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Please chime in on Lifepac/Monarch/SOS & grade levels


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Kiddo and I had a long talk yesterday about what is working and isn't working in our homeschool. After our talk, my plans for here out are changing, at least for a while. DD wants a get er done workbook program, and requested to try lifepacs for all but math {we'll stick with Saxon}. Used lifepac grade 5 history this year and dd liked it, but can't explain WHAT she liked about it. I think it's because she can do it mostly independently, and she's really been wanting her own space educationally. DD is hitting the middle school years {6th} and I worry because I've been told lifepac runs below grade level. 

 

In your opinion, how far below grade level does Lifepac run for Language Arts, History and Science? Can it be used to give a decent education?

 

And I realize I said lifepac in the post, but from my understanding lifepac / SOS / Monarch are all the same program just in different formats. 

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Kiddo and I had a long talk yesterday about what is working and isn't working in our homeschool. After our talk, my plans for here out are changing, at least for a while. DD wants a get er done workbook program, and requested to try lifepacs for all but math {we'll stick with Saxon}. Used lifepac grade 5 history this year and dd liked it, but can't explain WHAT she liked about it. I think it's because she can do it mostly independently, and she's really been wanting her own space educationally. DD is hitting the middle school years {6th} and I worry because I've been told lifepac runs below grade level. 

 

In your opinion, how far below grade level does Lifepac run for Language Arts, History and Science? Can it be used to give a decent education?

 

And I realize I said lifepac in the post, but from my understanding lifepac / SOS / Monarch are all the same program just in different formats. 

 

I think Alpha Omega is on par, mostly. I have to say, though, that science was our least favorite Alpha Omega subject. Your dd is just fifth, so it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference, but it was our experience (4th, 9th, 10th) that the questions asked did not actually have answers in the text. Even I, with the answer key in my hand, could not find the answers (or even draw conclusions from) the text.

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I would have loved Lifepacs and 1st edition Saxon as a kid. If I could have done all the levels and not jumped around to other curricula, I could have taught myself.

 

My neighbor used some AO, both Lifepacs and SOS. We did some of the old CLE units that were lightly edited AO.

 

AO is the most consistent of the workbook publishers. Less gaps and awkward updates.

 

I did not find the workbooks to be behind. If skipping around, the teaching was sometimes lite, mostly just assuming a past background, I think.. Science might get tricky after grade 10, and be too light in instruction. I'd switch over to something else after Biology. The old math was too lite in instruction and moved too fast for an introduction, but worked just fine for review. If you were to use the complete program with a cover school, that might work for you.

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I'll jump in and say I am living CLE for language arts, and I'm using it a grade behind for my dyslexic. He hates workbooks and he doesnt particularly love this but sometimes school just isn't fun! I have come to that conclusion at least for him. It's laid out a lesson per day for the most part and it gets done. I like knowing that it's getting done.

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They may have been updated and therefore this may not apply, but if not vastly changed - for much of my own homeschooling, A&O Lifepacs were my English and Math. We did them on grade level, they got it done (which I liked), and I had no problem transitioning into other curricula on grade level.

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