Hi there! That was a fantastic review, thank you! We are currently using grade 2, and so your review really helped me to know what is coming in the years ahead. :) Thank you so much!
I could eat your reviews up with a fork and knife 🥰 Thank you so very much for bringing more conversation surrounding LL, as it's simply tough to come by out in these homeschooling streets! We're only about half way through LL Grade 1 (the purple books) and it's been pretty awesome amd gentle so far. I will say that in the few reviews I've managed to catch for LL, the actual instruction to the parent in the guide as to the 'teaching of' HOW to write in accordance to the weekly instructions is lackluster. Is that the same thing you mean by the weaker composition component? I have high hopes for this resource going on in years and have actually been trying to address this very thing ahead of time as I would like to have an ally in place to help me help my kids with this area of learning as we go. If you or any of your kiddos do need a bit more hand holding and instruction in this, may I please ask what you'll lean on to get you through? This is a great conversation that I have been wishing for... thank you ❤️
What a kind compliment! I appreciate it. We’ve supplemented the writing instruction with IEW Structure and style level A, EIW (one grade level beyond LL year), and (this year for my 6th grader) Writing with Skill.
These look thorough. They seem right up my alley. I like how sentence diagramming is included. I agree with the other commenters, you do the best detailing of curricula and answer questions I would have had, in advance.
Do you have a recommendation to help a student who is not strong in writing. I’d love to be able to use the writing sections but I feel like my son needs some stronger scaffolding in his paragraph development.
Hello and thanks for the Hewitt review. I’m looking for a new Language Arts curriculum and was wondering if Hewitt is secular or Christian . Also I was wondering if you’ve heard of or used Common sense press ? Thanks 😊
So the first 6 levels are definitely secular, but the later levels are unrevised and I’m not positive. I’ve heard mixed reviews. We are currently using level 7 and I haven’t run into anything objectionable yet. I haven’t used Common Sense Press myself - I’d love to learn more. 😊
Thank you for sharing this in depth look inside! Am I correct in my assessment that I would want to choose a separate spelling program? Also, are there copywork passages in any of the weekly assignments? Thanks again!
My girls are still working thru the earlier levels, but my son had enormous amounts of reading for his Build Your Library and River of Voice (from Blossom and Root) curriculum for American History, so we didn’t do Lightning Lit this year because an additional book list would have been too much. Also, he was delving into Writing with Skill and I felt the overlap would be too much. I still love the program, and plan to continue it with my girls.
Hi Tanya! I recently found out that SEA doesn't consider Lightning Lit as Secular. Have you come across any levels that you've seen as religious-oriented or needed tweaking?
The higher grades (7th and on, I believe) have yet to be rewritten, and I have seen some problematic phrasing in the teachers guide for grade 8. The company is under new management, and they’ve redone all the elementary levels. Levels 1-5 are all secular in my opinion. I haven’t combed through level 6, but I would be surprised to find anything overtly religious or problematic in that level. I’m hoping that the trend continues as they complete their revision.
Literary Elements - is this taught in a spiral approach or do they cover some elements yearly? I am wondering about coming to the curriculum in later elementary as opposed to starting with this in the earlier years.
They definitely have review built in for the literary elements. The complexity of how they approach the topics increases, but you could def jump in at any time.
Tanya, yours are the most in-depth Lightning Literature reviews I have seen. They really answer questions for me. Thanks for sharing friend!
We used this curriculum for 3rd grade this year and absolutely loved it! I would highly recommend it!
We are trying out Lighting Lit grade 7 this year. Thanks for this in depth review!
Hi there! That was a fantastic review, thank you! We are currently using grade 2, and so your review really helped me to know what is coming in the years ahead. :) Thank you so much!
I could eat your reviews up with a fork and knife 🥰 Thank you so very much for bringing more conversation surrounding LL, as it's simply tough to come by out in these homeschooling streets! We're only about half way through LL Grade 1 (the purple books) and it's been pretty awesome amd gentle so far. I will say that in the few reviews I've managed to catch for LL, the actual instruction to the parent in the guide as to the 'teaching of' HOW to write in accordance to the weekly instructions is lackluster. Is that the same thing you mean by the weaker composition component? I have high hopes for this resource going on in years and have actually been trying to address this very thing ahead of time as I would like to have an ally in place to help me help my kids with this area of learning as we go. If you or any of your kiddos do need a bit more hand holding and instruction in this, may I please ask what you'll lean on to get you through? This is a great conversation that I have been wishing for... thank you ❤️
What a kind compliment! I appreciate it. We’ve supplemented the writing instruction with IEW Structure and style level A, EIW (one grade level beyond LL year), and (this year for my 6th grader) Writing with Skill.
These look thorough. They seem right up my alley. I like how sentence diagramming is included. I agree with the other commenters, you do the best detailing of curricula and answer questions I would have had, in advance.
Aw, thanks, my sweet friend. Your constant support thru the years has been such a gift.
I found this review really helpful. Thank you!
Oh yesss! Been waiting to see this one!
Do you have a recommendation to help a student who is not strong in writing. I’d love to be able to use the writing sections but I feel like my son needs some stronger scaffolding in his paragraph development.
Thank you for such an informative review!
Hello and thanks for the Hewitt review. I’m looking for a new Language Arts curriculum and was wondering if Hewitt is secular or Christian . Also I was wondering if you’ve heard of or used Common sense press ?
Thanks 😊
So the first 6 levels are definitely secular, but the later levels are unrevised and I’m not positive. I’ve heard mixed reviews. We are currently using level 7 and I haven’t run into anything objectionable yet. I haven’t used Common Sense Press myself - I’d love to learn more. 😊
Thank you for sharing this in depth look inside! Am I correct in my assessment that I would want to choose a separate spelling program? Also, are there copywork passages in any of the weekly assignments? Thanks again!
Yes, a separate spelling program would be a good idea. Also, there are no copywork passages.
@@ProjectHappyHome thank you!
Can you tell us why you didn’t end up using this for 6th grade? I see in a more recent video you chose other curriculum for LA. Thanks!!!
My girls are still working thru the earlier levels, but my son had enormous amounts of reading for his Build Your Library and River of Voice (from Blossom and Root) curriculum for American History, so we didn’t do Lightning Lit this year because an additional book list would have been too much. Also, he was delving into Writing with Skill and I felt the overlap would be too much. I still love the program, and plan to continue it with my girls.
@@ProjectHappyHome ok great, thanks so much for your reply!!
Hi Tanya! I recently found out that SEA doesn't consider Lightning Lit as Secular. Have you come across any levels that you've seen as religious-oriented or needed tweaking?
The higher grades (7th and on, I believe) have yet to be rewritten, and I have seen some problematic phrasing in the teachers guide for grade 8. The company is under new management, and they’ve redone all the elementary levels. Levels 1-5 are all secular in my opinion. I haven’t combed through level 6, but I would be surprised to find anything overtly religious or problematic in that level. I’m hoping that the trend continues as they complete their revision.
Do you think you will stick with Lightning Literature in 7th grade when the formatting is so different and the student book is no longer in color?
I’m waiting on the new revised version! I hope it gets released before we need it.
@@ProjectHappyHome I didn’t know re-formatting the middle school books was in the works!
Literary Elements - is this taught in a spiral approach or do they cover some elements yearly? I am wondering about coming to the curriculum in later elementary as opposed to starting with this in the earlier years.
They definitely have review built in for the literary elements. The complexity of how they approach the topics increases, but you could def jump in at any time.
Are the readers required?
Yes, if you want to utilize the reading comprehension parts of the curriculum. ☺️