I want to try out one of the two for my will-be 2nd grade son. Which would you recommend? For R&S I am assuming I would need to buy the English 2 and the Phonics 2 for language arts? (We have reading and spelling already figured out for next year) Thanks!
I personally think CLE is great I taught it for a year in a private school, and it would probably be my top choice for a language arts program.
For 2nd grade, I really like CLE! More composition. I really like that the grammar, spelling, handwriting, and composition is all in one course. With R&S 2 there's very little to no composition. In fact, you can do huge portions of it just orally, with hardly any writing at all (comparatively speaking), which might be either a pro or a con for you. The Phonics course is actually part of their Reading instruction, so you could do it or not, as you choose -- it's not spelling. Spelling is separate. Handwriting is separate. I've done R&S 2 spelling, and I prefer (if I'm going to use a separate spelling for that level) Christian Liberty 2. It's much meatier. I've done CLE reading and LA, and R&S reading, English, and spelling. IMO, R&S 2 overall is more like "grade 1 1/2". They do pick up later!
I prefer CLE as well. As Lindina said, I like that it is all compact in one workbook! To me, it is much more "student-friendly" than R&S. But really, I like both programs!
