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First Language Lessons Level 1
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Product Overview
A complete grammar text for the youngest student, Level 1 uses copywork, narration, picture study, and other classical techniques to develop the student’s language ability. From nouns and verbs to punctuation and capitalization, these easy-to-use, scripted lessons will give your child a solid foundation in grammar and clear communication. This teacher book is all you need for this level – no workbook! Students write the copywork on the lined paper they prefer.
Because Level 2 assumes knowledge of the concepts taught in Level 1, students in both first and second grade should start with Level 1. Students who complete Level 1 in 1st grade should move on to Level 2 in 2nd grade; students who complete Level 1 in 2nd grade may move on to FLL 3.
Titles Available in this Bundle
First Language Lessons Level 1
A complete grammar text for young students, First Language Lessons Level 1 uses copywork, narration, picture study, and other classical techniques to develop language ability. All you need is the teacher’s book and the lined paper of your choice. First- and second-graders should begin with Level 1.
First Language Lessons, Audio Companion
Memorize the parts of speech easily with catchy songs, and enjoy listening to the fun poems, entertaining stories, and memorable rhymes! The Audio Companion comes in CD or MP3 format, and is designed to accompany Levels 1 & 2.
Abigail Krieger –
These lessons are quick and easy but very comprehensive. I feel that this provides the perfect foundation for early writing.
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Sandy –
How many lessons do you recommend completing a day for a 7 and 8 year old?
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WTM Press Minion –
We don’t recommend more than one lesson a day…we usually suggest trying for 2 or 3 lessons a week.
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Adel –
How long do each of theses lessons take to complete?
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WTM Press Minion –
Each lesson takes about 25 minutes.
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Lindsey Buhl –
Gentle introduction for the non-reader. Lessons took 5-10 min and my kids enjoyed them!
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Leslie –
We are pulling our 9yo with ADHD from public school (4th grade currently) and starting homeschooling in Fall. District says he is below grade standard but i dont know how below. Should I start from book 1 and work up to book 4 to cover unknown knowledge gaps? I don’t want to waste time but I want to make sure he has the requisite knowledge base before entering “middle school” age.
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Answer Desk –
You should be able to start with Level 3, which reviews the prior material. Level 4 will do the same. If you do those two levels, he will be ready for Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind in 7th grade, which many students do (some start in high school because their school did not teach grammar).
If he is highly averse to writing, you could go with Level 1 just to get a positive start, as Levels 1 & 2 are primarily oral (do not start with Level 2, it does not review Level 1 material). Most older students will go through these levels more quickly than usual, but there is no need to rush it. Mastery is the goal, and plenty of students are studying grammar in high school.
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Rana –
What is the age I can begin lessons? Is it suitable for a 5 year old?
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Answer Desk –
There is no need to start it in kindergarten, as students will have plenty of time to master elementary grammar if they start in first or second grade. For kindergarten language arts, we recommend focusing on phonics such as The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading, Revised Edition Instructor Book, a handwriting program, and of course reading lots of great books.
Having said that, sometimes a 5-yr-old goes along for the ride with an older sibling, and that’s fine and practically unavoidable, or you have a student who really wants more. In those cases, be aware that Level 1 is mostly oral, but does have copywork beginning around Lesson 42, along with narration, poetry memorization, and other techniques. Should you decide to try it with a 5-year-old, be prepared to go slowly or put it away until next year if needed. It should not be a struggle.
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Adelaide –
I have a 7 year old daughter and a 6 year old son entering grade 2 and grade 1, respectively. I am interested in using First Language Lessons to gently introduce them to grammar. I was hoping to simplify my homeschool day and combine the grammar lessons for both of them since they are starting out together (we have a 1 year-old, as well. Not doubling on subjects would be ideal). I’m just not sure if I should start with Level 1 or Level 2. Based on some of the following additional information, let me know what you would advise:
My 7 year old daughter is a voracious reader and basically taught herself how to read by the time she was 4. Until very recently, however, she seemed to struggle to find the words to narrate back what she was reading. Again, this has recently improved, but the retelling skills and rich vocabulary use, despite all the reading, was slow coming. Her penmanship is quite neat with proper spacing and she copies written work with ease and can easily write multiple sentences, up to a short paragraph or poem with no complaints.
My son is 6 and working steadily through a phonics program and can sound out most CVC words with general ease but does easily get frustrated with the time it takes to learn to read and sound out words. This might be because his mind and mouth race faster than his developmental level. His oral acquisition of vocabulary has always been stellar and he remembers what words mean after a quick definition and applies them correctly almost immediately. His vocabulary is very rich for a 6 year old. In terms of handwriting, his actual penmanship is getting neater but he still mixes up a few letters and gets very fidgety when doing handwriting exercises unless it’s for a purpose that motivates him (writing a birthday card, sending a secret message, writing his own story). A short 4-5 word sentence is probably his current limit before he wants to move on.
I like the pacing of level 1 for my son and the fact that the copy work is very gentle. I think my daughter wouldn’t lose complete patience with level 1, but I do think she would be challenged more appropriately with level 2.
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Answer Desk –
This is an easy choice, because you have to start with Level 1, as Level 2 assumes prior knowledge (this is not true for Levels 3 and 4 for older students).
I do think the inclusion of things like poetry memorization and picture study will help hold her interest, and the copy work is meant to be adjusted for the particular student. For example, the copy work for a certain poem offers three choices: copy the title, author, and first line; copy the title, author, and first two lines; copy the title, author, and first stanza. Those are the suggestions given for ease of use, and you could of course adjust it still further. The narration exercises will probably hit the sweet spot for her and offer some challenge.
I’d probably recommend combining them even without a baby in the mix!
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Paris –
We are new to homsechooling and are choosing curricula for our second grader. Does this curriculum need to be paired with Writing With Ease? Or does First Language Lessons 1 include the writing component of the language arts core. Thank you for your help.
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Answer Desk –
First Language Lessons includes the foundational writing skill of narration (putting ideas into words) and a limited amount of copywork (putting words down on paper) that you will also see in the beginning of Writing with Ease. For second grade, you might consider starting with just FLL 1, adding in more copywork and dictation as the student is able to handle it – just use sentences from anything you are currently reading in school. Then start with Writing with Ease Level 1 in third grade. That would have the student starting middle-school programs for writing and grammar, such as Writing with Skill and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, in sixth grade, which is a good fit for most students.
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Paris –
Thank you for your response. Just to clarify, you would recommend starting Writing With Ease in third grade in place of First Language Lessons 2 or in addition to the First Language Lessons program. Thank you for your help.
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Answer Desk –
In addition to FLL.
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Candace –
Hello, I have a kindergartner, 3/4th grader and a high school senior. I somehow just found out about this curriculum when I came across it at a book store. Can you help me to know where to start with the ages we have and how to progress through.
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Answer Desk –
We recommend that first and second grade students start with Level 1 (Level 2 assumes knowledge).
Your 3rd/4th grader can start with Level 3.
For middle and high school, please take a look at the program for older students, Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind.
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Amanda –
Is this designed to do daily or 3 lessons a week? or one a week? What do you recommend?
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Answer Desk –
It’s set up for four lessons a week, and that works well for most students.
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Sophie –
Hello,
I am homeschooling a 7 year old in 2nd grade. We have been homeschooling since preschool, but we have just started learning grammar earlier this year, I have been using various resources, but nothing really consistant. We have also just started Writing with Ease level 1 (where she is able to keep up at the lower level of Level 1. She also does copy work and narrations for literature (2x week), science (1 every other week), and history (2x a week); but she gets tired of writing easily (mentally and physically). She knows what common nouns, proper nouns and action verbs are, and has little to no trouble with capitalization and basic punctuation, so I was thinking of starting FLL level 1 somewhere around chapter 44. My concern is that does seem like a lot of extra writing for her in addition to WWE and the additional writing in other subjects.. How would you suggest I implement FLL without overwhelming her? Also, the description mentions a teacher’s book, I dont see it on the site.
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Answer Desk –
You only need the one book for FLL 1. The wording in the description is a bit confusing and I’ll see about clarifying it.
FLL 1 is mostly oral, so I don’t think the amount of writing would overwhelm her. You can skip any of the exercises in FLL that are called “Story Narration” or “Poem Narration,” since she’ll be getting plenty of that in WWE.
You might also consider dropping the literature narrations, as that’s essentially what she’s doing in WWE.
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Denise –
I have a 7th grader and a 4th grader. My 7th grader just finally got the hang of reading a couple years ago, so I am teaching both of my kids together. After 3/4 of the way through Fix It Grammar, neither one can tell me what a noun, verb, adverb, or adjective is (they just guess), so I’m looking to start over with your curriculum. Would I start them at level 1?
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Answer Desk –
You do not need to start with FLL Level 1. Fourth grade and up can start with FLL Level 4, which will review all prior material before introducing new topics.
Your seventh-grader might be able to start with Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind. It is aimed at middle and high school, but starts at the very beginning (what is a noun?). If you go to the product pages for GftWTM, you can see samples – just look under the illustration of the product.
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Jules –
I have trilingual English Greek and Italian 6 year old ,3 1/2 year old. We live in Greece. I do some work books with her and she’s bright she can read and find root words, change to present past ect. I was recommended your curriculum . Where should I start? Is this made for parents or schools?
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Answer Desk –
You should start with Level 1, as Level 2 assumes knowledge taught in Level 1. FLL is in use at schools but was originally designed for parents. There is a sample of each book on the product page, and that will give you the topics covered.
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Emily –
Is there a way to get the pdf for the cover, too? I live outside of the US, so print options are not ideal. But when I went to print this to use in our homeschool, I was disappointed that it does not include the cover.
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Answer Desk –
I’m sorry, Emily, but we do not have the cover in printable PDF format at this time.
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Natasha –
Hello! I am planning to use the “first language lessons” level 1 with my soon to be first grader. I would love to supplement writing. Can you please let me know if this book covers writing? Do you recommend supplementing with “writing with ease” level 1? Are both these books for first grade? I would love some clarity before purchasing. Thanks so much! Natasha
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Tess Jones –
I have a daughter just finishing 2nd and this curriculum looks like a good fit for her. I am not sure which level to start first. She will technically be grade 3 in the fall but using more 2nd grade curriculum.
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Answer Desk –
If she struggles with the physical act of writing still, I’d start her with Level 1 (the first two levels are primarily oral, but you can’t start with Level 2 as it assumes knowledge of Level 1). Then, when she is finished with Level 2, you can guage whether it’s better to go with Level 3 or 4 at that point – both of those levels review prior material.
If she’s okay with writing in general, you can go to Level 3, but I’d err on the side of Level 1 if you are unsure.
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Alyssa –
Would this qualify as a complete language arts curriculum for a child entering first grade? Would we add some sort of reading instruction as well, or ideally have that come naturally over time?
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Answer Desk –
First Language Lessons is a grammar curriculum. Level 1 does some have narration and copy work, so is probably more than sufficient for writing for a student still learning to read.
For reading, we recommend a simple and solid phonics program, such as The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Reading.
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Chianna –
So for kindergarten, my son made it to about lesson 92 in the ordinary parents guide to teaching reading…he knows his phonics at this point and is reading up to the rules thats hes learned so far…but that book doesnt teach grammar. so for first grade im looking into language arts. I was going to get the WWE book for writing, but im concerned about needing to teach language arts/grammar…is WWE more on a writing book than language arts? Is one better over the other? I know WWE has narration and copywork. Or should I just get FLL and skip WWE? Thank you in advance!!
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Answer Desk –
Chianna, I would recommend FLL over WWE for first grade, alongside continuing with OPG.
FLL is mostly oral, but does have some copy work (and it’s easy to add more if you find it would be helpful). It includes a fair amount of narration, which is one of the important foundational writing skills included in WWE.
If he starts WWE in second grade, he will finish Year 3 at the end of fourth grade, which is plenty early enough.
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LT –
I have a 1st grader and a 3rd grader with no grammar experience. My 3rd just finished All About Reading level 4 and now reads great, however he is still learning to spell. He does copywork but only can write very simple sentences on his own. My 1st grader is not writing sentences on her own yet and is still learning how to read. What level(s) would be best for our family? Assuming 1st grader would start on level 1. Would my 3rd grader start there too or would level 3 be a better fit?
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Answer Desk –
FLL Level 3 reviews all prior work at a third-grade pace, so not having prior grammar experience won’t stop him from using it. However, is he is still struggling a bit with the physical act of writing, I’d start him in Level 1, which is primarily oral (and of course it’s a bit easier for you to have them in the same book). After, the younger child goes to FLL Level 2 while he skips to Level 3. This has him doing Level 4 in fifth grade and moving on to Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind in sixth grade, which is a good age for most students to start it.
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Shari –
I have two kids, my 5 year old is in kinder. She knows all her letter sounds and is starting to read. My oldest is 7 and in 2nd grade. She is a voracious reader and reads above grade level. We have reviewed the basics of nouns, common nouns, and verbs. I don’t enjoy learning or teaching grammar as while I’m great at reading and writing I don’t know all the specific parts of speech. What level would you suggest we start with. Level 1 felt like it might be a bit repetitive for my 7 year old but not sure if jumping in at level 3 would be too fast paced. If we started at level 1 I imagine my 5 year old would be able to do it along with us.
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Answer Desk –
I recommend starting with Level 1 – there’s a good amount of writing in Level 3 and it introduces diagramming, so it’s too much for a 7-yr-old. Level 1 has things like picture study, narration, and poetry memorization to keep it interesting for big sis, and you don’t have to make her do all of the recitation and answering for whatever basics she clearly knows. You can differentiate by giving her longer copywork, and maybe giving it more often than FLL does.
Because there’s so little writing in Level 1, it is very easy to adapt to two students.
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Clarita Emmanuelle Bicol –
Hi. I just placed an order for the bundle but it seems my order is on hold. Is there an issue with the transaction? Thank you
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Answer Desk –
I see that you now have a ticket from our support team, so I’ll let them sort you out!
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Mary –
I have a struggling reader. She is 7, 1st grade, “lower reading level”…should I wait on this until her reading is stronger?
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Answer Desk –
Levels 1 & 2 of First Language Lessons are primarily oral, with some minor copywork, so she shouldn’t have a problem.
Having said that, there is also no great drawback to waiting. If she starts FLL 1 in second grade, she will finish FLL 4 in fifth grade, putting her on track to start Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind or a similar middle school program in sixth grade.
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Elena S –
Hello,
We are new to homeschooling. My son is currently finishing 2nd grade, which will be his last year (hopefully) in a public school setting. He is currently on a 5th grade reading level, great with spelling, but is a little on a lazy side when it comes to writing (he needs help coming up with ideas and will try to condense his paragraphs to a minimum as much as possible). What level would you recommend for us to start with, please?
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Answer Desk –
The good news is that second- and third-graders do not need to be coming up with topics and writing multiple paragraphs in order to be solid writers later! It is absolutely fine, and almost always better, to hold off on original writing in the early years (as schoolwork, of course it’s fine if a younger student chooses to write on their own).
First Language Lessons is actually our grammar program, and you can start him on Level 3, which reviews all prior topics at a typical third grade pace.
Writing with Ease is our elementary writing program, and it focuses on the foundation writing skills of narration, copywork, and dictation. You can see samples on each product page – if you are unsure of where to place him (it goes by levels, not grades), please email [email protected] and ask for the evaluations.
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Answer Desk –
The good news is that second- and third-graders do not need to be coming up with topics and writing multiple paragraphs in order to be solid writers later! It is absolutely fine, and almost always better, to hold off on original writing in the early years (as schoolwork, of course it’s fine if a younger student chooses to write on their own).
First Language Lessons is actually our grammar program, and you can start him on Level 3, which reviews all prior topics at a typical third grade pace.
Writing with Ease is our elementary writing program, and it focuses on the foundation writing skills of narration, copywork, and dictation. You can see samples on each product page. Click here for the WWE evaluations.
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Kristin Ingram –
My son is 7 and in first grade but is reading at a 5th grade level. He struggles with writing because he is not writing at the same level at which he can read. I was thinking of starting him with either level 1 or level 3.
What would you recommend?
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Answer Desk –
I would recommend starting with Level 1, as it is primarily oral, whereas Level 3 has writing (including diagrams). FLL 1 includes extras like poetry memorization and picture study and should be a good fit for him, and he will complete Level 4 in fourth grade.
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Regina Ratzlaff –
Is there a way I could see a sample of some of the pages in your workbooks? I am looking to purchase this program for Grade 1-4 Resource Room / Special Ed.
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