Roxy Roller
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Posts posted by Roxy Roller
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:bigear: As well as putting in my two cents. My ds7 twins are in the same fix, with the hFA twin more advanced in math than his brother, who often needs some repetition to build up his confidence.
Saxon does have review, but it has not been a good fit for us because they simply don't need the same approach. I've always thought that their differences made them unique: why should I try to force both of them into being on the same level in math?
What I am planning to do with both is to get a program that allows for more flexibility. I was very pleased with the look of Math Mammoth and I like the fact that I can add extra practice in one area if I need to with supplemental work, just as I do with spelling, reading, phonics, or any other skill that one child needs more work in from day to day.
There are many, many math options out there. I think it is just like everything else--decide as best as you can what the child needs and base your program choice on what is likely to be the best choice, then be willing to adapt it to his changing needs. Saxon can be adapted, but it's tough to do because of the way the lessons are designed.
I may very well be teaching Saxon to one and Singapore to the other come fall, but I hope that Math Mammoth is adaptable enough to suit both of them.:001_smile:
I do have Math Mammoth, and maybe I need to revisit it. I tried to do it for summer math last year, and my DC didn't really like it.
I don't really want to do Saxon, as my children will switch to Chalkdust in 7th. I just want them to come through the grammar stages with mastery of basic facts.
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One of my twins is slightly more advanced in math. This didn't pose a huge problem for us till last year, 6th. I probably should've separated them then, as the one who picked things up less quickly also happens to be the more competitive one. :glare: We had lots of tears.
This year I've finally separated them, and things are going much more smoothly. The fights and tears have gone away.
So... I guess I wouldn't separate twins on principle or if they're reasonably close as long as no one is upset by any differences, but if it becomes a big issue, find something different for each.
This kind of thing doesn't even only come up with twins - I have a friend who actually has her 4th and 6th grader both working together in the same 7th grade math program, and her older child is fine with it. I have another friend whose younger child was "catching up" to his older sister, and she put the older one in a different program and things are much better now that she doesn't feel the pressure to stay ahead.
Thank you for your thoughts. May I ask which math programs you are using? I find that it is easier to separate the twins in language arts, but much harder to separate in math. The one that is having more difficulty is a little bothered by the fact that he doesn't catch on quite as quickly as the other. I am wondering if I should change programs now, as opposed to waiting and doing it when they really notice the differences.
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I have twin sons, who are 8 1/2. Their birthday is October, and there were no complications at birth. One twin is slightly advanced and one is slightly delayed. He might be 'normal' by most standards, but in comparison to his brother he is a little behind.
Math is the area that he struggles with most. I guess I am wondering if I should put him in a different math program. For the coming year, I had planned that they would both be in MUS Delta with Horizons 3 as a review program. This will be the first year we have added Horizons.
Should I be looking at Saxon? If so, which level? I think he needs more review than is presented in MUS. Or do I stick with my original plan of MUS and Horizons and see if the extra review in Horizons will help? It is not that he doesn't 'get' the concepts; he is just slower to get them than his twin brother who is very math and science smart.
I should also mention that he is a dawdler. It takes him forever to do anything.:tongue_smilie:
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It's not super-catchy, but my DD has enjoyed it and has picked up a lot of the songs to the point of being able to apply the definitions even before she got to that section of Grammar Island.
Thank you. This is exactly what I am looking for.
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Anyone?:bigear:
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Does anyone use this?
I need a CD with the definitions of the parts of speech for my auditory learners. I am wondering if the Shurley CD is what I need, or if there is something else out there that is better.
Any help would be appreciated.
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We have a three week break at the end of June, after everything is finished for this year, then we will be moving into our new school year at the beginning of July. We do have a two week vacation booked at the end of July, so our summer term is only about 6 weeks long.
We won't be doing our full schedule, but we will be doing math, grammar, spelling, phonics and reading.
We add everything else in at the beginning of September.
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In Belgian this is common for the science focused tracks, language focused tracks do one hour each
Thank you. I am glad that it seems that I am on the right track. I am still not sure how much of Algebra 1 is needed for the first 1/2 of Chemistry. I guess I will have to try to get my hands on a text to find out.
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I am schooling 5 from K to 6th this year and I am spending too much time with teacher intensive materials as well.
For next year, I purchased Soaring with Spelling and Vocabulary. I like that it has a pre-test and post-test, which I will administer. I like knowing what words they will need to work on each week. It is a test year for me. I will go back to a more intensive mom-lead spelling program next year, if it doesn't work, but my DS6 needs my full attention this coming year for 1st, so that he gets a good start in the 3Rs.
For the same reasons, we are also switching from Rod & Staff Grammar(which I like to do orally) to Growing with Grammar for next year.
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I'm not a science mum either. I leave the science planning up to my hubby. ;)
I debated what texts to use for science this year. In the end I thought DD could probably manage the AP ones. When DD 13 gets to 9th in a couple years we will probably use the Prentice Hall science books which are high school level.
My hubby could handle the science end too, if he didn't work 50 hours a week. I am pretty much on my own, although I am hoping he will handle most of the experiments.
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We are using Biology: Concepts and Conncetions, Chemistry, and Physics: Principles with Applications. They are all AP level texts, so this year we have skipped around and done the easiest sections in each.
Prior to this year we followed the 4-year-cycle of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics. DD had studied chemistry in 7th grade and physics in 8th. DD did algebra 1 in 7th grade and is doing geometry this year.
It looks like your DD is more advanced than mine will be when she gets to 9th, although some of my sons might be on an AP track when they get there. I am not a science mom, so I would not have the confidence to skip around in a text.
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I'm not Janette' date=' but I wouldn't recommend doing Apologia Chemistry until Algebra I is finished - or close to finished. You could separately study scientific notation - which you will get in physical science - and moles, but the math needed isn't practiced much in the chemistry text - it's assumed that you already know the math behind the calculations. Just my opinion. :)[/quote']
Thank you. We would only be doing the first 1/3 of the book in 9th. I guess I need to take a look at it to see if it would be possible, or maybe start it in the middle of 9th and double up on Biology for the first half, so that she would have the first half of Algebra 1 before starting Chemistry.
I think that my sons will possibly start Algebra 1 in 8th, so they might be on track to do Chemistry from the beginning in 9th.
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DD 14 is in 9th grade and has been doing biology, chemistry, and physics this year. She will be continuing all three in 10th and 11th grades using the same textbooks (not Apologia). She does science Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. In total she spends 3-5 hours on science per week and 1-1.5 hours on each branch. In 12th DD will choose one (or more) branch of science to study.
So, I think your plan is very reasonable, but hopefully some more experienced ladies will respond.
Thank you, Janette. I would love to know which texts you are using. I am glad that my thoughts and time estimations are about right. Did your DD14 do General and Physical sciences before she started Biology? Are you doing Algebra 1 in 9th as well? If so, has it worked to do it simultaneously with Chemistry?
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Yes, you are correct in your understanding that FUFI is a unit study, NOT a literature guide. You might find Christian Novel Studies guide by Chris Roe more suited to your needs. See sample pages at Rainbow Resource.
Progeny Press has guides for each book in the series, but from the sample pages, all I see is vocabulary work and comprehension questions; I wish I could see the last 4 pages of the sample unit to see if it had anything else. See samples at www.christianbook.com
Bookrags and eNotes have for-a-fee online guides with summaries and comprehension questions for some (maybe all 7) of the books, but it's hard to gauge if there is more to these guides or not.
ROAR! appears to be a family devotional/activities guide -- NOT a literature study guide; and other related books on Narnia at www.amazon.com all appear to be devotionals, NOT study guides.
The Home School Mom website has a long list of resources (not necessary guides) for these books.
And for you, there is a very in-depth Bible Study on The Chronicles of Narnia available for download-for-a-fee.
BEST of luck in finding a true Lit. guide! Warmest regards, Lori D.
Thank you for responding, Lori! I am glad my analysis of FUFI was correct. I had looked at ROAR! and I agree that it looked like more of a devotional/activities guide.
I will look into the Chris Roe products to see if they will better fit my needs. And the Bible Study on The Chronicles of Narnia looks great too.
Thanks again!
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My daughter and I have just started using VP's guide to the Narnia series. We are doing it together. She is 11 1/2 and I was hoping that VP's guide would be a little more meaty than just comprehension questions, which is what it seems to be. And I am sure it would be good for a younger child who is not ready to think more logically.
So now, I am on the hunt for something else. I am looking for something that will make my DD really think about the stories and how they relate to Christianity and Christ. To be honest, I want to understand the series better as well. I read them when I was a preteen, and I wish I would have understood them better at the time.
Is Further Up and Further In what I am looking for, or is there something else? I had thought that Further Up and Further In was more a whole unit study. I am looking for more of a literature focus. Please correct me if I am wrong.
I am looking for something that would include all of the Narnia books.
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I am starting to plan our high school science and I have some questions for those of you who are in the thick of it.
I am using Apologia General Science and Physical Science for 7th and 8th Grades.
We are Canadian, and in Canada, each of the sciences are generally taken every year, not just one science per year.
I am wondering if anyone has done Apologia Biology, Chemistry and Physics simultaneously, spreading them all out over three years.
It may look like this:
9th - first 1/3 of Biology, Chemistry and Physics
10th - second 1/3 of Biology, Chemistry and Physics
11th - last 1/3 of Biology, Chemistry and Physics
12th - chose two of the sciences to do the advanced level, especially for my university bound children (science fields)
For the 9th through 11th grades, I am thinking we could do two hours per week on each of the sciences. Is this reasonable?
As of right now, our math sequence is the following, although in Canada, we also don't separate our maths they are all done through high school.
7th - Basic College Math - Houghton Mifflin
8th - Pre-Algebra - Houghton Mifflin ?
9th - Algebra 1 - Houghton Mifflin ? (Are my DC going to be able to handle the first 1/3 of Chemistry while doing Algebra 1?)
10th - Geometry - Houghton Mifflin or Jacobs ?
11th - Algebra 2 - Houghton Mifflin ?
12th - Pre-Trig or Pre-Calc - Houghton Mifflin ? - for my university bound (science fields)
I guess my main question is, whether or not the science can be split up and completed in the way that I have laid out or, not.
Thank you
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I found a book called The Called Me Mad that tells the story of quite a few scientists. My guys (and I) loved it.
Thank you, I will look into it.
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It is not free, but have you looked at Spelling Plus - http://rainbowresource.com/product/sku/014528/1304461919-695559?
There is a dictation book that goes along with it - http://rainbowresource.com/product/sku/004554/1304461919-695559.
Also not free, but another possibility might be Spelling Wisdom - http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/spelling-wisdom/.
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:grouphug:
I know exactly how you feel. This year has been a year of long days. I have done some remediation in the spelling/phonics area, so my days are long(but it has been worth it to see the progress that has been made). I also work individually with all of my children for between 45-60 minutes a day + history(TOG), which we do together 3 days a week.
The only thing that has saved my sanity, is only schooling 4 (long)days per week. I will continue to do this. I do a master schedule week by week, so that it is flexible - meaning I can double up on lessons one day if we have a doctors appointment on another school afternoon. A four day schedule gives us a day to plan field trips, appointments, or to do housework. Before doing a 4 day schedule, I was always behind and beating myself up over it. I also figure out how many weeks I want to school and name my weekly schedules - Week 1, Week 2 etc., that way if something comes up and we need a week break, we can take a week off, without psychologically feeling like we will be behind. I plan enough breaks in my year, but don't actually schedule them, meaning, for example, I usually plan two in the spring, but don't schedule them until we need them.
I see that you are adding a 5 year old. I, too, am adding my DS, who is now 6 and will be in 1st grade next year. I am choosing new curriculum that my 4 older DC can do fairly independently next year, so that he will get the one on one attention that he needs to get a good start in reading, writing and 'rithmetic, and so he doesn't get lost in the shuffle of a big family.
I also unschool science until my DC are in 6th grade. It might not be something that you are open too, but I have found that my DC naturally have learned science, because they want to. For instance, one of my twins(8) has done every single experiment in all of the Van Cleave books - on his own, for fun. I don't think he would have come to love science, if it would have been something he had to do. The only problem I have with this, is knowing what to do with him when he hits the middle grades, and has done most of the experiments that are required.
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I have purchased both GWG and SWS for next year. I have SWS3 here and I am waiting for my SWS4 to come in the mail. It looks thorough. Is there anything you would like to me look at specifically in the Level 3 I have here?
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Here is a list of literature books from Simply Charlotte Mason that go along with the Apologia texts. :)
Wow, thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for!:001_smile:
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While those are wonderful "Great Ideas", and it's a wonderful idea to think about and discuss those "Great Ideas" -- and I mean this very gently -- I don't think this is a workable idea to try to match up books with these "Great Ideas" for several reasons.
First, what you are looking to do is a form of literary analysis (looking for underlying themes, motifs, symbols, etc. and then applying them to your life) -- which is an advanced (rhetoric-level) skill. With a 12yo, you would want to start with some "stepping stones" into literary analysis through first understanding the "tools" of literary analysis, such as irony, metaphor, mood, characterization, etc. You then use those "tools" to understand the themes and aspects of the "Great Ideas" the author is trying to express, or even unintentionally expresses, in the work.
Second, if this project were even possible, you would need to start with a concrete definition for each of the six "Great Ideas". Problem: the "Great Ideas" are vast and abstract ideas, with each containing *many* parts. For example, "Justice" involves the idea of moral absolutes -- right and wrong; also the idea of Law, punishment. And what about mercy (forgiveness of a wrong)? Or the concepts of self-sacrifice (taking the punishment for law-breaking for another), balance (restoration of broken moral order), or revenge (attempt to right wrong outside of social structure of law)? NO one book contains all that "Justice" means. "Justice" IS a "Great Idea" precisely BECAUSE you can spend a lifetime delving into different aspects of it and coming out with new and deeper Truths about it...
And finally, and most importantly, literature (or art, or music) just does NOT fit into neat little "boxes" such as "Justice", "Beauty", "Liberty", etc. AND, to try and force literature into such boxes is to strip away the complexity and Truths inherent in the work. "The Great Books" are "great" in the same way that the "Great Ideas" are "great" -- too vast to be summed up under one (or even several) main themes or ideas to check off a list upon reading them.
Here's a very simple example of what I mean, using the Dr. Seuss story, "The Sneetches" -- it's about Equality, right? (About trying to become "equal" and just like those "with stars upon thars".) ......... Or wait -- is it about the Dangers of Consumerism --when we believe the salesmen who see our dissatisfaction with ourselves and make a buck (or 10 or 20) off us by getting us to buy into it when they tell us, "I'm the Fix-It-Up Chappie. I have what you need. And my prices are low. And I work at great speed...?" ......... No, no, it must be about Prejudice -- when the Star-Belly Sneetches ostricized the non-starred Sneetches, saying, "We'll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly Sort." ......... Or is it about Self Esteem -- learning to not become sucked into our culture's 'nip and tuck' mindset, but rather to accept and rejoice in who you were made to be: "I'm quite happy to say that the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day... That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether they had one, or not, upon thars."
Notice -- the text itself supports ALL of those important ideas -- and I'll bet other people see lots of other supportable themes in there, too! To limit the story to just ONE would be to strip it of it's power...
So, here's my suggestion, for what it's worth. :)
1. With a 12yo, start learning how to look for those underlying themes in The Great Books -- start with high quality, simple-but-profound picture books. What you're trying to do here is to start looking for *themes* (i.e. aspects of the "Great Ideas"). This is hard. But it would be harder still trying to do it at first with books that are a jump up in maturity as well. So that's why it's good to start with uncomplicated picture books. Also start discussing movies; sometimes it is easier to SEE themes in a movie, than to figure it out in a book.
Consider resources such as:
- What if the Wolf Were An Octopus (using picture books for literary analysis with middle schoolers)
- Figuratively Speaking (resource to learn about the "tools" of literary analysis -- the elements used by an author that will help you "see" themes and aspects of the "Great Ideas" in literature)
- Teaching the Classics (Socratic questions, and ideas to help start start discussion)
2. To better understand what the "Great Ideas" even are and what they encompass, use resources that cover different aspects of the "Great Ideas", such as worldview, Christian apologetics, living books in which characters demonstrate virtues, etc. Here's a list of ideas to get you started in this past thread: http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2091843#poststop
3. Here's the hardest thing of all, especially if you are a "left-brained", logical, organized, list-maker ;) : Let go of pre-conceived ideas. Don't try to contain works of Literature (or Art, or Music, or...) in specifically labeled boxes. Let the works speak for themselves. Just look at all the cool things "The Sneetches" had to say to us when we let go of "making it fit" certain pre-conceptions -- full credit to my DH for the Dangers of Consumerism theme, which I did NOT see; but once he said it, I started seeing other important Truths rising to the surface. And THAT is what a truly great work of literature will do for you -- by resisting a single, simple interpretation, you can come to it again and again, and it will reveal new Truths, new aspects of the "Great Ideas" to you. :)
Welcome to just one point of entry into the Great Conversation with The Great Books! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.
Wow, thank you for this, Lori.
I am just embarking on the journey into the middle grades, and this has post has clarified some things for me.
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I'm interested in this idea. I couldn't load the large e-catalog. Do they have a hard copy catalog?
Yes, there is a hard copy catalog. You can request it on the website.
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Thomas Edison
Marie Curie
Pasteur
Benjamin Franklin
Einstein
I cannot remember titles, I found them at the library. I've been looking for one on Newton, but I've not found what I'm looking for yet.
We've also watched some dvds on volcanologists and meteorologists. Again, they were from the library in the educational section.
Thanks, Holly. I will have to go through and make some lists myself. I had just thought if someone had made a list of titles, I wouldn't try to reinvent the wheel.
Moms of twins: Math advice please
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
The time constraints are my problem as well. I will have a 1st, 5th and 7th grader, as well as the 4th grade twins, this fall. My DD11 will be starting Basic College Math(Chalkdust clone) this summer, as review, before she starts into Pre-Algebra.