jananc
-
Posts
320 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by jananc
-
-
:iagree: I was just about to write a recommendation of Basic College Mathematics when I saw Patti's post. This is what we're using for prealgebra. I think I paid $6 for it! You can find lots of copies used at sites like half.com. Look for 7th or 8th editions, and don't pay over $20 for it. This text will be a great tool for you to shore up on missed or forgotten concepts, and you can use it for reference later.
It is actally a community college text, used for remedial math. So it explains every topic from the. very. beginning. ie, "this is a whole number. this is how to add whole numbers." But it's written for college students, so it doesn't talk down to the student. It covers the basics (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), plus fractions, decimals, ratios, percents, negative numbers, measurements, geometry, pre algrebra, and statistics. My bright but math-phobic dd is thriving on it this year.
-
you can start with whichever year plan you want to! :001_smile:
-
We use it as a supplement. My ds likes the teacher a lot, and says he explains things so much better than Jay Wile (he hates Apologia, btw :))
It would not be sufficient on its own, but I'm glad we have it for a supplement.
-
This is how our TOG co-op got started a few years ago. I convinced a few other moms to give TOG a try so we could get together every 2 weeks and do history-related crafts as a group. That was the only way I could be accountable to follow through on salt maps, dioramas, and the like.
-
How old is your ds?
-
There is an ongoing map project showing the states as they join the union, and also president cards. however, year 2 only gets up to John Adams in the president cards, so you could easily catch up when you start year 3. I'm sure they tell you how to set that up if you are new to year 3. There will also probably be some suggested "summer reading" assignments, esp. for your rhetoric student, that would fill in gaps to get him caught up and ready for year 3. Each year plan has suggestions for jumping in; they always assume some folks will be coming in at any given year plan and they have made it easy to do so.
-
No pms here, either. I'm 47, so hopefully I won't develop it. It doesn't sound like fun! :eek:
-
You might have more success in getting a reply to your question about DE if you post it on the forum. There is a section devoted to questions about DE, and Ray is usually really great about replying.
-
do the teacher notes give more depth for you to work with and lead discussions with your kiddos? How have these helped you??? :bigear:
Absolutely -- the teacher notes and discussion outlines for D and R levels are precisely why I chose TOG for our 2nd & 3rd run through of the history cycle.
Do you feel that a biblical/christian view is woven throughout? :bigear:
Very much so -- that is the other reason I chose TOG :001_smile: There is scripture listed throughout the Teacher notes to help you compare what happened in history with what the Bible says about that. Especially in R level, many of the questions guide the students to consider what they've been studying in context with a Christian worldview.
Are SOTW, and the activity guide used/scheduled?
I think SOTW is an alternate resource in some of the year plans, but I'm not sure.
Is Kingfisher used, or Usborne/scheduled?
There are many Usborne books used throughout. I don't think Kingfisher is used.
Is there a main read aloud for each unit?
yes.
If you have used TOG and then went to something else... may I ask why?
N/A
Are any of the guerber books used or scheduled?
The Story of the Romans is used in Year 1. You could also sub in some of the other titles in other areas.
Is there anything you do not like about TOG??? :bigear:
Not that I can think of. I'm not sure it's necessary for the grammar levels, but for D and R I haven't seen anything that can compare.
I'm all ears.... :bigear: :lol:
-
Hi Hillary,
I have year 2 DE, but I assume year 3 is the same -- the .pdf files of the Student Activity pages are found under the Loom, in a file called "Workbook Content". They are the same copy-and-pasteable files that you were using last year. To get to the Loom, click on one of the Unit choices, then click on the Loom at the bottom of the screen. "Workbook Content" is then found at the bottom of the list.
And for ABQMom, my understanding is that the interface looks a little different on the mac, but there are no problems with running DE on it so you should be good to go. Ray at TOG is wonderful for answering technical questions and helping to problem solve.
-
You need to call your pastor. He needs to hear from YOU. Most people assume that the pastor knows what is going on. Don't assume. Information gets so twisted when it comes through the grape vine. Even if he knows that you son has been injured, he probably doesn't know the seriousness of it. People don't want to "bother" pastors because they know they are so busy, but surely he would want to know this situation.
:iagree: As a pastor's wife, I know this to be true. Your pastor would surely want to know your situation. Don't assume he already knows; clearly he doesn't!
:grouphug::grouphug:
-
I like DE also. I like that it's on all our computers, even the laptop my dh takes to work, so on days we're hanging out in his office (he's a pastor at our church) I can still pull up TOG and work on it there.
As far as printing, I print out all 36 Reading Assignment Charts first thing. I love having this with me at all times to mark on, check for book purchases, etc. That's the only extra printing I do that is related to using DE.
The other things I print are things I would have copied off the print version for my dc anyway for their workbooks (a la Karen :-) I print off student questions, literature supplement pages, pageant of philosophy pages, and the "General Information for All Levels" page at the beginning of each week. I also print maps.
My ds reads the Government assignments on the pc through the DE interface also. I'm sure he'll do the same next year with the Shorter Works anthology in Year 3.
For our co-op discussions, I just read from the Teacher Notes on my laptop.
I will admit, I bought my laptop with my tax refund last spring specifically because of DE, so I could use it in co-op. It's been a great set-up for us.
-
The problem with the resource list is that it will only give you the list for what you already own - not for the next unit or anything. So if you haven't bought the unit - you can't get a list of the next books needed which is why the Bookshelf central site I think is used by people.
I'm able to pull up lists for TOG 3, which I haven't bought yet. It doesn't show the alternates, but I don't use those anyway so it doesn't matter to me. Everything I need from the Reading Assignment chart is listed.
-
I've heard of some folks not getting a complete booklist from Bookshelf Central (namely, books used in multiple years are sometimes not pulled up in a search). For me, the best list is the one that is found on the TOG website. Go to the Store link, then log in. Then click on Resource List, and fill in the parameters of the search you want to do. You'll get a more complete list, and it's printable (without pictures of the book covers). That's the list I always shop from.
-
quote: I was able to get the Primary Resources for Year 1 LG and UG - all $758 of them
LOL -- try not to pay attention to the total at the bottom -- I know I've never ever spent that much for books. I guess those totals are for all titles, brand new, full retail. I can't imagine your spending that much!
-
The alternates list is only available for those who have purchased the program. I'm not sure if you have to purchase it from Lampstand new, or not. If you have it used, you might be able to call them and gain access to that page. I know they have given "credit" to folks who purchased the program used for gaining access to other things in the past. They are extremely helpful on the phone!
-
Here are a few answers:
re: alternate books -- TOG has an alternate book list that lists books that might have gone out of print, or that were used in the Classic TOG, or that your family might enjoy as supplements, or that might work in place of the recommended title on the Reading Assignment Chart. It also sometimes lists videos that go along with that weeks' assighments. Bookshelf Central does not carry these books or videos.
re: Bookshelf Central -- this store does carry all the titles on the TOG Reading Assignment Charts, except for a couple of cd's that TOG created to go along with the rhetoric plan. This would include the Government cd's and the Anthology of Shorter Works cd's, as well as MapAids, etc.
re: depth of history -- I honestly think the way we ended up doing TOG was the best approach (even though we did it this way by accident :tongue_smilie:) We used a less expensive, less indepth, lighter method our first 4 years and then switched to TOG for our D and R years. For middle school and high school, I think TOG can't be beat.
The kids are learning history, but they are also learning so many more skills. How to think, how to assess a book and where the author is coming from, how to process information into a biblical worldview, how to learn from the mistakes of mankind and not to apply those same mistakes in their own lives, how what happened in the ancient time period is related to what happened in the middle ages is related to what happened in the colonial period is related to what happened in the 1700's is related to what's going on today...... How to look at different source books and realize every author is coming from a specific worldview. I just can't say enough about how much meat is packed into the rhetoric years of this program!
Re: cost -- In our first years of doing homeschooling, I spent a lot of time puttng together booklists, adding material, etc. TOG has already done that for me, and explains in the teachers notes all the background I need to know. *that's* what I'm paying for! The teacher helps, esp for R level, are worth every penny. I have a friend who has been using the Potters school for her 2 daughters because she doesn't feel confident teaching high school herself. She's been spending $300 per class per daughter for 2 years now (not including books). Then she finally looked at TOG and realized how much money she would have saved if she had switched sooner (she's using TOG next year!) She felt relieved at the *low* cost of TOG :-)
hope this helped some!
-
I'm jumping in here late, but just wanted to add that you absolutely can download a fresh copy of DE if your computer crashes. That very thing happened to me, and it was just a matter of sending the folks at Lampstand Press an email requesting another download license. I had it within 24 hrs.
We love our TOG here. It's our 6th year using it, after starting it when we had finished 1 rotation using WTM. With UG and D, I'm not as concerned about getting every single title listed (especially history in-depth). Substitutes are fine for this level, esp. If there's a question my kids can't answer from the substituted reading, they research the answer on the internet. For R, I'm more apt to purchase the book if my library doesn't have it, but that's for 2 reasons: one, I know I'll be using R for 2 go-rounds, and two, we're in a co-op and I want my dc prepared for all the discussion. I purchase most of my books used at half.com.
As far as geography goes, we use the MapAids every week, labeling all the locations that are on the teacher's maps. My kids don't answer the geo. questions separately, which is just one of those examples of using the parts of TOG that you want and leaving the rest. We also don't use the vocab or people lists.
I also wanted to add that I used to be a curriculum junkie as well, but since I found TOG I'm not even interested in looking at other programs. It satisfies me that much. I laughed when I read the previous poster, who said that she used to spend so much more time here on the WTM boards. Me too! :-)
Every week I'm grateful for the insights and teaching my kids get through TOG -- helping them to tie together all these threads of history in a biblical worldview. The worldview is the most valuable part of the curriculum to me, and I've not seen its equal in any other curriculum.
I hear concerns about repeating the same material over and over, too. But since we're in our 2nd rotation through TOG 2, I can see exactly how each level (G, D, R) builds on what the kids covered in the previous level and goes deeper, more into the "whys" of how things were. Our interest level doesn't suffer one bit over having covered the time period 4 years earlier, because my kids thinking has matured over the years and they're more ready for those concepts now.
I first started TOG with an eye on the high school years. I was thinking that R level is here the program would really shine. And I haven't been disappointed. The more I use TOG with my R level son, the more certain I am that I made the right choice 6 years ago.
sorry this got so long! Like someone else said, the best curriculum is the one that fits your family, and that's different for everyone!
-
We use online discussions. I would say the pros are the discussions themselves. TOG at the R level is really dependent on the Socratic discussion, and it's more fun with more kids IMHO. When you join a virtual co-op, you also get to share the teaching responsibilities, which is a huge plus for me! The negative is the technology. There are several options for online meetings, but none of the free ones are truly wonderful. Sound quality sometimes suffers, and we get dropped sometimes mid-session.
You can post on the TOG forums to find out what virtual co-ops are available in the coming year.
-
We do our discussion in a co-op with 5-8 students, so this may or may not help, but we set aside 1.5 hr for history, 1.5-2 hr for church history/philosophy/government, and 1.5 hr for literature each week. I assume it would be slightly less if it were just me and my dc.
-
You'll probably need to purchase the Norton Anthologies (years 1 & 2) since they're used in so many weeks. Also in year 1 the Egyptian poetry wasn't in our library.
In general, it seems I've had to purchase more books as my kids have reached the R stage as they've been harder to find in my library. Also, a lot of them are used many weeks and I like to purchase those to avoid hassles and fines at the library.
I purchase a lot of my books from half.com if I can't find them used on the TOG forums.
-
Tina has given some great advice. I would only add a suggestion to purchase books for just Unit 1 to begin with so you can get a better feel for whether you're in the right level.
Also, don't feel you have to move up in all subject areas at once. In moving from UG to D, I do agree that lit is a good place to start. However, when moving from D to R lit it can be a huge jump and history might be a better place to start.
-
My dh just returned from 2 weeks in Sierra Leone, doing a missionary visit to the village of Baiwalla. Here's a link to a blog he found as he was preparing for his trip:
http://onmissionsierraleone.wordpress.com/
Hope it's helpful!
-
The only one I know of for sure is the HINTS fair that is in Charlotte every July. It's a very nice bookfair with speakers and workshops. Not nearly as big as NCHE in Winston-Salem, so not overwhelming at all. But all the big vendors are there. Here's their website:
I also found this website that I've not seen before. It might have some info somewhere for you:
Plantar Fascitis--what has helped you?
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Mine finally went away when I got serious about nightly icing sessions, stretching my feet before I get out of bed, and wearing these running shoes -- http://www.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&pc_id=91&product_id=1364301&outlet= you can actually find them on ebay for about half the cost, but in last year's colors ;) They were recommended by the local running shop sales gal, and they are much better than the New Balance my ortho doc had recommended.
Also, I started going on short walks, in my new shoes ;), and concentrated on rolling heel-to-toe. I've been pain free for 3 years now, and when I do feel like it might be flaring up I just go back to the icing & wearing only my Pearl Izumi's for a few days until I'm better. Otherwise, I pretty much wear whatever shoes I want to (even a little barefoot in the house!!)