Am I being waaaaay too optimistic?

[Tawlas]

I think I am.  But I really wish I wasn't.  

 

I have a 10 year old dyslexic that I say will be in sixth grade in the fall, but really, she's more like entering fifth grade (except for math in which she is right on par).  She's been assessed as having both moderate dyslexia and dysgraphia.  I also have a 9 year old son who I *suspect* has both dyslexia and dysgraphia (and maaaaybe dyscalculia?) but all of those in a milder form than his sister.  He's reading well now, about grade level, but he's pencil phobic - although LOVES to tell stories and play with words aloud.  So for Language Arts I consider them at the same level.

 

What I'd really *LOVE* to do is follow the Well Trained Mind plan for Science and History.  Reading through a spine (Usborne Encyclopedia of History and Science), following rabbit trails, outlining, all that jazz.  I feel like maybe they could handle the fifth grade requirements with accommodations?  I'd love for them to tackle the 2-page spread readings together but without me hand-holding eventually, after some training from me.  They have different strengths and weaknesses and maybe could help each other through it.  I'd love to use that time (while they are reading) to work with the two littles I have. . . one of whom (so far) is advanced and needing some more challenges than I can offer due to time limits.

 

I'm considering using speech-to-text app like dragon dictation for the outlining.  Or uploading the pdfs from Elemental Science Biology so they can be filled out orally through an app. . . 

 

I know no one knows my particular kids and situation or can possibly predict if this is going to work.  But does anyone else drool over the WTM methods and hesitate?  Go for it?  Not sure what I'm looking for here lol.  Maybe just sympathy, and/or encouragement!

 

Or suggestions?  What did you guys do to complete a more grown-up (as far as 10 year olds go!) science and history?

Edited March 18, 2017 by Tawlas

[maize]

I don't know what your education plans should be, but my 11 year old (July birthday) is in 5th this year. He'll be 12 before going into 6th.

 

I'm hesitant to put grade level pressure on kids with learning challenges of any kind.

Edited March 18, 2017 by maize

[Tawlas]

No, I know.  They are at where they are at.  I think I just have a bit of a "planning itch" and I drool over Well Trained Mind every March.  I don't want to underestimate them either though.  It's a tough balance to find

 

[Heathermomster]

My DS has dyslexia/dysgraphia/dyscalculia and followed the WTM's history suggestions with accommodations. History has been one of our homeschooling bright spots. DS never enjoyed historical fiction, so we didn't do that. His timeline was kept on the computer. He typed all of his notebook sections and appended to each word file as he progressed. We periodically printed the work and added to his history binder. He performed mapwork, typed traditional outlines, and outlined using mind maps. DS watched documentaries, visited multiple museums, and used audio books.

 

DS started in 7th grade. He did not reach any independence with history until 9-10th grade.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Heathermomster

[Storygirl]

Do they like science and history?

 

If you would like them to do it independently (or mostly independently), I think you will want to pick something that will interest them and be enjoyable. Expecting them to work on something independently when they don't really like it....that would be more challenging.

 

I never used the Usborne encyclopedias. How engaging will children find them to be? For kids who are dyslexic and dysgraphic, I think expecting them to outline on their own, do additional rabbit trail reading on their own, etc. is probably a stretch.

 

If you want them to do history and science on their own, I would look into audio or video options and not require much reading or written output for those subjects.

[Tawlas]

They like parts of science and history. They like experiments and historical fiction and the adventurous parts like explorers and fur traders.

 

I *think* Usborne is fairly accessible? Mostly because it's in smaller chunks, like a few subtitles, a paragraph for each subtitle, lots of pictures. More like a magazine maybe? They aren't thrilled with outlining, but I think if I let them dictate instead of writing, they wouldn't mind. It's just the physical act of writing part that they don't like.

 

Just to be clear, I don't expect them to do all science and history independently, just the reading of Usborne Encyclopedia and maybe eventually the outlining. I'm certainly willing to walk them through experiments, projects, etc. And using documentaries as rabbit trails (I also thought of Brain Pop for when we're short on time) is a great idea.

 

But you're right. I go overboard with the planning. It would serve me well to remember they have opinions and preferences and limitations that are all valid. Maybe I should talk to them a little bit lol?!

Edited March 18, 2017 by Tawlas

[PeterPan]

I've raised a someone who is a history lover who also got a 35 on the ACT for science, so I'll speak. Actually it means nothing, because I didn't make her a history lover (God did) and I probably didn't do that well with her at science to deserve that, lol. Anyways! :)

 

Many people who love those fields DON'T love how SWB approaches them in WTM. SWB, whom I've had lunch with when we had board get togethers at conventions, etc. etc., has an amazingly strong ability to break things down into parts. It's her strength and what she does in WTM and why people enjoy her as a convention speaker. She takes big, scary things and breaks them down into parts.

 

So here's the problem. Maybe that really fits you! You just said you DROOL over WTM every spring! I had that with TOG. I mean I spent so much time wishing I could use TOG that each year when I went by the booth the TOG would just laugh and resume our conversations from the year before. Like these ladies got to KNOW me, lol. 

 

Thing is, when push came to shove, I had to be really HONEST about how my kids learn. And you are. You already know, because you wrote it out there. (narratives, hands-on, reliving things) You already know what they engage with. And sure it's ok to stretch them and bridge from that to other aspects of history or science, sure! But stop and think. What if it's not a question of disabilities (making the reading accessible to dyslexics) but ABILITIES. They have GIFTS, UNUSUALLY STRONG ABILITIES due to their dyslexia. It goes with the brain type. 

 

You need to read Dyslexic Advantage. Do not decide your path forward on these till you read DA. And if you've read it, pull it out and read it again. :)

 

I guarantee, when you read DA, you'll know your answer. My dd isn't technically dyslexic. She is straight ADHD and fits very well within DA. For me, reading DA was REVOLUTIONARY. I finally realized why her brain works the way it does, that the aspects of history she enjoyed were literally due to BRAIN STRUCTURE, and that I was going to work with her best by getting on board with her gifts!

 

That's how you raise these kids, by working WITH their brains, not against them. You're not teaching yourself. You know this. If you like WTM, then please, go get the encyclopedia and do it to yourself. Or go read WEM and get SWB's talk on WEM (which she probably sells as a download for $5, go see), and work on your own education. It's ok to want to work on your own education! 

 

But for your kids, for your very special, gifted kids, who have strengths because of their very awesome brain design, don't miss it and pigeon hole them into someone else's paradigm that wasn't what that person was writing for. WTM was written for kids who want things broken into chunks, who accept parts and pieces, who memorize, who are comfortable segregating content, cause, and consequence, who are able to be told what to do, who don't have extreme passionate drives behind their own need to dos.

 

That may not be your kids. Your kids sound like they're really into narrative, like they want to know WHY people did things and how they felt and what the stories were and the consequences. And SURE you can do that within a WTM construct, absolutely! But if you don't realize what they need, you won't bring that to it.

 

I used VP with my dd, and it is pretty flexible. I agree WTM could be flexible. TOG can be flexible. The VP self-paced, if your kids don't find the reading on the screen overwhelming, was super fab for my dd. She LOVED it, inhaled it. They have samples. I'm not saying use VP, but sure you could go look at the self-paced samples and try it. My ds wasn't ready when I looked. He's more all about his one niched interest, so we work with that. Our newest gig, which is working really well, is we watch videos about a topic within his particular interests, sometimes chaining, and then read a book about that topic. That works with him. He doesn't have a strong narrative interest like your kids, though he does enjoy having an immersion experience and doing hands-on for it. That part is huge, absolutely. For him, it just has to be within what he's ready to learn. For my dd, it was all about the narrative (like it sounds with your kids), so we read SO much historical fiction. We used the TruthQuest book lists on top of VP's and SL's to keep her stocked. Sometimes we used WTM books. But the key was acknowledging she's a serious narrative person. To her the narrative, who they were, why they did it, what they were feeling, REALLY MATTERED.

 

And you know what's funny? Now we're doing the Strongs Interest survey stuff for career testing, and that's how she tests! She is who she is and she was who she was. Her people skills, that ability to understand people, help people, care about people, IS her gift. She has such a diverse abiilty set (artistic and entrepreneureal and social/helping others) that it can go lots of directions. But that gift of understanding people, caring about narratives, that I was seeing in how she wanted to approach history and science, was her GIFT. Nurture it baby, whatever their gift is. :)

Edited March 18, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[Tawlas]

Thanks OhElizabeth. I appreciate all you had to say. I'll do some serious contemplating and look through VP and SL and TOG (and I reserved the book in our library). Maybe you're right. . . Maybe I'd be better off with a historical fiction approach . . . And maybe *I'll* do the logic stage history class :P

 

I've TRIED to read "Dyslexic Advantage" but couldn't get through it. . . But with so may recommendations over the last little while, it sounds like I need to just do it.