:iagree: I'm finishing up Year 3 in AO with my just turned 11 yo dd and we'll begin Year 4 in the fall. My understanding is that there is a big jump in difficulty between Year 3 & 4 in AO. I'll be using a slightly modified Year 4. I don't plan to do Plutarch or the full Shakespeare plays (we'll keep reading Lamb's children's versions this year) and I plan to drop one of their lit books and use another in its place. I really like to stick with AO history selections from year to year since they progress chonologically. There is also a yahoo group called Amble Ramble where you can discuss AO and possible substitute books.

There was a recent thread about this curriculum with similar questions. Yes, it does look intriguing!

Thanks so much! :)

My dd finished RS Level C which had 1 worksheet per lesson. We are doing a trial run of CLE this summer and she is really balking at having to do a lesson with 4 pages of math problems which is significantly more than what she is used to. She is doing well with CLE (scoring well), but dislikes the "increased" workload. I decided to cross out some of the review problems that I know she knows to shorten the lesson up a bit as I'd prefer math to be around 30 minutes and it can take her longer if she does the whole lesson.

Can you give us any insights on what you learned since we have so many questions about this curriculum? For example, after perusing the sample lessons on their website, it appears as if the text is in black and white with hand-drawn illustrations? Can you confirm that?

The website site says it is coming in Sept 2009. They also list the scope and sequence for Gr 7-8 but no sample lessons yet.

Here is link to their online diagnostic placement test: http://www.clp.org/store/by_grade/19 Math Mammath Blue Series has Decimals 2 and Fractions 2 for 5th-6th graders that might work to give more practice. http://www.mathmammoth.com/

Thanks for sharing! Please let us know when you hear from the author.

We did MUS Alpha and dd also got "stuck" and was constantly in tears over math so switched to RS. We've completed Level B & C. I also feel that my dd needs to be more independent (she's almost 11) and I'm desiring less teacher intensiveness so I picked up a few Light Units inexpensively from Christian Light (CLE). We are doing a "trial run" this summer before deciding whether to continue with RS Level D or switch to CLE in the fall. CLE is designed to be completed independently by the student so it would fit that particular criteria you mentioned. My concern about switching my dd back to MUS is that I wonder if she would get "stuck" again with its mastery approach? Perhaps that is not a concern for you any longer since your son is picking up math more quickly but I decided my dd needs the continual review that a spiral program like CLE provides. Just another thought to ponder.

I'd email the author and ask her. When I had questions about MC, her response was quick and helpful.

I'm curious to know where your child placed in MUS when you made the transition from RS. Did you use MUS placement test to make the determination? Thanks!

:iagree: That's a keeper! Thanks for sharing.

I'm not GVA, but thought I'd respond as my dd just finished RS Level C. She took CLE placement and tested into Level 400. I picked up Light Unit 306-308 for her to do a "trial run" this summer. She's doing extremely well, BUT she dislikes CLE because the lesson is 4 pages long whereas in RS, a lesson is only one worksheet. Just thought I'd share since you mentioned making the transition after Level C.

GVA, I pm'd you with questions about your transition from RS to CLE.

Someone asked the same question on CLE forum about the Math 01 books and yes, they are review of material covered in previous level. I have 401 and it says to give student the final test in that Light Unit and if they get 90%, they can skip 401 and move to 402.

We are switching to CLE LA 500. LA has Light Units (10 workbooks) and no textbook. I consider the answer key a necessity because it simplifies correcting their work. I purchased the TG because it came in the bundle of used materials I bought for LA. I haven't started the program yet so can't comment on whether or not the TG seems necessary. CLE Reading does have a textbook, 5 Light Units (workbooks) and an answer key. It has a TG as well. I will probably do this program without the TG. If I need it, I'll buy it later. You could always download the sample pages at Christian Light to see if you think the TG looks essential. They are inexpensive so you wouldn't be out much.

I really understand your dilemma as my dd has a late July birthday and I struggled with the exact same thing - A LOT! :) In the end, I decided to give my dd the gift of time! Children have 13 years for school/academics (plus college years) and only 5-6 short, carefree years of childhood so I decided to officially start K when she was 6 yo even though she qualified earlier according to ps cut-off dates. My decision was also based on my looking down the road to when she entered middle school/junior high. Again, I hope the gift of time will provide added maturity as she begins the potentially turbulent teen years. Hopefully, she'll be a leader rather than a follower. Now that doesn't mean that younger children can't be leaders, but a year of maturity can perhaps make a difference for some children. My decision was also influenced by the fact that I was "older" in my class because I missed the age cut-off and I always considered it an advantage. I did well academically, socially, etc... and I got my driver's license before all my friends! :) Also, a friend who teaches K said she ALWAYS takes note of all the children in her class that have summer birthdays because she anticipates their "younger" age can be problematic. Her son was born a few days before my dd and she waited to start him in K until he was 6. :iagree: I do think that now is the time to decide. If my dd needs to jump a grade level when she is in Jr. High or High School, we'll do it. If she wants to graduate early or begin community college classes early, we'll do it. But to have to hold her back when she is older, or to have her struggle with academics or socially because she needed more time to mature, will be difficult. It's a tough decision and there are proponents on both sides of the issue. One way is not right or wrong, just different options.

Good advice! Thanks! To clarify further, we only finished about 8 lessons in RS Level D (already own it) when we switched to CLE for the summer. After reading all the rave reviews of CLE, I decided to do a trial run after picking up some Light Units inexpensively. Since early June, we've only done CLE as our day-to-day math program with the exception of 2 RS lessons so we are not alternating between RS and CLE in theory, although I am going back and forth between the two in my mind because of dd's resistance to it. Just out of curiousity, why did you switch to BJU over CLE? Was it BJU's colorful pages? Their mastery approach? I'm not looking for another math choice, but just curious to know your reasoning.

Another difference is that WWE is designed for grades 1-4 whereas IEW is generally used with older students.

Since Times Tales only covers some of the multiplication facts, my dd has made up her own stories to help her memorize facts TT did not cover. Sounds like her dd's have a lot in common as my dd would probably join your dd in the math hermit club and they'd have great fun with their wonderful imaginations! Best wishes to you! :grouphug:

That sure sounds like success to me! :grouphug:Perhaps you’ve answered your own question about using AO in your homeschool! We’ve done a shortened version of Year 1, Year 2 and are currently in Year 3. I agree with focusing on main subjects and then slowly adding in the extras. We still aren’t doing all the extras yet. This year school was interrupted for various reasons so we did the bare minimum for Year 3 (history, literature, poetry, copywork, math) and still had a great year. The tweaking we did was to actually drop some of the Y3 books just because our time was crunched. I hope to pick them up later. If I had to read aloud from Y 1-3 at the same time, I think AO would be overwhelming for me personally. I read aloud to one child so the schedule provides the structure I need along with flexibility when life happens. I also agree that CM has a different approach to LA – copywork, narration (which is oral composition without the actual writing), and dictation. Around age 10-11, they are to begin writing down their own narrations, etc.. so you'd have something to "show". AO's approach to LA is more laid back although veteran AO users say that it works if you give it time and trust the process. I think AO is very meaty if used as scheduled! Wishing you the best year ever! :grouphug:

Seems like a great approach to me! :iagree: Seterra is a great game and Globalmania gives you a lesson plan to implement it effectively.

Thanks for the reminder Elizabeth. Her math facts are finally starting to click with the help of Times Tales and some focused drill (flashmaster and CLE). She is turning 11 and will be in 5th grade this fall. The move toward independence may already be occuring with CLE. The other day, when it was time for math, she wanted to do a RS lesson. I was finishing up another task, so on her own, she decided to do CLE because it was "quicker" (her words). My dd dislikes change of any kind so switching to CLE has been difficult just because it is different from what she is used to so she is being stretched. Just to clarify, she is breezing through CLE in the sense that she is getting A's on every lesson. It's not too hard for her at all. The problem is that she just doesn't like worksheets. RS only had 1 worksheet to complete whereas a CLE lesson has 4 pages so she is having to "adjust" to doing more work. I could break up the CLE lesson, but we missed months of school last year (which is why we just finished RS Level C) so I'm trying to make up some lost ground. I've decided to have her set a timer and work 30 minutes in CLE and than be done for the day. Hopefully, she'll work hard and stay focused. The next day we'll pick up where she left off. She's capable, but gets easily distracted if you know what I mean. :) I genuinely appreciate your input Elizabeth and will take it to heart. I plan to stick with CLE this summer to help shore up her math skills and will re-evaluate in the fall re: whether to continue in CLE or stick with RS Level D. Any further thoughts are welcome! :)

We finally finished RS Level C and I'm contemplating whether to continue with Level D or make a change. This summer we are using Christian Light (CLE) as a "trial run". It teaches a new concept in small bite-sized chunks (an incremental approach) and then has a spiraling review of previously learned concepts which is great for my dd because it gives her constant practice plus it reduces the boredom factor because she isn't doing the exact same type of problem over and over which occurred in MUS. Each lesson also includes a math speed drill, story problems, a Fact Focus for mastery of +, -, or x facts, etc.. I'm really impressed with CLE as it seems to include everything plus dd can work in it independently with very little help from me. CLE also teaches some concepts much earlier than in RS so I'm glad she's having exposure to those math skills since we are "behind" in math. The problem is that even though the consumable workbook format of CLE is laid out nicely (not cluttered, a touch of color, clear explanations), she hates doing worksheets so is begging to return to RS. I plan to re-evaluate in the fall. My dd also hated the blocks. One day she burst into tears and said, "Mom, is there a Math without Tears?" We were using Handwriting without Tears which is where she came up with the parallel. She hated math and thought she was horrible at it because she couldn't get those addition facts mastered. I decided we needed to switch. Sounds like RS math card games will be right up her alley as long as someone will play them with her consistently! There are tons of RS games available for numeration, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, etc... In retrospect, perhaps I could've stuck with MUS and added in RS card games. Perhaps that combo will work for you. :) If I had known about the mnemonic addition/subtraction flash cards earlier, I would've purchased them since that approach works well with my dd.

I really empathize with you as my dd had trouble getting her math facts down, too. :grouphug: We started with MUS Alpha and she was in contant tears because she got "stuck" and couldn't move on because her facts weren't memorized. We switched to Rightstart which is a wonderful program (they don't "allow" finger-counting at all), but not a cure-all for learning math facts. What I mean is that in RS, the math card games are what are supposed to help students learn their math facts. I've not been consistent in playing those games with her so mastering facts has been a slow process but I'm seeing great progress as of late (she's almost 11). The RS card games are great if utilized consistently. You are not learning multiplication facts yet, but the mnemonics utilized by Times Tales worked like a charm for my dd when learning her times tables. The reason I mention Times Tales is because there is a similar mnemonic program available for addition/subtraction facts by Arthur Bornstein the author of the Multiplication Memorizer Kit (similar to Times Tales in approach). Karen Andreola recommends Multiplication Memorizer Kit in CBD catalog. Here is the link: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=267555&item_code=WW&netp_id=516243&event=ESRCN&view=covers When I checked out the author's website, I discovered there is also a program for addition/subtraction facts. If I had known about it earlier, I may have purchased this for my dd since Times Tales were a big hit when encountering multiplication. Scroll down the page to find it. http://www.memorydynamics.com/school_products.html In my dd's case, she needed time to mature before she was able to get her facts down. That is the reason we left MUS, even though I loved that program. We just got stuck and couldn't move on because it required mastery and she was in constant tears. My dd does better with a spiral approach where there is constant review built into each lesson. The spiral approach also enabled her to learn new math concepts (fractions, decimals, measurment, etc.) while she was mastering her addition/subtraction facts. Hope this helps!