We approached MR two ways..... 1) Pre-Algebra course in 7th followed by MR in 8th(This is with my mathy son. He was ready for Algebra in 8th grade.:001_smile:This is the same son who has said that he will send Mr. Firebaugh an invitation to his high school graduation.) 2)Pre-Aglebra course in 8th followed by MR in 9th.(This was for my artsy-crafty girl who would rather be knitting or sewing than doing her math. But she LOVES Mr. Firebaugh just the same as her big brother. Go figure!) Here is the thing, though. Make sure that your student is SOLID in their basic skills before moving them into Algebra. At the high school level, there is no review of Decimals, percents, fractions, and ratios.(unless you make a plan for it.) So, if you have ANY doubts in your mind about those skills, then take a year to do a good pre-algebra course. Only YOU know if your student is ready to move on to higher math. Whatever you do, don't rush them through to Algebra in 8th grade because you feel like they will be "behind" or because "everyone else is doing it." Each child is different and you have to make that decision based on them and not on what everyone else is doing. Just my two cents, Brenda:001_smile:

That was exactly one of the reasons that we liked Firebaugh's Math Relief...The whole lesson, including the video portion, took about an hour, give or take a few minutes. It was just what we had alloted for our math at 8th and 9th grades. So, I was looking for something for geometry that didn't have a 45 minutes lecture AND THEN an hour more of problems. We needed something more of "short sweet and to the point." Thanks Grace, that was just what we needed! Blessings, Brenda:001_smile:

Thanks Martha! We found the same thing to be true with Firebaugh's Math Relief: Algebra I and II. DS did VERY well on the Algebra portion of the ACT, AND can explain Algebra all day long....in other words, he gets it. But Firebaugh has not completed his Geometry section, and I was looking for a Geometry course, that would be DVD in nature, and cover things as well as Firebaugh did with Algebra. So, that the child will KNOW geometry. That is my goal. Not necessarily looking for the most rigorous course out there. That is not my goal. I want them to understand the subject matter. Thank you SO much for the information. Blessings this Christmas season! Brenda:001_smile:

Why did your daughter prefer TT to VT, if I may ask? Brenda:001_smile:

Martha, Were you pleased with this curriculum? Did you feel that your son was prepared when he finished it? And did HE like the curriculum? Blessings, Brenda:001_smile:

For those of you that have used this curriculum, did your student do all the modules or just A-C? Blessings, Brenda

I was a music education major. I think the most important thing, in this day and age, if you are going to be a music major, is what job skills do you have when finished with your degree. I had skills when I got out of college. I had a teaching degree. However, my friends, who were performance majors, went into other fields when they graduated. For them, there wasn't a lot they could do with that major. Not always the case, but for them, that is what happened. I too agree with all that was said by the wonderful ladies who have posted above me.....Great job, guys!:iagree: If I had it to do all over again, I think I would major in HISTORY EDUCATION!;) Blessings, Brenda:001_smile:

We are PLEASED, not please.....(No wonder he has trouble with writing....HeeHee) Brenda

No Finalist here either, but we are please with ds's score. Our junior got a 183 @90th percentile. Not bad for a little boy who didn't even know the difference between a noun and a verb in 3rd grade when we "brought him home". :001_smile: That writing portion is still bringing us DOWN. AUGH! What to do...what to do....Hmmmm......We'll just have to think about that, now won't we! Have a great weekend, ya'll! Blessings, Brenda

Week 10: The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis(Selections) Week 11: Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Mallory AND Everyman(Norton Anthology of English Literature Week 12: Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes(2 weeks) Hope that helps! Blessings, Brenda:001_smile:

That is one of the things we do for Bible on a daily basis.;) Mom reads them too! One for every day of the month!:D Heard Marcia (TOG founder) talk about this a LONG time ago at a TOG conference. I have been reading Psalms and Proverbs daily now for several years and last year encouraged my teenagers to do the same. WOW! I can not say enough about this. I am a support group leader and I encourage my ladies to do the same. Thanks for the information! AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Blessings, Brenda:001_smile:

Faithe we are right there with you! I have been using the WTM for a LONG time, with some TOG and Teaching the Classics thrown in for good measure....But our family REALLY needed some STRUCTURE thrown into our classical reading program. Along came CLE.....On the advice of a friend, HI JETTA,:seeya:, I decided to try CLE. OH, MY GOODNESS!!! It was just what we were missing in our WTM method. We use CLE for reading. For each 9 week quarter, I do the first 3 weeks with a Light unit from CLE and then leave the other 6 weeks for reading whole books and discussing them using either TOG classic or making a story chart using Teaching the Classics. WHAT A BLESSING! CLE READING HAS FILLED IN ALL THE GAPS IN OUR READING PROGRAM! (Sometimes I switch this up and do TWO light units in a quarter(6weeks) and then leave the last 3 weeks for whole books.) I can not say enough about CLE reading....GREAT PROGRAM! Blessings, Brenda from the great state of Tennessee!

Yep, Lori, we read that one last year....just well, because I said so..... AWESOME book. I could not put the book down. Was really neat to read just prior to him planning his Eagle Project...;) I love your lists. How you have organized them. Great titles too. Some I had not thought of for a while... And I have seen Seven Men Who Ruled from the Grave over and over again in TQ....But I never bought it. May have to check it out now. Thanks! Brenda:001_smile:

Makes me REMEMBER that with child #2, 3, and 4 we will NOT do so MANY pieces during high school. But will do fewer, but more INDEPTH. 8 to 9 books a year, TOPS. Enjoy, Discuss and Write...:D Thanks ya'll(Remember I am from the south, I have to say "ya'll"):001_smile: Blessings, Brenda

O.K. going to just take the time to do this: Some years were more academic than others. Used WTM, Omnibus, and TOG to lead discussions along with Invitations to the Classics. PLEASE DON'T LOOK AT MY SPELLING. DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO PROOF! 8th: Ancients(Working our way into high school by the end of the year....) Gilgamesh the Hero Golden Goblet Tales of Ancient Egypt Tales of Ancient India Tales of Ancient Africa Tales of Ancient China Black Ships Before Troy Wandering of Odysseus Edith Hamilton'sMythology Oedipus Julius Caesar The Bronze Bow 9th grade Middle Ages Beowulf Conn. Yankee in King Arthur's Court Song of Roland MacBeth Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest Selections from Canterbury Tales Dante Imitation of Christ The Prince The Faerie Queen Shakespeare Poetry Hamlet 10th grade Don Quixote Pilgrims Progress Herbert/Donne Paradise Lost Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Rousseau's Confessions Gulliver's Travels Pride and Prejudice Wordsworth Coleridge Shelley Keats Oliver Twist Frankenstein Short Story unit 11th grade(Some of this has not been completed. A projected list... Also working on Eagle project.) Red Badge of Courage Huck Finn Emily Dickinson Robert Frost Animal Farm The Great Gatsby Steinbeck something....still thinking through this To Kill a Mockingbird The Hiding Place The Crucible 1984 The Chosen 12th grade.....????? There you go! Brenda

We studied Frankenstein last year. And The Hiding Place we will read this spring. So, those two will be covered. :001_smile: But adding Lord of the Flies to the list.... Really should have posted a list of what he HAS read, but trying to clean the house for Thanksgiving too.:D Sorry about that.... Thanks, Brenda

We will have our first senior next year. And I'm starting to collect ideas for literature that we would have him read before he leaves our home. While we have been reading the great books all along, and we have been discussing those truths from a Christian perspective, I just feel that this last year, should be MORE of a focus on Truth and Wisdom, that in the past. Here are a few ideas we have so far....Note these are just ideas right now.... How Should We Then Live Mere Christianity The Scarlet Letter(Missed this one due to sickness in our 4 year history cycle.) Moby Dick(Husband threw this into the mix.:w00t:) Also, have CLE's 12th grade lit study called "Perspectives of Truth in Literature." Any other ideas for imparting Truth and Wisdom to a 12th grader? or a Great Book that you saved especially for the 12th grade? Blessings, Brenda:001_smile:

My 14 yo has started sewing on her own. However, she has been using my Kenmore, but I would like to get a machine of her own for Christmas. Should I stick with a Kenmore from Sears, or go with another brand? Hancock fabrics will have some on sale on Friday of this week. Here are some they will have on sale: Janome 3128 Singer 7422 Brother LS-590 All of these are listed for $79.99 except the Singer which is listed for $129.99. Any thought? Blessings, Brenda

I would be doing this with Classic TOG, not Redesign. Might be crazy, I know...Still in my "thinking phase" for the next school year. Brenda

Anyone ever do this? Read SWB's Ancient History Text but pair it with TOG questions....Just wondering if anyone had ever paired these two up together. Thanks, Brenda

We used R&S with our older two, but have really enjoyed the change we had with FLL. But guess we will just stick with R&S. I am sad... But thanks for the information! Brenda

Does anyone know if there will be a FLL 5? And if so, when? Thanks, Brenda

Pam, What are the ages of your children and what are they doing to help YOU around the house? (((HUGS))) from West TN!:grouphug: Brenda

This was just want I needed! I can not thank you enough. Just to give you a background, we have been grinding our own grain for 6 years. But now all of the sudden, I am having trouble digesting them. So, someone suggested that I soak the grains prior to cooking them. But I just could figure out how.... NOW, I get it! And I LOVED the article on the Bread of Idleness.....Awesome Thanks again, Brenda P.S. Raw milk is great! We have used it for years too. Find a farmer that you trust, and you shouldn't have any trouble at all.

For those of you who grind your wheat, how do you go about soaking your grains? O.K. this may be REALLY stupid, but do you soak them BEFORE you grind them or AFTER you grind them? Please don't laugh.....:001_huh: Blessings, Brenda