angela&4boys
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Posts posted by angela&4boys
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...the best thing is that the order of the lessons makes logical sense.... R&S presents it in a logical sequence and builds on a foundation they lay each year as the books progress.
:iagree: This is what most appeals to me about R & S.
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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?
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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. ;)
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Another plug for BJU. We enjoyed it here. :)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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I was told by our "teacher" that I could not take off 3 weeks for a c-section, even when I told her 1 week would count as spring break and we would take a shorter Christmas break.
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:
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If you are having him do ALL of the writing in CTC, then I would do as much of R&S orally as possible and still have retention.
I think there is plenty of writing in the CTC notebooking pages.
We did the R&S diagramming on a white board, did the writing lessons, and then did about 80% of the exercises orally. I give the R&S tests though so it lets me know for sure that my kids are retaining.
:iagree:
This is how we do it as well. There is plenty of writing in other subject areas.
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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.
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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? :)
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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!
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That is the same boat as us! My son had finished CLE math 5 and did very well with it. He barely placed into Saxon 8/7, which I got for him and realized it was well beyond what he could do. I ended up buying Saxon 7/6, which is what we've been doing. It's very frustrating for him. I really do want Saxon to work, but not sure our relationship can take it :tongue_smilie:
Gayle
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]
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Both good points. Sticking it out might help teach some perserverence, but if it ends up not working out in the long run, I don't want to build resentment of math, especially when he has always done well with it.
I'm just not sure what to do! Maybe we'll try Saxon a bit longer...
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!
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Yes, I would use the word "freeing" and I always feel that way when I listen to one of SWB's writing lectures. For some reason, my ds just doesn't "get" writing this way. *sigh*
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. :)
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I love SWB's principals. They are sound. We are not, however, using WWE. I listened to her audios over and over and over (mostly in the car driving to wherever) until I could teach them to someone else. I'm now using the principals she taught in her lectures to help my children learn to write--in their history, science, and literature. It has been freeing for all of us. I can't recommend those audios enough.
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!
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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.) ;)
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Did you try homeschoolclassifieds? Just scroll and look for Progressing With Courage. I have the most luck there.
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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!
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Rod & Staff English. It just always looked so dry and boring to me, and I'm not crazy about textbooks. But this is our 2nd year to use it and I love it! No fluff, gets the job done, and inexpensive!!
:iagree: Rod and Staff English is a gem!
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Thank you, LemonPie! :)
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... how does one search for two words together in a post?
Advice appreciated. :)
A Plan for Writing lecture notes...
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Thanks so much, Laurel! This is it. :)