english lessons through literature review

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English Lessons Through Literature

English Lessons Through Literature (ELTL) is a language arts program for first through eighth grade (or higher) that uses both Charlotte Mason and classical methods. ELTL  primarily covers grammar and composition skills. The series consists of seven levels that are identified by the letters A through G .  

One large book serves as the coursebook for both parent and student for each level. (An optional student workbook is available.) Parents will present lessons from the book, but students will also sometimes work from that same book. Older students can probably complete most work on their own directly from the book with less parental interaction. In contrast to most language arts programs, these courses are intended to be taught three days per week rather than every day.

Each level requires you to also have on hand full-length books for reading aloud, but those are all supposed to be available free online. Parents will need to read them aloud until students are at the stage where they can read independently and comprehend what they are reading. Examples of literary works used for each level are:

Level A, Aspiring:  The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter, Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, and Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi Level B, Blossoming:   The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Level C, Cultivating:   The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting, The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum, and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Level D, Discerning:   Heidi by Johanna Spyri, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame  Level E, Enlightening:   The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde, and Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne Level F, Flourishing:   At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald,  Call of the Wild by Jack London, and Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle Level G, Growing:  “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe,  The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson, and  Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Within the course books, Aesop's Fables are used frequently in all levels along with the fiction, non-fiction, and poetry from the public domain listed above. While some of the literature seems difficult or archaic, many homeschoolers have found that children understand surprisingly well, and their vocabulary and reading skills advance rapidly by exposure to challenging literature. While parents will have to discuss the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words, the mix of real books,  Aesop's Fables,  poetry, and other, sometimes unusual, literary selections balances out fairly well so that the content is interesting and even fun to read. In contrast to most of the literature, DeVore's instruction on grammar is written simply and directly to the student in a casual, personal tone. The instruction avoids the sometimes flowery language that has been used in earlier books presenting Charlotte Mason-style language lessons.

In  Level A, rather than traditional workbooks, ELTL uses copywork, narration, dictation, and picture study as children work with poems, Aesop's Fables , fiction books, and reproduced pictures of works by famous artists. Narrations in the first half of  Level A  are picture narrations—you will first read one of  Aesop's Fables to your child, and he or she will draw a picture of the fable. Next, the child narrates, telling you about his or her picture. Each day's lesson includes an excerpt from literature to be read aloud, a poem, and either an Aesop's Fable or a reproduced artwork for picture study.

Picture study differs from the initial picture narrations. Beginning even in Level A , students study pictures of artworks. Some discussion-generating questions are included for each picture. These include broad, general questions such as, "Describe the picture," so that children can narrate to you what they see and think about each picture. Pictures are reproduced in full color in the digital editions while print edition pictures are black and white. Since color images are an important factor when it comes to art appreciation, De Vore provides free color copies of the art through her Lulu store.

The second half of Level A  begins standard narrations. For these, you read the fable aloud, then your child retells the story in his or her own words while you write it down. If your child is verbose, this can be challenging. You might have to experiment with ways to take a shorthand version of the child's retelling, record and transcribe it, or come up with some other way to capture their ideas accurately. Some children might need prompting with leading questions, so DeVore offers suggestions for those in the introduction to each book. In Level B , you will write a portion of your child's narration for him or her to use as copywork. Children begin to write their own narrations in Level C, although they continue to do some oral narrations.

In the primary grades, children learn many aspects of grammar and correct usage simply through exposure to the literary works and their own copywork. Copywork in ELTL is taken from literature, maxims, and poetry. Spelling and many aspects of grammar and usage are learned through the dictation exercises and copywork. However, some direct instruction is also included. At the beginning of a lesson, just after reading the literary selection, a new grammatical concept is usually taught using a sample sentence from the literature. Children begin some written grammar exercises in Level C . Rather than pre-written exercises, students either copy sentences into a copybook then mark them as directed, or else they can complete these activities in the optional workbook. Sentence diagramming, introduced in Level C , is an element more commonly found in classical programs than in Charlotte Mason style programs. Diagramming instruction continues through all levels from this point on. Some memory work for grammar rules is included at the end of each book for you to use if you wish.

Most of the example sentences used for instruction and some of the copywork are drawn from the literature, so it is best if a parent reads the literature assignment before beginning each lesson. Some of those sample sentences have been simplified for diagramming, and some changes have been made in spelling and punctuation in line with current usage.

Students in Levels D through G  (as well as the future Level   H ) begin composition work by imitation as in the progymnasmata , a classical approach. They learn to outline their compositions and develop skills for writing different types of compositions. Older students begin to work with historical and scientific narratives in addition to the literature. Students continue to work from models in Levels D and above rather than coming up with their own topics. However, activities based on the progymnasmata have students work creatively from those models, in effect, using models as springboards from which to develop their skills for original writing.

While Levels A through G  are recommended for grades one through seven, they might be used a year or more later. Series author Kathy De Vore actually used them a year later with her own children. A child who has already learned to read and write in kindergarten should be able to start in Level A . If you have an older student (fifth grade or above) who has had little exposure to grammar, you might want to start with Level D because it paces grammar instruction at an introductory level on topics such as indirect objects and sentence diagramming. You might even consider using the first four levels with upper elementary students who have struggled with language arts thus far and need a fresh introduction.

Levels D and beyond build upon one another, so they should be used in sequence. Even more than lower-level courses, each of these courses can be used by students two or more years beyond the corresponding grade levels. This means that you shouldn't be concerned about a student getting behind if you use, for example, Level E with an eighth grader. Remember that the letter designations for levels allow you to use these courses whenever it is best for each student.

Following are some details for each level:

Level A is lighter than succeeding levels. Children learn sentence structure, usage, and vocabulary as they listen to the read-alouds and complete copywork exercises, and they are also taught about capitalization and punctuation. In the second half of the book, children are introduced to nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Level B continues with capitalization, punctuation, and types of sentences. It also introduces the parts of speech, helping verbs, linking verbs, being verbs, contractions, abbreviations, antonyms, synonyms, and homophones. Exercises at this level have children demonstrate an understanding of what they have learned regarding grammar.

Level C adds two dictation exercises each week. Parts of speech and syntax are taught again but with the addition of sentence diagramming. Students will also do some written work as they analyze words, come up with synonyms, rewrite sentences from the story (e.g., turning a declarative sentence into an interrogative sentence), or imitate a descriptive paragraph. In general, the reading and copywork passages are lengthier, and the exercises are more challenging. The grammar is definitely more challenging than what is covered in many other third grade courses since children learn about comparative adjectives, subject-verb agreement, the concepts of person and tense, appositives, and infinitives, as well as how to identify and diagram all eight parts of speech. In preparation for learning to diagram prepositional phrases, students mark prepositional phrases with brackets, a strategy I find very helpful. The optional workbook for Level C includes lines for sentence diagrams, a feature that should make diagramming easier for students.

Level D continues with both oral and written narrations, picture study, grammar (with sentence parsing and increasingly complex sentence diagrams), dictation, and memory work. Grammar instruction is more direct than in earlier levels. Students also do copywork each day in a blank composition book by copying passages from the literary works, model stories, or other sources that a parent might choose.

With Level D , elements of the progymnasmata become more visible as students continually work through a six-lesson (two-week) cycle for each writing lesson. On the first of the six days, students read and orally narrate the model story that will be used as the springboard for the writing lessons. Many of the model stories are from folk tales, but some are non-fiction pieces on science or history. The second day generally assigns a "copia exercise" where students might find synonyms for certain words, condense or expand sentences, change the type of a sentence, substitute synonyms or antonyms, or otherwise play with words and sentences to extend their wordsmithing skills. Alternatively, they might be assigned to write an outline of the model story. The third day is for writing either a literary analysis or a descriptive writing exercise. Another copia exercise is completed on the fourth day. The fifth day specifies copywork be done from the model story. On the sixth day, students write their own narration of the model story from their outline.

Level E continues in the same format as Level D , although the level of difficulty is definitely higher. Both books follow a similar progression with types of writing, even using very similar assignments. For example, in both books, Lesson 78 includes writing a scientific narration. The same introductory information is included for both lessons, but  Level E 's lesson adds: "Begin your paper with an introduction. This can be background information, an anecdote, a surprising statement or question, a quotation, or an imaginary scenario." This is a good example of the type of incremental learning that takes place in this series.

Level F  teaches slant narratives, the  in medias res technique (a story that starts in the middle of the action), reverse chronology, biographical sketches, compare and contrast essays, parables, literary analysis, and how to write introductions and conclusions. While some models are drawn from well-known poets and historical narratives such as  Great Englishmen by M. B. Synge, most models are taken from Chinese and Japanese fairy tales and legends.

Level G is similar to Level F, although a mixture of American and British literature serves as the source for models. It reviews some of the same composition skills taught in Level F such as reverse chronology, compare and contrast essays, and literary analysis. It continues to teach students to write from models and to rewrite sentences in copia exercises. It introduces two more elements of the progymnasmata: chreia and maxim.

Level H (due summer of 2019) has this brief description: "The stories in Level H will be Jewish stories from the Talmud and Midrash, Zen Buddhism stories, and Christian parables; these will be included as literature, rather than as devotional texts, to promote cultural literacy."

While the fables and literary works used in  English Lessons Through Literature  often teach virtues and positive character traits, these courses are secular in approach. A Bible Supplement (available either as a free download or as a printed book for $10 )  has Bible verses for copywork or dictation.

Lessons are simple to follow using instructions within each book. There are no answer keys for Levels A and B , but answers are obvious or easy to determine. Levels C and above have answer keys for the exercises at the back of the book.

All books (texts and optional workbooks) are available as either print or downloadable PDFs. (You also have a choice of either four or five different forms of manuscript or cursive models for the Level A through D workbooks.) The workbooks have copywork models with space for writing, drawing, and all other exercises students would otherwise complete outside of the coursebook. While the workbooks are optional, they do make using the courses easier for both parent and student.

English Lessons Through Literature is a challenging and comprehensive program that retains the hallmarks of Charlotte Mason's methodology while also including some classical methodology. The coverage of grammar, although introduced earlier than Mason recommended, should prove helpful to those concerned about the Common Core and standardized tests.

Pricing Information

When comparison prices appear, please keep in mind that they are subject to change. Click on links where available to verify price accuracy.

List Prices PDF textbooks: Level A - $15, Level B - $25, Level C - $30, Levels D or E - $40 each, Levels F or G - $45 each printed textbooks: $25-$55 each workbooks: PDFs - $15 each, printed books - $20-$30 each

English Lessons Through Literature Secular Level E: Enlightening

• $54.88 at Amazon.com
• $28.78 Used at Amazon.com Marketplace
• $42.50 at Rainbowresource.com

English Lessons Through Literature Secular Level D: Discerning

• $49.82 at Amazon.com
• $23.70 Used at Amazon.com Marketplace
• $37.75 at Rainbowresource.com

English Lessons Through Literature Secular Level C: Cultivating

• $39.25 at Amazon.com
• $13.63 Used at Amazon.com Marketplace
• $29.95 at Rainbowresource.com

English Lessons Through Literature Secular Level B: Blossoming

• $38.17 at Amazon.com
• $23.32 Used at Amazon.com Marketplace

English Lessons Through Literature Secular Level A: Aspiring

• $27.77 at Amazon.com
• $15.00 Used at Amazon.com Marketplace
• $23.95 at Rainbowresource.com

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English lessons through literature, new level g now available.

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Cathy Duffy Pollinating Imaginations Unhurried Home

See the sample package at Lulu.com.

English Lessons Through Literature (ELTL) is a complete language arts program for elementary and middle school students. Each level has a textbook and an optional workbook which can be purchased separately. Our FAQ page addresses a number of common questions about ELTL.

What’s different about English Lessons Through Literature ?

• Short, three day per week lessons keep language arts from taking all of your time.
• Students interact with books, not just passages from books.
• Composition is covered in multiple ways. (See next section below.)
• Spelling is taught through prepared dictation.
• Copywork is included from the literature, maxims, and poetry.
• Diagramming sentences is used as an exercise to both demonstrate understanding of the material and to constantly review what has been learned.

For Levels C and up, an optional Spelling Journal is available for analyzing words before prepared dictation. And although ELTL is a secular program, an optional Bible Supplement is available for all levels for those who wish to include Bible verses for copywork and dictation.

ELTL Covers Composition in Multiple Ways

• Writing is taught primarily through imitation.
• Students practice both narrations–telling the whole story–and summaries–telling only the main events.
• Age appropriate progymnasmata are covered in each level. Levels A through E focus on variations of fable and narrative. Level F adds chreia; Level G includes chreia and maxim. Level H include chreia and maxim while adding refutation and confirmation. A planned high school ELTL series will cover the more advanced progymnasmata. (See What are the progymnasmata? )
• Beginning literary analysis exercises familiarize students with writing about literature by answering questions about a book they are reading. Note that this is different from a book report, which merely asks students to summarize a work.
• Students rewrite passages from the literature to practice writing different types of scenes, including exposition, descriptions, action, and dialogue.
• Students rewrite sentences from the stories, changing the sentences through grammatical changes. This old exercise from Erasmus teaches students to say the same thing in many different ways.
• Students write outlines and write papers from their outlines, just as Benjamin Franklin taught himself to write.

In a typical ELTL lesson:

• Students listen or read the literature, depending upon their age.
• A brief lesson explores a grammatical concept. Examples are taken from the literature.
• In levels 3 and up, there’s a short writing exercise. The student might analyze words from the new narration story, change a sentence from the story, or imitate a descriptive paragraph.
• Students listen or read the poem and a short story; the stories come from various world traditions.
• The lesson ends with a short exercise and copywork. The exercise sentences are also from the literature.
• Once per week, there is either a written narration or a picture study.

About the Levels

Click here to purchase, level a: aspiring.

Recommended Grade: 1st or 2nd. Level A is an intentionally light program written with the beginning reader in mind. The real star of the show is the copywork.

Short lessons point out punctuation and capitalization while establishing a habit of doing grammar lessons each week. Level A also introduces nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives in the second half of the book.

Composition begins with picture narrations and continues with oral narrations in the second half of the book. The stories in Level A are Aesop’s fables.

Level B: Blossoming

Recommended Grade: 2nd or 3rd.

Level B teaches all eight parts of speech, and the student practices recognizing them in short passages from the literature.

Composition continues with oral narrations. The stories in Level B are Aesop’s fables.

Level C: Cultivating

Recommended Grade: 3rd or 4th, but it could work for older students who have had little to no grammar and who also need experience with basic narrations.

Level C reviews all eight parts of speech and begins sentence diagramming. Sentence diagramming is an excellent tool for analyzing sentences. In addition, it provides constant review of what the student has already learned. In the optional workbook, students are given the lines at first, making it a “fill in the diagram” exercise. Without the workbook, parents can provide the same by copying the lines from the answer key in the back of the book.

Composition continues with longer narrations. Students can continue to give narrations orally; many students can begin to transition to typed narrations. The stories in Level C are Indian fables.

Level D: Discerning

Recommended Grade: 4th or 5th and up. Level D reviews all eight parts of speech and continues sentence diagramming.

New grammar in Level D includes indirect objects and diagramming prepositional phrases, identifying the parts of the verb, and determining whether a group of words is a phrase or a clause.

While the early levels cover composition solely through narration, Levels D and up have an emphasis on progymnasmata, descriptive writing through imitation, and beginning literary analysis. Level D includes one-level outlines. Writing projects include condensed, amplified, point of view, and slant narratives as well as scientific and historical narrations as preparation for writing reports. The stories in Level D are African folktales.

Level E: Enlightening

Recommended Grade: 5th or 6th and up. Level E reviews all eight parts of speech and all new material from the previous level. The pacing in Level E is a bit faster than in previous books.

New grammar in Level E includes types of clauses, sentence structures, diagramming complex and compound sentences, inversion, parallel structure, relative adverbs, interrogative pronouns, and more advanced punctuation. Composition includes progymnasmata, descriptive writing through imitation, and beginning literary analysis.

Composition in Level E includes two-level outlines, introductions, conclusions, writing dialogue, and using quotations. Writing projects include condensed, amplified, point of view, and slant narratives as well as scientific and historical narrations as preparation for writing reports. The stories in Level E are Nasrudin stories from Middle Eastern folklore.

Level F: Flourishing

Now available! Recommended Grade: 6th or 7th and up. Level F does not review the parts of speech, but it does review all new material from Level E.

New topics in Level F include appositive adjectives, the perfect aspect, collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, misplaced and dangling modifiers, idioms, and a brief introduction to verbals. Literary terminology terms include protagonist, antagonist, plot and conflict, rising action and climax, falling action and dénouement, setting, perspective, atmosphere, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, assonance, and consonance.

Composition in Level F covers 3-level outlines, paragraph unity and coherence, transition words, slant narratives, in medias res, reverse chronology, biographical sketches, compare and contrast, and chreia. It also covers introductions and conclusions, basic literary analysis, and literary terminology. Students continue to have a model for every writing project they have. Level F continues to have copia exercises where students practice rewriting sentences. The stories in Level F are Chinese and Japanese fairy tales and legends.

Level G: Growing

Recommended Grade: 7th or 8th and up. Level G does not review the parts of speech, but it does review all new material from Level F.

New topics in Level G include intensive and reflective pronouns, objective complements, nominals, noun clauses, verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives), continuous aspect, perfect continuous aspect, emphatic aspect, modal verbs, when to use different verb tenses, problems with prepositions and infinitives, proofreading marks, using italics, advanced punctuation marks (em dash, ellipsis, and parentheses), and parody.

Composition in Level G covers Theon’s six components, known-new contract, slant narratives, in medias res, reverse chronology, compare and contrast, and two more advanced progymnasmata–chreia and maxim. It also covers basic literary analysis and literary terminology. Students continue to have a model for every writing project they have. Level G also continues to have copia exercises where students practice rewriting sentences. The stories in Level G are American folktales and legends.

Level H: Harvesting

Coming summer 2019. Recommended Grade: 8th or 9th and up. Recommended Grade: 8th or 9th and up. Level H does not review the parts of speech, but it does review all new material from Level G. Level H covers slant narratives, compare and contrast, and four advanced progymnasmata–chreia, maxim, refutation, and confirmation. It also covers basic literary analysis and literary terminology. The stories in Level H will be Jewish stories from the Talmud, Zen Buddhism stories, and Christian parables; these will be included as literature, rather than as devotional texts, to promote cultural literacy. (See Are your programs Christian or secular? )

Fall is here!

English Lessons Through Literature – Review

Available through Lulu.com and at http://barefootmeandering.com/bookstore.html.

The author of English Lessons Through Literature , Kathy Jo DeVore, was nice enough to send both the Level 3 Book and Workbook for us to review. This is recommended for third to fourth grade students, and I have thoroughly enjoyed her approach to language. The lessons make sense and use her text, together with classic books such as The Story of Dr. Dolittle, The Wonderful Land of Oz and The Secret Garden that are freely available via Kindle and other eBook providers. The simplicity of design and wonderful explanations make English a subject that the kids won’t mind, and the poems and fables she includes will make them want to come back, again and again.

With a subject like this, the lessons can become very dry and dull, turning English into a chore that children avoid like changing the litter box. That is not the case here!

There are 36 weeks of content, with three lessons per week, arranged so that the pace can be altered according to the needs of your kids. It’s very well organized, and easy to follow. Most of the copywork and examples come directly from the recommended books, but if you or your kids simply do not like a book don’t use it. The author’s advice on that is to, “Use the curriculum, don’t let the curriculum use you”. That said, I love the books she chose for this level, and look forward to using this system for our language lessons.

Each lesson has well-defined assignments designed to increase your child’s understanding of the English language in a way that is approachable and interesting . I found her use of poetry, fables and excerpts from the books included in the book a refreshing break from the daily grind, and the way she connects those with the lessons is brilliant. Our twins have really enjoyed reading some of them with me. The resident guinea pigs asked to read more, and if that is not high praise, I don’t know what is.

The lessons include copywork, narration, dictation and picture study. Sentence diagramming is also involved, and before you groan because you hated to do that, just try it with your kids. You will be amazed at how they start to understand how a sentence goes together. The visual learners out there will really appreciate the diagramming, and it’s not so much that you’ll want to run screaming for the hills. The sentences are in the lessons and examples are from real books, and I think this is part of what helps everything connect so well. By using sentences from the book you are currently reading, you end up with a better understanding of grammar used in the real world. We learn first by mimicking our parents, why should we not learn written language by mimicking writing from real books?

The workbook gives plenty of writing space for each of the lesson, with ruled lines and the copywork quotes and sentences all ready to go. It’s definitely worth a look if your kids like to have a workbook to go with their lessons, but it’s listed as optional.

English Lessons Through Literature is a wonderful curriculum, and if you are looking for an interesting, engaging way to teach grammar in your homeschool, I highly recommend this as a resource. Levels one through three are available now, and levels four and five should be available this Fall.

Gail Nelson

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English Lessons Through Literature (and Art)

CHILDHOOD YEARS , HOMESCHOOL , RESOURCES , TEEN YEARS

I don’t often write about specific curriculum here, mostly because I believe children and parents can thrive together in learning at home regardless of the specific tools they choose. Some homes prefer guides that offer specific directives and concrete helps, while others will find the same guides stifling or unfit. There is room for both on this journey, and there is certainly not a right or wrong way to approach learning. I hope the tools I share here are always understood in this context: do what works for your home and forget the rest.

I also love sharing with other parents that for all the writing I do now, I wasn’t very good at grammar or writing as a child. I always loved reading, but I never really unpacked the structure of language or how to write clear, concise sentences until university. In those years, and later while working at a junior college, I learned to seek out the answers I needed in books or colleagues or the Internet. I hope this is an encouragement to lighten the load as parents: our children don’t have to know everything to become who they will. They simply need the desire to seek it out.

That said, I’ve had several people ask me about our language studies, about the materials we use in our home. Naturally, they’ve changed over the years, based on the kids’ ages or what styles best fit us, but I’ve generally looked for materials that introduce and build grammatical concepts in a beautiful way. Language studies, like maths, can leave a bad taste in ones mouth if reduced to worksheets. I wanted my children to enjoy dimension and color in our studies, the practice of structured skills balanced with art. This year, we have used Kathy Jo DeVore’s English Lessons Through Literature  as a foundation for our learning, a curriculum that describes itself as a balance between the thoroughness of classical education and the gentleness of Charlotte Mason. I honestly think it could be applied even more broadly, depending on the home.

Currently, there are five levels of ELTL, loosely corresponding to grade equivalents, although not restrictive in any way. I’ve used three different levels this year: level one for Olive, level three for Blythe, and level four for Burke. Liam’s language studies evolved this year into Latin studies, but that is a different topic for another day. Each level’s lesson builds around a brief book list, which is used for grammar and writing practice. Each level includes poetry, folk tales or fables, and picture narration around famous artists, but everything loops in a way that it doesn’t feel overwhelming. The lessons are substantial but only three per week, so I typically spread them out over 4-5 days, omitting things that might not work or be necessary for us at the time. Grammar studies begin in level two and diagramming in level three. Both are introduced slowly and gently. Although grammar terms were a part of my children’s copywork this year, I think I may have them create memory cards instead for review of terms, like the parts of speech or the various roles of noun. I’ve realized that long gaps between using new terms in any subject area makes it harder for them to recall in practice.

This year, we’ve created notebooks for our language and history/science studies, a simple three-ring binder that contains each child’s writing and illustrations from the their reading. I began this when my children were little but became discouraged at various points in the follow-through and then eventually stopped altogether. After longing for more art work and color in our school work again, we began building little books sporadically last year and more intentionally this academic year. I’m loving flipping back through their work this year, and I imagine they will one day, too.  Jodi Mockabee , an online friend and inspiring homeschool mother, shared more specifics about notebooking in Wild+Free this month. We use many of the same tools and practices. My favorite thing that she does is type and print her children’s narrations for them to hand copy. Genius! For years, I’ve been handwriting their narrations, and this is so much easier.

We set apart a 90 minute block of time at the back part of our morning for independent language studies. It’s not necessary to take 90 minutes (or even 30 per child), but I like not feeling rushed and making time for read-a-loud with each of them. On lighter days, we don’t require as much time, and that feels like a bonus. No one ever complains about extra free time. Wink. I begin with Olive, since she requires the most help from me, and send the other two off to do their reading and begin their writing for the day. Liam is working on his own independent work during this time. I read aloud to Olive, typically a poem or a fable and a chapter of a book we’re reading together. I may have her narrate to me or she’ll pick out a favorite part/line from the story to copy and illustrate. I move on to time with Blythe and Burke. Depending on the day, I sometimes combine their grammar lessons since they’re close in age, introducing something new and giving them each a chance to write a sentence from their individual reading on one of our chalk walls. We label and diagram together. At different points they’ll each narrate to me their independent reading that day. Sometimes that’s their writing practice, other times we just leave it as an oral narration (a test for comprehension). Sometimes I work through building a brief summary or literary analysis with them individually. Although we have a daily block for language, M/W/F tend to be our heavier days, and significantly lighter on T/R. This is helpful for spreading out work over the course of the week. If we don’t get to all of a lesson on one day, or even skip language altogether in a day. We always have space to make for it elsewhere in the week.

OTHER RESOURCES WE’VE LOVED

Punctuation |   Eats, Shoots and Leaves:Why Commas Really do Make a Difference  by Lynn Truss  | A hilarious picture book for children about the purpose of commas. She illustrates the same sentence side-by-side with different comma usage, a helpful visual for adults, too. She also has written a this book for adults  or teens  about punctuation. Truly, she makes it light and fun to learn about the proper place for all punctuation. Also love:  Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why Every Punctuation Mark Counts!  | The Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why You Can’t Manage Without Apostrophes

Parts of Speech | Any picture book by Brian P. Cleary.  They’re silly and simple, and so helpful for clearly recognizing words in their roles, over and over again. I especially appreciate the Adjective and Adverb books, as those two always seem to get jumbled.

Tags: Art & Nature , English , English Lessons Through Literature , grammar , writing

Bethany, Thank you for this informative post! We are looking at ELTL next year and I had a few questions for you. Are you still using this curriculum? Has it been good for your family for the long haul? Are you noticing your children becoming good writers and readers through this instruction? I am especially interested in what you mentioned about using this in conjunction with Latin. Did you ever write that follow-up blog post? Did the combining of the two have to do with parsing in Latin & English? THANK YOU for sharing your wisdom with the rest of us!

Hi Kristy, I’m so glad this was helpful. We are not currently using ELTL, but only because we took a break from formal grammar instruction. I think it’s a wonderful resource and one that will certainly help guide children to think critically and write well. I still love how it encompasses reading, writing, and grammar all in one resource. As for Latin, the primary gift for my children has been familiarity with diagramming, since it help identify parts of speech and parsing sentences in Latin. I never wrote anything about it. Sigh. Time is so slippery, isn’t it? Perhaps I will one day. Wink.

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I am so intrigued with this style of homeschooling. I homeschooled all my life but it was in a more structured/textbook oriented way. I have a few more years before my children are ready for this (my oldest is 3) but I am enjoying day dreaming/planning for what our homeschool may look like. Question, do you give your children written tests for any subject? And do you report grades or anything like that?

Hi Bethany, I loved this post. I am going to be using ELTL 1 and 2 this year along with RLTL. Did you use workbooks or just have them create notebook sheets? I prefer the latter, just trying to figure out how. I have 6 kids, 12 years down to 6 weeks. We are really simplifying things here and I was very encouraged by this post and also by Jodi’s great ideas. Thank you!!

Hi Liz, we just used the book, and my children created their own narrations, copywork, and illustrations on blank paper. I kept their work in a notebook and made each of them books at the end of the year (which I’ll be sharing soon). Simplifying our use of curriculum and routine has been life-changing for me. You’ll never want to go back. Best to you! x

It was after your and Jodi rec that i bought ELT level 1. What I love about it this curriculum is that ot integrates the actual teaching of the language with lovely literature. It was hars for me to find time to read a loud and now is part of our schedule. I really enjoyed this post! Ir helped me to organize better our days.

I’m so glad to hear this, Andrea. Thank you. And yes, that’s one of my very favorite parts, too.

I love how you incorporate art into your homeschool days, we do things quite similarly here…before we homeschooled our children went to a local Waldorf school. Art is beautifully woven throughout the Waldorf curriculum and it brings so much joy and depth to their learning, so we’ve tried to continue that at home as much as possible. Thanks for your review on English Lessons through Literature…I have been looking at samples of this curriculum for next year…it looks wonderful but I think the levels confuse me. The recommended literature for each level seems quite advanced if the levels were to equal grade in school. I was thinking about level 3 for my upcoming 4th grader….and level 5 for my soon-to-be 7th grader. Any thoughts on level 5 for a 7th grader?

Thank you, Sarah. I’m so fascinated by Waldorf learning and have adapted little bits here and there as we go. Art is one of them. How wonderful that your children had that experience. As for ELTL levels, she uses the numbers loosely. In her intros (which I believe you can read in PDFs), she explains better. From what I can tell, each level is meant loosely for a grade level and up. So level 3 could be used for a third or fourth grader respectively. Level four is for grade four and up, and level five for grade five and up. You know, as with any curriculum, you can adapt to make the work easier or more challenging as you go, so really I think both the levels would be fine. Think of it more in terms of skills than age. How confident is your seventh grader with grammar and writing? I hope this helps!

Thanks for this, Bethany. I’m really almost positive I’ll be getting this for my boys next year. I think I’m going to combine it with Poetry Teatimes and Friday Freewrites per Julie Bogart’s example to create a complete language arts program. I also appreciate the picture book suggestions at the end. I just bookmarked a whole pile of them at the library!

Poetry teatimes sound lovely. I went to a conference with Sally Clarkson a few weeks ago, and it always reorients me toward tea time again and slower paces. I also love your ideas (or Julia’s) of having certain days for specific types of writing. And yes, I always enjoy when I can try on a book at the library first to see how much we connect with it as a family.

Sally is so inspiring, isn’t she? We were inside on a rainy afternoon recently and I’d poured tea and lit the candles on the table when my eight year old boy suggested I read some poetry to them for fun. Sure. :) I love homeschooling!!!

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English Lessons Through Literature Level A: Aspiring

Kathy jo devore.

302 pages, Paperback

Published April 10, 2017

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Reading and Spelling Through Literature Primer

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy .

A review of Reading and Spelling Through Literature Primer.

I received Reading and Spelling Through Literature Primer free in exchange for a review. These are my honest opinions and I was not required to post a positive review.

While searching for ways to improve my teaching of phonics and spelling, I ran across Kathy Jo DeVore’s Reading and Spelling Through Literature Primer and decided to give it a try.

The result? My son and I are loving this program!

Reading and Spelling Through Literature Primer begins by teaching the first 26 phonograms, essentially – the alphabet.

Once the first 26 phonograms, or alphabet, are learned then it jumps right into teaching kids how to read.

In our case, we jumped at the chance to use the new Reading and Spelling Through Literature Workbook 1. I wanted my son to run through the workbook to review the phonograms before we moved into new material for the school year. And it was perfect!

Reading and Spelling Through Literature Workbook

The Reading and Spelling Through Literature Workbook 1 teaches the alphabet through a variety of fun workbook pages. We started with my son working through 8-12 pages a day before slowing down to 4-6 pages a day.

We moved quickly since he was reviewing the material.

The first half of the workbook was spent just learning the phonograms. However, once a base was learned, three-letter words were introduced while more phonograms, or letters, were still being introduced. I especially appreciated the fact that the words were mixed together.

Sometimes the words were almost the same, except for the middle vowel.

• dog, dig, dug

Other times the words belonged to the same word family.

• rug, hug, mug

The writing was perfect. There was enough to practice the letters, but not enough to overwhelm my son.

And at the end of the workbook, words with the silent-e rule are introduced, words such as kite and cake. Words such as try, my, and cry are also taught.

My son loved working through the workbook!

Once we were almost finished with the workbook, we started working through the spelling lists in RSTL Primer.

Reading and Spelling Through Literature (RSTL) is the new edition of Reading Lessons Through Literature (RLTL).

RSTL Primer covers the same material as RLTL 1. By this, I mean the same words are taught, the words needed to read The Elson Reader Primer . However, RSTL has much more handholding involved. Handholding I needed!

Introduction

Reading and Spelling Through Literature begins with the introduction. It gives you a quick start guide, the materials you need to begin the course, and other information to teach your children effectively. You’re also given tips for teaching non-writers.

Unlike the original Reading Lessons Through Literature , the phonograms are listed on two pages for each reference. The first page covers all of the basic phonograms and the second page covers the advanced phonograms. RLTL had each phonogram on its own page. Quite frankly, I love having the phonograms on two pages. It’s easy to reference and find the phonogram we’re currently learning.

Spelling Lists

The spelling lists are the heart of Reading and Spelling Through Literature . I haven’t counted the spelling lists, but there are between 46 and 52 spelling lists in RSTL Primer. And each spelling list includes 10 words.

At first glance, the lists are numbered oddly, 1A – 1H, 2A-2D, 3A-3B, etc. The reason is to correlate the lists with a specific story in the Elson Reader.

• For example, the lists 1A – 1H are the words needed to read the first story in the Elson Reader.
• 2A – 2D are the new words needed for the second story.
• And so on and so forth.

This way you know when your child has covered the words needed for each story. No guessing involved!

Plus the lists are grouped in a way that makes sense to me. The list 1A covers CVC words and rhyming words. The list 1B covers CVC and type 1 silent E words. This meant that my son spelled not and then note. Mad and then made. It helped him understand the purpose behind the silent E.

New Phonograms Are Taught As you Learn to Spell

Other lists include new phonograms such as th , aw , and ir for you to teach your child. This lets you jump straight into teaching spelling and reading while slowly teaching the rest of the phonograms as you go. And the title of each list lets you know what each new list is teaching!

I love how much handholding the lists include. The lists begin with an overview of what’s being learned and written in a way for you to read to your child. And then you begin to spell the words.

Again, there’s plenty of handholding for you. The first few lists include step-by-step directions for how to walk your child through spelling the words. I love, love, love the step-by-step directions. They’ve helped me learn how to dictate the words correctly.

The detailed instructions continue even after the initial instructions for dictating words are dropped. You’re carefully guided in how to teach your child to spell each word!

Elson Readers

Reading and Spelling Through Literature includes the Elson Readers. The readers begin with simple and beautiful stories for your child to read before moving up to more difficult stories in later books.

What’s different about the stories in RSTL is that the phonograms are underlined. This means that TH and ER are underlined on the first few pages so kids know the two letters are part of the same phonogram.

The stories also begin with a pre-lesson that covers any information kids need to know, but may not have covered before they begin to read. For instance, some names are not taught in the spelling lists but are covered in the pre-lesson.

Reading and Spelling Through Literature Primer includes all 29 stories in The Elson Primer for you and your child to read together.

Reading Lessons Through Literature

Since I’ve chatted quite a bit about Reading Lessons Through Literature , let me tell you more about it.

Reading and Spelling Through Literature is the older edition of the program. The curriculum has been renamed and reorganized into Reading and Spelling Through Literature . The new name is also a more accurate description of the program as it teaches both reading and spelling!

After looking at both programs, I liked Reading Lessons Through Literature . But I love, love, love Reading and Spelling Through Literature!

For those who’ve seen Reading Lessons Through Literature , here are a few of the differences:

The numbers of the editions do not correlate.

• RLTL 1 covers the same material as the RSTL Primer.
• RLTL 2 covers the same material as RSTL 1.
• So on and so forth

The reason for the change in the numbering system is to match the book with the Elson Reader that correlates with it. This way, you know that RSTL Primer will teach kids to read and spell the words in Elson Primer.

Second, the word lists have been rearranged.

Quite frankly, the word lists make much more sense to me now. The lists seemed random in the first edition, but now similar words have been combined into the same word list.

For instance, the first list included only CVC words making it an easy way to start spelling lessons. And another word list taught the silent e rule – and had my son reading and writing words such as mad and made, kit and kite.

Third, you’re walked through the correct manner to dictate the words to your kids.

And by correct manner, I mean you’re guided by a detailed script for the first few lists. Even the later lists include all extra information to ensure you know how to correctly dictate the word.

As I’ve mentioned before, I love the handholding!

Fourth, all the basic phonograms are on one page and the advanced phonograms are on a second page.

In RLTL the phonograms each had their own page. It was a nuisance to print out and a nightmare to find the correct sounds for any new phonogram you needed to teach.

The current system of having the phonograms on one page doesn’t hinder the learning at all and makes it simple to find the phonogram you’re studying and its corresponding sounds.

In short, my son and I are loving Reading and Spelling Through Literature . He loves learning how to spell. We’re working through the 5-10 words a day, depending upon how difficult the words are.

Now we’re not using a notebook instead, he’s writing the words on a slate each day. He adores writing and erasing words. I love having a happy kid. And that’s one of the beauties of RSTL. You can make it work for you!

So if you’re looking for simple reading and spelling lessons, you need Reading and Spelling Through Literature . It’s an amazing program my son and I adore!

More Information:

• Reading & Spelling Through Literature
• Barefoot Ragamuffins Yahoo Group
• English Lessons Through Literature Level B Review
• English Lessons Through Literature D Review

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My grandchildren are in 3rd grade, almost 10. I am going to supplement with classical education approach. What resources do you recommend for reading?

I assume you’re looking for literature guides rather than an entire English curriculum. Memoria Press has an excellent selection of Literature & Poetry guides. And you can begin by selecting which books you’d like to discuss first!

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LEARN ENGLISH THROUGH LITERATURE

‘Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.’

– Louisa May Alcott,  Little Women

Can you learn English through classic literature?

Certainly! English literature can become accessible to everyone, even if English is not your native tongue. This belief stems from my experience and that of my students since 2014. It is entirely feasible to develop a rich vocabulary, enhance your grasp of grammar, and refine your writing skills when guided with the right approach. Conventional English language lessons alone cannot yield these outcomes.

Furthermore, there is an added advantage to be gained: a deeper appreciation for English literary culture and expressions, akin to that of a native English speaker. My ultimate goal is to witness students progress to a point where they no longer require my assistance, but can read, comprehend, and write confidently in English for their chosen purposes.

In pursuit of this goal, I have created numerous concise lessons based on classic literary texts (which you can find in my ‘Short Lessons’ section) and offer online lessons for those seeking a more in-depth learning experience. I hope you discover inspiration and guidance here to support your language learning journey!

SHORT LESSONS

Private ESL Lessons: Language through Literature

(Speaking, reading, and writing English – all levels, using customised texts) 

PROOFREADING YOUR WRITTEN WORK

Do you already have a written English text that needs copy editing or proofreading revision?

As a copy editor/proofreader with over ten years’ experience, I can help you to refine your written work.

Please submit a query below to get a price and delivery quotation. 

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Drugs take nearly 300 lives every day. 1 To address the increasing number of overdose deaths related to both prescription opioids and illegal drugs, we created a website to educate people who use drugs about the dangers of illegally manufactured fentanyl, the risks and consequences of mixing drugs, the lifesaving power of naloxone, and the importance of reducing stigma around recovery and treatment options. Together, we can stop drug overdoses and save lives.

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• Get the facts on fentanyl
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Explore and download Stop Overdose and other educational materials on CDC's Overdose Resource Exchange .

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Mortality 2018-2021 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released in 2023. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 2018-2021, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/mcd-icd10-expanded.html on Mar 5, 2024

Every day, drugs claim hundreds of lives. The Stop Overdose website educates drug users on fentanyl, naloxone, polysubstance use, and dealing with stigma.

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English Lessons Through Literature Level E: Enlightening Paperback – September 4, 2017

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 556 pages
• Language English
• Publication date September 4, 2017
• Dimensions 8.5 x 1.26 x 11 inches
• ISBN-10 1545303126
• ISBN-13 978-1545303122
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 4, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 556 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1545303126
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1545303122
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.05 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 1.26 x 11 inches
• #3,128 in Counseling Education

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