For a fifth grader, you may want to consider Classical Composition: Fable. I'm afraid that Aesop may move too slowly and be boring for a fifth grader. I did Classical Composition: FAble with my fourth grader last year and then went into CW Homer this year with no problems. I really like CC Fable for an older student; I don't care as much for the other levels of CC, which is why I switched to CW. As I recall, the student does outline in the Fable stage; I don't recall how much instruction there was.

Yes, of course, Jami. Veritas's new lesson plans certainly would be a good choice.

Covenant Home Curriculum claims to be Classical in a box. Check out their website. Google Covenant Home Curriculum. There are lots of samples and an explanation of their philosophy. I have some friends that have used this with their children. They enjoyed it.

I was all set for Henle--even purchased it--until I got my hands on a friend's copy of Latin Prep. I'm really impressed with this program and I think it will be a better fit for my 6th grader next year. The layout is a lot more appealing for one thing. We're currently using French Prep and Latin Prep is set up similarly--very solid grammar instruction, lots of translation practice, and a high fun factor. We're excited to use it. Of course, I haven't started teaching it yet, but I'm impressed with what I've seen. There are several Latin Prep users on the board. Perhaps they will comment.

Did you use the Student Activity Book as well, or just the text? And was there review of concepts throughout the book? Thanks.

I'm looking at this for next year for a sixth grader. He has completed RightStart through Geometry and has done well. I'm wanting to postpone algebra another year so that he can mature. I'm looking for a math program to keep his math skills fresh and perhaps give him more practice in long division. Any thoughts about Fundamentals of Math? Likes, dislikes?

Angela, What's your opinion of BJU 7? I'm looking at this for next year (6th grade).

Ferdie, He is enjoying the Geometry very much. He wants to be an architect. We do it 4 days a week--the lessons are very short, mostly under 30 minutes--and it will probably take us a few weeks into the summer to complete it. I'm not sure though if I'll have my youngers do the program. They have different interests. I certainly like the independent aspect, for sure. Thanks for the Bob Jones recommendation. I've been looking closely at this one. I wonder how it compares to the ABeka Basic Mathematics?

I'm trying to decide what to do next for ds 11. He has done really well in RightStart and skill-wise I think he could move into Pre-Algebra just fine--that's RightStart's recommendation. However, I'd really like to give him another year to mature before hitting algebra. He'll be a youngish 6th grader. I was leaning this way already and my brother the Math PhD agrees that ds would be better off waiting a year. So, what to do next year? I'd like to keep his math skills fresh and am considering an overview-type text. Lots of programs offer these for seventh grade math. I've looked at Arithmetic Skills Worktext (offered by Covenant Home Curriculum), A Beka Basic Mathematics, and BJU Fundamentals of Math. I also think he could use more practice on long division. He's also doing CLE Math 5 along with RS and is finding that to be no problem. Should I just continue with CLE Math 6 or switch to an overview? Any opinions out there? TIA

Latina Christiana 2 RightStart E Classical Writing: my own Narrative lesson plans French Prep 1 Christian Studies: Acts through Revelation and a Church History overview Modern Studies: Truthquest AHYS III Classical Studies: Children's Homer and Jason and the Golden Fleece (Colum) Literature: My own reading list of classic children's literature A variety of Nature Readers and Art Readers Picture Study and Composer Study Tons of free reading Memorization of Poetry and Scripture Art lessons Irish Dance

Latin Prep 1 Math: undecided; we're finishing RightStart Geometry Classical Writing: complete Homer B and start Beginning Poetry Fallacy Detective French Prep 1 Modern Studies: Truthquest AHYS III Christian Studies: Acts through Revelation and a CHurch HIstory overview Classical Studies: Children's Homer and Jason and the Golden Fleece (Colum) Literature: my own Reading List of Classic Children's literature A variety of Nature Readers and Art Readers Picture Study and Composer Study Memorization of Poetry and Scripture Tons of free Reading Typing (a few minutes daily) Competitive Cross-country running (lest anyone say we don't include PE)

http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2006/09/teaching-spelling-through-studied.html You can also search her site for more posts on dictation.

I'm using this with ds11 and dd 8 (when we started). It is a great mix of grammar and conversation. We really like it. Check out the sample chapter at http://www.galorepark.co.uk

Another vote for Latina Christiana. It's no frills but very solid. DS11 is halfway through LC2 and I am blown away with how much he knows and how solid his translations are. It is providing a fantastic foundation for future study. My third grader began LC 1 this year and is doing very well also. She did the first few lessons orally, and I slowly increased the writing. She's up to full speed now. I highly recommend Cheryl Lowe's articles on teaching Latin and Latin recitation on the Memoria Press website. They have proved invaluable for our studies. Daily recitation of Latin forms really cements the material.

My son's (11) spelling has greatly improved since we have begun implementing studied dictation a la Charlotte Mason. Lindafay at Higher up and further in blog has a great explanation of how this works. It doesn't take much time and has been incredibly effective for us.

I've never let my son keep the model open when he writes his drafts. He writes them only using Theon's Components Chart. It is my understanding that the child should not consult the model when writing. Our process is Read, Narrate, Analyze, Complete Theon's Chart, (later we divided into scenes and wrote summary sentences), then write the draft from the Chart. I would suggest trying an oral narration to hear what it sounds like in her own words. She may have an exceptional memory and that could be why it sounds so similar to the model. That's fine, but I wouldn't let her use the model when writing. hope that helps.

We read this last year when my children were 10 and 7.5. They enjoyed it and followed it fine. I also really like the Famous Men series for younger children as well. You can read both the Geurber (for Greece and Rome) and the Famous Men series at www.mainlesson.com. Test them out and see which is the better fit.

The heart of Cajun Country.

I'm Angelina in Louisiana and have been lurking and occasionally posting here for a couple of years. I'm in my sixth year of homeschooling, but before that I was a classroom teacher. I've taught literally every grade--from kindergarten Latin to College Literature and Composition. I was involved in the founding of a Christian CLassical School and was a teacher there as well as the Curriculum Coordinator until the Lord called me to homeschooling--in an unmistakable way! The transition from classroom to homeschool was terribly difficult; I quickly realized that classroom techniques had no room in a homeschool. I was frustrated and discouraged. I read and read about homeschooling, but still found that most homeschooling books were too influenced by institutionalized education. I finally found my way after reading When You Rise Up, Charlotte Mason's writings, and The Latin-Centered Curriculum. Now, I love homeschooling, and I think I'm a much better teacher than I ever was in the classroom. And the best part is, we are having so much fun--and the stress and frustration is all gone!

We use RightStart and love it. I've got one in RightStart Geometry (also going through CLE Math 5 and The Key To... books) and one in RightStart D. My dd3 will start RightStart A next year. We switched from Saxon 2 years ago and have never looked back! I love the emphasis on conceptual understanding. Angelina