Hello ladies, I am trying to give some thought to next year's school curriculum (we buy it in Feb. so I'm not planning THAT far in advance). I have been looking at a lot of different curricula, one of which is Christian Light Education. Has anyone used it or currently use it. What do you think about it? Specifically, what is the science like (does it get into specifics like old/new earth... things like this). Is the grammar pretty inclusive? etc. I'm not sure if I'll keep Saxon or not, so I'd appreciate some input on good math programs. (the only other that I've used is M-U-S) I'd like something to covers things like measurements, calendar, time, etc...but doesn't take quite as long as the Saxon (I LOVE Saxon, it's just taking way too long, so I've had to eliminate the entire morning meeting, etc to try to get it shorter). I also know that I need something that continues to touch back on old lessons or else my kids completely forget old concepts. Oddly enough I'm also considering unit studies as opposed to the CLE listed above. Anyone have input on these such as Konos and My father's world, etc. Any thoughts or details on these would be nice. (My kids are in the same grade, so tying in teaching for multiple grades isn't a concern. I just like the idea of tying all subjects under a general topic.) Any other curriculum that you think I'd like to check out is appreciated.
Autumn, I use (this is our ninth year with it) and LOVE Christian Light! Most especially for Reading, LA, and MATH! Unfortunately, I don't love the science, because it's not in Sunrise Edition yet, most of it. First and second grades are, but not third yet or higher grades. What I love about CLE is that it's in workbooks, and kids seem to be so encouraged when they finish a workbook and can get a brandnew fresh one. It's so well-built that even first graders can do part of their work independently (and I LOVE that!) It's also built on the spiral model in both LA and Math -- a little new lesson, then mixed practice of previous skills, distributed over many lessons. That way, it's not so boring for some of us as the mastery kind of books are (do one skill to death then don't see it again until next year...). There are only a few of each skill to do so it keeps it fresh in their minds and doesn't have time to get boring. It's a very solid curriculum, and the kids I have taught with it have scored well on their annual achievement tests. DO give the kids the diagnostic test (it's free for the printing on the website www.clp.org with AK and how to score them). I'm guessing that since your kids are 6 and 8 and in the same grade, maybe they're in 2nd? if so, do not be dismayed if the diagnostic says they need to start in the first grade, because this is a sort of advanced curriculum. The CLE science that is not in the Sunrise Edition isn't really bad - there's nothing wrong with the information that is in the courses - it's just not as convenient as the ones that are in the Sunrise Edition. In the SE, the lessons are all laid out for you in daily lessons with regularly-spaced quizzes and the unit test. In the non-Sunrise, they are not, and you have to figure out for yourself how many pages to do. This year we're trying the Rod & Staff science for third grade, and are actually liking it a lot. The lessons are clearly marked out, because it's in textbooks - we're not really caring how long it takes us to get through "one lesson" because the student has learning issues and needs lots of repetition to remember stuff and many explanations to understand stuff. There are lots of suggested activities to do to demonstrate the concepts, which you are free to choose or substitute with others, or whatever. You don't have to do them all. In fact, I was so impressed with the R&S science that I have gone ahead and ordered the rest of their science courses up through the high school ones. I figure it's going to take a long time before the CLE courses are released in the Sunrise Editions. With two doing the same grade together, you can get by with getting only one textbook and sharing, which makes it even more cost-effective. I'm not that thrilled with the R&S Social Studies, though. The CLE ones are in textbooks from third grade up to 7th, which you can do either by textbook questions or by lightunit study guides. The CLE books are bigger and more colorful than the R&S ones (which is not to say they're really really bright and colorful), and seem to be more interesting to the students. However, I've used both the fifth grade levels, and I'd have to say it would depend on the student as to which is a better fit. R&S has more maps to do. I'm thinking that I may use both R&S and CLE for second grade social studies. The R&S is world geography, and the CLE is about families, communities, travel and such. We're currently working our way through R&S and I'm thinking it won't last more than half a year, so the CLE could be our second semester. We're currently using the Christian Liberty (CLASS) second grade for science with this particular child. I haven't found yet that the age of the earth has been made much of in either CLE or R&S science, because I have used mostly Abeka sciences for the last several years. We haven't gotten up to the grade levels in either CLE or R&S where they talk about age of the earth. Some of the Abeka levels I like and some I'm not crazy about, but they are set up like "traditional textbooks" with chapters and sections and questions at the end of each section and quizzes along the way and such as that.
i use cle for math. this is our first year with it. we are using 2nd and 1st grade. my advice, def download the placement tests to see what level, we actually went back half a grade for my oldest dd, which is fine. she is actually in 3rd grade on everything else. i will say we all love it so far, which says alot for math. i love that it is spiral, yet gentle. we used abeka bf this. it was moving so fast and causing many tears in math. so it has review each lesson. their is 2 pages front and back each day, but the probs are very spaced to give room to write work down. i love that the speed drills, quizes, tests are all in the 10 workbooks, so all i need for math is their work book and my teachers book. i like that the flashcards are labeled, so it tells you which flashcards to review each day. any ?s just ask me!
I'm not familiar with CLE, but since you asked about other possibilities, I thought I'd toss out Sonlight. My sister uses it and loves the science. I'm not sure how much they cover young/old earth. The language arts is very thorough and math is up to you--they have recommendations of different programs. If I ever use a curriculum (I write my own), I'll go with Sonlight. It's very thorough and I love the literature and history. Cynthia
hi, im from IL cynthia, where in IL r u? i live in west central and know a cynthia from college that homeschools. did you go to blackburn?
We use CLE for Reading & Language Arts. I started it mid-year in 1st grade w/dd after I chose the wrong thing in the beginning. She's in 4th now & my ds is in 1st grade now so they both use it. I have been happy with it so I have not looked around for anything else. It's the best value for us. I started w/MUS so I never looked into CLE math. We did do 1 year of CLE Science,Social Studies, & Bible but the next year I had to save even more money even though they are pretty affordable. I can easily piece together Bible stuff. The only thing I don't like if the KJV text. I never make my kids memorize that way so we skip those parts on quizzes & tests. If you go with CLE there's a yahoo group of CLE users that can be quite helpful for advice & buying or selling used curriculum. And I have to agree with whoever said their kids feel an accomplishment with each light unit they finish. My kids enjoy that too.
I have never seen the CLE books - but they remind me of LifePacs which I even noticed that they use the LifePac Teacher Edition for Algebra (odd huh?) But Jacob and Alexis BOTH would get excited when they finished a unit. I'm actually curious about how excited they will be when they finish SOS Units you know because they keep going...?
When CLE was first getting started, they made an arrangement with Alpha Omega to "borrow and tweak" the Lifepacs, so they were virtually the same. Then CLE started writing their own curriculum, and slowly they are replacing the older Lifepac-format workbooks with the newer Sunrise Edition. The courses that are now in Sunrise Edition are lightyears beyond Lifepacs for ease of use (and IMHO, content): all of reading and language arts through high school; all of math through 8th grade; social studies through sixth grade; first and second grade science; and Bible through fourth grade. They're working on algebra I, but it's not ready yet (I can't wait!!!). The Sunrise Editions have daily lessons clearly laid out -- no guesstimating how many pages to do a day. The quizzes and the unit test are removable, and there are two regularly-spaced quizzes per unit. Some courses have a "self-check" at the end of the unit, before the unit test, which can be counted as a third quiz if you want to. They're remaking the TMs into the same format as the first, second, and third grade TMs, with the reduced-size student pages with answers overprinted and the teacher-helps around the sides and bottom, because that format is so popular with parents. The 8th grade math is that way now, and other courses' TMs will be replaced as current stocks of TMs run out. There are Alternate Unit Tests in the TMs, in case the student needs to go back and re-study. There are actual teacher-helps and lists/indices/appendices in the TMs, unlike Lifepac TMs that are mostly just glorified answer keys.
okay is there another thing called christian living press or something>? Cause I used a catalogue but it did not have the light thingy books then... we got our Explorers or something like that for early America studies back in 5th or 6th grade from them, ... so I was thinking this was it, but its not looking like it unless it changed the last few years? are they like Life Paks or the Ace's Paces? I like how LPs look but not Aps, cause they didn't have as good of artists or something, sorry to say.... but the light things look good from what is in them.. kwim? Sorry if I am rambly, or messy my tendonitis is acting up and my ds wont stop talking to me lol they dont go together!
From what I see of the Sunlight <?> Editions they are divided up into lessons - so you would do 1 lesson per day? Am I correct on that?
I believe you can do it that way or spread them into 2 days. They say a light unit (I think that's what they're called) can last from 2-4 weeks maybe. You could maybe even do a 4 day a week schedule with them (that would be nice!) I just got the Bible one for 3rd grade and it's 15 or 16 lessons per unit, then there are 5 units. For the other subjects I think there are 10 units instead.
You may be thinking of Christian Liberty Press. Their academy is called Christian Liberty Academy School System (CLASS -- used to be Christian Liberty Academy Satellite Schools). They do not do anything similar to Lifepacs, Lightunits, or Paces. They use "real books" for some things, and they use other publishers' books (like Abeka and BJU) but with their own tests and TM (mostly just an AK). Their stuff is very inexpensive, from the catalog, but it's even more inexpensive when you order online. I've liked most of the stuff of theirs that I have used. I particularly like the second grade stuff. Of the CLE Lightunits, yes, the Sunrise Editions are divided up into daily lessons for you. Some courses are designed with five units, although most have ten units. The 1st reader (called I Wonder) is five units, but it follows a ten-unit Learning to Read set. The fourth reader and up are five-unit courses. First and second grade science are five units each. First, second, and third grade Bible are five-unit courses, and the fourth grade Bible is currently five units, but it will become ten units next year. Most of the rest of all courses at all grade levels are ten units.
Another question about CLE.... If I decide to forgo the Reading program & the History will it interfere with any other other subjects. (I am thinking just let them read on their own, it's working best so far...and the history, I'm going to do a VA state history program). I guess my question is are the subjects linked at all or intertwined or will they stand alone?
No, the subjects are very stand-alone. And you can easily be in one level in reading, another in math, another in language arts.... not to mention science and history which you can pick-and-choose the levels. What I mean is, choosing to do state history this year, but you could still pick up (for example) American history at the fifth grade level or the eighth grade level or the eleventh grade level. I highly recommend the reading, BTW. I've never had a reading curriculum that is so good at teaching comprehension and thinking skills, poetry, literary analysis ... it's so very good, but it's also advanced in the comprehension skills. The reading stories in the readers are just about right for the level number on the book spine, but the comprehension can be somewhat challenging to remarkably challenging for that level, so it doesn't hurt a bit to do a level below what you think the child can do. The fourth grade on up are only built for a half-year, so the rest of the time the kids can do other projects or free reading, or novel-studies (like Progeny Press), or even another reading curriculum if it's also built for a half-year (like BJU's middle school).
Thanks Lindina! I'll have to look at that reading program again, and thanks so much for answering my questions!
they totally seem like Life paks, that is good, I like that there are more people doing the Unit books and giving us a chance to mix and match with that style.
