Review of Logic of English Essentials 2nd Edition

Logic of English is the first Crew review that cost me a lot of money. Let me explain: I read the Crew reviews just like everyone else, and while I am *extremely* fortunate in that I get nearly all of the products for review that I request, I don't get all of them. At some point in the past (a year or two ago), Logic of English Essentials came up for review. I knew that it would be a great fit for Michael. It seemed tailor made for someone like him (I'm almost certain he's dysgraphic, although I have never had him diagnosed). Although I requested the product for review, I didn't get it. However, after reading the Crew reviews, I knew I had to have it for Michael. Because the entire Essentials package is expensive, though, I only bought part of it. We used it for quite a while and Michael LOVED it. He begged to do it. He learned really well with it. I got discouraged trying to compensate for the fact that I didn't have all of the pieces of the program, though, because you really do need all of it in order for it to work most effectively. 
Long story short, when Logic of English retooled its Essentials program to create Essentials 2nd Edition, I was ecstatic to be chosen to review it for the Crew. Even better, Michael (11) was thrilled, too! If I liked the first version a lot (what I read in the Crew reviews, and the pieces I bought based off of those reviews), I LOVE this edition! There is a lot to this program, so let's just go down what's included.
The main part of the program is comprised of the Student Workbook and the Teacher's Guide. Both are absolutely critical to using the program. The Teacher's Guide is full-color and (even better) color-coded by level, making it easy to keep on track to see what your particular student is supposed to be doing on a given day. You see, you can use these products with multiple students, or (as with Michael) with one student who may be ready for certain things at certain levels but not others at all levels (clear as mud?). There are Levels A, B, and C. If you are using this with the lowest recommended age of 7, your child is likely Level A. Each lesson teaches the same concept, but uses, for example, different spelling words to illustrate that lesson. Further, the higher levels often teach one extra sound of a morpheme (such as a lesser-used sound of "qu," things you encounter at higher levels of reading that the youngest children don't likely need to know yet. Of course, you as a parent can always use your discretion to decide what to teach your children. The Teacher's Guide just makes it so easy to see what you are supposed to teach them each day. 
The Student Workbook is very clearly labeled to correlate with each lesson. Thus, it is easy to see when a student is supposed to write something down. There is also a lot of blank space, which I appreciate, as it lets me tell Michael if there is something extra I want him to do (i.e., more dictation).

In addition to these core components, though, there are also so many excellent supplements to make teaching much easier. They include:

• Spelling Journal - a great reference tool where kids can organize all of the words that they tend to misspell the most
• Basic Phonogram Flash Cards - 74 *heavy* coated cardstock flash cards containing phonograms that have sample words on the back for the convenience of the teacher. These cards are an absolute MUST for the program. They are also awesome even if you use any other program.
• Spelling Rule Flash Cards - Exactly what they sound like! 41 flash cards containing spelling rules to memorize and drill.
• Advanced Phonogram Flash Cards - 46 advanced phonograms following the same layout as the basic phonogram cards described above.
• Grammar Flash Cards - 83 flash cards containing parts of speech, spelling and capitalization rules, etc. Again, like the phonogram cards, they can also be used as a standalone product.
• Morpheme Flash Cards, Set 1 - 109 color-coded flash cards containing roots, suffixes, and prefixes.
• Phonogram Game Cards - used to play games as outlined in the curriculum.
• Phonogram Game Tiles - 130 tiles containing the 74 phonograms, all color-coded according to phonogram type - used to play games as outlined in the curriculum.
• Phonogram and Spelling Rule Quick Reference - a full-color, six-page foldout reference summarizing just about everything Logic of English teaches. Essential. Awesome. 
• Spelling Analysis Card - What I use as my bookmark in my Teacher's Guide. Explains how to break down the spelling of a word for a student. A great tool for any student.

Can you believe everything you get with this package? It's unreal. What's equally unreal is that you'll use it all and you'll love it all. It makes teaching this program so, so easy. I have heard other people say that they found this program confusing and overwhelming at first, but I have to say that I did not. Everything, literally everything, is laid out for you (in color, no less!). You are told what to do each day (you can even see the schedule on the website if you're curious), and you can see at a glance what your child (based on his level will be doing). You find your rhythm very quickly. If the pace is too fast, just take two days per lesson - no biggie!

Here is what Michael (11) has to say about Logic of English Essentials: I like it a lot. It's fun. I like the syllabication (me - I prompted him with this word when he said "syllables") with the spelling. I like how there is not a lot of work with one lesson, but more than just one page. It has helped me tremendously with spelling. It's helped me a bit in grammar, too. I like how you learn a good amount in one day, and then how, over a long period of time, you learn a lot! It's a good program. 


I think it's pretty obvious that Michael and I love this program. Even though he reads at a high school level, he spells below level, but his spelling is already improving. Better still, he looks forward to doing Logic of English every day. He doesn't feel it's beneath him - he loves that he is learning to overcome his spelling deficiencies. What's funny is that his twin sister, a natural speller, likes to sit in on our lessons just because she thinks the program is fun. What better endorsement could there be? Logic of English was so generous and provided Crew members with many different products, so be sure to click the banner below to see what all of them had to say - remember, that's how I found out about this great product in the first place!