The Good And The Beautiful High School Language Arts Program Review
I share in the below video how to use The Good and the Beautiful High School Language Arts for you! I am a homeschool mama and wanted to read some beautiful, edifying literature for myself. This course has been perfect for me to use at my own pace! I am looking forward to trying Levels 2 & 3 once Im done!
You can find it here for a very low cost: The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts High School 1
Id love to hear if you have tried this with your student or for yourself! While the course focuses on strong writing skills and preparing students for college-level courses, I chose to not use the writing portion. I was still able to get so much out of it! With beautiful artwork and appropriate literature of high moral and literary standards, this full course combines the following subjects: Literature, Writing, Grammar, Usage, Punctuation, Spelling, Vocabulary, Geography, Art, and Art History. The student completes 10 unit booklets, which guide the student through the assignments, videos to watch online, and the reading books integrated with the course.
Insane Expectations For Younger Children
My kindergarten daughter was flying through her reading curriculum before I decided to switch to The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts.
As I said, she was getting bored with the format, so I decided to switch things up for 1st grade. We did the placement test and it turns out that she needed the kindergarten book.
Because TGATB has kindergarteners doing things like:
- learning silent e words
- memorizing reams of sight words
- learning phonograms like ee and r controlled words
- writing full sentences that are dictated to them
- and doing timed reading lists with a stopwatch
As we started going through the book, I could not believe that anyone would think it was appropriate for a 5-year-old to work at this level.
I have taught two other kids to read, so I am aware of grade-level expectations when it comes to reading. Kindergarten is usually about solidifying letter sounds, blending CVC words, understanding consonant blends, and maybe a handful of sight words .
So if you are thinking of using this curriculum, please know it is a very aggressive approach to literacywhich is usually something homeschoolers try to avoid.
As you can imagine, I skipped or ignored a bunch of things in the kindergarten curriculum that I thought were insane even for my 1st grader.
Recap: The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts Review
If you already use this curriculum and it works for you awesome!
But if you have used TGATB and it blew up in your face, I just want you to know that its not because your child isnt bright or that your homeschool isnt good enough.
The curriculum is off the charts aggressive.
Friends of mine have said that the higher levels of the program are also overwhelming to their children. It is just so much to do every day and kids get discouraged with feeling the weight of the expectations placed on them.
If you are considering The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts, you cant say that I didnt warn you before you started.
I would encourage you to take it slow, utilize the placement tests, keep a close eye on your kid, and follow your intuition. You are the perfect teacher for your child and you will naturally know how to handle whatever comes up.
Have you tried The Good And The Beautiful? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts!
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The Good And The Beautiful Review
You may have seen that we have been using The Good And The Beautiful curriculum in our homeschool for a little while now. My son uses and loves Sonlight and hopes to use their curriculum through high school. But my girls, especially the older ones, have been craving a little something different.
After searching and researching, I came across The Good And The Beautifuland knew we had found a good fit. Jenny Phillips, the author of the curriculum, offers their Language Arts levels K through 5 completely free on the website. You can go and download all 6 levels of Language Arts and are free to peruse them all or use them as your Language Arts for your homeschool year. What a blessing!
Jenny did graciously send us a hard copy of the Language Arts Level 6 for review, but my opinions are honest and my own, and not swayed by popular opinion.
My oldest daughter is entering seventh grade and tested into Level 6. The levels of TGATB do not correspond to grade levels, so you need to make sure your children take the placement test.
She is beyond thrilled with this new curriculum. She loves that there is a Daily Checklist for her and checkboxes she can check when she completes a subject. The literature has been at just the right level for her, and she has been looking forward to many of the books on the suggested Book List.
Beautiful, right?
Science As Unit Studies
As we have rolled along our homeschool adventure unit studies have reared their heads. A unit study is taking a topic and diving in whole-hog. You can buy unit studies, you can make your own, you can just immerse yourself in a topic. There is no one way to do a unit study. Lapbooks are a very popular option for unit studies because they frame the topic a bit so you dont end up down the rabbit hole of unending knowledge. The Good and the Beautiful handles Science as unit studies. Our first unit is Space Science. There is a little prep work but then it is just open and go. This includes all of the text parts of the study as well. So, there are no additional books .
The science units are also designed to be taught family-style with older children expected to delve more deeply into the topics within the unit. Again, the units are very affordable. To have the printed set sent the prices currently start at $16 and do not exceed $22. The paper is high quality and the illustrations are very nice.
Heres a look at how I have our Space Unit set up:
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The Good & The Beautiful Handwriting
Handwriting Pros
My family has used Levels K-5 for Handwriting. Its definitely a favorite subject at our house! The children think its great that they can do it mostly on their own and can do it on the trampoline, in the car, or in a pillow fort.
The illustrations are beautiful, and my children LOVE the frequent drawing parts. They usually do one page 4-5 days each week. I have seen improvement in each of my childrens handwriting since they started using these books.
The new rainbow cursive is amazing! The child follows the steps for each letter in rainbow order. My seven-year-old loves that she is able to teach herself pretty writing. Even my most reluctant writer looks forward to writing in his book.
Our ten-year-old gets compliments from his grandparents who have beautiful penmanship.
Handwriting Cons
The font and arrows for the lower case e in the lower handwriting levels led all of my children to writer their es backwards when they didnt do that before this curriculum. It took a few weeks to help them adjust.
I thought we were just weird, but other families have shared the same issue online.
The drawing and coloring elements are perfect for my art-loving family, but this curriculum might not be a great fit for children who do not enjoy drawing and coloring.
So Back To My Original Question
Does The Good and the Beautiful language arts work? TGATB reading level placement test is a quick way to monitor the progress of my students. At the beginning of the school year, I did a placement test for each student. This past week, at the end of the first semester, I did the placement tests again. I wanted to see what kind growth my students had experienced.
I was amazed at the progress these kids have made in their reading skills, specifically decoding and fluency. On average, the kids made a year-and-a-half of growth in their reading levels. GUYS, they did that in four months!
Yes, I did the initial placement tests right after the summer break . Also, many of these kids had their school year disrupted by the March pandemic shut down. So, yes, these students had taken some big academic hits, but
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What Is The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts Level 1
So, Im showing you the old Level 1 course book, mini books, and reader. You should note, that when the new edition is released there will be no more mini books, which I think is a good thing, and the reader will be integrated with the course. I think the overall set-up of the course will change, but the core of what is actually taught will not.
Here is what is taught in TGTB Level 1:
- Phonics, Reading, & Spelling
- Art Appreciation
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It Doesnt Stop At Language Arts
While the base of this is high school language arts, it goes so far beyond that!
The Good and The Beautiful Language Arts for high school also covers geography, history, some art, and more.
If you arent sure what level to place your child in, use their placement test.
Also! They offer all of their elementary language arts programs for free to download. What a wonderful opportunity for you to give it a try!
Why I Switched To The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts Curriculum
My 6-year-old was finishing up kindergarten last year on a high note. She was flying through this reading curriculum, but I could tell that she was getting a little tired of it.
It does have a repetitive nature to it, so I thought Id try to find her a new curriculum with a little more *sparkle* to keep things fresh going into first grade.
The Good And The Beautiful was running a wicked sale before rolling out a new edition, so I snatched up their language arts program.
Ive always heard chatter about how fantastic the curriculum is, and I thought it was a great time to check it out.
As most of my readers know, I am a curriculum addict who does not want to recover.
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The Good And The Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum: Individual Subjects Review
Please note: TGTB has updated most of these subjects since this review was last updated in May 2020. I plan to do a complete revamp of this post soon. Please comment below which subjects I should review first!
*This May 2020 post is a significant update from our original review post in November 2017 and includes several new subjects and levels.
My family has been homeschooling since my oldest started preschool. After many, many, many hours researching curriculum and homeschooling methods, trying countless programs, and a lot of prayer, The Good and The Beautiful has been our core curriculum for the past four years.
Currently, our five and seven-year-old girls and our nine and ten-year-old boys are using this curriculum, often joined by our 18-month-old daughter sidekick.
This detailed review covers all of the subjects our family has used from this curriculum company and our honest experiences with each level, including the pros and cons for our family.
For sample pages and video flip throughs, lists of what each course set includes, other reviews, or to purchase the curriculum, you can go to the TGTB website. Each heading in this review will take you to that subjects description page.
Please check out my overall review of The Good & The Beautiful if youd like to read that first. Lets jump into the subjects!
*This post may contain affiliate links. However, we are not affiliated in any way with The Good & The Beautiful company and all opinions are our own.
Language Arts Level K And 1 The Good And The Beautiful
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- Lowest rating: 1
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Changes To The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts Level 1
Many of the negatives I mentioned previously are being revised in the new edition. I have been told that the new edition will be similar to the math program in which a parent can easily get through a lesson a day and know exactly what the child needs to do. The flipping back and forth should be a thing of the past.
I know that a new reader will be included and that reader will be integrated with the course and the course will no longer have mini books. You can find out all about the changes on The Good and the Beautiful website.
Free Homeschool Language Arts The Good And The Beautiful
- www.goodandbeautiful.com
- Highest rating: 5
- Lowest rating: 2
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The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts Curriculum
The Good and the Beautiful language arts curriculum is not based on grade levels and if compared with public school, you will find that it is advanced. My 2nd grade, eight year old daughter just finished the Level 1 language arts. Not only does this course book teach language arts, but students will also learn art appreciation in this course.
You can access the PDF of the course book for free, or you can purchase the course book and have it mailed to you. It is a full color beautiful curriculum that includes mini books, phonics cards, and a reader.
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Who Is The Good And The Beautiful A Good Fit For
Level 4 is great for students who want to work independently and just be supervised.
Its full of wholesome stories and art activities my kids loved.
This curriculum really makes art doable instead of something that gets shoved aside everyday.
The curriculum is published by a Mormon family but I personally didnt find any hints of their beliefs inside the content.
It is conservative in nature and does refer to the bible but it is general and free from certain theological references.
Overall Im really pleased with how level 4 of The Good and The Beautiful comes together for my kids.
Lets fill the comments up with The Good and The Beautiful reviews for others who are thinking of using it for their family.
Thanks for sharing!
The Good & The Beautiful History 1& 2
TGTB History is one of my favorite subjects to teach, and all of my children love history now!
TGTB History emphasizes God and moral character and has four levels that each focus on different time periods from ancient-modern history.
History 1 & 2 Pros
This is the only official history curriculum that weve ever stuck with since we all enjoy it!
The Keys of History game has been a great review, and my children look forward to playing it.
The audio dramatizations feel like old-style radio shows, and as cliche as it sounds, they do help history come to life for my family.
Besides being engaging and enlightening for my children, I appreciate that this curriculum doesnt present revisionist history. It even specifically addresses the pitfalls of rewriting history to overemphasize character flaws of historical figures, without glossing over the fact that people sometimes do make poor choices.
History 1 & 2 Cons/Adaptations
I didnt think the PDF Student Explorers would be our style. When I first downloaded them, they felt like busy work with a lot of coloring and maps. However, my children love them and request them while were listening to the audio recordings. I dont require them to complete these.
Some of the lessons have seemed long for my younger children . I always separate the Keys of History game from the rest of the lesson so we arent doing too much at once for my childrens attention spans.
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