All About Reading vs Logic of English
The main differences
Both are scripted phonics programs a parent teaches one-on-one, with tiles or cards, games and decodable readers, and both have free placement tests. All About Reading teaches reading only, in five levels, with spelling as a separate program; a Level 1 kit was $159.95 plus $25.95 for the letter tiles. Logic of English Foundations teaches reading, spelling and handwriting together for ages 4 to 7, and its Essentials course carries on with spelling and grammar for older children; Foundations A with the core materials was $226.67 on sale.
| All About Reading | Logic of English | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Reading and phonics | Reading and phonics and language arts |
| Grades | Pre-reading for preschool and kindergarten, then Levels 1 to 4, placed by skill rather than grade | Foundations for ages 4 to 7 (about pre-K to 2nd grade); Essentials for ages 8 to adult (about 3rd grade and up) |
| Method | Mastery | Traditional |
| Format | Books and workbooks | Books and workbooks |
| Faith label | Secular | Secular |
| Cost a year | $159.95. Level 1 materials (teacher's manual, student packet with activity book, and three readers): $159.95. Letter tiles are $25.95 extra and serve every level. | $226.67. Foundations A and core materials bundle (teacher's manual, student workbook, readers, an ABC book, and the core set of flash cards, game tiles, game cards, whiteboard, tactile cards and quick references): $226.67 on sale, regular price $251.86. |
| Placement | Free placement test ↗ | Free placement tests and where-to-start guide ↗ |
| Parent time | About 20 minutes a day of parent-led reading lessons, plus 20 minutes of reading aloud. | Not stated by the publisher |
| It fits | A parent who wants a step-by-step, lightly scripted phonics program to teach one child at a time, including a child who finds reading hard. | A parent who wants to teach phonics, spelling and grammar together from scripted lessons with plenty of games, whether with a 4-year-old or an older child who struggles with spelling. |
| It doesn't fit | A family that wants a child to work alone, or wants reading, spelling and writing in one book. | A family that wants a child to work alone on a screen, or wants a short, low-cost phonics book. |
All About Reading
All About Reading is a phonics program in five levels: Pre-reading, then Levels 1 to 4. A parent teaches each lesson from a lightly scripted teacher's manual, using letter tiles, word cards, activity pages and fluency practice, and the child reads stories from hardcover decodable readers. The publisher suggests about 20 minutes of lessons a day, and one lesson can stretch over several days. You buy one level kit at a time, with the letter tiles sold separately.
Does well: Each level kit holds the teacher's manual, the activity book and the readers, so one purchase covers a level apart from the letter tiles.
Watch for: The parent teaches every lesson one-on-one from the teacher's manual; this is not a program a child works through alone.
Logic of English
Logic of English teaches phonics, spelling and grammar in two lines. Foundations, four levels from A to D for ages 4 to 7, teaches reading, spelling and handwriting through scripted lessons, active games, workbooks and decodable readers. Essentials, 30 units for ages 8 to adult, goes deeper into spelling rules, grammar and vocabulary, with three levels of word lists in each unit. You buy a teacher's manual, a student workbook and readers for each level, plus a core set of flash cards, tiles and charts used across all levels; online video supplements cost extra.
Does well: Lessons are scripted in the teacher's manual, so a parent can pick up the book and teach.
Watch for: If you start past Foundations A, the core materials set is a separate purchase, $138.51 on sale, on top of each level's books.
Lists with both
- Homeschool reading and phonics programs 6
- Secular homeschool curricula 30
- Homeschool curricula for pre-K and kindergarten 48
- Print homeschool curricula 44
- Homeschool curricula for $100 to $300 a year 18
- Secular homeschool reading and phonics programs 5
- Secular homeschool curricula for pre-K and kindergarten 25
- Secular print homeschool curricula 19
How we label
Every fact on a card was read on the publisher's own website on the date shown, and the page it came from is linked. A fact we could not confirm there is left out. Costs are for one child and one year of the main package, as the publisher's page showed them that day; prices and sales change. Method and format are the publisher's own description where it gives one. The only thing we say about religion is one label, secular or faith-based, given by the rule above; where the publisher's pages don't settle it, the card has no label.
Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction; publishers can send corrections, never money. Every program compared