Chelli, This is a wonderful way to approach learning and I am inspired. I've always loved how BF does their notebooks ... So, if your child doesn't want to write or draw (or perhaps their effort is not up to a reasonable standard) I assume you'll assign something. Honestly, I think giving kids some ownership of their work within the boundaries set by Mom is an ideal way to pull creativity and effort from them. Sometimes the mindlessness that is required to just "do what the guide" says is deflating.

Agreed :coolgleamA:

Crystal, I want to hug you! Great post addressing homeschool in general. LOVE it and appreciate your years of ministry to the homeschool community. Can I just say that God is good? In the midst of the dark and hard and crazy and overwhelming our gracious God is there. There is NO FORMULA. I'm totally LOVING hearing about your oldest!! That is so awesome. :hurray: And I know that you used "light" and "not enough" MFW (snort, chortle) and *gasp* Writing Strands and *gasp again* NOT rigorous traditional grammar and ..... YOU and YOUR DAUGHTER ROCKED IT. :coolgleamA:

Lori, What a helpful summary and one that I need as I'm looking ahead to high school while planning 7th and 8th grade. You are SUCH a blessing!! TY for serving us so tirelessly. Three cheers for Lori ... hip hip hooray! :hurray:

:huh: Wow. This is soooooome thread.

Hi Keri, Without tediously poring over all HOD units I am under the impression that Carrie omits parts of each IEW Lesson to balance time spent in writing. So far she has not omitted any IEW techniques. You could if you want to though.... It's not like you have to do just what the lesson plans (HOD or IEW) tell you. I don't want to continue using this writing program with my oldest but I'd like to better understand what is upcoming. Perhaps I'll find usefulness in future lessons. We will likely not stay with HOD but I intend to keep with it until we break for a bit of summer.

Keri, If you are desperate to know I can poke around in my RTR guide for you (or on the FB page). I wouldn't mind doing so. Carrie does break the assignments into smaller pieces and is clear in the RTR book as to what to do next. Some days it takes 5 minutes but other days it takes a long time. ​I really dislike this writing program for DS12 so far and am close to setting it aside. Hoping that we can stop doing KWOs for pete's sake and my already descriptive, verbose writer doesn't need to be told to use vivid language or incorporate vocabulary words. He knows how to do this. Hoping that as we move forward there will be more challenging assignments .... holding on a little longer. :D

Nearly finalized plans for my DS5th grade :coolgleamA: Morning Time: (catechism, picture study, MP poetry, selected topics, Narnia) Bible: Matthew, prayer, Hero Tales. Integrated with MFW ECC. BJU Math 5 CLE Reading 5 and a substantial reading list. TTC Socratic discussion once a week. Grammar: Hake 5 Composition: Treasured Conversations or Meaningful Comp. 4+/Writing Strands Science: Integrated with MFW ECC History/Geography: MFW ECC Other: guitar/piano, swim.

Schole Sisters had a 20% coupon code for CAP but it expired March 31. :( Anybody know of another opportunity for a coupon like this? Thanks!

RootAnn, Thank-you for sharing the responses from the instructors. Is the workshop format different from what is being done currently in Expository Writing I (WWS I)? The feedback from this current year's instruction is favorable and I'm so disappointed we couldn't get in. :wacko:

Please share more about the workshop model and what Mr. Hummel (?) explained to you (if you can spare the time). Perhaps I need to email him as well ....

melmichigan, Would you please share what you learned about the workshop model? :).

DS12 (13 in early fall) ***is going to school this fall. I am still reeling a bit but quite thrilled for this kid. He didn't thrive in homeschool last year and we believe he will thrive in a structured school setting with some separation from his siblings. He has grown accustomed to the idea and is now looking forward to the change. The school is at our church so it's a familiar and loved community. A couple good friends are in his class so that has smoothed the mental transition for him. He has been a happy homeschooler for the most part and didn't ask to go to school but his dad and I believe this change is needed for him. :) Here's where I am at for now: ** Pre-A (Lial's) with Jann in TX (we are pre-registered) ** WTM Academy Expository Writing I or Attuneup or Essentials in Writing. Considering this line-up (for my child who consumes books, reads incredibly deep and wide, and retains practically everything): History: Biblioplan Year 3 Science: Exploration Ed. or something Delight Directed. It will include a Mom designed reading list. Literature: Substantial Booklist with a once a week discussion a la TTC. We will also use CLE Reading 7. Also VERY interested in Omnibus Secondary Literature for this child. I lack the courage though .... Grammar: Analytical or Fix It plus some diagraming practice. Daily Grammar Practice looks good for this area also. I'd like to shift the time to writing and literature with grammar being a back burner subject set to simmer on low. Bible/Worldview: Plenty of choose from and dependent on the balance/integration in other areas. We're at a great age to move into more depth here. Carefully evaluating available materials including Lightbearers from Summit, Philosophy Adventures and The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Study. Other: Informal logic. Technology. Morning Time. Current Events. Swim Team. Visual Latin (but maybe just EFTRU ;)). See the Light Art is just sitting here ....

Mrs. Twain, Did you use the Schedule of Lessons to know what you'd need to pull the supply box together? That is something I'd like to do for my son!

Attuneup is wonderful but one needs to start the course in the fall. Essay Practitioner is for students who are proficient essay writers already. It is not instructive. Amy is evaluating and giving feedback to her students as they practice the essay skills learned in Time Capsule.

Oh, thanks for setting my mind at ease. As lovely as Mrs. Vick is I simply do NOT want to watch those every day. :)

HappyGrace, would it be alright if I ask a quick question within your thread? It would be a tremendous help .... Clear Creek, do you believe a student needs any particular skill level to begin Intro to Comp.? Would you recommend anything in preparation for it?

Blackbird & Co. has an intriguing option called Intro to Composition: The Essay for grades 6-9. My "teaching writing" efforts have completely crashed and burned this year and I must begin again with DS6th grade. :) Not with essays though ....

Do you watch the Mom Minutes every day? Oh my word, that level of detail is NOT my cuppa and I want to skip them. Watching those daily is the kind of thing that causes me to avoid curriculum :D Is it okay to skip the Mom Minutes? I do NOT care about every jot and tittle of the program so unless it is critical to success I'd like to skip it. If I have the Schedule of Lessons and follow along with what I am to check and provide materials wise am I okay? Also, I'm still a little fuzzy and it will likely become clear once we actually begin (we had a rough time after the holiday so I am just now getting this prepped while I have sick kiddos!) but am I grading all of his work? I *think* the assessments are graded by the computer and it sounds like the Quick Checks are reviewed with Mrs. Vick each day. Based on what I am seeing it looks like I am to correct the SAM work. All of the prep work required has turned me off to this style of learning ..... I am so much more simple minded and admit to doubting my decision to purchase this. So much detail and so many boxes to check and so many pieces of information to juggle for ONE class. :rolleyes:

Biblioplan?

I don't have a schedule. We just started LU602 this week. He has not scored well on either lesson and up until this year I've considered my son a strong math student. It's been a hard hard year of math for some reason .... We are about halfway through Math Mammoth 6th grade and I really don't know exactly how this will play out for him. It's possible that we'll go back a few light units into 5th if necessary and accelerate by doing all of the drill and New material and only doing the We Remember (review) portions every other lesson. It's still up in the air for me and I really wish I'd moved him to CLE for 5th as I was strongly considering it at the time for the same reasons I am up against now. However, I weighed the decision carefully, asked for advice, etc. and made the best decision I could at the time. CLE 600 has lots of review but doesn't have the Daily Drill that is present in the other levels. I really wish they did include drill but students coming up through all levels of CLE Math will have their facts mastered. ETA: It is breaking my heart .... these math struggles. I do not understand WHY, if I follow along carefully with a structured math program, my child is so asynchronous in his math abilities and can't seem to transfer MANY skills to other math paradigms. I feel SICK when I think he needs to go way back to 5th grade CLE Math to pick up BASICS that he lacks. I wish I could explain why retention is poor and why skill transfer is poor and why it seems like his brain fell out of his skull this past year. Maybe we can blame hormones but it sure doesn't help Moms of 6th graders KNOW what is best. We may start at the halfway point with CLE 5th (I have all of it here .... ) and accelerate it before picking back up with 6th. He did so poorly on both lessons in LU602. I gave him a Saxon Middle Grades Placement test today. He'd have to start with 7/6. :(

I do want to add that as of 6th grade CLE doesn't do the daily drills anymore. A student coming up through CLE would have them mastered by this point. So, you'll have to continue that on your own and on the side if you believe your DC needs the drill.

Christian Light gets my vote. We have been using it for a few years with my youngers while I've been with MM for years with my oldest. This month I dropped MM6 with him and put him in CLE all the way back to LU602. After he gets the hang of the format I am going to accelerate him through it. The review in CLE is excellent for him and I like that he is focusing on arithmetic rather than problem solving. My goal is to spend two sessions a week with MM doing harder problems. MM does teach concepts and thinking skills much better than CLE so I do not want to let that go. But, we have had a similar experience in 6th grade math and I am taking matters into my own hands. :coolgleamA: With my kids who use CLE as their math spine it has worked well for us to use MM woven in. At times, I'll do an entire MM chapter with them in an area in which they need depth or more practice. I find the combination of MM and CLE to be ideal here. Your comments about Saxon are intriguing as just today I printed the placement test for Saxon Middle Grades math. I am considering moving to Saxon next and want to see how my son places now. I like the Saxon/DIVE schedules My Father's World sells. :coolgleamA: ETA: Christian Light is wonderful and makes getting math done with many kids so doable!!! You will find yourself able to get kids started independently while you run through each child's drill one at a time. My kids can start their drill and We Remember (review material which comprises the majority of their lessons) while I move one a time to teach new material and finish up/correct drills. It works so well. Only once in a while do I need to spend extra time with a struggling student. I also love the support materials that one purchases with CLE math such as the Reference Charts (you must get these), 100 Charts and flashcards. It is such an organized and teacher/student friendly curriculum. At times I miss the problem solving taught in MM but CLE is so well rounded and lays a strong foundation.

ETA: Never Mind. I'm such a dolt .... I was thinking this thread is in regard to switching FROM Rod & Staff to CLE and that is what my question is about. Sorry ..... :coolgleamA: Maybe I'll have to start yet another CLE LA thread because I really want to ask my question!

Yes, Heritage Studies looks fantastic. It's just the teacher intensive aspect of it! I really considered it but know I don't have enough time in the days to teach it. :)