Katie
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Joined: March 11 2005
Location: Suriname
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Posts: 271
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| Posted: Aug 01 2006 at 10:34am | IP Logged
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I mentioned that I had ordered this K-5 Language Arts Journal Program from Love to Learn but hadn't yet received it. I finally had a chance to get better acquainted with it and thought I would post a review.
The product arrives in its own binder (an inexpensive but fully functional red three-ring binder, in my case), and a packet of tabs are included also.
There is a brief overview of the product, and pictures of the author's children and some of their journal entries to get you started. Then there are six additional sections which I'll try and describe as best I can.
Firstly is a "Penmanship" section with some wide lined paper. this is obviously for the very littles, but the author includes some guidelines and ideas as to how to teach penmanship, and when to start the journal proper.
Next is the "Journal" section. Again, there is a nice overview of implementing this with different ages. How to pick and choose what to correct so as not to overwhelm, how to encourage and keep it enjoyable and gentle. Next are included quite a lot of empty journal pages, all with one half empty for an illustration, in various line widths for different ages.
Refills are available from the website, or you could print off your own, or you may copy the empty journal pages for anyone in your immediate family. I read the small print!! 
Next is the "Spelling" section. The idea is that words are taken from the journal entries and used as spelling words. Each word is written out each day in preparation for a test on Friday, if you desire. Of course you could use another list, or as the author notes, use several examples in a problem word family, or simple phonetic words for a new reader.
Spelling pages geared for the various ages are included (again you can copy more of the size you need), as well as Spelling Test sheets.
The next section is the "Language Arts Lessons Section". She roughly breaks things down by grade level in the introduction, just so that you can see what a similar aged child might be covering in a public school, but suggests that lessons are presented as appropriate or as needed. The lessons that are included are for you, the teacher, and can be presented to your children however you deem fit, but the author gives some ideas for how to include these ideas into this, their language arts notebook. Lessons include: Abbreviation, ABC Order, Addressing an envelope, Antonyms, Capitalization, Contractions, Creative Writing, Homonyms, Letter writing, Paragraph writing, Poetry, Prefixes, suffixes and roots, Punctuation, Simplified spelling rules, Spelling families, and Synonyms.
Finally there is "Dictation" which again comes with a nice instructions as way of introduction. Blank Dictation pages are included, again ruled to various widths. Then there are about 150 quotes, poems, inspirational sayings and Bible verses that you could use as Dictation (or copywork).
To use the Journal, you simply take out all the teacher helps, and the ruled paper that is too wide or too narrow for your child, and insert the tabs. At the end of the year, she suggests getting the children's books bound as a nice keepsake of their year and their progress.
All in all, I'm very happy for the price ($19.99). I could have created something like this for myself, but now I don't have to, and won't have to for future years or for children waiting in the wings, if I like it. I'm one who always feels the need for hand-holding when it comes to Language Arts. I really feel that with copywork here, dictation there, narration a bit there, that it doesn't come together somehow. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it.
On the other hand, every LA program I've tried, and I've tried a few, never gels well. Either the grammar is too advanced, the worksheets to easy, something isn't a good fit and then I have rebellion and it gets abandoned.
This seems very CM to me, and it's all in one place. We can journal about something we're doing in a unit if we want, and if it's fabulous I can always copy it for another notebook or lapbook. We can use the journal entry as a narration if I want, or as simple writing exercises. The lessons allow me to work on whatever grammar aspect I want when I want, but the info is there and the tab is there reminding me to actually do it!!  I'm glad the spelling is integrated, and that I will be encouraged to add copywork and/or dictation.
I hope this helps someone. I know so many of you are so strong in this area and what you do at home is so rich in the way of LA. I'm hoping this will add a nice element to our homeschool.
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Mother of 5 in South America. No 6 due in April.
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Review - LovetoLearn K-5 LA Journal
