Intended for use in first and second grades, the 200 completely-scripted lessons in this textbook are a complete guide in "How to Teach English to Young Children". The non-consumable book is actually a textbook for the teacher rather than the student. Lessons are completely secular and include portions of classic poems, stories and rhymes. Also included are original poems and stories as well as a few selections that have been adapted for young children. Pictures are black-and-white line drawings rather than photographs or color reproductions.

Each day's lesson is taught to the student, interactively, utilizing no workbooks or photocopied worksheets. The teacher is an integral part of this course, which combines direct instruction with regular drill and review. First grade lessons are almost completely oral with a Montessori-feel to them. Montessori classrooms use a repetition technique that has been applied to the lesson scripts when a new concept is introduced to the child. The course begins with very simple, very short lessons and builds into longer lessons with very short copywork assignments by the end of the year. Second grade lessons incorporate more pencil-and-paper writing, with some written copywork each day. Composition exercises are oral throughout, focusing on narration from short stories, poetry, and pictures. Poetry memorization selections are short and rhyming, which should make it enjoyable for most students. In addition, many lessons include enrichment suggestions for students who find their lessons comfortably easy. A variety of activities keeps the student engaged from the beginning to the end of each day's lesson and from week to week throughout the course.

In the introduction, Mrs. Wise writes, "I believe we underestimate what young children are capable of learning. We can grow children who exceed the average by exposing them to above-average content––-as long as that content is taught patiently, frequently, and consistently, and is reviewed often." There are educators who think that formal grammar and language study is more suited to later elementary school, but Mrs. Wise shows us how to make English class both productive and enjoyable in the earliest years. An excellent, early foundation in English can provide the necessary background for deeper study in following years as well as foreign language study in elementary school. This book gives the teaching parent everything (s)he needs to provide that foundation.

The very first lesson in first grade is completely oral and introduces the concept of a noun; it takes less than 10 minutes to complete. The early lessons in second grade include an oral teaching part, a written copywork part, drill and review, and poetry memorization. There is a distinct change from the beginning of the book to the end. Some lessons focus completely on picture study (oral composition), and others are just poetry study.

The lessons include both picture study and narration. I didn't find the pictures especially inspiring, but they are "family-type", "everyday-situation-type" of drawings set in current times. I thought the most valuable part of First Language Lessons was that it teaches the mother HOW to get the most out of a picture study by providing a lengthy list of guiding questions. It should be easier for a mother new to this idea to branch out to other pictures after gaining some experience and confidence.

This booklet provides thirty-three pages of lined paper with beautiful Catholic pen and ink illustrations. The pages are intended for handwriting practice and may be photocopied for use within your own family. Following the lined pages are approximately forty pages of beautiful religious quotes - printed in both script and cursive - for practicing handwriting. Quotes are organized according to themes such as Adoration, Conscience, Eucharist and Obedience.

This book offers thirty-six stories about God's amazing world that very nicely brings science back to its creator and helps children make connections between faith and reason. We've had the earlier edition of this book for a number of years and I have found many tidbits about nature that were new and very interesting to me - especially information about why God made things the way that he did and what is good and useful about his creation.

This new edition includes many new stories and looks more like a grade school workbook - in size and appearance as well as having space for the students to answer the chapter questions right in the book. In addition to the Catholic content I really like this book because 1. it is loaded with interesting content, 2. it is written in an appealing story-like format, 3. it is not "dumbed-down" or written in a condescending tone like so many textbooks. Here's a brief excerpt to give you a sense of the style and content:

"God has a similar system for supplying water to places that don't get much rain in the summer. Instead of a freezer, God uses tall, snow-covered mountains to store up icy snow. In some mountain ranges, like the Rocky Mountains that stretch north and south across Canada and the United States, peaks often receive thirty or forty feet of snow each year. That is nearly enough snow to bury a Ferris wheel! Even after winter has passed, the cool mountain air allows the snow to melt very slowly. Melting snow slips into creeks and rivers that carry needed water to farms and cities far away. Some of those farms and cities don't get much rain in the summer. Some of them don't even have snow in the winter. But the people who live there are happy to drink and swim in the water that came from God's faraway frozen mountains." (from "Merciful Rain" pgs. 59-61)

This book can be used as a science supplement or as a non-fiction reading comprehension workbook.