Language Arts: Where Should My Child Start?

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Course Name Suggested Grade Level Skill Level Pre-Course
Phonics + Language Lessons for a Living Education - A Full 6-7 Year Curriculum for Grades K/1+
Foundations Phonics K/1 (can be done in 18 or 36 weeks)
  • Your student is showing signs of readiness, such as motivation to read.
  • Your student may not know his/her letter sounds, or may know just a few.
Language Lessons for a Living Education 1 1 (can be done in 18 or 36 weeks)
  • Your student has completed Foundations Phonics or another phonics course.
  • Your student recognizes letters and knows their sounds.
  • Your student can read short vowel words, long vowels words, words with consonant blends, words with consonant digraphs, and simple sentences.
  • Your student has the stamina to write their letters and simple words.
Language Lessons for a Living Education 2 2
  • Your student has completed Language Lessons for a Living Education 1 or another phonics course.
  • Your student can read words with consonant blends, words with consonant digraphs, and words with vowel digraphs and diphthongs.
  • Your student is showing improved attention to reading.
  • Your student has the stamina to write a complete sentence.
Language Lessons for a Living Education 3 3
  • Your student has completed Language Lessons for a Living Education 2 or another early language arts course.
  • Your student can narrate or “tell back” the details of stories.
  • Your student can spell most short vowel words and many words with long vowels, consonant blends, and consonant digraphs.
  • You student has a basic understanding of simple sentence structure and the physical stamina to write three sentences.
Language Lessons for a Living Education 4 4
  • Your student has completed Language Lessons for a Living Education 3 or another elementary language arts program.
  • Your student can narrate or “tell back” the details of stories.
  • Your student’s spelling continues to improve. He/she recognizes many spelling patterns, including vowels digraphs and diphthongs.
  • Your student has an understanding of sentence structure and basic paragraph structure. Your student has the physical stamina to write 4-5 sentences.
Language Lessons for a Living Education 5 5
  • Your student reads independently and can retell a story without prompts.
  • Your student recognizes many spelling patterns, but he/she may not know the spelling rules.
  • Your student understands sentence and paragraph structure and can write 5 sentences.
  • Your student has been introduced to basic grammar concepts, such as proper nouns, nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Language Lessons for a Living Education 6 6
  • Your student reads independently and can retell a story without prompts.
  • Your student recognizes many spelling patterns and rules and is ready to apply them to new words.
  • Your student understands sentence structure and can write a complex sentence.
  • Your student understands paragraph structure and is ready to write from different perspectives and explore creative and narrative writing.
  • Your student has been introduced to and understands basic punctuation and grammar concepts including the eight parts of speech.
Course Name Suggested Grade Level Skill Level Pre-Course
Writing Strands - A Full 6 Year Curriculum for Grades 5+
For proper placement in the Writing Strands series, go here.
Writing Strands Beginning 1 5-7 Student writes at least 2–3 sentences, and all their sentences are complete, with proper beginning capitalization and ending punctuation.
Writing Strands Beginning 2 6-8 Student meets the requirements for Beginning 1 but writes 4–5 sentences.
Writing Strands Intermediate 1 7-9 Student meets the requirements for Beginning 2 but also wrote a paragraph (at least 4–6 sentences) with a topic sentence and used sentence variety (not all their sentences started the same way or were structured the same way.)
Writing Strands Intermediate 2 8-10 Student meets the requirements for Intermediate 1 but also used effective transitions.
Writing Strands Advanced 1 9-11
Writing Strands Advanced 2 10-12
Students are ready for either Advanced 1 or Advanced 2 if they meet the requirements for Intermediate 2 but also used specific examples and clear reasoning to explain their answer. For these students, those who are comfortable with completing research assignments should be placed in Advanced 2, but all others should start with Advanced 1.
Course Name Suggested Grade Level Skill Level Pre-Course
Jensen's Series - A Full 4-5 Year Curriculum for Grades 8-12
Jensen's Grammar 8-12 Recommended for ages 13+
Jensen's Punctuation 9-12 Recommended for ages 14+
Jensen's Vocabulary 9-12 Recommended for ages 15+
Jensen's Format Writing 11-12
(schedules included for completion in 1 or 2 years)
Recommended for ages 16+
Course Name Suggested Grade Level Skill Level Pre-Course
Stobaugh's Literature Series - A 3 Year Literature and Composition Curriculum for Grades 9+
American Literature 9-12
British Literature 9-12
World Literature 9-12
Classical approach that emphasizes analysis through assignments, exams and essay prompts. Thorough college-prep coverage of literature and literary analysis. Can be combined with Stobaugh's history curriculum (American History, British History, and World History) for an integrated history/literature course worth 3 credits - 1 Literature, 1 History, and 1 Composition.