Essentials Curriculum Build Your Own Set

Description
Additional Info
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Student workbooks are available in Cursive and Manuscript. The workbooks are identical except for the font used in the examples, cursive or manuscript. Choose one format of either Cursive or Manuscript workbooks.

For more information, see the Essentials Curriculum Page

Format Choices

We offer the Essentials™ Curriculum in two formats: printed and digital PDF. The printed Teacher's Manual is a durable hardcover, and workbooks are quality paperback, with perforated pages for easy tear-out.

The digital PDF format is also available in two file options, one intended for reading electronically with a computer or tablet, such as an iPad, the other for printing. The digital version is laid out with two page spreads and uses RGB colors for optimum display on an electronic display. The printable version uses single page layout and CMYK colors which is optimal for printing.

We have many customers who have happily used the entire curriculum digitally on an iPad, with no printed books, not even the workbooks. A number of handy apps are available for the iPad which allow students to "write" on the workbook pages electronically. Users have successfully used apps such as GoodReader, Adobe Reader, and others for this.

A note on printing PDFs - Some customers purchase the PDF version because it is cheaper, and intend to print it themselves. They are often shocked when they realize how much it takes to print these books. The Teacher's Manual is 612 pages and the workbook is 484 pages. Printing on most home printers will cost way more than the printed price of either of these books.

Curriculum Sets and Options

Required Supplements

The following products are needed for use with the Essentials Curriculum:

Basic Phonogram Flash Cards

Optional Supplements

The following products are not required, but are scheduled in the curriculum.

More Info

Helping teachers and students discover the Logic of English.

The Logic of English Essentials curriculum includes forty lessons which introduce the 74 Basic Phonograms and 30 Spelling Rules. While the spelling list includes 480 words 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.

Logic of English Essentials teaches through discovery. In this method, students are presented examples of words and asked to form a hypothesis about the rule that is governing those words. In this way, students are not only learning the rules and patterns which govern English, but also how to ask questions about language and analyze words and sentences. These higher order thinking skills will not only aid students in learning to read and spell in English but teach them how to approach the study of a foreign language as well. The Teacher's Manual includes scripting and sample words in order to support teachers in this process.

Supporting Teachers

The Logic of English Essentials Teacher's Manual is designed so that teachers can discover the logic underlying English words alongside their students. Sample dialog, 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.

Though a teacher who has mastered this content will be most effective, at Pedia Learning Inc. we understand that the phonograms and spelling rules are new to most teachers, parents, and tutors. We have designed our Teacher's Manual and supporting materials to promote instructional consistency and support new teachers.

Engaging Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Visual Learners

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

Streamline Lessons with Abundant Optional Practice

Many programs move too slowly or too quickly. Logic of English Essentials allows teachers to easily tailor the pace with streamline lesson plans that include abundant optional practice activities clearly set aside in blue boxes throughout the curriculum. Since students vary in the amount of practice they will need to master the phonograms, rules, and words presented, each lesson includes numerous optional activities marked with the learning styles that are engaged by the activity. Optional activities are labeled “Extra Practice” in the Student Workbook allowing the teacher to retain control over the decision about which activities may be skipped. Optional activities include games, independent learning opportunities, and activities that may be assigned to a teacher's aid thereby allowing instruction to remain consistent.

Preventing 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, however, the freshness quickly wears off and boredom sets in. 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.

Video Tour

Structure of the Lessons

Each lesson is divided into three parts.

Part 1

Part 1 is broken into three sections: 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 which have more than one option for spelling.

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

Part 2

In Part 2 students learn to spell words through dictation. New readers will spell their way into reading as they learn the logic behind each word. A detailed two page chart is included to support the teacher in introducing the 15 words included in each lesson. Lessons can also used to improve the spelling of students who are reading at or above grade level. Many teachers and parents have found that strong readers become even better readers as they learn the logic of English spelling.

Part 3

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: Grammar, Vocabulary Development, Dictation, and Composition.

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 punctation. 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.

Cursive

We suggest teaching cursive before manuscript as is discussed in this article.

Pre-press Reviews

“Comprehensive, clearly presented, interesting, and complete, The Logic of English Essentials provides teachers a holistic way to teach English reading, spelling, writing and grammar. Whether a beginning, struggling, or adult student, you will find this an exciting and fun guide to developing proficient readers, and spellers. This is truly a ‘new paradigm’ for teachers and students.”
—Dr. Robert Sweet, Jr., President, National Right to Read Foundation

“The Logic of English Essentials curriculum fills a huge need in helping native and non-native English students understand how our language works. Finally, I don’t have to keep saying, ‘That’s an exception.’ Now I can give my students the tools to understand written English in a way that’s relevant and meaningful so they can read and write proficiently.”
—Homeschool Parent and ESL Teacher

"My son, age 10, has always struggled with reading. The simplest words and combinations seemed out of reach. We began The Logic of English Essentials, approximately six months ago. In that time we have seen growth to where I no longer consider him a non-reader. He now takes on chapter books, and while reading is still a challenge, I have seen several victories. The phonogram cards are especially helpful, and when he applies what he has learned from them, his reading is quite wonderful. I'm very pleased with the program, and am now using it with my second son!"
— Homeschool Parent and Special Education Teacher