I think the reason for so many variants is that is it never quite clear how to handle those 'difficult' grades -- K, 6 & 9 -- developmentally some are ready, others aren't. Educators waffle about how to handle them, that is why you see the different structures. There is no one size fits all. ~jmho Moira

Don't know how good it will be, but my dds are going to check out: learn to water color It comes from a resource recommended by Lori D. (I think) ~Moira

She's worked *so* hard to put together her music program, it just seems appropriate to graduate her at the same time. ~Moira

That's great news. I'm sure you are both very happy -- let the work begin.... ~Moira

Perfect. Thanks Moira

Can someone please explain the levels (e.g. niveau cm1, niveau 3ème, etc.) on the LaDictee site: http://www.ladictee.fr/. Working from the theory that 0-6 is preschool, then they seem to be aimed from preschool through about age 15, is that correct? tia ~Moira

When you send scores, all scores are sent unless you elect otherwise. HTH ~Moira

I typically send in my LOI in late July/early August. This allows work to be completed -- it sometimes extends into July despite the goal of July-June as the school year. You may want to check out the AHEM website for the court cases that apply to homeschooling in MA. Some MA homeschooling on yahoo groups -- mwhsers (metro west homeschoolers), masshomelearingassoc (ma state wide homeschoolers), hubhomeschoolers (Boston area) In June a school district is most concerned with getting their own reports together. Besides, in MA after 16 schooling is optional, so what are they going to do? HTH ~Moira in Ma

You can find mid-50 (25-75 percentile) data on the college board as part of the school profile -- you may have to enter your scores or expected scores to see it, I think it is in the 'how do you stack-up' section. Many college guides also list that data. hth ~Moira

All the best with the new little one. This is the one we used for Algebra II. I also have the teacher's manual (which I recommend) and the solution manual (not so useful, the only times I seemed to need it, it was not more detailed than the teacher's edition). We did advanced algebra and trig using his Precalculus text from Key Curriculum press. THT Moira

Thanks for the quick response. I was not thinking of it on it's own, just hoped you might have seen it. ~Moira

Cleo Have you used the CLE Grammaire-Progressive-Du-Francais-Exercises? They look thorough but I'd appreciate an opinion. tia ~Moira

We used Breaking the Barrier for Spanish II -- dd loathed it. Others have had good success with it I know, but that's why there are different texts -- everyone is different. She's decided to go with French in Action. ~Moira

Thanks to all who have responded. I did consider the Pimsleur, Joan, but decided that it was not really sufficient for her needs -- she'll be expected to be able to read and write French in the more advanced FRSL classes offered at McGill. Her goal is to test into at least a 3rd semester class -- our understanding is that the early classes move very slowly. Given her background in foreign language acquisition and strong work ethic, this seems a reasonable goal with a suitable program. She doesn't just want to be able to get by in French, she wants to be able to read academic materials written in French with good speed and comprehension. ~Moira

It is certainly possible to cover more than 1 year of high school foreign language in a year. My eldest switched from Spanish to German at the end of 10th grade. She took German I over that summer, German II and half of German III in 11th, completed German III and is just about done with German IV in 12th. HTH to provide some encouragement. ~Moira

Oh, she isn't stressing about learning French, she's excited and wants to get a headstart. She is hoping to go to grad school and will need to be able to read both French and German. She's very good with languages and would like to be able to get into a class that will challenge her, that's all. ~Moira

Congratulations to you both ~Moira

<bump>:bigear:

dd2 used to first book last year, thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot. She is using the second book this year but with less success -- she doesn't enjoy water colors and so has tended to procrastinate about it. She's about half way done. It is a good program HTH ~Moira

dd1 will be attending McGill University in Montreal in the fall and wants to get a head start on learning French over the summer. I am considering French in Action or the University of Texas First Year French for her. This will be her third modern language -- she completed Spanish I & II and German I thru IV; she has also taken Latin I thru V and Ancient Greek I & II so she knows how to learn a language. I took French in England for 7 years (through A level, if that means anything to you) and still read the occasional book in French, most recently, Around the World in 80 days and Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, so I can offer help but my spoken French is hesitant and its grammar pretty awful. Has anyone used these resources and/or can offer an opinion as to their suitability? Is there anything else I should be considering? A language session at Middlebury would be wonderful but not feasible cost-wise. Any and all help is appreciated. ~Moira

An arts and culture piece from MacLeans magazine Oh my goodness! Look at that Outfit!-- it came over on Explorator this week. I especially like the final comment: Really? My dds didn't get the memo. ~Moira

Sure you can -- turn it off, then drain and spin in the morning. HTH ~Moira Off to read the rest of this thread

Many (most?) AP English Language and Compositions courses concentrate on non-fiction writing, so I see nothing strange about this idea. just my 2cents ~Moira

I had both my dds take the expository essay offered by Bravewriter (description here). They and I were please with the results. HTH ~Moira

I think each child is different, if you have to push one you'll probably have to try to hold another back from taking on too much. I think siblings often model themselves on each other by trying to be just the opposite -- if that makes sense? With my first I just put stuff on her plate, she learns it and begs for more. (I pat myself on the back and think that I've got this homeschooling gig down.) My youngest takes one look at the plate decides it's not to her taste and downs her pencil in protest. (Humbling!) Both are smart. It's just that the interests of the former are academic while the later is more interested in the creative process. The eldest loves it when I take something she's interested in and turn it into a course. That same response kills the interest for my youngest. I have to be subtle, and subtle is not my strongest suit. I do have requirements for high school: 4 years of: English, math, science, modern foreign language, classical language, & social sciences. My eldest has many credits beyond this, my youngest will likely have just the 24. Both explore many things but in their own way. Thanks for asking. ~Moira