video! Thank you for your take on this. We just switched from all in one to piecing together and I’ve struggled with what we should be covering and trying not to add in too much.
That can really be the hard part of 'piecing it together' on your own--making sure you're not having too much 'overlap' between different resources. But I do believe it can be a worthwhile route to take! I think it's helpful to really identify the specific needs of your students--with some students, a little overlap might even be helpful. In the past, with my sister who really struggled with spelling, we ended up using two different spelling resources that took entirely different approaches--sometimes the combo of two different methods helps the student make progress.
THAT WAS SOOO HELPFUL! Thank you Rachel! My daughter is in 1st Grade. I am pulling together all the curriculum and I have struggled so much with the Language Arts, because I want to start Grammar in addition to all the rest. I didn't understand the use of copywork, other than exposing them to well written content. This makes so much sense. I struggle with having enough time to do both copywork and writing lessons and phonics and reading lessons (my daughter is where you son is - AAR L2) and extra read aloud time beyond lessons. But all that said, I think we are coming to a turning point because she is reading much faster, Like she read Frog and Toad "The List" today, and her writing is also getting faster so if I can stay on top of it maybe she will follow! We are also starting AAS L2. I struggle with getting a curriculum out of the gate so to speak, so it takes me some time before I can start the next level. Thank you again Rachel, so so so helpful.
I'm so glad it's helpful! And yes, it naturally becomes easier to begin incorporating more 'strands' of Language Arts once kids start to get a bit of reading fluency under their belts and get the hang of handwriting. Love those "Frog and Toad" stories, they always make me smile!
We love TGTB but find we need different stuff for spelling and phonics!!! My older kids are doing extra vocabulary as well!!! I’ve found levels don’t match up!!! I don’t want to pull it all together so I do a mix!!! I love the safety net!!! I feel at this age imagining is awesome for pre writing!!! My youngest struggles with a print curriculum and I’ve don’t it informally and I was going to do that but UA-cam encouraged me to try a curriculum!!! For cursive I will need a curriculum!!! I love what works!!! I’ve found grammar exercises help my older kids but idk what my youngest will need!!! I agree that readers need to be readable and not dry!!!
We use an all-in-one language arts curriculum (The Good and the Beautiful level 1) and add in Essentials in Writing Level 1, and it has been such a great match. Both have short and structured lessons. I can’t say this would work for all students but my daughter loves to write and wants to learn how. And Essentials in Writing supplements that for her given her age. Anyways, this was a great video!
Agree 100%. My first 2 yrs homeschooling we did an all-in-one and it was easier on me but it didn't work for my kids. They are at different levels of spelling, reading, writng, vocabulary. These last 2 years weve pieced things together and its more work for me but its working much better fkr my 3rd grader.
This video was great! Lots of helpful info. I’m not a purist either when it comes to all things homeschooling. I enjoy mixing and matching for just about everything. For language arts this year, my 2nd grader is finishing up LOE Foundations D. We don’t utilize all parts of every lesson though. We also add in extra spelling from Spelling You See. We added in Wordly Wise this year as well just to give it a try, and she’s been enjoying that. We also focus on reading lots of great books (we’re doing Sonlight literature and history this year). She also does TGATB handwriting along with her LOE handwriting simply because she really enjoys it. She specifically likes the copy work and drawing activities in TGATB handwriting books. We also do note booking for science, so she gets extra writing practice in with that. My kindergartener son is just using LOE Foundations alongside listening to lots of great read alouds. :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts and breaking everything down. I think this can be such a helpful video for so many!
I love that the mix-and-match approach allows us to customize to meet the needs of our individual students and family as a whole! Sounds like you have an awesome line-up of resources going on.
I think that many families end up doing some level of 'piecing together'--it can be hard for all-in-one curriculum to really accomplish it's gigantic task.
My daughter turned 7 last week. She reads at a 5th grade level. Anything teaching phonics for reading is a waste of time. BUT she is on the ground floor for spelling and we are just finishing All About Spelling 1 which uses a combination of phonics and spelling rules. It’s a perfect fit for her. We are using First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind Grade 2 and Evan Moor Word a Day Grade 2 for Vocabulary Enrichment. We do nothing for writing, not even me writing down narrations for her (Although 1st language lessons has oral narrations and copywork.) . That will come! :) One thing you didn’t mention as a con for Piecemeal is all the extra work just in researching all the different pieces.
Yes, it's definitely extra work and extra mental load on the homeschool parent to choose all the pieces! But...for many students, especially those whose skills aren't all on the same level (which happens rather frequently), the "piecing it together" approach can be the most effective.
I don't have a video dedicated to notebooking yet, though I may do one in the future to talk about what that looks like at different stages. I did, however, talk about what notebooking looks like with a kindergartener and show examples from our current geography notebook in my recent monthly update video. The part where I show the notebook is near the beginning, within the first 4 minutes: ua-cam.com/video/iyS9ukIU55E/v-deo.htmlsi=ZfPV4nRY3rfG1odg
I don't, I haven't used Sonlight's current LA program for the early elementary grades. I believe that Science Mama has some Sonlight LA reviews on her channel!
Thank you so much for this! I’m not sure if it’s feasible for you, but if so I’d really love to get your opinion/review on Campfire Curriculums Phonics and Reading program.
I've heard a little bit of the buzz over the new release, though haven't looked into it thoroughly. It's intriguing, looking like it's a very conversational/dialogue-based approach with a strong focus on phonemic awareness, but there are also worksheet-type activities and elements. I usually tend to appreciate combining oral activities with physical and paper-based activities, so that's something that looks good to me--but at this point, I don't have any in-depth knowledge on the curriculum.
Hi! I’ve been looking through all your elementary LA videos and would love some guidance… I have a son going into 3rd grade and was planning to use Abeka Language with him, when Sonlight’s LA 3 caught my eye. How familiar are you with that particular program? For me the biggest reason not to use Sonlight’s would be that Abeka seems to be a bit more thorough/methodical in their grammar study. But I love Sonlight’s book list (it’s usually harder to make literature happen if it’s not a part of the curriculum) and it just seems to be a richer curriculum. (And I like their gentle approach to writing better than Abeka’s) My son catches on pretty quickly to reading/writing/spelling, etc. so I think either choice would work. Any thoughts?
I would look at Angie (Science Mama's) videos if you want to know more about Sonlight LA. Here's some of hers on 3rd grade Sonlight LA:ua-cam.com/video/jjVyAAd3hWQ/v-deo.htmlsi=i2dZJ6TvnCxie0pw that was a flip through and this is a week in the life of Sonlight LA: ua-cam.com/video/FnXh33XtoYI/v-deo.htmlsi=FXNWjd2CTooYXn3u I also feel that with a generally quick learner, either choice will work. And I can understand that it's easier to make good literature happen when it's integrated in the curriculum. I feel like Sonlight's LA incorporates the teacher a little more while Abeka program can be a little bit more independent at that level. Abeka repeats the same grammar study concepts every single year...so to a large extent, even just taking a year off is fine because you'll be covering the same concepts with just a little bit more detail again the next year even if you go back. :)
@@SevenInAll thank you! I did find Angie’s videos and they were very helpful. I did decide to try Sonlight LA. I just need to be mindful of having a good balance of teacher-intensive and more independent subjects. And to strive for consistency and not change everything up each year!
I am using the "piece it together" approach, and I share my 1st grade curriculum picks in this video: ua-cam.com/video/NiVxi1ouGVw/v-deo.htmlsi=ZretFjOEZINDQLk2 When you mention "no gaps" and not black and white pages, what comes to mind is actually Abeka--colorful pages in their LA books, and they are excellent with grammar, punctuation, capitalization, plurals, usage, etc. That's mainly a recommendation for the grammatical aspect of LA.
It technically depends on the curriculum. For example, I'm currently using First Language Lesson for the Well-Trained Mind, and that only has 100 lessons for a year, so we're doing that about 3 times a week. In general, yes, I would work on LA skills daily, particularly reading, handwriting, spelling in these early years, but sometimes particular resources are only designed to be used a couple times a week.
This is a big topic (and a longer video), so be sure to check out the timestamps in the description for navigation to different parts of the video!
I learned so much by watching it all, thank you for breaking these Language Arts topic areas down for early elementary levels.
Your "nerdy homeschool videos" are so valuable. I always walk away feeling informed, affirmed, and calmer about curriculum decisions I need to make, or have made. Thank you!
Oh, I am so, so glad to hear that! That is very much my aim and goal--to make effective, calm homeschooling feel like a realistic option. :)
What you said about writing is exactly what I needed to hear! My oldest is starting 4th grade and writing is his hardest subject. I’m all stressed that in curriculum his level seems to be about level 1-2, whereas his reading is at grade level or higher. He excelled with phonics in the younger years, and this year I started him on a reading comprehension workbook that’s his grade level. I have been thinking about just doing notebooking and copy work for his writing this year because that’s what he needs the most help with, and I want to take away the pressure of “grade levels”. He is also doing Gentle Grammar workbook which is a gentle Charlotte Mason style approach to grammar, which is also additional writing practice. And he’s still working on his manuscript handwriting workbook, and will be starting cursive. After watching this I feel content that’s enough for him in this season. Thank you for this video ❤
Writing can definitely still be very challenging for a 4th grader. Getting all those fundamental skills down first--reading, handwriting, a basic understanding of the rules and order of written English--are the fundamentals that have to come first. It sounds like you've got the reading down solid, and you're working on the handwriting and the basic rules and order of English--you're doing exactly what you need to. A little more work on those fundamentals and gradually he can start synthesizing them into producing written work.
I love that you mix curriculum and philosophies, a truly customized education.
I enjoy the freedom to do so!
My favorite Homeschool curriculum channel, thank you for sharing!!
Thank you!!
You nailed it regarding the all-in-one curricula. I have tried them several of them and always walk away feeling that you can't lump all the skills into one book without having major frustration in one or more of the subjects that are included.
Yes--they sound great at first, but in practicality, often result in frustration.
You know what my favorite part of this video was?! The shortbread tin container in the top right of the screen! It’s probably filled with something tried and true that your mom used with you or your siblings decades ago and now you will use it with your boys. That’s what I love about your content….it is extremely practical!! No fluff. No frills. Just tried and true experience and this video was no exception and excellent. I wish I could have watched this as a new homeschool mom a decade ago! Instead I had to learn through trial and error. There are definitely seasons where all in one LA is the best option but I would say in general we are more of a piece it together family. I love All About Reading and Logic of English for phonics (depending on the student) with explode the code as fun reinforcement. For spelling I love All About Spelling and then my oldest is doing Phonetic Zoo Level C for spelling this year and I’ve been impressed with that. Even though it is an all in one curriculum, I do love Masterbooks for grammar and writing introduction with their levels 2 and 3. After that, we have enjoyed Beowulf’s Grammar and Fix It Grammar. For writing I like IEW and The Lost Tools of Writing. And then, of course, lots and lots of good quality literature to be read aloud and to be read independently.
This is such a valuable video especially for those starting to homeschool!!!
hahaha--and you've pinpointed why you won't ever see me making organization videos with everything in pretty, matching or color-coded organization boxes. The shortbread tin actually stores a lot of Gentle + Classical memory cards...BUT the cardboard boxes on the shelf behind me mostly store learning games and materials passed down to the 2nd generation, and I've also got my hand-me-down pattern blocks stored in a bright green plastic container that Kit-Kats originally came in. Fancy is not my strength...so I lean into practical. :)
Thank you for recognizing and appreciating the practical, non-glamorous approach. I hope this will be a helpful video for moms beginning the journey of LA in the elementary years, and you listed many high-quality resources in your comment!
@@SevenInAll Kit Kats are yummy 😋 Your practicality is definitely what draws me in!!
Praying for you and baby boy.
Loved this video! Thank you so much for the info you shared. I think I’ve been wanting an all in one, but it’s not going to fit my son who is excelling in reading, but not as quickly in spelling. A great imagination for stories, but not if he has to write them himself. When Mama writes his thoughts, it’s completely different. Thanks again for your insight, especially when you start taking writing more seriously.
Yes, sometimes all-in-one curriculum can happen to work out great...but other times, it's not worth the contortions necessary to try to make it 'fit' when it just doesn't really fit your student. And the stage of writing where the child composes and the parent scribes can last a long time. My now-12th grade sister was extremely small for her age in her early years and lacked the motor skills/control to write long after she was very verbal and very capable of composition. My mom scribed for her for years, but eventually her little body caught up to her brain, and having been her writing teacher throughout high school, I'd say she's one of the best writers in the family--a fantastic grasp on logical reasoning and creative composition.
I love your balanced and no worry approach to schooling! You convinced me to try a workbook for my oldest who HATES copywork and learns nothing from it...unless she decides to copy bible verses during Sunday mass 😂.
I've been loving Spell to Write and Read which is marketed as an all in one, but I can't seem to get to all aspects of LA to my satisfaction using it. (It is absolutely Fantastic for phonics, spelling, and penmenship though! Especially if used with Cursive First.) So I added First Language Lessons based on another of your recommendations and it is going very well! I have my 5 & 7 year olds going through it together. We also learn grammar through Classical Conversations memory work, but FLL gives them hands-on practice.
I line up with you pretty well on writing. Foundation skills first. But I think holding off on creative writing and starting with source material to write from is easier than coming up with original thoughts and holding them in your head long enough to write them down. I did start slowly working through an early IEW program with my 7 year old this year and it is going well. It starts with having the child find the main ideas in paragrah by the use of a key word outline and having them retell it orally. Then progresses into having them use that outline to retell the information by writing a paragraph. It will progress to some creative/original writing toward the end of the book, but I doubt we will get there this year as we will take an extended Christmas/ new baby break soon.
You are looking beautiful for 3rd trimester! I'm a month ahead of you with baby 5 and feel like I swallowed a whole watermelon to smuggle it somewhere 😂😂
Copywork might be an excellent approach for learning many skills...and yet there WILL be students who simply don't get anything out of it. That's always the reality when applying theoretical teaching techniques to individual students--some things will work effectively and others just won't. "Original thought" develops at different stages for different kids, I think. Some seem to be overloaded with original thought before they develop the foundational skills needed to put that thought on paper--ideas, explanations for the phenomena they observe, stories from their own experience and/or imagination...and for others, it develops more gradually.
These 'talking head' videos don't show it but I am definitely experiencing the swallowed watermelon effect. Getting closer and closer, each passing day and week!
I never thought of myself as a nerd, until I became a homeschool parent and fell in love with learning again. After watching your channel and many others the last several years, I would say I’ve definitely climbed aboard the nerd train! 😂
I always love your channel and look forward to your wisdom in different areas. I would love to see you continue this Language arts learning videos into upper elementary and middle school. I know you have touched on it for high school before. Language arts is hands down the hardest subject for me to plan, and so far only 1 of my 4 children have enjoyed it. I sort of dread even thinking about picking curriculum for the fallowing school year. 😢 Thanks for breaking this all down for us. It truly helps!😊
That's an excellent video idea! I'll be working on that.
Fantastic video! I’m in my 5th year homeschooling and I wish I would’ve known most of this three years ago! I totally agree with that you said about writing. I used to teach fourth grade and most of the students weren’t developmentally ready to plan, write and edit/revise a story, as they were being asked to do. I don’t stress much about writing, knowing it takes time and maturity to become a good writer.
I do struggle with the all-in-one versus piecing together the different strands. I have done both, and they each have their place. I reevaluate each year.
What we have used and liked: First Language Lessons, Writing with Ease, Abeka phonics, Handwriting without tears, Explode the Code, Total Language Plus, Writing and Rhetoric from Classical Academic Press
Yes, this is why it's important to point out, as you said, that even if writing assignments are being handed out to elementary students at these grades in a traditional school setting...it doesn't actually mean that these students have developed the underlying set of skills necessary to write well. I worked as a writing tutor, mainly with high school students, who were being given very impressive and challenging writing assignments...but many of them lacked the basic skills that would make the challenging writing assignments much more doable.
We've used many of the same resources in our own family!
This is our 4th year homeschooling and we’ve done a mix of both. The past two years I had started piecing everything together and it was working great. However, this year my mother (who lives with us) was diagnosed with cancer, and I’ve become her caretaker. My third and youngest also started kindergarten. So with it being such a busy and crazy time I went back to the good and the beautiful for the year since it was an all-in-one that I didn’t really have to think about. When things calm down again I’ll probably go back to piecing everything together.
That's a wise point to bring up--different seasons and needs of life can lead to different curriculum needs. I am so sorry to hear of your mother's diagnosis. That's so heavy, for everyone in the family.
Thank you
This is so helpful!! I never realized that there were two entirely different approaches to language arts. It makes so much sense now!! Thank you. I feel so much less confused about what to look for now!
Yes--getting the hang of the 'buzzwords' in curriculum descriptions can be very helpful, as well as identifying what approaches fit your own teaching style and your student the best! I'm glad this explanation helped make sense of it all. LA is one of my very favorite subject areas.
So glad you made this. I’ve been really struggling with Writing and thinking we are way behind. But that is because of my public school teacher background and what they do in school which is much different from what I have learned about writing via Charlotte Mason and other methods in homeschooling.😊
Yes, the flow and progression in a school setting can be quite different. When I was tutoring upper elementary - high school students in English and writing, and I found that while the assignments they were getting sure looked impressive, the building block skills necessary (for summary, organization, creating strong arguments) were frequently missing, and we were often needing to scale backwards to work on more basic skills needed to effectively accomplish the impressive assignments. This is why I lean strongly toward being very aware of a natural progression of skills for each student, and building up all the underlying skills that must work together for solid writing skills to be possible.
Great video and points! This is my first year of homeschooling my kindergardener and i was trying to get him to do creative writing right away because i remember writing stories and a picture with it when i was in kindergarden public school. He was very confused and didnt know how to write it and realized my class probably had key words on the board and had a assistant teacher spoon feeding us words. We are focusing on handwriting , phonics and reading only right now and its been going great
Yes--if you want to do creative writing--typically in kindergarten I will "scribe" for my son and let him tell me a story that I write down or type, and have him draw pictures for his story. I had him "write" several stories this way during his kindergarten year and the stories he created are so precious to me--will definitely be saving them forever. :)
@@SevenInAll I have done that a couple times too ! he just writes down the title of the story and draw a picture. Thanks!
I really enjoyed this video! This is technically my 3rd year homeschooling. My oldest is about to start 1st grade curriculum and i found myself piecing her stuff instead of an all in one like i did for Kinder. You said this and i heard this a lot when i first started but its so important to know your child's pace. I didnt get that when i started and it honestly scared me when i would hear a homeschool mom say, " you will know when they are ready" but the longer I homeschool, the more i know my child and know when they are ready to move on.
Glad this was helpful! And yes, I understand that that advice can seem confusing before you begin...but it's very true, the longer you've been teaching and working with a child, the more you can really 'see' when different skills begin to click and when they're ready for more.
Yes! My 2nd grader is a great speller due to her solid phonetic instruction.
Solid phonics can be extremely helpful for later spelling! It's not always a guarantee, depending on the learner's brain--I learned to read largely on my own with very little phonetic instruction, but I've always been able to spell any word I've ever seen, because I simply remember them all. My sister who has dyslexia had VERY thorough phonics instruction during her years of learning to read, she was a very diligent student, and even as an adult, spelling is not a strength for her. So...I strongly support thorough phonics instruction even while realizing that when applied to individual students...results will always vary! :)
@@SevenInAll so true! I have 7 kids that have all had solid phonics and yet not all of them are good spellers. I do think I used a better phonics program with my 2nd grader though. I am using it now with her very different younger sister starting in K so we shall see if it works again or if it was just the way my 2nd grader was made.
Language arts has been quite the journey for us. Because of a family history of dyslexia, we started with programs that were theoretically designed to be good for dyslexics. At kindergarten age, Logic of English was first, but by the second unit it wasn't working and I couldn't figure out a way to slow the pace enough for my child who just seemed to be guessing at letter sounds. Next, we used Treasure Hunt Reading by Prenda (it's free online!). My child really liked the video lessons and that the child had so much ownership of their journey and lessons. I really liked some of the mindsets reinforced in that program like that mistakes are part of learning. But after introducing all the short vowel and consonant sounds, the program began introducing sight words at far too quick a pace. Next we tried Gather Round's Ready to Read program because I was hoping that incorporating other subjects would help with the developing aversion to reading. That part did work as hoped but my child couldn't sound out/blend more than two CVC words in a sitting without becoming frustrated. It was clear there was an issue.
After many assessments, we learned our child was definitely in the struggling reader/dyslexic group and needed more than just phonics. LOE included phonemic awareness but we have also had to work on phonological awareness (who knew those were different?!). Now we're using a combo of Equipped for Reading Success by David Kilpatrick and an all-in-one LA program, Pinwheels by Rooted in Language. So far so good. There are so many options for reading programs out there that work for so many people!
I've heard great things about Pinwheels! Yes, there are many options, and for students who naturally have a tougher journey to reading, it can be challenging as the parent to find which techniques and approaches are most effective in helping things to 'click.' And we often adjust as we go. I picked a phonics program for my son that didn't involve any writing, because in my head, it made sense to not over-complicate learning to read with adding in copywork or spelling words just yet. However, in practice, I realized pretty quickly that he seems to like writing and copying words and that he was getting a much better grasp on reading when I began incorporating more opportunities for him to write and spell a few words. That led to adjusting to incorporate more handwriting and basic spelling into our days than I had initially planned on.
Have you heard of All about reading? It's a reading curriculum that uses a multisensory approach to help students learn how to read. The founder's son had severe dyslexia and that it what motivated her to formulate this curriculum. I have heard great things about it. It's pricey but they guarantee it will work and if it doesn't, you can send it back within a year and receive a full refund. I hope this is helpful
Loved this! Such wisdom there, and your caveats for learning disabilities are right on. My kiddo with dyslexia is still working on reading but we have brought in grammar through First Language Lessons, and narrations to help formulate thoughts that one day will be written instead.
Yes! While in general I lean toward waiting till a good level of phonics/handwriting/spelling are mastered before going further with grammar and other strands of LA, when dealing with dyslexia and special needs, it's very necessary to start winding those strands in along the way when learning to read itself is going to be a long, slow journey.
I like the CM way of good books and narrations and copywork, but I also believe that children need explicit instruction from K-2nd/3rd. So I'm a mix. We do narration, copywork, and worksheets. Right now I have a 1st grader and am using Memoria Press First Start Reading (meh), Explode the Code (good), Reading Pathways (good), First Language Lessons (meh), grammar worksheets as needed, daily copywork (one sentence), and reading.
I also find a lot of benefit in a mix! Explode the Code has stood the test of time for good reason! And I do think narration is a very powerful learning tool, regardless of which educational 'method' a family aligns with.
Rachel I can't say how helpful and timely this video is!! I also have a Kindergartener and we are currently using TGATB but I am seeing it's shortcomings specifically with phonics. My son can still learn this way but I feel I want him to have a stronger foundation and to understand more of the phonics rules rather than memorizing words. I am considering switching to All About Reading but am left with not knowing how to add in the rest of LA for 1st grade specifically. Thank you for this video!
So glad that it's helpful! I'll be sharing the resources I'm putting together to create a Language Arts plan for my upcoming 1st grader soon--videos on my 1st grade curriculum picks will be coming later in February.
I am wondering the exact same thing but for second grade. We are currently using All About Reading level 1 and parts of Sonlight 1 (handwriting, copy work, explode the code, and writing assignments). I want to continue AAR for grade 2, but I am not sure I want to buy the whole Sonlight level 1 for just copy work, writing assignments, and a few grammar ideas here and there.
Keep an eye out for that video (it will release later next week), because the ideas can definitely be level-adaptable.@@Mommaoftwokiddos
We've had good luck with TGATB, but we have switched the spelling to Spelling U See. I decided if I had to switch much else we'd ditch it, and just grab pieces. But so far, so good.
We've enjoyed using Spelling U See quite a bit over the years!
This was such a helpful video! Thank you for your take on this. We just switched from all in one to piecing together and I’ve struggled with what we should be covering and trying not to add in too much.
That can really be the hard part of 'piecing it together' on your own--making sure you're not having too much 'overlap' between different resources. But I do believe it can be a worthwhile route to take! I think it's helpful to really identify the specific needs of your students--with some students, a little overlap might even be helpful. In the past, with my sister who really struggled with spelling, we ended up using two different spelling resources that took entirely different approaches--sometimes the combo of two different methods helps the student make progress.
@@SevenInAll that’s an excellent point. I have a struggling speller. I didn’t even think of trying that.
THAT WAS SOOO HELPFUL! Thank you Rachel! My daughter is in 1st Grade. I am pulling together all the curriculum and I have struggled so much with the Language Arts, because I want to start Grammar in addition to all the rest. I didn't understand the use of copywork, other than exposing them to well written content. This makes so much sense. I struggle with having enough time to do both copywork and writing lessons and phonics and reading lessons (my daughter is where you son is - AAR L2) and extra read aloud time beyond lessons. But all that said, I think we are coming to a turning point because she is reading much faster, Like she read Frog and Toad "The List" today, and her writing is also getting faster so if I can stay on top of it maybe she will follow! We are also starting AAS L2. I struggle with getting a curriculum out of the gate so to speak, so it takes me some time before I can start the next level. Thank you again Rachel, so so so helpful.
I'm so glad it's helpful! And yes, it naturally becomes easier to begin incorporating more 'strands' of Language Arts once kids start to get a bit of reading fluency under their belts and get the hang of handwriting. Love those "Frog and Toad" stories, they always make me smile!
We love TGTB but find we need different stuff for spelling and phonics!!! My older kids are doing extra vocabulary as well!!! I’ve found levels don’t match up!!! I don’t want to pull it all together so I do a mix!!! I love the safety net!!! I feel at this age imagining is awesome for pre writing!!! My youngest struggles with a print curriculum and I’ve don’t it informally and I was going to do that but UA-cam encouraged me to try a curriculum!!! For cursive I will need a curriculum!!! I love what works!!! I’ve found grammar exercises help my older kids but idk what my youngest will need!!! I agree that readers need to be readable and not dry!!!
Yes, having readers that kids are actually motivated to read and interested in makes a huge difference!
Very insightful. We piece together for those reasons. Though I have always wished an all in one curriculum worked for us.
It would be nice if it worked, but the reality is that it often doesn't.
We use an all-in-one language arts curriculum (The Good and the Beautiful level 1) and add in Essentials in Writing Level 1, and it has been such a great match. Both have short and structured lessons. I can’t say this would work for all students but my daughter loves to write and wants to learn how. And Essentials in Writing supplements that for her given her age. Anyways, this was a great video!
Glad you've found a combination that's working so well!
Agree 100%. My first 2 yrs homeschooling we did an all-in-one and it was easier on me but it didn't work for my kids. They are at different levels of spelling, reading, writng, vocabulary. These last 2 years weve pieced things together and its more work for me but its working much better fkr my 3rd grader.
Yes, many do find that the extra work of pulling different pieces together ends up fitting the needs of the student better.
This video was great! Lots of helpful info.
I’m not a purist either when it comes to all things homeschooling. I enjoy mixing and matching for just about everything. For language arts this year, my 2nd grader is finishing up LOE Foundations D. We don’t utilize all parts of every lesson though. We also add in extra spelling from Spelling You See. We added in Wordly Wise this year as well just to give it a try, and she’s been enjoying that. We also focus on reading lots of great books (we’re doing Sonlight literature and history this year). She also does TGATB handwriting along with her LOE handwriting simply because she really enjoys it. She specifically likes the copy work and drawing activities in TGATB handwriting books. We also do note booking for science, so she gets extra writing practice in with that. My kindergartener son is just using LOE Foundations alongside listening to lots of great read alouds. :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and breaking everything down. I think this can be such a helpful video for so many!
I love that the mix-and-match approach allows us to customize to meet the needs of our individual students and family as a whole! Sounds like you have an awesome line-up of resources going on.
Your videos are so helpful. Thank you so much!
I'm so glad they are helpful! You are very welcome!
Piecing together has worked so much better for us. We use Sonlight for history, science and reading. We use CLE for grammar and IEW for writing.
I think that many families end up doing some level of 'piecing together'--it can be hard for all-in-one curriculum to really accomplish it's gigantic task.
My daughter turned 7 last week. She reads at a 5th grade level. Anything teaching phonics for reading is a waste of time. BUT she is on the ground floor for spelling and we are just finishing All About Spelling 1 which uses a combination of phonics and spelling rules. It’s a perfect fit for her. We are using First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind Grade 2 and Evan Moor Word a Day Grade 2 for Vocabulary Enrichment. We do nothing for writing, not even me writing down narrations for her (Although 1st language lessons has oral narrations and copywork.) . That will come! :)
One thing you didn’t mention as a con for Piecemeal is all the extra work just in researching all the different pieces.
Yes, it's definitely extra work and extra mental load on the homeschool parent to choose all the pieces! But...for many students, especially those whose skills aren't all on the same level (which happens rather frequently), the "piecing it together" approach can be the most effective.
@@SevenInAll I totally agree which is why I do it!
Great video! Thank you! Do you have any videos on notebooking? I d love to see examples of that and the process you walk your kids through with that.
I don't have a video dedicated to notebooking yet, though I may do one in the future to talk about what that looks like at different stages. I did, however, talk about what notebooking looks like with a kindergartener and show examples from our current geography notebook in my recent monthly update video. The part where I show the notebook is near the beginning, within the first 4 minutes: ua-cam.com/video/iyS9ukIU55E/v-deo.htmlsi=ZfPV4nRY3rfG1odg
@@SevenInAll Thank you so much! I will watch this!
do you have any reviews of sonlights LA? specifically the younger years?
I don't, I haven't used Sonlight's current LA program for the early elementary grades. I believe that Science Mama has some Sonlight LA reviews on her channel!
Thank you so much for this! I’m not sure if it’s feasible for you, but if so I’d really love to get your opinion/review on Campfire Curriculums Phonics and Reading program.
I've heard a little bit of the buzz over the new release, though haven't looked into it thoroughly. It's intriguing, looking like it's a very conversational/dialogue-based approach with a strong focus on phonemic awareness, but there are also worksheet-type activities and elements. I usually tend to appreciate combining oral activities with physical and paper-based activities, so that's something that looks good to me--but at this point, I don't have any in-depth knowledge on the curriculum.
Hi! I’ve been looking through all your elementary LA videos and would love some guidance…
I have a son going into 3rd grade and was planning to use Abeka Language with him, when Sonlight’s LA 3 caught my eye. How familiar are you with that particular program? For me the biggest reason not to use Sonlight’s would be that Abeka seems to be a bit more thorough/methodical in their grammar study. But I love Sonlight’s book list (it’s usually harder to make literature happen if it’s not a part of the curriculum) and it just seems to be a richer curriculum. (And I like their gentle approach to writing better than Abeka’s) My son catches on pretty quickly to reading/writing/spelling, etc. so I think either choice would work. Any thoughts?
I would look at Angie (Science Mama's) videos if you want to know more about Sonlight LA. Here's some of hers on 3rd grade Sonlight LA:ua-cam.com/video/jjVyAAd3hWQ/v-deo.htmlsi=i2dZJ6TvnCxie0pw
that was a flip through and this is a week in the life of Sonlight LA: ua-cam.com/video/FnXh33XtoYI/v-deo.htmlsi=FXNWjd2CTooYXn3u
I also feel that with a generally quick learner, either choice will work. And I can understand that it's easier to make good literature happen when it's integrated in the curriculum. I feel like Sonlight's LA incorporates the teacher a little more while Abeka program can be a little bit more independent at that level. Abeka repeats the same grammar study concepts every single year...so to a large extent, even just taking a year off is fine because you'll be covering the same concepts with just a little bit more detail again the next year even if you go back. :)
@@SevenInAll thank you! I did find Angie’s videos and they were very helpful. I did decide to try Sonlight LA. I just need to be mindful of having a good balance of teacher-intensive and more independent subjects. And to strive for consistency and not change everything up each year!
What are you currently using for language arts? What curriculum do you recommend for “no gaps” but also fun and not black and white pages mostly ?
I am using the "piece it together" approach, and I share my 1st grade curriculum picks in this video: ua-cam.com/video/NiVxi1ouGVw/v-deo.htmlsi=ZretFjOEZINDQLk2
When you mention "no gaps" and not black and white pages, what comes to mind is actually Abeka--colorful pages in their LA books, and they are excellent with grammar, punctuation, capitalization, plurals, usage, etc. That's mainly a recommendation for the grammatical aspect of LA.
Do you schedule all lang. Arts everyday or how do you schedule it?
It technically depends on the curriculum. For example, I'm currently using First Language Lesson for the Well-Trained Mind, and that only has 100 lessons for a year, so we're doing that about 3 times a week. In general, yes, I would work on LA skills daily, particularly reading, handwriting, spelling in these early years, but sometimes particular resources are only designed to be used a couple times a week.
Very helpful video!
Glad it was helpful!