I really appreciate the breakdown of what writing at this age is all about. I understand and agree with the concept. It reminds me of a new writing curriculum I saw (I didn’t buy lol). I trimmed a lot, and am looking forward to seeing how our schedule goes. Thank you all so much! It’s given me a lot to think about, especially in terms of what my goals are for her education. I did place her in 4A for Singapore, she passed the 3B test. She is quite bright. She tested into GATE and was in a dual language immersion program at her ps. Part of what convinced me to pull her was that she was breezing through everything and spent her whole day assisting other students with their math and reading, and her district doesn’t have an explicit GATE program/class - they just move along the honors track in middle school. Also, they move down to a 20/80 Spanish/English ratio for learning in 4th, and that’s just not enough to keep it going. We’re a bilingual house anyways. I guess I was just… ignorant to what I was hoping to provide and what education actually looks like. I still am 😬, but feel more confident after making these cuts.

This is pretty much exactly what I’m planning to do, thank you!

Can you elaborate on what is vs isn’t superficial? Above people stated that analysis and whatnot isn’t age appropriate, so do you just mean it’s just doesn’t go into nitty gritty detail in terms of like, cultures and such? I feel like ALL the curriculums require all these extra supplements to not be superficial, kwim? So I’m confused because it seems like it’s counterintuitive advice when I’m hearing KISS from some and don’t settle for surface level from others.

This is going to sound bizarre, but I really need some guidance/comfort/advice from other homeschoolers because I know no one to go to about this. I’m homeschooling my 4th grader for the first time this year. It will likely be only this year, as she wants to try it/dislikes her school more than I am philosophically minded to homeschool. I have overbooked our day with way too many writing options, notebooking/extras for THREE history curriculums, picked out over 20+ read alouds for LA/history, and am just overwhelmed with ALL the stuff. I know, the answer is to cut stuff out, BUT I want to make sure she is hitting grade standards and I don’t miss anything. I want to do book reports/analysis of every book she reads (unreasonable), I want her to practice writing all the types of essays in addition to her IEW and TGATB (unreasonable), I want to do CM style notebooking for SOTW2 and BF CA history along with writings/activities (unreasonable?). I don’t even subscribe to the CM philosophy, but the aesthetics just *are*. I spend more time finding the perfect mix of stuff than actually doing it (not really, but kind of). I’m just so worried I’m missing something, and I know, it’s only grade 4, she’ll relearn it all just about every year. Swiss cheese and all that. But my head and my anxiety are clashing and I could use some advice or maybe permission to cut some things? Here is what we have: Singapore Dimensions 4 TGATB LA 4 IEW SS1A Fix It Grammar Sequential Spelling Word Roots BF CA History SOTW2 Studies Weekly Science Studies Weekly CA History 20+ Medieval Read Alouds 20+ Readers (mostly NF that go along with what we are reading) A huge assortment of random writing guides for different essays, topics, writings, etc. ( I feel like I have to do ALL of these) Lit guides for all those readers (again… I feel compelled to do these….) Literary devices supplements 6 different logic books ALL the supplements, supplemental books, graphic organizers, activity guides, worksheets, vocabulary for ALL the curriculum above… all the video link and encyclopedias referenced. It’s SO much, and at the same time I don’t know what I can do vs not do to make it all well rounded. Please, please help me accept that I don’t have to do all the activities for everything.

Hey yall, it's been awhile since I've frequented here. You all have been such a blessing to me, and I just want to share some thanks and appreciation. I chose to HS my struggling 5th grader last year, and with your advice and a lot of hard work, my daughter met her 5th grade standards for ELA and math. I got her results today, and I am so proud of her. Like, I teared up. She was never even in the near grade standards brackets, and here she is now. So thank you all for your patience with newcomers and short term homeschoolers, you really help guide parents to work with their children.

I don't think the writing or spelling is enough. I like their grammar, geography integration, reading selections, and other bits and pieces.

In regards to writing and note taking, if the hangup is spelling/handwriting, have you considered having an app or computer next to him while he's writing so he can quickly see how to spell a word he wants to use, or even dictate what he wants to say and then rewrite/edit based off that?

Thanks for saying it. So many people here aren't willing to admit that even a crappy PS is better than crappy HS.

Sonlight and Bookshark sell lapbook kits, or you could supplement with a related coloring book or activity while she listens to the story or audiobook. I do this with mine. I looooove Bookshark's history. LA not so much, but the history is top notch.

Evan Moor and Critical Thinking Co have Daily Paragraph Editing and Editor in Chief. They're paragraphs though.

Whay are the issues? BA is pretty tough and conceptual... So what are the areas he's having trouble with? Or are you just wanting a program that properly explains every problem before they're presented? (If so, I don't recommend Math Mammoth)

Duolingo

My will be 2nd grader is in a Spanish immersion school, so she'll be doing that most of the day, but I'm mean and do work with her after school and during breaks. So her load is lighter compared to a fully homeschooled kid. LA- TGATB 2, but will likely break into Killgallon and FLL1 as well, along with Syllables Spell Success for English phonics. Tons of reading and read alouds. I want to transition her to chapter books and away from audiobooks. Handwriting - Evan Moor Math - Start BA3, wherever she is after summer. Science - if she wants extra science, I'll figure it out. She's sometimes around for her sister's science, so she can tag along. She also gets Kiwi Co crates. History - she'll tag along to whatever she can of her sister's, which is ancients this year. I also read SOTW at night, and should be doing Early Modern. She'll probably want more, she loves history. Latin - Song School Latin Keep working on memory work and fact memorization, Prodigy, Reading Eggs, and maybe Night Zookeeper because she writes nonstop. Other stuff, like PE, will likely be soccer, surf, and a dance and an art class - but idk if those will be open in our area yet.

Also, their placement tests allow for a 75% score to move on if I remembre. It's encouraging because other programs want mastery to move on, so you get mostly too easy material mixed with 1 troubled area.

I agree with MM. Weirdly, it's tough and high concept, but I have a 5th grader too (in progress ADD/dyslexia diagnosis) who is thriving with it doing it 2x a week for 30 min. at her tested level. It's behind her other program, but the one on one reinforcement has been great. We are doing it alongside Teaching Textbooks, also with Prodigy and ST Math. (She likes TT! It is an easier program, as in it doesn't explore theory or expect kids to understand what or why just hHOW to do it) It's a lot of math.... but she has such a hard time remembering what she learns. She can DO the algorithms in the unit, but if she's in a testing environment where she has to know what to without being explicitly shown after a month or two without seeing it, she fumbles unless reminded with pointers. She still counts basic adding and subracting on her fingers while doing long division and such, but knows her multiplications mostly by heart through song/rhyme. She is nearing grade level, and I think the constant review over and over and over is making the difference. I will say that with fractions, place value, and decimals she understands only on a solve basis - she doesn't grasp place value 100% and likely won't for a few years. She'll still not realise 0.25 x 0.11 = 254.5 is obviously wrong unless I guide her to double check EVERY problem. MM is inexpensive, and I would look at a lot of program's placement tests to get an idea of where the issues are so you can help her. If it really is only 1 issue, like fractions, either MM or Math U See or whatever you're using with additional manipulatives. If it's a general behindness, you might need to figure out specifically what the root issue is.