X-Post ....Help me find a very efficient, but deep (not simple) Writing for next year among other ?s

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As I explained on the other board, my son is needing to focus more from now on, on his interests and strengths.  Using an all in one boxed program was not a good use of his time.

 

He will be doing more computer programming work, and also a computing/discreet math course with my dh.  

 

My dream for 7th grade and 8th grade and even 9th grade is just to move him forward so he can focus on his interests and strengths.  HOwever, he still needs to continue such mundane things as learning how to write compositions and research papers and things like that.  So we can't drop the regular school-y stuff altogether either!

 

Here are some questions:

1. Can we drop Formal Science completely for 7th grade?  I mean in 7th, he's not getting any credits and he covered SO MUCH textbook Science this year with Calvert.  He is totally textbook Scienced out....

 

2.  Can you point me to a course that covers the basics of Writing and maybe Literature in as little time, and as efficiently as possible? He has already covered a TON of Writing with Calvert (truly a ton) and just needs to continue that momentum.  However, the last thing he needs is anything dumbed down.  Depth plus Efficiency would be a truly perfect goal here.

 

3.  Can we drop formal history?  For 7th and 8th?  He knows SO MUCH world history from all of his voracious reading and my own history bent over the years. I can't imagine that he's really missing much of anything.  

 

4.  Can anyone make a recommendation for the best Word Roots based workbooks with BUILT IN pages of plenty of practice and review?  He's a great visual learner so as long as he writes something enough times, it'll stick like glue.  This will help with SAT's / ACTs

 

Basically, I want him to focus all his energy on Math, Programming/Computers, and Writing with maybe some Lit thrown in, and the Koine Greek because that's his verbal "thing."  I want him to feel like his school time is spent on something useful, challenging and worthy instead of insipid flash cards and tests on basic information likely to be forgotten!!!  I think I almost killed him this year. If his work ethic wasn't so completely awesome, I think he would have burned his books in the grill by now.

 

But, I realize that we are now veering off the beaten path and I need advice.  Thank you so much!

 

 

[Lori D.]

My 2 cents worth, FWIW! :) BEST of luck as you decide. Warmly, Lori D.

 

 

1. Sure -- drop formal Science.

But keep some light very informal exposure just to keep from getting rusty ;). Ideas to pick from:

- weekly, watch several Science shows (Mythbusters, NOVA, etc.)

- consider spending the year working on a science fair project or science research of DS's interest

- what about an online interactive unit with the Jason Project

- Plato Science courseware?

- spread out a 9-week unit of personal interest over the whole year (Astronomy, Forensics, Marine Biology…)

 

 

2. Writing / Literature

Hard to find something for 7th grade with BOTH writing and lit… Writing choices that are simple and will keep momentum:

- Wordsmith

- Jump In

- Essentials in Writing

 

Literature choices -- none have writing instruction included, but it doesn't sound like you need that so much -- just a few assignment choices for a little light writing practice each month...

 

- 3 Garlic Press Discovering Lit. guides (Redwall, The Hobbit, The Giver) & read from a list of gr. 6-8 books of interest to DS

- MCT Search unit (3 novels: Treasure Island; Call of the Wild; The Invisible Man)

- LL7 = 8 units (2 of poetry; 2 short stories ("Rikki Tikki Tavi"; "Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"; and 4 novels (Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, Helen Keller: Story of My Life, All Creatures Great and Small); takes less than 1 year; gentle intro into literature; choose from writing assignments at the end of each unit. You can do as many or as few as desired of the 8-10 workpages that go with each unit.

 

 

3. Sure -- drop formal History.

BUT -- consider using the time to do a little light OTHER Social Studies topic. After 6 years of chronological history, we did a year of world geography/comparative religions in middle school -- it was great! :) Maybe use 7th grade as your opportunity for a gentle focus on a different Social Studies topic of interest, say, just 2x/week with informal reading or study...

 

- Gov't / Civics -- enjoy involvement in a model UN program, mock legislative event, mock trial, etc.

- State Study -- learn about the state you live in: landmarks, monuments, geographical points of interests, Native peoples, interesting people/events from state history… etc.

- cultural and/or physical Geography

- Worldviews study and/or Comparative Religions

- Anthropology

- Philosophy -- you could read Sophie's World and use a study guide...

 

 

4. Probably not necessary for test purposes.

Did you know that as of Jan. 2016, there will be a new SAT test, re-vamped to more closely resemble the ACT and to be Common Core compliant? Part of the changes involve dropping the vocabulary; see this recent NPR article: The New SAT: Less Vocabulary, More Linear Equations.

 

However, if you still want a roots-based vocabulary workbook, these are recommended by WTMers:

Sadlier Oxford Vocabulary Workshop

Vocabulary from Classical Roots

MCT's Caesar's English

[whitestavern]

This is very similar to what I'm thinking for my ds for 7th. We have done history and science to death so we're not doing either next year. We are focusing a lot on reading good books and learning to write well. We will try the garlic press lit guides and either Blackbird & Co Intro to Comp or Writing Extraordinary Essays. I'm looking at So You Really Want to Learn English to round out language arts. For fun we're trying Vocabulary Cartoons.

[Haiku]

My dd is really enjoying School Composition, a free vintage writing book from Google Books. You can also purchase a reprint inexpensively from Amazon. SC is followed by Writing In English. The lessons are short but offer a lot.

[SilverMoon]

For science and history, yes, I would drop formal, but not drop them altogether.

 

There are plenty of interesting, well-written non-fiction books out there. For science I would make a sturdy pile on various topics and have him read from it daily. Look for "living books" science threads in here for ideas.

 

I also thought of a geography year intead of history. Or a citizenship/civics year. Or ask him which period of history he'd like to learn more about and get a fat spine or pile of nonfiction/good literature for him to *just* read through. (No tests, etc)

 

Lit and writing don't generally go together, or at least not with both of them done well. I like the choices Lori posted.

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Lori, thanks.  I totally forgot about the SAT dropping their old vocab program.  

 

1.  Science- my ds has a hobby (actually our whole family) of watching NOVA, documentaries, etc.  So I can maybe just rely on that.  I'll keep that JASON tabbed for high school though. I'll see what they are offering by then.  This is what I mean....he does Science all the time in his free time.  I don't have to make a stack for him to read.  He will always be watching and reading Science related stuff.

 

2. Writing- I've found what we want- The 2nd book (8th grade) in the Applications of Grammar Series by CLP.  Very efficient and thorough.  And he can use it all the way through till he starts Dual Credit classes at CC.

 

For literature, I'll just make sure he has plenty of great reading on hand.  He just read through, and discussed (and made all kinds of connections) the unabridged Odyssey, Iliad, and Aeneid.  SO I think he is ready for some more English and American Classics as well, although apparently Epic Poetry is his favorite genre.  I might do a Xpost on "a small little book teaching you how to analyze everything you read." 

 

3. I totally LOVE the idea of your "other social studies topic" for history!!  I will search around and see if I can find something interesting or fun enough for him to do on  his own, or as a family in our family time or something. or Philosophy.  Or, he can just use Seterra and shore up some of his European and Asian Geography.  I might have him read some source documents.

 

I probably could add Logic and that would be super useful.

 

[SilverMoon]

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. :)

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Awesome.  It's going on the AMAZON wish list now.  We have How to Read a Book.  I want something a little more concise, but that will serve as well.

 

I think I will just buy him all the books from AO Year 8.  He will read them.  :o)

[SilverMoon]

There's a for kids version of that book if you want to go down a notch. (It's on my rising sixth grader's list, but I haven't seen it yet.)

[TarynB]

There's a for kids version of that book if you want to go down a notch. (It's on my rising sixth grader's list, but I haven't seen it yet.)

 

We literally just yesterday got How to Read Literature Like a Professor For Kids.  I opened a box from Amazon, sat the books on the end table, and DS picked up that one, got absorbed in it, and read it for about an hour.  I figure it was a good sign.  I guess he liked it.  Now I need to read it too.  :lol: :laugh:

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

How to Read Lit for Kids is great! Shannon has been reading it, just a chapter a week, for about, well, 15 weeks now.  Totally on her own on Fridays, we haven't discussed it or anything.  At first I didn't know whether anything was really sticking, but I've noticed for about the last month, she's been bringing up ideas she learned in it during lit discussions.  It's very cool, because it's coming entirely from her, not from me (I read the book before I gave it to her, so I recognize when she's using examples from it).  She now talks about it a lot.  It turned out to be a very good use of time!

[Mrs Twain]

My dd is really enjoying School Composition, a free vintage writing book from Google Books. You can also purchase a reprint inexpensively from Amazon. SC is followed by Writing In English. The lessons are short but offer a lot.

I second this rec, especially since your son has already done a substantial amount of writing. The models are excellent in School Composition, and it fits the depth without excess objective.

[AK_Mom4]

We actually did this for most of 7th grade.  We didn't really want to dive into high school science and history yet and didn't want to lose momentum on the writing.  She has spent most of the year following a variety of mini-topics in science (astronomy, earth quakes, animal physicology) with library books and videos - no text books.  History was World Geography first semester and a study of US Presidents for second semester along with some local history.  The geography study was great because she now has a really good grasp of WHERE things are in the world.

 

For Lit, we first worked through an old middle school Lit text book with lots of short stories and poems, then have just been using the free Glencoe study guides with certain novels.  She had finished Lightning Lit 7 already and we are saving LL8 for next year.

 

7th and 8th grade seems to be a good time to free-range a bit in curriculum before starting the steady stuff for high school.

 

[Lori D.]

I totally forgot about the SAT dropping their old vocab program.  

 

1.  Science- my ds has a hobby (actually our whole family) of watching NOVA, documentaries, etc ....he does Science all the time in his free time.  I don't have to make a stack for him to read.  He will always be watching and reading Science related stuff.

 

2. Writing- I've found what we want- The 2nd book (8th grade) in the Applications of Grammar Series by CLP.

 

For literature, I'll just make sure he has plenty of great reading on hand.  He just read through, and discussed (and made all kinds of connections) the unabridged Odyssey, Iliad, and Aeneid...  I might do a Xpost on "a small little book teaching you how to analyze everything you read." 

 

3. I totally LOVE the idea of your "other social studies topic" for history!!  I will search around and see if I can find something interesting or fun enough for him to do on  his own

 

Awesome, Calming Tea! Sounds like you already have most of next year planned! :)

 

For resources on how to analyze literature, you might find these helpful:

- SWB's The Well Educated Mind (first 4 chapters or so -- the rest is info on specific books)

- Teaching The Classics (DVD series -- you and DS could watch together)

- How To Read Literature Like a Professor (Foster)

- How to Read a Book (Adler)

 

Mostly, I found that getting a good lit. guide gave us good ideas for discussion questions to springboard from, and then also some background info on the author/times. Plus some writing assignment ideas -- you will want DS to write about literature eventually in high school. Windows to the World would be a good program to do at some point in 8th-10th grade. It's one semester and has a fabulous section on how to write a literary analysis essay.

 

Have fun planning the rest of your year! Warmest regards, Lori D.