Our Good And The Beautiful Language Arts Experience: A Crazy Honest Review

I have so badly been wanting to write this Good And The Beautiful language arts review…but I have also been putting it off.

You see, this curriculum is massive in the homeschooling community, and there are very strong opinions on either side about it.

The more I have used it, the stronger my opinion has become, and I am understanding why this curriculum is such an emotional lightning rod for people.

I am over halfway through the book with my youngest child, and I feel ready to lay it out there.

I’m aware it won’t be popular, but it so needs to be said.

This is what you will find in this over-the-top honest review:

• Quick Overview Of The Good and the Beautiful
• Why We Switched To TGATB
• 5 Things We Love About It
• 5 Things We Don’t Love About It 
• What My Daughter Thinks Of TGATB 
• My Final Thoughts

Real Quick Overview of The Good And The Beautiful Company

The Good And The Beautiful is an affordable, faith-based curriculum that offers math, language arts, history, science, and handwriting for grade levels K-8. High school levels and pre-k level are not available.

It is known for having high quality artwork, an amazing book list, wholesome literature, and minimal daily prep time.

Unit studies are also a big piece of the identity of this curriculum. Families can purchase just a single science unit to try out TGATB before committing to a bigger purchase.

Public school and private school parents can take advantage of the supplements offered to round out their child’s education.

I personally LOVE that The Good and Beautiful curriculum offers free downloads of their math program and language arts levels. They seem to be very committed to making homeschooling accessible and affordable for everyone.

****Just a heads up that the curriculum is full color, so the free pdf downloads may be more expensive to print than you think. It is a nice way to preview the curriculum though!

The creator and founder, Jenny Phillips, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Good and the Beautiful does contain Christian content that focuses on high moral character, but the content does not fall under a specific Christian denomination.

Phillips’ Mormon faith is not present in the curriculum. As a Christian homeschooling mama, that is important to me.

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 I’d 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.

I’ve always heard chatter about how fantastic (and beautiful!) 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.

What I Love About The Good And the Beautiful Language Arts

1. All in One: Reading, Spelling, Grammar, and Writing In One Lesson!

This was a big draw for me. 

I really like that it blends a lot of different subjects that most homeschool families buy separately. The result is a huge savings in time and money.

With a 6th grader, 3rd grader, and 1st grader to teach, I was really drawn to slimming down how many separate subjects I was doing with my youngest.

****I already had a spelling program I was using, so I skipped those portions in the curriculum. You can read more about the spelling portions further down.

2. 120 Lessons And Done

So many curriculums out there have a full 36-week/5-day-a-week schedule, That can be daunting to keep pace with.

I love that there is so much wiggle room with The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts! 

You could easily make it a 4 day/week schedule, leaving room for co-op, errands, appointments, etc. in your week.

3. Rotating Review And Lessons: Not Predictable At All

The lessons are so varied and different that you never know what you’re going to get when you flip open the book!

You will find picture studies, character stories to read for listening comprehension, simple games, independent work, spelling dictation, poetry memorization, and more!

The daily review also rotates so it does not become repetitive or predictable. Every few days your child is asked to go through sight word ladders, flash cards, or a timed reading list. 

And sometimes there is no review at all. 

4. Fun Ways To Get Through Reading Lists

I really appreciate the cute things that are suggested to help kids have fun with going through a word list.

For example, one page called for the child to place a small snack (we used veggie straws) on each word after it is read correctly.

Another page had the student follow the words on a stone path to get into a “zoo.”

So simple, but so cute!

5. No Teacher’s Manual

It can be very tedious to keep track of two books and constantly be flipping back and forth between the two to find out what you’re supposed to be doing.

I really like that you can sit side by side with your child and just do what is in the course book. There are directions written in red to the homeschool mom, and the black text is for you to read aloud to the student.

There are also daily checklist boxes right on the page to help you keep track of what you completed in the lesson.

This made the curriculum so open-and-go friendly and approachable to use. 

What We Don’t Love About The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts

This is sort of a searing list.

It might even be the most honest thing you ever read on the internet.

I’m fully aware it’s not going to win me any friends here, but I’ve got to put it out there, Homeschool Mama. 

1. 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 (depending on your curriculum).

So if you are thinking of using this curriculum, please know it is a very aggressive approach to literacy…which 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.

2. Spelling Program

The spelling program that is woven through the curriculum seems to be largely based on dictation.

That means that the student will learn to read some words, and in the same lesson, they are asked to write out the words on a piece of paper from memory. The curriculum assures you that the child will not be discouraged by you correcting all of their mistakes.

If they were simple CVC words, I would understand that. But many of the spelling words are sight words that can’t be broken down by sound. 

For example, words like “said,” “blue,” “come,” and “read” are included in the spelling lists.

I just don’t understand this methodology because it is hard for students to even write correct vowels at this age.

In fact, many kindergarten and 1st-grade curriculums skip spelling altogether (valuing a focus on reading first over spelling) or they use simple copy work to introduce spelling.

Instead of the TGATB spelling, we decided to use Spelling You See for my 1st grader and we’ve been very happy with the stress-free progress we’ve made so far.

3. Long Lessons

Holy moly, the lessons can get looonnnggg.

Some of the lessons are short and sweet, but some have so many pieces to do that it could be over an hour long. Which is criminal for a kindergarten-level reading lesson.

As an example, Lesson 74 called for the student to:

• Review the /th/ sound and read 8 /th/ words (bath, path, etc.)
• Read a 5 line poem about a picnic (over 30 words long)
• Do a 60-second reading word list challenge
• Write 4 words that are dictated to them
• Write 2 full sentences that are dictated to them (ex: Come take a bath.)
• Practice identifiying /sh/ and /ch/ sounds
• Read 16 full sentences reviewing the /sh/, /ch/, and /th/ sounds

I am mindful of how much my young child can reasonably be expected to sit and focus. I often cut the lessons in half or omit things in order to make them more enjoyable (for her and me).

4. Mini Books And Other Readers Have No Plot

It took me a while to figure out why my kid did not enjoy the little books that come with the curriculum.

One day it dawned on me that it was because there is no plot. Like at all.

Each page is about another little kid doing something like singing, playing, or praying. The pages do not go together as a book should. 

It does not tell a story. There is no beginning, middle, or end. 

I still have my daughter read them for practice, but I also add in Primary Phonics readers because they are so fun!

I want my kid to be excited to read, and they really deliver in that area. For example, there is a silly story about a man who can’t get a mole to leave his garden.

Another story tells about a dog who won’t behave on a bus. And another tells about a young circus elephant trying to fit in.

I do not understand why Jenny Phillips didn’t try to write something a little more engaging for kids. Especially when she had so many sight words to work with to build interesting storylines.

5. Multiple New Concepts Taught in One Lesson

Young kids, especially 5-year-olds and 6-year-olds, do best when given one new concept at a time to chew on. 

The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts program seems to embrace that with how they roll in new lessons, but I started to notice that they are sneaky about adding in extra concepts.

For example, the lesson that first introduces “silent e” also includes words such as come, done, have, love, and some. 

It is already very challenging for young children to transition to long vowels, so I can’t understand why they would include these rule breakers in the VERY FIRST lesson. It is confusing and adds an element of doubt as kids try to break down their first silent e words.

We just did a lesson on /-ed/ being added to the end of words. The first lesson included ALL the possibilities for what that /-ed/ could sound like: /d/, /t/, and /ed/. 

I thought that was a lot, and then I saw that the list of practice words included: waved, saved, and shared. 

So then I had to stop and explain that the vowel is long because the “silent e” has been replaced with the -ed. That should be in another grammar lesson (at a different grade level actually).

Other lessons have had my child learning a new list of sight words on the ladder, a new phonogram during the main lesson, and then also learning new “challenge words” in the assigned reader. 

 It’s just too much for little ones to take in one lesson.

What My Daughter Thinks Of The Good and The Beautiful Language Arts

“Mommy, um, I like it, but I don’t love it. Do you think we could look for something different?”

She went on to say that she thought the curriculum was above her head. She has so many different things to remember between the extensive sight word list (aka memorized letter pictures) and phonics rule breakers. I can tell she feels a bit stressed.

To be fair, her reading has progressed, but I don’t see the confidence and joy that she had with our previous reading curriculum.

I feel that is so much more important to focus on the long-term goal of reading for joy, than the short-term goal of “my kid is reading above grade level.”

The Good And The Beautiful Language Arts Would Be A Good Fit For You If:

• You love the 4-day/week schedule option
• Your kid is already a strong reader and/or has a strong language arts background
• You and your kids love pretty things
• Your child doesn’t get overwhelmed easily
• Open and Go works for your teaching style
• You know how to adapt a lesson to fit your child
• Charlotte Mason-style things like picture studies and poetry memorization are your jam
• You want a sight word heavy reading curriculum
• You want to teach spelling from an early age
• Your child has no problem sitting through long lessons
• An all-in-one curriculum speaks to your heart and your budget.

TGATB Language Arts Is Probably Not For You If…

• You want a strictly phonics reading program (minimal sight words)
• You want a gentle, confidence-building approach to literacy that teaches one concept at a time
• You think spelling should be focused on after strong reading skills have been developed.
• Spelling/writing basics should be introduced with copy work, not dictation.
• Exciting words are more important than beautiful pictures in a reader
• You prefer lessons to be on the shorter side

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 it’s not because your child isn’t bright or that your homeschool isn’t 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 can’t say that I didn’t 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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