I purchased one of the volumes of Implications of Literature for dd16 upon the recommendation of Cyndi. I agree with everything she says about it. :) Dd16 isn't using it exclusively...she has other whole books tied to her history, but I do like it for the additional genres, critical thinking questions, writing assignments and vocab work. It provides us with enough high school English work so that her whole books don't have to be analyzed as much and she can just enjoy reading them.

We had a red letter day in math today. I know you all will understand. Today dd11 asked if she should do another page of math. I told her that if it was something she could work on independently then she could go ahead. She said, "Oh, it's all word problems...those are easy so I can do it on my own." :svengo: :w00t: THEN I was telling ds7 to wait a moment so I could help him with his word problems (he's still working on reading skills but has seemed to really take off in the last couple of weeks) and he replied, "Mom, I think I can do these on my own now that I can read them." And he DID! :party: Some of you may not think this is as amazing as I do, but I've struggled to teach math to my dyscalculiac dd14 for years and still have to help her through her word problems, so to have been able to teach my next two in line how to decode and work these word problems on there own is HUGE to me! :D I feel like the best homeschooler in the world right now...and I'm going to enjoy it because I know tomorrow that feeling will be dashed upon the rocks of trying to get dd5 to call a 10 a 10 instead of calling it a 12. LOL!

My 2nd grader gives me a 1 to 2 sentence summary of our history reading 3 times a week. We focus on making good sentences, mechanics and grammar more than accurate content of the summary. ;) It's usually just what he liked best about the passage or a detail that he remembered, but sometimes he'll tell me what he thinks should have happened....kind of cute to get a glimpse into how he thinks history should have happened. He also does anywhere from 2 to 4 sentences of copywork for language arts 4 times a week. We use all this copywork to discuss mechanics, spelling and grammar.

Thanks Lori! The Reading Rockets vids are really good and I love the idea of using Frederick. We are actually taking these children to see a stage production of some of Lionni's books (Swimmy and Inch by Inch I believe) in the next couple of weeks so that will work out beautifully. :)

This. Don't loose sleep over it. Move on. :) I used them as paraphrasing exercises, which I think will serve my dc better anyway.

I'm organizing 2 classes for our co-op that will focus on easy literary elements. The classes span K-3rd grade. I have all the classes planned except the first one ... and now my brain is mushy and I can't come up with anything dynamic. I want to discuss authors\illustrators (some of the younger dc have had very little exposure to these topics) and teach the dc a little about the process of writing and illustrating a book. I'd really love some kind of short video but everything I'm pulling up on youtube is horrible quality, too long, or not what I'm looking for. I'd also like them to have an illustrating activity. Something like asking them to do an illustration for a book they already know but would like to see illustrated differently, or maybe give them the name of a book and see what they come up with for a cover illustration. I don't know...like I said, I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts on what I thought was going to be the easiest of the 9 classes! Any ideas or links to ideas I could use?

Have you looked through the text? The teaching is all in there in small increments that build upon one another. The concepts are taught to the child. Having said that, I do teach some of the concepts that dd needs help to understand but it's as simple as going over the material in the instructional boxes with her, giving her a few extra samples, or using a few manipulatives if needed. I've never had to pull together lots of other resources to teach a concept. The first few lessons are going to be review from MM3 so there isn't going to be a ton of instruction. I would recommend looking ahead and sticking with it a bit longer.

By group I thought you meant co-op so I voted no. The co-op that I'm director of is an academic co-op that is limited on space so we can't accept families that don't have at least 1 school age child. We have a plethora of social groups in the area that do accept families that haven't officially\legally started homeschooling yet.

Here it is on amazon. Not a bad price if you preview and decide you don't like it. However the TM is a bit more $.

I'm using the 5th and 8th grade levels this year and plan to use the 9th grade level next year if I can find a good deal on Amazon. (mosdos no longer publishes the 9th grade level but there are oop copies floating around) We love these programs. I feel good about the different genres of selections they have. Something I wasn't very good at when I was pulling lit together on my own. And I like the fact that my dc are learning skills and topics that often get left out when you are just reading and discussing books. What I'm most pleased with is that my dc are having to really think about their reading in order to answer the critical thinking questions...these aren't your basic comp. questions. The exercises in the workbooks provide extended reinforcement of the literary elements being taught in addition to vocabulary work (no need for an additional vocab program). There are a few writing exercises that I don't assign since my dc don't care for creative writing prompts, and some of the extension exercises I skip since making a turtle out of clay or drawing a picture of a horse doesn't seem applicable to the study of literature to me, but other than that I don't find anything in the levels I'm using that I would consider busy work...and I have a pretty keen radar for work that doesn't have value. Between the text and the workbook you can find plenty of meaningful exercises. Now, I can't speak for the lower levels (3 or 4) since I haven't used those. The TM isn't necessary for using the program unless you want to spend 3 hours a day on literature...honestly there is so much packed into those TM's it was overwhelming to me. It just about paralyzed me from using the program at all, but once I put those aside and focused on what was in the text and the workbook I found a wonderful open and go, semi-independent curriculum. The TM is useful for answers since, as a pp mentioned above, some of the questions really make me think too, and I like to refer to the TM to see if my dc and I are on the right track in our thinking. The answers to the workbook are in the TM as well. However, I feel that even without the answers this could be a very do-able program. Even if you don't answer some of the critical thinking questions perfectly right you've still gotten your dc to stretch their brain and consider the different possibilities.

Dd10 has done several years of IEW and she's moved on from it now. She will be starting WWS next year in addition to parts of BtBR so I don't want to add more writing. However, I might look at the IEW for ds to use...he's done up to unit 4 of IEW.

This would be for 6th next year so she would be on the top end of the age recommendations. My 3rd grader would tag along as well doing what he is capable of doing. Thoughts? The other option would be to do the States and Capitals now and be nearly finished by the time we start BF. I'm not sure - my thinking was that the S&C workbook would be more systematic and help reinforce the BF.

Yes, the whole program is on the cd. All the information is there: informational material written to the child, templates and instructions for notebooking or lapbooking elements, and instructions for hands on projects. You "could" use it as is without reading any other books or using any other resources depending on how much your dc like history or how much in depth you prefer to go. I use it as a supplement in my own home. However, I've used it in a co-op setting as is without adding anything else to it and had several parents tell me that they were counting it as their young elementary dc's history for that semester; they weren't adding anything at home due to feeling it was plenty. Not sure if that answers your questions. If you have more specifics I'd be happy to answer them.

I'm not new to homeschooling nor new to this board. I've read more reviews here and across the internet than I care to count, and still hold that most often the reviews indicate why a program did or didn't work for that particular family, or the reviewer will indicate what type of child a program might or might not work well for. I can honestly say that I've never read a review in which the author of a program was called a con artist. (Perhaps I'm not looking in the right places :tongue_smilie: .) That is what jaded my opinion of anything else you might have to say about IEW. Your posts implied that anyone using IEW did so because they were uneducated in what good writing is and were using it out of ignorance. Sorry - that just hits me the wrong way. I suppose we can let the thousands and thousands of positive reviews be the testament to the success of IEW for many students. IEW has been around for a long time. If it was doing the damage you think it is capable of I would think that reputation would have put them out of business a long time ago.

I find it humorous that you are intimate enough with his program to dislike it so much but you can't get his name right. ;) I've not come across many home schoolers who are adamant about implying a program is bad for everyone when they've only had their own experience with their own children to base its effectiveness on. The problem with doing so is that you leave those who are using that program, and having success with it when no other program would work, left feeling as if they are damaging their child.

It could be a bad move for your child just like Writing With Skill could be a bad move for your child. Bravewriter could be a bad move for your child. Writing Strands, Classical Writing, or Jump In could be a bad move. Any program that works for your child, regardless of anyone else's opinion of it, is a good program.

Make sure you aren't getting a bonded leather couch. Bonded leather is "reconstituted". They take leather bits and pieces and mold them back together with other material. It's vinyl, not leather. The durability of bonded leather is far less than that of 100% leather. Depending on the quality it can wear unevenly and fade over time especially on parts of the couch that get the most wear. When you shop and they tell you it's leather ask if it's 100% leather everywhere. Often, usually any couch under $1500 will have 100% leather only where the body touches. So it will only be real leather on the back and seat cushions and the arm rests. Everywhere else is going to be bonded leather. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing especially if the back of your couch is up against a wall and the sides aren't exposed so that they might get scratched, kicked, or rubbed excessively. Just be sure to ask though because it isn't something salespeople usually disclose unless asked. I've owned leather couches for over 20 years both in a high humidity state and a low humidity state. I've never had issues with it getting too hot to sit on. I've never, never "stuck" to it in hot weather, and while it is cool to sit on when you first sit on it in the winter, it adjusts to your body's temp quickly. It always feels comfortable to me regardless of the room temp or my temp (I get hot flashes). I'll also add, even though you didn't ask, that when shopping for your couch you ask what the seats are constructed out of. The highest grade cushions are actually constructed from individually wrapped springs wrapped in down sheeting and then wrapped in some type of durable fabric to create a barrier between the down and the cushion material. These types of couches are on the expensive end - depending on the area - $2000 and up depending on the material you choose and length that you choose. Next would be a high density foam core wrapped in down and fabric. The type of construction 1 step down from this is going to be high density foam cut to the shape of the cushions. This seems to be the most common construction in stores in our neck of the woods such as Haverty's, Ashley, and Rooms to Go. This foam comes in many different densities. 1.8 is considered the lowest you should consider to ensure durability for average use. Don't buy a couch with cushions that have a density lower than 1.8 unless you only plan to use the couch very occasionally. Also ask about the frame construction. Higher quality couches will have hand tide springs inside a kiln dried wood frame. Next down the list you will find Sinuous spring construction within the kiln dried wood frame. This is the most common for mid grade sofas. The least desirable construction is a series of overlapping web bands that attach to the frame. As for color - I've always added color with curtains, pillows and the fabric I choose for my ottomans (we have two matching in front of our couch instead of a coffee table). I actually prefer a leather couch and chair so that I can change out colors and textures of fabrics whenever I want. All different "looks" can go with leather. Having the couch and chair the same (but with different pillows\throws in complimentary colors and patterns) gives the room a more unified look in my opinion. Happy shopping!

We are really enjoying Mosdos for 5th and 8th grades. Each volume includes lots of different genres, including poetry, lessons on literary elements, a few comp questions but more questions along the lines of critical thinking, and some writing assignments (that you could pick and choose from or ignore). There is a workbook that can be purchased that helps the student explore vocabulary, additional critical thinking questions, literary elements work and, more writing assignments. One could do only the workbook, or only the exercises in the text. I pick and choose from each. The program has been easy to implement in that it is pretty open and go. The girls work through some of the stories on their own and then there are others that we discuss. I know many prefer whole books to something like this, but I've found that my dc prefer the whole books that they read to be read for pleasure and not picked apart and "assigned", so this works great for us. Oh, I will add that the TM is HUGE and I've found that in a home setting it is overkill except to use as an answer key if needed.

I would add some Killgallon for style work.

Dd16: Oedipus Rex (finishing tomorrow) Aeneid (started today) Dracula The Maze Runner Dd14: O'Henry collection The Kneebone Boy

Last year in 4th dd worked for about 4-5 hours a day. This was her line up: math, Latin, science\history rotation, art, literature, composition (included grammar and spelling), penmanship, independent reading, and homework for co-op classes photography and Greek history.

I know she's 10 but if she is working at a 3rd grade level, and taking into account her attention issues she probably needs your undivided attention so you can have an ongoing conversation during her schoolwork. "Okay, what do the instructions tell you to do?" "That's right. So lets read the first section and do xyz." "Good. You got the first one done perfectly. Let's move to the next one." "You seem to be having trouble with this next one...tell me what you are thinking and I'll help you figure it out." "Great! We are all finished with this subject. You did wonderful. Take a quick bathroom break, get a drink and then bring your next subject and we will work on it." Rinse, repeat. Yes, it seems tedious. Yes, it gets old. However, I suspect that this is what she needs, if even for a little while to help her learn how to focus more OR to teach her that she's not going to win the power struggle (if that's truly what this is about), and you are the only one that can help her. If you are sitting right there, as you said you were, and she's still working for even 4 hours on what you have assigned then that's a red flag indicating that you need to find the time in your day to give her the attention she needs. I know that sounds harsh. Homeschooling is often harsh, especially with special needs children. :grouphug:

So, your son breezed through the nonsense words with no problems but still goes slow with real words. Yep, that is frustrating...my son did that too. I remember thinking the same thing you did - Why can't he go that quickly with the real words! We try to be patient but phonics is one of the most tedious things we have to teach our kids, at least in this house it is. ;) I also believe that it's because he knew they weren't real words and so wasn't trying to figure the word out by the shape, or the first letter\last letter. I tried covering the word and only showing one letter or blend at a time for a while and it did end up helping a little with his speed. Maybe you could try that. Hang in there!

Glencoe Well, I was going to post individual links but decided just to link you to this thread in which LoriD worked her magic and linked a plethora of different options for lit guides. :)

My first suggestion would be to figure out a way to monitor her more closely. If you are right there tapping the page each time she gets distracted then she should be able to stay on task better. Even if you have several dc you are trying to teach I would say she needs to be at your elbow the whole time even if you aren't directly teaching her. If noise is an issue for her get her a pair of noise cancelling headphones. My second suggestion would be to make sure that she is getting plenty of breaks and that you are alternating more taxing subjects with lighter subjects. If there are certain subjects that she tends to get more bogged down in or looses focus in then break the lessons up into two shorter sessions separated by a short break or a fun activity. If she is dragging it out on purpose then your constant supervision, monitoring and keeping her on task should fix the problem immediately.