Holistic Lessons for all Learners

The Logic of English® Essentials curriculum includes 40 lessons to introduce the 74 Basic Phonograms and 30 Spelling Rules. While the spelling list includes 480 of the most frequently used words, students learn thousands of additional words with the lessons as they learn how to write compound words and add prefixes and suffixes to form derivatives.

Lesson Structure

Each lesson is divided into three parts.

PART ONE

Part 1 includes Phonograms, Exploring Sounds, and Spelling Rules.

In the Phonogram section students learn new phonograms and review phonograms from previous lessons through games and multi-sensory learning activities.

Exploring Sounds activities correspond to the phonemic awareness component of the five strands of reading instruction as designated by the National Reading Panel. In this section students learn how sounds are formed, vowels, consonants, syllables, and limits to some of the phonograms. This section also leads teachers and students in exploring the sounds that have more than one option for spelling.

Finally the Spelling Rules section engages students in a process to discover the rules that govern English by analyzing sample words.

PART TWO

 

In Part 2 students learn to spell words through dictation. New readers spell their way into reading as they learn the logic behind each word. A detailed, two-page chart is included to help introduce the 15 words included in each lesson.

PART THREE

Part 3 of Logic of English® Essentials provides meaningful ways for students to practice words while expanding their knowledge of print. Part 3 is divided into four sections:

 

Logic of English® Essentials does not stop at teaching students how to read and spell words. It also systematically teaches students how to put words together to form sentences including basic punctuation.

The Grammar section teaches students the parts of speech, the importance of learning grammar, punctuation, and usage.

Vocabulary Development activities teach students how to form new words by combining words into compound words and by adding suffixes and prefixes. These activities also teach students how to look to the root to discover the meaning of unknown words and for hints in spelling multi-syllable words.

Students Learn Through Discovery

In Logic of English® Essentials students receive examples of words and are then asked to form a hypothesis about the rule that is governing those words. In this way, students not only discover the rules and patterns that govern English, but also learn how to ask questions about language and analyze words and sentences. These higher-order thinking skills not only aid students in learning to read and spell, but also teach them learning skills for all areas of academics. The Teacher's Manual includes scripting and sample words in order to support teachers in this process.

Prevent Boredom

Too often curriculum designers take the easy way out and follow the same pattern for every lesson. The first few days are new and exciting for students, but the freshness quickly wears off and in sets boredom. While the Logic of English® Essentials follows the same outline for the content of every lesson, each lesson includes a variety of new activities, games, and approaches to teaching in order to engage the attention of both the teachers and the students throughout the program.

Engaging Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Visual Learners

Lessons include a variety of activities and teaching points to engage all learning styles. Brain research demonstrates that students learn best when they use all four learning modes: hearing, seeing, doing, and speaking. With this in mind, Logic of English® Essentials lessons include activities that utilize all four modes. This allows students to use their learning style of strength while strengthening areas of weakness.

Strong Instructional Support

The Logic of English® Essentials promotes instructional consistency whether a teacher is a trained specialist or new to teaching. Clear, streamlined lessons combined with numerous additional activities empower teachers to determine the pacing of the lessons.

Learn With Your Students

We designed The Logic of English® Essentials Teacher's Manual so that teachers can discover the logic underlying English words alongside their students. Sample dialog, written examples, teacher tips, and detailed charts provide teachers with the support they need to teach the 74 Phonograms, 30 Spelling Rules, and 80 grammar concepts while learning them with the students.

Streamline Lessons with Abundant Practice Opportunities

Many programs move too slowly or too quickly. Logic of English® Essentials allows teachers to easily tailor the pace with streamlined lesson plans that include abundant practice activities clearly set aside in blue boxes throughout the curriculum. Since students vary in the amount of practice they need to master the phonograms, rules, and words presented, each lesson includes numerous additional activities marked with the learning styles that are engaged by the activity. Additional activities include games, independent learning opportunities, and other activities that enhance the learning experience.