Thanks so much! This is just the information I needed! I knew I would get true wisdom here-thanks for saving me some money and time!! pam

Hi, We are usin g Lial's 4th Edition for 7th grade this year. We started out using something different, and tried about 3 prealgebra books/curriculums before sticking with this one. I got mine from amazon very easily and quite cheaply if I remember correctly. It begins with simple place value and then immediately goes into Signed Numbers and all the functions with signed numbers. Ch. 2 is understanding variables and solving equations, ch. 3 Solving Application problems (area, perimenter, unknown quantities), ch. 4 Rational numbers: Positive and negative fractions, ch. 5 Rational numbers: positive and negative decimals, (includes pythagorean theorem circles, cylinders, and surface area) ch. 6 ratio, proportion and line/angle/triangle relationship, ch 7 percent, ch. 8 Measurement, ch.9 graphs, ch.10 exponents and polyomials. There is a lot of study skills in the first 1/2 of the book-we have used some of the tips but not all of them. Loads and loads of real life problem and word problems! Regular chapter reviews, chapter tests, and chapter cumulative tests for each chapter. The teacher's edition only has the answer and does not show the solution series to get to the answer. There is a separate solution manual that I bought that shows the entire solutions for the odd numbered problems throughout the book. The odd answers are also in the back of the student book. The student/teacher books both are very large, heavy and a bit overwhelming-at least to my crew. Since we started late in the book, we are just finishing chapter 5, though we should be able to pick up speed for chapter 6, 7 and 8. Most likely we will go into the summer with the book to finish. Overall, I am happy with the book. I feel that my kids are getting a solid understanding of concepts, especially considering they came into this without any knowledge of sign numbers! Once sign numbers are introduced in chapter one, it is used throughout the book in all other concepts throughout the book. (If that makes sense). My only gripe with the book is the lessons generally are very long. For example, 4.1 is introducing signed fractions-the explanations and example problem pages are 7 pages long. The homework then is 4 pages long. Obviously, we don't do every single problem and I will condense the explanations if I can. We usually do odds or evens and sometimes will split the lesson into 2 days worth. (Thus, we are only at chapter 5!!) But my objective is not to rush through the book, but to understand and lay a strong foundation! One last thing that I do like is throughout the explanation pages are sample problems in the side bar for the student to work on. The answers for the sample problems are on the bottom of the page upside down. So if a student wanted to work through the book independently, they could do so using these sample or "trial" problems before actually doing the regular homework. If you have any other specific questions, you can PM me and I would be happy to answer. There is a lot of concepts included in each chapter that I didn't list chapter headings above, or the list would have been very long!!! I think there is enough solid material here to lay a very strong foundation for Algebra 1 and above. pam

XPOST Hi, I am considering using "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" both the book and the curriculum-which is like a workbook. Has anyone used this? If so, what were the ages of your children. I want my 13 year olds to start this, or maybe use it next year for 8th grade. Is this an appropriate age for the curriculum?(workbook?) Thanks pam

XPOST Hi, I am considering using "I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" both the book and the curriculum-which is like a workbook. Has anyone used this? If so, what were the ages of your children. I want my 13 year olds to start this, or maybe use it next year for 8th grade. Is this an appropriate age for the curriculum?(workbook?) Thanks pam

Hi, I am beginning WW2 this week and thinking about our Lit. selections. I would like my kids to read the story of Anne Frank but I am not sure about their age and maturity level of this book. They are 13 almost 8th grade boys and generally will read anything I put in front of them without complaining. I could wait until high school, but I am not sure we will be homeschooling due to my health, so I kinda feel like if they are going to read it, I might need to do it now. What is your opinion on this book? If you have used it with your kids, what age were your kids? Also, what other resources for Lit. did you use for 8th grade WW2, Holocaust era? Thanks pam

Hi, We will begin WW2 in the next week and just deciding on our lit. choices. I am torn-I would really like my kids to read the story of Anne Frank but not sure 13 year olds is a good age. I know the next time around might be better, but I can not say for sure they will be homeschooling (due to my health issues) Do you think this is too mature for almost 8th grade boys? Or do you think, being BOYS, they would be bored? Anyone have experience with this book? In your opinion, what is the best age for this book? ALSO What did or are you using for WW 2 lit. selections?? Thanks pam

Hi...again. I know you must think all I do is post on this board! :) The only time I actually have the opportunity to get here is on breaks like now, so I have to make the most of my time. I am in the process of revamping our school for one major reason-ME. I have chronic pain that limits my energy and after 3 years of this, I am really tired! So...I am looking for ways to allow my kiddos more independence and give me some breathing room during the day. I am schooling 10th grade and two 7th grade, and a senior who is doing mostly community college classes but a few things with me. Question here is Thinkwell. My 7th graders are doing Lial Prealgebra 4th edition and doing well with it...but I am lecturing everyday. And one of them really really dislikes math in general. He used to love math, but somewhere along the line, that has changed. The other 7th grader is bright and picks up on things much quicker than the other. I have kept them together which works o.k. I think. We are only finished with chapter 3, since it took a while to find a fit with prealgebra (we tried Tabletclass, Horizons, and 1 other I can't remember right now!1) I tried using the videos that went along with Lial's but the format was horrible for our computer. I would hate to change ....again but the thought of not having to lecture everyday is appealing, I must admit. I believe they are getting a good foundation with Lial, so I will continue if I need to. Also, if I switch to Thinkwell now, then we could continue using it for the long run if it is a good fit. That would be great since I don't know where we will go after Lial prealgebra. Has anyone used Thinkwell that can chime in and give me their opinion. Do you like Thinkwell...is it good for upper grades? Could we continue with it next year and more importantly, for the higher math?? SO SORRY this is so long. Would love any feedback!

Hi, One more post here before I begin putting things into place. We will begin WW2 after our break and I am having difficult time picking out lit/history books for our time period. There are SO MANY good books that I get bogged down with the choices! What I want is people's ideas of the best, must read books for the time period of WW 2 to the present time. I am hoping we will get through the 2000, but we will see :) Anyways, what do you consider the best literature books for this time period. Oh yeah, my kids are 13....... Thanks so much for taking time to help me out....I know we are all very busy but I sure appreciate being able to come here and glean so much wisdom! pj

O.k. ladies, thanks so much for your wisdom- we will go ahead and do LOTR and if it doesn't fit right now, we can drop it. BUT I am hoping that we can have fun with it! My next question is.....do I do it with a literature guide-you know....questions, vocabulary and the likes. Or just read and discuss and talk about it? I don't want to take a good book and analyze it to death or make it too much work with questions to answer and all. BUT they are almost 8th grade and I do want to increase some of their work after the break. I will be adding Lost Tools of writing, I think, and some type of new vocabulary work (which i haven't decided on yet) Any advice??? Thanks again!!!!! pj

Hi, My almost 13 year old boys just finished the Hobbit (and of course, went to see the movie!) and I am considering going on to the Lord of the Rings with lit. guide. I have mixed thoughts about this because if we do LOTR, that is about all we will get in this year. And there are so many other good books out there !!!:) But....this seems like a good time to do it since we are kinda "in the mood" I know they wouldn't be "thrilled" to do the LOTR, but they really wouldn't be thrilled with anything right now. They are in the teen mode of not liking much of anything but computer. But they are also very obedient and will do just about anything I put in front of them. W ould love to hear peoples thoughts on this!!! pj

I am trying to decide between three different vocabulary programs and I would love some feedback from those who have been there!! What have you found to be the best voc. program for SAT/ACT and college and beyond...... Thank you so very much-I know this is where to go to get wisdom!! pj

Hi, I am considering using the Omnibus next year for my rising 8th grade boys. I would probably start with Omnibus 1 since that is where we will be in our history cycle. My question is for those you might have used Omnibus before - is there some type of activities I could include this next semester to prepare them for the rigorous study of Omnibus? We will be finishing up the Moderns this next semester and if there is some specific way to structure our studies that would prepare us for next year, I would LOVE to know. Any specific books also would be great! Thanks so much pj

Hi, I am looking for an english or writng online course from an online college for my daughter. She has excellent composition skills and I think she could handle the work load and skill needed to succeed. Any thoughts?? thanks pj

Hi, My daughter, who has been riding horses for almost 5 years now, would like to do a elective course on equine health and diseases/ and such. She knows all the basic of horsemanship and how to care for a horse since we have owned horses in the past. She is really interested in learning about the diseases of horses and how to help. Does anyone have ANY ideas of where I might start looking for some resouces for this type of course? I realize I probably won't find a real class or online class, though that would be ideal. So any resources would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks pj

Has anyone used Education Portal, and if so, how have you used it? I used it a bit last year when it was free, and now there is a monthly fee@! Disappointing but wondering if it is worth the money to use it sporadically. Thanks paj

Hi, I need some input. I have a 15 year old daughter with some emotional issues that has caused her trouble with schooling. She has been homeschooled her whole life, but she is "behind" in several things-math, grammar. She is an excellent writer and reader and does o.k. in science . We probably won't have her take ACT/SAT but have her go to a community college after high school. My question is -how important is grammar?? She has done some grammar every year, but due to her emotional issues, she hasn't really retained much. I have tried several programs-and she is VERY TIRED of grammar. Do I continue to press forward with grammar, hoping that she will eventually catch on? Or should I drop it so she can focused better on the other subjects? Thanks for any ideas?? pj

anybody??

Hi, I am having the most difficult time deciding on grammar for my 12 year old (and also 15 year old). Last year we started out with Analytical Grammar but stopped about 1/2 through the 1 season because the diagramming was not going well. They could label everything very well. My 15 year old daughter did the same thing-=did great with labeiing but the diagramming just didn't make sense to them. My 17 year old did A.G. and scored almost perfect on the ACT in language sections so I know it is good. But.....it doesn;t make sense to them. We finished the year with MCT Grammar Island and finished the book and about 10 pages of the practice. So this year.... my choices are to go back the Analytical Grammar and try again. Try Hake grade 7, which I don't think they will like AT ALL. But I know it is good. Or to move on with MCT and do the Voyage Level. ( For my 15 I am thinking of Killgallon Grammar for High School and then the Season 3 in Analytical Grammar.) I just need some wise counsel about the 12 year olds. Any thoughts? Does anyone know how MCT does in terms of testing? Like how are kids testing for SAT?ACT Thanks for ANY thoughts. pam

I am looking for advice, comments and feedbacks about a problem for the coming school year. I will be homeschooling two 12 year olds, 15 year old and 17 year old. The catch is that we will be moving at some point before Feb., we just don't know when. We have to sell our house, and then we can move so the timing is really in God's hands. We are moving almost across the country, Wisconsin to New Mexico. Here is the question. None of the kids really want to move, and are pretty upset about it. They have never moved more than 15 miles from one house to another, so this is a HUGE deal in their lives. I had thought about taking a year off of history and working on just geography, and incorporating our move and investigating the new state. However, I don't know if that would only make the kids more resentful of school, since they don't really want to move anyway. I would also be doing geography of the eastern world, so it wouldn't be JUST the new state. On the other hand, I wonder would they feel more stable doing school as we usually do it-history and lit. tied together and geography tied to our history studies. Would the familiarity of our school studies bring more comfort to them as they face the move at some point during the school year. While I know you don't know my children, I guess I was just looking for "advice" in some way. God knows what is best, but I am struggling to listen --I am busy with house and also pain. ! Thanks pam

Hi, I direct this question to the high school board since I know most of you have already been through the prealgebra stage. I am trying to decide between Lial's prealgebra or the Tabletclass, or I think that is what it is called. I have never really heard about the Tabletclass until today and I check it out and it looks really good. We will be moving mid year-we don't know when- which is why I thought Tabletclass would be nice for ME. Has anyone had experience with either of these choices and would be willing to give their opinions and review? My sons are 12 and both good at math. i wouldn't say they are extraordinary, but understand pretty quickly when presented with new concepts. Thanks for any advice!! pam

Hi, These are my final options to pick from and wondering if someone can compare these. Can people who have used one or even both give me their thoughts and reviews on these? Note that we will be moving mid year-not sure when because it depends on our house selling. So I need something relatively straight forward this year for the kids. I am comfortable teaching this myself, with a book of course, but then thought maybe an online type of course would be helpful for me in the midst of a move. Anyways, would love and responses from you wise ladies!!!! Thanks pam

Hi, I recently saw a post about the Vocabulary for the High School Student. I own the Vocabulary for the College Student and I am wondering what the difference is? Like is one specifically for early high school, and then I would use the college one for upper grades (11 and 12)? I am just not sure if I should order the Vocabulary for the High school student. My daughter is 15 and reads a lot, but I am not sure of her vocabulary. I am, of course, wanting to use something that would be good for SAT. Thanks for any help. pam

ok after reading tons of posts, I think I have decided to use Lial Basic College Math for my 12 year old sons. One has finished Zeta in Math u See, and the other finished Abeka book 6. I think they are both very smart and catch on quickly-I would like them in the same book now that they are entering the harder math. i am comfortable teaching math up to Pre-Calc. I want to make sure there are no holes before we head into Algebra 1, and from what I understand using Lial Basic College Math will prepare them for Algebra 1 the following year. Please correct me if I am wrong about this!!!!!!!! What I need to know is which edition to buy??? There are so many different editions that I am overwhelmed when I look! Could someone please give me either the edition number or better yet, an ISBN number for the best overall edition! Thanks so much, this board is a life saver!! Pm

ok after reading tons of posts, I think I have decided to use Lial Basic College Math for my 12 year old sons. One has finished Zeta in Math u See, and the other finished Abeka book 6. I think they are both very smart and catch on quickly-I would like them in the same book now that they are entering the harder math. i am comfortable teaching math up to Pre-Calc. I want to make sure there are no holes before we head into Algebra 1, and from what I understand using Lial Basic College Math will prepare them for Algebra 1 the following year. Please correct me if I am wrong about this!!!!!!!! What I need to know is which edition to buy??? There are so many different editions that I am overwhelmed when I look! Could someone please give me either the edition number or better yet, an ISBN number for the best overall edition! Thanks so much, this board is a life saver!! Pm

I haven't gotten ANY responses on the middle school forum. Seems lots of people are into AOPS or I think that is what it is. I looked at that and it would not fit us. In Math u See he is through all books and is ready for the pre algebra book. In Abeka he got through book 6 I think. It seems that not many people are using the "older" type of books, so maybe i am just the odd one out here?! Thanks anyway for all the comments!! pm