Anyone using first language lessons...

[natashaccat]

Anyone using First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind. I've just started it w/ my second grader and find it unbearably slow. It's meant to be a first/second grade curriculum but we didn't do language arts in 1st grade so I figured that it would be OK to start now but i think a kindergartner would be bored! We've spent three weeks on nouns and my dd got the concept after the first lesson.

Should I skip ahead or find a different language arts curriculum?

[CariOfOz]

We loosely use it I cheat & combine some of the lessons that are nothing more than uber incremental bits of the same thing (yes we understand that if a person, place, thing or idea is a noun... that a state name would be a noun etc etc etc ad infinitum ) My kiddo did get very bored and started saying, mum we DID this yesterday! because the content was so close. Now that I've started rolling some of the lessons into one broader lesson, he's fine with it

[jlpumkin]

We use it and love it! We started in 2d as well, but I just started where 2d grade started. She went to school for 1st grade, but of course didn't cover the exact same stuff. We just go back and pick up/refresh something if necessary.

[pageta]

Remember, as a homeschooler, you don't have to be a slave to your curriculum. If something is progressing too slowly, combine lessons. If it is going too quickly, spread one lesson over a couple of days. You are the teacher - make the material work for you.

[theretohere]

We're using it and we really like it. Part of the reason I like it is how slow it is- skipping lessons is no big deal. The lessons are also really short. I see it this way- there are so many lessons for the kids who DON'T get it right away, not the kids who do.

[akwifeandmomma]

We're using it, and like anything else, we modify as needed.

[christinar]

We've also just started it and my dd is in second grade. I combine lessons, too, and sometimes add things to them, like finding nouns in a paragraph or finding singular/plural nouns etc. I do like it though, as a starting point.

[violet]

We use it and definitely modify it. I like the variety of lessons and that I don't have to read and prep ahead of time. But, when we are on the third day of linking verbs, as we are right now, I look ahead, lump a few lessons together, or do something more interactive on our own. I did a verbal practice similar to the lesson the other day, picking out the linking/action verbs---but used our history curriculum instead. Made it fresh. But I do like the repetition and the way the curriculum circles around and reinforces what was learned before.

[sleet76]

My DD is in 1st, and we're also using FLL. We combine lessons and skip days. I have found that she picks up everything easily, but since we don't do it everyday, some of the repetition works well to really solidify the material. We got through the first 35 or so lessons in about a month, just doing it two or three times a week. I think we'll continue, and be selective on how we incorporate it in our routine. I think she'd be so bored if she was doing one lesson per day every day.

[Mary-Beth]

We use it too.
Yes, it is repetitive. However, for the most part I follow it. Like others said, sometimes I combine a couple lessons or skip a ahead a bit. I think you should feel free to use what you like and modify it as you see fit.

My kids like the memory work, the stories, and picture studies. It's been a quick and easy component to our studies. Yet, they are clearly learning and I like having it laid out for me.

[rsps]

I think we did about half of the First grade section before giving up on it. It just didn't fit my son, who hates repition once he's gotten something. We're much more informal about language arts. Though as my husband is a college English professor our home environment is natural very language focused.

[natashaccat]

Thanks everyone...good to know that others are having similar experiences. I really like the non-workbook approach used in this curriculum but gosh I wish there was less repetition.

[Momma Aimee]

I take it FLL is language arts -- ie grammer and so on and not "how to read"??

correct?

[Mary-Beth]

correct...It is a grammar book. There are poems to memorize, stories to narrate, pictures to study, and covers basic grammar (nouns, pronouns, verbs)

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by Mary-Beth

correct...It is a grammar book. There are poems to memorize, stories to narrate, pictures to study, and covers basic grammar (nouns, pronouns, verbs)

thanks

[Awaken]

happy to find this thread! We just started using FLL since I've liked the other classical stuff we've done, and DS starts yawning every time we start doing our other language arts (a beka!). He LOVES it so far, the poems and stories! I did it with both DS today (4 and 7) and they were asking for more! They learned the poems right away and say them all the time.

I do agree though, we're up to like lesson 15 or something and it's STILL going on about nouns! DS got that in the first lesson! Enough already! So I'm skipping that and just doing the new stuff.

I think I will give up on the A Beka and stick with FLL and Explode the Code for the reading and writing practice.

[dotnetdiva]

We started it at 4.5 but stopped because we wanted to get further with our reading. Lessons went smoothly and we enjoyed it. She loved memorizing her first poem. I know that nouns go on forever and ever, and I'm a little leery of that. But we'll see how my daughter takes it when we start up again next month.

We're doing FLL and WWE in January to add to our current curriculum.

[ohiomommy1122]

we use it a love it we are on level 4 and Ds in in 4th grade maybe you need to modify and skip ahead if your DD is getting it, its very repitious and my DS needs that maybe you can skip some of the repitition