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Would I be doing my 6th grader a disservice if...


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I'm looking ahead to next year. 

 

We do school for 180 days. I typically do science for 90 of them and history for 90 of them. I'm looking at various history curricula that is 150+ lessons. Would I be doing my 6th grader a disservice if I split a one-year curriculum up and used it over two years (6th and 7th). I have younger kids that will be doing SOTW, so he'd be exposed to that for the 2nd time (in addition to whatever I choose for him). He wouldn't be doing work for SOTW, but he's likely to choose to listen in when it's read.

 

I'm also debating between doing WWS 1 split over 6th and 7th or waiting until 7th. I don't think he'll be ready for the full load of it in 6th grade. So my question is if it would be OK to split WWS over two years, or should I find something to use in 6th and wait until he can handle the full workload of WWS as written and do it fully in 7th.

 

 

 

Thanks!

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The only issue I see is that you may be more likely not to finish one (or both) of the programs just because there would be more time to decide to quit, if that makes sense.

 

Other than that, if you think it would work better for your student and your homeschool, I say go for it.

Edited by EKS
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I also prefer WWS for 7th --it just went sooo much better for my boys then.  Hormonal brain fog is just great. :hat:

 

But I would have no qualms about splitting it if that is what works. Learning skills (or content) is what matters--not the grade.

 

I split the BJU Life Science book (BJU slots it for 7th grade) over 18 months because that is what allowed my boys to learn the material without burning out.   Cramming it into one year would have killed it for all of us. 

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Thanks, everyone!

 

I think I'll split the history up over two years. We've been pretty good at sticking with something once we've started, unless it really isn't working, so I think we're likely to finish the history, even if we spread it out over two years. 

 

I'm still torn on WWS. It certainly seems possible that he'll get more out of it by waiting. But I like the idea of having it be leisurely and having time to camp out on something if it gives him trouble.

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My son started WWS in grade 6. It was definitely a challenge, but it was doable. I did find it necessary to go at a slower pace. It is just a lot of work. And I found that in order for him to really get it right, sometimes we had to take an extra day on a lesson making corrections before moving on. We finished volume 1 about a quarter of the way into grade 7. Now we're about a third of the way through grade 8 and we're about halfway through level 2. I'm starting to wonder if we're even going to finish level 3 by the end of 9th. 

 

So I suggest at least starting WWS and see how it goes. You can always drop it and go back to it later if you decide it's too much for now. Think about whether you plan to do all three levels and if it matters to you when you finish the whole series. Because you might find that you need grade 6 in order to finish when you want to. Possibly a 7th grader could knock out WWS 1 in less time than a 6th grader can, but... WWS 2 is even more time consuming, so I wouldn't count on an 8th grader completing it in one year unless he is going to invest a lot of time in it. 

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My dd did WWS over 8th and 9th with other writing instruction and assignments mixed in (R&S composition and assignments across the curriculum ala WTM.) My next dd won't even be starting it until 9th grade. Splitting it was perfect here. 

 

There is no set amount of history that a 6 th grader needs. Schools do all kinds of different programs, so if using one made for a full year over 2 works then do it. Plus like you said, getting exposure again to SOTW fills in the rest of the year. My sister taught public school 6th grade social studies with SOTW1. Her school thought that was perfectly fine for a 6th grader. Yours will be getting more than just that. 

 

 

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If I had it to do again I would be more relaxed about WWS 1 in 6th. I say start it, but don't stress if you only get halfway through. The curriculum has them keep a notebook that they refer back to in later years, so that knowledge isn't going to go away. Rarely do we finish a week in a week's time. Often my dc need another go-round to incorporate edits and it just takes time.

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We have split WWS1 over 6th and 7th, mixed with other writing. Works fine because my big-picture girl gets frustrated with the detail in WWS.

 

We have been doing year two of the 4 yr history cycle for 17 months because we love it and do not want to rush through or skip things we are interested in. I think the trick with history is to maintain a challenging level of output, even if you are moving slowly. for us discussion is the keyt to retention and I do require some writing, but not lots. There are always more good history books to read! 

 

Our schooling has been interrupted twice in two two years for major health crises - one for my dh and one for my mom. Life is real and school fits in around it. 

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We split WWS over 6th and 7th and also split science across those two years. I don't see a problem with it. Neither of those subjects, nor history, have specific items that must be learned in specific grades. You just have an overall goal for your child to be ready for high school writing before high school, and you have an overall goal of introducing your child to science and history topics so they'll be somewhat familiar when studied from the beginning again in high school.

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