I just bought Write On! I looked through the free teacher manual online and it seems very sensible and doable. I appreciate the way the author teaches the scaffolding of parent support and topic choice while the skill is being learned and the progression towards being able to use the mastered writing skills with new content (across the curriculum). It also seems quite flexible. We shall see!

Oh man. We are trying the new Notgrass Adam to Us in the hopes that it will get done!! Hearing you on the mapping and timeline work!!!! I'm glad to had ATB got done at your house!

Always directly from the publisher. I have found that their shipping rates to Canada are much more reasonable.

My 12-yo still pulls ours out very once in a while in her free time to work on a project. She was just going through them last night, interestingly.

I need to read the relationship one :).

I spell well for the most part, but do not understand why I am able I do so. As a result, I find myself struggling to help my children correct their spelling (whether in their formal curriculum or on their written work) as they encounter more difficult words. Teaching phonics has equipped me with several simple rules I can now use, but I would like to have more available to me. Ideally, I would like to purchase a reference work that would help me explain the relevant rule to a child when they mis-spell a word. Instead of more word copying, I'd like to also be able I tackle the root of the spelling error. I see several that are available, but would appreciate first-hand experiences from other homeschoolers. Thanks in advance.

Also getting done are our Sunday school scripture verses, and Postal Bible Study lessons.

What we use IS gettin done. CLE: Math, LA, Bible, Reading Rod and Staff: Spelling in 4th and up As a bonus word roots are also covered by these choices in 7th and 8th ACE: Has been social studies and science the past few years, hoping to branch out a bit next year. We shall see if it gets done though! Xtramath is pretty awesome too.

I haven't used Horizons, but CLE 100 is quite rigorous. It ramps up quickly. CLE KII is such a nice course :). It sounds like some will be review for her, but it is such nice preparation for LTR. Math 100 and LTR are great follow ups, and you can even taken them at half speed for K.

If you get math and phonics (or reading and LA for older children) done, you're doing fine :).

We are a CLE family, I just ordered LA 300 for DD2 a couple of days ago. Spelling is easy to cross off, creative writing is included but may be a bit light (depends on how much you like to do), fewer parts than A Beka - no separate test manuals or tests to buy, it's all in the light units and techer manual. The 200s include copy work, so I think the 300s will also, but I can get back to you on that in a few weeks when it gets here (I'm in Canada...slooow shipping). No narration, but that is easier to do in our content subjects in any case IMO. CLE Reading includes the reading comprehension and elements of literature type exercises.

Ah, I was wondering if Write On! might work with your own content.

Yes, it's Stout's book :). Thanks for the feedback. TOG's book is an interesting thought. I'll have a look. I'm investigating all the previous recommendations also, thanks everyone!

"A simple source that can guide you through different types of papers would probably be easier to adapt to assigning topics across curriculum vs. looking at writing curriculum." YES! Do you have a good source to recommend? I am not too interested in curriculum since they all use their own examples. I want to create output in context.

Yes, I'm focusing on expository writing. I tend not to learn well from audio/video which makes me shy away from TWSS generally speaking. I just came across Comprehensive Composition, has anyone used that as a writing spine of sorts?

I could never get it off the ground. Too much planning. A bit of a different beast, but have you considered Notgrass? We are tackling their new middle school world history course, Adam to Us next year for my 7th and 4th. It actually looks doable. I have hope.

Will MFW be there? Their HS looks awesome!

I'd like to do more writing in science and history this coming year for DDs who will be in 7th and 4th. I'm having a hard time figuring out how exactly I'll do this. Is there a clear teacher education resource I can use that will teach me what to do?

Aaaaaaah! Oldest DD turned 12 on the 10th! 7th grade in the fall. Not ready!

The local HS group here may be smaller - around 30 children at a meeting (maybe 6-7 moms). It started as a coop kind of thing before we moved here, but quickly turned I to let the kids run and play while the moms sit and talk. We love it! We hit the park when it's nice out and terrorize a large, local church when it isn't :). Heading into our 7th year homeschooling this fall. The oldest hs'd child who still attends (sometimes) graduated, went to college, and is working in her field. She sits with us now ;). We have large families, tiny families, Christian ones, secular ones, ones who've sent then oldest children back to public school but who stills come to visit or to bring babies/toddlers. A bit of everything. It's lovely :).

I see you have the physics book on your list for 7th - I just bought a copy from Stephanie to look at. Would you like to borrow it for next year? I think we may use the astronomy and world one.

Seriously considering CLE for 8th (or 11th). We are Canadians, but I'd like my children to have a good understanding of US history without a strongly providentialist stance.

Duplo to keep your twins busy (congrats, I missed that! We just had a set of ID boys ourselves.). iPads (not only for the twins!). Microscope. Piano.

This is the thread that never ends...

We use CLE which is spiral and you can cross off any component you don't want easily. We cross off spelling. When I considered using EIW I considered moving to Hake, but I haven't used it.