MommyThrice
-
Posts
604 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by MommyThrice
-
-
The text we use is ISBN 0-321-27921-2
And I prefer the Annotated Instructor's Edition over the Solutions Manual for grading. It doesn't show all the steps like Solutions does, but it's easier to find the answers. I still don't understand why, but the AIE's don't have ISBN #s.
-
Patrick Henry College has college students that you can hire to provide writing input.
I looked into it, and they have discontinued the program.
-
Beth,
I don't see English 2. Is it writing only, or literature as well? Is you chid getting writing assignment feedback on a regular basis?
Thanks,
Tracie
-
I have 3 children and they rotate chores, so for one week each child will do one of these:
1. Load dishwasher after all meals, clean table and countertops.
2. Clean & put away all handwashable dishes (this add up in our family)
3. Care for dog, cats, and chickens twice a day and sweep kitchen daily.
We also have a 20-minute cleaning time before dinner (bathrooms one day, bedrooms one day, sweep one day, etc...) This actually happens about 3 times per week.
Is the youth group unfamiliar with II Thes. 3:10..."this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." :)
School takes about 7 hours per day for my 9th grader, but it could drag out to 8-9 on lazy days. He also practices for a weekly guitar lesson and teaches a weekly guitar lesson.
-
My son has been taking an online writing class (which shall remain nameless) and has had ONE paper graded all semester! :rant:Twice weekly assignments are posted to a forum, but the instructor never comments or grades them, he just gets credit for turning something in. Sometimes students comment along the lines of, "Wow, that's intersting." Has anyone else had this experience, or is there a good online writing course available somewhere?
At this point, I am considering hiring a tutor (that would be much cheaper!) but I don't know where to find one. Maybe another highschool student that is a good writer? My son isn't a terrible writer, he has excellent logic, but it could sure use some polishing.
Any suggestions?
-
Has he read essays by others at his grade level? ........ If so, he might be spurred on by reading what essays are required for the whole admissions process and looking at samples from other students.
Mary
Mary,
Do you have any idea where to find samples? I would love to find something like this for my kids.
Thanks,
Tracie
-
In a discussion of Herodotus' Histories, the text seems to imply that the Greek gods were not man-made, but real... demons that roamed the earth until Christ.
Here's a quote:
It is a a world that has many powerful and active supernatural forces that exercised some power and influence over mankind and was at work in the form of demons. Many times these demons were represented as gods like Zeus and other beings from Greek mythology. The death and resurrection of Christ was the defeat of Satan and him minions.
Are any of you familar with this idea? Is it a presbyterian thing? This was completely new to me!
-
I see that you have an 11 and 13 yo. I'm just curious, how much time do they spend reading? We've read Gilgamesh, skipped the Iliad, enjoyed the Odyssey, but Herodotus is killing my 15,13, and 11yo boys! We're planning a little Plutarch with Omnibus as a guide.
For Rome we're planning on Livy's History of Rome, Shakespeare's Caesar, and some of Josephus, then on to either Confessions or City of God.
-
My 15 yo son is really there! I've also got 13 and 11 yo boys close behind, but the 15 yo is the problem. I don't have much advice except:
1. Arguing or complaining are not allowed. I assign push-ups for this. What boy doesn't want to have muscles? And it seems to help him work off steam.
2. I agree with the hard labor - splitting firewood, moving rocks, etc... works much better than sweeping the floor, but sometimes that's all I come up with.
I haven't had much luck with activites that can be cancelled when school work isn't finished. It seems that everything he wants to do requires some committment that we can't break that easily. I took away his CD player until he stays caught up in school for three weeks in a row, that was months ago! I'm think I'm going to put a drivers license carrot out there for him.
My biggest gripe is that his imcomplete schoolwork affects the whole family. Usually we have something we would like to do together on a Saturday, or maybe one week night, and we frequently cancel because my son has homework.
Sorry I can't help, but I want you to know you are not alone!
-
I can sympathize. :grouphug: I posted a similar question recently; maybe some of the answers can help you...
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=221057
-
In his books, Rafe Esquith makes some good points about students needing to see, right now, what they are working towards, needing to see the life you want them to lead. .
Just looked at Amazon, and he's written several books. Which one were you thinking of?
-
First, I wouldn't expect too much until he goes to bed at a reasonable hour. At my house they go to bed at 9:00, lights out at 10:00 and up at 6:45 am.
Second, he may be so sleepy when you "wake him" that he isn't thinking clearly. You might have to be more forceful.
Third, after 10 hours of sleep, I would do WHATEVER it took to get him out of bed. Period.
That's just my opinion. I have three teenage boys. You might be nicer than I am. :D
-
Another option is to take him to speak with some successful lawyers (even judges or politicians) in your area. Have them discuss with him the importance of studying hard and getting into a good school. How that can make the difference between being a high profile attorney or an ambulance chaser.
This is my next step. We are involved in politics and know several people in these positions. I'm just waiting until after the election before I start calling and asking to take them to lunch.
I haven't had him look at law schools - that seems so far away. And I'm afraid we'll find the same list of minimum requirements. I know hearing it from people he admires will carry much more weight. I've just been hesitant because I don't feel that he has really intelligent questions to ask yet.
-
For focusing on thesis and argumentation, I like The Lively Art of Writing. It is very short and sweet. It teaches exactly how to structure this kind of paper, build your arguments, and it doesn't dictate the number of paragraphs.
For writing in general, we are enjoying Kane's The New Oxford Guide to Writing. It is lengthy, but you could go through and select the topics you think need review.
Two things that really help around here:
1) My kids are required to show/discuss their thesis and main points with me before they write. 90% of their writing problems are in the organization and lack of clear thinking. Saves a ton of re-writing time. Sometimes, that IS the writing assignment because that is what need the most practice.
2) Give me a statement of your intended audience. Sometimes my speech & debate kid's papers sound too casual, but there is a place for that kind of writing. Adults write differently for different audiences, our students should learn to do so, too.
Good luck!
-
Yeah, at 15 I wanted to be a rock star!
-
I hadn't thought about showing him the costs. He still dreams of private, out-of-state schools b/c he's never had to pay for school - or much of anything else.
He wants to be an attorney, which leaves the undergraduate degree pretty wide open. He doesn't know what kind of law he would like to practice. And then there's the question of whether the undergraduate school is as important as which law school he gets into.
He loves writing and logic and debate, so I think he's inclined towards a liberal arts school. That type of schools requirement's "look" easier and more subjective.
So, when I hear that the better law schools are very competitive, what does that mean? I know there's the LSAT. Is it just that and GPA? Anything else I'm missing?
-
There's some good information on HSLDA's website:
http://www.hslda.org/highschool/
Are you wanting to give your child a classical education?
If you like ABeka because you like what and how they teach, then go for it. But if you are considering it because they provide a transcript, I think there are many, better options available. Hopefully, the HSLDA information can show you that you CAN do this .
-
OK. So I got my 15yo son to go online and look at colleges to see what theiy require. This was supposed to motivate him to take ownership of his schooling.
Instead of being motivated, he only sees the MINIMUM requirements from a few schools he has looked at:
Only 3 maths (through algebra 2) at some liberal arts colleges
Only 2-3 history/social studies
Only 3-3.5 lab sciences required (unfortunately Texas will require 4 lab sciences by 2012, but that isn't reflected on the current website, and I won't know if he can afford out-of-state until we see if there are any scholarships - too late to take a 4th science)
Only 3.35 GPA (I think that was A&M)
And you can get elective credits for music, debate, computer and other fun stuff!
I don't mean to give the impression that he doesn't want to work hard or do well, I just don't think he knows what that means.
So, how do you convince a child of the COMPETITIVENESS of college admissions? Even Texas public universities are tough for homeschoolers because they have to accept the top 10% from public high schools first.
Are there any good websites, books, or articles that expain what it's really like to try to get into good schools - or even average schools?
-
Started Lial pre-algebra yesterday. Skipped ahead a few lessons to find something new. He made 100 and is THRILLED to be in the new book!!!
-
Just asked him what he likes most about school: Writing, logic and geometry
Likes least: algebra
Time drains:
1) algebra takes too long. We correct yesterday's math, go over teaching part of new lesson together, then he works lesson on his own. We dumped Saxon & recently switched to Lial. He is doing a half lesson (about 20 problems) daily.
2)not being as focused as he could
Want to do with life: attorney & Supreme Court justice (ah, 15!)
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think we're going to spend some time this weekend looking at colleges, law schools, and getting him to take some ownership of his education.
He's talked me into letting him take chapter tests at the beginning of each algebra chapter. If he scores 90 or above he can skip the chapter. Lial teaches in a different sequence from Saxon, so it's possible that he has already mastered some of the material.
Still contemplating holding geometry until next year. Haven't discussed this with him yet. All he sees is that big, black cloud of algebra II out there waiting for him!
-
And I am absolutely sure that if my sons stopped doing the one activity that they really loved in order to do a good job at an activity that was rather boring on a day-to-day basis, no matter how much they wanted the end goal, they would wind up working less than efficiently. They would generally feel overwhelmed by the hopeless misery of it all, in exagerated teen-age fashion, and that would make them unable to concentrate. They would feel unmotivated to keep trudging through because the journey would seem so very long that hurrying now wouldn't seem to make any appreciable difference. Maybe your son is better at this than mine would be?
-Nan
I'm not following you. So, are you saying it would be better to not interrupt him when he's working on a subject he enjoys?
Thank you so much for helping me think this through:
We start school at 7:00 but take about 45 min for breakfast/chores, so we get a good four hours in before lunch. And we really do start on time every day - my husband makes sure of that. So, 4 hours before lunch, start back at 1:00, he should be finished by 4:00. (Actually by 3:00. We save geometry until dad gets home and astronomy is Wednesday night)
I think he just isn't working diligently and is getting distracted. So am I. I have 2 younger children that need me, but 9th grade doesn't require that much of me. I guess I'm not including the logic and economics discussions (which sometimes turn into rabbit trails) and the occasional discovery that he has spent a significant amount of time writing an essay from a lousy outline and needs completely reworked.
Algebra and writing. Those are the two that could drag on for hours without the proper focus.
-
Oh, history is in the great books time. History has been the center of our studies all along - lacking a bit in literature, so we're spending this year concentrating on great books. He studied US history last year (Notgrass) and we just returned from a 6-week "field trip" of DC, Philadelphia, Boston, etc..
No foreign language. He's taken some latin (hated it) but I'm hoping it will help him with dual-credit Spanish when he's a junior.
It's not any subject in particular that he isn't finishing, it just seems that everything takes forever. He zones out, so I've started have all the kids switch subjects every hour. That has helped, but if I don't stay on top of him it won't get done. He's drawing, painting white-out on his calculator, playing with sticky notes, etc... mostly during math. He seems too old for this.
I'll take some of the blame. I make him re-do work that is sloppy or lazy. I was hoping that he would learn to do it right the first time (ie. write legibly, show all work in math, take complete notes, etc...) Maybe I shouldn't do this, but that was part of the reason we took the year off from debate. He's going through the Teaching Co. video "How to be a Super Star Student" and hearing the same things there.
Thanks for the replies!
-
He's taking the astronomy because he's behind in math. He took biology last year (long story - it started out as 9th grade, but we decided to add a year) He doesn't really have enough math to move on to chemistry, and Texas colleges are requiring four lab sciences. He had the option of advanced biology/AP test or astronomy & he chose astronomy. He likes it and enjoyed biology, too.
He hates the algebra and just needs to get through it. I know he understands it, he just makes careless mistakes and doesn't pay attention to detail.
Geometry and logic are fun for him. Difficult, but fun. They are so closely related. I know they seem mathy, but he likes that logic - build the argument (destroy the other guy's argument) kind of thing.
If I move geometry to 10th grade, that means he'll have algebra II in 11th and then only one semi-advanced math. Is that enough?
-
I am STILL struggling to get my 15yo/9th grade boy through his daily work. His is frequently not finished by dinner time, which seems rediculous to me. I think he needs some time to goof-off or pursue another interest. Many times we would like to go somewhere as a family, but we can't b/c he has homework. I'm tired of being a slave to his school work.
We don't have outside activities right now - we're taking this off from speech & debate to focus on his school & work ethic. He will do mock trial and moot court later in this year.
Is this a reasonable amount of work?
Algebra I (this is a repeat) I sit with him to teach new lesson, so he usually takes more than an hour to finish. He hates math.
Jacobs Geometry - dad teaches him, this is only 3 afternoons per week.
Astronomy class online - Class meets one evening/week, work takes another 3-4 hours/week
Writing - online class and working through Kane's Oxford text at home. He spends about 1 hour/day writing. Class time is an additional 3 hours/week. I'll cut the Kane text if online class picks up.
Traditional Logic I (Memoria Press) - I've scheduled 30 min/day
Economics I - about 2 hours per week (this is a one-semester course, and he hopes to take Constitutional Law in the spring)
Great Books - we all read/discuss together after lunch about 1.5 hours. Right now we're reading & listening to audio of the Odyssey along with Teaching Co. lectures. We're covering it in 4 weeks. We include vocabulary, lit. terms and history in this time.
He wants to be an attorney, so math and science are not his focus. I know many of you have brilliant over-achieving kids. Other than debate, I feel like this work-load is just average. I don't think this should be taking until dinner time (and beyond) most days. What am I doing wrong? Is this too much work? How do you motivate a teenage boy that only wants to debate and play guitar?
Does anyone have the isbn# for Lials Algebra 1
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
And the matching Solutions Manual is ISBN 0-321-28580-8