I thank you all for the replies. I guess I will pick up a reinforcement book of literary terms. I am leaning toward Figuratively Speaking becasue I can order that several places and thus combine shipping:) I was thinking of using Hewitt or PP for the poetry study. I have the How to Read Literature Like a Professor. It's a good book.

We have an old home that we have refinished room by room. I finished the pantry first and there was a great deal of wood in there. It had been painted, so I used a heat gun and it worked wonders and saved a small fortune in stripper. However, I knew then that I didn't want to do this in every room! I got brave and called our local furniture stripper when it came to the task of redoing our living, dining and parlor rooms. He charged us around $65 a room to dip and sand our woodwork (that includes the doors and windows). We literally stained, nailed it back on, filled nail holes and varnished. I couldn't have bought the stripper and supplies for that. I don't know if this helps you out, but you might want to check it out.

I swear by this program!! We were finished with our oldest in about an hour and I couldn't keep my youngest out of the stories. We only had to go back to review one time!

Thank you for the replies. Now I have to decide if I do economics or constitutional law 2nd semester:).

Thanks for the replies! Now I have to decide if I do economics 2nd semester or maybe constitutional law:). I'm off to check out Micheal Farris' site.

Does Teaching the Classics teach all the literary terminology that one needs to know or should one supplement what is learned with say something like Figuratively Speaking? Also, does it teach much in the way of poetry analysis? I am strongly leaning toward buying this to teach literature to my rising high school student and my middle school student.

If it is to be a 1/2 year course, what does one fill in with the second half of the year? I am considering using Thinkwell for Am Gov't and am wondering after reading a few posts about Am Gov't being 1/2 year.

Thanks! I found the website short on info.

The website for Apex Learning seems to be vague. The course outlines I can understand as being vague because unless you are signed up for class what is the sense of going over them with a fine tooth comb? However, I am wondering what the monetary breakdown is for the classes and I can't find that section anywhere. There is "Home"..."Courses"..."Contact us"... Can anyone direct me to better/more information and tell me what Apex costs? I would apprecate it.

I'm bumping this because I would love to have an answer as well.

Boy, oh boy! I could have written this post. We live on a farm and I have always been an animal lover. Lately though, I have been thinking about reenacting The Shining! We have a love sick billy goat who won't stop crying, a bored, loud cockatiel and a neurotic dog. To top it all off, we are raising a wild animal until it is ready to go back out into the wild (which it will as I have been down this road three times before). I am only mentioning the ones I am most tired of lately. However, I figure even Loren Greene probably had days in which he didn't feel so perky. I keep telling myself that we chose this lifestyle.

I am a GED teacher and Stech Vaughn study aides are great and close to the actual test. As a matter of fact, they were warned a few years ago that they were "too" on target. Anyway, I would avoid the big study guide and work your way through the topical guides. They are very user friendly. I also remind my students that they can take the test a portion at a time if they get overwhelmed at the thought of the whole exam looming over their heads. For example, if math is really bothering her, she can put her all into studying just that and then go test in just that. I think that for many people it knocks down on the chance they will drop out in frustration. If she goes that route, she will have to pay for the entrie test once and then $5 for each individual portion she goes in for later. I hope this helps. One more thing... she want to go to the local community college and find out what resources they think are good. Sometimes they will lend out books for a refundable deposit. I think most GED teachers are geniunely interested in helping students even if they aren't signed up for the class at their location. Believe me, with what we experience through out the year, we are tickled pink to have someone truly motivated come through our doors!

That would describe AT LEAST one out of every seven of my mornings. Desperation puts me at a disadvantage. The rule at our house during the school year is that if any child spills the teacher's coffee it is an automatic expulsion!

I was looking over Hewitt with new eyes yesterday and they have what appears to be very good lit guides for poetry. There are sizable samples of each guide they offer.

Last year we used IEW and the history supplemental pack that went with Trisms. The kids wrote a paper a week following the IEW outline. They learned the most they have ever learned about their writing. Also, because of the sheer volume of papers they were handing in, I was able to really, accurately assess them without their feelings getting hurt. In a way, IEW/History Supplementals turned the process into an assembly line of writing. I know now that I could assign a paper and there wouldn't be so much as a flinch from either one. They both have things they need to work on, but they understand very clearly and clinically what those things are.

I'm so glad you posted. I, too, am wondering if PP is a good stand alone with books I already have. I am wondering if a child will learn what they need to know about literary terms/analysis using these guides. Are you considering using these in place of a literature course like Hewitt?

Thank you for your speedy reply! When you get done with this homeschooling gig, you might want to put in an application at Hewitt:001_smile: I just went back to their site and was looking around. I may be ordering more from there anyway, so I guess the postage won't be so bad.

Do you know of any place to get the History of US Junior High Syllabus and Tests besides Hewitt. Although it is only $9, the shipping is another $7.50! I thought I would explore options, but now I am wondering if this exclusive to Hewitt.

That post brought a grin to my face!! I'm so glad you have him back safe and sound:)

Brisket is the meal my son always asks for on his birthday:) I'm not sure if you have a fresh one or if your brisket is corned beef brisket. If it is corned beef brisket, boil it on low for the better part of the day. It will reach a point where it goes from being very tough to totally relaxed and able to be pulled off with a fork. The last forty minutes we add carrots, potatoes, cabbage and onions in big chunks. This couldn't be any easier. NOW, our favorite way to have this is to spread a thick barbecue sauce over it with lots of spices and then bake it covered on low for the better part of the day. Surprisingly, our family still likes it to be the corned beef style that we do this with. We have used the fresh and it is good. I just find it needs a bit more seasonings. Also, go the recipezaar for a whole load of brisket recipes. Happy eating:001_smile:!

I thank you ladies for answering. ou pose some good questions and some good ideas. As far as the standardized testing goes, I have come to the conclusion that, yeah, I hate it, but it is the standard for all kids. Eventually they have to take the ACT or SAT and it is relatively the same. As for my daughter, she does NOT test well! Overall, I don't worry because she retains everything I teach her very well. Overall, she is a eager learner and that is one of the most important things to me. When my kids don't want to learn something new, then I know I am in trouble. I will check into Punctuation Puzzlers and Growing With Grammer. I chose the two "Dailys" because there are different skills being worked on and they remind me of some of the testing styles. I was actually impressed with both books. I am hoping I don't leave any gaps with integrating several styles.

We adopted a three year old lab who hadn't been fixed. He had to be fixed before he came home with us. His surgery went well. The only thing I notice different about him is that he is a major hiker when he pees unlike the dogs we had fixed earlier.

I'm so sorry! I am a huge dog lover. We once lost our old bassett hound while we were gone on vacation. Our housesitter accidently didn't close the gate and out he went. He wasn't in great shape and we were sure he got lost in the thick woods and died. We prayed. We mentioned it to one other person and do you know a few days later they called because they thought they had spotted him a country block away wandering down the side of the road. We found him that afternoon a full week later. Hang in there and pray. If someone was good enough to pick him up bacause they thought they were saving him, they will be likely to call the local shelters. I'll say a prayer for you.

We used R&S the year before last and my daughter, then 10, was great at it. Last year, we used IEW and I expected a paper from them every week. She did great and can put out a paper in little time with little effort. Sure, she has a few corrections to make, but overall, she writes well. Some of her papers were two pages typed.We covered rules of grammer through out the year, but we used no real program besides a grammer practice book for review. That being said, she didn't do so well on the English portion of the standardized test this year (average across the board). Afterwards, I had her write all her punctuation rules with examples of each and she was right on the spot! This year I am considering an Home2Teach, Winston Grammer, Daily Paragraph Editing and Daily Language Practice. Am I way off track? I want her to feel language arts comes easy. We don't practice for standardized tests at our house and I wonder if she needs to practice those kinds of skills. I dread going back to R&S. It is so monotonous even though I know it works. I would like to spend more one-on-one time with her and my gut tells me to work on varied skills that will also be somewhat "test" like. Am I completely off track using a variety instead of a set program? Any advice would be appreciated.

I have plantar fasciatis and have the expensive orthopedic inserts. The last four years have been a rollercoaster of feet tapings, super supportive tennis shoes and Aleve. I literally mean tennis playing shoes because they offer supreme support as do basketball and volleyball shoes. I was told I will never be able to barefoot again which is a real killer for me. Anyway, it seemed as though my feet would never totally heal even though I was wearing these expensive inserts and following the expert advice to a tee. They would always stay on the edge of "well". Then I read on a forum where someone had purchased Chaco sandles because they offer supreme support. I purchased a pair at an upscale shoe store. They were $50 and they looked like regular flip flops. I was leary because my foot doctor told me to only ever wear highly supportive shoes. The arch in them is AMAZING!!!! It is so much better than my $300+ orthopedic inserts. I have worn these for over a year. I even wear them as slippers in the morning. My feet are totally healed. I can wear other shoes for a day or so at a time, but I wear these primarily. I recently purchased several more pairs and the manager at the shoe store in the mall said that Chaco was going over so well that the Chaco company is adding styles. He had the same experience I have had. Wow, I'm sorry I went on so much. This is truly a subject I know a great deal about (unfortunately). I hope this helps.