learning language through literature review

Learning Language Arts Through Literature Review: Everything You Need to Know

Looking for a thorough and detailed Learing Language Arts Through Literature review?

There is not a lot of information out there about this all-in-one language arts curriculum, so I really wanted to share our experience and get the word out!

It is not a perfect curriculum – which you will know a perfect curriculum doesn’t exist if you read my reviews – but it is definitely the most unique and fun curriculum that we have run across! 

Keep reading to find out:

Why I Switched to Learning Language Arts Through Literature

How a learning language arts through literature lesson works, what we loved about the curriculum, what we didn’t love about the curriculum, what you need to buy to get going with learning language arts through literature.

Last year we tried BJU English with my 4th grader and really like it. I thought it was was really balanced and worked well for our homeschool. 

I purchased everything again for BJU English for this school year…and in less than a month the wheels were coming off my homeschool, you guys. 

It was just way too dry for my squirmy, high energy, creative 2nd grader. It almost felt wrong to put these sentence diagrams in front of her. She was compliant, but I could tell that there was no spark at all for learning in her when we did the lessons.

My 5th grader was also compliant, but I could tell she was getting bored with the format. 

I reached out to our homeschool evaluator and asked for advice. She said all of her girls (now grown and graduated) used Learning Language Arts Through Literature. 

I thought, “ What is that?! I’ve never even heard of it. ”

I did my research and quickly found out about this hidden treasure and ordered my books in less than 48 hours!

Hold Up, What is Learning Language Arts Through Literature?

Learning Language Arts Through Literature (or LLATL) is an all-in-one language arts program for 1st grade – high school.

It includes grammar, phonics, handwriting, vocabulary, spelling, reading, composition, research skills, and higher order thinking. 

The books are also organized by color, which is kind of fun! For example my 5th grader uses “The Purple Book,” and my 2nd grader is using “The Red Book.”

The focus of the program is somewhat obvious: teaching language arts through high quality, classic literature.

All of the above skills are taught from books your child is reading or from portions of those books. 

How a Learning Language Arts Through Literature Lessons Works

I love to share how the lessons actually work in a real homeschool day.

I think it gives you a great snapshot of whether or not this curriculum will fit into your homeschool and if it’s going to work for your kid.

Keep in mind that you can also download sample lessons for all grade levels from the Common Sense Press Website. 

Okay, let’s dive into some lessons!

A Day In The Red Book (2nd Grade)

So the lesson you see above is Day 1 for Lesson (Week) 16 and we will be doing it next week. 

If you zoom in on the page you’ll see that the lesson starts with the teacher reading a story from one of the readers. I usually have my daughter read the story and then I just help her with the words she doesn’t know.

****As a side note these readers are published by Common Sense Press and they are soooo cute! My daughter loves them!

Section B : After the story, there are questions in the teacher’s manual to go over with your child. This is a great reading and/or listening comprehension time. The student usually first gives a summary of the story and then other questions are asked about the story.

Here are today’s questions:

• Is it normal to be excited about something new? Have you ever gotten anything new that you were excited about?
• Turtle and Muskrat were very honest with Beaver. What effect did that have on Beaver?
• How did Otter explain his feelings to Beaver? What did Otter say that helped Beaver?
• Have you ever really liked something that others didn’t like? Did they say hurtful things?
• Do you think you should always give your opinion?

I am actually really excited to go through these questions with my daughter! Definitely an opportunity for some life lessons.

Section C : This is a short lesson about using the -ly suffix and how to add it on to words. The concept is taught using a sentence from the story that was just read.

Section D : A short review of compound words.

Section E : Using a sentence from the story, the student is now going to underline adjectives or “describing words.” She will also practice when to use commas to separate adjectives.

Section F : Your child will now read the words in the Phonics Words Box after reviewing the phonogram /igh/. Then your student will read the sentence on the following page, and fill in the blank with the appropriate word. 

Section G : Woohoo! Your child will now do a hands-on activity!

The story that was read today was about Beaver’s new, big shoes. Your student will draw a pair of shoes on a piece of paper and try to make their picture match the describing words from the story.

Your student will then write the describing words on the picture and separate the words with commas.

Section H : Lastly, the student will end the day by copying four spelling words from the story. 

Depending on a few factors, I would expect this lesson to be 30-40 minutes long.

****Obviously, every day is a little different. Some days are shorter, have different assignments, etc.

A Week In The Purple Book (5th Grade)

The Purple Book is similar to the above lessons, but it is easier to give you an arc of the week, as opposed to just one day. 

Day 1 : Your child will read an excerpt from David Livingstone’s book, The Foe of Darkness , and then she will read the passage to you. You will go over any words she doesn’t know or struggles to read.

You will then dictate a portion of the passage to your student, and they will write it as best they can. When they’re done, they will check their own work for errors. 

The student then works on a spelling rule and spelling words from the passage.

Day 2 : Your student will hunt for compound words in the literature passage and then do a compound word exercise matching words together.

The child will next hunt for personal pronouns in the passage and write them out and the person those pronouns refer to.

Day 3 : Today the student is asked questions about the passage. They are challenged to think it through and write out their answers.

Example question: Why does the chief want his heart to be changed? What is he trying to change?

There is also a vocabulary question where the student is asked to look up “entreaty” in the dictionary and use the definition to answer a question.

Spelling words are reviewed.

Day 4 : A map is provided for the student to fill out and track David Livingstone’s travel through Africa. This is a great review of map skills, but also a wonderful way for kids to visualize what David Livingstone accomplished in his life. 

Spelling words are reviewed again.

Day 5 : Dictation of the passage is done again, a spelling test is given, there is an optional enrichment activity, and there is a worksheet style review of compound words, pronouns, antecedents, and antonyms.

****Depending on your child’s strengths, lesson lengths will vary. For us, they tend to be 20-25 minutes.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature Review: What We Loved!

1. Learning Through Literature

This is such an obvious thing – everybody learns better when a story is involved!

Everything else we have tried before now seems so dull and dry. The stories just really bring the lessons to life and show the practical application of what I’m trying to teach to them, whether it is grammar, phonics, or vocabulary!

2. Book Studies and Book Selection

The book studies have been a huge highlight for us this year! I love that LLATL has my daughter reading classic literature! She loves her tween fantasy books (Percy Jackson, Keeper of the Lost Cities, etc.), so it’s been great to have her broaden her horizons a bit.

This year she is assigned to read Trumpet of the Swan , Caddie Woodlawn , Number the Stars , and Farmer Boy .

I have her read a chapter a day from the assigned book and then we do a book study review when the book is finished. That includes vocabulary checks, discussion questions to go over, and some other enrichment things. The book studies go alongside her normal lessons.

3. Guided Literature Discussion

I love that Learning Language Arts Through Literature prompts you with questions to go through with your kid. Last week, my daughter and I talked for almost 30 minutes about The Trumpet of the Swan and what it’s like to be different. 

The curriculum directed me to share with my daughter times in my life when I’ve felt different and how I handled it. It was such a good discussion!

4. Hands On Language Arts!

I love, love, love, that my 2nd grader is constantly getting out scissors and glue sticks to do her assignments! 

She has made word wheels, drawn pictures, put together little books, and she has even been asked to act out stories that she has read!

As I watching her joyfully act out one of those scenes, I knew that I had made the right decision to switch out our language arts curriculum this year.

5. Regular Review and Assessments

There is a review section at the end of every week and an assessment (aka test) every four weeks. This is less review than we were doing with our previous curriculum, but I think it’s just the right amount for us.

Too much review can be soul crushing for kids over time.

If my kid does miss something on an assessment, that just tells me that I need to review a little more with them on that topic. After years of homeschooling, I am much more relaxed and understand that grammar is taught over and over every year. They will pick it up eventually.

6. Customer Service

I have emailed Common Sense Press (the publisher of LLATL) a couple times and I have been so impressed with their prompt and personal customer service! 

One time I had lost an important paper for the curriculum, and they emailed me a new PDF right away – and they were so nice about it! You can tell it’s a small family business and they value customers. 

7. Facebook Community

I always recommend looking for a FB group for any curriculum you are teaching. There is no sense trying to reinvent the wheel when you could have a sisterhood of homeschool moms at the ready to help you and answer questions!

Blessedly, there is a Facebook group for Learning Language Arts Through Literature. 

It has been so nice to get comments and insight from people who have used the curriculum successfully for years!

What We Didn’t Love About Learning Language Arts Through Literature

1. Lessons Can Be Long

The Purple Book lessons are usually pretty reasonable, but The Red Book Lessons can get long at times.

I have been told that The Red Book is a foundational book though, and we should take our time going through it. It will prepare your child for all of the following books. 

My recommendation to parents who are struggling with the length of the lessons would be to break them up. Remember that it is an all-in-one curriculum, but you don’t have to do it all in one sitting.

For example, tell your kid that you’re just doing grammar and reading right now, and you’ll pick up spelling and handwriting after a break.

2. Lessons Focus on Multiple Things

Our old curriculum had my child focused on one thing for their lesson. For example, they only learned about adjectives one day. Or they only learned about compound predicates for another lesson. 

Learning Language Arts Through Literature has my kid doing multiple concepts in one lesson. One minute we’re talking about compound words, then we’re talking about suffixes, then we jump to reading context words. 

I wonder how that affects their ability to retain the information, but I also tend to think it helps my attention challenged 2nd grader. She gets bored easily, so I sometimes think the constant topic change helps her stay engaged.

FAQ About Learning Language Arts Through Literature

1. How do the book studies fit into the curriculum?

This was a common question I saw in the LLATL Facebook group, so I reached out to the curriculum creators at Common Sense Press for answers. I was not surprised that they quickly and graciously responded:

“The book studies are some of my favorite lessons. While introducing students to great classic literature, they are designed to encourage the love of reading and to develop the life-long practice of using books as springboards for learning.   In most of the course levels, the book studies are part of the 36 weekly lessons. Since students have different reading speeds, we do not normally assign how many chapters to read a day. My general advice is to divide the book into comfortable reading sections throughout the week. Since Mondays and Fridays have a few activities to do, I make those days lighter. For example, if there are 13 chapters in a book, I would have the student read two chapters on Monday, three chapters on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and two chapters on Friday. You can, of course, choose to take longer than one week to complete the book. You’ll just need to set aside a little time for reading alongside the language arts lessons. The book studies stand alone and are not used to teach grammar, punctuation, or writing mechanics. That means you can move the studies anywhere you want in the curriculum. Also, if a student has already read a book, another book may be substituted. We have free books studies on our website to facilitate that. Some of the confusion about the book studies is because in the Purple and Tan books they are supplemental to the course instead of being worked into the 36 weeks.  In the Purple and Tan books, the novels are read alongside the daily lessons, or they can be used during breaks for Christmas or summer reading. Again, you set the pace for completing each study.”

2. How exactly do you do dictation?

This was another common question that I saw homeschool parents asking over and over again, so I also asked the curriculum creators at Common Sense Press to shed some light:

“This is really the foundation of the program. The dictation lessons serve as examples of good writing and also help ground skills in the ‘real world.’ When I dictate, I sit next to the student so that I can be sure to pace my reading to their writing speed and also to calm things down if they start feeling stressed.  I read short sections slowly, and periodically I will tell them that I am going to repeat what I have read so that they can check what they have written and listen more carefully for punctuation clues. After dictation, you can have older students check their work, but with younger students I like to check it with them. Use this time to circle misspelled words to add to their weekly spelling list while identifying the part of the word that they had trouble with, and give any other instruction needed for correct punctuation, grammar, and writing rules. You can find a video of a student taking dictation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e26WkPOIu5k&t=254s .”

3. I’m obsessed with our current spelling curriculum. Do I have to do the LLATL spelling too?

Nope. 

We had been happily using our spelling curriculum for years before I picked up Learning Language Arts Through Literature. I will either skip the spelling lesson completely in the Student Book, or I will just briefly go over it.

That works just fine for us and doesn’t take away from the overall lessons being taught.

If you have more questions, the FAQ page on the Learning Language Arts Through Literature page is excellent! Definitely check it out.

So, What Exactly Do You Need to Buy For This Language Arts Curriculum?

No matter what grade your child is in, you will need a Student Activity Book and a Teacher Book.

Yes, the Teacher’s Book is necessary. Don’t skip it.

You will have to buy the books separately for the book studies. Those do not come in the curriculum pack. 

The Red Book and the Blue Book have readers that go with them. Make sure that those readers are included in the bundle package when you buy your curriculum.

The Red Book and The Blue Book will also call for your to read certain picture books aloud to your child for a lesson. If you don’t want to buy the books and your library is difficult to work with because of COVID, I would recommend searching the book on Youtube. 

I was shocked to find that there are TONS of channels of people doing nothing but reading children’s books aloud. This has saved me so much time and money, while still helping us complete the lessons.

Where is the best place to buy Learning Language Arts Through Literature?

Rainbow Resource, Christianbook.com, and the Common Sense Press website are all going to give you great deals.

I would recommend that you carefully price compare across the platforms. I originally bought The Red Book Bundle on the Common Sense Press website because it was $30 cheaper than Rainbow Resource.

As I look at the prices now though, I can see that Christianbook.com now has the same bundle for $25 cheaper than what I paid. 

There are lots of deals out there, so make sure you get the best one!

And if you are willing to go looking, Common Sense Press  sells old editions of the curriculum for 50% off . The stock is obviously limited, but it is definitely worth a shot to see if they have the grade-level text you’re looking for. 

If they are still available, you can also buy imperfect books for 50% off ! They are the current edition, but have slight damage that keeps them from being sold at full price (bent cover, etc.).

Recap Learning Language Arts Through Literature Review

I hope you learned everything you wanted to know and more about this treasure of a curriculum!

I really love the heart behind it and the intent of the creators. You can see that they really care about kids, learning, and the love of literature. 

This attitude about learning is a huge piece of what made me want to homeschool my kids. I wanted my kids to be on fire for learning, and I wanted to have rich discussions with them. 

If that’s the kind of homeschool you want to run, then I hope you jump on board and check this curriculum out!

Hello. I am so encouraged to have found your site. I am just starting homeschooling (I grew up homeschooled) so I didn’t really know what I was looking for. I first found your review on The Good and the Beautiful because that was the one I was thinking of doing however after reading your cons I knew it wasn’t a good fit. After reading this review I am confident this curriculum is what I’m looking for. You have saved me SO much time and frustration (and probably my kids)- I am so grateful! Also, thank you for all the extra help/suggestions too. This is by far the best review(s) I have found on any curriculum. Hands down! Thank you so much. 😊

I would like to know your thoughts on the difference between LLATL and The Good and the Beautiful LA, if you have a comparison. I’m doing TGATB with my kids this year, but I’m thinking I might want to switch them to something different this coming school year. Thank you!

I would love to see a comparison between LLATL and another program that is titled, English Lessons Through Literature Secular Level A: Aspiring. Both programs seem to be set up in a similar style. The additional books needed for ELTL can all be found free on the internet because they are in the public domain. Since these two programs are so similar I wonder if it just comes down to personal preference and not one or other being “better”. Perhaps you could shed some light if you do a side by side comparison?

I would also love a side by side comparison, Goldie! Please let me know if you’ve looked into this further.

What a great review! I was very curious about this curriculum.

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Learning Language Arts Through Literature Review

If you’re looking for a language arts program that won’t have you flipping through a lot of different books every week, but can still provide a thorough, literature-rich and comprehensive learning experience, Learning Language Arts Through Literature’s integrated curriculum might be just the program for you.

What We Like

But watch out for …

What Is Learning Language Arts Through Literature?

Published by Common Sense Press, Learning Language Arts Through Literature (or LLATL for short) is a comprehensive language arts program intended for homeschool students. 

Based on the natural learning approach of Dr. Ruth Beechick, LLATL takes an integrated approach to language arts, using one main text per level to teach students reading, spelling, grammar, writing, oral presentation, mechanics and more, and does through the use of classic literature and related practical activities. 

What Ages Or Grades Is Learning Language Arts Through Literature Intended For?

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is intended to help teach language arts to students in Grades 1-12.

There are 12 books in total, each named after a color and most roughly corresponding to a different grade level. The only exception is the Gold series, which comprises three books covering grades 9-12 learning.

As it is intended to be a homeschool language arts program, these are just suggested grade levels and students learning outside of a typical grade progression, such as precocious learners and those who are a bit behind, can and should study at the level that best suits them.

In fact, because Learning Language Arts Through Literature uses a color coding system for its book titles, things can be a little easier for such students. 

Without any obvious references to grade or age on the cover, students studying at a level ahead or behind their presumed grade level won’t feel quite as embarrassed or intimidated when using these books. 

That said, as with other programs that avoid directly making age or grade references when naming their books (such as Logic of English or Writing A-Z , for example) it can be a little hard for some parents to know where to start.

Helpfully, there are LLATL placement tests for each level available on the company website as printable PDFs. 

These placement tests assess a students skill level for the level they are interested in beginning using a variety of language arts questions and exercises.

The tests themselves are pretty comprehensive, testing a range of reading, writing, grammar, comprehension and spelling skills, and they aren’t too time-consuming – there are only about 12 or so questions per test. 

The questions themselves are fairly practical and aren’t too dissimilar to the exercises found in each lesson of the series. 

Students, for example, might arrange words, correct and rewrite sentences, respond verbally to prompts, diagram sentences, or even answer questions about a short passage. 

Most levels have their own particular test and criteria for success with the exception of Gold, which has a single test that examines a broad array of high school literacy skills. 

What Is Required To Teach The Curriculum?

Language arts is a pretty broad subject area and tends to have a few components to it. 

Typically, teaching things like grammar, reading, writing, spelling, composition and literary analysis often involves quite a few resources and learning materials. 

Learning Language Arts Through Literature stands out among language arts programs due to its all-in-one style, integrated approach. 

Rather than being spread out across several skill-specific books, learning is largely done with a single book, making LLATL a lot simpler to use, organize and keep track of for both parents and students. 

A level in Learning Language Arts Through Literature mainly consists of:

• A student book
• A teacher’s guide
• Assorting readings and literature

Teacher’s Guide

The LLATL teacher’s guide is a softcover black and white book (or ebook) that contains pretty much everything a parent needs to guide a student through a lesson, including: 

• Scripted lesson plans
• Solutions to activities
• Dictation exercises
• Assessments 
• And pages for recording student progress

They also contain some background information on the authors and books included at each level, which can serve as a good introduction, as well as various teaching and troubleshooting tips that can help parents better present the material or differentiate the learning if need be.

More experienced homeschoolers may note that the teacher’s guide can be a little different than the typical teacher’s manuals they might be used to. 

Rather than presenting a unique scripted lesson plan for the parent, each page in the book is essentially a copy of the student lessons, with solutions to each exercise, as well as guidance and teaching tips printed in the margins. 

Look and feel aside, however, the teacher’s guides are pretty clear, decently scripted and easy to teach from, particularly for the earlier levels where parents will need to be more involved with the learning.

One thing parents should be aware of, however, is that, although easy to teach with and very straightforward, the teacher’s guides can be a bit succinct as far as language instruction goes. 

Rather than providing parents with a lot of extra detail or more instruction about language arts learning, they tend to be pretty to the point.

They provide parents with more or less the same step by step instruction as the student receives, alongside various brief teaching tips and suggestions, as well as answers to exercises.

There isn’t, for example, as much background instruction or sidebars filled with teaching theory, i.e. why something is being taught the way it is or why student’s need to learn something in a certain way, such as can be find in programs like IEW , All About Reading or Logic of English .

This can be something of an issue for parents who want richly detailed teaching guides or if a student (and/or parent) really isn’t understanding an explanation from the text, which can result in a bit of impromptu Googling. 

Student Book

The Learning Language Arts Through Literature student book is where students will spend most of their time.

The books are consumable black and white workbooks with detachable pages.  

In addition to providing students with texts and passages to read, the student books also provide the bulk of language instruction, providing students with instruction across the spectrum of language arts skills, including phonics, reading, comprehension, writing, spelling, grammar and more. 

The books are written to students and take something of a conversational tone, which makes them a lot more approachable and engaging for students to read compared to a typical textbook. 

They also contain a wide variety of skill-building activities and exercises woven into each day’s lesson. 

Depending on the lesson, there can be, for example, handwriting practice pages, sentence diagramming exercises, dictation, spelling lists, space for short compositions, grammar practice, sentence correction and more. 

The student books also contain a variety of fun enrichment activities and exercises that aren’t found in the teacher’s guide, such as crossword puzzles, word jumbles and so on. 

Ultimately, LLATL’s student books can be seen as something of a combined all-in-one language arts textbook/workbook, removing the need for students to juggle multiple curricula or books throughout the year, which can be very convenient for all involved.   

On the downside, they aren’t necessarily the most interesting books to look at and read, for long periods of time especially for younger students. 

They are largely text-based, are printed in black and white and contain relatively few illustrations and pictures to break up the text and readings (although there are some sprinkled throughout). 

Course readings and literature

Learning Language Arts Through Literature, as the name might suggest, is designed to use various books and passages to teach language arts. 

Each level of the program includes a mixture of literary passages and full-length books, which it uses as the basis for its word lists, copywork, dictation, grammar exercises and so on. 

The passages are printed in the student book, most often at the start of each lesson. 

The books, on the other hand, are separate items and must be purchased (or otherwise acquired) alongside the student books and teacher’s guides and can represent an extra cost. 

That said, the books used in the program are mainly classics of children’s/young adult literature and so finding them online, either used or new, at an affordable price shouldn’t be much of a problem.

In fact, most titles can be easily found at a local library, which is good news for those on a stricter budget. 

There also isn’t a huge amount of books required at most levels, as LLATL tends to lean more on its wide variety of classic passages for lessons and exercises.

As a result, parents won’t have to buy/find, store and keep track of quite as many novels, novellas and anthologies throughout the year as they might in other language arts programs. 

In addition to making the program a little more affordable, this can also be good news for…shall we say, organizationally challenged homeschoolers. 

How Does LLATL Approach Language Arts Instruction?

Literature-based .

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a literature-based homeschool language arts program that uses literature as its backbone for teaching. 

Each week’s lessons usually begin with a passage or book reading, and these form the basis for subsequent lesson activities and exercises, providing new vocabulary for spelling word lists, comprehension questions, sentences for diagramming, written examples for grammar work,  prompts for grammar work, material for dictation and copywork and so on. 

The books and passages that LLATL includes in its lessons tend to be well-known and respected classics of children and young adult literature, rather than more modern or popular titles.

Passages, for example, might include selected readings from:

• Prince Caspian
• The Prince and The Pauper
• Black Beauty
• Swiss Family Robinson
• Anne of Green Gables

Similarly, the novels also include well-known and high-quality titles, such as:

• Goodnight moon
• Number the Stars
• The Boxcar Children
• The Chronicles of Narnia
• Much Ado About Nothing
• The Red Badge of Courage

By using classic literature as a basis for the work, rather than random sample sentences or word lists created by curriculum providers, students are provided with an opportunity to explore language in a more natural context and, based on the works of celebrated authors, are provided with a wider, more colorful and more varied range of sentence use and structure.

At the same time, they are better able to develop an appreciation for literature, broadening a student’s knowledge as they hone their language arts skills.

As opposed to curricula that focus on a single book, such as Total Language Plus and others, there is also a good deal of variety to be had during learning, with students working with different passages or stories throughout their lessons, which can make things a bit more interesting for students who may be bored studying one work for several months.

Parents should keep in mind, and this is not specific to LLATL, that classic texts aren’t always the most appealing, meaningful or relevant to some students (or homeschools).

To their credit LLATL does provide parents with a list of broadly applicable comprehension and discussion questions that they can use to swap in alternatives for the course’s more in-depth book studies, but by and large the workbook activities and exercises are still based on the classic passages. 

An Integrated Language Arts Program

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a comprehensive and integrated language arts curriculum. 

In other words, each book of the program covers a full suite of skills in language arts for that grade level, including reading, reading comprehension, writing, spelling, vocabulary, grammar mechanics, writing mechanics, and even research and study skills. 

This all-in-one approach to learning can not only save parents considerable time and effort, as there are fewer workbooks and teacher’s guides to purchase and keep track of, but also gives students a more natural learning experience, letting them better understand how the different components of language fit together rather than only experiencing them as isolated, self-contained components. 

Lessons are also a bit more dynamic, as students will have the opportunity to work on different skills and activities over the period of a week.

One day a student might work on spelling and spelling rules, such as below.

While the next they might move on to grammar instruction and grammar rules.

Spiral Learning

LLATL takes more of a spiral approach to teaching language arts. 

Language arts skills and concepts are broken down into smaller, bite-sized pieces and they are taught a little at a time through short lessons, building skills up over time. 

Students are introduced to a concept, work on it for a while, then move onto another, revisiting the first in greater depth later on in their studies. 

This approach stands in contrast to a mastery approach where students will be presented with one skill, say a grammar rule or concept, and focus on it in an in-depth manner for some time (over several lessons if need be) until understanding and proficiency is reached. 

In a mastery program, once a student has mastered a concept they tend to move on and will rarely revisit the material. 

In comparison, Learning Language Arts Through Literature’s spiral approach, however, provides students with a lot of opportunity to periodically revisit and review material, allowing students to refresh their knowledge over time. 

It also tends not to be as potentially frustrating to students who struggle with language arts learning, as the gradual learning process means students tend not to feel as bogged down. 

That said, it is important to note that there are students who prefer an in-depth mastery approach, who like to dive into the material and master it completely and at one time rather than gradually and at intervals. 

Charlotte Mason-friendly Instruction

Although not a pure Charlotte Mason language arts curriculum per se, Learning Language Arts Through Literature is based on a philosophy pioneered by Ruth Beechick and does share a few similarities with a CM approach. 

LLATL uses high quality literature, both in its books and its passages, to form the basis of its teaching and practice. 

More technically, LLATL also uses copywork and dictation exercises fairly extensively to model writing and to better solidify spelling fluency, something of a hallmark of Charlotte Mason language arts learning and there is plenty of opportunity for students to hone their self-editing skills through a good amount of self-correction and checking exercises.   

One thing that parents should know, however, is that (in line with most CM programs) grammar and mechanics are also introduced more naturally in the program, in the context of literature and integrated alongside vocabulary, spelling, composition and other related skill sets. 

They are taught as needed and in the context of the unit, readings and other skills and in something of a more gradual and steady way, which isn’t always to every homeschool’s taste.

How It Works

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a pretty straightforward curriculum.

Each book contains 36 weekly lessons, or about a year’s worth of learning. 

These lessons are grouped into units, which tend to focus on certain key skills and each of which can last for several lessons. 

As Learning Language Arts Through Literature is an integrated language arts program that works on a variety of different skills, these units provide essential focus and structure to each level of the series, preventing the books from becoming a random assortment of activities and exercises. 

The units included at each level can differ depending on the intended grade level and evolving skills and knowledge of the student, as might be expected, and there is a great variety of different units and activities throughout the program.

Examples of the different units covered in the program can be seen in the chart below.

In general, and as might be expected, there is a distinct and comprehensive progression of overall language arts skill development throughout the LLATL series. 

Earlier levels are more focused on developing key reading skills, such as phonics, vocabulary, handwriting, basic grammar and composition. 

As the levels go on and as students become more capable learners, in addition to vocabulary, spelling and grammar, there is a greater emphasis on critical thinking, more precise mechanics, presentation, research, analysis and paper writing.

Individual Lesson Format

Regardless of the specific unit in question, Learning Language Arts Through Literature lessons tend to follow a fairly consistent format. 

Each lesson is divided up over a 5 day period.

The first day’s learning usually starts with a passage or book reading. 

[ Note : Certain specific units may not, however, such as those centered around research, which may start with a discussion or a task the student must complete (e.g. looking up something in an atlas).]

Following this first day’s work, the program then offers students a variety of lessons and activities to complete over the next few days. 

That is, as they go along, students will be introduced to various important spelling, grammar and composition rules and mechanics and then be given a chance to work on them.

Again, the exact learning activities and exercises depend on the specific theme in question, but as an integrated language arts program a lesson will generally work on different skills over the course of a week. 

Lessons in Everyday Words units, for example, are more focused on grammar, vocabulary, composition and spelling. 

Throughout the course of the unit, students might learn grammar rules, look up definitions, correct sentences, create spelling lists, do copy work, diagram sentences, edit sentences and so on. 

A Book Study or Literature Link lesson, on the other hand, would be more focused on skills such as reading, reading comprehension, literary analysis and composition. 

Throughout these units, students might therefore answer discussion questions about the reading, do vocabulary work, outline a plot, create a timeline of events, do event or date matching exercises, work on their handwriting, do critical thinking exercises or even do an oral presentation about a topic introduced by the reading.

It is important to note that, as a literature based curriculum, the passages at the beginning of a lesson form the basis for all the subsequent exercises. 

That is, a lesson’s instruction, copywork, dictation exercises, spelling lists, vocabulary work, grammar work and so on are all based on the lesson’s text.

As an example, in a Purple Book (5th Grade) Everyday Words lesson, a passage is presented from The Trumpet of the Swan. 

The passage contains the sentence, “[a]ctually, I think you are perhaps the brightest, smartest, most intelligent of all my cygnets.” 

And, on Day 3, the lesson uses this sentence as a means of teaching students about comparative and superlative adjectives, as below.

At the end of each lesson, students are often given some review activities based on the skills and knowledge from each unit, which serve as a handy review and an opportunity for students to get more practice on areas where they might be struggling.

Finally, every few lessons there is an assessment page designed to test student learning and to see if any knowledge or skill gaps have developed.

The tests are cumulative, covering the concepts and skills taught across several lessons, and the exercises are fairly similar to those in the lessons, so they should be fairly familiar to students and shouldn’t be too stressful or much of a surprise.

Our Thoughts on LLATL Lessons

Overall, we feel that Learning Language Arts Through Literature’s lessons are quite well done and can be a highly effective way of learning language arts. 

The lessons really do touch on and help students develop their skill in a variety of language arts subjects, from reading comprehension, to spelling, to writing and even oral presentation skills. 

And having these in one curriculum (and book) can make things very convenient and a lot easier to manage throughout the week. 

Further, the use of classic literature in most lessons not only provides students with high quality and more engaging passages to work with but also ties together the various different language exercises and subjects that students encounter through the week in a more natural way.

The daily lessons themselves are also pretty short, usually only comprising a few short exercises. 

Although it depends on the student and their skill level, we found that lessons took about 20-30 minutes or so per day and so shouldn’t be that frustrating to students. 

The activities and exercises themselves are also quite varied, and not just in the language arts subjects they cover. 

While there are the typical, workbook-style activities, such as rewriting sentences, sentence diagramming, spelling tests, vocabulary lookups and so on, there are also occasional opportunities for students to engage in critical thinking, draw, do puzzles, do journal entries, outline plots, and so on. 

The program even provides students with the opportunity to engage in important discussions with their parents about the concepts they read about. 

As a result, the work can be a lot less boring and drill-like for students than other programs.

Additionally, we like the fact that the student lessons are pretty well scripted, written to the student and provide much of the information in a clear and easy to understand way, rather than solely relying on the parent to teach the material. 

As a result, students who are ready for it can do a lot of the work on their own. 

While LLATL never really becomes a self-study program, as parents are expected to engage in discussions, provide dictation, correct the work and provide explanations here and there, the program is a little more independent-learning friendly than some others, which can be of great benefit to busy homeschools. 

On the downside, the all-in-one nature of the program, although highly convenient, can have its drawbacks as well.

Covering many different subjects in each book without having excessively lengthy lessons means that some areas may not get as much dedicated practice and review as parents may desire. 

For example, there might not be as much dedicated handwriting and spelling as some students may need and parents may have to supplement the program at times with some extra work.

Further, while we appreciate the use of classic literature and feel that LLATL has done an excellent job with its selection, they may not be for everyone. 

Some students (and their parents) may not find the selection of passages and books particularly engaging or meaningful, and since they form the basis of subsequent lessons and activities, this may reduce their overall enjoyment of the program in the long run.   

How Easy Is LLATL To Teach?

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a pretty open and go language arts curriculum. 

The lessons are clearly written and well-scripted, the activities and exercises are well explained, and overall the books do a good job at guiding parents and students step by step through a week’s lessons. 

Parents and students can essentially pick up the books and start teaching/learning without practically any prep work or previous teaching experience, and students at the upper levels (around the Orange book and up) should be able to do much of the learning and work on their own. 

Combined with the all-in-one, integrated and easy to manage nature of the program, we feel that Learning Language Arts Through Literature can be an ideal solution for those just starting to homeschool and those who are unsure about their own ELA teaching skills.

Finally, unlike most other literature-based homeschool programs there aren’t a ton of books that parents will have to buy and keep track of. 

Most of the passages are printed in the teacher’s guides and student books, and the books that the program does use are classics that are easy to find online and in local libraries. 

Is Learning Language Arts Through Literature A Secular Program?

Although it was created by Christian authors, Learning Language Arts Through Literature doesn’t really involve a lot of Christian content per se. 

Lesson instruction and exercises are focused mainly on the passages and books that go along with the course, and while these are classics with often traditional values, there isn’t really any Christian or bible-based content in the course. 

The only real exception to this is the Gray book (Grade 8), which may include dictation lessons based on bible passages and some passages and book studies with Christian themes, such as A Lantern in Her Hand and A Man Called Peter.  

These are presented alongside classic passages and books such as A Tale of Two Cities, Moby Dick, Pollyanna, Daddy Long Legs and so on. 

That exception aside, we consider LLATL to be more of a neutral curriculum that can be faith-friendly and, should parents substitute some of the readings in the Gray book, even acceptable to most secular homeschools. 

Pros And Cons Of Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Affordable .

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a fairly compact curriculum that can teach a full-suite of language arts skills with only a relatively inexpensive student book, teacher’s guide and short required reading list. 

Compared to other comprehensive language arts programs there aren’t a lot of workbooks or texts to purchase and keep track of, and most of the required books are classics that can be found used online or at a local library. 

Comprehensive Language Arts Program For Gr. 1-12

With its different color-coded levels, LLATL pretty comprehensively covers language arts instruction for grades 1-12.

Because the program extends from elementary through high school, it is a program that can grow with students and provide a good deal of consistency in their learning.

Integrative, All In One Language Arts Program

Throughout each level, Learning Language Arts Through Literature covers all the essential language arts topics that a student is required to learn at a given grade level, including reading, writing, grammar and mechanics, writing mechanics, literary analysis, composition, research and study skills, oral presentation skills and more.

And it does so from its student text and parent’s guide, meaning that parents don’t have to buy a lot of different workbooks or textbooks for the program.

Open And Go, Very Easy To Use

With its clear  well-scripted lessons, Learning Language Arts Through Literature is very easy to use and can guide parents and students through the learning with a minimum or prepwork or need for previous teaching experience. 

Both parents and students can essentially pick the books up and start learning right away.

Spiral Program With Lots Of Review

Learning Language Arts Through Literature takes more of a spiral approach to learning, breaking language arts concepts and skills down and introducing them incrementally, gradually increasing the depth of learning as it goes. 

The program can therefore be a lot less intimidating and frustrating to students, and can provide a lot more opportunity for review and revision compared to a mastery program. 

Relatively Short Daily Lessons

Learning Language Arts Through Literature’s daily lessons are fairly short, usually comprising a couple activities that shouldn’t take much more than 20-30 minutes per day to complete, so they won’t tire students out or frustrate them quite as much.. 

Good Variety Of Activities And Exercises

In addition to standard workbook-style language arts activities (sentence diagramming, vocabulary lookups, spelling lists, etc), lessons in LLATL can include some more interesting activities, such as in-depth discussions, puzzles, drawing activities, hands-on and more. 

Literature-Based Learning with Classics

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a literature-based program that teaches grammar, mechanics, composition, spelling and more with the help of engaging and interesting literature.

The passages and books that the program uses are all high-quality selections from classics of English literature, such as Prince Caspian, Ben and Me, Farmer Boy, Much Ado About Nothing, The Trumpet of the Swan and more. 

Some Students May Need To Supplement Certain Skills

Although Learning Language Arts Through Literature does an excellent job covering the many different areas of English language arts instructions, certain students may need more intensive work in certain skills than can be reasonably provided in a lesson, particularly when it comes to handwriting and spelling, and may need to supplement.  

Use Of Classic Literature Not Always For Everyone

Although we always appreciate a literature-based curriculum that explores some the classics of English literature, certain homeschools may prefer more modern titles.

Who Is LLATL Ideal For?

Those looking for a compact language arts program.

Language arts instruction can encompass a variety of different skills and Learning Language Arts Through Literature does an excellent job at covering these without requiring parents to buy and use a lot of different workbooks or textbooks. 

Those looking for a consistent program that can be used across multiple grades

Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a program intended for students in 1-12, covering everything from basic phonics to essay writing and literary analysis. 

As a result it is a homeschool language arts curriculum that can grow with a child. 

Those interested in a literature-based approach to grammar, spelling, mechanics and more

Learning Language Arts Through Literature uses classic literature as the basis for its instruction, activities and exercises and can help students learn skills like grammar, mechanics and spelling in a more engaging and meaningful manner.

Those looking for an affordable language arts program

Only requiring a couple softcover study guides and with most of its reading list easily available used or in libraries, Learning Language Arts Through Literature can be quite affordable and can fit most homeschool budgets. 

Those looking for an open and go curriculum

With its clearly written lessons and detailed scripting, Learning Language Arts Through Literature doesn’t require parents to do a lot of preparation before a lesson and can essentially be picked up and used. 

Who Might It Not Be Ideal For?

Students with severely jagged learning profiles.

Although an integrated language arts approach can be very convenient for most students and parents, students with severely jagged learning profiles in language arts – where they excel in some areas but are severely behind in others – may have a hard time using a single book that covers skills at a particular grade level. 

They may instead benefit from using individual books for different skills that can more easily be tailored to their unique needs. 

Those who dislike literature-based approaches

Many homeschoolers are fond of literature-based approaches to teaching, seeing it as a great way to learn language arts skills while developing a love of reading and literature. 

Others, however, may not. 

It’s important to remember that all students are different and some may prefer more hands-on learning, while others may prefer more audiovisual learning, such as through videos and interactive games. 

Price 

Note: Prices correct as of writing. All prices in USD.

Generally speaking, Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a fairly compact and inexpensive language arts program that doesn’t require parents to purchase a lot of extra workbooks, readers or other teaching material. 

As mentioned previously, parents really only need to purchase a student text, teacher’s guide and several commonly found books required for each level. 

Student texts cost about $28, while the teacher’s guides cost about $34.

As for the various required books, prices obviously vary depending on the retailer. Because they are all well-known classics, however, they can be pretty easily found online, in new and used condition, and in local libraries for free.

As always, it is important for parents to check the current price for LLATL, as well as to check for any discounts or offers that may apply.

Is It Worth The Price?

Although it is a pretty affordable language arts curriculum, Learning Language Arts Through Literature can still provide a lot of value for homeschooling families. 

It is an integrated language arts program whose all-in-one student book can teach a comprehensive set of language arts skills, from reading, writing and grammar through composition, literary analysis and oral presentation skills, without requiring parents and students to purchase and manage lots of different workbooks and textbooks. 

To do so, the program uses a literature-based approach, teaching language arts skills with the help of high-quality classic books and passages that not only make learning more engaging and interesting, but can also help students learn language arts concepts in a more natural (and well-written) context. 

Additionally, the program uses a wide variety of activities and exercises, some of which (such as the various puzzles and cut and paste activities), can be a lot of fun, while others (such as critical thinking questions and discussions) can get students thinking quite deeply about what they are reading and doing. 

Finally, the program is quite easy to teach, requiring very little prep work on the part of parents, and its lessons are straightforward enough that older students should be able to do much of the work on their own, freeing parents up a little more to engage in the many other tasks that homeschooling can require.

Bottom Line

About the Author

Anne Miller is the editor of The Smarter Learning Guide and is a passionate advocate for education and educational technology. A mom of two, she majored in English Language and Literature and worked as a substitute teacher and tutor for several years. When not writing she continues to root for the Yankees and the Giants.

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Learning Language Arts Through Literature Reviews

Resource description.

According to the publisher, Learning Language Arts Through Literature "is a fully integrated language arts program that teaches grammar, reading, spelling, vocabulary, writing mechanics, creative writing, thinking skills and more. For example, a basal program may teach adjectives separately from other skills. The student may be asked to fill in blanks with adjectives and circle them in a paragraph. This may give your student a clue about adjectives, but does not translate into his practical use of adjectives in his writing." There are 36 weekly lessons at each level and the lessons require no teacher preparation. The lessons include texts, workbooks, teacher’s guides and supplemental materials.

Website: Learning Language Arts Through Literature

( 18 Reviews )

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We really liked this program. I used it with my youngest two out of 5 homeschoolers. My children really seemed to pick up the grammar concepts much better using this program than with some of the other programs. They enjoyed the literature selections, which got them reading more overall as well as what I consider better literature choices. Once we hit 5th grade I did add an additional writing program (EIW). Other than 1st and 2nd grade most sections are able to be done independently, or with little teacher involvement. I was around to answer any questions or explain a harder concept. I would look through the week as I was writing out schedules and we would occasionally skip a part now and then if i thought we had already gone over it or it was not something we needed.

My only fault with this is the multiple typos, as well as some things seem to be more outdated (define the word garbed), but really that only stretches their mind. Some of those things we just skipped.

Over all we found this to be a great program, especially for my slow learner.

This program was easy to use, gentle, and great for kids who might struggle with language arts. While we had a good year using this, we probably will not go back to it.

My 4th grader could do most of the work on his own, with minimal help from me. This was ideal with two younger students who needed me around. My son enjoyed it, and it was broken down into daily tasks that were not overwhelming for him. He used the Orange Book, and while he enjoyed the work, it was way too easy for him (he was struggling reader up until this year. It took a reading tutor to catch him up). He really disliked the book selections. I forced him to do two of them, and while he said he appreciated having to read something different, he felt they were all very boring. To me, this was sad, as he will sit down and study a zoology book. It doesn't get more dry than that! I also felt like we needed to supplement grammar and composition. There is so little of these areas included. I really wanted to be able to find everything in one place, rather than have to piece together several different curricula. The Orange Book is 4th grade, and he already knew all of the few grammar lessons presented. There was virtually no composition at all.

The Blue book is gentle and nice for beginning readers. It uses phonics and sight words, which I find to be a good approach. However, it ends somewhat abruptly. There is really no transition into the Red book, and so my two younger kids have had to go to a different phonics program. We were unable to go from Blue to Red without doing quite a bit extra. This was disappointing, because they were able to easily read all of the readers from the Blue by the end of the book, with very little help from me. However, the Red book starts out way ahead, and my two younger kids were unable to make the leap.

Overall, I would say to skip the Blue Book all together and use a different a different phonics approach. I would then say that if your child needs a nice gentle approach and to not feel overwhelmed, this is a good program. They did a good job keeping it Charlotte Mason inspired, but it is a little lighter than what I hoped for.

I love that grammar, spelling, vocab, and reading comprehension are all covered here, plus having good book selections to break my son out of his usual fare of 'humorous fiction' books. While he says it's 'too easy', the exercises certainly cover areas he is NOT strong in, so maybe it's good he thinks it is easy, so he doesn't balk at doing it, yet at the same time, he's learning and practicing skills he needs, since he normally is pretty negligent when it comes to grammar and spelling. We use a separate curriculum for writing though, so this does not cover writing. My son uses the student book on his own, and I don't use the teacher book at all. I know this is not the recommended use of it, but it works for us, as I can't sit with him to do the lessons all the time. If he has questions, I just explain when necessary.

I love how this curriculum uses classic literature as it's basis for teaching and has an all-in-one approach. I've rarely ever needed any additional resources. Teaching from the classic literature excerpts gets my children interested in reading the actual books, which we usually end up getting on kindle or the library. This curriculum really does well covering all aspects of English so that you do not have many sperate things to do. We have used the curriculum for 4 years with both children and they both really enjoy their books. They are nice, short to medium length exercises each day that don't wear them down. Typically, they are able to do their LLATL assignment in 15-20 minutes each day. Some activities are longer however. Such as research units, essay units, and the book studies.

The only things I have had problems with are the errors we have encountered in the books at times. I rely on the teacher books to check work and there have been several errors in them listing wrong answers or not having all of the answers that my children have found. My children have learned to question my telling them they are incorrect because of these errors, and luckily, they are usually correct in doing so. I find it very frustrating for both of us when I am having them redo concepts that were already correct but the teacher book had an incorrect answer for. I've found myself checking more from my judgment than from the teacher book. I've contacted the publishers about the issues and was offered a free book in return for my keeping up with what errors I find, but I really wish they could just be more diligent in editing their own books before publishing.

Too much flipping. Too many 1,2,3, a,b,c difficult to find your place. Not enough explaination for answers. Too many answer varies. Not enough review to get info to stick. Not for dysgraphia students, nor teachers who are weak in grammar because I as a teacher didn't understand the reasoning. Typos, and very little the child could do independently without constant help.

On the surface I thought we would love LLAL, but it was not to be... I love that they don't overdo the grammar, and that the learning is based on literature, but at the younger level there was not enough repetition for concepts to be retained and at the higher level it was way too easy. We gave up part way through the year.

I used this for my children during their first several years. We also used a Unit Study program and using LLATL along with that, gave the children a great start in grammar, narration, composing poetry. My daughter tended to prefer to draw or express some parts of her lesson verbally, which worked well.

They were encouraged to journal and later, notebooking.

Learning Language Arts through Literature was used for my son in 5th grade who has a delay in reading comprehension and it really helped him. He enjoyed it and felt like he was able to understand what he was reading without so much difficulty. Thank you.

I love that LLATL uses Ruth Beechick principles of whole to part language lessons, but I prefer the older books that do the lessons in a much more flexible and versatile way that can be applied to any book you're currently reading. We don't like the new workbooks as much so we only use them here and there when we are reading the books they've chosen. I really like it for everything except composition.

We have just begun to use LLATL this year, and my children no longer complain about their grammar assignments. This does not seem to have so much of the repetative writing that my children didn't like, so they tend to take more from the lesson since they are not as bored. My oldest two girls are looking forward to studying the British authors which is one of the high school courses.

We have used this curriculum for a couple of years and find it very helpful. The assignments are varied so that it is not the same old thing all of the time. Some days are especially easy while others take them a long time to complete. My son who struggles in this area of study finds it difficult, while my other son who finds reading easy doesn't struggle as much. I have moved one down a grade and one up a grade so that helps with the challenge of it. My boys both don't like to write very much so I have found it nice this year in the Purple book. They are currently having them write a short story and have broken it down into steps. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. It doesn't have very much for spelling, just 5 words a week so some may feel the need to suppliment that area. I am glad that we found this curriculum.

We really enjoy LLATL as our main language arts curriculum. These are extremely self-paced, with only supervisory steps from parent in some cases. You may want to consider bumping up a grade level for children who are advanced in vocabulary and reading level as these seem to be behind a bit in both areas. Otherwise a very good solid language arts option. Very affordable too.

We started using LLATL this year and we love it. My children are learning more about grammar than they have in the past.

This is a great resource for new homeschoolers. The instructions are easy to follow and preparation time is minimal. My children like the variety in that we can explore different aspects of Language Arts on different days. I would supplement with more reading than is assigned with this program.

We enjoyed this series when we used it. It is easy to use, set up with 36 weeks of lessons. The strands of LA are intermingled. The course is weak on writing/composition, with much of the composition left as a suggestion (write a paragraph about ...)rather than incorporated throughout the week as an integral part of the curriculum. Most of the writing is answering questions about the reading for the week. We did enjoy the books and novels used, as most of it is classical and usually Caldecott or Newbury winning books. We found a book or two out of print and unavailable to us when we did this curricula, and no suggestion was given for a replacement. We, too, skipped the acting out a story part as my children didn't like that part.

My daughters all picked up reading rather quickly, so the readers for these are a bit on the easy side (but they still enjoy them and the extra literature recommended, but we didn't bother with the reading chart at all). But they are full of varied, interesting things to do to cover all the LA basics. There seems to be a lot of cutting & my 2nd daughter esp. doesn't enjoy that, so we find other ways to complete the assignments. And sometimes we skip portions (eg. act out a segment of the story, or make a diorama). Both my older daughters have disliked penmanship, so sometimes I'll let them dictate (as it suggests for younger students) or even let them do it orally. Overall I think they enjoy it and I think it's a good program. I do not have to do any prep ahead of time, so that's nice. And once you get to the orange book, 85-90% can be done by the student alone. *Altho* I must say, as yet (Orange book) I am feeling that for the name (Learning LA *Thru Literature*) that it's a bit light on the literature part. We do a *lot* of reading otherwise and I suspect my girls are learning a good portion of their LA just from that (familiarity with good grammar, etc.) (as I did).

I have loved using this program with my kids. The reading lists helped to build our home library. Every one of my boys got the reading bug upon completion of the Red Level. Readers included with the Blue and Red levels are unique in that they expand with the students ability to read. Starting with short vowel sounds and progressively becoming more difficult. The included chart to track what has been read can be a good motivator. My boys chose a fun day trip for each bookshelf completed. All of my kids could recognize letters and knew most sounds before beginning the blue book.

The program does not challenge much beyond the Orange book. I always supplemented spelling, grammar and writing because these are so important. I continue to use LLATL after the Orange level but feel it is more the supplement by that point.

We have really enjoyed using LLATL for several years now. It is very easy to use and covers a wide variety of literature.

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in Charlotte Mason · Grammar · Handwriting · Language Arts · Literature · Phonics · Writing

Learning Language Arts Through Literature Curriculum Review

Finding a language arts curriculum is a lot like finding a good bathing suit –getting that perfect fit is really tough! Here’s a review of Learning Language Arts Through Literature to help you “try on” one more curriculum.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature

“Reading real books instead of basal stories makes reading more attractive to the student. This creates a deeper understanding and generates greater interest in grammar, writing mechanics, vocabulary, spelling, and other language skills. The goal of any language arts program should be to equip the student for a lifetime of communication through the written and spoken word.”

Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) is a gentle approach to language arts study that works best for homeschoolers who use a living books approach to learning

[I am basing this review on our use of LLATL Yellow (grade 3) . Other levels may vary. You can see a review of the grey Learning Language Arts Through Literature here .]

The Literature part of LLATL is covered in two ways:

• Four novels are assigned through the year.
• Each weekly lesson begins with a literature passage (either poetry or prose).

Most lessons include copying the literature passage, learning a short (5-6 words) spelling list of a word family represented in the passage, writing the passage from dictation, and practicing cursive handwriting. The other activities vary and include basic language arts skills – alphabetizing, analogies, parts of speech, plurals, punctuation, etc. The writing tasks are few – just a handful of narrative, descriptive, or how-to topics throughout the year. The nitty-gritty of paragraph structure is not covered at all.

LLATL publishes a teacher’s book and a student book. I rarely used my teacher’s book because most of the student activities are clearly described in the student’s book. But there are a few exercises that say only “follow your teacher’s directions.” Actually, for this program you can use the teacher’s book only and have your child write on paper.

Find More Information and Help at the Common Sense Website

• You can view the Scope and Sequence
• See Sample Lessons
• and Get Placement Tests

The big question about LLATL is, “Is this a COMPLETE language arts curriculum?”

Yes and no. Everything (except vocabulary) is touched on but not necessarily covered in depth . That’s probably why LLATL is considered a gentle curriculum. (I supplemented LLATL Yellow with additional grammar, spelling, writing assignments, extra readers, and vocabulary.)

The daily assignments are not long and can be completed in 10-15 minutes. And of course, reading only four books in a year is not enough. There is certainly an assumption that your children are reading other books besides the four titles included in this curriculum.

If you want something light that touches on lots of language arts topics while giving you time to select your own tangents, LLATL may be a good fit. If you want a rigorous program that includes all you need for language arts, LLATL may be a disappointment.

My Thoughts on Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Personally I think LLATL works best for those homeschoolers who already incorporate a lot of language arts across the curriculum. If you use a living books approach, your children are already reading a lot of good books. Similarly, if your children write about their history and science readings, then they don’t need extra writing assignments as part of a language arts program. Assuming that your children already do reading and writing tasks in other subjects, LLATL can be a nice “icing on the cake,” pulling together some topics you may otherwise miss or reviewing others that you did study.

More Homeschool Language Arts Options

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum – Looking for a Homeschool Language Arts curriculum that suits your family’s needs? Need just a spelling or writing program? This list is sure to have what you are looking for! This list contains full homeschool language arts curricula, as well as resources for reading/literature, writing, spelling, grammar and handwriting.

~ Originally posted July 2009, Written by Jimmie , Charlotte Mason flavored mom of one.

Jimmie is mom to one creative teen. Jimmie's Collage is where she blogs about their Charlotte Mason styled homeschool. Her second blog, The Notebooking Fairy , features free notebooking printables and how-tos plus the eBook Notebooking Success .

Reader Interactions

July 24, 2009 at 11:41 am

I just picked up the red book (grade 2) for my DD. I’m looking forward to giving it a try this coming year. Thank you for the great review. 😀

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Why We Choose Learning Language Arts Through Literature for Our Homeschool Year After Year

Researching language arts options for your homeschool? Here’s what you need to know about Learning Language Arts Through Literature and why it’s my go-to language arts curriculum year after year.

*This is a sponsored post and I received a complimentary copy of Learning Language Arts Through Literature: The Gold Book for review purposes, but I’ve happily used this curriculum with my kids for years. Also, this post contains affiliate links; see disclosure for further details.*

It’s hard to imagine it now that I’ve got a teenager who wants to be a writer, but language arts was a struggle for us in the earlier years of our homeschool journey. Because of that struggle, it took a few years to find a language arts curriculum option that met our needs. 

The thing is, language arts came easily to me in my years as a student. Since it came easily for me, I assumed the materials I selected wouldn’t be a make-it-or-break-it factor when teaching language arts to my own kids. In a nutshell, I thought I could pick any language arts curriculum and make it work for us.

I was terribly wrong.

Granted, my curriculum selection process was quite different in our early years of homeschooling. After all, this was before I read any of Charlotte Mason’s volumes or spent time exploring educational philosophy , but I learned the hard way that choosing a language arts curriculum isn’t as simple as finding a program with a 4-star Amazon review. 

It took time and experimentation, but we finally stumbled across Learning Language Arts Through Literature after four years of bad-for-us curriculum choices. Since then, it’s been a reliable part of our homeschool days and it’s made all the difference in how I teach language arts and how my kids are experiencing it.

Overview: Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Before I jump into why we choose Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) time and time again, I want to share a quick overview. Published by Common Sense Press through the lens of a Christian worldview, it’s a literature-based, comprehensive, and consistent language arts curriculum that spans from first grade through the high school years.

• It’s literature-based . – All language skills are taught within the context of carefully-selected literature passages.
• It’s comprehensive . – LLATL addresses all aspects of language arts. Each level covers reading, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and writing mechanics.
• It’s consistent. – LLATL takes a spiral approach to teaching language arts. The opposite of kill-and-drill, it teaches language arts through short, conversational lessons that build over time. This allows students to revisit and strengthen language skills consistently.

Each level is labeled by color and covers all language arts areas with additional skills added into each level.

• The Blue Book / first grade – phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, handwriting, and higher order reasoning.
• The Red Book / second grade – phonics, reading spelling, grammar, vocabulary, handwriting, and higher order thinking.
• The Yellow Book / third grade – reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, handwriting, and higher order thinking.
• The Orange Book / fourth grade – reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, creative writing, research skills, poetry, and writing mechanics.
• The Purple Book / fifth grade – reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, composition, research skills, higher order thinking.
• The Brown Book / sixth grade – reading, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, creative writing, research skills, and higher order reasoning
• The Green Book / seventh grade – reading, grammar, vocabulary, diagramming, poetry, Shakespeare, short story, research skills, and higher order reasoning.
• The Gray Book / eighth grade – grammar, vocabulary, word study, composition, research skills, persuasive and narrative writing, book studies.
• The Gold Books / high school – essay writing, creative writing, literary interpretation, and studies on short stories, novels, poetry, and plays.

Also worth noting, the opportunities for your student to work independently increase with each level. Even so, both the teacher book and student book are needed to effectively use the curriculum.

Want to view a sample lesson for Learning Language Arts Through Literature?

You can learn more about Learning Language Arts Through Literature and view sample lessons for each level by clicking the button below and selecting a level.

As for the literature selections for each level, most can be easily purchased through your favorite bookseller or borrowed from your local library. The only exceptions are with The Blue Book and The Red Book since both use readers that were written for the curriculum.

A Typical LLATL Lesson

Each level contains 36 lessons and, while skills taught within the LLATL books vary according to level, the framework for each lesson is generally the same. Lessons are divided into five day sections that begin with dictation or copywork. Day 1 also includes an introduction to any spelling words for the week and some quick enrichment-style activities. The Day 2 instructions point back to the literature passage from Day 1 and explore grammar mechanics and specific skills that can be taught with the passage as a guide. Days 3 and 4 continue to build on skills discussed earlier in the week and offer more opportunities for students to practice those skills. The typical Day 5 lineup varies from level to level, but it usually includes a final dictation or similar activity based on the literature passage. Spelling tests, enrichment, and review activities are also included for some lessons.

LLATL Book Studies

Book studies are another big part of Learning Language Arts Through Literature. There are four or five of these studies found in each level. They focus on vocabulary, discussion based on the book, and other skills that correspond with the particular selection.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature: The High School Years

The high school books for LLATL are the only ones I haven’t personally used yet, but I’m using the British literature volume with my big kiddo next year. Here are the main differences I’ve discovered while familiarizing myself with it:

The Gold Books

The high school books (the Gold Books) are broken up into four volumes covering British literature, world literature, American literature, and literary criticism.

Another significant difference between the lower levels and the Gold Books is that parents and students share the main book. These books include all the lesson instructions, assessment information, and answers to questions found in the lessons.

Since teens are expected to work more independently than they were in younger grades, they use this book to guide them through the lessons and keep their notes and assignments in a separate notebook. This replaces the need for individual student and teacher books used in lower levels.

Just like all of the LLATL levels, most of the literature selections needed for each course can be found easily at your local library or favorite bookstore.

Also, there’s a separate book with course notes, tests, and test answer keys for each of the high school books.

Lastly, you can also purchase anthologies to go with the high school books. (The American literature volume is the only exception to this.) These inexpensive companions to the courses are a wonderful way to ensure your student has access to all of the shorter selections referenced in the lessons without you having to hunt down individual copies.

Why We Choose Learning Language Arts Through Literature for our Homeschool

Now that you know more about Learning Language Arts Through Literature and how it works, I’ve got a confession for you. I actually stopped using it about halfway through the first year I tried it with my oldest kid. Don’t get me wrong, LLATL always worked for my oldest kiddo. We loved the selected books and he was doing well with the lessons. But somehow it didn’t seem like it could possibly be enough when I compared it to the other, albeit unsuccessful, resources we used previously. I’m not proud of it, but I didn’t trust the curriculum because it seemed too good to be true. It was as if there was something wrong with it because my son wasn’t complaining and things were going smoothly. Sigh.

We stepped away from it for a while and tried something else. After a few months with another language arts resource, we knew it was time to go back to LLATL and stay with it. It took trying it and shifting to another approach to learn why LLATL works so well for us, but it’s what we continue to choose for language arts each year. Here’s why:

1. It’s Charlotte Mason-friendly.

I was always intrigued by the idea of a Charlotte Mason education for my kids, but I didn’t implement her ideas in the beginning of our home education journey. (You can learn why that didn’t happen in my post about homeschool regrets .) That said, it didn’t matter to me when we began using Learning Language Arts Through Literature, but I love knowing that it’s helped me implement Miss Mason’s ideas for teaching language arts even when I wasn’t trying to do so.

Here are a few ways LLATL specifically aligns with Charlotte Mason’s ideas for teaching language skills:

• Quality literature is the backbone of each level. Book studies play a big role in LLATL, but the language instruction always happens within the context of literature.
• Lessons include copywork, dictation, and narration exercises for most levels.
• Lessons are usually short. They take a bit longer in the books for older students, but that’s not uncommon for upper grades.

Also, while you won’t hear too many Charlotte Mason purists discussing language arts curriculum for first and second grade students, the “formal lessons” in the earlier levels ( The Blue Book and The Red Book ) are still gentle, short, and engaging. There’s certainly no pressure or kill and drill in those levels. The focus is still on story and introductions, which allowed me to stay true to a Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschool while moving at my kids’ paces.

2. It allows us to be consistent with language arts.

We’ve come across our share of fantastic language arts resources through the years, but none of them can be used for the long haul. 

A language arts curriculum with one or two volumes can be truly wonderful and helpful to those who use it, but where does that leave the student and parent after completing the volumes?

Unfortunately it leaves them looking for curriculum yet again.  That’s also true for curriculum options written with elementary or middle school students in mind. It’s not that way with Learning Language Arts Through Literature. Since there are volumes for first grade through high school, it’s a long-haul solution to homeschool language arts. There’s no need to stress over what we’ll use next year because LLATL can be a part of the entire homeschool journey rather than a temporary fix that will only last a season.

3. It requires little (and often no) prep.

My kids are 5 years apart and I often say that I live with one foot in two different homeschool worlds because of their age difference. That age difference is exactly why LLATL’s low-prep nature is such a help to me. Since I’m homeschooling high school with my oldest kid and in the middle of the elementary school years with my youngest, I’m grateful for language arts lessons that allow me to literally open the books and work through the lessons.

Homeschool life is challenging enough with a foot in two worlds; having to round up supplies for separate lessons and mentally prepare for two dramatically different levels would complicate things even more.

I go back to LLATL each year because I can glance through the lessons for the upcoming week and rely on the guidance in the teacher books to do the heavy lifting. I don’t need to spend additional time piecing things together because everything is ready and waiting for Monday morning. (PS: When a little extra preparation is needed — like with the flip books and word wheels in The Blue Book and The Red Book — it’s quick and easy.)

4. It’s affordable.

Lastly, we choose Learning Language Arts Through Literature for our homeschool because it’s affordable. It’s certainly not the most important factor, but it’s one that matters to my budget. I’m all for smart spending when it comes to my homeschool purchases, so I appreciate how LLATL replaces the need for separate curricula for reading, spelling, vocabulary, composition, and grammar.

The affordability also comes into play when I’m purchasing for my youngest kiddo each year. My only language arts purchase for her is a new student book each year since I’m able to reuse the teacher books I used with my teenager the first time around.

By purchasing one resource for all of these language arts areas and reusing when possible, I’m able to steward my homeschool budget wisely with LLATL.

Get Connected with Learning Language Arts Through Literature

Now that you know why Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a permanent part of our homeschool, you can learn more by visiting Common Sense Press . You can also purchase all of their LLATL resources there:

• Teacher books
• Student books
• Digital versions for each volume

Not sure which level to purchase? These LLATL placement tests can help you determine the best level for your child.

Also, be sure to check out the free bonus book studies offered by Common Sense Press. You’ll find resources to help you dig into wonderful books for all ages like Snowflake Bentley , The Family Under the Bridge , The Invention of Hugo Cabret , Tuck Everlasting , and To Kill a Mockingbird .

In addition to purchasing through Common Sense Press, you can find a good selection of LLATL products at Rainbow Resource Center , Christian Book Distributors, and other homeschool retailers.

Lastly, if you have questions about Learning Language Arts Through Literature, leave a comment and let me know. I’m happy to help out.

28 thoughts on “Why We Choose Learning Language Arts Through Literature for Our Homeschool Year After Year”

I’m teaching 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th! Approximately how much of my time daily would this curriculum take ME to do with them?

Hi Angela, It’s hard to say for sure, but most days your 7th, 9th, and 11th graders would be working independently through LLATL. So, your main time would be spent with your 3rd and 5th graders. I’d estimate around 20-25 minutes for your 3rd grader on most days and 15-20 minutes for your 5th grader. Hope this helps!

I have three kids EXTREMELY close in age but varying in educational levels. In your assessment of prep and mom-teachability, do you feel I could juggle three levels of this at the “same” time allowing each kid to advance at their own pace?

Thank you for your thorough review! I am strongly considering the gold level for my son next year and your review really helped to clarify.

Always happy to pass on what I’ve learned! :)

I’m looking at LLTL Gold British Lit for my 9th grader next year. He’s not a huge reader and probably a little behind. I used this program and loved it with my daughter years ago. Can you give me an idea of about how long (including reading, which I may end up doing for him…I love reading, LOL) these lessons take? Looking at a sample it looked like several chapters were read in one lesson, but I can’t tell how many lessons there are by the Table of Contents. Reading 5 chapters of A Tale of Two Cities in one day’s lesson I know will be too much for him. Are they weekly? Thank you so much for this review. I didn’t know LLTL had high school books!

It’s hard for me to say for sure because it varies from unit to unit. I’d say lessons in the poetry units take considerably less time than the novel study units. In the poetry studies, my son was able to stick to the 5 lessons a week format pretty easily. However, because he had other things going on, I divided the novel studies up a little differently when there was a lot of reading required per lesson. For example, what may have been written as one day, we divided into two or three if needed. We’ve worked more slowly through the book than anticipated, but we’d rather do that than cram it all in each week. Hope that helps!

I have 2 children who will be in the same level. I understand each will need their own student workbook however, will it be necessary to get two sets of the literature books required for each level?

One copy of each reading selection should be fine. You could use them as a read aloud or just let your kids take turns with them while working through the book study units.

Do you think it would be appropriate to start the blue book with a kindergartner? I want to do phonics with my kindergartner so I’m thinking about starting the blue book and going through it slowly.

Definitely think it’s a good choice for a kindergartner; that’s what I did with my youngest! :)

Hi, I am currently working my way through All About Pre-Reading with my 4 (almost 5) year old. It is going great and I was just planning on continuing with All About Reading Level 1. Do you know how this program copmares to LLATL?

I haven’t personally used AAR, but the biggest differences I’m aware of involve the comprehensive nature of LLATL and the focused nature of AAR. All About Reading primarily teaches reading and phonics, but LLATL covers all aspect of language arts.

Hi Emily We have started homeschooling at the beginning of this year. As our mother language is Afrikaans; we decided on LLATL because of the program’s gentle approach. My boys, respectively in grade 4 and 7, are progressing quite well in spite of doing English as a first language. Should I continue with LLTAL or switch to the Cambridge Language program as we are working towards a Cambridge school leaving qualification?

Hi! I’m currently using Abeka (k5 and 2nd) and this is our first year homeschooling. I am drawn towards the CM approach and have been leaning towards switching to that style for school next term. I had someone recommend LLATL to me, but said that they’d stay with Abeka until 2nd grade for a stronger phonics background. What are your thoughts on this?

Hi Beth, I can’t say for sure since each child is different and I haven’t personally used Abeka materials, but I do think you would be fine to go ahead and transition to LLATL, especially considering your interest in the CM approach. LLATL still provides plenty of phonics instruction, but in a gentle way that’s more in line with Miss Mason’s philosophy than Abeka tends to be.

I am currently researching language arts options for first grade and came upon this curriculum and your review – thank you for the thorough explanations and real-world commentary! :-) I love the “all-in-one” formats, they take so much pressure off.

I couldve written your review! I successfully used the Yellow book with my oldest couple children then lost my nerve thinking it wasn’t enough (for all the reasons you mentioned).

I revisited LLATL a few other times (my first run with it was in 1998, I think). About 4 or 5 years ago I came back to LLATL with my youngest 4 (of 13) children and we have finally found our groove. I plan to finish out with this series. I wish I would’ve stuck with it with my older ones.

I, too, became much more acquainted with Charlotte Mason (and Ruth Beechick who I discovered first) over the years. This convinced me that drill and kill was not the way I wanted to take my family.

I have 2 finishing up the Green book this year (after having done Yellow through Tan before this). They have a good grip on language skills.

If anything I wish I want to better utilize the spelling component. Not necessarily supplement it, but milk what is there for more.

If I use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, what level of LLATL would you recommend after we finish? I’m thinking Red, but I’d love to hear your input. Thanks!

You’ll most likely be fine starting with The Red Book , but I recommend looking at the table of contents and sample pages from The Blue Book so you can compare it with 100 Easy Lessons . That will give you a good idea of what was covered and tell you if you should be able to skip it or not before moving on to Red.

Your words have comforted my anxiety about homeschooling. I’m new this year, and I’m learning how to navigate. I bought the yellow book after two months in with a different LA program for my 3rd grader. I am beating myself up for not purchasing LLATL for my 5th grader who has had the most difficulty. I bought Grammar Galaxy for him since he was reluctant in all learning, but I’m not thrilled with that curriculum. My 5th grader has working memory weaknesses and I didn’t know if LLATL would work with him. Donyou think If I switch, should I start him a grd lower?

Is there enough writing or do you need additional writing?

The amount of writing instruction has been a good fit for us, but I have added and do add extra due to my oldest — he’s already a writer and wants to be a creative writing major. Since he wants more, I make it happen.I wouldn’t personally supplement if that wasn’t the case. ;)

We are a secular family. I really love the look of this curriculum. I love the dictation, copywork, and narration features (Charlotte Mason). What I’m having problems with is what looks like a lot of bible verses and stories. My son is going into 7th grade. I looked at the two levels for 7th and 8th and I see a lot of it. I am sad that we can’t use it. Wish there was a way around it. And wonder if the high school years are any different.

I understand your concerns because you can only skip over so much in one book. Although it’s somewhat present in all of the levels, I’ve read before that the Christian worldview aspect is the most evident in the middle school books. I agree with that based on my experience with my oldest kiddo.

You definitely won’t avoid that in The Gold Books, but I do think that plays out a bit differently in the high school levels because there’s such a heavy emphasis on analyzing the literature. It’s not equally present in all the literature selections, but it shows up significantly in others. Take the differences between Emma and The Tale of Two Cities or Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” and Tennyson’s “I Envy Not In Any Moods” as an example. It’s naturally woven in with one, but not so much in the other. All that to say, in the teen levels I think you’ll find it more a part of the literature itself, but the questions and talking points in the assignments could easily be used to compare and contrast personal beliefs with the author.

Hi, Claudia. I would add, as an English major, that the vast majority of books published in the West over the past 2000 years have been written by individuals who were writing from a Christian worldview. So, in that sense, no one can get away from it. However, you can choose what commentary you wish to include from the guides. Something that is clearly meant to influence the student into connecting with evangelical Christianity, for example, can be skipped or replaced or noted as a point of interest. Also, even though most authors were “Christian” they do not necessarily reflect today’s polarized stereotypes; Christians, contrary to contemporary desires for easy labeling, are not as conformed to each other as folks on the outside might think. Or you can just read the books without the guide — though it can be helpful to know the Christian symbolism or worldview that informed or inspired the author broadly. Because you are so conscientious about this, you will likely do a good job no matter what you pick!

I’m so glad to hear that about the CLEP preparation. I haven’t even thought about that yet, but it makes sense!

We used one of the gold books to help prepare for the Analyzing Literature CLEP test and it was fantastic! I remember looking through the series and wishing that I’d found it sooner to have used with my kids when they were younger. Really well-crafted!

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The Tan Book Review | Learning Language Arts Through Literature {6th grade}

A real struggle over the years for us has been to find an all-in-one language arts curriculum that fits all the checklists: concise, easy to implement, affordable, and based on classical books.

While there is no such thing as a perfect curriculum, Learning Language Arts Through Literature from Common Sense Press has come pretty close to perfection for us this year and I am so excited to share my review on The Tan Book , their 6th grade language arts. We’ve been using The Tan Book of LLATL for half a year now, and I’m very happy with our decision. But we don’t use it as a full language arts curriculum, more like a literature curriculum, which is exactly what we needed.

If you want to see what our other sixth grade homeschool curriculum choices are, I wrote a post outlining every subject. Read until the end to get 15% off ANY Common Sense Press curriculum!

At A Glance – Learning Language Arts Through Literature {Review}

Summary: I think LLATL is a great choice for parents that are looking for a comprehensive, affordable, and gentle language arts curriculum that’s easy to implement and teaches kids language arts in the context of rich literature choices. LLATL is great for kids that struggle with language arts or that aren’t very keen on doing a lot of grammar or writing. It’s also perfect for families that have less time to cover these subjects because kids can do it almost independently . LLATL can feel like it’s too light for advanced students. It won’t be enough to cover writing and grammar at a higher level, especially if your kids are strong in these areas. Read the full review to see if LLATL is for you or not.

Our rating:

Grades: 1-12

Style: All-in-one language arts curriculum

Approach : spiral

Type : Christian

Components: Teacher Book + Student Book + Reading books

Price: $ 12-110

Formats: PDF or printed book

• very gentle approach
• based on classic literature
• all-in-one curriculum
• flexible – can be used with other curricula
• allows for student independence
• no-prep for parents
• great for kids that struggle with language arts
• short daily lessons
• incremental approach
• might be too light for some children
• black and white pages
• not enough writing or grammar for higher levels
• teacher book is not scripted

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Common Sense Press – a true homeschool publisher

Since 1989, Common Sense Press has been producing quality educational resources for teachers and homeschool parents. They offer a wide range of curricula and resources for various subjects, such as language arts, mathematics, science, and history.

Their materials are designed to be easy to use for both parents and students and their accessibility makes them the perfect solution for so many homeschool families.

We tested another one of their products last year, when I posted about their separate writing curriculum, Wordsmith Apprentice and I loved their gentle, easy-to-use approach.

“[…] we believe that education is more than just getting the right answer on a multiple-choice test. Learning should be meaningful, comprehensive, and stimulating to the student. “ — Common Sense Press

What is Learning Language Arts Through Literature ?

Learning Language Arts Through Literature from Common Sense Press is an integrated way of teaching language arts in line with Charlotte Mason’s idea that literature is the foundation of language arts instruction . She believed children should be exposed to high-quality literature from a young age, including poems, stories, and classic works of fiction and nonfiction.

LLATL has taken a similar approach to this philosophy and transformed it into an easy-to-teach , easy-to-understand language arts curriculum that’s great for anyone that wants to expose their children to rich literature choices and contextual language arts learning.

One strength of this curriculum is its focus on exposing kids to rich classical literature . Through this exposure, children develop a love of language and an appreciation for the beauty and power of words.

If you prefer to watch a video of this section, please check my YouTube video below:

Learning Language Arts Through Literature – Levels

Lea rning Language Arts Through Literature is a comprehensive language arts curriculum aimed at students in grades one through twelve.

The books are organized by color , making it easy for patents and teachers to place their students according to skill, not age.

All levels cover multiple aspects of language arts: phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, penmanship, literary analysis, research and study skills, and writing.

Each level is focused on developing different skills in an incremental manner , which will allow kids to grow naturally in their language arts skills without feeling like they need to do cumbersome, endless work.

If you’re wondering what Learning Language Arts Through Literature level to choose, you can take the placement test on Common Sense Press’ site to find out. Their placement tests are short and they follow a similar style to the books themselves.

LLATL Format: Paperback or PDF

There are two books that make up a full level of LLATL for grades 1-8: the student book and the teacher book . For high school, these are integrated into a single student textbook .

Please note that you need to buy the reading books for literature separately for each level. Or make use of your local library to borrow them and save some money.

This language arts curriculum is truly affordable compared to other options out there, and to top this, Common Sense Press offers the option of buying LLATL as PDF s , too.

There are a lot of pages to print if you buy the PDF version, but everything is black and white, which should cut down costs when printing.

One idea to make this even more affordable is to get the PDF version of the teacher book and use it on screen to check your student’s work.

How to Use Language Arts Through Literature Curriculum

Like all the other Common Sense products, LLATL is an easy-to-use , curriculum , created especially for homeschoolers. It’s an open-and-go curriculum , which means it requires no prep from the parent. You just need to open your book and follow the instructions to finish a lesson.

Their approach to language arts is pretty straightforward : take classical text fragments and use them to learn language arts in context. This way, kids are exposed to valuable literature, not basal texts or texts written by the curriculum provider.

Students will only need to read a handful of complete books (usually 4 per year – except the first two years when they have more readers to go through as they learn reading) and for the rest of the time they will work on rich fragments of text. You can pace this however you want and Common Sense Press also provide free pacing guides on their website for reading the books; just check your appropriate level’s page.

The student and teacher books are well organized and follow a pattern that quickly becomes familiar: dictation, grammar, literary analysis, devices or mechanics, enrichment, and review.

There are only a few units throughout the books that will break this model where kids are taught how to do research, oral presentations, book analysis or written work .

The student book is addressing the student directly , making it easy to read and do the work independently.  Students have all they need in their student book from the information to the worksheets they need to fill in. 

The lessons in the teacher’s book are not scripted , which means the teacher’s role is to supervise and help where needed and this encourages more autonomy from the student.

Teacher help and involvement are most needed during the early years. Once children are comfortable reading and working independently, parents will only need to be present for dictation, literature discussions, and verifying the work.

I especially appreciate the comprehension questions because I feel they open the opportunity for further discussion around the literature kids read, which is exactly what we’ve been looking for.

The Tan Book – a 6th grade language arts curriculum

The Tan Book is the 6th grade level of LLATL , a level we’ve been using for a full semester this school year. So most of my opinions on this curriculum are based on this level.

Being an all-in-one curriculum, it covers multiple language arts skills like grammar, spelling, literary analysis, study skills, and more. It also includes four book studies and separate units on using the library, memorizing and oral presentation, and writing a research paper .

It is designed to help kids develop their language arts skills through 36 weeks that are divided into easy-to-use daily plans . There are also tests and assessments peppered throughout the book.

The Tan Book , like all the other Common Sense Press curricula, is teacher-friendly , with little or no teacher preparation needed, making it ideal for independent use.

If you prefer watching a version of this section instead of reading, check my YouTube video:

Why we chose LLATL The Tan Book for 6th grade

Finding the perfect language arts curriculum that fits our family’s needs has been a challenge, but we found a solution in mixing and matching multiple curricula to create our perfect curriculum. This is why our focus has been on using Learning Language Arts Through Literature mainly for its literature and book study components, as these are the areas that we were missing in our curriculum.

What I love about LLATL is its versatility , allowing us to tailor the curriculum to meet our specific needs . We can skip sections, add extra work, or adjust the pacing as needed. This is especially important to us, as Marc has different strengths and weaknesses in language arts. While his reading skills are advanced, he struggles with writing. Moreover, as a working homeschool mom, my time is limited, so having a flexible curriculum is essential.

Before discovering LLATL, we didn’t give much thought to the study of literature. We did book reports in 4th grade , but we never took it further. This year, I wanted to find a curriculum that would introduce literary analysis and book studies in a gentle and manageable way . LLATL has met that need and more. I’m thrilled with our decision to use The Tan Book , their 6th grade language arts curriculum, and I’m excited to share our experience with others.

So taking these aspects into consideration, our language arts curriculum needed to cover these points:

• Not being too repetitive , as Marc is a quick learner and we both dislike busy work.
• Independent , as I wanted something that Marc could work on alone if needed.
• Tests and assessments , as we needed to send these to our advisor.
• A gentle approach , to gradually introduce literary critiques and devices without overwhelming him.
• Literature-based , as classical literature has always been an important aspect of our homeschooling.
• Easy to implement , as I don’t have a lot of time to spend on extensive preparation and planning.
• Flexibility , as we already have favorite writing and vocabulary resources that we want to continue using into high school years.

The Tan Book from Common Sense Press was the perfect choice for us this year. It fulfilled all of our requirements and provided us with the opportunity to delve deeper into literature in a gentle and manageable way. Additionally, with our literature-based history curriculum already incorporating a lot of reading, The Tan Book was the perfect complement, as it only requires reading and analyzing four books per year.

Combining LLATL with other curricula

I appreciate the versatility and flexibility of LLATL and have effectively integrated it with IEW’s Structure and Style for Students 2A for writing, Growing with Grammar for grammar, and Vocabulary from Classical Roots for vocabulary.

The ease of customization makes LLATL a perfect fit for our homeschool schedule , as it can be tailored to meet our specific needs and the pace of my student.

The Tan Book Components: Teacher and Student Books

The Tan Book consists of two primary components: the teacher book and the student book . Additionally, you need to get 4 literature books that you will be studying throughout the year. You can either buy these or borrow them from your local library.

Both the components of this curriculum are printed in black and white , with very few illustrations or other decorative elements. While this can be a problem for some children, I appreciate this straightforward approach that focuses purely on the content. This is an aspect we’ve grown to love in our homeschool.

To get a better idea of the format and content of this curriculum, I would encourage you to check out the comprehensive samples provided by Common Sense Press. These samples include full lessons that you can preview and try out with your kids to determine if this curriculum is a good fit for you.

The Tan Book -Teacher Book

– main component of the program. – has tips for teaching the program successfully. – has answers to exercises and assessments. – has all the pages in the student book + tips and answers on the margin for every exercise. – is very concise.

The Tan Book -Student Activity Book

– has workbook-style pages for kids to write on. – has all the activities and texts students will analyze. – students can write directly on the pages to complete most assignments.

The Teacher’s Book is essentially a copy of the student pages with answers and additional information provided in the margins. This makes it easy for the teacher to monitor the student’s progress and provide guidance as needed.

The lessons are not scripted , which makes it easy to scan for information and find it quickly, allowing for flexibility and ease of use for the teacher. The teacher’s role is mainly to supervise and review the student’s work, rather than deliver formal lessons.

The Student Book is a simple, straightforward workbook designed for independent learning. Most of the work can be filled in directly on the pages of the student’s book, making this a compact curriculum by eliminating the need for additional materials.

There are information boxes scattered throughout the lessons which serve as a helpful reference for students as they work through the curriculum. These boxes summarize key concepts and highlight the most important rules to keep in mind, making it easier for students to quickly review and reinforce what they have learned.

In addition to these, we like using a composition notebook , which Marc uses to answer the literature questions and to organize his writing.

Literature Selection for The Tan Book – The Classics

The four literature books included in The Tan Book curriculum are:

• Carry On ,  Mr. Bowditch   by Jean Latham
• The Bronze Bow   by Elizabeth George Speare (religious content)
• Big Red  by Jim Kjelgaard
• The Horse and His Boy  by C.S. Lewis

I absolutely love this selection of books and I think these are at the right level for a 6th grader that likes reading. They feel challenging enough when it comes to vocabulary and comprehension exercises and they make for great books to discuss with your children.

The questions for these books go in-depth (beyond the simple comprehension questions from elementary years) urging kids to find the mood, theme, or conflict and making them think deeper about the meaning of what they just read.

The reading books have a separate suggested reading schedule and I think this fits perfectly with any reluctant reader since 4 books per year are very accessible and doable.

Marc already loves reading classical books, so LLATL fits him like a glove. But if you want to open an appetite for the classics , I think LLATL would probably help your children discover the beauty of reading classical literature and appreciating it.

• The Taming of the Shrew – William Shakespeare
• Carry On, Mr. Bowdich – Jean Lee Latham
• Bambi – Felix Salten
• The Eagle – Lord Tennyson Alfred
• Little House in the Big Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Story of a Bad Boy – Thomas Bailey Aldrich
• Prince Caspian – C.S. Lewis
• Ivanhoe – Sir Walter Scott
• King of the Wind – Marguerite Henry
• The Wheel on the School – Meindert DeJong
• Jest ‘Fore Christmas – Eugene Field
• The Swiss Family Robinson – Johann Wyss
• The Hiding Place – Corrie Ten Boom
• Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
• Kidnapped – Robert Louis Stevenson
• Robinson Crusoe – Daniel DeFoe
• The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
• Caddie Woodlawn – Carol Ryie Brink
• Gettysburg Address – Abraham Lincoln
• Where the Red Fern Grows – Wilson Rawls
• The Railway Children – E. Nesbit
• The House at the Pooh Corner – A. A. Milne
• Big Red – Jim Kjelgaard
• Anne of Green Gables – L. M. Montgomery
• Aesop’s Fables
• Little Wome n – Louisa May Alcott
• Invincible Louisa – Cornelia Meigs
• The Undecided Man – W. S. Gilbert

Look Inside The Tan Book – Lesson Breakdown

The Tan Book is broken down into 6 sections per lesson . One lesson will cover a week of instruction and there are 36 lessons numbered for ease of use.

The weekly lessons all have a similar layout (starting with a fragment of text, dictation, spelling lists, grammar, literary analysis, and language mechanics), so it will be easy to get used to working from them. This aspect is very important if you want your children to do this independently because they will quickly become familiar with the format.

Weekly Lessons: dictation, spelling, work on the text

Each week (or lesson) begins with a dictation exercise . I like to cover the text in the student book with a large sticky note and dictate the passage from the teacher’s book to Marc.

When he’s done, he can check his work by uncovering the fragment and checking his own work. I love this traditional method because it hones important skills such as editing, reading comprehension, and attention to detail.

Any misspelled words will go on a spelling list and kids will repeat these throughout the week. We usually skip this step completely because Marc is a good speller, but it’s a great option to have if you need more practice.

For the next assignments (spanning over the whole week) kids will dissect the fragment of text further to learn grammar , punctuation , vocabulary , and writing in context.

Learning laguage arts in a contextual manner makes it relevant to kids and I love how the instruction for these is kept light, to the point, and well-organized throughout the lessons so it doesn’t even feel like hard work , just a natural flow from the passage studied.

Additional Activities

Besides the weekly lessons, The Tan Book has dedicated units where kids learn about different aspects of language arts:

• How to conduct personal research – the curriculum takes students through the process of conducting personal research, starting with the meaning and then guiding them through various activities that lead to creating their own personal research project on a topic of their choice.
• Research essay – teaches students how to use a library for research and helps them develop their own research essay through a step-by-step process.
• Memorization and oral presentation – teaches students how to memorize and present the Gettysburg Address.

The enrichment sections , in The Tan Book are optional, but they are a great opportunity for students to develop their skills in making analogies and critical thinking. We love working on these sections.

Assessments

There are 3 types of assessments peppered throughout the book, and you can use these to see exactly where your children need more help.

• Weekly reviews – these will cover all the new concepts from that week. They are a great way to see where your child struggles.
• Assessments sections – these are 4 spiral assessments covering multiple lessons. Very helpful to see if kids still remember previously taught concepts.
• Book studies – This isn’t a formal assessment, but I also use this section to test whether he has issues understanding or analyzing a book he read.

We use these assessment sections to send to our school because we need to submit tests, so I just grade his work on the assessments. Normally these don’t have a grading system, so parents can use them simply to see where children struggle.

Book Studies

The Tan Book contains 4 book studies each of which provides a range of engaging and educational exercises to help children further comprehend and analyze the books they’ve read. These exercises include comprehension questions, crossword puzzles, vocabulary exercises, discussion questions, and fun activities for children.

For example, after reading Carry On, Mr. Bowdich , Marc had to label the parts of a ship and trace the voyages of Mr. Bowditch on a map. Similarly, after reading The Bronze Bow , students are challenged to research old Israelite cities from the time of Jesus and locate them on a map.

These sections also feature a self-check assessment to encourage children to strive for their best and be mindful of their work. Additionally, the book study includes step-by-step checklists to guide children through the exercises, helping to foster important skills such as following instructions and completing work independently.

Why we love Learning Language Arts Through Literature – The Tan Book

I love LLATL and I’m surprised that it’s been around for a while, yet few people know about it in the homeschool communities. I think it’s an excellent language arts curriculum that could work for a lot of homeschoolers because it’s so versatile.

The Tan Book is an excellent comprehensive 6th-grade language arts curriculum, perfect for parents that need to introduce language arts in a gentle, progressive manner. There are so many aspects I love about this curriculum and I urge you to check their samples and see if it’s something that you would love as well.

Versatile and easy to implement

The Tan Book is designed to make learning enjoyable and simple , and that’s exactly what we needed. The daily lessons are quick and efficient , taking no more than 20-40 minutes, which I find to be the perfect amount of time to touch on the skills Marc needs to know to prepare for high school.

Not only is this curriculum easy for the students , it’s also teacher-friendly . No need for extensive preparation time or jumping through hoops. The lessons are organized and laid out in a way that makes it simple for me to follow along and support Marc’s learning. And with everything he needs in one book, from lessons to workbook pages and informative boxes, it’s a compact and convenient solution for us .

Skipping sections my son had already mastered is a breeze, and I even condensed the 6 sections into just 3 days a week to make room for additional language arts curricula or enrichment activities. I think this language arts curriculum works great with other homeschool-friendly curricula and we used it successfully in our homeschool in conjunction with separate writing, grammar, and vocabulary curricula.

Short and to the point, no frills

As a busy homeschool parent, I appreciate a curriculum that gets straight to the point and teaches the necessary skills in the most efficient way. That’s why I love Learning Language Arts Through Literature .

Although the black and white pages and simple design may not be visually appealing to younger grades, it’s perfect for my sixth grader. He’s more interested in the ease of understanding and straightforward way of working through the material , and The Tan Book delivers just that.

In the past 6 months of using The Tan Book , I’ve seen a significant improvement in Marc’s love for literature and appreciation for the English language .

Allows student independence

One of the things I love about LLATL is that it encourages student independence . The daily lessons are clearly organized and laid out in a way that most kids can work through them with minimal assistance. Of course, this may vary based on the child’s age or areas of difficulty, but I believe that most kids in 5th grade and up should be able to complete these lessons on their own with minimal help.

I find this aspect of The Tan Book particularly beneficial, as Marc is able to work through almost all of his daily assignments independently. I’m only there to assist with the weekly dictation section and to check his work, freeing up more time for me to focus on other aspects of homeschooling. Even for the book study sections, Marc is able to complete the final work independently, after we have a discussion about each point.

This level of independence not only helps my son build confidence in his abilities, but it also allows him to work at his own pace and take ownership of his learning , making the process more engaging and enjoyable for him.

Integrated approach to language arts

Teaching language arts in literature , through exposure to great writing , is a sure way to develop a love for correct language structure, rich vocabulary, and high-level writing that’s only found in classic literature. This is important for children, particularly to develop critical thinking, analytical, and higher-order thinking skills.

I really love this integrated approach to learning language arts and it’s something that we love about Fix It! Grammar , too. Learning in context makes concepts stick and they are much easier to understand.

Embracing Rich Literature and Engaging Discussions

I have always felt that curricula that rely solely on basal readers, or even texts written by the curriculum providers are unsatisfying and lacking in depth. I believe that kids should be exposed to wholesome, classical literature that challenges them to use a wide range of skills, including decoding, analysis, summarization, and contextual understanding.

That’s why I am a huge fan of Learning Language Arts Through Literature . The curriculum includes a fantastic selection of classic literature , and the book study sections are designed to spark engaging and thought-provoking discussions . Each week, we devote time to working through the activities and analyzing each book in the special sections and it’s been a pleasant experience for both of us.

I love how the skills we learn through LLATL can be easily applied to other texts, and it’s exactly the type of literary analysis I wanted to introduce to my middle-schooler.

Finding affordable resources that support my children’s learning can be a challenge. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to discover that LLATL is not only high-quality but also affordable. Common Sense Press offers PDF versions of the books, making them more accessible for families who are on a tight budget.

Furthermore, Common Sense Press runs regular sales , making it even more affordable for homeschoolers.

Keep reading to the end of this article to get a discount code for 15% off your order regardless of the curriculum you choose!

How do I know if LLATL is right for me?

I believe that the Learning Language Arts Through Literature curriculum would be a great choice for many families. However, I understand that every family is unique and may have different needs and preferences. That’s why I’ve created a list of pros and cons to help you determine if LLATL would be a good fit for your family.

I highly recommend checking out the previews and trying out LLATL yourself before making a decision. This way, you can get a better sense of whether it would be a good fit for your family.

You’ll love LLATL if

– you want to teach language arts through literature – you want to use rich, classical text in your homeschool – you want a no-frills curriculum – you want an all-in-one language arts curriculum – you want an open-and-go language arts curriculum – you need an easy-to-follow approach to language arts – you want an affordable language arts curriculum – you want your kids to work independently – you want a versatile curriculum for language arts – you need a compact curriculum – you have struggling children that need a gentle approach to language arts – you have children that aren’t particularly interested in language arts

LLATL is not for you if

– your children are very advanced in language arts already and they need a more challenging curriculum – you want a completely secular language arts curriculum – the Charlotte Mason approach is not right for your family – you want to read modern literature – you want full color books to work from

Do I need to buy both the teacher’s book and the student’s book for LLATL?

You can opt for just the student book if you are comfortable making some modifications. The teacher book includes answers on the page margins, so you may need to cover these. Additionally, the student book allows for in-book writing while the teacher book has limited writing space. A composition notebook could be used as an alternative for your child to write down answers. But I suggest buying both the student and the teacher book if you plan to encourage your children to work independently through this program.

Is LLATL secular?

No, LLATL is not a purely secular curriculum. It contains some religious themes and references in certain passages or literary works. For example, The Bronze Bow , a book suggested in The Tan Book , features Jesus and Christian elements in its comprehension questions. It’s important to review the curriculum and literature suggestions before deciding if it’s a good fit for your family’s beliefs and values.

How does LLATL work?

LLATL is a comprehensive literature-based language arts curriculum designed to be versatile and flexible to fit the needs of different homeschooling families.

The curriculum is user-friendly, with a clear and straightforward format, making it easy for parents to follow and implement. It’s also an open-and-go style curriculum, which means that there is no need for additional preparation or planning, making it an ideal option for busy homeschooling families. Additionally, the curriculum is self-contained, meaning that children who are able to read and write on their own can work through it independently, with minimal help.

This flexible and easy-to-use curriculum provides a comprehensive learning experience that covers reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary, and more, making it a great choice for homeschooling families who want to provide a solid foundation in language arts for their children.

Where can I get help with LLATL?

Common Sense Press, the publisher of LLATL, provides top-notch customer service and is the best place to get help with any questions you have about the curriculum. You can visit their website for more information. If you’d like to connect with other parents who are using LLATL, there are various Facebook groups you can join by searching “LLATL”. These groups offer a community of support and a place to share experiences and insights.

FREE Sample of my Figurative Language Pack

Since we focused on literary analysis this homeschool year, I created a Figurative Language Pack for Marc that will soon be ready for purchase in my shop.

I am offering a sample of the Figurative Language Pack for free for my readers. You get a full preview of the Simile and Metaphor sections and a sneak peek into the other sections.

My subscribers will get a generous discount on the upcoming pack and they already received this file in their inbox. So make sure to subscribe if you want to benefit from all the exclusive offers.

Figurative Language – Figures of Speech {SAMPLE}

Conclusion and a llatl discount code for my readers.

The Tan Book from Common Sense Press is an invaluable resource for us. This curriculum takes a gentle and progressive approach to language arts by immersing students in rich literature and providing them with opportunities to model their skills through supporting questions and activities.

And since you’ve stayed with me till the end, Common Sense Press gave me a special discount coupon of 15% off just for you to use when you purchase any Common Sense Press curriculum:

monkeyandmom15

Did you use LLATL in your homeschool before? What was your experience? If you didn’t use it, would you consider trying it? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to talk to you about this curriculum.

This post may contain affiliate links. By making a purchase through these links, I get a small percentage for the item you bought while the price stays the same for you. Thank you for supporting me . As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Read my Disclosure to find out more about how I support my website and how you can help.

I'm a homeschool mom and photographer that loves reading, traveling and writing about our homeschool adventures.

I live in Europe with my 13-year-old son who is a handful to raise and educate. He is gifted in STEM and my opposite in every way. So life is never boring for us.

I've been homeschooling for 7 years ⭐️ now and I feel I still have so much to explore and learn but at the same time, I've gathered a lot of information during these years.

I want to share my ideas and discoveries with you and I love talking to other homeschool parents and learning from them.

"We rise by lifting others" is my favorite motto. That's why I love sharing and helping whenever I can. So don't shy away from dropping me a line. I always love hearing from you 🤗

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Learning Language Arts Through Literature: An Open-n-Go Charlotte Mason Education

"Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there in every child's mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the result of any process of disciplinary education." ~Charlotte Mason

Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL)

• composition
• study skills

Everyday Words

• "America" by Samuel Francis Smith
• Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
• The Trumpet of the Swan  by E.B. White
• David Livingstone, Foe of Darkness by Jeanette Eaton
• Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
• Amos Fortune, Free Man  by Elizabeth Yates
• "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key

Oral Presentations, Research, and Writing Skills

Additional activities.

What I like about LLATL

It begins and ends with great literature., it's an open-n-go program., i have seen marked improvement..

How I've tweaked LLATL to fit our homeschool

I save room for delight-directed reading., i incorporate the spelling words into our current spelling program. , i slow down, speed up, and skip as needed..

More thoughts on a Charlotte Mason Education

21 comments:.

Thanks for this review. I'm with you--I could homeschool for free if I had unlimited time, but with a dozen darlings to watch over, I need open-and-go ease. :) This has given me some good information to ponder.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way!

Hi Jamie, I have been following you since my husband and I decided to home school our youngest last fall. We love the English 3 you have suggested in the past, but from this particular blog, I can see why you are excited. I have a question. Our daughter is finishing up English 3 Grammar and writing. We really enjoyed it. However, Jael (our daughter) only liked writing the "Poem & story" portion of the curriculum. Would you suggest we keep going with English 4 or switch to LLATL this fall? Your thoughts are appreciated, thanks!

I suppose it depends upon your daughter. I think they are both really good programs. If she is doing well with English 3, then I see no reason to switch. That being said, I plan to switch all of my kids over to LLATL next year because I'm not a huge fan of the BJU highschool grammar. Since my daughter will be starting 9th grade, she will need something else for language arts. For sanity's sake, I don't really want two of my kids in one program and two in the other. However, should I get into the new year and find that LLATL isn't a good match for one or both of my two middle sons, I won't have any problems going back to BJU English.

Hmm...You may be right about sticking with BJU because it's a good fit, and I only have one student! I think I may wait another year to see what your thoughts are having another year under your belt. Thanks for getting back.

Love your review. I also like how you adapted the spelling, great idea for us to incorporate next year. We started using LLATL this year and the kids love it. One of the things that they really like about this curriculum was that they could actually see how the grammar was being used in the literature versus random sentences. It makes more sense to them and is easier to understand. Thanks again.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. Grammar makes more sentence when you look at it through the context of paragraphs, not just random, unrelated sentences.

Sounds good,I just have one concern about how to cover different stiles of writing such as opinion or expository ? Thanks

I've used LLATL for all my kids, from 2nd grade to high school. I love how easy it is to use and it's gentle, "no tears" approach. When newbie homeschoolers ask me what I use for LA, I have no hesitation recommending this program. Thank you for your review!

I always trust your opinions on curriculum. I've used All About Reading with my oldest (she is 8) and we are currently in Level 3. However, I feel I need a "deeper" curriculum now that she is not sounding out words and is an avid reader. I think LLATL might be a good fit for us. She is the oldest of 4 children, so I really need open-and-go curriculum that gets the job done without fluff and a ton of prep before I can even sit down to teach a lesson! Thank you so much for this review. It is very helpful in helping me make this decision on what I should do for my daughter.

I've not used AAR, so it is difficult to make a comparison. I do think that LLATL is a great resource. It's not over-rigorous like some popular homeschool language programs. But, it gives a great foundation.

I know this is an old post but I have a question: I'm currently homeschooling one kindergartner and I've been leaning towards doing a charlotte mason language arts. But I have three more littles I'll eventually be homeschooling also. Do you think it would work to do a complete CM language. Reading, narration and copywork. And then switch to a program such as this when he hits grade 4. (If I start feeling like it's too much work inventing the wheel with four kids) Or would it be hard for a kids that's never done workbook style language to jump into a program like this? Thanks so much for your blog. It's really helped me as I am starting to figure out how I want to homeschool my kids. I do many of our subjects the same as you. This is one I just can't make up my mind on though.

I don't think it would be difficult at all. I have my youngest kids give most of their answers to me orally, so there's no worksheet feel to it at all. It is as close to Charlotte Mason as I've ever found in any pre-fabbed curriculum.

Excited to see that there is now a 3rd edition!

I don't know if you read comments on old posts but figured I would try! We have been looking into LLATL for next year for my 6th grader. I have read some complaints that it seems to jump around a lot. I see that you have actually used the curriculum for multiple years and was wondering if you feel like the content is well organized.

Like any Charlotte Mason type program, it does jump around because it teaches grammar in context and not through a scope-and-sequence like a traditional textbook curriculum would. That's actually why I love it for the elementary and middle school years. There is plenty of time to switch to a more rigorous program in high school.

Thank you for replying. This is true there is plenty of time for that! We have used a more formal grammar program and it is just not enjoyable. I think we will give this a try. Thank you for your thorough review and helpful response.

If I remember right you homeschool 4 days a week, is that correct? I really want to use this program next year but we only do formal schooling 4 days a week. How did you get this to fit into one school year? Thank you!

We do it 4-days-a-week and get as far as we get by the end of the year. Like all spiral review curriculums, this one reviews all previously learned material throughout the year. So, should we not complete the book, I know that we'll hit those missed topics next year. (FYI...I've only completed a book three times in the 20+ years I've taught both in and out of the curriculum because curriculums were not designed to be completed. I worked for the largest homeschool curriculum company in the country for four years and know the statistics and reasoning behind this.)

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!

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Learning Language Arts through Literature - The Blue Book

The Learning Language Arts Through Literature series begins with The Blue Book . This complete beginning phonics and language arts program artfully integrates phonics instruction with all of the other areas of language arts that need to be covered at first grade level: reading skills, spelling, handwriting, and grammar. The course also teaches more higher-order thinking skills than do many other first grade programs.

Based on Dr. Ruth Beechick's ideas about learning, the course does not assume that children learned to read in kindergarten. However, children should be able to identify letters, and it would be very helpful if they know some or most of the primary sounds of the letters. Early in the course, the first group of letters— a, n, r , and t— is introduced. In this same lesson, students learn about consonants and vowels as well as blending letters to form words. This progression will likely be too fast for children who do not already know letters and sounds.

The course teaches with many hands-on activities and incorporates real books along with the program's readers. Those who like Charlotte Mason's approach to education will probably like Dr. Beechick's as well, although there are minor differences. For example, while some questions ask for specific answers, many are open-ended as Charlotte Mason recommends.

The Blue Book program comes in a boxed set that includes the teacher manual, the student activity book, three sets of beginning readers (28 readers in all), and a materials packet. The consumable student activity book can also be purchased separately for additional students.

The third edition student workbooks are now printed in full color, probably the most noticeable improvement over the second edition course. Pages are well designed with plenty of space for tracing, writing, drawing, and other activities. Some pages (blank on the reverse side) will be removed from the student workbook and used for activities and the creation of small books.

Many types of activities are built into the lessons so that students learn through all of their senses. This approach is especially good for wiggly students with short attention spans. Students work with color-coded letters, phonograms, and words, and specially designed letter dice. These items are cut out (and sometimes put together) from heavy cardstock pages in the materials packet.

Immediately after students learn the first few letters and sounds, they are introduced to the first readers to experience the fun of actually reading. The readers are small with black-line illustrations. They are similar to the popular Bob Books , but the illustrations in the readers that come with The Blue Book course look more professional and the stories are sometimes humorous.

The teacher manual has detailed lesson plans, but they are not scripted. However, they do tell you what to show, tell, ask, etc. in a step-by step fashion. Some preparation time is required to plan ahead and collect materials like books from the library, glue, crayons, markers, popsicle sticks, and old catalogs or magazines. Materials needed are listed at the beginning of each lesson in the teacher manual.

As part of many of the lessons, parents read stories to the student from storybooks constructed from the student activity book as well as from popular children's books that can be found at the library. Many of the included stories are fanciful, including some Aesop's Fables and other tales. The content is wholesome, but not overtly Christian.

Spelling and grammar instruction is truly integrated within the lessons rather than being treated as two additional isolated subjects as we find in most programs. Handwriting receives some separate attention as students are taught letter formation then practice those forms. The style of handwriting is unusual: it is a straight up and down style of printing, but it has an unusual italic/slant print look because most horizontal lines and curves are drawn on a slant. This style is used throughout the handwriting lessons but not on the movable-letter cards or in the readers. This is neither good nor bad, just different. You can select another handwriting style to teach, but you will need to re-create the handwriting worksheets if you do so.

The phonics coverage begins with letters and sounds then continues through long- and short-vowels, and consonant blends. However, you will need to continue with the next course, The Red Book ,  to complete coverage of all phonograms.

The Blue Book requires more preparation and presentation time than do some other programs. However, the program impresses me as being one of the most interesting from a child's point of view.

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.

Learning Language Arts Through Literature Blue Program 3rd Ed.

• $82.74 at Christianbook.com
• $83.95 at Rainbowresource.com

Core Curricula

• Art & Music
• Bible & Religion
• Catholic Curricula
• Composition & Grammar
• Early Learning / Preschool
• Foreign Language
• Handwriting
• History & Geography
• Grade Level Packages & Courses
• Math Supplements
• Phonics & Reading
• Spelling & Vocabulary
• Unit Studies & All-In-One Programs
• Register | Log in

Publisher's Info

• Common Sense Press
• (321) 419-8163
• https://www.commonsensepress.com/

Note: Publishers, authors, and service providers never pay to be reviewed. They do provide free review copies or online access to programs for review purposes.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guidelines Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Theoretical Framework, Literature Review, and the Current Project

• First Online: 17 January 2019

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This chapter first provides the theoretical underpinnings for the studies described in this book, including the component approach to reading, cross-linguistic transfer, and metalinguistic awareness in reading development, and the input-driving view of learning. The chapter also reviews current literature on learning to read through one-way immersion programs involving different language pairs, notably French immersion in Canada, foreign language immersion in North America, and English immersion in China. Based on the review, this chapter outlines the research questions and methodology used in the current project.

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Lü, C. (2019). Theoretical Framework, Literature Review, and the Current Project. In: Chinese Literacy Learning in an Immersion Program. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04987-4_3

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