We used First Language Lessons when Mr. Blue was in first grade and have been using it steadily ever since. He's on Level 3, while Miss Pink is on Level 1 at an advanced rate. She already knows most of the information covered from listening in on her brother's lessons. I have enjoyed Level 3 so much, I ended up getting Level 4 for Miss Green to go through quickly before starting Rod and Staff grade 6 next September. We've bounced around so much with her in grammar, but I can really see her making progress in this, even in the 2 weeks we've been using it.
We've used Rod and Staff (grade 3), Easy Grammar (3/4), and Learning Language Arts Through Literature (Orange and Gray.) Rod and Staff was really okay, but she decided on the first day she didn't like their tone. Every day after that was a chore. Easy Grammar was okay as well, but I didn't feel she really retained much. LLATL is probably a decent program, but I just felt overwhelmed by it. The teacher's manuals are very confusing to me, but that could be because I never found the time to sit down with them before using them.
First Language Lessons is truly open and go, which is a necessity here. I have 4 kids schooling now, so the less prep work I have to do the better. My kids enjoy the poetry memorization more than I ever thought they would. Everyone from Miss Purple to Miss Green has memorized all the poetry for the 3 levels we've done thus far. I try to find recordings of them to listen to in the car and Miss Purple usually asks to hear them above any music I might offer. It's quite interesting to listen to her recite poems.
It's also lead to other discoveries. For example last week Mr. Blue was memorizing A Tragic Story by William Makepeace Thackeray, and the only recording I could find was a choral arrangement sung by a boys choir. We ended up discussing boys choirs, falsettos, and music in general for a long while. I keep trying to get Mr. Blue to sing in a falsetto with them, but he's not falling for it.
Long story short, if you're looking for an open and go, gentle yet thorough introduction to grammar, go get First Language Lessons!
Hi. Hiw did you do FLL with all 4 kids? Isn't it more time consuming than R&S because for each lesson requires 1-1 with each child? II am torn between using FLL or R&S for third grade for that reason since I heard that R&S gives more independent work. I'll be homeschooling 3 kids (8-4 yrs old) and don't know if I can juggle 1-1 time for math and grammar and anything else that is age specific. Since I already have FLL for grades 1 and 2, I will use that with my first grader but cant make a decision about 3rd grade. Advice?
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