this was a very good video. I really wanted to be walked through a whole lesson. most people just flip through the book super fast. thanks for taking your time!
Hi, great video! I've read through the comments and found good questions with helpful answers. I've recently stumbled upon this curriculum and need some guidance. My 8y.o. son is a struggling beginning reader. We worked through some right brain curriculum lady year, but he grew bored and frustrated. I read that you believe Essentials A would be a good place to start for a 7 year old, 2nd grader. So, that's where I think we'd start. Does Essentials have fun games, like Foundations? I would really like him to have some fun and experience victory. I was all set to move forward with All About Reading, but the entirety of this curriculum is very appealing. Thank you for your time and wisdom!
There are some fun games in Essentials, but not as much as Foundations. I would recommend getting the Phonogram Game Cards (found under Core Materials in the LOE store, they also come with some of the Essentials sets). They have also come out with a Game Book/Set (the Phonogram Game Cards are in the set) that would make things extra fun! I would recommend reading through this flow chart to see which programs/supplements would be right for you. assets.logicofenglish.com/downloads/loe-help-me-choose.pdf
Each lesson is broken down into 5 days, and each day takes about 30-45 minutes to complete. Because I am homeschooling multiple children, that is a bit long for my schedule, so I would often take two days to complete one day's lesson, so as to only spend 15-20 minutes on Essentials at a time.
How do you handle the fact that essentials has been going over the super basic rules and photographs that they've known forever, and it doesn't even have them reviewing the ones they learned in foundation C and d? My daughter is forgetting the stuff she learned in C&d because there is no review of that
I modify the lessons as needed, reviewing what we need to review and skipping over things we don't. If you have the phonogram flashcards, you can drill those weekly. We have the LOE phonogram app, so I have my child play that once or twice a week for a complete photogram review.
LOE presents a lot of "rules" and I think a child could get overwhelmed if made to memorize all of them. We personally just memorize the most used ones like "English words do not in I, U, V, or J" or "to make a noun plural, add the ending -s, unless the word hisses or changes, then add the ending -es." Like any curriculum, I think it is important to feel freedom to adapt the lessons to best fit you and your children. We occasionally opt out of things that I don't feel are necessary, but overall, I think LOE is the best out there for teaching handwriting, reading, spelling, and grammar.
Hi, love your videos! Wanted your advice. My kids have been in public school from the beginning. We are pulling them out at 4th and 5th grade, 9-10 yrs old. Do you think it is too late to start this program?
Thank you! I am glad you found it helpful. Essentials is broken into 3 levels all within the same book, and I think Level C would be great for 9-10 year olds. I don't think it is too late at all. I have learned so much about our English language by teaching LOE!
Hello Amanda, Thank you for the video. I plan to use LOE for our homeschool this fall. The LOE approach to spelling seems logical and strong. Would you say LOE is equally logical and strong in it's ability to teach grammar ( punctuation, parts of speech, etc...)? Also, have you found a homeschool math curriculum that you are especially pleased with? I am trying to narrow down my choice on this, and I could use some experienced input. Thank you. Regards, Scarlet
I do feel that LOE is strong in grammar, especially when you get to Essentials, which I started with my son in 2nd grade. For math, we have only used (and love) Math-U-See. I feel it also teaches using a logical and hands-on approach using manipulatives. My boys also really enjoy the DVD lessons that introduces the new concept for the week.
This was such a great review of essentials, thank you! We are just finishing up level D in foundations, it has worked wonderfully with us! I love the introduction of literature to go along with the lessons in D. I know that essentials has a reading program for struggling readers but I don’t know if this will benefit us at all. I would love to tie in some more real literature, did you incorporate any reading programs in addition to essentials for your 2nd or 3rd graders? Thank you!
The LOE Essentials Reader is more along the line of the LOE Foundations D non-fiction readers. It focuses more on new vocabulary words that incorporate the phonograms, with some activities that include Venn diagrams, copywork/dictation, and other activities to enhance comprehension/discussion. If you enjoyed the Foundation D readers and activities, then you would probably like the Essentials Reader. If you are looking for more literature than non-fiction, I would suggest looking into Bravewriter Literature Singles. store.bravewriter.com/collections/literature-singles
@@amandamedlin8087 t I've been looking over Bravewriter another literature based curriculum called Blackbird.. your feedback is super helpful, thank you!
This maybe too specific- but here goes. My 8YO is having a heck of a time with the board vowel sounds. He know the spelling rules, but honestly cannot hear the differences. We started with Essentials and I have been going back and looking for fillers or new ideas of how to teach the board vowel sounds. Do you have any trick or tips to fill in this gap?
My son is 7.5 and finishing up Foundations C. Im actually thinking of skipping D and going into essentials. He's a great reader but lacking on spelling rules. If you've got any ideas on that I'd love to hear. Im afraid he might be bored going through D
Hi Julie, I would recommend finishing the LOE Foundations program. Foundations D is more advanced than C, and teaches some important spelling concepts that you don't want to skip. The workbook is also more colorful and fun than the Essentials workbook, so I think it would appeal to your 7.5 year old more. Hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing this! We are starting on foundations D, and looking into starting essentials in the fall of this coming year. Looking at the website it says the Essentials 1-7 teachers guide is $45 ... if one lesson equates to roughly one week .. are you buying a new teachers book and student workbook every 7 weeks?
Since I have made my review, they have broken Essentials down into 4 sets vs 2 sets because when the sets were broken down into Lessons 1-15 and 16-20, the teachers book was huge and cumbersome. That being said, yes, you would be buying a new set every 8 lessons and the lessons are covering 1 week at a time. I, however, have never managed to complete a lesson in one week. There is so much covered in each day of the lesson that it usually takes us longer to complete. If that was the case for you as well, you could spread your purchases out a bit more. There is also the three levels to cover, so after completing the lessons at Level B with my son, I am now going back and teaching him the Level C material while I am teaching my younger son Level B. LOE can be expensive, but I personally feel it has been worth the investment for us. Hope this helps!
@@amandamedlin8087 That helps tremendously! I was wondering about each lesson only taking one week, because it seemed like it was so rich in material. Another question I had, would I then use the same book to go back through the materials but add in the "b" and "c" items the second and third time through the material? Also, are there student sheets (it looked like there were from your video) similar to the sheets we use in foundations? Do the sheets vary from "a" to "b" to "c"? Thank you for all your help! It's so overwhelming to figure things out at first, but then you get into them and it seems easier. At least thats what I found when we started foundations with LOE. Overall we have absolutely loved the foundations so I am excited to move into essentials in the fall!
@@carissa-explains-it-all Yes, both the teacher's book and student book have all levels, so you can reuse them. Coming straight from Foundations, you will probably be able to jump into Level B. I feel like Level A is more like Foundations for those who didn't go through Foundations first. But there are assessment pages at the beginning so you can determine what level your child needs to begin with. We started with Level B and then went back and focused just on the Level C areas, reviewing the general areas as needed. It will make more sense once you have the book in hand.
Hello! I so appreciate this through review of essentials. There is so limited reviews about essentials. I am wondering about your thoughts on the readers? Do you also incorporate it in the lessons? Looking into this for my 4th grader who is a struggling reader and speller. Was hopeful this would help with fluency and confidence. Is the reading incorporated at all?
Hi Freda! I have never used the Essentials readers so I cannot give you an honest opinion on those. I have used the Foundations readers with my younger children, and was very pleased with those. Spelling is a large focus in the regular Essentials lessons, so that would definitely help your struggling speller. However, reading is not focused on in the regular Essentials lessons, so I would suggest adding the readers since your 4th grader is struggling in that area. Everything Logic of English creates is so well-thought out and intentional to teach the students in a "logical" way, that I'm sure they would be beneficial to your 4th grader!
Thank you for the great review!! I am seriously considering using Essentials next year, with my kids who are 8, 10, and 11. I’d love it if we could work on it together. It seems most people are using it with younger students, and I know it is for ages 8 and older. Do you think it would work for older students as well? I just feel that they don’t have a firm foundation of phonics and spelling rules..I see that there are the 3 levels, I just wanted an opinion from someone who’s used the curriculum.
Hi Mary, I think Essentials is great to use with older kids, especially those who don't have a firm foundation like you mentioned. It is also set up in such a way that it is easy to teach multiple levels at the same time. It is very customizable. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for doing this review! We are finishing up foundations C and to begin D soon, so I’m looking ahead. As for the workbook with Essentials, once we go through part A, do you just purchase an additional workbook when you go through it for part B and again for part C?
The workbook covers all levels, some parts where all three levels are combined for an activity, and some parts specific to a certain level. If you wanted to just go back and complete the level B and then the level C specific activities, you could re-use the same workbook. If you feel like your student would benefit from redoing the combined activities, you could purchase a new one. I believe they also sell the workbook in a PDF format, if you wanted to print the worksheets.
@@amandamedlin8087so does that mean you don’t do the “all” stuff when you go back to use Level C? As in, some activities say “all” so they can be used at whatever level the child places into at first and then doesn’t need to do them again the second or third time through on the next level? If you did all of the “all” worksheets during level B, do you just exclusively do the Level C activities the next year without redoing the “all” worksheets? (Hope I’m making sense.)
@@Lilc97Jax If you covered the "all" material/worksheets in Level B, I would just go back and do the specific Level C activities, only repeating the "all" in the areas you feel your student may need a good review or further practice. Essentials is really customizable in this way.
This edition has been out for several years so I would recommend checking homeschool used book/curriculum sales or even Facebook groups that are set up for selling used homeschool materials.
How long did it take you to work through all of the Essentials lessons with your son? Did you repeat it in level C? How many years total did you spend working through Essentials? I am working through Foundations with my daughter and I’m just trying to get an idea of what to expect.
We skipped Level A because he was ready for Level B after completing Foundations. Sometimes I would include some of the Level A content if I felt it was helpful for review. Essentials is designed to take 5 days to complete 1 lesson, and there are 30 lessons. So if you plan to work on Essentials everyday, you can definitely complete that level in 1 year. It is a lot of content, so you would need to block out 30-45 minutes a day for this. If you would prefer to stretch it out a bit more, you can cover one lesson over 2 weeks, and take 2 years to complete that level. That is what we did. When you go back to complete Level C, you can just focus on teaching the Level C content and review what you already taught in Level B as you feel necessary. So Level C would probably just take 1 year. Hope this helps!
I am doing Level B with my daughter now, and it usually takes us around 30 minutes depending on the lesson and whether or not we do the review exercises at the beginning.
Oh wow, that’s not bad! Most of what I see says each lesson is taking 60 minutes, and we will also need to add in the reader. Are you doing it over one year or two?
@@laurene9166 I am very relaxed with our pacing because I like to take my time and enjoy the wealth of exercises and activities, so I do not try to fit it all in 1 year. Adding the reader will also stretch it out a bit because the reader activities can add another day or two depending on how many of the activities you choose to do.
Hey there! You say you use both sets of game cards. i was wondering if you started with foundations did you choose cursive first then teach manuscript afterwards?
My boys picked up some basic manuscript awareness in their pre-school years simply by writing their names and other simple activities, so went we started Foundations I focused on teaching cursive but also reviewed proper manuscript formation of the letters as we went along, so I never ended up needing to go back and formally teach manuscript.
I am really torn on whether or not I want to have my oldest, currently in 4th grade do this curriculum. I have 4 children and do MFW as our base but have not loved their recommendations for LA for 2nd grade and up. My oldest had used Lifepac prior and enjoyed it, but I know my middle two will not as they are more hands-on and can't sit still kind of kids. Thus, me looking into another LA program and came across LoE. My middle two are currently in K and 1st grade so I was planning to use Foundations with them and do another program with my 4th grader, but feel like I'm cheating her from this way of learning LOL. If I did do LoE for all kids, I would be teaching Foundations A, B, and Essentials. Does that seem like a lot to you as you said 45 minutes for Essentials alone. Help!
It would be a lot if you try to do a complete lesson for each of them everyday, but manageable if you break each lesson down to teach over a spread of 2-3 days. This is what I do and it works well for us. This way we can take our time to really get into each activity in the lesson vs rushing through them just to check them off my list. It's a great program and so thorough, I think it is worth getting and going through at a slower pace if necessary. Hope this helps!
Amanda Medlin - thank you for responding. Funny enough I was just reading your blog and had no idea until I saw the video LOL. How does this sound to you? Foundations A for my K and then do Essentials with my going to be 2nd grader and my current 4th grader. I would just implement this program as soon as it arrives instead of waiting until next school year. Does that seem doable? That way I’m only doing 2 instead of 3. Also, to make Essentials a full LA program, do you use anything else?
That sounds like a good plan. Essentials has parts of each lesson broken down into 3 levels (such as spelling words), so you could easily go through the book with both your 2nd grader and 4th grader, using the appropriate level for each one. There is a pre-test in the beginning of the book to determine their levels. Essentials covers everything except Creative Writing. I implement some of BraveWriter's philosophies and writing activities along with LOE, but very casually as to not overload myself or my kids.
The website suggests Essentials is for students 8 and older. My son is starting second grade coming out of public school for kinder and most of first and we've also completed Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons. He can read, but is still not strong in fluency or competence. I am looking at using LOE Foundations next year for my kindergartener and Essentials C for my fifth grader. I am really leaning towards using Essentials A for my second grade son rather than having him start at Foundations B and move through C and D. But I'm just not sure. Is it better to use Foundations even though we have to start at level B, basically a mid kindergarten level? Or would Essentials be okay to use even though he's only 7 and is not a strong reader yet?
There are 15 lessons (weeks) in the book and each lesson is broken down into 5 days, which each take roughly 45 minutes to complete. Each day is broken down into smaller sections, so you can easily find a mid-way stopping point if you would rather spend less time each day on this subject and use the Volume 1 for 2 semesters instead of 1 semester. Because it is not grade specific and has various levels, you can easily use this curriculum for several years. That is my plan.
My son is 8 but I wanted to start him off in Foundations and now I am feeling like should have started him in Essentials. But his spelling is terrible! He reads like 6 levels above his grade level and is really good at reading. But I am worried it is mostly by sight words. Do you think I should switch it to Essentials? Do you have a review for Foundations?
I would start him in Essentials. Foundations is designed for ages 4 - 7 and spends a lot of time on basic phonogram sounds and handwriting. Essentials also teaches/reviews the phonograms and spends more time on spelling and grammar. With Essentials, you will still cover most everything you would with Foundations (except the handwriting instruction), but Essentials is specifically targeted toward his age group so I think you will both be much happier.
Since we used Logic of English Foundations prior to this, I started Essentials Level B with my kids around 2nd or 3rd grade, depending on when we finished Foundations. If you haven't used Foundations, you could probably start with Essentials Level A in 1st grade if your child already knows how to read and write. Essentials will build upon basic reading skills and teach spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.
It is a little pricey, but you can use it for several years because of the 3 levels. It also works in our homeschooling budget because I buy it for my oldest and then use it again with my younger children.
Hi A M- Have you used The Good and the Beautiful Lang. Arts curriculum? I am looking into both LOE and G&B to see which one is more beneficial. Any feedback or suggestion would be very helpful?
this was a very good video. I really wanted to be walked through a whole lesson. most people just flip through the book super fast. thanks for taking your time!
Thank you!
@@amandamedlin8087 i just pause the video for me to explore the page if i want to.
Best video I've seen explaining a lesson! Main reason I purchased the curriculum. 😊👍🏽 Great job!!
Thank you so much! I am glad you found it helpful!
Brilliant review. Thank you
Thank you!
thank you for taking the time to show and review this for is shopping for new curriculum!
Quite late with my comment but still wanted you to know, very informative and useful review. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.
Thank you for the thorough review! I really appreciate it.
Wow! Thank you for such a thorough walk thru. This is so helpful!
Hi, great video! I've read through the comments and found good questions with helpful answers. I've recently stumbled upon this curriculum and need some guidance. My 8y.o. son is a struggling beginning reader. We worked through some right brain curriculum lady year, but he grew bored and frustrated. I read that you believe Essentials A would be a good place to start for a 7 year old, 2nd grader. So, that's where I think we'd start. Does Essentials have fun games, like Foundations? I would really like him to have some fun and experience victory. I was all set to move forward with All About Reading, but the entirety of this curriculum is very appealing. Thank you for your time and wisdom!
There are some fun games in Essentials, but not as much as Foundations. I would recommend getting the Phonogram Game Cards (found under Core Materials in the LOE store, they also come with some of the Essentials sets). They have also come out with a Game Book/Set (the Phonogram Game Cards are in the set) that would make things extra fun! I would recommend reading through this flow chart to see which programs/supplements would be right for you. assets.logicofenglish.com/downloads/loe-help-me-choose.pdf
Volume is really low. Cannot hear.
Thank you for this video! It was SO helpful! About how much time do you spend on this per day?
Each lesson is broken down into 5 days, and each day takes about 30-45 minutes to complete. Because I am homeschooling multiple children, that is a bit long for my schedule, so I would often take two days to complete one day's lesson, so as to only spend 15-20 minutes on Essentials at a time.
Thank you! That's really helpful in the planning!!
How do you handle the fact that essentials has been going over the super basic rules and photographs that they've known forever, and it doesn't even have them reviewing the ones they learned in foundation C and d? My daughter is forgetting the stuff she learned in C&d because there is no review of that
I modify the lessons as needed, reviewing what we need to review and skipping over things we don't. If you have the phonogram flashcards, you can drill those weekly. We have the LOE phonogram app, so I have my child play that once or twice a week for a complete photogram review.
Thanks for this video! You helped me so much.
Thank you for a wonderful presentation!!!!
Is there snything at all you don't like sbput LOE? Thanks for the video.
LOE presents a lot of "rules" and I think a child could get overwhelmed if made to memorize all of them. We personally just memorize the most used ones like "English words do not in I, U, V, or J" or "to make a noun plural, add the ending -s, unless the word hisses or changes, then add the ending -es." Like any curriculum, I think it is important to feel freedom to adapt the lessons to best fit you and your children. We occasionally opt out of things that I don't feel are necessary, but overall, I think LOE is the best out there for teaching handwriting, reading, spelling, and grammar.
Hi, love your videos! Wanted your advice. My kids have been in public school from the beginning. We are pulling them out at 4th and 5th grade, 9-10 yrs old. Do you think it is too late to start this program?
Thank you! I am glad you found it helpful. Essentials is broken into 3 levels all within the same book, and I think Level C would be great for 9-10 year olds. I don't think it is too late at all. I have learned so much about our English language by teaching LOE!
Thank you:)
What would you recommend for an adult ESL student?
Check out this post on the LOE website... logicofenglish.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360019542892-Can-Logic-of-English-be-used-for-ELL-
Hello Amanda,
Thank you for the video. I plan to use LOE for our homeschool this fall. The LOE approach to spelling seems logical and strong. Would you say LOE is equally logical and strong in it's ability to teach grammar ( punctuation, parts of speech, etc...)?
Also, have you found a homeschool math curriculum that you are especially pleased with? I am trying to narrow down my choice on this, and I could use some experienced input.
Thank you.
Regards,
Scarlet
I do feel that LOE is strong in grammar, especially when you get to Essentials, which I started with my son in 2nd grade. For math, we have only used (and love) Math-U-See. I feel it also teaches using a logical and hands-on approach using manipulatives. My boys also really enjoy the DVD lessons that introduces the new concept for the week.
Thank You! : )
This was such a great review of essentials, thank you! We are just finishing up level D in foundations, it has worked wonderfully with us! I love the introduction of literature to go along with the lessons in D. I know that essentials has a reading program for struggling readers but I don’t know if this will benefit us at all. I would love to tie in some more real literature, did you incorporate any reading programs in addition to essentials for your 2nd or 3rd graders? Thank you!
The LOE Essentials Reader is more along the line of the LOE Foundations D non-fiction readers. It focuses more on new vocabulary words that incorporate the phonograms, with some activities that include Venn diagrams, copywork/dictation, and other activities to enhance comprehension/discussion. If you enjoyed the Foundation D readers and activities, then you would probably like the Essentials Reader. If you are looking for more literature than non-fiction, I would suggest looking into Bravewriter Literature Singles. store.bravewriter.com/collections/literature-singles
@@amandamedlin8087 t I've been looking over Bravewriter another literature based curriculum called Blackbird.. your feedback is super helpful, thank you!
Thank you for doing this! So helpful!
Very helpful, thank you!
This maybe too specific- but here goes. My 8YO is having a heck of a time with the board vowel sounds. He know the spelling rules, but honestly cannot hear the differences. We started with Essentials and I have been going back and looking for fillers or new ideas of how to teach the board vowel sounds. Do you have any trick or tips to fill in this gap?
Check out the Logic of English Phonics with Phonograms app! My kids love to play it and it's a great way to review all the phonogram sounds.
@@amandamedlin8087 friend, this app is one of my least favorites, because i’m scared.
My son is 7.5 and finishing up Foundations C. Im actually thinking of skipping D and going into essentials. He's a great reader but lacking on spelling rules. If you've got any ideas on that I'd love to hear. Im afraid he might be bored going through D
Hi Julie, I would recommend finishing the LOE Foundations program. Foundations D is more advanced than C, and teaches some important spelling concepts that you don't want to skip. The workbook is also more colorful and fun than the Essentials workbook, so I think it would appeal to your 7.5 year old more. Hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing this! We are starting on foundations D, and looking into starting essentials in the fall of this coming year.
Looking at the website it says the Essentials 1-7 teachers guide is $45 ... if one lesson equates to roughly one week .. are you buying a new teachers book and student workbook every 7 weeks?
Since I have made my review, they have broken Essentials down into 4 sets vs 2 sets because when the sets were broken down into Lessons 1-15 and 16-20, the teachers book was huge and cumbersome. That being said, yes, you would be buying a new set every 8 lessons and the lessons are covering 1 week at a time. I, however, have never managed to complete a lesson in one week. There is so much covered in each day of the lesson that it usually takes us longer to complete. If that was the case for you as well, you could spread your purchases out a bit more. There is also the three levels to cover, so after completing the lessons at Level B with my son, I am now going back and teaching him the Level C material while I am teaching my younger son Level B. LOE can be expensive, but I personally feel it has been worth the investment for us. Hope this helps!
@@amandamedlin8087 That helps tremendously! I was wondering about each lesson only taking one week, because it seemed like it was so rich in material.
Another question I had, would I then use the same book to go back through the materials but add in the "b" and "c" items the second and third time through the material?
Also, are there student sheets (it looked like there were from your video) similar to the sheets we use in foundations? Do the sheets vary from "a" to "b" to "c"?
Thank you for all your help! It's so overwhelming to figure things out at first, but then you get into them and it seems easier. At least thats what I found when we started foundations with LOE. Overall we have absolutely loved the foundations so I am excited to move into essentials in the fall!
@@carissa-explains-it-all Yes, both the teacher's book and student book have all levels, so you can reuse them. Coming straight from Foundations, you will probably be able to jump into Level B. I feel like Level A is more like Foundations for those who didn't go through Foundations first. But there are assessment pages at the beginning so you can determine what level your child needs to begin with. We started with Level B and then went back and focused just on the Level C areas, reviewing the general areas as needed. It will make more sense once you have the book in hand.
Hello! I so appreciate this through review of essentials. There is so limited reviews about essentials. I am wondering about your thoughts on the readers? Do you also incorporate it in the lessons? Looking into this for my 4th grader who is a struggling reader and speller. Was hopeful this would help with fluency and confidence. Is the reading incorporated at all?
Hi Freda! I have never used the Essentials readers so I cannot give you an honest opinion on those. I have used the Foundations readers with my younger children, and was very pleased with those. Spelling is a large focus in the regular Essentials lessons, so that would definitely help your struggling speller. However, reading is not focused on in the regular Essentials lessons, so I would suggest adding the readers since your 4th grader is struggling in that area. Everything Logic of English creates is so well-thought out and intentional to teach the students in a "logical" way, that I'm sure they would be beneficial to your 4th grader!
Thank you for the great review!! I am seriously considering using Essentials next year, with my kids who are 8, 10, and 11. I’d love it if we could work on it together. It seems most people are using it with younger students, and I know it is for ages 8 and older. Do you think it would work for older students as well? I just feel that they don’t have a firm foundation of phonics and spelling rules..I see that there are the 3 levels, I just wanted an opinion from someone who’s used the curriculum.
Hi Mary, I think Essentials is great to use with older kids, especially those who don't have a firm foundation like you mentioned. It is also set up in such a way that it is easy to teach multiple levels at the same time. It is very customizable. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for doing this review! We are finishing up foundations C and to begin D soon, so I’m looking ahead.
As for the workbook with Essentials, once we go through part A, do you just purchase an additional workbook when you go through it for part B and again for part C?
The workbook covers all levels, some parts where all three levels are combined for an activity, and some parts specific to a certain level. If you wanted to just go back and complete the level B and then the level C specific activities, you could re-use the same workbook. If you feel like your student would benefit from redoing the combined activities, you could purchase a new one. I believe they also sell the workbook in a PDF format, if you wanted to print the worksheets.
@@amandamedlin8087so does that mean you don’t do the “all” stuff when you go back to use Level C? As in, some activities say “all” so they can be used at whatever level the child places into at first and then doesn’t need to do them again the second or third time through on the next level? If you did all of the “all” worksheets during level B, do you just exclusively do the Level C activities the next year without redoing the “all” worksheets? (Hope I’m making sense.)
@@Lilc97Jax If you covered the "all" material/worksheets in Level B, I would just go back and do the specific Level C activities, only repeating the "all" in the areas you feel your student may need a good review or further practice. Essentials is really customizable in this way.
@@amandamedlin8087 okay, thank you so much for explaining!
Is the child not bored if you have to go back let's say to do level C after completing level B?
Not at all. Level C is completely new material and spelling lists.
The price is holding me up! Can I buy this used somewhere?
This edition has been out for several years so I would recommend checking homeschool used book/curriculum sales or even Facebook groups that are set up for selling used homeschool materials.
Thank you this was very helpful
Is this program suitable for non-native English ? And in which level ,if students are adult ?
Yes! Check out this link to their website for more info on using Logic of English Essentials for ELL. www.logicofenglish.com/ell
How long did it take you to work through all of the Essentials lessons with your son? Did you repeat it in level C? How many years total did you spend working through Essentials? I am working through Foundations with my daughter and I’m just trying to get an idea of what to expect.
We skipped Level A because he was ready for Level B after completing Foundations. Sometimes I would include some of the Level A content if I felt it was helpful for review. Essentials is designed to take 5 days to complete 1 lesson, and there are 30 lessons. So if you plan to work on Essentials everyday, you can definitely complete that level in 1 year. It is a lot of content, so you would need to block out 30-45 minutes a day for this. If you would prefer to stretch it out a bit more, you can cover one lesson over 2 weeks, and take 2 years to complete that level. That is what we did. When you go back to complete Level C, you can just focus on teaching the Level C content and review what you already taught in Level B as you feel necessary. So Level C would probably just take 1 year. Hope this helps!
Amanda Medlin this is helpful! Thank you for the great review and feedback!
How long, on average, does it take daily?
I am doing Level B with my daughter now, and it usually takes us around 30 minutes depending on the lesson and whether or not we do the review exercises at the beginning.
Oh wow, that’s not bad! Most of what I see says each lesson is taking 60 minutes, and we will also need to add in the reader. Are you doing it over one year or two?
@@laurene9166 I am very relaxed with our pacing because I like to take my time and enjoy the wealth of exercises and activities, so I do not try to fit it all in 1 year. Adding the reader will also stretch it out a bit because the reader activities can add another day or two depending on how many of the activities you choose to do.
Hey there! You say you use both sets of game cards. i was wondering if you started with foundations did you choose cursive first then teach manuscript afterwards?
My boys picked up some basic manuscript awareness in their pre-school years simply by writing their names and other simple activities, so went we started Foundations I focused on teaching cursive but also reviewed proper manuscript formation of the letters as we went along, so I never ended up needing to go back and formally teach manuscript.
I am really torn on whether or not I want to have my oldest, currently in 4th grade do this curriculum. I have 4 children and do MFW as our base but have not loved their recommendations for LA for 2nd grade and up. My oldest had used Lifepac prior and enjoyed it, but I know my middle two will not as they are more hands-on and can't sit still kind of kids. Thus, me looking into another LA program and came across LoE. My middle two are currently in K and 1st grade so I was planning to use Foundations with them and do another program with my 4th grader, but feel like I'm cheating her from this way of learning LOL. If I did do LoE for all kids, I would be teaching Foundations A, B, and Essentials. Does that seem like a lot to you as you said 45 minutes for Essentials alone. Help!
It would be a lot if you try to do a complete lesson for each of them everyday, but manageable if you break each lesson down to teach over a spread of 2-3 days. This is what I do and it works well for us. This way we can take our time to really get into each activity in the lesson vs rushing through them just to check them off my list. It's a great program and so thorough, I think it is worth getting and going through at a slower pace if necessary. Hope this helps!
Amanda Medlin - thank you for responding. Funny enough I was just reading your blog and had no idea until I saw the video LOL. How does this sound to you? Foundations A for my K and then do Essentials with my going to be 2nd grader and my current 4th grader. I would just implement this program as soon as it arrives instead of waiting until next school year. Does that seem doable? That way I’m only doing 2 instead of 3. Also, to make Essentials a full LA program, do you use anything else?
That sounds like a good plan. Essentials has parts of each lesson broken down into 3 levels (such as spelling words), so you could easily go through the book with both your 2nd grader and 4th grader, using the appropriate level for each one. There is a pre-test in the beginning of the book to determine their levels. Essentials covers everything except Creative Writing. I implement some of BraveWriter's philosophies and writing activities along with LOE, but very casually as to not overload myself or my kids.
The website suggests Essentials is for students 8 and older. My son is starting second grade coming out of public school for kinder and most of first and we've also completed Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Lessons. He can read, but is still not strong in fluency or competence. I am looking at using LOE Foundations next year for my kindergartener and Essentials C for my fifth grader. I am really leaning towards using Essentials A for my second grade son rather than having him start at Foundations B and move through C and D. But I'm just not sure. Is it better to use Foundations even though we have to start at level B, basically a mid kindergarten level? Or would Essentials be okay to use even though he's only 7 and is not a strong reader yet?
I think Essentials A would be perfect for your second grader!
How long does one lesson take?
There are 15 lessons (weeks) in the book and each lesson is broken down into 5 days, which each take roughly 45 minutes to complete. Each day is broken down into smaller sections, so you can easily find a mid-way stopping point if you would rather spend less time each day on this subject and use the Volume 1 for 2 semesters instead of 1 semester. Because it is not grade specific and has various levels, you can easily use this curriculum for several years. That is my plan.
My son is 8 but I wanted to start him off in Foundations and now I am feeling like should have started him in Essentials. But his spelling is terrible! He reads like 6 levels above his grade level and is really good at reading. But I am worried it is mostly by sight words. Do you think I should switch it to Essentials? Do you have a review for Foundations?
I would start him in Essentials. Foundations is designed for ages 4 - 7 and spends a lot of time on basic phonogram sounds and handwriting. Essentials also teaches/reviews the phonograms and spends more time on spelling and grammar. With Essentials, you will still cover most everything you would with Foundations (except the handwriting instruction), but Essentials is specifically targeted toward his age group so I think you will both be much happier.
Thank you so much for your advice!
Thank you for this video! How old is your son?
You are very welcome! He was 8 when I filmed this. He is now 13! I am getting ready to begin LOE Essentials with my third child who is now 8.
How old was your child when he used this? ty
Since we used Logic of English Foundations prior to this, I started Essentials Level B with my kids around 2nd or 3rd grade, depending on when we finished Foundations. If you haven't used Foundations, you could probably start with Essentials Level A in 1st grade if your child already knows how to read and write. Essentials will build upon basic reading skills and teach spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.
3:12 아니요, 고마워요.
I love the look of this program, but its sooo expensive. :(
It is a little pricey, but you can use it for several years because of the 3 levels. It also works in our homeschooling budget because I buy it for my oldest and then use it again with my younger children.
Thank you for the great review.
I wish they did this but made it beautiful like The Good and the Beautiful.
This looks terribly boring! Clinical.
Yes, the Foundation series is much more colorful and visually engaging for the younger students.
Hi A M- Have you used The Good and the Beautiful Lang. Arts curriculum? I am looking into both LOE and G&B to see which one is more beneficial. Any feedback or suggestion would be very helpful?