Language Arts in My Household

At its most basic level, language arts is about communication: taking in information and sharing information with others. Sounds simple, right?

So why is language arts such a difficult subject to plan and teach?

One big reason that language arts can be difficult is that the single subject area of “language arts” actually encompasses more than ten related topics: phonics, reading, handwriting, listening skills, spelling, grammar, writing, poetry, literature, vocabulary, and speech! It doesn’t seem quite so simple anymore, does it?

Many homeschool parents long for an all-in-one language arts curriculum, but an inclusive approach to teaching language arts can be difficult. Most kids learn to read faster than they learn to write or spell, so although an all-in-one program might be just right for reading, it may be too advanced for writing. For another child, a program may be perfect for spelling but too slow for reading.

Putting It All Together

Would you like to hear how a seasoned homeschooler makes language arts work in her household? Merry Marinello homeschooled two children of her own, so her language arts expertise comes from years of experience in the trenches, figuring out exactly how to teach this multifaceted subject to her kids. As part of our customer service team, Merry has also responded to thousands of questions from parents about using All About Reading and All About Spelling with their children.

Here’s Merry…

When I realized that an all-in-one curriculum just wasn’t a viable option for my children and that I would have to go another direction, I knew I had to begin by identifying what my goals were. I started by asking myself a few important questions:

Why do I teach language arts?
What am I trying to accomplish?
In what order should I teach the skills that make up “language arts”?
And finally, what priority should I give them?

After considering my answers to these questions, I worked out a progression for teaching language arts that looked like this:

Language arts suggested order of introduction inforgraphic

I knew that just figuring out a logical sequence for teaching language arts wasn’t enough. I still had to figure out how to fit all those content areas into our school day and apply some time limits for daily instruction. I like to do 30 to 60 minutes of daily language arts instruction for kindergarten and first grade, and 60 to 90 minutes each day for second grade and up.

Language Arts: Start with the Basics

Sticking to these time limits requires some prioritizing. Here’s how I ended up fitting it all in—but keep in mind that these recommendations are what worked for my children. You may need to increase or decrease your instruction time depending on your child’s attention span, abilities, and progress.

A basic beginning plan for kindergarten or first grade might start like this:

Phonics and reading instruction:
20 to 30 minutes per day
Handwriting instruction:
10 minutes per day

A Note about Handwriting

When just starting out, handwriting doesn’t have to involve putting pen to paper. Instead, you and your child can do things like writing with an index finger in sand or in pudding or on carpet squares or any other tactile surface. Writing is fairly complex and involves both gross and fine motor muscle tone as well as neurological involvement and working memory. I remember thinking that pre-writing types of activities weren’t all that important when, in fact, they are very important. I was too anxious to get to “the real thing” (pencil to paper). If I had it to do over again, I’d spend more time doing fun pre-writing activities.

Add in the Rest

When a child becomes fluent in reading simple words, it’s time to add in:

Spelling instruction:
20 minutes per day
And…when a child can read chapter books fluently, your phonics and reading instruction time can transition to:

Silent reading:
30 minutes per day

A Note about Read-alouds

There are lots of great reasons to read aloud to your children. I recommend reading aloud to even your older children for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes each day. Read-alouds teach many valuable language arts skills, such as vocabulary. I often stop to see if my kids know a word, or they will stop me and ask for a definition. Syntax and grammar and the flow of our language are also taught informally. Poetry can teach rhyming, alliteration, and the musicality of language. You can work on listening skills and comprehension by asking simple questions like “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why do you think the character did that? Would you have done that?” Most of all, reading aloud can help your child develop a lifelong love of learning. I still read to my high school and junior high students, and I will continue as long as I can get away with it!

When your child is ready for more, you can begin to add in writing and grammar.

Writing and/or grammar instruction:
30 minutes per day

I started off by working on these topics informally. I found it easier to add a formal writing program after my children could spell around a thousand words. Writing and grammar do not have to be taught simultaneously. There are many ways to customize instruction in these areas. You can choose to focus on one per year, or do them on alternating days. Try breaking instruction up into 6-, 9-, 12-, or 18-week segments, or use a program that incorporates both content areas.

With older children, speech can be woven into the writing/grammar time slot as well.

Remember, you don’t have to do every language arts topic every year. The most important thing is to think through your goals, consider the individual needs of each child, and build your language arts plan step by step.

Do you have a system for teaching language arts that works for your family? How is it different from this system? Let us know in the comments!

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Natalia

says:

July 24, 2024 at 8:49 am

Hello! Thank you for the insights above on LA.
My daughter is going to start on 1st grade this coming year, and she’s about to turn 6yo. She completed the AAR Level 1 during kindergarten. She mastered it beautifully. However, going to this next grade, we are considering using the Sonlight curriculum while continuing with AAR Level 2 – because I realize my student needs a more comprehensive LA program. However, I’m having a really hard time figuring out how to introduce their LA program with AAR. For instance, their program for 1st grade, what they call Language Arts 1, has Phonics included, but my daughter is a lot more advanced for that level, meanwhile they are including other facets of LA throughout the year; which makes me believe I can’t just jump into their Language Arts 2 program. Would you have any insights or ideas of how to approach this kind of issue? Thank you in advance! :)

Robin

says: Customer Service

July 24, 2024 at 12:03 pm

Natalia,
In the early years, Sonlight’s Language Arts is mostly about teaching reading and spelling. The copywork, and later dictation, is even pulled from the learn-to-read books they assign. If you plan to continue with All About Reading, a lot of Sonlight’s Grade 1 LA (and likely Grades 2 and 3 too) is not going to be useful for you. Still, you could opt to skip everything but the “Creative Expression” assignments.

I do know that you can jump into Sonlight’s LA at any point. I used it with some of my kids, and it is very spiral, with the same concepts being retaught (but usually with more depth and such) in higher levels. Some of my kids were in Language Arts D or F when they first used Sonlight’s LA, and it was fine.

If you have your child do All About Spelling Level 1 in 1st grade, along with All About Reading Level 2, you will be covering much of what Sonlight’s Grade 1 LA covers. All About Spelling has a gradual progression for increasing a student’s stamina and fluency in writing, from words and short phrases in Level 1, to phrases and short sentences in Level 2, to 12 dictation sentences per step in Level 3. Partway through Level 3, the Writing Station activity is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words. In this way students have begun to use words in a more real-world context through dictation and writing, to help them transition to longer writing assignments.

Many of those using All About Reading and All About Spelling wait until their child is well along in both before adding in grammar and writing or a Language Arts program that includes grammar and writing. They find their children do better with these subjects once they are writing sentences easily and well. However, some that are interested in adding grammar earlier have enjoyed First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise. I waited with my kids but did a casual introduction to parts of speech through things like the SchoolHouse Rock videos and Ruth Heller grammar picture books.

I hope this helps clear things up for you, but let me know if you have additional questions.

July 24, 2024 at 1:14 pm

This is extremely helpful and clarifying , Robin! That’s exactly what I needed to understand.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it all. Much appreciated! I’ll be looking into those options!

July 25, 2024 at 1:10 pm

You’re welcome, Natalia! I’m glad it was helpful.

Let me know if I can help with anything else.

JB

March 5, 2024 at 1:55 pm

What would you recommend for a 7 year old child who is currently completing AAS level 2 and hates writing? I am looking into writing curriculum options for next school year already. Any suggestions for good curriculum options for a child who greatly dislikes writing?

March 5, 2024 at 2:35 pm

How is this child doing with the dictation phrases and sentences in All About Spelling Level 2? Can he or she write 3 or 4 them in one setting without trouble? If the child is struggling with the dictation, then it is not the time to be looking for programs that will teach writing paragraphs and such. If the dictation is a struggle, please let me know.

_______
If your child is doing well with the All About Spelling Level 2 dictation, then:

For reluctant writers, it may be best to begin a writing program sometime after Level 3 of All About Spelling. AAS has a gradual progression for increasing students’ stamina and fluency in writing, from words and short phrases in Level 1, to phrases and short sentences in Level 2, to 12 dictation sentences per step in Level 3. Partway through this level, the Writing Station is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using assigned words.

In this way, students have begun to use words in a more real-world context through dictation and writing, to help them transition to longer writing assignments. Dictation and the Writing Station both serve as an important bridge between spelling words in the context of lists (where the patterns are similar), and more “real world” writing. By the end of AAS 3, students have mastered about 1000 words from the regular and “more words” lists, and they have developed stamina and some beginning editing skills that will help them when they start a formal writing program.

_______
As for programs, you may want to look for programs that are incremental or mastery-based, or programs that are specifically recommended for students with learning struggles and disabilities. Even if your child doesn’t have a diagnosed disability, children who struggle with spelling and writing often benefit from similar approaches. Some to consider:

– Institute for Excellence in Writing. IEW has an incremental approach with lots of review year to year, and the author’s son had learning disabilities.

– Writing Skills by Diana Hanbury King: Book A is for grades 2-4, Book 1 for grades 5-6, Book 2 for grades 7-8, and book 3 for grades 9-12.

– WriteShop uses an incremental approach and includes multi-sensory activities. The methods are effective for both regular and special needs learners.

– Writing Strands‘ author was dyslexic and it also provides an incremental approach.

– Essentials in Writing is both multisensory and incremental. The author describes it as a Math-U-See approach to writing. The lessons are presented in short video segments of 3 to 5 minutes and then the student works on the concept that was taught. It also has grammar included for 1st-6th grade levels, and optional grammar dvd included in Jr. High levels.

_______
Here are a couple of programs that seem to be especially appealing for students that just don’t want to write:

– Night Zookeeper is an online program with creative writing based upon the child’s own made up zoo animal and report writing on real animals. A person will comment on each story the kids write and give them suggestions and ask them to correct mistakes.

– Brave Writer has project-based writing plans, such as Partnership Writing, provide exciting projects that encourage students to set pencil to paper. Examples include learning about and writing in code and creating a personal photo-autobiography.

_______
Hopefully this gives you some places to start looking. This list is by no means exhaustive, so if you come across another program that uses a similar approach or that would be good for students with learning disabilities, please let us know.

Jess

February 29, 2024 at 3:55 pm

I am so glad I found this! Thank you!

I have been struggling with the concept of ‘how much’ to teach my 7yr old…often our day will end in frustration and tears because I have tried to push too much (thinking that he needs to do it ALL). I have a reluctant writer (although very capable) and writing is honestly quite painful for both of us. So this is a breath of fresh air and I’ll be changing my strategy straight away.

I think what’s also important is accepting that our children don’t have to be ‘the best’ in comparison to others or year level achievement standards. As long as they are making progress and seeing personal improvements I’m happy…something that I have had to learn!!

Once again, such a blessing to come across this blog.

February 29, 2024 at 5:08 pm

Jess,
I’m so glad this was helpful for you!

We have an article on How to Avoid the Big Pit of Comparison that goes right along with what you were saying about accepting a child’s personal progress and improvements.

Let me know if you have questions or need anything. I’m happy to help!

Cherie

February 9, 2024 at 2:01 pm

These are good guidelines.

February 9, 2024 at 2:23 pm

Thank you, Cherie.

Jessica Ellis

December 5, 2023 at 1:36 pm

I love this. I was just trying to figure when to add spelling and grammar for my 8 year old. This is his first year homeschooling. We started in an all in one language arts curriculum but I found he had gaps and was struggling to read at an early 1st grade level. So I went back to basics and just finished doing a different phonic/intro reading program with him. I wish I had come across AAR before we did the other program but I think we can hop into level 2 based on the placement test.

December 5, 2023 at 3:25 pm

Jessica,
Our reading placement test and spelling placement test are reliable! However, if you have concerns, let me know. I’m happy to help with placement, answer questions, or whatever you need!

Annette

April 26, 2023 at 6:08 pm

My son is in 4th grade and has been in a classical charter school the last two years. He has had pretty intensive grammar training and has done two years of IEW. He has a lot of knowledge but he has dyslexia and dysgraphia and is about 2/3 yrs behind in reading/writing (respectively) so he doesn’t have the ability to implement the knowledge that he was taught. I will be homeschooling him and am considering using All About Reading/Spelling and foregoing a traditional language arts/grammar curriculum in an effort to focus on establishing a reading/writing/spelling foundation and hopefully get him caught up. To be honest, because I am used to the traditional academic path, the thought of not teaching grammar/writing on the traditional timeline petrifies me–but I think I need to buck tradition to meet the needs of my child. If I don’t teach grammar for the next year (or two), how hard will it be for my child to “get caught up”?

April 27, 2023 at 10:00 am

Annette,
I completely understand your concerns, but I want to assure you from personal experience that focusing solely on reading and spelling until your unique student is ready for formal grammar and writing studies will be fine! In fact, it will be better than fine because when he is ready, he will be able to make great progress in those subjects instead of barely getting by.

My third child struggled so much to learn anything related to language (from talking through writing essays, all took him years longer than “normal”). He was about 6th grade before he was far enough along in reading and spelling to be ready for grammar and writing, but I struggled for a bit trying to find the right programs for him to learn from. He started 8th grade knowing the parts of speech (nouns, verbs, and such) but struggled to know how to write a complete sentence because he had no understanding of clauses at all. And at that time, he also was very behind in writing, struggling to write a single short, mediocre paragraph, even with help.

Then I found programs for grammar and writing that worked well for how he learns (it was Fix It Grammar and IEW writing), and he went from struggling to write a paragraph with lots of help to, less than a year later, writing an 8 paragraph essay on a historical speech with only a little help on how to organize the topics. And he loved writing that essay! He loves history and loves talking about it, so finally having the skills to put his thoughts on a historical topic in writing in a way that clearly expressed what he wanted to say was a wonderful experience for him!

Anyway, that kid went from being many years behind in grammar and writing in 8th grade to graduating from high school fully ready for college English 101!

So, my experience with my son, as well as working with many others teaching struggling learners, is that your child will have no trouble catching up on grammar and writing. Really. Meeting his needs in learning, and working consistently day in and day out, will pay off in the future!

Let me know if you have questions or help with anything. I’m happy to help with whatever you may need.

Jennifer

April 1, 2023 at 7:05 pm

This is the blog post I point everyone to who asks me about the flow of Language Arts. It has been such a beneficial resource in our homeschool.

April 3, 2023 at 12:20 pm

Thank you for referring others to this blog, Jennifer! And it’s great to hear that this has been a good resource for you!

Stephanie Rasmussen

March 7, 2023 at 9:13 am

I would love the suggested grammar and writing programs. I love using AAR and AAS with my oldest. It works so well with her but the LA program I also choose just does not work. She ended in tears most days so we just stopped.

One suggestion I do have for families is if your child has a hard time with writing get an evaluation from an occupational therapist. There might be some fine motor skills that are lacking that makes it painful or just inefficient. There really is a proper way to hold a pencil and write each letter.

March 7, 2023 at 11:58 am

Thank you for the recommendation, Stephanie! Yes, occupational therapists are an all too often overlooked resource for children that struggle with the physical act of writing.

For Grammar recommendations: there are a number of grammar programs available that have either multisensory components or an incremental approach. Many of our customers wait until their students are well along in reading and spelling before adding a grammar program. However, some that are interested in adding grammar earlier have enjoyed First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise. (I waited with my kids but did a casual introduction to parts of speech through things like the SchoolHouse Rock videos and Ruth Heller grammar picture books.) Here are other suggestions:

– Winston Grammar is a workbook program with color-coded grammar cards. It is generally aimed at students in 4th to 7th grades.
Easy Grammar features an incremental approach and includes topics such as usage and punctuation, and is designed for kids in 2nd grade and up.
– Essentials in Writing is described by author Matthew Stephens as a Math-U-See approach to writing. In the elementary levels, this program incorporates grammar with writing. The lessons are presented in short video segments of 3 to 5 minutes, and then the student works on the concept that was taught. This is a multisensory and incremental program that is very easy to use. There are levels for 1st-12th grades.
– The Sentence Family is a simple and fun program aimed at 3rd through 6th graders. The program uses drawing along with a storyline to teach parts of speech and how they relate to each other.
– Fix It Grammar is incremental and uses very short lessons. Each level teaches grammar using sentences from a single story, so there is the additional fun of seeing the story slowly unfold. The teacher’s manual is very comprehensive and even includes advanced concepts so the teacher can answer questions a curious student may have. Books 1 and 2 are for upper elementary ages, books 3 and 4 for junior high, and books 5 and 6 for high school.
– Analytical Grammar teaches a mastery of grammar by working on it for short grammar-focused units once a year for 2 to 3 years. Junior Analytical Grammar is for 4th or 5th graders, with Analytical Grammar for 6th to 9th graders.
– Beowulf Grammar is a multisensory, hands-on program that can make grammar concepts stick. It is designed for grades 2-6 but could be used for an older student who doesn’t mind younger graphics.

For writing options, here are some with incremental, explicit, and/or multisensory approaches:

– Essentials in Writing (described above)
– Institute for Excellence in Writing
– WriteShop uses an incremental approach and includes multi-sensory activities. The methods are effective for both regular and special needs learners.
– Jensen’s Format Writing
– Writing Skills by Diana Hanbury King: Book A is for grades 2-4, Book 1 is for grades 5-6, Book 2 is for grades 7-8, and book 3 is for grades 9-12.
– Writing Strands
– Night Zookeeper for 6-12 year-olds. It has games that go through vocabulary and spelling, but the main part is creative writing. First, you create your own zoo animal (they are all made-up creatures, and they give you prompts to make it if needed), and the first piece you write is on that animal. They often give you goals like “try to use a descriptive word in your story,” etc. They have the kids write reports. The child reads something about a topic (like manatees) and then writes a report on it. A person will comment on each story the kids write and give them suggestions and ask them to correct mistakes.
– Brave Writer is especially good for reluctant writers. Their project-based writing plans, such as Partnership Writing, provide exciting projects that encourage students to set pencil to paper. Examples include learning about and writing in code and creating a personal photo-autobiography.

I hope this helps!

Rjha

January 16, 2023 at 11:40 am

I have an 11.5 yr old boy who is slowly plowing through AAS 3. He is almost done. I want to add more writing. Neither of us like the looks of IEW videos. He does not like anything silly of juvenile. He liked the looks of Writing with Skill by WTM press. Has anyone had success using this with a slight to moderate dyslexic child. He reads on a 5th grade level I’d guess. He has made great gains in expository reading this year. I am planning to go at his pace no matter what we do.

January 16, 2023 at 11:39 am

January 16, 2023 at 3:34 pm

Riha,
I am not familiar with Writing with Skill, but we do have a few recommendations for writing other than IEW.

– WriteShop uses an incremental approach and includes multi-sensory activities. The methods are effective for both regular and special needs learners.
– Writing Strands‘ author was dyslexic and it also provides an incremental approach.
– Jensen’s Format Writing is incremental.
– Essentials in Writing is both multisensory and incremental. The author describes it as a Math-U-See approach to writing. The lessons are presented in short video segments of 3 to 5 minutes and then the student works on the concept that was taught. It also has grammar included for 1st-6th grade levels, and optional grammar dvd included in Jr. High levels.

Roslyn Harris

Brittany

November 15, 2022 at 2:31 pm

After finishing which level of AAS would you recommend starting writing and grammar?

November 17, 2022 at 2:27 pm

Good question, Brittany.

If your student struggles spelling, it may be best to wait to begin writing and grammar until they finish All About Spelling Level 3. AAS has a gradual progression for increasing the student’s stamina and fluency in writing, from words and short phrases in Level 1, to phrases and short sentences in Level 2, to 12 dictation sentences per step in Level 3. Partway through this level, the Writing Station is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words.

In this way, students have begun to use words in a more real-world context through dictation and writing, to help them transition to longer writing assignments. Dictation and the Writing Station both serve as an important bridge between spelling words in the context of lists (where the patterns are similar), and more “real world” writing. By the end of Level 3, students have mastered about 1000 words from the regular and reinforcement lists, and they have developed stamina and some beginning editing skills that will help them when they start a formal writing program.

If your student does not struggle with spelling, they may do well to start writing somewhat earlier. However, since students that don’t struggle tend to move through the material more quickly, waiting until they finish AAS 3 could be a good guide either way.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have additional questions or need anything else.

Lindsay

October 2, 2022 at 9:52 am

Does AAS include grammar too? I am about to purchase the AAR because my son is still struggling at age 10 to read. I just know this method is going to help him! I think I may need to change everything weve been doing😳 Including Spelling and Grammar.

Robin E.

October 5, 2022 at 8:54 am

Lindsay,
The All About Spelling program does not cover grammar except as it applies to spelling. For example, when the suffix -ed is taught, students do learn what past tense means and how some words change completely instead of simply taking on the suffix. However, the program does not discuss parts of speech, punctuation, and so on.

All About Spelling has a gradual progression for increasing the student’s stamina and fluency in writing that’s very helpful. It starts with just words and short phrases in Level 1, bumps up to phrases and short sentences in Level 2, and progresses to 12 dictation sentences per step in Level 3. Partway through this level, the Writing Station is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words. In this way, students have begun to use words in a more real-world context through dictation and writing, to help them transition to longer writing assignments.

Dictation and the Writing Station both serve as an important bridge between spelling words in the context of lists (where the patterns are similar), and more “real world” writing. By the end of Level 3, students have mastered about 1000 words from the regular and reinforcement lists, and they have developed stamina and some beginning editing skills that will help them when they start a formal writing program.

I can provide you with some grammar program recommendations, if you like. Many of our customers wait until their students are well along in reading and spelling before adding a grammar program. I waited with my kids, but did a casual introduction to nouns and verbs through things like the the SchoolHouse Rock videos and Ruth Heller grammar picture books.

Yes, I waited even into junior high. One of my children was about 12 before he was reading and spelling well enough to learn things like identifying prepositional phrases and main clauses. And even though he was older when he began grammar instruction, he still had plenty of time to be successful with it.

I hope this help. Let me know if you would like that list of grammar program recommendations after all, or if you have additional questions.

Claudia

November 15, 2022 at 2:41 am

I would love that list recommendation please.

November 15, 2022 at 11:28 am

I emailed you, Claudia.

October 5, 2022 at 12:37 pm

Thank you so much for the information! My boy is 10. I am taking a break on grammar to focus on cementing reading! I seen some reccomendations given to another person who posted. Beowulf grammar looks like a good fit. A breath of fresh air to our current stuffy grammar lessons! Thanks again☺️

October 5, 2022 at 1:19 pm

You’re welcome, Lindsay! Sounds like a great plan!

Janice H.

August 8, 2022 at 9:58 pm

I am just beginning to look into home schooling and I need a lot of guidance. Your information has been very helpful thus far. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

August 9, 2022 at 5:34 pm

I’m so glad to hear that this information has been helpful as you begin your homeschooling experience, Janice! However, if you have additional questions or concerns, just ask. We are very happy to help!

Beth C.

August 8, 2022 at 9:29 pm

This is such a freeing way to look at teaching language arts. Juggling multiple ages and stages it can feel overwhelming. Such a good reminder that it doesn’t have all be done all the time. Thank you!

August 9, 2022 at 5:36 pm

You’re so welcome, Beth! And not only does focusing on the incremental progression of Language Arts help to keep things from feeling overwhelming, but it also allows for the most efficiency in teaching too! You teach skills when children are ready to tackle them!

elsa

August 8, 2022 at 8:01 pm

I would love to use it with my students but I live outside the US .

August 8, 2022 at 8:12 pm

Elsa,
There are options for ordering outside the US! There are retailers that carry our materials in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and South Africa. Also, there are two US retailers that ship worldwide that carry our products as well. Lastly, there is the option of using a freight forwarder to purchase directly from us and have products shipped worldwide.

Let me know if you would like links to any of these or need more information.

Kelly Munro

May 25, 2022 at 5:15 pm

My son has almost finished level 4, so I’m currently researching language arts curriculums.
What are your thoughts on The Good and the Beautiful?

June 1, 2022 at 11:23 am

Kelly,
I’m sorry, I don’t know enough about The Good and the Beautiful to have an opinion on its use after completing All About Reading.

We recommend students read daily from a wide variety of reading materials and genres after completing All About Reading Level 4. If The Good and the Beautiful will provide such reading experiences, it would be a good choice. However, The Good and the Beautiful is one of those curricula that teaches all aspects of Language Arts together. If your student is not on the same level for reading, spelling, writing, grammar, and so on, such all-in-one curricula can be a poor fit.

Brittany Mccowan

June 4, 2022 at 10:02 pm

What are your thoughts on Michael Clay Thomson after AAR Level 4?

June 6, 2022 at 8:16 pm

It really depends on the child, Brittany.

Michael Clay Thompson curriculum is heavily text-based instruction. It uses beautiful artwork and such, but minimal instruction is multisensory. There are some colorful visuals, but the only auditory teaching is if the parent goes beyond the course to add discussion and maybe read the text aloud. I found no tactile or kinetic instruction at all and no easy way to add it. MCT moves quickly and seems to expect students to get things easily.

For some children, this will be a good fit, but I would be concerned for any student that has struggled in learning or seems to especially need multisensory instruction.

And, as I mentioned above, the most important thing after completing All About Reading is to have your child read daily from a variety of genres. You may need to add reading material to Michael Clay Thompson curriculum to have enough reading for each day.

Nicki

May 23, 2022 at 11:57 pm

My oldest child has had a lot of trouble learning to read with ADHD & dyslexia. She is now in AAR level 2 though and is finally getting it! We added in AAS level 1 last month, and she is already halfway through it. She also practices her handwriting most days. When do we know it is time to start grammar? And also, is there a grammar program that you recommend that doesnt have to be done everyday (or if it does, that is short)?

May 25, 2022 at 11:44 am

Great questions, Nicki.

Many of our customers wait until their students are well along in reading and spelling before adding a grammar program. However, some that are interested in adding grammar earlier have enjoyed First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise. (I waited with my kids but did a casual introduction to nouns and verbs through things like the SchoolHouse Rock videos and grammar picture books by Ruth Heller.)

There are several grammar programs available that have either multisensory components or an incremental approach. Some of the programs focus exclusively on grammar, while some include writing as well. Here are some suggestions:

– Winston Grammar is a workbook program with color-coded grammar cards. It is generally aimed at students in 4th to 7th grades.

– Easy Grammar features an incremental approach and includes topics such as usage and punctuation, for 2nd grade and up.

– Essentials in Writing is described by author Matthew Stephens as a Math-U-See approach to writing. In the elementary levels, this program incorporates grammar with writing. The lessons are presented in short video segments of 3 to 5 minutes, and then the student works on the concept that was taught. This is a multisensory and incremental program that is very easy to use. There are levels for 1st-12th grades.

– The Sentence Family is a simple and fun program aimed at 3rd through 6th graders. The program uses drawing along with a storyline to teach parts of speech and how they relate to each other.

– Fix It Grammar is incremental and uses very short lessons. Each level teaches grammar using sentences from a single story, so there is the additional fun of seeing the story slowly unfold. The teacher’s manual is very comprehensive and even includes advanced concepts so the teacher can answer questions a curious student may have. Books 1 and 2 are for upper elementary ages, books 3 and 4 for junior high, and books 5 and 6 for high school.

– Analytical Grammar teaches mastery of grammar by working on it for short grammar-focused units once a year for 2 to 3 years. Junior Analytical Grammar is for 4th or 5th graders, with Analytical Grammar for 6th to 9th graders.

– Beowulf Grammar is a multisensory, hands-on program that can make grammar concepts stick. It is designed for grades 2-6 but could be used for older students who don’t mind younger graphics.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have additional questions.

Carolyn

April 18, 2022 at 1:44 pm

Hello. I am new to homeschooling my grade 4 twins, since October 2021,and I am finding there are so many ways to teach and a lot of curriculum to choose from. Recently, a homeschool teacher told be about Daily Grams and incorporating Language Arts into the other core subjects, rather than a stand alone subject. Panic set in! I think it is the conditioning of public school where subjects are separate. Then, I discovered this website and trying to make sense of the guidance here. I think I am more confused about how to approach language arts and curriculum.

April 18, 2022 at 2:35 pm

I’m sorry this blog post increased your confusion, Carolyn! Yes, deciding on curriculum and teaching philosophy can be difficult. There are a few different views and almost innumerable curriculum options!

I recommend starting with the book 102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy. The author spends more than half of the book helping the reader discover what he or she needs as a teacher and what their children need as students. Once you have a better idea of what is best for you and your twins as unique individuals, you can more easily go about the process of choosing curriculum and approaches. Even if you don’t go with any of Ms. Duffy’s 102 top recommendations, the first half of her book is extremely helpful.

Note, the “102 Top Picks…” is the most recent edition, but the previous editions (“100 Top Picks…” and “101 Top Picks…”) still contain the helpful information I mentioned. If you can find only find an older edition at your local library, go for it.

If you have specific questions, I’m happy to help. In short, the idea of intertwining subjects has its pros and cons, but so does keeping each subject separate. Intertwining subjects can be really fun and help learning to go deeper, but it can also be a problem if students are not on the same level in all subjects. It is fairly common that a child can read well but struggles to spell the same words, for example. Keeping subjects separate can correct that, but it can lead to a more “get it done” mentality. There are other pros and cons for each as well.

And, I hope this doesn’t confuse you more, it is not an all-or-nothing prospect either. Another approach is to intertwine some subjects and separate others. For example, in my homeschool, we do literature that often coordinates with the history and geography we are studying, like reading a novel about the Revolutionary War while studying the Revolutionary War. But we keep other subjects that my children have more difficulties with, like spelling, separate.

Amber

April 14, 2022 at 10:33 am

This is so helpful as someone just starting our homeschooling journey! Even though I have a Master’s degree in reading, I need the reminder to go slow and steady with my own children!

April 15, 2022 at 5:50 pm

I’m glad this is helpful, Amber!

April 12, 2022 at 4:55 pm

What are your thoughts on the MCT Language Arts Curriculum for incorporating the writing/grammar?

April 13, 2022 at 3:23 pm

JB,
I have emailed you.

Michelle Couch

January 29, 2024 at 9:10 pm

Would you mind emailing me a well. We are using aar and aas and I want to add grammar and writing.

January 30, 2024 at 10:36 am

Michelle,
I have emailed you.

Katie

April 10, 2022 at 2:09 am

Thank you; this is a helpful framework suggestion for balancing all the topics!

April 11, 2022 at 2:45 pm

I’m glad this is helpful, Katie!

Julie A Roberts

January 26, 2022 at 12:35 pm

Thank you for this particular article. My son, 9, is about 1/2 through AAR 3 and just starting AAS 2 (for the second time). I’ve been wondering about adding in writing, but hesitant to do it still. I think I’ll wait a little longer. His reading has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few months and I’d rather he read well than write well, at this point.

January 26, 2022 at 4:42 pm

You’re welcome, Julie. I’m so pleased to hear his reading has improved so much over the last few months!

Keep at All About Reading and All About Spelling. By the end of Level 3, students have mastered about 1000 words from the regular and reinforcement lists, and they have developed stamina and some beginning editing skills that will help them when they start a formal writing program.

Jenny

January 27, 2022 at 6:56 am

That is really helpful to know. Using Level 3 of AAS as a marker is what I needed. We are towards the end of Level 2 and my daughter is reluctant to write because she wants her spelling to be perfect.

January 27, 2022 at 1:38 pm

You’re welcome, Jenny.

Partway through Level 3, the Writing Station activity is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using assigned words.

It’s another reason why many students are more ready for a writing program after All About Spelling Level 3.

Liea

September 28, 2021 at 12:34 am

Hi,
I have two children, both of whom are home schooled.
My daughter, who is turning 7 in about a month, loved AAR Pre Reading in preschool. We completed AAR 1 over her kindergarten year, and she is now proudly beginning level 2, and AAS 1, for 1st grade. She did the AAR Pre-Reading course when she was 4 years old. She loved it and did beautifully. She knew all of her letters and letter sounds by the end of the program. However, there was a large comprehension gap for her between Pre-Reading and Level 1. We ended up using alternate programs with her for a year in what was her Pre-K year, aged 5, before we could begin AAR1 in earnest last year. I mention this because perhaps a bridge program between Pre-Reading and Level 1 would be helpful for other families with very eager and capable little ones on the younger end of the learning spectrum. We didn’t discover All About Reading for my older child until he was already reading a bit. He tested in somewhere between level 1 and 2 on the placement tests, so I started him on level 1, it met him right where he needed to be, and he took off running. But for a very young but capable child, the step up between Pre-Reading and Level 1 was too steep, and she needed a lot more to bridge the gap.

My older child is now 9, in 4th grade. We finished AAR level 4 over the summer, and I’m floundering a bit as to which direction we should go in next. He loved AAR, but has dysgraphia so he is not as proficient a writer as he is a reader. Because of this, all-in-one curriculum for language arts seems to bog us down. Currently, we are using CoreKnowledge language arts skills readers and workbooks, to keep him proficient and practice some reading comprehension,combined with Pearson’s phonics, AAS, Handwriting without tears, and Elsie S. Wilmerding’s Just Write books. (Not all of these every day, of course.) It’s working, but it is cumbersome, and I have the nagging feeling that he needs more, or perhaps a more concise way of learning it all. CoreKnowledge is great, and free, which is always nice, but the pacing is wrong for him. There is a huge amount of busy work in each skills book, and the progression is very gradual. It’s designed for a traditional school setting, so we are kind of re-inventing the wheel with it. Yet, he needs structured reading practice, and reading comprehension. Is there another reading comprehension program that you could recommend as a good stepping-off point after AAR?

September 29, 2021 at 4:02 pm

Liea,
Thank you for sharing your concerns and suggestion about the transition from the Pre-reading level to All About Reading level 1. I have passed that along to our curriculum development team! We appreciate feedback like this.

Congratulations on your son finishing All About Reading level 4! It’s quite the accomplishment!

Check out our article, What Happens after All About Reading for lots of ideas on what to do next.

We recommend setting a daily reading time for your student to read for 30 minutes. Choose books that interest your son, both fiction and non-fiction. You can also choose books that correlate to other subjects you are studying, such as historical fiction or Usborne books that cover science topics. The link above has several possible sources. A couple more:
– Literature-based curriculum such as Sonlight
– The 1000 Good Books List
– IEW Book Recommendations by Andrew Pudewa

Have your student keep reading aloud a little each day, and you can use all of the strategies that he has learned to help him decode unfamiliar words. For students who need extra reinforcement, continue the Word Card approach and make flashcards for review using this blank Word Card Template.

Keep reading aloud to him and enjoying great books together!

You may find our blog post on How to Teach Reading Comprehension helpful as well.

Diana

September 6, 2021 at 1:46 am

Thanks for breaking it down so well. I have a 3rd grader that will be using AAR Level 2 and AAS Level One. And a Kindergartener that hasn’t mastered his sounds. I purchased Handwriting without tears for my 3rd grader and kinder because I thought they needed writing to complete there Language Arts. But now I’m second guessing the writing curriculum after reading this article???

September 7, 2021 at 7:46 pm

Diana,
Handwriting Without Tears is a handwriting program. It is good to use one with your students, especially if they are not yet completely comfortable with forming letters.

A writing program will be a program that teaches a student to create their own paragraphs and longer essays, stories, and such. It is often best to hold off on doing a writing program until a student is proficient in spelling and writing sentences, something covered gradually in All About Spelling.

Does this clear things up? Let me know if you have further question.