We love Rod and Staff, but use it mostly orally! :thumbup: I also really liked FLL 1/2. We've had great success over several years with the CM Method of narration as well as copy work. Susan Wise Bauer's A Plan for Writing lectures have also been very helpful with the skills of outlining and summarizing. We've also used some dictation over the years. One ds is using HOD's dictation in his studies, and I see the fruits. Two ds's used Winston Grammar with great success. Love/hate... Easy Grammar, IEW, and FLL 3 and 4.

We completed week 10 of 7th and 5th grades yesterday. Working well: Apologia's Who is God? Created for Work BJU's The American Republic CLP's A Child's Story of America R&S English SWB's A Plan for Writing and WTM principles (LOVE these!) Apples Daily Speling Saxon 8/7 CLE Math 400 A Beka Science 7 HOD's Preparing Hearts science, dictation, and poetry Didn't work out: MFW's Exploration to 1850 - I love it, but it doesn't fit my guys very well. They are much more contented with one textbook as opposed to a multi-text approach.

Thanks so much, Laurel! This is it. :)

:iagree: This is what most appeals to me about R & S.

I lost mine and the link when my old laptop crashed, and they are so helpful for this visual mama. Anyone have it for the Middle Grades and High School lectures?

I've actually found the opposite to be true in our case. One ds used the CLE 500 series last year, and is using R & S 5 this year. He is diagramming less often and with less rigour with R & S. He is finishing up the the fourth chapter though, so perhaps it will be more intense as he gets further into the study? My 2 cents. ;)

Another plug for BJU. We enjoyed it here. :)

One of our dss placed in 8/7 after finishing half of the CLE 600 level. He is challenged, but doing well. I'm glad we made the switch now before Algebra because it has been a bigger change than I anticipated. Saxon is a bit more wordy, but that's one of it's strengths. He is learning the math language well.

We recently made the switch to one text book per child and we are all pleased. We have used different literature-based or multi-text based off and on for several years because that's what *I* was drawn to, and our eldest ds was and is a voracious reader. As our two middle guys have grown, I found that they were checking out, that they were not interested in reading the same information from several sources. They both want/need something more streamlined... general maintenance. ;) We have really enjoyed titles from both Bob Jones and Christian Liberty Press. Presently our 13yo is using BJU's The American Republic. After our many years of homeschooling, this is one of my favorites thus far. Is is well-organized, has a lot of great visuals, and the material is presented in an engaging manner. I have also found it lends itself well to the WTM style of outlining. Our 10yo and I are finding Child's Story of America to be quite interesting and well-written too. It also lends itself well to writing summaries the WTM way. I find it very easy to flesh out with good literature. All in all, I think the boys' history studies are rich and full. I don't feel the need to have a huge program any more. ETA: I think the BJU 3rd edition TMs are excellent. They are full color reduced pages, and it includes a cd-rom with additional activities.

We chose 8/7 this year with hesitation. I too was discouraged by some of the negatives review. However, the clear lessons and spiral approach are helping our ds retain the concepts well. We are finishing up our 9th week, and we have seen his confidence grow in what has been a sometimes difficult subject for him.

A Beka and BJU lease their dvd classes for 12 months, give or take. (I just wanted to clarify that in the event you were looking to invest and sell them at some point.) Saxon Teacher and DIVE offer cd-rom video instruction. Saxon offers it for math, and DIVE offers both math and science.

Far and away... SWB's A Plan for Teaching Writing lectures. I thought $3.99 was a bargain and presently, they are only $2.99! They have given us all great relief in the area of writing. I love, love, love them! :thumbup:

Ummm... wow! That would definitely cause me to give it the boot! Great suggestions, btw. We have really liked both HOD and MFW in the past. I'll just add: Sonlight Easy Classical Calvert Oak Meadow

:iagree: This is how we do it as well. There is plenty of writing in other subject areas.

An update: I pre-read a few sections and find the lay-out very organized as well as interesting! Ds (7th grade) did an outline today with the text. It was a five-paragraph section of his reading from yesterday. I think it lends itself very well to outlining. He only did main and subtopics because he's just starting out with this skill, but there were plenty of details for when we start to address that additional aspect.

We are implementing some of SWB's A Plan For Teaching Writing skills this year. I've heard that the 7th grade text - World Studies - is conducive to oultining. Is anyone using the 8th grade text - The American Republic - to do the same? If so, would you please share your thoughts/experience? :)

We used a workbox system at the start of our last school year. We no longer do, but it did serve a purpose. It helped one ds, in particular, to develop good habits in orderliness, a training of sorts. He eventually stopped using them on his own. ETA: Like others have mentioned, we use a planner now. I like A Garden Patch. I type it up each week in Microsoft Word and print it out for them. I also save a copy in a lesson plan file for back-up. Love it!

I hear ya, Gayle. The relationship part especially! One day they'll thank us, right? :confused: My ds finished half-way thru CLE 600. I felt the tug to start transfering him to something long-term, but it has been a bit disappointing. One thing that has helped some is the MFW schedule that gives him less problems on some days. If they score an 80% or above on their test, they can continue with that method, but anything lower and they must do all the problems. They only start at 8/7 though, so it'd be another year for your guy. It's such a fine line between causing them to despise math and just making them do the work. [sigh]

We're in the same boat with 8/7 (6 weeks in) after switching from CLE. You've received some great advice thus far. We're going to stick with it for now. I'm hoping that it's partly a learning curve. My ds is particularly frustrated with the math "language" and the word problems, but that is partly why I chose it and what I found lacking in CLE. He was actually doing well with CLE, but since the Sunrise Editions only go through Pre-Algebra for now, I felt we needed to change. Hope I haven't confused you more, and that others will chime in!

I really feel for you. I think young boys and writing are just not a happy marriage. I now mine would rather be doing just about anything else. :tongue_smilie: Imvho, copywork and oral narration are more than adequate at the tender age of eight. Perhaps you could alleviate the written part for some time while using a program to allow him the opportunity to find his writer's voice as you desire? That way he is still building the skill of ordering his thoughts, but doesn't have the pressure of writing them down too. I've also found if I lay the books aside and just ask my dc about a reading at lunch or dinner, that his thoughts flow more freely. Again, removing that pressure. One of our boys did really well with WWE 1, but when we began 2, he hit a wall. Through trial and error, I discovered that he responds better to selections he has read independently. He will orally narrate to me after reading history, literature, and science, and I type it up for him to copy. I discovered about a year ago that he needed to read it alone or, at the very least, have a copy to read along with me. There's just something to the visual aspect for him. As far as dictation, I modify the WWE way and use a more Charlotte Mason approach through studied dictation. He copies and studies it the first day, and I dictate it the following. Anyway, you've already received some wonderful help from all The Hive. I hope you can find a good fit for your little guy! Keep us posted. :)

Ditto! This approach has helped stream-lined our studies. I love that my dc are writing cross-curricularly because it furthers retention of the subject matter. I didn't think we could ever tackle writing without a "program", but SWB's lectures along with principles from The Well-Trained Mind and have given me the confidence. I know that the skills the boys are aquiring will benefit them immensely in upper level studies. "Freeing" is spot on!

We made the same switch last year, and we have been happy thus far. It is more work for the dc, but it is necessary for my guys. We had retention issues as well with MUS. (Disclaimer: I know MUS has worked and will work for many. I like it, but it wasn't a good fit for one ds in particular.) ;)

Did you try homeschoolclassifieds? Just scroll and look for Progressing With Courage. I have the most luck there.

Only one change thus far, and we are in our 5th week. 13yo ds asked to drop the DIVE cd for Saxon. I thought he'd love not having to read through the lesson. Go figure! :tongue_smilie: Great thread, Michele!

:iagree: Rod and Staff English is a gem!