5 Things We Love About Learning Language Arts Through Literature
If you are looking to make learning Language Arts a bit simpler in your homeschool, then you, my friend, are going to want to read my newest review! From Common Sense Press comes Learning Language Arts Through Literature, a guided program that is founded on learning through literature and dedicated to helping your homeschool students find the art that is language arts.
I was compensated for my time writing this post and was provided a copy of the product at no charge for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Several months ago, a representative from Common Sense Press sent me an email to inquire about curriculum reviews – something that I particularly enjoy working on.
For me, it was an easy product to say yes to… I mean, Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a book-based language arts curriculum that is laid out in a simplistic way and this homeschool mama needs simple!
My kids on the other hand… well, I wasn’t sure how they would react.
Why? Well, let me tell you a story of homeschooling gone wrong.
Many years ago, an overly eager, type-A homeschool mom set out to make sure her children learned it all.
There would be no skipping assignments or opting to think outside the box.
There would be no working ahead or using colored pencils instead of a trusty Ticonderoga pencil.
And there would be no falling behind in case of illness, injury, or just plain needing more time to work on a lesson.
There would, however, be children, working very diligently, on every single lesson their curriculum provided so as to ensure a fantastic education – including Language Arts.
Do you want to know what happened to that homeschool mom? She crashed and burned.
Worse, she spent many years wondering if she was the problem instead of the curriculum.
Getting Started with Learning Language Arts Through Literature
So, as I said, when Learning Language Arts Through Literature reached out, I was eager to say yes. This was my chance to see if a curriculum that I remembered fondly could be used better by me so that my children could benefit from this program.
I mean, we still love learning through literature! We utilize books and copywork in our homeschool on a regular basis, plus we read frequently for other subjects as well. In our homeschooling, reading is the most important subject for we have learned that the world is opened with every page turned.
And while we parted ways with Learning Language Arts Through Literature years ago, I was excited to get back to the curriculum and see if the problem was me rather than them.
So when the books arrived, this homeschool mama was excited! For me, this was not only a fantastic opportunity to provide a homeschool curriculum review for my readers but also a chance to see how much we had changed over the years.
Plus, two of the kids have never had a chance to see this product, so their experience would be with fresh eyes.
Trying Learning Language Arts Through Literature with a brand new audience!
5 Things We Loved About Learning Language Arts Through Literature
1. Learning Language Arts Through Literature is an Open-and-Go Curriculum
Meaning I don’t have to think about what we are going to do for Language Arts, plan, or prepare. I simply have to open the book and teach the next lesson or let the kids work through the lessons independently and review their answers with them.
2. Learning Language Arts Through Literature Covers Grades 1-12
Offering Language Arts instruction beginning in first grade, LLATL is an English & Grammar curriculum for homeschool that will grow with your child.
If you aren’t sure what level to begin at, placement tests are available. And because the levels are named by color rather than grade, your child won’t feel bad if they are working in a book a grade level or two “behind.” (Remember, mama, the only behind in homeschool is the one you sit on! It’s much better to start your child out with the level they are ready for and work forward.)
Verifying his work before moving on with his Learning Language Arts Through Literature lesson.
3. LLATL is a Workbook Based Language Arts Program
While online learning is an amazing thing, and offers some spectacular resources, there are some instances where having a workbook-based program is best, and that includes Language Arts.
Grades 1-8 all have a Student Activity Book that is filled with 36 weeks’ worth of lessons plus assessments. Throughout the year, your student will work on various elements of Language Arts including writing, spelling, and grammar.
And each week, there is a huge emphasis on literature and learning from quality pieces of writing from the past.
4. The Teacher Book (To Help You Teach Language Arts At Home!)
With answers included for each lesson, and plenty of explanation available, the Teacher Book helps you explain the lessons & review your student’s work even if you can’t remember past participles and gerunds yourself. For older students, you can allow them to grade their work themselves, but for younger students, I would recommend either doing it yourself or at least with your student.
A peek inside one of the high school levels available from Learning Language Arts Through Literature.
5. All The Literature Contained Inside Learning Language Arts Through Literature
I would be remiss if I didn’t include the literary pieces included in Learning Language Arts Through Literature. While we did not use every level for our review, the pieces included in the green and yellow books are some absolute classics. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, The Tale of Jeremy Vole, Black Beauty, and The Borrows are just a few of the pieces included.
Oh, and for this review, we were also able to experience one of the high school levels – talk about amazing literature! Short stories including The Interlopers and The Man Who Would Be King, Books including The Count of Monte Cristo, plus plays, essays, and poems!
Our Learning Language Arts Through Literature Review
So how did we fare on our Learning Language Arts Through Literature review?
In a word – excellent! With the simplicity of simply turning the page and my own excitement, it was like riding a bike as we began using our copies of LLATL.
Instead of beginning on page one, we flipped through to choose a section based on the book used. It was a tad more writing than the kids were used to, but none of the lessons took that long and there’s something freeing about placing the completed assignment back on the shelf.
And this homeschool mama learned her lesson and did not repeat the same mistakes from her past. 😉
Is Learning Language Arts Through Literature In Our Future?
This review may be complete, and our homeschool year may be done, but I do see Learning Language Arts Through Literature in our future. It’s a solid homeschool Language Arts curriculum that combines quality literature with solid language arts lessons that we need.
Plus, with book studies already built into the program, I have plenty of options for read-alouds for our upcoming homeschool year.
