Ten Reasons You Will Love Homeschool Language Arts from Christian Light

This is a sponsored post and My Homeschool with a View, LLC was compensated to review and write about Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum from Christian Light Education. For more information on sponsored posts, read our Affiliate and Advertising Disclosure. Thank you to Christian Light Education for sponsoring this post and providing Language Arts 7 Curriculum for this review!

When I began homeschooling in 2013, I started the year with the wrong homeschool language arts curriculum. By October I was ready to make a change and began shopping around for something else. I ended up landing on the Language Arts program from Christian Light Education, and it turned around our homeschool year. Christian Light Language Arts was not only familiar to me, as I used it when I was homeschooled in third grade, it built such a strong foundation for my oldest that I ended up using it for my younger son as well.

This spring I had the opportunity to review Language Arts 7 and I am reminded of just how great this curriculum is. It lays a strong academic foundation in the early years, and that strength continues through the middle and upper levels. This curriculum holds many treasures in a seemingly simple package.

Christian Light Language Arts is the complete package of homeschool language arts curriculum. It not only fosters academic growth but encourages good moral character and quality work in our kids. Here are ten reasons why this curriculum stands out and why you might just fall in love with it.

1. Comprehensive Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum

Christian Light Language Arts teaches grammar, spelling, writing, mechanics, handwriting, diagramming and more, all in one complete package. Their seventh grade language arts curriculum provides 170 lessons to complete your homeschool year.

Both of my kids did Christian Light Language Arts in first grade, and their early phonics instruction is unmatched. It gave both of my kids a great base for reading and writing. I use the word foundation a lot when I talk about this Language Arts program and that is for good reason. 

Language Arts from Christian Light sets our kids up with a strong grammar and writing foundation that carries them not only through their homeschool education, but sets them up to be successful communicators beyond their homeschool years.

2. Integrated Writing Instruction

All Christian Light Language Arts levels include integrated writing instruction. Language Arts 7 assigns fun creative writing assignments like journaling, writing historical fiction, writing a devotional, poetry, essays and writing a research paper.

One of the things I really appreciate about Christian Light assigned writing is that it actually instructs the student how to write. They are not just told to complete an assignment, but the instruction walks them through the how of the writing. As a writer myself, I know good writing comes from good instruction and Christian Light provides that instruction.

3. Ten Manageable LightUnits

The LightUnit format is probably the most genius idea of Christian Light Curriculum. Instead of one giant textbook for the year, this language arts curriculum is broken down into ten manageable workbooks, called LightUnits.

For kids who experience overwhelm when seeing the whole, year-long homeschool picture, these LightUnits are game-changing. It is so much easier to feel like you are making progress when you can actually finish and close a book for the rest of the year. My kids have always liked seeing their school shelf start to empty as they pull out each new LightUnit.

4. Elementary and Middle School Homeschool Language Arts Curriculum

Christian Light provides a comprehensive language arts curriculum for first through eighth grade. Each year builds upon previous instruction and spirals back, so there is always plenty of review.

High school years change the format and alternate English and Literature. Christian Light is a curriculum that you can start at the beginning of their education adventure, and it will endure for your child’s entire homeschool education.

5. Traditional Homeschool Curriculum

The traditional homeschool style of Christian Light will feel familiar to all homeschoolers, no matter your experience level. The workbook format of the LightUnits directs instruction to the student followed by assigned activities.

Assignments include traditional type of school work including fill in the blanks, multiple choice, word search and writing short answers.

6. Cursive Writing Instruction

Handwriting instruction starts with print in the early years, then moves into cursive writing. Cursive is becoming a lost art and I enjoy a curriculum that still includes this type of instruction.

It’s important for students to have exposure to cursive writing for many reasons such as:

• Our founding documents were written in cursive. 
• Students with learning challenges such as dyslexia or dysgraphia tend to adapt better with the fluidity of cursive script.
• It produces a beautiful result.

7. Built in Homeschool Language Arts Assessments

If you need to keep track of grades in your homeschool, Christian Light makes this process simple. Each Language Arts LightUnit includes spelling tests, quizzes, a self check and final LightUnit test. There are plenty of opportunities to measure progress and to practice test taking skills throughout this curriculum.

8. Language Arts Homeschool Spiral Curriculum

Christian Light Language Arts is a spiral curriculum. This simply means that concepts are taught in small, bite sized pieces, and reviewed often, gently adding more depth to the concept. It basically keeps spiraling back to a concept.

It is very hard for kids to forget previous concepts because they are reviewed frequently. 

9. Integrated Biblical Worldview

Christian Light Education is a Christian publisher from the mennonite tradition. Bible instruction is integrated into all of their curriculum, including Language Arts. You won’t find in-depth theological or doctrinal discussion, but you will find references to scripture, and encouragement toward virtuous and moral character. 

10. Support for Homeschool Parents

Language Arts 7 has two Teacher’s Guides, which I think are essential to using this curriculum. Even though the LightUnits instruct the students directly, the Teacher’s Guides give you the support you need to dive deeper and enrich the instruction.

There is so much helpful support built into these guides, you should never feel lost or like you don’t know what comes next. Scripted instruction gives you the ability to teach whether or not you are an expert in the subject. Checking work is made simple as the Teacher’s Guides include copies of the LightUnit pages with answers.

My View of Christian Light Language Arts

Christian Light has the best Teacher’s Guides that exist in the homeschool space. They are so easy to use, scripted, well-laid out, and truly open and go. This is probably my favorite thing about Christian Light Education.

I have a high opinion of this language arts curriculum, but I feel there is one area parents need to take into consideration. Lessons have a tendency to be long. I guess it is the other side of the coin when you have so much great instruction in a curriculum. Long lessons tend to be part of any spiral curriculum as there is so much built in review, but both of my kids would tell you that is the one downside of Christian Light Language Arts.

Long lessons aside, this is still an excellent curriculum that I wouldn’t write-off because of lesson length. Your kids will excel in Language Arts with this curriculum and will probably be far ahead of their peers.

I know that it is never possible to teach students everything there is to know about a particular subject, but Christian Light Language Arts will get them close. If your goal for homeschool education is Language Arts mastery, in my opinion, there isn’t a better curriculum out there.