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Sue G in PA

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Posts posted by Sue G in PA

  1. I had forgotten about Beast Academy! This child does catch on quickly (except long division...where we are stuck, lol, but he is young) and is really great with mental math. I am rethinking CLE now after reading how repetitive it is. Saxon is quite the same. Maybe Singapore would actually be a good fit for him after all? Paired with Beast Academy and some LOF? 

  2. I have never suspected dyslexia. He read at 2 (self-taught) and has never had issues in that area. Handwriting was and has been his only real challenge. I don't think the actual math is in itself the problem. It's the lack of focus. And I don't mean that he CAN'T focus. B/c he can. It's the lack of desire to focus. IDK. I'll see about the placement test over at CLE. That might give us a clue as to what he needs to know moving forward. Thanks.

  3. I couldn't find a CLE Pre-Algebra. Just Algebra. The tutor option is probably our best best. Thanks Lori for that suggestions. We joined our co-op again this year mostly for this child. The classes are all academic and he is accountable to somebody other than me. But math is not a co-op class, lol. Perhaps I should be looking for an online class or a local tutor who can use what curriculum we already have. Off to check out CLE Algebra b/c that might be a good one for him next year. 

  4. My 3rd grader used CLE Math for 1st grade along with Singapore and LOF. For 2nd we used mostly Fred and Singapore. He is slightly advanced in math, catches on to concepts easily and doesn't need a ton of practice usually. For whatever reason I don't want to continue with Singapore. :/ I'm not sure why as I've used it with all of my other children except my oldest (who used Saxon). I had planned to start the 3rd grader in Saxon 5/4 and move slowly. He places comfortably into 5/4.  I suppose I"ll have to give him the placement text for CLE if I go that route. My guess is he'd place somewhere in the middle of 2 but I know their placements tests don't go by Light Unit rather just by level. So we'd have to start at the beginning and move slowly through. 

     

    I like CLE b/c it is workbook form and my son will prefer that. I like Saxon b/c I am familiar with it and it is thorough. However, CLE looks like a workbook version of Saxon. Am I right? Anyway, just second guessing my plans for him now. 

  5. I am familiar with CLE, just not for the upper levels. I will check that out, thanks! I did look back through Principles of Mathematics and while it starts out slow and basic, it does progress quickly and get to rather difficult topics. 

     

    When ds was younger, he was evaluated. He had some mental health issues going on and was "diagnosed" Mood Disorder - NOS. Which, basically means "we think something is going on but we aren't sure what". lol. He "outgrew" a lot of the anger, volatility, aggression and depression but his defiance level increased. His evaluation came back with borderline ADHD tendencies. Nothing concrete. We suspected Aspergers based on some tendencies that we were noticing, but the "professional" said no. :/ Anyway, I think the only disability he has is laziness and lack of motivation. He seems very capable when he is doing something that HE wants to do. If I had to guess at a disability it would be dysgraphia. His handwriting is TERRIBLE. And that does hinder his math b/c he is NOT neat. But, what I notice the most in problems he gets wrong are: 1. wrong answer b/c he simply didn't read the problem  2. sloppy work and 3. lack of understanding of the concept.  

  6. My rising 10th grade son struggles with most things academic. Veterans of WTM will recall my constant challenges with this child. It hasn't improved much. I am in serious need of some advice with math. I tried MUS Pre-Algebra last year and he was getting half the problems wrong on each worksheet. I switched to LOF Pre-Algebra which he seems to enjoy more and do better with, however he was still struggling. I went ahead and purchased a new curriculum from Masterbooks called Principles of Mathematics. 2 Books covers everything a students would need to know before beginning Algebra. He's not liking it that much. He doesn't like much of anything school related so that doesn't matter much to me. I just don't know what to do for him. Where should I start? What would help him be Algebra ready by next year? In PA, we need Algebra and Geometry. So, as long as he gets to those by 11th or 12th grade I'm happy. He likely is not college bound. 

     

    Somebody recommended ALEKS but I don't even know where to start with that or if the $20/mo would be worth it. Should I just stick with the Principles of Mathematics and work through it slowly, hoping to be ready for Algebra by summer? Help? 

  7. I have a rising 3rd grader (age 8) who is starting CLE LA 2. His reading level is above average and his vocabulary is as well. I ordered CLE Reading 3 for him after looking at the samples but am now wondering if I should bump him back down to level 2 to be consistent? Is this necessary? 

     

    Also, I want to order levels for my rising 6th and 8th graders. However, I think it will be a bit of overkill since we are planning to use LLATL again. Then again, CLE contains concepts that LLATL does not and vice versa AND it seems that the CLE at that age is more of a half year program so could be spread out and done 2-3 days a week and still be on target to finish by the end of the year? The 6th grader is an avid reader (terribly speller, lol) but the rising 8th grader is behind. I feel as if I could put them both in level 6 comfortably but don't want the 8th grader to feel "dumb". FWIW, this has been a challenge for me since the beginning b/c younger sis was always advance in LA while big brother was always behind. Reading came easy to the 6th grader while the 8th grader was a slow to learn reader and still finds it challenging. Any thoughts on placement? I have level 5 that I wanted to do with the 8th grader LAST year but just never got around to implementing it. And I do not want to bump him back too far. I think he needs a challenge to rise to instead of being "babied". Could I use 5 with the 6th grader and a different level with the 8th? Or should I stick them both in 6? So many questions. Thanks for any advice. 

     

  8. Thanks, Lori. Wow. You should advertise your services. ;) You are good at this planning stuff. LOL. I feel much peace about combining all 3 in Chemistry. Either with Chem 101 for all 3 supplemented as needed for the older 2 or the option you laid out using Wile's text and Chem 101 as supplement. I ordered a Chem 101 and will take a good look at it before I decide. 

    • Like 1
  9. HOD WG is a great HOD year. It is, by far, my favorite. My son really enjoyed it for the most part, with the exception of the Book of Discovery (which he said was "boring", lol). Keep in mind that he is a 15yo boy who thinks everything but basketball is boring. ;) After getting in to the map drawing in Mapping the World with Art he really enjoyed those, too. The World Religions and Cultures study was perhaps his favorite part. Mine too. My husband even picked up a few of the books and was impressed! We did not use the IPC science that is scheduled b/c my son had already done Physical Science. I honestly cannot think of any cons to the actual book choices. They were all really good. However, there are a couple cons, generally speaking.  

     

    1. Time to complete. It is a LONG day. We ditched the Living Library, not b/c the books weren't awesome but b/c of time. My 9th grader had a much longer day than my 11th grader using MFW WHL. It left very little time during the day for him to pursue his interests. If you have an avid reader, it might not be so bad. But, my son is a slow reader and doesn't enjoy it at all. This would have been wonderful for my oldest daughter when she was in 9th.

     

    2. Price. Even used, it IS expensive. :/

     

    If you don't mind a longer day and the expense, WG is a terrific year. If you will use it for multiple students it does help stomach the price ;) Unfortunately for us, my rising 9th grader isn't capable of the rigor of HOD WG so we can't re-use until my 5th grader gets to 9th. And by then who knows what I will want to do! LOL. 

     

     

    • Like 3
  10. I know that I am a homeschooler and do not have to follow "traditional" science progression. I would like to follow a sensible progression if that makes sense. My husband suggested that I just have all my high school boys do Chem 101 together. 9th, 10th and 12th. Since none are heading into a STEM field (except maybe the 10th grader and it is likely that he won't...he is interested in Photography) I think Chem 101 would be a good, basic, "get er done" Chemistry program. I plan to add in a few more books (the Chemistry that is scheduled in HOD's MtMM since I already own it) as well as perhaps a more advance experiment kit. So, that would mean the 9th grader would do Chem in 9th, Physical Science in 10th, Bio in 11th and a choice in 12th (he will not need physics unless he chooses). For the 10th grader, he will have completed Bio in 9th, Chemistry in 10th and the move into Physics in 11th and a more advanced science in 12th. 

     

    Any thoughts on this?

  11. Thanks, Lori. I have looked at Chem 101 and while i do not feel it is a great college prep course, especially for a child going into a STEM field, I do think it would be enough for my 12th grader who has no STEM or college aspirations. I do agree that it is more "middle schoolish" and would work better as a supplement. I am familiar with VHSG as several of my children have used it for classes. :) My oldest used the 2nd edition of Apologia Chem and after comparing that to Wile's new text (at least the samples that are provided), I must say that I prefer Wile's new text. I have heard about the errors in the 3rd edition so I wouldn't use that. I realize that Wile wrote the 2nd edition of Apologia Chem as well but for some reason I like his new text better. I think I might start a new thread to see what other's preferences are over Wile's new text vs. 2nd edition Apologia. :)

     

    As for The Rainbow, thanks for that opinion. He would complete BOTH years for 1 credit if that is the route we go. My only hesitation with that is that he won't be prepared for the more challenging material of Apologia Bio which he would take in 10th. Apologia Physical CAN be counted as a credit as written and it would be better prep for the Bio text. What do you think? The only benefit to The Rainbow would be the wide variety of topics. He has not had a very solid science foundation. Perhaps I could have him work alongside his brother in Rainbow and do Apologia on his own? 

     

     

  12. Wow. Thanks to those who answered! That was so very helpful! I "think" I have pretty  much decided to put my 9th grader in Apologia Physical. A friend has Apologia Physical and is going to let me borrow it. Lori, I do have a 7th grader but he will not be ready at all for Apologia Physical. He is also a bit "behind" academically (in reading and math mostly). I had the Spectrum Chemistry but sold it. I just didn't really like it after looking through it and the cost of supplies was going to deplete my budget. So...now I am looking at Chemistry 101 or Jay Wile's new Chemistry text or possible even a combo of both. 

     

    Here is one more question: My rising 7th and 9th graders were working through The Rainbow Science the last semester of last year. The curriculum says it is for 12-14yo (or 7th-9th grade). If anyone has any experience with this, could you tell me if it would be "credit worthy" for 9th grade? I am already familiar with Apologia Physical and I like it but I do wonder about The Rainbow. Any thoughts there? Thanks again!

  13. I have a rising senior who is not college bound (at least not right away...he will likely realize that he needs college and take online classes after he "spreads his wings" in the real world a bit and reality smacks him in the face ;) ). Anyway, he took Environmental Science in 9th (non-lab, with a co-op and an amazing teacher), Apologia Physical Science in 10th (again with our co-op) and Apologia Biology in 11th. Our state only requires 3 years of science and does not specify which or that any have to be a lab science. Technically, he doesn't even need another science in order to graduate. 

     

    I also have a rising 10th grader who completed Apologia Physical in 8th and Bio in 9th. Not a terribly science-minded kid, but strong in math and college bound. Likely not pursuing a STEM career but one never knows!

     

    Next is a rising 9th grader who hasn't had a solid science foundation, IMO. He is academically on the slow to average side. Likely not college bound and certainly not for science if he does go. He is more artsy. 

     

    I am looking into a few things for next year and stumbled upon PAC IPC which is scheduled in HOD WG (which my 9th grader used this year...just not the science). It has physics and chemistry and HOD schedules a lab kit to go along with it. But the labs are mostly Physics and not Chemistry. I was hoping to use this with all 3 boys. My questions are these: 1. Would IPC be redundant for the boys who completed Apologia Physical? 2. Could I write it as "Chemistry" on the senior's transcript (the author suggests giving a student TWO credits: 1 for physics and 1 for chemistry. I don't think that sounds right and HOD doesn't suggest that either. However, I could give credit for either/or correct? 3. Would it make better sense for my 10th grader to move right into Chemistry separately and then Physics in 11th separately and then an Advanced science in 12th? 

     

    Part of my dilemma is budget. I don't have a huge amount of money to put toward this. Using PAC IPC for all 3 boys would save me some money and they could work together which would save time with labs. Did I mention that labs never get done around here which is why I like to outsource science? ;) 

     

    If the 10th grader did this, could he then go on to do a more Advanced Chemistry for 11th and Physics for 12th (or another science altogether)? 

     

    Sorry so many questions. My oldest followed a traditional sequence and I didn't have this problem! LOL. Thanks for any input or advice you may have. 

    • Like 1
  14. Purchased it to use instead of the science scheduled in HOD CtC. I realized that my 5/6th grader had not had a firm foundation in science. We had skipped all over the place before, never really stuck with anything except the previous year when we did Apologia Anatomy with our co-op. We like it. It is good for a basic overview of many science topics which is exactly what I wanted. Some of it is a bit "easy" for my 5/6th grader (6th but functioning on a 5th grade level). He likes the experiments in every lesson although we do skip some as we try to do a lesson each day. I will probably keep it for my 1st grader for when he is in 3rd/4th grade. 

  15. $29 for the digital version, shipped in installments and then a $20 Notgrass gift card sent in Jan 2016 to spend on anything in the Notgrass store. :)  Plus, there is a money back guarantee. Sounds like a good deal. I just wonder if I will ever use it. We are pretty set on using HOD which means I won't ever really need a one year World History curriculum for middle school. However...things change...would be nice to have it just in case. :) My only hesitation is that I didn't really enjoy America the Beautiful and this looks to be the same style. Hmmm...

  16. I don't have a problem with the writing portion of EIW. Both my 5th and 9th grader uses it. I am contemplating having my rising 5th grader use it just for the writing next year. As for IEW and Fix It, I would think, certainly, that it would be plenty for grammar and writing. If you ds likes diagramming, there are websites that teach it and worksheets available as well. CLE puts out an Extra Practice Diagramming book which would work well, too. I have my Fix it manual and the lessons are designed to be short (15 min.). The student corrects the sentence, labels the parts that are being studies and then re-write the corrected sentence in a notebook. That seems to "cement" what was learned.  I have not started it with my dc yet. My plan is to start Monday.  In the early years, there will be a lot of hand-holding in most writing programs. EIW teaches via DVD but my ds still needs my help when putting pencil to paper. 

     

  17. I do not prefer how EIW has grammar for the first half of the year and then writing the last half. I would prefer that it be integrated. My son is working through EIW 5 this year and while I like the writing portion, I just don't find it beneficial to have all the grammar first, then the writing. I just received Fix It! grammar and am excited to start it. If your son like to find out what is wrong with sentences, Fix It will be right up his alley! It certainly will not be overkill with EIW and would work hand-in-hand with IEW. You could always skip the grammar in EIW and jump ahead to the writing assignments. There isn't any diagramming in EIW or Fix It! but if you really want diagramming you could use Analytical starting in 6th or 7th. Plenty of diagramming in there. 

    • Like 2
  18. The Mr. Q Advanced Chemistry says that it is for high school. Carrie Austin has even scheduled it in her new American History Guide (for 11th graders). I understand that the experiments are more kitchen type experiments. I'm understanding that Spectrum would be a bit more "rigorous"? I'm about ready to plop down the $300 since it will be for 2 kids (one who is not mathy at all and one who is) and one of them has potential to go into a STEM field. I'm not afraid of the math and feel confident that I can help them with it should it be necessary. I think having all the necessary equipment on hand will be a huge help in making sure the experiments get done. Thanks everyone. 

     

  19. Did you use the Intro Chem from Mr. Q with the 7th grader? Yes, I did see that all the labs were kitchen labs. I do like having all the materials on hand b/c as Julie said, the labs get done. ;). The price seems fair to me...just not sure we can swing it. My rising 12th grader used Year 1 of the Rainbow and he enjoyed it so I thought perhaps he would enjoy the Spectrum as well. What is the math like in Spectrum, Julie? I know that Mr. Q does cover scientific notation and other math necessary for Chemistry. 

  20. I have been trying to decide between 2 chemistry programs for my high school boys (12th and 10th). I have eliminated Apologia at their request. I am now looking at Mr. Q and The Spectrum (Beginnings Publishing). Other than cost (Spectrum is significantly more expensive), how do the 2 compare? The Spectrum says that it is the equivalent of an Honors Chemistry course. I have heard that Mr. Q, while a good and suitable chemistry program, is certainly not Honors material. It might come down to a matter of finances for us. Mr. Q is cheap. And I already own Chemistry 101 DVD to use as a supplement. Any thoughts? Has anyone used either that can comment? My 12th grader is not STEM oriented while my 10th grader is much stronger in math/science. He doesn't know what he wants to do yet, but I would like to give him a strong math/science foundation should he decide on a STEM career. Thanks!

  21. I don't know what Treasured Conversations is, but I have used Writing Tales 1 and 2. The author suggest 4th/5th for level 2 but I can't see a 4th grader doing well with level 2. My 4th grader is using Level 1 and is having a tough time with the re-writes. And she is a terrific creative writer.  She writes pages and pages of stories. The selections to re-write in Level 2 are significantly longer than in Level 1, though it does introduce the outlining method (ala IEW) for remembering the story. Sorry I can't compare the 2. :( My boys will be using HOD RtR in the Fall and neither have had any experience with IEW. My older boys, who used RtR a few years ago, did well with the IEW book even though they didn't have any prior experience with the IEW way. 

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