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Dina in Oklahoma

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Posts posted by Dina in Oklahoma

    Center for Lit Reviews?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Yes, DD has taken Jr. High and American lit previously, and will take World lit this year. She thoroughly enjoys her classes! DD says Mr. and Mrs. A are fun, genuinely care about what the students have to say, and feels she can apply the story chart to any book. I have seen  tremendous growth in her ability to analyze a piece and in her confidence in expressing her ideas. CFL is offering a free summer session  (if it isn't already full) which might give you a better feel for the classes.

     

    HTH :001_smile: 

     

     

    • Like 2

    HIgh School level biology question...

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Hello ~

     

    Not a text, but we are using Fascinating Chemistry along with other resources and plan to use Fascinating Biology as well next year. My DD likes the professor's gentle voice, the opportunity to listen to the lessons multiple times if needed, and the graphics. The program includes lab suggestions or you could buy a stand alone lab book such as:

     

     

    http://www.homeschoolsciencepress.com/

     

    Hope this helps :) 

     

     

    ETA: We used Landry Academy for labs this year and it was great getting them all completed in two days!

    • Like 3

    If a student takes quite a few college courses during 11-12 grade, can they avoid taking the SAT or other tests?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    THANKS so much for this post 1TOGO; it was VERY encouraging! :001_smile: 

    I've been in your position, so I completely understand, and I'm going to encourage you in a different direction.  Instead of looking for ways to bypass the ACT/SAT tests and/or avoid math, take the path of conquering this challenge.  At the beginning of this year, we found out that youngest dc could not graduate from our home school cover (new cover for us) without an additional math and science.  Since math has always been a terrible struggle, we thought dc would work on a business math and a non-math science and just get done.  However, I could not accept that dc could not learn math, and dc was very aware that not understanding/learning math is limiting.  It wasn't an easy decision for this year to become another year of home school; i.e. 11th grade, especially since many kids dc knows are graduating, and dc is already older than most of them.  In the end, we made the decision to delay graduation, and I set out to find a way for dc to learn math -- a daunting task since I struggle with math as well.  Fast forward..

     

    From a post on this list, I decided to use Tablet Class math with online tutoring from the author, Mr. Zimmerman.  Since he knows his curriculum, he was able to help us create a plan to review where needed and keep moving.  We began with pre-algebra and are now working on Algebra 2 and Geometry simultaneously. We will finish both of those courses at the end of July.  I say "we" because I have worked through the courses at the same time as dc, so I am able to understand which concepts and problems are challenging and pass them on to Mr. Zimmerman before the tutoring sessions.  Dc no longer thinks that math is impossible/discouraging/frustrating/hopeless.  One day as we were working on a long set of review problems, dc looked up from scribbling away and tapping on the calculator, and said, "I think I am turning into a math geek".  Honestly, those were words I could not imagine ever.

     

    In addition to the work with Tablet Class math, we signed up for ACT/SAT prep with Beasley College Prep.  We have never used a prep service, and I thought improving dc's math score would be impossible since we hadn't covered the required math.  At the beginning of the school year, dc couldn't even finish the ACT math section in the allotted time and scores were low.  It took a lot of work (1-2 hours per day) and progress was slow, but dc's math score on the April ACT was in the college-ready range, which was cause for much rejoicing, and dc came out of Saturday's SAT tired but feeling good.  All math sections were finished and the essay prompt wasn't wonky.  Also, dc was not in the range of merit money at the beginning of the year but has now earned a good amount and is very close to full ride.  Fwiw, students working with BCP are earning high math scores without the required math.

     

    Feel feel to pm me, but I will end with this.  You have three years to go before the end of high school, so mastering math is possible with hard work and dedicated time.  I would make learning math a priority.  Dc will be rolling into pre-calculus in two months and plans to earn college credits through CLEP next year.  First up, College Algebra CLEP.

     

    LToW along with WttW?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Yes Lisa, I just found out this morning that your wonderful DD is my DD's buddy. So thankful they connected. Hope to meet you all in person sometime! :001_smile: 

    Dina...I think our girls were in Renee's class together and they've formed a sweet friendship.  I second the recommendation on Renee....terrific teacher!!   Dd will be doing LTOW2 with Camille next year.  We're dovetailing that with our TOG Year 1 reading list.  We're also doing WttW this summer and over the next year.  

     

    To the OP, I would do LTOW first as the invention tools will help tremendously with the WttW writing assignments.

     

    Re-focus on home school for summer

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Thank you Pam for your post and a big :grouphug: to 1Togo. You will never know how timely and helpful your wisdom is! 

    Fwiw, I have home schooling a number of years, and we almost finished.  It has taken me a long time to accept that I can't create more hours in the day, and I can't shoehorn three hours of work into one, and I can't rush skill building.  Even if your time is reduced, which will be disappointing, you can still do something wonderful. I would decide on the one thing that is most important for your son and focus on that.

     

    I follow several blogs.  Please read this one for a helping of realistic encouragement --  https://centerforlit.wordpress.com/.  

     

    LToW along with WttW?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    g-love~ Center for lit offers sibling discounts. I don't know about Circe Institute. You might contact them. Perhaps your children could take lit and you could oversee LTOW; just a thought. :001_smile: Best Wishes!

    Hi there,

     

     I've looked into both classes but the cost of those in addition to their other classes x2 (for twins) is looking prohibitive. It's a good backup plan for us though if we hit a wall or find ourselves floundering. In that case, we may go back to the drawing board and pull out all the stops, financially speaking. Thank you for your recommendations. I'd be interested to know how you like WttW. 

     

    LToW along with WttW?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Hello ~

     

    Like you, I have collected each of these programs but was uncertain how to incorporate them all. Last year DD took the online American lit course from Center for Lit and used the selected titles for her online LTOW class. It worked very well and we can't recommend Renee Mathis highly enough! I plan to use WWTTW this summer or next year depending how far we get. Hope this helps. :001_smile:

    So, I'm wondering if this would be overkill or a nice combination of two approaches using the same literature pieces. I have the Jill Pike syllabus and it seems so open and go that I think it would actually get done, whereas LToW worries me a bit if I can't stay ahead of the lessons. But if we use it slowly, as I'm able to, could that work? It seems my twin 15 yr. old dds could benefit from both approaches. If you think I'm nuts, please say so! Also, if you think I should use them sequentially rather than simultaneously, what order would make the most sense? Would we really be missing out on a lot if we used WttW for the first semester (without Teaching the Classics or the novels Jill Pike adds in) and followed up with LtoW the following semester? I feel torn about this since I already own the Teaching the Classics and that seems like such a nice, gentle introduction to analysis, besides the fact that the selected novels are great. Anyone out there done both in high school? I'm feeling like LToW will be too basic for 11th grade, if I hold off. Thoughts? 

     

    • Like 1

    Switching from Saxon Math tutorial class to TT

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    :iagree: :iagree:  :iagree: says the mother of a child who struggles with math!

    OP, was anyone checking your child's work, or giving him the answer key and showing him how to and making sure he checked his own work, daily?  Because without that, a mistake can become ingrained.  Then the student has to unlearn the wrong way they were consistently doing something.  Frequently kids need to be taught how to check their own work, with and without an answer key.  Daily work needs to be checked daily so issues are addressed immediately.

     

    I can't help much with where to place with regard to TT.  I like TT, but honestly my kids were getting great scores and not retaining much of anything.  Doing math outside TT, it was clear the material was not translating.  We dropped it.

     

    You might do as you suggest and have him take the quizzes in TT Algebra 1 until he hits a snag.  Have him do math through the summer.  Maybe he would be ready for Algebra II in the Fall.  It is pointless to rush him through, though, if he has a lot of gaps.  Math builds on itself.  Without a solid foundation, the whole house of cards can collapse.  I would encourage you to also maybe look at incorporating other resources to reinforce what he is learning in TT and to make certain he is understanding and retaining the material.

     

    I don't suppose there is a tutor closer to you that might be able to monitor?  Not to teach the math but to check in once a week and guide his learning?

     

    Appreciating my teachers/ mentors

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Well said!!!  :iagree:  For me, there has been no greater homeschooling resource than "The Hive." :hurray:  :party:  :hurray:  Thank you so much! :grouphug:

    It's teacher appreciation week and I was wondering, why do kids get to have all the fun thanking their teachers? :)

     

    I have learned so much about homeschooling from you and I wanted to thank all of you for being the givers and sharers you are. You are my teachers and mentors and like John Keating (Robin Williams' character in Dead Poets' Society) says, you have taught me that,
    “Just when you think you know something, you have to look at in another way. Even though it may seem silly or wrong, you must try.â€

     

    Thank you for giving yourselves, your wisdom, your experience so generously. And thank you Susan for making the Hive possible in the first place. Happy teacher appreciation week and early wishes to moms here for a lovely, love-filled Mothers Day too!

     

    • Like 1

    Anyone used: Schola Tutorials/ Romanroads Media?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    The courses are very meaty. I very very much doubt anyone could do both courses in eleven months. That would be four credits! Now, you might be able to reduce the courses down in size a bit. Do only part of the readings perhaps, but listen to all the videos. You would still get a lot out of it. Also, I cannot imagine supplementing these courses with a text. That would be absolutely unnecessary in my opinion.

    Thank you for your reply! Could you tell me about how long do the daily lessons take?

    Any experience with Circe Institute LTOW online class?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    High School Chemistry and Living Books

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Hello,

     

    We are using the following: 

     

    Chemistry: Concepts and Problems: A Self-Teaching Guide  Houk, Clifford C.

     

     

    Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy

    Hazen, Robert M.  

     

     

    Homework Helpers: Chemistry (Homework Helpers (Career Press))

    Curran, Greg

     

    Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry of Cooking

    Simon Quellen Field

     

    As well as Chemistry 101 and number of living books. We used Landry Academy for labs.

     

     

    Any experience with Landry Academy chemistry intensive?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Hello~

     

    My DD attended the Landry chemistry intensive in March, although she has not yet completed chemistry. She enjoyed the intensive and said the instructor explained topics clearly so they could be understood even if she hadn't studied them yet. DD also liked that the instructor asked questions as well as lecturing. She put a lot of effort into the lab report and learned much from the feedback. I am requiring my DD to complete lab reports for all the labs. It is also really nice to have all her labs completed! HTH :thumbup:  

     

    Is there an online or DVD course of teaching literature?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Couldn't agree more! :thumbup:

     

    My dc have all done the Center for Lit online classes with Adam and Missy Andrews. They only meet once a month so the class doesn't take up much time at all. The bulk of the time is spent reading the book in preparation for the class; during the class they discuss the book its literary elements. If you want a writing option they offer that too, but we have never done that. The kids love these classes. They get my highest recommendation.

     

    http://www.centerforlit.com/Academy/home.aspx

     

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