Lightsail Homeschool Reading Programs

My son loves to read, but I struggle to help him choose the perfect books to read. I am always on the lookout for books that are challenging but not too difficult, and books that are interesting to him. That’s why I was so excited to discover LightSail for Homeschoolers! LightSail’s homeschool reading programs test kids to determine their Lexile score and then recommend engaging books at their reading level. Here’s what you need to know about this exciting new homeschool reading program.

I received compensation and a subscription to LightSail for Homeschoolers in exchange for my honest review, but all the opinions in this post are my own.

What is LightSail for Homeschoolers?

LightSail for Homeschoolers is an online literacy curriculum for students in grades K-12. This award-winning program has been available to students and teachers since 2012.

Now, to help all learners maximize their potential through literacy, LightSail is expanding its platform. They have created a family-centered language arts program for homeschoolers called LightSail for Homeschoolers!

LightSail for Homeschoolers was designed to give kids a lifelong love of learning. It uses a comprehensive Language Arts curriculum that helps kids build their skills in reading, writing, vocabulary, and fluency as they become successful readers.

The program includes an online language arts platform that teaches both reading and writing for grades pre-K through 12. It also includes an extensive e-Library that is personalized to provide just the right amount of challenge to each student.

LightSail is Based on Science

LightSail’s platform is an effective reading program that is designed based on the science of reading and writing and is already used by more than 5 million students in public schools. Now a team of home educators has customized LightSail for home use to create an amazing homeschool curriculum!

I love that this program is based on science and that it is already proven to be effective with millions of students. As a teacher with a degree in education, I am always looking for ways to incorporate the science of how kids learn best in my homeschool. I was excited to see all the ways that LightSail for Homeschoolers uses the research to help kids learn better with this platform.

How LightSail for Homeschoolers Helps Kids Improve Reading Skills

• Personalized libraries for each student
• Access to tens of thousands of books and multimedia resources including content from World Book and Lerner Publishing
• ChildSafe Content controls allow parents to customize which books their child will see
• Parents and teachers can access data about their child’s reading, comprehension, and writing, including their Lexile score, in real-time
• Grow your library even more with purchases from the e-bookstore from Penguin Random House and HarperCollins publishers
• Learn more about LightSail for Homeschoolers!

How to Set Up LightSail for Homeschoolers

Registering for LightSail for Homeschoolers is easy. Once I entered my kids’ ages, I could choose whether I wanted a Standard or Premium subscription. The Premium subscription gives access to an expanded library of over 12,00 books instead of the 6,000 books that are included in the Standard subscription.

The Premium subscription also includes a subscription to the World Book Encyclopedia, which includes age-appropriate articles, maps and timelines, and games and activities for kids to enjoy. I’m planning to use World Book in our science and social studies lessons this year. I am excited to be able to teach my kids how to research a topic in an encyclopedia!

I also had the option to add on a subscription to World Book Kids or World Book PreK for even more resources!

Once I registered, I had access to a separate account for each of my kids, plus a parent dashboard where I could create and review assignments, recommend books for my kids, and see their progress at a glance. 

Features of LightSail for Homeschoolers

Extensive Library of Books

The library inside LightSail for Homeschoolers is the best thing about this program! The collection includes over 12,000 books and multimedia resources from publishers including World Book and Lerner Publishing. There are also faith-based collections and classic homeschool books. 

The reading materials range from picture books to chapter books and are appropriate for kids from preschool through 12th grade. The children’s books include both fiction and nonfiction choices. These are real books that cover a wide variety of topics that are interesting to young readers.

Fun Topics that Kids Love

My kids both enjoyed browsing the books that were available in the library. My son loves dinosaurs, but he has read all the dinosaur books at our local library. He was so excited to find new dinosaur books in LightSail for Homeschoolers!

Both my kids quickly found books to add to their reading list about topics that interested them, and they were able to search and sort the books by topic as well. They were excited to read books about their favorite subjects, and I love that motivating my kids to read is never a struggle with this program.

Parental Controls

Parents can use the ChildSafe Content Control Service to set up filters for the content. I like that LightSail leaves it up to individual parents to decide what content they would like their children to be able to access. Because my kids are younger, I was able to set up content filters to remove content for older students and make sure they were exposed to appropriate content for their ages.

Check out all the books that are available in LightSail for Homeschoolers’ extensive library!

LightSail Parent Dashboard

The LightSail parent dashboard is a really helpful tool for homeschool parents. The dashboard allows me to see at a glance exactly which books my kids are reading. I can see which assignments they have completed and where they are in the learning process. I can also see their Lexile scores, and how many questions they answered correctly in the books they have read.

This information is great for homeschool parents because it allows us to see our child’s progress in reading comprehension and writing ability in real-time. We can use this data to customize our kids’ learning experiences, both in the platform and in our homeschool lesson plans outside of the program. 

I also love the chat features that are included in the homeschool program. I can send messages to my kids, assign activities, or recommend books.

It is great to be able to create a customized goal for each child, and then assign a reward from me that will display when they complete their goal. I love that parents can create both the goals and the rewards for their kids themselves. This is such a meaningful way to celebrate their kids’ hard work.

Language Arts Skills Kids will Learn

Reading

One of the main areas of focus of the LightSail for Homeschoolers curriculum is reading skills. The platform is designed to make sure that kids are choosing books that are just the right difficulty for them. 

Lexile Levels

LightSail does its reading instruction through Lexile levels. When kids start using the program, their first job is to take a Power Challenge. This is an adaptive placement test that determines their Lexile level. This allows every aspect of LightSail to be customized to meet each child’s needs.

We were impressed with how thorough the Power Challenge was. My son reads several levels above his grade level, but the software was still able to adapt the questions to fit his reading level and find his Lexile score. 

It was helpful to me to know what his Lexile score is because I will use this information to help him find children’s books both within the LightSail for Homeschoolers platform and at our local library. And, I love that the program automatically updates his Lexile score every 15 days so I can see his progress over time.

Power Texts

Each book in the LightSail library is labeled with a Lexile score. Books that are just the right level for your child are referred to as Power Texts. Kids can focus on those to see the fastest gains in their reading ability. 

The LightSail library has a huge selection of books, so we had no problems finding Power Texts that my son was excited to read. The incredible variety of engaging books motivated my son to want to keep reading and keep using the program.

Customizing the Library

The books in the library can also be customized for students with special needs. For example, homeschool students with Dyslexia may benefit from the ability to read a book one line at a time.

Reading Comprehension

This platform goes well beyond helping kids learn sight words or phonemic awareness. The program focuses on teaching reading comprehension as well and makes sure that kids are understanding what they are reading.

Many of the books have built-in comprehension checks. Throughout the book, key words will be missing. Kids will have to choose which word is missing from a list of choices. This is a great way to make sure that kids are both reading and understanding the books that they choose.

The built-in reading comprehension checks are my favorite part of the LightSail for Homeschoolers platform. My son has always had a love of reading, but he tends to read quickly and has a hard time remembering what he has read. I noticed that the comprehension checks forced him to slow down and think about what the text was saying. I am already seeing improvements in his reading comprehension, and I know that this literacy program is making him a better reader.

Learn more about how LightSail for Homeschoolers helps kids build reading skills!

Writing

LightSail for Homeschoolers is a great reading program, but it is also a comprehensive Language Arts curriculum. It includes writing activities that complement kids’ reading assignments. Kids can learn how to write a book report, essay, or research paper using graphic organizers that help them work through the writing process every step of the way. 

LightSail for Homeschoolers includes activities designed to make writing fun for kids. The authentic writing feature allows kids to practice their writing skills as they respond to the book they are reading by writing a persuasive letter, a tweet, or even a text message!

I love that the writing assignments in LightSail are tied directly back to books in the library that kids have read. My son chose books about dinosaurs that interested him, and he was able to follow up with writing assignments about dinosaurs too. I’m always looking for a fun way to incorporate my kids’ interests into their homeschool lessons, and LightSail makes this easy to do!

Learn more about how LightSail for Homeschoolers helps kids build writing skills!

Vocabulary

Just like with reading, LightSail for Homeschoolers includes personalized spelling and vocabulary practice for kids using their Lexile level. Parents can create and assign vocabulary practice and spelling bees for their kids. And, Word Work questions are a good place to help kids review the new words that they learned from the stories they are reading. 

I love that my son’s spelling word list is customized to his Lexile score. This means that he is practicing words that are just the right difficulty level for him.

Learn more about how LightSail for Homeschoolers helps kids build vocabulary!

Fluency

LightSail for Homeschoolers gives kids lots of fun ways to practice their fluency in reading out loud. Kids can record themselves reading a book or retelling the main ideas from the story and then listen to the recording. They can share the recording with parents so they can listen and evaluate their kids’ progress, too.

Learn more about how LightSail for Homeschoolers helps kids build fluency!

Try LightSail for Homeschoolers Literacy Platform for Yourself!

After trying out LightSail for Homeschoolers, I would definitely recommend this Language Arts program. I love that the platform is designed to use research-backed strategies to help kids read better. LightSail does a great job of customizing each lesson and activity to provide just the right amount of challenge for kids. And, my kids had a lot of fun choosing and reading books from the massive library.

LightSail for Homeschoolers is available for a special launch price of $99/year for Premium and $65/year for Standard until 8/31/21.

Check out this homeschool reading curriculum for yourself right here!

See more curriculum reviews!