Total Language Plus is a literature-based, innovative curriculum centered on the development of thinking and communication skills. The authors believe an integrated system is more efficient than a fragmented approach, discovery style learning is the most effective, and learning should be enjoyable. The "discover, do, drill" method is employed with activities focused on thinking skills and the development of a biblical world view.
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We recommend using one study per quarter--a total of three to five per year with short breaks between. The speed
with which the novel studies are completed depends on your particular situation. Doing language arts four days a week, one hour each day, allows
us to complete one unit per week--some of the time. It has been our experience that generally, a six-unit study will take nine weeks to complete;
a seven-unit study will take ten weeks and so on. A typical approach is to begin a novel study near the beginning of the school year, break
during the Thanksgiving - Christmas holiday season, then complete another novel study after the holidays and a third one after the spring break.
Some choose to do a study during the summer. Our program is designed to develop thinking, communicating students. That takes time. We do not dissect every passage, but we do insist that students stop and think about what has been read, thereby helping them develop character and a Biblical worldview. This is not a recreational reading program; while we want children to continue to enjoy reading, our main goal is to improve their mind, teach them to think and communicate, and raise their reading to a higher level than can be achieved with a mere recreational focus. Remember that many of our classics were published a chapter per week or month in a periodical. Breezing through a book is playtime; stopping for reflection is education. A child unwilling to slow down and reflect on what he is reading is showing a reluctance to learn to think. This program can help overcome that. |