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LAmom

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Everything posted by LAmom

  1. I posted this on the writing forum, too, but thought maybe I'd get more help x-posting. I had to type this up real quick because I can't figure out how to attach picture that are too large. Anyways, I had my dd going into 8th grade this year, do the placement question that WTMA has for their exposition classes. She picked to write about her being 2 inches tall, having to inform mom, and that she was hungry, etc. I need help with where to go with this. She has done WWS1 but I am not sure where to go from there. She wants to do more creative writing, but I want her to get basics down. Seems like she needs help with better sentence writing and vocabulary? Any input would be great and where to go from here. Some errors in the writing may be my quick typing... ---------- One morning, not too long ago, I woke up as usual. Then, after a few seconds, I realized something was wrong! I had shrunk! I was now approximately 2 in. tall...and also very hungry. I walked over to the ladder of my bunk-bed and crawled down the ladder. I ran out the door of my room and jumped off the stairs, one by one, till I was downstairs. Now to get breakfast. I sprinted to the kitchen, narrowly avoiding getting crushed by various family members, also including the pets. I heard them talking about me, so I paused. "Where is that pokey girl?" my mom said, annoyed. "It's 8:30! She should have been down her 1/2 an hour ago!" "Owen said that she wasn't in her room." That was my dad talking. "Bathroom?" "Nope." Their faces were worried, and puzzled. I had to tell them I was here and just 2 in. Anyways, I was super, mega hungry. But, how to get their attention? First, I tried screaming. I doubt they even heard it. Then I tried poking them, mainly Mom since she was the closer of the two. She just twitched her foot. I sighed. On thing left to do that I could do that I could think of, I started climbing her. Finally, I reached her shoulder. I gripped her shirt, then screamed. That sure got her attention! She jumped and glanced around. So I yelled, "MOM! MOM! IT'S ANNA! I'M ON YOUR SHOULDER!" She stared at her left should. Then she scoffed and started walking. "OTHER ONE!" I shouted. Mom looked to her right shoulder. Finally, she noticed me! She plucked me off of her shoulder and put me in her hand, which she put to her ear. "Mom, I'm hungry. I want breakfast." "Okay. Cereal?" she answered. "Sure." Mom walked over to the cereal box, grabbed milk out of the fridge and picked up a bowl. She placed me on the counter and started getting me breakfast. She picked out 10 cheerios and a teaspoon of milk in to the little bowl. Next, she took a coffee stirrer spoon and fed me. The spoon was too large, but somehow I managed.
  2. I am just going to type it out.... One morning, not too long ago, I wok up as usual. Then, after a few second, I realized something was wrong! I had shrunk! I was now approximately 2 in. tall...and also very hungry. I walked over to the ladder of my bunk-bed and crawled down the ladder. I ran out the door of my room and jumped off the stairs, one by one, till I was downstairs. Now to get breakfast. I sprinted to the kitchen, narrowly avoiding getting crushed by various family members, also including the pets. I heard them talking about me, so I paused. "Where is that pokey girl?" my mom said, annoyed. "It's 8:30! She should have been down her 1/2 an hour ago!" "Owen said that she wasn't in her room." That was my dad talking. "Bathroom?" "Nope." Their faces were worried, and puzzled. I had to tell them I was here and just 2 in. Anyways, I was super, mega hungry. But, how to get their attention? First, I tried screaming. I doubt they even heard it. Then I tried poking them, mainly Mom since she was the closer of the two. She just twitched her foot. I sighed. On thing left to do that I could do that I could think of, I started climbing her. Finally, I reached her shoulder. I gripped her shirt, then screamed. That sure got her attention! She jumped and glanced around. So I yelled, "MOM! MOM! IT'S ANNA! I'M ON YOUR SHOULDER!" She stared at her left should. Then she scoffed and started walking. "OTHER ONE!" I shouted. Mom looked to her right shoulder. Finally, she noticed me! She plucked me off of her shoulder and put me in her hand, which she put to her ear. "Mom, I'm hungry. I want breakfast." "Okay. Cereal?" she answered. "Sure." Mom walked over to the cereal box, grabbed milk out of the fridge and picked up a bowl. She placed me on the counter and started getting me breakfast. She picked out 10 cheerios and a teaspoon of milk in to the little bowl. Next, she took a coffee stirrer spoon and fed me. The spoon was too large, but somehow I managed. After breakfast, I got ready for a miserable day. Then I woke up. It was just a dream. Whew!
  3. I am just going to type it out....
  4. Shoot. I don't think attachment works. It says too large. Any ideas?
  5. My dd is entering 8th grade this year. Based off of WTMA's placement test, I had her answer a question. It was pretend you are 2 inches, trying to get attention of mom, and you are hungry. So, she had to write for 20 minutes or so. Attached is what she came up with. How do I help her? Her sentences are short/choppy. I think she needs better vocabulary? What program do you think she should try to help with her writing? She did WWS1 last year. I am not great with attachments, so hopefully you can figure out the order. Thanks for any input! She reads a ton, loves to write, but I feel like much improvement is needed. I just don't know how to help. I hope these attachments work! I don't know how else to do it. I took a picture of writing, sent it to my text, put on my computer desktop, and dragged here. file:///Users/Lydia/Desktop/IMG_9865.JPG file:///Users/Lydia/Desktop/IMG_9864.JPG file:///Users/Lydia/Desktop/IMG_9866.JPG
  6. Following. I'd love to teach my kids German. I know a little bit and just need a textbook or something to guide me in what to teach first, etc.
  7. Wonder why The Creative Writer wasn't mentioned in the book (at least that I saw...in writing sections)? It is a PeaceHillPress product and I've been trying to figure out how people use it/how SWB would suggest using it!
  8. Looking to have my 8th grader read a bit of Shakespeare next year. What versions of the books do you recommend? I've looked at different curriculum companies and they are all over the place. My 8th grader is a great reader. If you want to recommend what you think are the must read ones, too, that would be great. I was planning on possibly Julius Caesar, King Lear, Macbeth, Twelfth Night??? King Lear perhaps. I obviously have very little experience with Shakespeare except for the Leonardo DiCaprio movie: Romeo and Juliet. :leaving:
  9. Did you decide anything yet? I may be using MM 7 for my 8th grader next year because I just don't think she is ready for Algebra. Did you find it had enough review? That has been our problem with MM in the past. She needs spiral but I really want to use MM for pre-algebra.
  10. I'm not ruining her high school years/college years but not having her do Algebra I in 8th grade?!!! :tongue_smilie:
  11. So would it work to use MM7 (which I own), giving her the test for each chapter, as you suggested, and move through that and then start Algebra I once I think she has a decent grasp on all concepts taught in MM7?
  12. My daughter took the Saxon placement test and passed the 8/7 (17 out of 20) part but not the 1/2 part (10 out of 20). She completed CLE 7 this year and part of Saxon 8/7. So, what does she need for 8th grade? Pre-Algebra? Should I have her do MM7 or do Saxon 1/2? I was thinking she could try to do the MM7 final test and see if she passes that? I feel this pressure that she should be in Algebra in 8th grade but don't think she is ready. Primarily because we have jumped around too much and she is missing chunks in learning. :( Other suggestions?
  13. What did you use for world culture/geography and what will you us for your 8th grader? So 8th graders study civics/government and then again in high school?
  14. What would you pick for 8th grade history (thinking about 4 younger children, too) that would help high school flow best? A year of American History, Government, or stick with cycle (then would you do ancients or middle ages??)? We did year 4 of the cycle this year(sort of..). Or would you do a world/culture/geography study, using what (again, thinking about youngers, too)? I have been looking at Notgrass which would work for at least 3 of my kids, Biblioplan Ancients or Middle Ages, or ? I am headed to a convention tonight so I get to peek at some things. I have no idea what I will use next school year. Wish I did so I could make a purchase tonight!
  15. Wondering if you have ever skipped doing year 1, 2, etc. of the history cycle, and just do a year of topical/random history studies? Using living books, etc.? I am not really sure how I would go about that, but history has been a real failure the last 2 years and I don't feel like my kids have learned much. I was thinking maybe with some quality in-depths studies they will at least learn a little about a few things. Is that crazy? Especially if I have an 8th grader? :) Maybe we would actually get some science done, too. :P
  16. It seems like a lot of kids are doing Algebra in 8th grade? I think the California schools (where we live) do it this way. So, if we do CLE 800 in 8th, she will do Algebra in 9th. Then will she be behind? Should I try to accelerate through 800? I will have her take the Saxon tests after she does CLE 700 and see if she is ready. I think there is a Math-U-See test too. I guess I don't know what is needed in high school for math. Algebra I and II, Geometry, and ?? Four years are needed correct?
  17. I haven't heard much about CLE Algebra. I wanted to stick with something tried and true. I am not sure why people don't like Saxon (I hear mixed reviews but not really the whys). Foerster was looking good but then I read the review is lacking which makes me nervous because that seems to be why Math Mammoth didn't work as well for dd. I'm thinking DVD instructions may be helpful unless I find something that really helps me teach (I'm rusty in my algebra!).
  18. I'm trying to figure out what to use for dd (will be 8th grade) for algebra I next year. She did some Saxon 8/7 and then I switched her to CLE 7 which she hopefully will finish this summer. She seems to do best with review of concepts. I see Foerster's mentioned a lot on the boards. Does this have enough review? Saxon, I know, has review, but is disliked on the boards--why? I don't know either way. What are my other options? I see a lot of people use AOPS but even Maria Miller from Math Mammoth suggests that this is harder and for the more mathy (not her words). So, Chalkdust, Math U See? What else? Something easy to teach, too! :) I would like to have a clear direction for high school and not jump around each year. Teaching Textbooks seems to be greatly disliked, too. I don't want something light, but something to help her understand math, get it done, and be able to pass tests for college. :) Also, what placement test should I use to see if she is even ready for Algebra after doing CLE?
  19. Hmm, would you do Creative Writer and not WWS2? She wants to write but I feel like she needs some guidelines to encourage her in it. I haven't fully look at WWS2 yet and what assignments she would be doing.
  20. I am thinking of doing WWS2 with my 8th grader next year but want to get her doing some more writing. Does anyone use Creative Writer (and which one?) alongside WWS? Is it too much to try to do both?
  21. I am going to bump this old post up and ask another question? Since I still haven't made a decision... But, my daughter (7th grade) currently is doing some standardized testing and said today on the Social Science there was a lot of government questions that she didn't know. Which is sad because we are studying year 4 right now but just briefly touched on it. So, my question is should I do a focus on American History/Government for 8th or will doing Government in high school be enough? What would be more important in 8th? American History (which we just briefly went over in year 4-it seems...) or a World History/Cultural History with lots of Geography or something else of our choosing....like Sonlight's Christian History 200 which we wouldn't really want to do in high school?
  22. Thanks everyone for the help and encouragement! Changing it up is a good (and obvious) thing. I will look into using some Khan to explain things and try using MM for the concepts he is struggling with. His tests are the same--filled with red pen. It is either silly calculation mistakes or just using wrong method to answer or simply forgetting how to do it! He has struggled a lot with dividing fractions, decimals and rounding to a certain place, and division of 3 or more numbers. He can't figure out how to line up decimals even though I feel like I explained that sufficiently. Sounds like I need more patience and more review. I will have to find review problems to work on with him. Maybe put a hold on new concepts for now? It has been ultimately frustrating because it takes him about 1 hour to do his work and then we spend another 30-60 minutes re-doing it.
  23. My son is currently doing CLE Math 500 and is on book 509. We switched last year from MM because he needed more review and I also thought spiral would be better for him. Here is the situation: He completes the new lessons with me. He then does the big review. Every day he gets the same types of problems wrong. So, in the past I would go over the ones he got wrong and walk through how to do it. Explaining it again. He would then get the answer correct. But, he continues to get most of his problems wrong, generally the same section as the day before. Yes, I have reviewed it, done it with him, had him explain it to me, etc. Generally, on the third or fourth try he gets it correct. That has been the pattern for the last few months. Continually going over the ones he got wrong and redoing them. Why does he continue to get the SAME ones wrong? And it is not that I need to explain it again, review it again, etc. We have done all of that. What am I missing? Do I need to start all over for 5th grade? Maybe start over at Math Mammoth beginning 5th grade and see if he is just missing some basic concepts? He needs a lot of hand holding, which I have done. When will he just be able to get the problems right the first time? I am so frustrated. It doesn't make sense to me for him to keep pushing through if I see no improvement. I can't move him to 6th grade math if he can't even pass the section in his book that is review. Any suggestions? :(
  24. Curious why you are thinking of not using BP for 4th grade after you finish Medieval?
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