Learning Language Arts Through Literature for High School Review

Researching language arts options for your homeschool? Hither's what y'all need to know most Learning Linguistic communication Arts Through Literature and why information technology'southward my go-to language arts curriculum year after twelvemonth.

*This is a sponsored mail service and I received a complimentary re-create of Learning Language Arts Through Literature: The Gold Volume for review purposes, but I've happily used this curriculum with my kids for years. Also, this post contains chapter links; see disclosure for further details.*

It'southward hard to imagine it now that I've got a teenager who wants to exist a writer, but language arts was a struggle for us in the earlier years of our homeschool journey. Because of that struggle, it took a few years to notice a language arts curriculum option that met our needs.

The thing is, language arts came easily to me in my years as a pupil. Since information technology came hands for me, I causeless the materials I selected wouldn't be a brand-it-or-break-it cistron when teaching language arts to my own kids. In a nutshell, I thought I could option whatsoever linguistic communication arts curriculum and make it work for us.

I was terribly wrong.

Granted, my curriculum selection process was quite different in our early years of homeschooling. Afterward all, this was before I read whatsoever of Charlotte Bricklayer's volumes or spent fourth dimension exploring educational philosophy, but I learned the hard way that choosing a language arts curriculum isn't equally uncomplicated every bit finding a program with a four-star Amazon review.

Information technology took time and experimentation, but we finally stumbled beyond Learning Language Arts Through Literature later on four years of bad-for-united states curriculum choices. Since so, information technology'due south been a reliable part of our homeschool days and it's fabricated all the deviation in how I teach language arts and how my kids are experiencing it.

Overview: Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Earlier I bound into why we choose Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) time and time again, I want to share a quick overview. Published by Common Sense Printing through the lens of a Christian worldview, it's a literature-based, comprehensive, and consistent language arts curriculum that spans from first grade through the loftier school years.

• Information technology'southward literature-based. – All language skills are taught within the context of carefully-selected literature passages.
• It's comprehensive. – LLATL addresses all aspects of linguistic communication arts. Each level covers reading, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and writing mechanics.
• It's consistent. – LLATL takes a screw approach to teaching language arts. The contrary of kill-and-drill, it teaches language arts through brusque, conversational lessons that build over time. This allows students to revisit and strengthen language skills consistently.

Each level is labeled by color and covers all language arts areas with additional skills added into each level.

• The Blue Book / first course – phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, handwriting, and college gild reasoning.
• The Ruby Book / second grade – phonics, reading spelling, grammar, vocabulary, handwriting, and higher lodge thinking.
• The Yellowish Volume / third course – reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, handwriting, and higher social club thinking.
• The Orange Book / 4th grade – reading, spelling, grammer, vocabulary, creative writing, enquiry skills, poetry, and writing mechanics.
• The Purple Book / fifth grade – reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, limerick, research skills, higher society thinking.
• The Chocolate-brown Volume / 6th grade – reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, creative writing, research skills, and higher social club reasoning
• The Green Volume / seventh grade – reading, grammar, vocabulary, diagramming, poesy, Shakespeare, short story, research skills, and higher gild reasoning.
• The Gray Book / eighth class – grammar, vocabulary, give-and-take study, limerick, research skills, persuasive and narrative writing, book studies.
• The Gilded Books / loftier school – essay writing, creative writing, literary estimation, and studies on short stories, novels, poetry, and plays.

As well worth noting, the opportunities for your pupil to work independently increment with each level. Even so, both the instructor book and student book are needed to effectively use the curriculum.

Desire to view a sample lesson for Learning Language Arts Through Literature?

You tin learn more than about Learning Linguistic communication Arts Through Literature and view sample lessons for each level by clicking the button below and selecting a level.

As for the literature selections for each level, near tin can be easily purchased through your favorite bookseller or borrowed from your local library. The simply exceptions are with The Blue Volume and The Crimson Book since both utilise readers that were written for the curriculum.

A Typical LLATL Lesson

Each level contains 36 lessons and, while skills taught within the LLATL books vary co-ordinate to level, the framework for each lesson is more often than not the same.

Lessons are divided into five twenty-four hours sections that begin with dictation or copywork. Day i also includes an introduction to any spelling words for the calendar week and some quick enrichment-mode activities.

The Day ii instructions indicate back to the literature passage from 24-hour interval one and explore grammar mechanics and specific skills that can be taught with the passage as a guide. Days three and four continue to build on skills discussed earlier in the week and offer more opportunities for students to exercise those skills.

The typical Day 5 lineup varies from level to level, but it usually includes a terminal dictation or similar activity based on the literature passage. Spelling tests, enrichment, and review activities are also included for some lessons.

LLATL Book Studies

Book studies are another large part of Learning Language Arts Through Literature. There are four or v of these studies plant in each level. They focus on vocabulary, discussion based on the book, and other skills that represent with the detail choice.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature:
The High School Years

The loftier school books for LLATL are the only ones I haven't personally used yet, simply I'thousand using the British literature volume with my large kiddo next year. Here are the main differences I've discovered while familiarizing myself with it:

The Gilt Books

The high schoolhouse books (the Gold Books) are broken upwardly into four volumes covering British literature, world literature, American literature, and literary criticism.

Some other significant deviation between the lower levels and the Gilt Books is that parents and students share the master book. These books include all the lesson instructions, cess information, and answers to questions found in the lessons.

Since teens are expected to work more than independently than they were in younger grades, they apply this volume to guide them through the lessons and keep their notes and assignments in a separate notebook. This replaces the need for individual student and teacher books used in lower levels.

Just like all of the LLATL levels, most of the literature selections needed for each form tin be establish hands at your local library or favorite bookstore.

Also, there'south a separate book with form notes, tests, and test respond keys for each of the high school books.

Lastly, you can as well purchase anthologies to go with the high school books. (The American literature volume is the only exception to this.) These inexpensive companions to the courses are a wonderful way to ensure your educatee has access to all of the shorter selections referenced in the lessons without you having to hunt downward individual copies.

Why Nosotros Choose Learning Linguistic communication Arts Through Literature for our Homeschool

Now that yous know more about Learning Language Arts Through Literature and how it works, I've got a confession for yous. I really stopped using it about halfway through the first twelvemonth I tried information technology with my oldest kid.

Don't get me incorrect, LLATL e'er worked for my oldest kiddo. We loved the selected books and he was doing well with the lessons. But somehow it didn't seem similar information technology could peradventure exist plenty when I compared it to the other, albeit unsuccessful, resources nosotros used previously.

I'm not proud of it, merely I didn't trust the curriculum because it seemed too good to be true. It was as if there was something wrong with information technology because my son wasn't complaining and things were going smoothly. Sigh.

Nosotros stepped away from information technology for a while and tried something else. After a few months with another linguistic communication arts resource, nosotros knew it was fourth dimension to go back to LLATL and stay with information technology.

It took trying it and shifting to another arroyo to learn why LLATL works so well for usa, but it's what we proceed to choose for language arts each year. Here'due south why:

1. It's Charlotte Mason-friendly.

I was ever intrigued past the idea of a Charlotte Mason education for my kids, but I didn't implement her ideas in the beginning of our abode didactics journey. (Y'all can larn why that didn't happen in my mail service well-nigh homeschool regrets.)

That said, it didn't matter to me when we began using Learning Language Arts Through Literature, but I love knowing that information technology'southward helped me implement Miss Mason's ideas for teaching linguistic communication arts even when I wasn't trying to do so.

Hither are a few ways LLATL specifically aligns with Charlotte Mason'southward ideas for teaching language skills:

• Quality literature is the backbone of each level. Book studies play a large role in LLATL, but the language instruction always happens within the context of literature.
• Lessons include copywork, dictation, and narration exercises for most levels.
• Lessons are usually brusk. They take a bit longer in the books for older students, merely that's non uncommon for upper grades.

As well, while you won't hear too many Charlotte Mason purists discussing linguistic communication arts curriculum for first and second grade students, the "formal lessons" in the before levels (The Bluish Book and The Red Book) are yet gentle, short, and engaging.

There's certainly no pressure or kill and drill in those levels. The focus is still on story and introductions, which allowed me to stay truthful to a Charlotte Bricklayer-inspired homeschool while moving at my kids' paces.

2. Information technology allows us to be consistent with language arts.

Nosotros've come across our share of fantastic linguistic communication arts resources through the years, but none of them can be used for the long haul.

A language arts curriculum with one or two volumes can exist truly wonderful and helpful to those who use it, but where does that go out the student and parent later on completing the volumes?

Unfortunately it leaves them looking for curriculum nonetheless again.  That'due south also true for curriculum options written with elementary or middle school students in mind.

It'due south not that fashion with Learning Language Arts Through Literature. Since there are volumes for get-go course through high schoolhouse, it's a long-haul solution to homeschool linguistic communication arts. There'southward no need to stress over what we'll use next year because LLATL can be a part of the entire homeschool journeying rather than a temporary fix that will only terminal a season.

3. It requires piddling (and frequently no) prep.

My kids are 5 years apart and I often say that I alive with ane foot in two different homeschool worlds considering of their age deviation. That age difference is exactly why LLATL'southward low-prep nature is such a aid to me.

Since I'm homeschooling high school with my oldest kid and in the heart of the elementary school years with my youngest, I'grand grateful for language arts lessons that allow me to literally open the books and piece of work through the lessons.

Homeschool life is challenging plenty with a pes in two worlds; having to round up supplies for separate lessons and mentally set for 2 dramatically different levels would complicate things even more than.

I go dorsum to LLATL each year because I tin glance through the lessons for the upcoming week and rely on the guidance in the teacher books to do the heavy lifting. I don't need to spend additional time piecing things together considering everything is prepare and waiting for Mon morning.

(PS: When a little actress preparation is needed — similar with the flip books and give-and-take wheels in The Blue Volume and The Red Book — it'southward quick and easy.)

4. It's affordable.

Lastly, we choose Learning Language Arts Through Literature for our homeschool because it'due south affordable. It's certainly non the most important factor, but it'due south one that matters to my budget.

I'k all for smart spending when it comes to my homeschool purchases, and so I appreciate how LLATL replaces the need for separate curricula for reading, spelling, vocabulary, limerick, and grammar.

The affordability also comes into play when I'grand purchasing for my youngest kiddo each year. My but language arts purchase for her is a new student book each year since I'thousand able to reuse the teacher books I used with my teenager the showtime time around.

Past purchasing one resource for all of these language arts areas and reusing when possible, I'1000 able to steward my homeschool budget wisely with LLATL.

Go Connected with Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Now that you know why Learning Linguistic communication Arts Through Literature is a permanent part of our homeschool, you can learn more by visiting Common Sense Printing. Y'all can as well buy all of their LLATL resources in that location:

• Teacher books
• Pupil books
• Digital versions for each volume

Not sure which level to purchase? These LLATL placement tests tin can help you determine the best level for your child.

Too, be sure to check out the free bonus volume studies offered by Common Sense Printing. You'll notice resources to help you dig into wonderful books for all ages similar Snowflake Bently, The Family Under the Bridge, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Constrict Everlasting, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

In addition to purchasing through Common Sense Printing, yous can find a skillful choice of LLATL products at Rainbow Resources Eye, Christian Book Distributors, and other homeschool retailers.

Lastly, if you have questions about Learning Language Arts Through Literature, leave a comment and let me know. I'm happy to help out.

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