I'm so glad you finally got some peace on that decision. We can't make the Latin 2 at Wilson Hill work because of the day. I think we might go with the Latin Alive 2 class at Veritas Press instead of the writing class. It fits into her schedule well, starting 30 minutes after Omnibus is over. We will just do the IEW class that will be offered by our co-op. She is going to need to finish that Latin book first, though.

I'm kind of in your same boat, but I have made a decision on the WH Omnibus 2 class. We have already registered. Now It is between Latin and Memoria Press Writing. We are about halfway through Latin Alive I. It always gets put on the back burner. I think my dd would be more motivated if she had an online class. I feel the same way you do about the writing. I'm not sure I am pushing her enough, and it is one of her weakest subjects. I do have the opportunity for a writing class with my co-op, though, but I would need to pull out of the Memoria Press sequence for one year. It might be worth it to focus on essays. Three online classes are just not possible. I think it would be too much. What to do? I can't help much, but I can commiserate. If you are not wanting to complete the Latin readings and/or an AP class, you might be better off doing that at home. I can understand the burn out, though. I'm there.

Thanks. I guess we need to just keep pushing ahead, too. My biggest concern is that she tends to just glance at the sentence and intuitively can tell me what it's about, but I need her to be able to slow down and think through it. Maybe we should just finish the book and then maybe supplement a little before we go into book 2.

I guess the main problem is that we are having to move slower through the book than anticipated. She can have all the lessons in the chapter finished pretty quickly but still need more practice. For example, we might take 2 weeks for a chapter, but she has finished the lessons in 2 days because they are really pretty short. After that is finished, I'm not sure what else to do besides flashcards. We do some conjugation and declension worksheets, but what else can we do to have more practice per chapter without moving on to the next new topic? It is just a lot to remember. We are only 10 chapters in and have covered 4 verb tenses and all the noun cases except for genitive. I feel like hanging out here for a while. I'm just not sure what to do to fill the time. Is there another Latin text that would work well with Latin Alive that would provide more practice?

We are using Latin Alive for latin and really like the layout, but I am finding that my daughter needs extra Latin practice. She can go through the exercises fairly quickly because they are short, but there is not enough practice to really make it stick well before the next topic. Does anyone have a resource for extra translation practice? She is in book 1. Also, how do your Latin students study their Latin to help them retain the information? Thank you !

We've had some of the same problems. Like almost all the Latin 2s are on a Tuesday which is a no go or very early in the morning which doesn't work for us either because we are central time. I know they are a slave to the teacher's schedule, though. I would love some MW options on the Latin, though. I hear their Latin teacher is fantastic.

Wilson Hill has secular science for high school including AP options. I think they are slanted young earth, but from what I was told, they try not to interfere with what students are taught at home. The teacher I talked with said the online classes had a wide range of beliefs. This is as balanced as I have found. Not totally secular, but better than nothing.

Please think about looking at Wilson Hill. In all honesty, most of these online classes cost basically the same, so it is worth your time to find the right one. I have contacted Wilson Hill this year with questions about 2 different classes (Great Conversations and Science). Within 24 hours, the teachers personally contacted me by email and phone to answer any questions I might have. A friend of mine has had the same response with another teacher altogether. They really have their act together. I can't speak to the quality of the classes, but as far as customer service goes, I am very, very impressed.

I totally understand. I've been there, but I didn't find one. They were both girls, so no guinea pig babies for us, either. Thank goodness.

I ended up ditching the 4 year sequence in 7th grade for Veritas Press Omnibus. So, my schedule looked like Grades 1-4 Ancient through modern cycle Grade 5 Ancient Grade 6 Middle Ages Grade 7 Ancient (Omnibus) Grade 8 Middle (Omnibus II) Grade 9 Modern (Omnibus III) Grades 10-12 The Omnibus rotation again with IV-VI....Unless I find something else again. Ha. Ha. I am starting to thing we need an American history somewhere, though. If I had known about Omnibus earlier, I would have done a 4 year cycle followed by 2 years of American, then Omnibus. The reality is that new curriculum is always coming out. The only thing you can do is plan ahead while being flexible. I know I'm not any help. :)

I am debating signing my dd (8th) for one of Memoria Press's online writing classes for next year. Has anyone used them? If so, what was the quality of instruction? This is for Middle School Comp. II. Thanks!

My book 2 list from Wilson Hill is a little different, so it might change based on the teacher. The number of books are the same, though. So, make sure you enroll and get an official list before shopping.

The shorter booklist at Wilson Hill really sold me. We found out this year with Omnibus I that it is extremely difficult to discuss books that you have basically speed read. It's difficult to retain anything from The Histories when you read 100 pages a day plus whatever you are reading for secondary. It is crazy.

We are going with Wilson Hill next year on the recommendation of Heather in WI. My dd used the self-paced VP for 6th grade and had mixed feelings. She retained a lot of information, but there are things added in like games (in Omnibus as well) that you have to go through to get to the next section. It became kind of monotonous. The same thing every day with a different topic. If you go with the self-paced option, I would enroll in one of the Omnibus forums for self-paced so that you can get the benefit of discussion with their peers.

This is what I would do and still stay fairly rigorous. CLE math, one set per grade student books $138 Rod and staff English set grade 5 (use this for 4th, 5th, and 6th) $50 First Language Lessons I for 2nd grader $15 Science Bob Jones Science 5, entire set $126 (4th, 5th, 6th grade) Apologia Elementary Science, any course (2nd grader) (This could also be used for the other 3 as well.) $25 Spelling -lists from Spelling City Mystery of History, any level for all grades $45 (If you haven't used Story of the World yet, I would use it instead. The price is similar) I think that brings our total to $400. You can use the library for reading, literature, and supplemental history reading. The prices listed are for new books. You can save even more by buying used. Good luck!

I would just do Latin Alive III with Wilson Hill for a seamless transition. Then, you could switch to something else for Latin reading. I think I read that Latin Alive I-III equals years 1 and 2 of Wheelock or Henle. At this stage, I would just keep on with what you are using. We use it as well and love it! I believe VP teaches Latin Transitions with Latin Alive I and II then uses Wheelock for Latin I and II, but you would have to back track a little to go this route.

If you will PM me your email, I can send you Martin's book list for next year for year 2.

Just another thought as far as rhetoric goes. Classical Composition (Memoria Press) has online Middle School writing courses that cover fable, narrative, chreia/maxim, and refutation. They cover 2 topics per year in a once a week class. Obviously, the well trained mind academy is a much better financial deal, but the Memoria Press classes are geared to a middle school audience and might be a good warm-up to the WTM rhetoric classes if your student is ready to move on but does not want the work load of a high school class. I don't have any experience with their online classes, but I am considering one for next year. They have book samples and an online class available on their website.

This is very helpful. The primary reason for the online classes is the deadline aspect. I don't mind a facilitator, BUT if I'm going to pay full price, I would choose the two day a week option with Veritas Press. I would be crazy not to. I can see how the discounts would make this a popular option, but that doesn't really help me for the 2015-2016 school year. This is off-topic, but I would love to find a facilitator for all of her classes. This would be someone who would keep us on a schedule and grade things. I don't mind the teaching part. I just need a disciplinarian and someone else for her to answer to. Any volunteers? Ha. Honestly, it would be great if someone could provide a service like that.

I think they would probably just go through the grammar of that particular lesson and leave the practice for home study on those days that the class doesn't meet. It will be the same thing for the 2 day per week classes for Latin as well. I'm not really worried about that because they would have assignments outside of class. The issue for me is the cost compared to other programs no matter what the class is.

Inspired by the recent talk about online classes, I started checking around for next year. I was looking at Landry Academy's Latin II course because it uses Latin Alive, so it would be a good fit. Anyway, their classes are the same price, basically, as Veritas Press, but they only meet once a week. I chatted with them online briefly, but I couldn't get a feel for how they charge $670 for a class that meets once a week when other places charge the same for twice per week. It's hard for me to believe that they charge more because their teachers are better qualified. I believe that Veritas Press, Wilson Hill, and WTM also have very good teachers. So, what gives?

We just finished the Odyssey and used a combination of reading the Lattimore version and listening to the Audio Book of the Fagles translation read by Ian McKellan. The audiobook is on youtube if you would like to preview it.

We use the built-in microphones. They work so much better.

I just ordered a whole set of the Pattern Play and Chord Play Books for my studio. They are not in, yet, so I can't give a wholehearted recommendation, but I'm excited to see them. You can see samples at Frederick Harris music. These books were written to teach improvisation and chords in a more structured way.

Heather, can you give me more information about the Veritas Press online classes? I would really like to try Omnibus II next year, but I am not sure my daughter can handle the assignments and/or tests. We are doing Omnibus I this year. We are reading the books and answering the questions. Most of this we are doing orally. I guess my question is how they grade their classes. Are the tests discussion? Are they graded on class discussion as well? My daughter is more of a "listener." It is just a very expensive class to take, so I want to make sure she can handle it. She will be taking it as an 8th grader. THANK YOU!