You are welcome. If you have a mathy student, VT is a very good choice. Our mathy dc said the VT explanations had depth but also said that there was nothing taught in VT that had not been covered in Saxon. For math dc, we used Saxon through Calculus with VT as a prep before ACT & SAT because dc finished Calculus early.

VT is comprehensive and probably more rigorous than TC, but TC is also comprehensive and rigorous. VT worked very well with mathy dc who used it as a review prior to ACT - flew through it and enjoyed it. For youngest dc, VT was not a good fit when we tried it several summers ago. You can purchase the first Algebra module for online use at a reasonable cost to see if your dc connects with it. Actually, now that dc has gone through the TC core courses, VT might be a good fit, and I am considering it for pre-calc. With math, like composition, you often have to try a few curriculum. It has taken lots of errors to find the correct fit for youngest dc.

Tablet Class math with weekly tutoring from the author

Tablet Class math - Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 Last dc is finally learning and understanding math through TC with weekly tutoring with the author.

I wish I could triple "like" Reefgazer's response. Dc, who is an anxious perfectionist, nearly fell out of the chair when I read it aloud. However, I was told that I definitely can't say that if the next Latin test isn't great. I will say that I have tried most of the above and none of them work. Silence is golden in our house for less-than-desirable outcomes....unless dc wants a hug.

Hi Derek, As an aside, I believe it was one of your posts that led us to Tablet Class math, which we have been using since the summer. Our youngest has struggled math, and I had resigned myself to just getting through the remaining high school classes any way possible. Tablet Class math combined with coaching from John Zimmerman has changed that. As regards LTW and Bravewriter, I have thought quite a bit about which should come first, and I think LTW should be first. Mastery of the Invention, Arrangement and Elocution tools taught in LTW will make the Expository Essay class with Bravewriter easier. I realize I am looking at LTW with some experience, but I do think your wife can teach it using the 5th edition. We are going to review LTW I soon, and I plan to follow the TG step-by-step. If you have any questions, join the LTW yahoo Mentor group and post the questions. Someone will help you. Btw, as I am writing this post, I am looking through LTW 5th edition, and again, I am impressed by the work the Circe staff has done to make LTW accessible to home school parents. Youngest dc is putting in lots of time studying for the National Latin Exam, but I am impatient to begin our LTW work because it's much more than just learning to write a certain type of essay. Feel free to send a pm if you have further questions. 1togo

We have also used LTW, and I am a fan of LTW as well. LTW I teaches one essay form, a complete persuasive essay, through Invention; i.e. coming up with ideas, Arrangement; i.e. putting your ideas in order, and Elocution; i.e. expressing your ideas appropriately. LTW I uses literature of the student's choosing for the basis of the essays. LTW shines (really, really shines) because it teaches the student to think about issues. Every essay centers on one question: Should Anne forgive Gilbert? Should Gandalf recommend Bilbo? Should Mole live with Rat? The process of thinking about these questions is complex, and as the student uses the various tools of invention, they will explore the characters, the setting, the meaning of words, etc. Also, I really like LTW essays because they contain only the ideas of the student. LTW essays equal original thought, and that thought is possible because of the rhetorical tools taught in the lessons. Just lovely. I recently bought the 5th edition, and it is a clear and masterful presentation of the LTW materials. It easily walks the teacher through the lessons - a linear progression with lots of examples.

Adding more input. Our older children took many Bravewriter classes, and our youngest will begin Bravewriter classes with the Spring session. For us, all of the Bravewriter classes were excellent, and like another poster, they involved quite a bit of work, especially Expository Essay and above. We followed this progression: KWI, Expository Essay, Timed Writing, Literature. As regards the Expository Essay, while the students will only write two complete essays during the class, an Exploratory Essay and an Expository Essay with research and documentation, many students will not master those forms on one pass. They will need to practice the form. The Expository Essay form is universal and can be used over and over with varying levels of sophistication; i.e. instead of a five-paragraph essay, the student could write eight paragraphs with two paragraphs for each point, or write a longer conclusion or introduction, etc.. After the form is mastered, it can be used for any topic/subject. Also, Bravewriter classes are shorter because they are focused on specific writing types, which allows the student/family to put together a year of writing that meets the needs and interests of the students. The four classes I mentioned, especially if the material is practiced, would definitely be worth a high school credit for 9th grade. The following year could include Textual Analysis, a class Julie teaches, Photography and Writing, Fiction I, etc. For my children, one of the best parts of Bravewriter classes was the feedback and the access that both parent and student have to the feedback given to other students. Teaching writing at home is often difficult because the student can't see what other students are writing. They don't know know what good writing by their peers looks like. Andrew Pudewa of IEW (I think it was Andrew.) has said that teaching a group of students gives the teacher the opportunity to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Some students are gifted writers with a wealth of ideas, access to language, etc. Others are not. It really benefits students who have less ability to see the writing of more able peers, and Bravewriter classes were so wonderful for our students because everyone. regardless of ability, was nurtured. As you an tell, I am a huge fan of Bravewriter.

The following is a writing idea from Jim Selby, the author of Classical Composition, for The Great Books of the Western World, but it can be used with any book. The student reads for 30 minutes and then writes 1, 2 or 3 paragraphs based on grade level. Paragraph 1 – 7th, 8th, 9th Identify the Great Idea (Adler's 103 Great Ideas) and summarize/paraphrase what the author has to say about it. Paragraph 2 – 10th Analyze/compare the reading selection with what the author has to say about the Great Idea in another place in the text or with another text (another Great Book or fiction work, the Bible, etc.). Paragraph 3 – 11th What difference would this make or not make in something you are thinking about doing or not doing? Why? The paragraphs are grouped by Great Idea. In other words, if the student writes a paragraph or two or three about Education, the heading of his writing page is Education. When he encounters the topic of Education in another book or excerpt, he adds on to that page. We also add book title, page numbers of the reading selection, and date. This will not work if you are using a Great Book set, but if you use paperback copies of the Great Books, the reading selection is marked using Adler's "How to Read a Book." Weekly 5-paragraph essay. This is a good option for a Friday timed essay using the types of prompts found in many literature guides.

Feel free to send a pm if you have a student who is struggling with math and have questions. I have given considerable thought as to why the various options we have tried have not worked for us and why TC is working. When a student who wants to learn math and has struggled is finally able to understand and progress, the result is pure joy.

I haven't posted in a long time, but wanted to write a quick post about math. Our two oldest children, a math struggler and a math whiz, used Saxon through Calculus with great success. As it goes, Saxon was not a good fit for last dc. So, we tried Chalkdust, BJU, Math Relief, Math-U-See, and VideoText. For various reasons, none of them were the right curriculum. After looking at posts on this forum, we bought the Tablet Class package with Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry, and we signed on with the author, John Zimmerman, for weekly online tutoring. The result has been beyond my expectations. Last dc is finally, finally learning/understanding math -- Algebra 2 and Geometry concurrently. Whenever dc runs into a hurdle, Mr. Zimmerman suggests a strategy to keep moving forward. The material is clear, but not without challenge, and Mr. Zimmerman is an exceptional tutor -- encouraging, intuitive, patient. I really cannot say enough good things about TableClass math.

The suggestion that I always make because it has worked for all of our children. First, teach your daughter how to take Cornell notes, which are a lot like outlining but with a more flexible format. Then, your daughter should "teach" her notes to an imaginary audience. If a person can teach the material, then they know it. Some students may have a learning curve mastering the process, but the payoff is worth the effort. Initially, it may take 45 minutes to take notes on 2 pages, but after practicing, 4-5 pages can be done that amount of time. We use the Cornell format; i.e. fold a piece of paper in half, put main ideas on the left, and support on the right, for every subject and for lectures as well. "Lecturing" may feel awkward in the beginning, but the method helps with understanding and retention.

Memoria Press' progymnasmata series followed by a rhetoric course (MP has that as well.) is definitely a classical writing track. SWB has materials she has written and suggestions for continuing on at the high school level. Circe Institute has two courses -- The Lost Tools of Writing I and II. Camille Goldston teaches an LTW I class for adults.

We are using Monarch for a credit in computers, and contrary to what I expected, the course is good. It thoroughly covers material; there is a reasonable amount of writing; the projects are connected to the lesson content; and the quizzes and tests aren't overly difficult. Dd has to study but not for hours and hours. Also, the online format works great for us. I assign the work, and dd does the work, prints the lessons to study, and takes the tests. Work that needs to be graded is sent to my account. The software generates several types of grade reports. It's an efficient system. I don't know the answer to your question about moving between courses and grade levels if you pay the monthly fee, but I am going to find out on Monday. If the monthly fee allows access to all the courses, that is a great deal. We have more courses that just need to get done, and I would love to use Monarch.

Other Lit/Reading Guides Secondary Solutions - secular, thorough Smarr- reading guides with literature response type questions If your son does not know how to write a literature analysis paper, follow Jill Pike's syllabus to work through "Teaching the Classics" and "Windows to the World." After that, your son would be prepared to use any literature guide.

Look on the IEW website for suggested curriculum order. If your student already has a good writing foundation; i.e. able to write basic narratives, paragraphs, incorporate basic style, write outlines, and basic essays, all of which are covered in TWSS, move on to The Elegant Essay and Windows to the World. If your student can write solid essays and introductory level-lit analysis, which are covered in EE and WttW move on to Excellence in Literature, the College Writing DVDs and the AP literature materials. By the time your student is working at that level,they will have a voice, etc., and the materials are definitely college prep. Also, the Tips and Technique DVD has suggestions for adding complexity to the basic work in TWSS. Of course, all the output from IEW products require input from the parent/teacher. If you are not comfortable providing input, take a look at online providers; i.e. Bravewriter, The Potter's School, etc. etc. Search this forum for suggestions for online providers.

We have used lots of writing materials, including IEW. Here is a bit of input: The foundation of IEW is Teaching Writing: Structure and Style. I have used TWSS with my own children and other children, and it is excellent for elementary and middle school students or older students who struggle with writing. IEW sells DVDs with Andrew Pudewa teaching the course, although I think it's important for you, the teacher, to watch, take notes, and do the exercises with TWSS, so you can provide good input on your student's work. Follow TWSS with The Elegant Essay, Windows to the World, Excellence in Literature, and any of the other IEW upper level courses, and your student will be very prepared for college. IEW sells products that range from elementary to college. The website has a Decision Tree with recommendations for age-appropriate materials. In addition to their writing products, I have used Phonetic Zoo, IEW' spelling curriculum, since it was first published, as well as Fix-It for grammar. Both have worked well for our children.

I don't allow notes for test taking because I don't see the point of an open book/note tests. However, we've done a few classes where I give a grade with no tests. Read, chapter work, essays, etc.

I would flip two of your courses and begin with Essentials in Writing. Then, I would add Windows to the World after Essentials is going smoothly. Since Essentials covers sentence structure, I would only use one of the grammar supplements - Daily Grams or MCT. Also, since Windows gives a thorough introduction to literature writing, I wouldn't require discussions for reading. Your student can read on his own time since the English work will take 1+ hours. Finally, I would include the SAT writing prep, but skip Time for Learning. Essentials, Windows, a grammar supplement, and SAT writing; i.e. timed writing, is plenty for one year.

We used Math Relief Algebra I in 10th grade, and it was a life saver because dc couldn't make progress with any other algebra curriculum. MR did not cover all the topics on a yearly Algebra I assessment required by our cover, so dc's score was low. Even so, I would still use MR with a frustrated and struggling student because it does an excellent job of teaching core algebra concepts. We did not forward with Math Relief to Algebra 2 because of the topic gaps mentioned in another post. I do wish we had found MR sooner. I would have used Algebra I in 7th or 8th grade and Algebra 2 in 8th or 9th. The teaching is so clear that I am sure dc could have done well with it at a younger age.

Ideas from Our House 1. I only plan one week in advance. Lesson learned from years of erasing and redoing schedules. 2. I use a student planner with times and put the work for each subject in 1 hour blocks, except for math and Latin, which are 1 1/2 hours. 3. I do not plan a week in advance for struggle subjects like math. Instead, I write the subject; i.e. Math, and leave the lines below that blank. Writing out a week in advance for struggle subjects has often meant lots of erasures because we may need to repeat lessons. We write in what has been done. 4. Dc checks off the work as it is done. The planner is kept on the breakfast bar, not in the school room, so I can float/plod by and check on progress. 5. Even though each subject has an hour allotted for the work, I under plan. In other words, I know what dc can do in an hour, and I plan work for only about 45 minutes. If the day is going well in terms of focus etc., dc will finish early. High fives all around! 6. I plan 4 full days with 1/2 day on Friday because of violin lesson, tutoring and errands. We do core subjects on Friday morning - math, composition, Latin, and violin practice. 7. We don't completely take Saturday off. Dc studies Latin, and we work on the struggle subject. 8. Sunday is off. 9. 5 or 6 weeks on, 1 week off P.S. Nine months to go, and I am a retired homeschooling teacher. Nine points doesn't seem like a lot of wisdom on planning and scheduling after years, many years, of agonizing about it.

We did Math Relief Algebra I and had the same problem with an end-of-the year Algebra I assessment for our cover. Although we love MR, we are not going forward with it. We have switched to Tablet Class.

Yes, basic flip phone - $10 per month.

We have taken many Bravewriter courses. All very good.

I would outsource his work. Take a look at Bravewriter classes, especially the options with Julie Bogart or her mother, both published writers. Many online services have advanced classes -- The Potter's School, etc.