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Beth in Central TX

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Everything posted by Beth in Central TX

  1. I use Classical Writing. My 10th grader is working through Intermediate Poetry and will start Herodotus soon. I only use one resource, so I would want to keep CW. My son's success in writing is attributed to his weekly writing assignments along with my (and DH's) feedback. I use a rubric that assesses Structure, Content, Writing Style, and Mechanics. This rubric helps my son identify what is wrong and guides him in how to fix his writing. There's not much I would change, but if I could, I would have guided his corrections earlier rather than tell him what to write... My son struggles with writing a clear, concise thesis statement. He's getting better with time and writing experience. It would also help if he took more time in reading and editing his paper before he turns it in. HTH! ~ Beth
  2. Here's what I have for our study of Euclidean Geometry: http://www.amazon.com/Euclidean-Geometry-Course-Mark-Solomonovich/dp/1440153485 My DH will teach this course, so I probably can't answer any specific questions about geometry, but I can help if you have questions about the book itself. We will also study Euclid's Elements in Omnibus IV this year (which uses this book: http://www.veritaspress.com/prodinfo.asp?number=190178). I have the Omnibus IV book, but my DH plans on using Euclid's Elements from our Great Books of the Western World set. HTH! ~Beth
  3. We stop with R&S English 8 in 8th grade. The 9th/10th grade book is mostly writing instruction, and I prefer to use Classical Writing.
  4. I use this textbook for World Literature: http://www.amazon.com/World-Literature-Susan-Wittig-Albert/dp/0030514096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314822238&sr=8-1 I think it would fit your criteria of having a world lit approach. Here are the unit titles: 1--World Myths & Folktales 2--The African Literary Tradition 3--The Ancient Middle East 4--Greek & Roman Literatures 5--Indian Literature 6--Chinese & Japanese Literatures 7--Persian & Arabic Literatures 8--The Middles Ages 9--From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment 10--The 19th Century: Romanticism to Realism 11--The 20th Century I hope this helps! ~Beth
  5. I'm basing my comments on the schedule you indicated above. CW Poetry is a great program, and I highly recommend it, but I'm really not sure where you would fit it in. Maybe after Plutarch? I would keep it in mind, but take the 'wait and see' approach. You don't want to include it to the detriment of the core books. You could maybe add it as an elective, but if your daughter already has a full schedule, and she's already trying to work through all of the upper level CW books, I don't think I would push poetry into the mix.
  6. FYI--I do almost all of R&S orally except for the diagramming which we do on a white board. R&S is written for classroom use, and I think the amount of writing is too much for my boys (especially in the early grades). The only time they write in R&S is if there's a corresponding worksheet. One final thought: CW is teacher intensive. It's not an open-and-go program that your child can do on her own. It's a little more independent in the upper level books, but guidance and dialogue is still needed. It's a lot of work on my part, but I think it's well worth the effort. Good luck on your decision!
  7. If you start your 5th grader in Aesop A and work forward from there (assuming 1 program a year), then you run into the same problem you have now with your older daughter--not enough time to get through a majority of the program. Looking at the program now and seeing where it is going, I think that the books are much more valuable from Chreia to Demosthenes; therefore, I would accelerate or combine the lower levels so that you could spend more time on the upper levels. Just my $0.02... I saw your other post, but I haven't read through the whole thing. I think the jist is that you are trying to decide between R&S, Harvey's, CW, and WWE. Of course, I'm going to encourage CW because I've seen the strides my boys have made in their writing, but I'm sure others could say the same about WWE. I don't think WWE teaches writing based on the progymnasmata, so you'd probably want to determine how you want to teach writing before you choose a program. As far as R&S verses Harvey's goes, I would encourage you to look at a Harvey's text. As I said, we use R&S English, but I also have my sons read the corresponding Harvey's lesson in CW. Again, I think grammar is an important skill so the more exposure the better. However, in the beginning, I could not explain anything in grammar because I didn't have the grammar knowledge that I needed. R&S teaches grammar methodically and builds year upon year with a lot of review--in all honesty, I needed that more than my boys. They picked up the grammar instruction more quicly than I did. After R&S English 3 through 8 and CW Aesop B to Chreia, I can safely say that I can now teach from Harvey's, but there wasn't a chance before this (even with the workbooks). If you have a strong foundation in grammar, then it's probably a good program for you right from the beginning; me, not so much... ETA: If I've mis-categorized WWE, I do apologize, but I don't see a classical approach to the writing program based on the on-line samples and the few books I've seen first hand.
  8. Well, both Aesop A and B are 18-week programs, so theoretically, you could do both programs in one 36-week school year. I would want my child to be comfortable with Aesop B before moving to Homer; that's why I had my son start there. It's your call though; Aesop B has longer models and requires more grammar knowledge when I compare them week-by-week. Going from Aesop A to Homer A may seem like a big jump. What progression do you plan to take after Aesop A? CW does cover outlining, but I like to reinforce the concept with R&S English lessons. I believe it's an important skill to have, so the more exposure the better, in my opinion. CW Diogenes helps the student use the ancient essay model to prepare a modern 5-paragraph essay. Since I use CW, I think that the classical model using the progymnasmata is the best way to teach writing; others don't agree. You can read more about the differences here: http://www.classicalwriting.com/Method.htm#Classical%20vs.%20Modern%20Pedagogy Yes, we are doing CW Poetry for Beg and CW Intermediate Poetry. I didn't think I would like the poetry books, but they have turned out to the be a great addition to our writing work at home. My boys really like the poetry, and if you ask them, they definitely preferred Poetry for Beg over Homer any day. They asked to do Intermediate Poetry. I would like to do the Advanced Poetry too, but I'm running out of time... I think that doing TL I & II before graduation will be an added benefit to her writing. In my opinion, the timing doesn't really matter. I've actually changed my mind on a few subjects and determined that later is actually better, especially for the logic courses. I don't want to do TLI in 7th grade just to say that we did it; I want my boys to understand logic so that they can apply it to their writing. Again, others don't agree with this... When and what courses to schedule depends a lot on the individual child and the homeschool goals you have set. I came to the realization a few years ago that I don't have to do everything I want to do right now, and the epiphany relieved a lot of stress. Whatever they don't get at home, they will get through their own continued self-education (and possibly college). HTH! ~Beth
  9. The only book available when I started homeschooling was FLL. I don't know anything about the higher levels of FLL or WWE. If I find something that works, I just keep that program going down the line with my 3 sons. I started homeschooling when my oldest son was in 2nd grade. Here's what we did before CW: 2nd: FLL & Writing Strands 2 (not a good fit at all) 3rd: R&S English 3 & Imitation in Writing (by Logos Press) 4th: R&S English 4 & Imitation in Writing This the progression for my youngest son (he's 8 and in the 3rd grade): 2nd: R&S English 2 3rd: R&S English 3 & Imitation in Writing (a combination of Men of Scienc & Writing Trails in American History) 4th: R&S English 4 & CW Aesop A & B I liked the Imitation in Writing series, but I didn't see any progression past the imitation model; therefore, I started looking for another program and found CW. I don't do the writing assignments in R&S English. We do read the lessons and talk about the process, but it's based on the modern writing pedagogy, so I don't have them learn to write that way. I do assign the work for learning out to outline. I think for your oldest daughter, you could get close to finishing the whole program: Number of weeks in the program: Aesop & Homer for Older Beg--22 Diogenes Maxim--26 Diogenes Chreia--24 Herodotus--24 Plutarch--24? (couldn't find the number on the website, but it's probably a close assumption) Demosthenes--30 (I've talked to CW about this one) In 4 school years of 36 weeks, you will have 144 weeks of instruction. If you went through each program back to back (rather one per year), then you would have 150 weeks of writing. On the CW forum Kathy Weitz has said that Maxim and Chreia can be combined into 29 weeks. Therefore, I think you will be able to fit in most of the program. In addition, you don't have to do all of the books; if I had to eliminate one, I would probably skip Plutarch, but I don't plan to... I have to go now, so I can't edit. Please ignore my typos and ask when what I've said doesn't make sense. ETA: I forgot about the Omnibus question. Many homeschoolers on the high board use Omnibus I in 9th grade, so I think that would be fine. If you want more input on how that program works for older students, you might want to ask over there. In 7th grade, I skip some of the books with mature themes, and I lead a lot of the discussion on my own, but eventually my boys figure on how it works, and by the end of the year, we are having great literature based dialogues. I wouldn't hesitate giving high school credit for the program. ~Beth
  10. Hi Deborah, I found more than one post of yours on CW, so I'm not sure which one you are referring to. I'll answer here, and if you need more info, just let me know. I started using CW in 2006 with Aesop B when my oldest son was in 5th grade. My son was (and still is) a reluctant writer (he's my math whiz), so after looking at Homer, I thought Aesop was a better place to start even though it was a year behind based on the grade recommendations at the CW webiste; they didn't have the older beginner books out at that time. Here's our current progression and future plan with CW & Rod and Staff English: 5th--Aesop B with R&S English 5 6th--Homer A & Poetry for Beg A with R&S English 6 7th--Homer B & Poetry for Beg B with R&S English 7 8th--Diogenes Maxim with R&S English 8 9th--Diogenes Chreia & Intermediate Poetry 10th--Herodotus & TLI 11th--Plutarch & TLII 12th--Demosthenes CW and R&S English have been a great combination for our homeschool. My oldest son is currently a 14-year old 9th grader. He is working through Omnibus III, and the writing instruction he has gained from CW has really helped with the summa assignments. Earlier this month, I thought he wrote a great essay on Free Will and Predestination. One thing that has helped me tremendously with the CW series is reading through the newly released Herodotus book and attending the 'How to Teach Classical Writing' webinar for Diogenes. I plan to attend the one for Herodotus next Monday. The Diogenes webinar was almost 3-hours long and well worth the $25 price (IMO). Both the webinar and new Herodotus book really helped me see the big picture of CW and how the lower level books of Aesop, Homer, and Diogenes build on each. I also went back and create a Commonplace book as outlined in Maxim, Diogenes, and Herodotus. That has been a visual help too, as well as, a great reference tool while I'm teaching. If you have any more questions, please let me know. I'm glad to help! ~Beth
  11. Traditioanl Logic I is scheduled in Herodutus (it is optional though, but highly recommended). I plan to have my boys do CW Herodutus and TLI together followed by CW Plutarch and TLII.
  12. I listened to a free webinar on teaching writing classically hosted by Andrew Pudewa and Andrew Kern in July. During the discussion, Andrew Kern recommended the book The Office of Assertion by Scott Crider which focuses strictly on the academic essay. After reading this book I found it to be a good introduction to Corbett's Rhetoric for the Modern Student and plan to have my high school son read it before we tackle Corbett together. Crider's book lacks the step-by-step instruction of writing, but I think it does a good job of filling in the big picture before you go hunting in the forest. I definitely think it's a good resource to prepare the student for college level writing.
  13. I did not understand the first sentence in question #2 under Text Analysis for Genesis on page 20 in Omnibus I. The question is written as follows (in the student textbook and on the teacher cd): "2. One theologian has said that God's covenant is basically a relationship (or bond) of life or death significance ruled by God. What do you see in these two passages that supports this view?" I thought the sentence was misprinted, so I contact VP to get the edited version. Here's the short response I received: "The sentence is correct as is. Another way to phrase it is that a covenant is a relationship ruled by God that has life or death significance." Okay, the "other phrase" that was provided makes sense; the original sentence is still awkward, and I don't think I would interpret it correctly without the clarification. Of course, this could just be me... If my boys wrote a sentence like that I would mark it as unclear and have them revise it. What are your thoughts? I'm trying to work on grading content and grammar for our high school writing, so I'm interested to hear how you would handle that sentence.
  14. I just skip the books with mature themes (especially in Omnibus I) since there are more than enough books to fill out our school year. I don't do all of the primary and secondary readings. I just select the books that I want my boys to read and fill in as much of the school year as I can.
  15. Oh, I meant to edit that. It's a planning note so that I remember that the Plutarch selection can be read from our Great Books of the Western World series, and therefore, I don't have to buy another book. ~Beth
  16. To help you a bit with planning, here is my Omnibus I schedule (179 lessons) with the number of sessions allotted for each book: Genesis 5 Exodus 5 Code of Hammurabi 4 Samuel I & II 5 Kings I & II 4 The Odyssey 17 Plutarch's Lives (GBWW) 9 The Last Days of Socrates 8 The Early History of Rome 20 Luke & Acts 5 Julius Caesar 10 Revelation 5 Chosen by God 6 Till We Have Faces 8 The Magician's Nephew 5 The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 5 The Horse and His Boy 5 Prince Caspian 6 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 5 Isaiah 3 Jeremiah 3 Minor Prophets 3 The Silver Chair 6 The Last Battle 6 Galatians 3 Romans 3 James 3 The Eagle of the Ninth 6 The Screwtape Letters 6
  17. I don't have a paypal account, so I printed the form and mailed a check earlier this year (Jan/Feb timeframe). I would e-mail Mr. Grote and let him know that the link isn't working. We received a cd and my husband downloaded the information to our computer. I have a short-cut on my desk top and when I double click the chapter I want to listen to, an internet window opens up with the specific chapter lecture. While Mr. Grote lectures, static slides go across the screen (like a Power Point presentation). This is really all I know. If you have specific questions, I can ask my husband. Obviously, I'm not the computer literate person in my family...
  18. Sorry for the confustion, but I'm talking about the $50 CD found here: http://www.classicsprofessor.com/Wheelock_Files.html Quite honestly, I haven't watched the lectures yet (even though it's on my summer to-do list), but my oldest son likes them and the Chap 9 lecture helped him finally understand demonstratives; that in itself was worth the $50!
  19. This schedule is very similar to how I set up our Wheelock's study, except that on the 1st day my son reads the Chapter, listens to the vocabulary CD, and watches the Dale Grote lecture. On the 2nd day, he adds new vocabulary to his notebook, reads the corresponding chapter in the Grote Comprehensive Guide, and reviews flashcards.
  20. I don't know about shoving Omnibus I & IV together. You're going to run into higher level thinking questions and writing assignments in Omnibus IV, so going back and forth between the two books may be frustrating. In addition, both books would be an expensive investment considering the fact that you wouldn't completely use either book. However, I'll need Omnibus IV in 2011-2012, so I'd be very interested in buying your used copy... The VP guides are going to cost you about $60-65 with shipping. No, I wouldn't pay that for them, but I'm a little tight with my homeschool budget. I like the Omnibus program better because there's an introduction to the book and the reading, writing, and discussion questions are given to you in separate sessions that you can just drop into your school schedule. The teacher key is complete and even brings out points of interest that I never would have considered. Next year my oldest son is doing Omnibus III. I have 180 lessons scheduled which corresponds to 25 books. I bought Omnibus III used for $80, so for me it's a better program and a better use of our homeschool money. HTH! ~Beth
  21. Hi Cynthia, I have all 5 of these guides. The Iliad guide is the largest and covers all 24 books with 87 questions. There is a page of 'Points for Discussion and Writing', but it only has 6 points. There is an anwer key with commentary included, but the answers are very short (when compared with the teacher key for the Omnibus series). I use these guides for my own self-study and to complement the same books in the Omnibus series. The Iliad is covered in Omnibus IV. I bought my set used, so it was worth the reduced cost to me. Most of the questions in the guides are similar to the generic questions found in Teaching the Classics, but they are specific to the book in question and include an answer. There are some thought provoking questions as well, and those are the ones I pick out to use in our discussions at home. If you have specific questions about the other guides, I'd be happy to help you. Take care, ~Beth
  22. Sorry, that should have read 'New Testament Greek for Beginners' by Machen. Here are the books we are using: http://www.amazon.com/Testament-Greek-Beginners-Gresham-Machen/dp/B000O2W7HI/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277233453&sr=8-6 http://www.amazon.com/Testament-Greek-Beginnings-David-Thompson/dp/0024206504/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277233453&sr=8-4 There's a new edition of NT Greek for Beg, but it's very expensive, and we've found that the older editions work just as well. When we bought ours, the older editions were only $10-$15, but the cheapest I could find on Amazon was $20. You could probably search the web for cheaper prices. HTH!
  23. Go to your account on Amazon.com and look at the "leave feedback" tab for the seller in question. You will be able to see any comments that the seller made about the book and the condition it was listed in. DON'T leave feedback yet until you have contacted the seller because it's good leverage to get your money back. Under Amazon.com guidelines listed here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=1161242&qid=1245459177&sr=2-4, even a book in acceptable condition would have all of the pages in tact. Therefore, I would immediately contact the seller for a full refund & give them a time limit. If you haven't heard back within the specified time, I would file an A-to-Z Guarantee with Amazon.com. I've had great success with both A-to-Z claims I have made. You have to mail the item back to the marketplace seller at your expense, but you get back the full amount you paid ($14.39) and Amazon.com credits your account for $3.99 which pays for shipping for the next item you buy. HTH!
  24. My husband used HSG Volume I for his Greek self-education as well since he's our resident Greek teacher. Like Karenciavo, he really liked the program, but he didn't use it to teach our boys because Volume II has never come out of beta testing. Therefore, he chose to use all 3 volumes of Elementary Greek by Gatchell followed by New Testament for Greek (with accompanying workbook) to teach our boys Koine Greek.
  25. The recommendations noted in my earlier post come from the 2nd edition I have at home. However, I borrowed the 3rd edition from the library and compared the rhetoric level recommendations since that's where we are heading next. I made notes on my 2nd edition with any changes, and the recommendations I listed above were not marked, so I assume they are the same in the 3rd edition. In the grammar area, SWB deleted the recommendation for Abeka grammar for the rhetoric level. The 10th grade book is probably recommended because as a senior, your student doesn't have any more time to complete the program next year... However, as the homeschool parent, you are able to make the best decision for you student. If you decide to move down a level, I would recommend not going any lower than the 8th grade book (for a senior). The 8th grade book is still challenging and covers most of the grammar concepts. When I reviewed the 9th/10th grade book, I opted not to use it because it covered very advanced grammar concepts and focused more on writing. Therefore, we stopped at the 8th grade R&S English book, and I'll continue to teach writing with Classical Writing in the high school years. HTH!
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