LA Daze

My house is a mess, why? Because I have piles of stuff I've pulled to sell. If I don't sell this stuff by Janurary 28th, I've resolved to donate to the public library and BookSamaritan.com. It will cost money to send stuff to Book Samaritan but I think in the long run, that will help other homeschoolers.

Okay, we are 90% sure we're moving in June to another church in Georgia. So I'm purging, clearning and trying to downsize all that but dh is a pack rat and won't allow me to touch anything he deems important.

Language Arts is MESSING WITH MY HEAD. I keep yelling, "SERENITY NOW!" but nothing comes. Lol. Where First Language Lessons was stagnant for us, Primary Language Lessons by Emma Serl seems to be perfect for us.

Primary Language Lessons contains:

Good literature. Emma Serl makes liberal use of writings by the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson and Samuel Taylor Coleridge as well as fables, folklore and maxims.

Famed artwork. Using reproductions of prominent paintings, Miss Serl trains children in observation and discussion. A unique approach to teaching oral language skills, it helps train children in art appreciation as well.

Comprehensive lessons and drills in the things parents want their children to master. The exercises here cover proper English usage, composition, punctuation, memorization, speaking, letter writing, dictation, reading and etiquette in writing.

Honestly, I haven't read anything negative about Primary or Intermediate Language Lessons. I didn't look at these closely when I chose First Language Lessons because I was WTM brainwashed- been that is fine. Primary LL is for 2nd-3rd grade, which is probably another reason I didn't look at it closely for 1st grade.

I think I have the path laid out with integrating PLL and ILL:

3rd - finish ETC books; Writing Tales 1; Spelling Workout C/D; Primary Language Lessons
4th - Writing Tales 2; Spelling Workout D/E; Intermediate Language Lessons
5th - Classical Writing: Poetry for Beginners; SWO E/F; Intermediate Language Lessons; Junior Analytical Grammar

6th: CC: Chreia; Critical Thinking Books 1&2 *or* Art of the Argument; SWO F/G
7th: CC: Maxim; Traditional Logic I & II; Analytical Grammar; SWO G/H
8th: CC Refutation/Confirmation, Common Topic; Traditional II or Material Logic; Analytical Grammar; Vocab from Classic Roots A/B
9th: CC Encomium/Invective/Comparison; Material Logic or Classical Rhetoric; Analytical Grammar; Vocab from Classic Roots C/D/E
10th: CC Characterization and Description, Thesis/Law; Classical Rhetoric with Aristotle; AG's High School Review

CC is Classical Composition

*A veteran with extensive logic experience told me that Traditional Logic I should be done before doing Refutation/Confirmation.

Where we're headed makes even the curricula decision in 1-4 important, the foundation is vital.