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.
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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.
| Book | Suggested Grade Level |
| Blue | 1 |
| Red | 2 |
| Yellow | 3 |
| Orange | 4 |
| Purple | 5 |
| Tan | 6 |
| Green | 7 |
| Gray | 8 |
| Gold | Grades 9-12 |
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
- And more
Similarly, the novels also include well-known and high-quality titles, such as:
- Goodnight moon
- Balto
- Number the Stars
- Madeline
- The Boxcar Children
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- Much Ado About Nothing
- Ben and Me
- 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.
| Level | Examples of Units |
| Yellow | Everyday Words, Literature Link |
| Orange | Everyday Words, Book Study, Journal Writing, Research Unit, Newspaper Unit, Poetry Unit, Story Writing and Book Making |
| Purple | Everyday Words, Oral Presentation, Poetry Unit, Book Study, Speech Making |
| Tan | Book Study, How to Conduct Personal Research, The Research Essay, Gettysburg Address |
| Green | Dictation Lesson, Poetry Unit, Book Study, The Short Story, Research Unit |
| Gray | Dictation Lesson, Book Study, Writing A Biography, Writing Unit, Narrative, Persuasive, Comparative, Research Papers |
| Gold | |
| American Literature | The Short Story, The Essay, Poetry, Novel Study |
| British Literature | Romantic Poets, Victorian Poets, Modern Poets |
| World Literature | Early Literature, Epic Poetry, Medieval Renaissance, Enlightenment-Romanticism, The Short Story, 20th Century Literature |
| Literary Criticism | The 5-Paragraph Essay, The College Essay, The Short Story, Memoirs, Non-Fiction, The 5-Page Essay, Focus on the Reader, Focus on the Author, Focus on Society, History and Culture, The Play, Poetry, Satire, The 10-Page Essay |
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
Pros
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.
Cons
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.
Or
Or
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
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.
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.