Mamabyrd
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Posts posted by Mamabyrd
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I have the 5th grade set (TM, student book, work book). It is A LOT of work!!!!! I'm one of those people who feels I have to do everything and finish every page but I can already see that this will be impossible with Mosdos. I sincerely don't see how all of it can be done. You could definitely forgo the workbook. The workbook pages are the same week after week - two pages of vocabulary exercises, comprehension questions, and a graphic organizer. There are also many, many comprehension questions (different ones) in the TM plus there are comprehension questions at the end of the reading selection in the student text! That is a lot of comprehending :lol: !!
I am going to have to force myself to pick and choose with this curriculum or else it would take hours per day to complete.
The book is beautiful and the selections seem good. There are some excerpts from books by well known authors (Laura Ingalls Wilder, for example) but there are also complete short stories (not exerpts), plays, and great poetry selections.
This program is very thorough and will teach a great deal of information.
That being said, I really wish I'd learned about CLE's lit program sooner. I'll probably switch to that the following year.
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I'm looking for something that will be primarily for my rising Ker but with which I can include my rising 4th grader. What kind of time do you need for this? Do you get a good sense for the countries you study? Did your kids enjoy it?
Thanks
Heather
I used this for kindergarten for one of my childrent (currently in 2nd grade). It was a great year. My child really enjoyed it and still remembers some of the interesting things we learned. We utilized the program the same way described earlier: I bought the GTG book, of course, and I also bought Children Just Like Me (which my child LOVED) and Baby Animal Stories (now out of print and unnecessary, anyway). Then we would go to the library and get books. It was fun and didn't take very long to do. I never spent more than 2 hours per day for kindergarten.
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With one daughter, I used MUS Primer through Beta and then added Horizons. MUS is so great for really getting the basic facts down, along with an understanding of place value.
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I used Shurley for three years (4th - 6th grades and 1st and 2nd grades for another child) and then switched last year to Rod & Staff. My 7th grader did great with Rod & Staff; my 3rd grader really preferred a workbook format so we switched successfully to Growing with Grammar.
I like both Shurley and Rod & Staff. I will say that I think that Rod and Staff goes deeper and teaches more. Last year my oldest was learning concepts that I didn't learn until high school. However, I think that Shurley is great in the younger years. The jingles and the Q&A flow really made it click. My oldest had no trouble transitioning from Shurley to Rod and Staff.
I HATED the writing component in Shurley. It was dreadful. It didn't matter, though, because I used a separate writing program even after we switched to Rod and Staff.
Another factor to consider is that Shurley is "scripted." It didn't bother me but it won't suit all teachers.
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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
A woman finds herself thrown back in time to 18th C. where she falls in love w/ a Scottish man.
If you like it, the series continues:
These are not entirely innocent books like Anne of GG. There are adult themes.
I love these books! My sister in law has recommended them and I really didn't think I'd like them. They didn't seem like my kind of book. Happily, I was quite wrong. Great books!
The best fiction book I've read recently is A Thousand Splendid Suns. It is not carefree reading; it will make you cry.... literally cry. I couldn't put it down and it stayed with me for a while.
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I saw it last night.... great movie! :thumbup: There was a scene where Ben Stein goes to Germany and they show a photograph of dead bodies from the Holocaust. It only lasts a few seconds.
I was happily surprised at the number of teens at the showing last night. Everyone burst into applause at the end of the film. I highly recommend it. It was very interesting and sure to provoke some interesting discussions.
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You have to do what you think is best regardless of the opinions of others (very hard, I know). Here is a bit of hope: sometimes they come around when they see the fruit of home schooling. My mom was completely and totally against our home schooling. However, after four years of it many of her fears were alleviated. This year my husband wanted two of my kids to try public school and my mom actually said that she didn't think it was a good idea!! Mom passed away in November. My kids who tried public school will return to homeschooling next year and it makes me feel good knowing that Mom had come around. Sometimes their objections are just based on their fears of the unknown. Once the "unknown" becomes the familiar, fears fade...
My advice would be to try to avoid arguments and let them see over time the benefits themselves.
Another great book that would be helpful is The Well Adjusted Child: the Social Benefits of Homeschooling. It was just published this past summer and is very good at backing up its claims with research. This book is also appropriate for both secular and religious homeschoolers.
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If you join the CLE Yahoo group, you can see samples under the "Photos" section.
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I just finished a great book on this subject called The Well Adjusted Child: the Social Benefits of Homeschooling. It just came out last summer and it is a very reassuring read.
I have 4 children and faced the same issues. My kids were involved in a lot of activities but rarely had kids over, etc. This was one reason why my husband wanted to try traditional school this year after four years of homeschooling. My oldest attends a private school, my two middle kids are at public school and only my youngest (age 5) is at home. Well, you know what? It wasn't the socialization panacea that my husband anticipated. My kids did make friends but everyone is so busy after school that we still rarely have anyone over or go to another kid's house. Some of their friends are in day care after school. All have homework to complete. Most are in numerous after school activities (soccer, music lessons, dance, etc). My 4th grader, who has many, many friends at school, has only had a handful of after school get togethers with friends. My 2nd grader, who is more shy and only has 3 close friends at school, has never met her friends after school because of the previously mentioned reasons.
My point is that this issue doesn't necessarily resolve itself just because the kids are in public school.
Next year, three of my four kids will be home schooled (the oldest will remain at private school for high school, the Lord willing). I'm going to make a concerted effort to worry less about this.
Here is the link to that book: http://www.amazon.com/Well-Adjusted-Child-Social-Benefits-Homeschooling/dp/1600651070/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208436328&sr=8-1
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Steve Demme addresses the standardized test issue on the MUS website: http://mathusee.com/faqs.html Scroll down to "How do students score on achievement tests" and then click on "comments from Steve Demme."
MUS is a complete program but it doesn't follow the standard scope and sequence. It was not written to follow the public school model of math - a mile wide and an inch deep. Students focus on one main topic (with other things thrown in too) per year and are expected to fully master and understand those concepts before moving to the next book.
I used MUS: Primer for age 4, Alpha for K, Beta for 1st. My dd went to public school this year for 2nd and scored above average in math on her IOWA test. I think working a year ahead of schedule helped but MUS really is terrific for establishing mathematical thinking early on. I use it until 3rd grade and then switch but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend MUS to anyone. It IS a complete program and the kids will learn all they need to know by the time they finish. It is possible standardized test scores won't reflect that but that is only because MUS follows a different S&S than is presented on standardized tests, not because MUS fails to teach.
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I am currently using this with my 5 year old and I previously used it, as well. It is a solid program and yielded great results with my kids.
This year 3 of my 4 kids are attending school (next year I'll be h'sing three, but I digress...). My 2nd grader's reading ability had to be tested at the beginning of the year because she had never been in public school before. She tested at a 5th grade reading level. She learned to read with TATRAS and Explode the Code books.
There is a learning curve because when you first get your book and open it, you'll probably go, " HUH? " My only complaint about TATRAS is that Frank Rogers could have improved the layout of the book. However, once you figure it out, TATRAS couldn't be easier to implement! It is so easy to use and to adapt. For instance, I don't do the timed drills of the phonograms nor do I teach handwriting with it -- no biggie.
I love the simplicity and effectiveness of TATRAS. It teaches all the sounds of a phonogram at once and keeps the rules to a minimum.
Finally, Frank Rogers is such a nice man. When I first purchased it, I had questions and I called him. He was so nice and so informative. He even called me back a few weeks later just to check and see if my questions were resolved.
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There were a few things that Horizons covered that weren't covered in Bob Jones but the scope and sequence was close enough. On half.com many of the sellers have the Teacher Manuals to sell but can't list them (it is a division of Ebay and you can no longer sell TMs on Ebay). If you searched on half.com for Bob Jones Math, grade 1, for example, it would bring up the worktexts. But in many of the descriptions of the worktexts, sellers will say "I have the TM, too. Email me for info." So, you can still buy them discounted but in a round about way. One person was selling the complete Bob Jones 5th grade set (text, teacher books, tests) for $25 and only $3.99 shippping!! Or you can go to Amazon and type it in and then click "Buy it used." I bought Lials Basic Math that way for only $8.00 and it was in like new shape! For example, Amazon currently has 7 used Bob Jones 1st grade manuals for sale, with prices ranging from $7.95 - $10.00.
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Here is what I decided to do. I ordered Horizons 5th grade from R.O.C.K. Solid yesterday (to take advantage of the 20% off sale in April). My dd liked Horizons last year and wanted to continue with it. I had looked through Bob Jones 5th grade math text at our local homeschool store and really liked some of the explanations in the text. I know the Bob Jones TM gives detailed explanations (I looked at it yesterday, too) about how to further teach concepts but the explanations in the actual text book were very good, too. Still, my dd really wanted to do Horizons again, partly because she likes the workbook format and BJU goes to a textbook format in 5th.
I ordered a Bob Jones 5th grade textbook from half.com for $4.95. Whenever I need further explanation on how to teach a concept, I will bring out the Bob Jones text. Or if I feel my dd needs extra practice on a concept, she can do the exercizes in the Bob Jones book.
I actually tried Bob Jones 3rd grade math previously and switched to Horizons. Bob Jones had great content but I didn't like having to switch between the TM, the teacher materials packet, the student materials, the student worktext and the flip charts. It drove me a little nuts and my dd didn't like it. My dd likes doing a variety of problems every day so she loved Horizons. In 5th grade, Bob Jones goes to a textbook format and there were more explanations contained directly in the book. Prior to 5th grade, it seems like the TM is more of a neccessity. Looking through the textbook, it seemed as if the concepts were explained in a way that it would assist me in teaching any concepts from Horizons if I needed extra help.
Anyway, that's the plan. Here's hoping it will work next year!
Good luck to you in making your decisions. Math is always a tough one:ack2:
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No, you draw rod/bar diagrams to help you work out the problems; you don't need actual rods.
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I've wrestled with this very thing. My dd used Horizons last year for 3rd grade and liked it. But, like you, I found the TM useless. It would say "teach the student blah, blah, blah..." with no help about how to teach the concept. For third grade, this wasn't really a problem because the concepts were so easy. But I've wondered if it will become more and more of a problem ....
I didn't home school for 4th grade but I've read that the TMs remain the same throughout the program. Someone on another forum suggested something called Math Dictionary for Kids from RR to help explain and teach concepts that were difficult.
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Has anyone had any experience returning a purchase to Rainbow Resource? Was it relatively painless? Please, pretty please tell me it was easy.
Ugh.... I research and research so that when I order something, I know it is the thing I want. Well, I ordered a very expensive literature set and, while it is an excellent program for teaching literary analyis and genre, it is going to be too much to do this program AND all the novels/literature guides I already have. I just received it from RR yesterday.
Here's is another question. RR policy also states," Shrink-wrapped items, such as cassettes, CD.s, CD-ROMS, videos, and computer software must not be used and must be returned shrink-wrapped to receive a refund." I'm exposing my ignorance here but what exactly constitutes shrink wrapping?
The teacher manuals for the lit program (the program contains two) were wrapped together in a plastic covering. Does this count as shrink wrapped? Does this mean I cannot return them?
I hate expensive mistakes.:banghead:
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I loved the beautiful artwork/illustrations in the Mosdos textbook/reader but I didn't like that it was large and heavy. I bought it used on ebay so it wasn't the expense (it's EXPENSIVE); I had the TM & SM. I don't like abridged stories, it was too teacher intensive and didn't cover half of what CLE reading covers.
HTH,
AAARRGGG..... I try and research to avoid curricula mistakes. I swung back and forth for weeks between CLE and Mosdos. Looking at the Mosdos samples, it seemed to have what I wanted and seemed easy to do. I JUST received it yesterday afternoon. I bought the whole package - teacher manuals, student text and student workbook. It DOES, in fact, cover all the literary elements, genres and teaches analysis; I have no complaint with the content. My problem is that I already have novels that I want to cover and I was looking for something to do on a daily basis between the book discussions/guides I will do with my dd. Looking at the Mosdos I can tell that it will be too much. It is very extensive and a lot is covered. Because of co-op, we will be doing school only 4 days per week and there is no way I can finish this program.
I hate expensive mistakes. CLE would probably have suited my needs better.
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My child didn't like MUS's skip counting CD either. We ended up just memorizing skip counting without singing.
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I had Mosdos Pearl and sold it unused.
I highly recommend CLE reading; it's a 15 week course that uses a reader with short stories (not abridged) and poetry with 5 workbooks (15 lessons/workbook).
If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you like Mosdos? I've been swinging back and forth between these two programs. Well, I just ordered and received Mosdos but I'm having second thoughts...
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Does this book teach the Singapore way of doing word problems (with bars or rods or whatever) or does it expect you to already have learned that method from the regular Singapore text? Have any of you used this with another math curriculum? One of my children will be using Singapore next year but not my 5th grader. I'd like my 5th grader to have more practice with word problems ( a weakness ) and was wondering if CWP would work with another curriculum? Thanks.
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Mine are late bloomers when it comes to bike riding. My oldest didn't learn until age 11! My second didn't learn until age 8. That's late, I realize, but now they love riding. My 5 year old still doesn't ride a bike but whizzes around on her scooter.
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Dishes are the bane of my existence. They are NEVER, NEVER, NEVER done... (never)
I wash them and there are always more coming.
(Repeat the above statements and replace "Dishes" with "Laundry".... also true.
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What I love however, and what gets me and my dc excited about history, is reading fabulous books about the people of the time period.
I agree with this. Adding historical fiction, biographies and other great living books can really elevate the study of history. For my kids, hands on projects also help. This made Winter Promise the logical choice for my kida and they loved learning American history. I also like Truthquest.
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Story Starters by Karen Andreola provides the beginnings of stories and then provides guidance to get the child writing. After each starter are questions that guide the child in deciding what to write. There are even word suggestions to make writing more vivid.
Anyone tried Mosdos Literature
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Have you been peaking into my home school:smash: ? Everything sounds good to me....
I will be doing WP AS2 next year and Mosdos. We do not do WP's language arts or the readers that are a part of WP's language arts; we just do their history. I want my 10 year old to begin to learn literary elements, genres, and be exposed to plays, short stories, and poetry in addition to novels. That is why we are adding Mosdos. WP will provide plenty of reading opportunity but not the literary analysis that I desire. BUT I can tell that I am going to have to pick and choose with Mosdos or else we will burn out. Keeping it simple is excellent advice!