Now, I need to preface this by saying that we haven't officially started Logic Of English yet. I recently discovered it during my hunt for a good reading curriculum. I've done a lot of research online, read a lot of articles, done a lot of investigating on their site, and used one of their sample lessons to teach my kids and get a feel for how the program works. After all of this, I was thoroughly convinced that this was the program for us! I purchased both their Foundations Level A curriculum AND their Rhythm Of Handwriting Cursive curriculum (for my oldest) on my own. It was after these items arrived and I got them in my hands - and became even more convinced of their awesomeness - that I decided to contact the company and discuss the possibility of a review. I just needed to share what I'd seen. Since its very common for kids to complete Levels A and B in one school year, the awesome folks at LOE sent me Foundations Level B so I could do a more complete review!
Before I go into the awesomeness that is Logic of English, let me give you a little background. I started homeschooling in 2015 when my first child started kindergarten. I was a homeschool newbie and a worrier. I had NO IDEA how to pick curriculum. And I was absolutely panicked that I would make a bad choice. I was overwhelmed - until a friend suggested a complete homeschool curriculum. It came with daily lesson plans and all the curriculum and been chosen already from reputable, well-known homeschool companies. I was thrilled! Problem solved! And I've used that company for the past 3 years. Its been a good fit for us - except in a couple of ways: math and phonics/reading. The biggest issue was the phonics/reading program. Now, maybe this program works for some families. But it didn't work for us. It came with a book and a computer CD. You did the workbook pages and then played a couple of computer games every few days. But my daughter didn't do well with it. And my daughter is extremely bright. Phonics/reading lessons became a daily struggle. She cried. I cried. She felt stupid. And so did I. After all, if I couldn't teach my daughter to read well, then I must be a horrible teacher, right? Well, it's 3 years later and my daughter has come a long way with her reading. She enjoys it more and is able to figure out a lot of words from context, but she still struggles with what sounds certain phonograms should make - even basic ones. She reads more from memorizing words and figuring out context.
Fast forward to this year. We decided to start in Classical Conversations - a classical homeschool program that, for 4k to 4th grade includes science, history, music, art, etc. The only things you need to add are math and phonics (the very things we were struggling with). With the other subjects taken care of, this gave me an opportunity to research these two subjects in more depth. I knew I didn't want to use the same phonics program for my upcoming kindergartner that I'd used with my oldest. I wanted something new. I wanted something better. Enter Logic of English!
So let me tell you why I fell in love with the Logic of English Foundations program -
1.) It's a complete language arts program for kids ages 4-7! No need to find a separate phonics program, and a handwriting program, and spelling. LOE Foundations is ALL-IN-ONE! Not only is that convenient for the parent that's having to do all the research and all the purchasing, but it's helpful for the child's learning process as well. Their learning is connected! The lesson where they learn the phonogram "a" is the same lesson where they learn to write the lowercase "a." Not only is this logical in terms of instruction, but it insures that there aren't contradictions in what they're learning. There are no contradictions between what they learn in reading and what they learn in spelling - which could easily happen if you purchase different programs for each.
2.) The teacher's manuals are the epitome of "user friendly!" The lessons tell you what to show them, what to model for them, and word-for-word what to say to them! The manual even tells you what kind of response you're looking for from your little learner when you ask them a question! I'm telling you, it's as if Denise Eide (the creator of LOE) said, "I'm going to write this for someone like Rebekka. You know, someone who says, "What do I say?" "What am looking for in the answer?" "How do I know if I'm doing this correctly?" Hahaha! She anticipated all my teaching fears and anxieties and was proactive in eliminating them with this manual!
3.) The program incorporates all learning styles! As I mentioned before, the previous phonics program we used was just a workbook and some computer games. That was ok, but we needed more. LOE isn't geared towards a particular type of learner (auditory, visual, kinesthetic). It incorporates all these into one program! Not only does that benefit all types of learners, but using all the styles together improves the learning experience for ALL children! In lesson 20 of Foundations A, for example, children learn the phonogram "u." In the lesson, they see the phonogram on a phonogram card (visual), they hear, the sound and repeat it (auditory), they use the workbook (visual and kinesthetic), they learn to write the letter "u" (visual and kinesthetic), they touch the tactile cards and trace the letter (visual and kinesthetic), and they play a phonogram game (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). The benefits of doing this are incredible! When we learn using multiple learning styles, we commit things to memory so much easier.
4.) Game ideas and extra activities are included in the lessons! No trying to figure out great games to play or multi-sensory activities to do. The lessons tell you what games to play. They also have optional activity suggestions. For example, in lesson 20 when they learn the phonogram "u," they suggest a "u day" - wear a uniform, play a ukulele, read about unicorns, play with toys upside down, etc.
5.) The program is very pace-friendly. What I mean by this is, you can choose your pace. Starting with a kid that already knows a lot of the phonograms and already has a little experience with handwriting? You could do a lesson a day. Some folks have even done more! Starting with a four year old or very young 5 year old? Or have a child who is struggling with learning to read? Take several days per lesson.
6.) There's a lot of review to make sure your child is getting it. Each level of Foundations (A, B, C, and D) has 40 lessons and 8 review lessons (one review after every 4 lessons). Not only are the reviews great for seeing what they've gotten and what they're still not sure about, but each review lesson ends with a page of "practice ideas." Is you child still having difficulty with sounds at the beginning of words? Here are 5 games of activities to help them practice. Are they having trouble segmenting words? No problem! We have 3 suggestions to help with that! They've really thought of EVERYTHING!!!
7.) The manuals also have teaching tips! There are green boxes in the lessons of the Teacher's Manual that give some great tips on how to help struggling kids and how to better teach the material. There are also "Challenge" boxes to help you make the lesson a little more challenging for a student that is really excelling.
8.) They teach all the sounds a phonogram makes at one time. Many reading programs begin by teaching certain sounds (like short vowel sounds) first, saving the other sounds that phonogram makes for a later time. So, for example, a child would learn that "a says a, as in apple." That can be incredibly frustrating and confusing to some children. When they see a word that doesn't follow that rule (like "snake"), it stumps and frustrates them. Then when they learn the other sounds later on, they become even more frustrated and confused. LOE teachers all the sounds at once. This may seem like a lot, but it's actually tailor made for little learners! Little brains thrive on memorization, so learning all the sounds at once is no big deal. And it makes understanding how words are formed so much easier and logical for them!
9.) LOE teaches kids the logic of the English language and how to read without guessing or memorizing sight words. There's that memorization thing again! You see, in order to read, kids HAVE to memorize. Many reading programs teach "sight words." Denise Eide writes, "This leaves children with the overwhelming task of memorizing 40,000-200,000 words by rote (the average number of words in an adult's vocabulary), when they could memorize 104 tools which logically explain 98% of English words." I think I'll stick with those 104 tools that are taught in LOE, thanks!
10.) The curriculum can be taught to more than one age simultaneously. As I mentioned, I have an upcoming third grader that is reading, but still relying on sight words and context to figure out a large portion of her words. This causes her incredible frustration. I also have a 5 year old that's about to start kindergarten. So what I've decided to do is start them both in Foundations A. Because there are 4 levels that can be easily manipulated to fit the pace you wish to go, and because the information is so in depth, you can teach this to more than one age at once if you like. I could have started by older child in Foundations B (LOE says you can choose to start there if you like, but you should not start with levels C or D), but this is my first year teaching 2 kids and once and, quite frankly, and didn't want to be overwhelmed - especially since this is also our first year with Logic of English AND our first year of Classical Conversations. So I decided to teach them both together. I didn't get my oldest a workbook. But she's going to sit in on all the lessons and listen. And then she will play the games along with her sister! This makes it more fun for both, and hopefully helps my oldest improve her reading skills!
OK. I'm gonna stop here because this post is beginning to look less like a blog post and more like a novel. Haha! But before I do, let me recap the reasons I've chosen Logic of English for my kids:
1.) Its logical! Haha! But seriously, It seems so logical and well thought out in its approach to reading, spelling, and handwriting instruction. It lays a firm and logical foundation that will help kids become confident in reading and writing - which, in turn, will help them succeed in all their other subjects as well!
2.) It relies on teaching kids the 104 tools that truly explain 98% of English words, instead of teaching them that there are "more exceptions (or rule breakers) than actual "rule followers" in our language. This myth (that our language is nonsensical and full of exceptions) makes reading and spelling difficult - especially for kids that are more math or science minded (kids who thrive with concrete concepts)
3.) It teaches true reading comprehension instead of relying on memorization of sight words. (When we memorize sight words, we know only those words. Learning the rules of our language opens the door for a true foundation of understanding of our language.)
4.) Its teacher-friendly, which takes away a lot of the stress and worry from this tired mama!
5.) It's a full language arts program! (So I don't have to worry about finding other curriculum and I also don't have to worry about my reading program and spelling program teaching different things and causing confusion.)
6.) It incorporates all learning styles in instruction (making it more fun for everyone and more effective as a curriculum).
Keep an eye out! As we work through Foundations A, I'll do a post on how its going! And then I'll do the same for Foundations B! But before I leave you, I'd like to give you a few links to check out:
Check out my other review: Logic Of English Language Arts Program Level A: What Do You Need?
Check out the Logic Of English Foundations section of the LOE website
Check out these 5 Myths of Phonics from the LOE website.
Watch this great video by Denise Eide (creator of LOE) to get a good Introduction to LOE Foundations
Check me out in instagram at @theproverbs31mama
Check me out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheProverbs31Mama/
I received some materials, free of charge, in exchange for my honest review.
5.) The program is very pace-friendly. What I mean by this is, you can choose your pace. Starting with a kid that already knows a lot of the phonograms and already has a little experience with handwriting? You could do a lesson a day. Some folks have even done more! Starting with a four year old or very young 5 year old? Or have a child who is struggling with learning to read? Take several days per lesson.
6.) There's a lot of review to make sure your child is getting it. Each level of Foundations (A, B, C, and D) has 40 lessons and 8 review lessons (one review after every 4 lessons). Not only are the reviews great for seeing what they've gotten and what they're still not sure about, but each review lesson ends with a page of "practice ideas." Is you child still having difficulty with sounds at the beginning of words? Here are 5 games of activities to help them practice. Are they having trouble segmenting words? No problem! We have 3 suggestions to help with that! They've really thought of EVERYTHING!!!
7.) The manuals also have teaching tips! There are green boxes in the lessons of the Teacher's Manual that give some great tips on how to help struggling kids and how to better teach the material. There are also "Challenge" boxes to help you make the lesson a little more challenging for a student that is really excelling.
8.) They teach all the sounds a phonogram makes at one time. Many reading programs begin by teaching certain sounds (like short vowel sounds) first, saving the other sounds that phonogram makes for a later time. So, for example, a child would learn that "a says a, as in apple." That can be incredibly frustrating and confusing to some children. When they see a word that doesn't follow that rule (like "snake"), it stumps and frustrates them. Then when they learn the other sounds later on, they become even more frustrated and confused. LOE teachers all the sounds at once. This may seem like a lot, but it's actually tailor made for little learners! Little brains thrive on memorization, so learning all the sounds at once is no big deal. And it makes understanding how words are formed so much easier and logical for them!
9.) LOE teaches kids the logic of the English language and how to read without guessing or memorizing sight words. There's that memorization thing again! You see, in order to read, kids HAVE to memorize. Many reading programs teach "sight words." Denise Eide writes, "This leaves children with the overwhelming task of memorizing 40,000-200,000 words by rote (the average number of words in an adult's vocabulary), when they could memorize 104 tools which logically explain 98% of English words." I think I'll stick with those 104 tools that are taught in LOE, thanks!
10.) The curriculum can be taught to more than one age simultaneously. As I mentioned, I have an upcoming third grader that is reading, but still relying on sight words and context to figure out a large portion of her words. This causes her incredible frustration. I also have a 5 year old that's about to start kindergarten. So what I've decided to do is start them both in Foundations A. Because there are 4 levels that can be easily manipulated to fit the pace you wish to go, and because the information is so in depth, you can teach this to more than one age at once if you like. I could have started by older child in Foundations B (LOE says you can choose to start there if you like, but you should not start with levels C or D), but this is my first year teaching 2 kids and once and, quite frankly, and didn't want to be overwhelmed - especially since this is also our first year with Logic of English AND our first year of Classical Conversations. So I decided to teach them both together. I didn't get my oldest a workbook. But she's going to sit in on all the lessons and listen. And then she will play the games along with her sister! This makes it more fun for both, and hopefully helps my oldest improve her reading skills!
OK. I'm gonna stop here because this post is beginning to look less like a blog post and more like a novel. Haha! But before I do, let me recap the reasons I've chosen Logic of English for my kids:
1.) Its logical! Haha! But seriously, It seems so logical and well thought out in its approach to reading, spelling, and handwriting instruction. It lays a firm and logical foundation that will help kids become confident in reading and writing - which, in turn, will help them succeed in all their other subjects as well!
2.) It relies on teaching kids the 104 tools that truly explain 98% of English words, instead of teaching them that there are "more exceptions (or rule breakers) than actual "rule followers" in our language. This myth (that our language is nonsensical and full of exceptions) makes reading and spelling difficult - especially for kids that are more math or science minded (kids who thrive with concrete concepts)
3.) It teaches true reading comprehension instead of relying on memorization of sight words. (When we memorize sight words, we know only those words. Learning the rules of our language opens the door for a true foundation of understanding of our language.)
4.) Its teacher-friendly, which takes away a lot of the stress and worry from this tired mama!
5.) It's a full language arts program! (So I don't have to worry about finding other curriculum and I also don't have to worry about my reading program and spelling program teaching different things and causing confusion.)
6.) It incorporates all learning styles in instruction (making it more fun for everyone and more effective as a curriculum).
Keep an eye out! As we work through Foundations A, I'll do a post on how its going! And then I'll do the same for Foundations B! But before I leave you, I'd like to give you a few links to check out:
Check out my other review: Logic Of English Language Arts Program Level A: What Do You Need?
Check out the Logic Of English Foundations section of the LOE website
Check out these 5 Myths of Phonics from the LOE website.
Watch this great video by Denise Eide (creator of LOE) to get a good Introduction to LOE Foundations
Check me out in instagram at @theproverbs31mama
Check me out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheProverbs31Mama/
I received some materials, free of charge, in exchange for my honest review.
I just have to comment because I love LOE! When my son was 4,I took a year and did Foundations A with him, then in kindergarten last year we worked through B and C, and this year we will spread D out for the whole year. I was so impressed with this program! I love how well my son is reading, how he loves to write notes to his friends, and how logically he tries to spell. Last year my daughter started down the same path so this year she will also finish B and C and I have a younger son who will begin A! We aren't very far in our homeschool journey, but this curriculum has been an amazing find and I also highly recommend it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting!! So glad you're loving it! We're loving it too!!! :)
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