By Well Trained Mind Press·Grammar · Language Arts · Writing · Composition
3 video reviews: 3 positive
All three reviewers are positive on First Language Lessons, and two of them are repeat customers — one family is running it with both kids at once (a first grader in level 1 and a fourth grader in level 4), and another passed the grade-2 book down from an older brother to a younger sister. The picture they paint is consistent: short, straightforward, mostly oral lessons. Levels 1 and 2 are described as pretty much all oral, with optional writing activities families can skip, and the lessons are short and straight to the point — one mom sums it up as mostly reading to her child and pulling memorization. The third reviewer, recommending it in a roundup of Charlotte Mason-friendly language arts, notes it's usually associated with classical education but fits the Charlotte Mason mold too: good poetry to memorize, copywork drawn from that poetry, and a heavier emphasis on grammar — parts of speech and the basics of writing — that builds toward actually applying those skills in the older levels. A practical perk: because so much of the program is oral, one family doesn't write in the level 4 student book at all, so they don't need to buy a new workbook for each kid. The only tweak anyone reports is swapping the built-in sentence diagramming at level 4 for a different grammar-analysis tool. Nobody in this set quit the program; across multiple kids and levels it's repeatedly called a hit.
Synthesized from 3 independent video reviews — every claim sourced from what real homeschool parents said on camera.
Families who want short, mostly oral, open-and-go grammar lessons with memorization, poetry, and copywork that can be reused across multiple kids.
Families who dislike memorization-driven, scripted parent-led lessons or want a grammar program a child completes independently on paper.
2ND GRADE CURRICULUM HAUL! | HOMESCHOOL 2019/20 WITH FLIP THROUGH We are ready for another school year this fall, homeschooling our children! Today I have a curriculum haul for our daughter who will be entering grade 2. Do you have a second grader? Deanna’s video: https://youtu.be/wgns9PRdVDM Hi everyone! My name is Julie, and I'm a mama to FIVE now! My kids are 8, 7, 5, 3, and newborn. I post videos every Monday that are either mommy tips, favourites, homeschool curriculum reviews, birth/postpartum tips, hauls, or some other kind of 'mommy' video! I also post vlogs most Fridays. Thank you for checking out my channel, and I hope you subscribe so you can keep up on my videos! I love to keep in contact with those who watch my videos to find out what's going on in your life, so please comment below. I always read your comments! :) If you want to shop some of my favourite curriculum, read aloud books, and more, visit my affiliate link at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/shop/mamatofive Get cash back on groceries with the Checkout 51 app: https://checkout51.app.link/17kDLe9oSR Find me on Instagram: @mama.to.five Contact me at: mamatofouryt@gmail.com
The Best Charlotte Mason Language Arts Curriculum | CHARLOTTE MASON INSPIRED HOMESCHOOL I've been a huge fan of Charlotte Mason ever since I read the book "For the Children's Sake" by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (https://amzn.to/2QdDveS) when I first started homeschooling. (See all my favorite homeschool mom books here: https://amzn.to/2P5kmLi ). One of my goals was to find the best language arts curriculum that guided me in a Charlotte Mason style. I want to help you pick a good CM language arts curriculum. There are LOTS of options out there, I will list some, but it is definitely not all. Let’s look at what CM language arts would entail, so you can pick a good one that may fit this basic criteria. NEW to Homeschooling? READY SET HOMESCHOOL ➡️ My Step By Step Guide to get started homeschooling https://www.joyfulnoiselearning.com/ready-set-homeschool QUIZ: WHAT IS YOUR HOMESCHOOLING STYLE✏️ https://www.tryinteract.com/share/quiz/5eb07641bed8430014a171cd * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * MENTIONS IN THIS VIDEO Five in a Row - https://www.amazon.com/shop/joyfulnoiselearninghelpforhomeschoolers?listId=1W1U4BHP541AS&ref=idea_share_inf A Gentle Feast - https://agentlefeast.com/?ref_old=ashleyweaver356%40gmail.com My Father’s World - https://www.amazon.com/shop/joyfulnoiselearninghelpforhomeschoolers?listId=1W1U4BHP541AS&ref=idea_share_inf Beautiful Feet Books - http://bfbooks.com/?tap_a=30494-e48ebf&tap_s=957182-60cc65 Simply Charlotte Mason - https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/product-category/product-language-arts/ Ambleside Online - https://www.amblesideonline.org/curriculum.shtml Peaceful Press - https://www.thepeacefulpreschool.com/ First Language Lessons - https://www.amazon.com/shop/joyfulnoiselearninghelpforhomeschoolers?listId=1W1U4BHP541AS&ref=idea_share_inf Gentle Grammar - https://momdelights.com/index.php/downloads/ Sonlight - https://www.sonlight.com/ SEE MANY OF MY FAVORITE LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUMS HERE: https://amzn.to/3lr1mmY * * * * * * * * * * * * * Welcome to Joyful Noise Learning! I’m Ashley and I have homeschooled my 3 kids since 2013. I’m a curriculum research junky and buyer, and I love making my Biblically based, affordable, Charlotte Mason inspired homeschooling fun for my kids and love to have you join along in this journey. MORE ON JOYFUL NOISE LEARNING YOUTUBE🌸 The Good and the Beautiful vs. All About Reading - https://youtu.be/Az-Ar98Am0M Charlotte Mason Habit and Character Training for Kids - https://youtu.be/MSjftlQ7D6c How to do Science for FREE: https://youtu.be/vp1OhpqnOWs Day in the Life with My Kindergartner - https://youtu.be/cNWio28qdxw * * * * * * * * * * * * * FREEBIES FOR YOU For FREE Download for the Best PRESCHOOL RESOURCES 🌸 https://joyful-noise-learning.ck.page/5e3b898071 For FREE Download for the Best KINDERGARTEN RESOURCES 🌸 https://joyful-noise-learning.ck.page/9614c6b042 Need help with Planning? Check out my planning printables here: https://www.joyfulnoiselearning.com/ #languageartscurriculum #charlottemason DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains Amazon affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I am not associated with Amazon, but promote links to Amazon.
Mid-Year Homeschool Update | 1st & 4th Grade | Secular Homeschool Curriculum Resources and Reviews Hi, All! Today, I wanted to share how the first half of our school year went, a quick look at some of my 1st and 4th graders' curricula, and a few things we've changed. I hope you find this helpful! Videos: SOTW vs HQ: https://youtu.be/6c8VaIsajiY Binder Video: https://youtu.be/G6638ORQBPE Additional Science options: https://youtu.be/XLhnn4hySak Links: Beast Academy: https://beastacademy.com/ Singapore Primary 2022: https://www.rainbowresource.com/primary-math-2022-edition-grades-k-6 Writing with Ease: https://welltrainedmind.com/p/the-complete-writer-writing-with-ease-instructor-text/ Writing Strands (only the edition with the bird cages on the front cover are secular. The Masterbooks and My Father's World versions have been modified, and are not secular): https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/writing-strands-level-3-a-complete-writing-program-using-a-process-approach-to-writing-and-composition-assuring-continuity-and-control-writing-strands-ser-writing-strands-ser_dave-marks/293940/#isbn=1888344105 First Language Lessons: https://welltrainedmind.com/c/series/first-language-lessons/ Grammar Bugs: https://rootedinlanguage.com/products/grammar-bugs All About Spelling: https://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/all-about-spelling/ Language Through Literacy: https://sites.google.com/view/literacythroughlanguage/home Fishtank ELA: https://www.fishtanklearning.org/curriculum/ela/ Zaner-Bloser Handwriting: https://shop.zaner-bloser.com/collections/zaner-bloser-handwriting Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding: https://www.pressforlearning.com/ Teach Engineering: https://www.teachengineering.org/ Story of the World: https://welltrainedmind.com/c/series/the-story-of-the-world/ History Quest: https://www.pandiapress.com/product/history-quest-united-states/ Time-Traveling Tonya podcast: https://www.gokidgo.com/timetravelingtonya Mysteries About True Histories: https://www.starglowmedia.com/mysteries-about-true-histories Harlem Time Trotters podcast: https://www.theharlemtimetrotters.com/ Artistic Pursuits: https://artisticpursuits.com/ Chinese Language Institute: https://studycli.org/ Whistlefritz French: https://www.whistlefritz.com/french-programs/ Language Together: https://languagetogether.com/collections/french-for-kids Flip Flop Spanish: https://www.flipflopspanish.com/collections/frontpage Salsa TV show: https://www.pbs.org/show/salsa/ Penrose the Mathematical Cat: https://bookshop.org/a/112156/9781884550140 Big Life Journal: https://biglifejournal.com/collections/journals/products/big-life-journal-kids-second-edition Tiny Worlds of the Appalachian Mountains: https://bookshop.org/a/112156/9781680516357 We Rock! Music Lab: https://bookshop.org/a/112156/9781592539215 Kids Health: https://kidshealth.org/classroom/ Poetry: https://bookshop.org/a/112156/9781536217186 Affiliate Links: Bookshop store: https://bookshop.org/shop/violet_eclectichomeschoolshelf Thriftbooks ($5 off $30): https://www.thriftbooks.com/share/?code=QtyJWo6y4S0F%252fmYdnbITAA%253d%253d ***I am an affiliate with Bookshop and Amazon. I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.*** #afflink Music credit: https://pixabay.com/music/happy-childrens-tunes-happy-acoustic-guitar-background-music-122614/
“it's really straightforward. It's pretty much all oral in levels one and two. There are optional writing activities that we don't do. And the lessons are just short and straight to the point”
“both of my kids have really liked first language lessons. So, that's been a hit for us”
“we really enjoy first language lessons for grammar it's a lot of me just reading to her and pulling memorization”
“they give you good poetry to learn and memorize and they make you do copy work from the poetry”
“i really think first language lessons is a good fit for a lot of people as well”
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Mostly oral, especially early on. One reviewer says levels 1 and 2 are pretty much all oral with optional writing activities her family skips, and another describes her grade-2 lessons as mostly verbal — reading to her daughter and doing memorization, with paper work only sometimes.
Short. Reviewers describe the lessons as short and straight to the point, with one family doing them as a quick daily grammar slot alongside a separate writing program.
One reviewer who curates Charlotte Mason language arts options says yes — although it's better known among classical educators, it includes poetry to memorize and copywork drawn from that poetry, which fits the Charlotte Mason approach. It's also heavier on grammar, teaching parts of speech and writing basics that get applied in the older levels.
Yes — two reviewer families did. One passed the book from an older brother to a younger sister; another doesn't write in the level 4 student book (doing the work orally and using a separate tool for grammatical analysis), so she doesn't need to buy a new workbook for each kid.
One reviewer's family does the diagramming-equivalent analysis with a different resource (Rooted in Language's Grammar Bugs) instead of the diagramming printed in the level 4 book, handling the rest of the lesson orally. The diagramming is there if you want it; this family just preferred another format.