Thanks to you both for the advice… do you think the younger two would have trouble trying to place in at grade level? They came home from public school 3 months into K and Grade 1. Both were very far behind. So while we were trying to get the hang of homeschooling, all we focused on was reading and math. So neither one has had much instruction for grammar, my son who's going into grade 3 doesn't know what a noun/verb/etc is, and is constantly forgetting his capitalization and punctuation. We haven't started cursive yet. My youngest has a pretty short attention span, and is just starting to read pretty well, so I haven't even started to teach him any grammar. Right now, he knows that a sentence starts with a capital and ends with a period, and that's about it. His fine motor skills aren't all that strong yet, and his printing is terrible. Do you think they might benefit from starting at Levels 100 and 200? Then I'd possibly just cross off the phonics sections, and continue on with ETC as it's helped them both tremendously. I just don't want to start them too high, if the books teach as though the student already understands what a noun is, verb, commas, etc. I'm not too concerned with them being on grade level since CLE seems so advanced, but I also don't want to waste time on a level that's too easy for them. I think I'm figuring out my answer as I "talk" to myself! I think it might be best just to put everyone where the placement test places them, one level behind. Then continue ETC for the younger two, and include EIW for all four of them. I'm really worried that my younger two just aren't prepared for jumping in at grade level in CLE. It's probably smarter to make sure we have a good foundation rather than pushing them ahead faster than they're ready for. We're also planning on using Bookshark's Reading w/History and Science for all four. We'll continue on with CLE's math.

I have 4 kids, going into grades 2, 3, 6 and 8 this year. I've decided to try CLE LA, as we've been using their math for the last 2 years and it's worked very well for all four kids. Previously they were at public school. We did the placement tests, and they're all placing a grade level behind. I'll stick with levels 500 and 700 for the older two, but I'm wondering what to do with my younger two. I've read that if you haven't used CLE's learning to read program, then it's much easier to jump into their LA at level 300. For those of you who've switched your children over in Grades 1 or 2, do you find this to be true? I'm wondering if I should place my son who's going into grade 3, into level 300 instead? And then place my son who's going into grade 2, in level 100? Or maybe I should just find something different for my youngest and then start him in CLE next year at the 300 level? The diacritical markings in the tests really confused them, and my older two have never learned diagramming, so I'm also wondering how easy it will be to catch them up? I was thinking that I should get CLE's diagramming book to help the older two. In your opinion, is diagramming important enough to bother with catching them up, or should we just skip the diagramming sections? I'm also considering using EIW for all four, as I've read the writing instruction in CLE is a bit weak, so any thoughts on that would be appreciated as well. If it makes any difference, the last two years we've been using Easy Grammar, W&R, and Spelling Workout. My younger two used ETC (which I also plan on continuing), Phonics Pathways, and Just Write.

Thanks for the link, I'll try to find some time today to listen. :)

Our kids have been in public school until January this year. We've been keeping things simple (kind of unschooling), and only doing some formal LA and Math, plus watching lots of documentaries and reading great books. We're ready to take on more though, and I'm starting to get a plan together for the next school year when my kids are in Gr.5 & Gr.7. My oldest who's 12 and going into Gr.7, is a huge science nerd. He finds it all interesting, and has been reading/learning about Astronomy this year, as that's what they were going to be teaching at public school when we pulled them. My problem is, science is my weakest subject. I zoned out of Science class when I was in school, and barely passed. It's a subject that I need a little hand-holding in. Also, I have 2 other younger boys who will be going into Gr.1 & 2. With being a new homeschooler, I also don't want a program that entails me trying to put together a curriculum on my own, I need something that's all planned out for me. I really am worried about doing my kids (especially my science-loving oldest) a disservice when it comes to science, and I don't want them to struggle when they hit high school level science courses. With that in mind, what would you recommend? I've been researching for hours now, and I like the looks of Science Fusion and CPO Science. I've also looked at Supercharged Science's Ultimate Curriculum series. With Science Fusion, I found a lot of bad reviews of their lower elementary courses, which is turning me off a bit as I was hoping to get something for my younger two boys as well. But I love the looks of the middle grade units, I love that it's online and teaches science for me. I love that the kids could choose which units they want to study since they're designed for use anytime between gr.6 - 8. I'm wondering how difficult the labs are and if it's easy to get the materials required though. I'm also wondering if the middle school courses would be too difficult for my daughter going into Gr.5, as it would be nice to combine my older two kids. For CPO Science, I'm a bit confused as to what exactly we would need to order. The supplies packages are insanely expensive, so I'm worried about not having the materials for the labs. Same problem for the Ultimate Curriculum series with Supercharged Science. I do like that it's taught on DVD's though. Any reviews on these programs? Would it be okay for me to try to combine my older two in 1 program and then combine my younger two, or would I be holding my oldest back by doing so? Any other programs I should consider? TIA!

I would prefer secular, but if the right program for him is religious, that's okay too. As for me teaching to him, it's not that he dislikes it, it's that he doesn't retain any information. He learns much better with programs that are written to the student rather than fully depending on the teacher teaching it to the student, kwim? It doesn't mean I just hand him his work and he's on his own, I still oversee to make sure he's understanding what he's learning, and I'm of course available for him if he has questions or needs help. A program that is instructed to the student works better for him. He retains things better if he can read the definition of a verb, rather than me telling him. I'll take a look at Analytical Grammar and Growing with Grammar, thanks for the recommendations.

We're new homeschoolers, and my oldest is 12 years old (Grade 6). We've been using Hake Grammar & Writing, but he hates it. He says it's covering too many things at once and he keeps getting it all mixed up. Nothing is being retained. He loves Singapore, and I'm thinking by his description of what he dislikes about Hake, a mastery-based grammar program would serve him better. He's a visual/kinesthetic learner, not auditory in the least. So any type of discussion-based program that involves me teaching to him won't work. He prefers workbook style where he can read things for himself and work on his own. LA is his weakest subject and in my opinion, he's quite behind, especially in grammar. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much! I think I'm definitely sold on CAP's WR for my daughter. So now I just need spelling (she's a natural speller but definitely not ready to be finished a spelling program quite yet), and grammar. She does read, but it's not her favourite activity. LOVES read alouds though! I wonder if I should get a literature program for her. Some type of novel study. I just have this nagging feeling that I'm not doing enough for either of my older two children! It is our first time homeschooling though after being in public school so I don't want to overload them either. How about All About Spelling? Is it an easy program to jump into around a Gr.4 level? I have it here (Level 1) for my 6 yr old to start when we're finished Phonics Pathways. I know it's very rules-based though, and I'm not sure if I would have way too much ground to cover for my older two who've had nothing but spelling word lists every week for the past 3-5 years. No rules whatsoever have been taught. For grammar I'm still undecided. Is Easy Grammar too… easy? Is it too light? Maybe I should check out Junior Analytical Grammar for her instead?

I LOVE the looks of CAP's Writing and Rhetoric!!! I'm definitely ordering that for my 9 yr old daughter, I really wish they had the next levels so I could try it on my 12 yr old as well. I looked at both IEW and Essentials in Writing, I just don't know if my son would like it. He's a visual/kinesthetic learner. Hates listening to anyone trying to teach him anything. He'd rather read it himself and do his work on his own. *I* would like it as I wouldn't worry so much about my writing instruction failing him, but I don't think it'd be a good fit. So, for my 9 yr old, CAP's W&R looks like a fairly loose schedule. Only 3 days a week? I'm just trying to figure out what to add to make it enough. Easy Grammar daily? Or twice a week opposite of CAP's W&R? And spelling daily? Is that it? It just doesn't seem like enough. I read posts of other people doing an hour of work per grade level, and even right now we're no where near that. Today we did 45 minutes of Singapore math, 50 minutes of McRuffy LA, then 45 minutes of Science. Science is Tues/Thurs and History/Geography is Mon/Wed/Fri. So for Gr.4 she only averages around 2.5 hours a day. Is that normal?

Thanks you guys for all the input. I'm off to do a bunch more research and check out samples of everything!

Wow! Thank you all so much! I keep going back and forth… I'm just at the point where it's driving me nuts and I just want to decide on something so I can forget about it for awhile. About the deschooling…. I considered it, but my older two are so worried and anxious about falling behind (people's stupid naive comments wore on them), that even the idea of it stressed them out. So we're doing more interest-led Science/History/Geography, then sticking with normal math/LA. They had wonderful grades at public school, yet when I did the placement tests with them, and now that I'm working with them and seeing what skills they have/don't have, they're really behind. So we're working through Singapore math and doing really well, everyone's enjoying it. And once I get comfortable with an LA choice, those will be the only two subjects we consistently work through, just because we want to catch up on some of their weaker skills before we jump in to a regular, full year of HSing. MCT looks good and definitely has some good reviews.. but it worries me that it's supposedly really teacher-intensive. My husband works away from home a lot, so HSing is completely on my shoulders, along with everything that entails taking care of 4 kids and a bunch of animals and an acreage. I'm also HSing a 6 yr old and 5 yr old. So even though I want to choose what will work best for him, I worry that there's just not enough time in the day. Plus my oldest (12) really prefers things he can do on his own rather than waiting for me to finish working with another child. I looked at Voyages in English, and while *I* like the looks of it, my oldest preferred Easy Grammar. So I was considering doing Easy Grammar, IEW-B, and an undecided Spelling Program. Is that everything or am I missing something? Another approach I'm considering, since he really seems to dislike LA but loves to read, is maybe something like LLATL? Maybe it would be helpful for him to back off a bit and go with a bit of a lighter program than a more rigorous one? At least for this first year while we get the hang of things, and then go from there? That still leaves me with my daughter (9). She can definitely handle the more rigorous approach. She's very bright and quick to catch on to new things. Great memorization skills. She's a good reader, but doesn't enjoy reading. I have to push her to read chapter books, she'd still rather read picture books. Great at spelling. Writing comes a bit easier for her. She's not the best writer, but she can at least write something, and isn't' like my oldest who will just sit there upset because he can't think of anything at all. Hmmm….

We recently switched to homeschooling over Christmas break. My oldest son is in Grade 6, he just turned 12 yrs old. He's a very logical child. For this reason, he loves math and science, hates Language Arts. The only component he loves, is reading. He loves adventure books, he's read Harry Potter, Warriors, and Percy Jackson. He's an okay speller, but I need to get him a spelling program as Hake doesn't have enough. He's extremely weak in grammar, he knows what a noun is but that's about it. He's even weaker in writing. I'll give him a simple 5 minute writing assignment and he'll sit at the table for an hour getting more and more frustrated and upset until I finally cave in and help him. He says the problem is that he needs a sentence to start him off, but even when I give him a starter, his writing is extremely sloppy. He just rushes through it and wants to get it over with. Very short, non-descriptive sentences. It's already becoming a daily battle. For writing, we're using Jump In. It seemed very basic and light, so I thought it would be good for him. I'm not sure how much "lighter" it can get than this. For grammar we're using Hake 6, which I hate. I don't like the set-up of it. When asked, he tells me that he doesn't switch and he doesn't mind it, but he admitted that it's just because he doesn't want to start over in something else. Even though we're only a week into it. Basically he's the type of kid who just wants to get his work over with as fast as possible and will take as many shortcuts as possible to get there. My daughter is 9 and in Gr.4. She's extremely bright. Very neat, enjoys workbook style curriculum. I didn't know what to get for her, and was panicking a bit as I needed something, so I purchased McRuffy 4 LA. She seems to put up with it, as she's probably used to a lot of busywork from public school, but I don't like it. It seems like so much wasted time. I'm not as worried about her, as she'll do well with whatever curriculum she's given, without complaints. I have been looking around though as I think she can do better with something else that's a bit "meatier". LA is not my strong point, I have a more logical mind like my oldest and don't have a creative bone in my body. Math was my best subject in school. So LA really makes me nervous as I'm scared I'm going to screw it up! Also, we don't have a reading comp or literature program right now. I read aloud to the kids, and they have their own books that they read to themselves, that they pick out. Should I be doing more for that? Any suggestions for new programs? Especially grammar and writing for my oldest? ETA: The only thing my son does like about Hake Grammar and Jump In is that he can go ahead and do his work on his own without having to wait for me. So a self-instructed program would work better for him. He doesn't like being "taught" unless he's struggling and needs the help.

Thanks guys. :grouphug: We did our math today, and it was way less stressful! I didn't even open the HIG's. Just went over the pages in the textbook with them and had them answer the questions orally or on the whiteboard, then sent them to work in their workbooks and checked them over after. Easy Peasy! Thanks for the reminder to loosen up and not stress so much about doing every little thing "by the book". I'm sure there's a time and place for the HIG, and if we get to a concept they struggle with then I'll pull it out. Until then, they're staying in my closet! :001_smile:

Wow. I LOVE this forum. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you. Especially Lori D! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, I seriously don't know what homeschooling parents did before message boards existed! Although I guess it's a double-edged sword, as I wouldn't have been as worried about dropping the HIG if I hadn't read a few older threads first. I read post after post about how it's essential to the program, and you would miss the entire Singapore approach if you didn't read each lesson and teach the way it's meant to be taught. I'm going to trust my gut, and stick with it for now. We're only a week in, and I know I'm strong in math and can figure out how to teach it with just the workbooks and texts. I guess most of my frustration is coming from the HIG being so poorly set up. With this being our first year, I have a fear of not following each curriculum exactly as written, as I don't want to make a mistake, miss something, or teach something incorrectly. So I'll try to just set the HIG aside unless I need help teaching topic, and just use the texts and workbooks. I don't think I could set a formal curriculum aside for my 9 yr old for this year, as math is her favourite and strongest subject so she'd be in an uproar! Since she's so strong in math though, I don't think I'll have any problems in teaching her without the HIG. I also have the entire Miquon series here, so I'll add that in once my c-rods get here. For my boy in Gr.1, I think I just need to slow down and allow for more math games, and pull out some manipulatives for him as I think I'm pushing too hard. I need to get out of the mindset of "We're already halfway through the school year but starting at the beginning of our books so we need to hurry up and get through them!" Then next year, if this year ends up working out okay, I'll maybe look at trying Singapore Standards as I'm using the US Edition and I've been reading that the HIG in the Standards Ed. is waaaay better. Is the Scope and Sequence close enough to the same that we could do this year's work and switch to the following year's work in the Standards Ed. and not miss anything? Or would we need to do another placement test?

Yes, but I'd rather be in 3 different books versus the 9 I'm in right now with each level having a text, workbook and HIG. Next year when my youngest is in first grade it'll get even worse. I considered just dropping the HIG for each, but then I read a bunch of replies to various Singapore threads that said the entire concept is taught in the HIG and it's vital to the program. So now I'm just not sure! :) I checked the website and it says that they'll be writing pre-algebra during 2014. So yes, they may have it published by the time my oldest needs it, but will they have the following years' book when he's finished pre-algebra? I just don't know if I want to take the chance or if I'd rather just find something that goes all the way through. I was considering Saxon but it doesn't seem to get much love from many people, and CLE doesn't seem to be widely used either so I'm just not sure. Any other popular programs worth taking a look at?

Three days in, and I can already tell! I HATE the HIG. Takes far too long to read through what I'm supposed to teach that day, and even though math was my best subject in school, I'm not loving the way it's being taught. I don't have the time to read each HIG guide before I teach with 3 kids in separate levels, and one more up and coming. I also hate all the shuffling between the books. I end up with books spread all over my kitchen table, shuffling between each one trying to find the one I'm looking for. I'm finding I need an open and go, scripted to the student type of program. Any suggestions? I was loving the looks of MM until I noticed it doesn't go past Gr.6. My oldest is currently in Gr.6 so I'd prefer something that will carry him through to graduation. I'm really unsure at this point on whether mastery or spiral works better for each of my kids, as this is our first year homeschooling. We pulled the kids out at Christmas break so we're literally, just getting started.