My middle schooler is my youngest child, and my sole remaining homeschooler. And she is lonely! We are most likely moving this summer, so if we end up in a better school district, she may go to ps for high school. So her 8th grade year (next year) will be spent making sure she is ready academically for that, especially w/ regards to reading, writing, and math. Also, I have one generic semester for Landry Academy purchased (at a discount!) and will probably purchase a second semester so she can take a full-year online class. I do not know which class, though. Tentatively, but I really haven't looked at things much to know if this is feasable or how it would work out: Math--Finish Math U See Zeta. Singapore 5. Maybe MUS pre-algebra. English-- writing--Jump In! and Classical Academic Press Writing and Rhetoric, books 4 & 5. spelling--Apples book 2 literature--?? Maybe Lighting Lit 8. Maybe a lit list to go with history cycle. Maybe Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings (this has vocab, too, so an added bonus). Maybe some Progeny Press guides. grammar--Growing with Grammar 7 (finish), then GWG 8 History--SOTW 3 & 4 (read the chapter, complete the written questions, do the tests, do the map) Science--Finish Elemental Science Earth/Space. McHenry's The Elements and maybe Carbon Chemistry. Foreign Lang--So You REally Want to Learn Latin, finish 1, move into 2, unless we finish 1 this year. Then just 2. OR she may do a language survey course with Landry Academy. Or all of this. Logic--???? Arts--??? continue learning flute, for sure, but whether it is just private study or an ensemble situation remains to be seen. She likes music theory, so we would probably continue that on our own (right now she does it in a music co-op). She turns 14 this fall, and I will sign her up as a Venturing Scout. The place we may move has what looks like a well-established Crew right there! We will probably not continue with Girl Scouts.

I like your plans! I am curious, though, how much time do you allow per day for the LA loop? I do not know if that would work for us or not, but we might give it a go next year.

I am about to start my 7th grade dd with Apples: Daily Spelling Drills for Secondary Students. I do not know yet whether it is effective, but I think I heard about it a loooonnnngg time ago on these boards. I have used MW in the past, with my eldest two dc, and I really like it, but purchasing the workbook and TM/answer key for all the levels is cost prohibitive for me right now. Apples has 2 levels, that I think we can do over the rest of this school year and next (that would take us through 8th, and she may go to ps for high school, so I want something that we can finish). Anyway, if you go with MW, I would think that you wouldn't want to skip the first book. It has all the syllabification rules and practice, from what I remember. If we don't like Apples, or it doesn't seem to do anything for her, I think we will try How to Teach Spelling either by itself or along with How to Spell level 4, although this is not self-teaching. Good luck! Hope you move up from survival mode quickly and smoothly!

Here is what I would do, if I were actually having my middle schooler write about what she is reading (long story as to why we are not). She is a slow-ish reader, 7th grade, not such a great memory, who is just really getting her sea legs under her w/ regards to reading things appropriate for her level. So, I would probably have her write each day about what she has read, hitting the highlights of the plot. Then, at the end of the book, I would have her write the evaluation including if she enjoyed the book and why or why not. I would probably encourage more than two sentences of that evaluation. A stronger reader, who can read a book more quickly, could possibly read the whole book, then write a summary of the plot and then the evaluation. Right now we do this orally... when I remember to do it! Hope that helps at least a little.

I'll second Megawords. But make sure he's doing the reading portions of it. Also, sometimes mispronouncing is just a matter of not reading out loud a lot. I mean that if his comprehension of reading is good, then it's not necessarily a reading problem. Sometimes its just a matter of training the brain to read out loud, because saying the words adds one more step after seeing, decoding, comprehending. So, perhaps just more oral reading practice?

First off, :grouphug: (there's not a single hug, so you get a group one). I have been in similar situation as you, burnt out and not liking the job I was doing as a homeschool mom, but didn't have the mental or emotional energy to do anything to change it. I ended up hsing my eldest all the way through (starting his 2nd year of college), put my middle two in public high school (in 12th and 10th this year), and am still hsing my youngest, who will be a 7th grader. You asked about going into high school after an easy 8th grade year. I will say it depends on the high school. I don't feel I prepared either of mine very well academically, but they have done well in school. But I don't think that our local high school has super strong academics. My kids hardly ever have homework, even in their AP classes. :confused1: :glare: And no one really scores a 4 or 5 on their AP exams from this school, maybe some who really work at it get 3s. I think the thing that was hardest for them to get the hang of is that they had deadlines for things, and actually had to turn all their work in (I was terrible about that in the years leading up to them going to ps). But that was not too bad. The things my kids had going for them, though, was that they could think, and had a good grasp of k-8 math and could write reasonably well and that they had read tons of books in their homeschool lives. That reading thing I think gives them a broad knowledge base on which to build these other things, and of course has helped their vocabularies tremendously. All in all, I could have kept them home, and my mediocre homeschooling would have just about matched the mediocre education they are receiving from the ps. But they both really wanted to go to school, and they are both in band and LOVE it. Dd has said that she wished she could homeschool but be in band. That would be the best of both worlds for her. Ds loves school. He likes the structure of it. He is Mr. Social Butterfly (which is both good and bad--gotta keep my eye on him pretty firmly). He tried to skate out of taking an AP class this next year, because his "friends" weren't taking the AP. I told him to get new friends! I told him he would like the teacher and that he is smart enough to do the work and would enjoy the intellectual challenge and information offered by this teacher. I personally hate that they are in ps. Especially with band, their lives revolve around that, and not around the family. But I accept that it is how it needs to be. I have offered for them to come back, and threatened ds with it when he was getting sassy with me and fighting with his sisters for no reason, but they both like being in band so much they won't come back home. BTW, both kids have said that there is no way youngest dd should go to ps. She is super-sensitive, and they both say that the ps social scene would eat her alive. Both the ones in ps have struggled with some things there...they cannot believe how much the kids talk about doing drugs, drinking, and sex (and now sexualtiy and gender choices)... my kids just don't get it, and wonder how that is fun. As to whether or not to put him in 8th or 9th... You mention age and you mention academic level, but maturity is going to be a big factor. If he is very mature, I would go with 9th, or the acadmics and kids in 8th might bore him to death. If he is on par maturity-wise with the 8th graders, and won't mind repeating some academic work during his "adjustment to ps" year, go with that. I would weigh his opinion on this issue quite heavily myself. Good luck with your decision making! Whatever you choose, remember that it can be reversed if it doesn't work well.

Yes, they will find their own voice. Narration, dictation, copywork, summarizing, amplification, etc. are all just tools to teach structures and styles in writing. They are ways to explore what makes great writing great and learn to imitate it and learn to make it one's own, eventually. It's kind of like how I was taught in high school how to write using the 5-paragraph essay. 5 paragraphs: opener, 3 body paragraphs each corresponding to one point in the thesis statement, closer. Each paragraph has 5 sentences: opener, 3 points supporting that opener, closer. Very formulaic, right? Not much room for too much original thought, right? But knowing how to organize my thoughts helped me tremendously when I was in college and had to write much longer papers putting complex thoughts into words on paper (e.g. music analysis!). I certainly had my own voice as a writer and I still do. If you haven't, be sure to read what SWB says about writing in WTM. And read about the progymnasmata, which is the way the CAP program is teaching writing.

For my 7th grader here's what I've planned as read alouds: Cat of Bubastes Tales of Ancient Egypt The Children's Homer Tales of the Greek Heroes Augustus Caesars's World We're only spending one semester on ancients, so it remains to be seen if we actually get through all those.

Our big day is tomorrow! Ds#2 and I set out with 8 other boys and 3 dads to Sea Base, Florida! We're doing the Out Island Adventure. He is excited for all the fishing he will get to do. I am excited to be entirely off the grid for 5 whole days... we can't even have a watch! :hurray: :hurray:

Ds came home May 8. It is good to have him home! He got a summer job as a ride operator here. He is making more than minimum wage, which is good, and more than they advertise that they pay for that job. He is getting a little stir crazy here at home, so starting work next week should be a good thing. I've even suggested that he get a second job delivering pizzas once or twice a week. He certainly could use the money.

My ds learned this exact lesson in dual credit classes while he was still homeschooled. He told me he got a C in what was an easy class for him. I thought for a second, and asked if he had ANY zeros at all. "Only one or two," he said. :eek: Yep, he learned. AND this year, his first year away at college, his grades were not stellar at all. All Cs or better, but mostly Cs. He told me he'd better spend more time in the library. I asked what difference that would make, and he said he would not have his laptop (i.e. League of Legends), and would spend more time studying. It was a great opportunity for me to discuss (again) what it means to be a man, and that he needs to think about how he's preparing for his future family. He'll have 2 sciences and a foreign language next semester, and this is a great opportunity for him to work on his character by disciplining himself and focusing on his studies and not gaming...or the girl he likes.

UPDATE (hopefully the final): A huge thanks to those of you who suggested a second opinion!! I don't know why I didn't think of that when we were being bullied into the surgery. The pediatric sports medicine doctor said she is very reluctant to do that surgery on young people. And the more we talked to her, the more reluctant she became. She said she normally does that surgery on people who have multiple kneecap dislocations (dd has not had any true dislocation, only the one time where it slipped out and back), and normally only if it greatly affects daily life and keeps people from doing what they want to do. My dd walks up and down stairs at school, does marching band, etc. Granted she used a brace a lot this past marching season, but none of this kept her from doing the thing she loves. She has had two more rounds of PT. After the first round, the therapist pointed out to dd how the kneecap was sitting closer to where it was supposed to sit. And I think that during the course of the two rounds, dd's daily pain level lessened even more. She has been approved by the insurance for more PT, but we are having to hold off because of all the end of school year insanity. So... Hooray! No surgery, and much improved on pain and ability for my dd! :hurray: :hurray: It just took finding the right doctor, and the right PT place.

Can you please explain how you use SOTW at this grade level? I am planning on using SOTW 1 & 2 with my 7th grader, then 3 & 4 when she's in 8th. For SOTW 1 & 2, I plan on spending 1 hour, 3 days/week, and keep it simple. She will read a chapter, then do a dictation, summary, or an outline (one-level for SOTW 1, two-level for SOTW 2). We will most likely do the mapwork from the activity guide. And that's it. If I find that this does fill the hour, we can add in Trail Guide to World Geography, which we started this year, but did not finish. Other than reading SOTW (and the Holt Geography), are you planning any other work with it? Thanks for your help.

Sorry! Posted from my phone and it kept saying it didn't send the post. Now I don't know how to delete from the phone! 😬

Didn't the Galveston mama adopt the child of her friend who passed away? Was Kimber her board name?

Kimber? Was that the Galveston mama?

Kimber? Was that the Galveston mama?

Sorry about the double post... was posting from the app on my phone and it posted twice.

I am actually glad they have venturing committee training now. None of us has taken it yet, but I am hopeful that it will give us more of an idea of the committee's role at this level. I previously took leader specific but it was all about the advisor role.

How about what WE are working on in our kid's Troop? I ended up being in charge of our big troop fundraiser this year, a BBQ and silent auction. It is this Sunday, and we are expecting to serve over 600 plates! Things are going pretty well, but I will be the happiest woman alive come Sunday around 3 p.m.

Is Scouting co-ed in Canada? I have heard that it is in some countries... I wish that was so in the USA! I have two daughters and two sons so it sure would be simpler for me if they could all go through the same program, even if the younger years were gender-segregated.

I home schooled dc#1 all the way through 12th grade, and he is now in college. I am currently home schooling dc#4, who is in 6th grade. My middle two children home schooled through the 8th grade, then opted to attend the local public high school. Dd17 is in 11th, ds 15 is in 9th. Overall, the idea of parent-directed education has guided me in being more involved in what is going on with my kids in school, mostly in their class choices. I have started each year of the past three years trying to "afterschool" at least a little bit with enrichment-type things like poetry memorization and a set amount of time for reading quality books. But they are both in band, and have a rather aggressive practice, performance, and competition schedule in the fall, AND my dh works an excessive amount because of the nature of his job, making me responsible for most of the goings on at home, so it gets hard to maintain any after school things. In our school district, I do get quite a bit of power when it comes to the courses they are taking, and whether they are "regular", Pre-AP, or AP level. Even if a teacher doesn't recommend that my child take a Pre-AP or AP level course, I can override that. Mainly being a classical home schooler, and having read WTM has given me a standard to compare and try to guide my ps school kids' experience. Making sure they are taking the most rigorous plan they can, and learning across all subject areas for at least the first year or two, then allowing them to specialize as much as possible. However, I have been able to customize slightly. Dd17 loves music. She is in band, choir, and is taking AP music theory this year. The graduation requirements in our state just changed (again) and although she is not required to take a fourth year of science, I am having her do so. I did relent on my personal requirement of 4 years of foreign language. She was studying French, and did the two years that are required. The French teacher is very old and on the verge of retirement, and has poor classroom management skills. My dd was going nuts in French class because of the bad behavior of the other students and the teacher's reactionary style, so I let her drop French. Besides, I figured that taking AP music theory in place of a third year french that is only offered at the "regular" level was the more academically rigorous choice. My son, who is coming in under the new graduation requirements is not required to take world history :confused1: :glare: . They offered him the chance to take a second science next year, but I insist that he take world history. He will have time to double up on sciences (and specialize) in his Junior and Senior years. In addition to his academic classes and band, he is taking some vocational courses like wood shop (which they call principles of construction and architecture lol). For him, having a hands-on class is great, and learning practical life skills... which is something that I have tried to balance with academics in my home school. I have taken a somewhat hands-off approach, though, to them learning to be responsible for getting their work done!! I keep up with their grades, fuss and stay on top of things when it is appropriate, applaud when they do well. When dd was first in school, her math teacher constantly sent updates, etc. on what was going on in class, and how the students were doing. This year, her AP English teacher and her AP US History teacher send updates on assignments, etc. via a group text system. I always ask if they have homework, and make sure they don't wait until 9:30 p.m. to start it!! I always say I hate having them in school, because our particular school is meh when it comes to what I consider academic rigor, BUT they are happy and smiling and laughing and super-chatty EVERY DAY when I pick them up. Each of them was pretty miserable at home in the last year they home schooled.

Pumpkin chunkin? Now THAT sounds fun!

My dd and I have been working through Killgallon's Sentence Composing for Middle School. I say that she and I are working through it together because it is hard. Sometimes, I cannot figure out what to do, and have to look at the answer key, and she is frustrated with it. I figured out that part of her frustration is that the sentence structures are way more complex than her reading level. :sad: But I really like the Killgallon approach, so today I ordered Sentence Composing for Elementary School. I think it will be a better fit for her. And we are working on her reading skills, too. Also, we have been on a super-tight budget, so I haven't gotten all the components for Elemental Science just yet. In lieu of that, I have been having her read a one- or two-page spread in Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. I have been making up worksheets with fill-in-the-blank, short answer, "describe XX" and "sketch XX" type questions for her. I am trying to tie the pages into things we hear in the news or whatever is going on, e.g. the eclipse was last week, and she did the page on eclipses the day before it happened. So far, though, she is digging MUS, SYRWTLL, and Trail Guide to World Geography, which are all new for her this year. She also likes GWG, Orbiting with Logic, and Explorer's Bible Study, but I knew that she liked those from previous books in the series. I am pretty sure she'll like the lower-level Killgallon book, and once we get going for real with science, and she gets used to reading more... It's shaping up to be the best homeschool year we've had in a LONG time. :hurray: :hurray: