Hi, Well ds just did another assessment today. We are using the DORA test from Let's go Learn, the same one he used last year. When he took his assessment last June he placed in low 2nd grade for spelling. We have been using Phonetic Zoo since then and he took the same test today. He is now low 4th grade. So, in 8 months he has caught up over a grade (and he is still in level A of PZ). So, not only do we both love the program, but it is working and he is progressing at a fast pace now in spelling. :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

You really do not have to worry about that. IEW has an amazing return policy. If you do not like it FOR ANY REASON, return it, no questions asked. So, there is a little jingle on a card that they get at the start of each lesson. They master their word list before them move on. I take words for the personal lists from his work, mostly grammar and writing. We only are doing every other that way. There is a card to do it every 5th lesson, but it takes us about 10 lessons before I have 10-15 words on a card. I am about to do an update as he just did another assessment.

We really like Galore Park Science here. I would do Year one of Junior Science with your 4th grader. Instead of mixing I would just go really light with your first grader and do Magic school bus, Bill Nye, and popular mechanics DVD's, trips to the zoo, park etc.... Then, with both, fun science experiments, like the big bag of science at Timberdoodle. My husband is a scientist, and he says the main thing with the early years is to get them thinking science is fun and accessible.

We LOVE Phonetic Zoo here. I have written an extensive review of it. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/397302-my-ongoing-review-on-phonetic-zoo/page__hl__+phonetic%20+zoo#entry4676481

February (and October) seem to be hard months. Glad you are still plugging along. Just another thing to try if she is resisting. We use timers. I have them everywhere. I set it for how long it should take, then we see how far the progress is. I don't know why, but that ticking timer seems to speed things up. If the work is done, I then set the timer for between 10-20 minutes of "break"

Not sure as they have just totally re vamped their English. Have you downloaded the samples? They have pretty good samples on the website.

It can be a writing program too. There is that component to it. We use WWS so we just skip those lessons (They are bolded so that helps). We had not done a lot of grammar before level 5, but it does do a great job with review. For instance, it does not just assume the student knows what a noun is. It goes over it. It does not stay there long, but it does still give the definition of a noun and examples. The diagramming also starts right at the very beginning. Best of luck :001_smile:

From what I have read here on the board, in TWTM etc... *I* would start them in level 5. From what I have heard, the main difference between level 5 and 6 is the amount of review, and the assumption that this is there first time with R&S. R&S has a lot of sentence diagramming, and in level 5 they still explain it from the first step. I would put them both in level 5, but maybe do it differently with both. Present the lesson together, but then maybe have your 12 year old daughter do the work from the book independently, maybe do the lessons with your son orally and using the workbook. Are you planning on this just for grammar, or as a writing program too? This was a good thread if you want to read some more http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/357786-rs-english/page__hl__+rod%20+and%20+staff%20+grammar,%20+levels%20+skip#entry3751824

This is my first year with R&S English. I have a 5th grader using level 5. I have heard that level 5 is a good entry point. I will have to let others advise you to that part though. I have found the worksheets to just be busy work. I LOVE my teacher's manual and find it essential. At the beginning of each lesson it gives me an oral review to do. Also, how to present the lesson, and all the answers as the grammar is more than I was ever taught in school myself. I go through all the exercises and usually just assign odds or evens. I don't check the work, and as long as he is 90% or above on the test, we move on. If he is below that, we go back and re do and correct the lessons. Then he has to do what he missed (odds or evens). So far we have only done this once. He now studies his chapter before every test. I also spot check each week to make sure he did the work. Hope that helps some.

More votes for Draw Write Now and Dover coloring books.

I would wait. WWS is challenging, and it would have been a struggle in 4th grade. There is something that changes as children mature, and I think WWS is great for Logic Stage. It is structured to be a more independent program with the student taking a lot of responsibility for their work. One thing you could do it get the The Complete Writer, the writing with ease teacher book. Then you could assign subjects you think your dd would enjoy. If she is a strong writer, you could also experiment with another writing program for 4th grade. Look at writing from a different perspective. IEW, Brave Writer, or even the creative writer.

We used AAS then transitioned to Phonetic Zoo, and I LOVE it. Here is my review of it. We are just getting ready to start AAS with my younger, and will then transition after level 3 to PZ

We are also shifting to Memoria Press with the Dorothy Mills books and famous men of.... I wrote about this in another thread. I am having ds read through all 4 SOTW books in order for this 2nd half of 5th grade. He is finishing book 1 this week. He is making a list of his favorite time periods in history. Then we are going to spend 6th and 7th grade going really in depth in those areas that he likes(still chronologically) . He already knows that he likes SOTW 1 and WW2 the most. I told him he has to pick at least 1 thing from each SOTW 2 and 3. So we will be doing the first 3 Dorothy Mills books (Ancients, Greece and Rome). We are also going to do Famous men of Greece and Rome. The Illiad and the Odyssey. The poem Horatio at the bridge, and anything from the library we can find. Then when he lets me know what in book 2 and 3 I will make a plan. Then 8th grade we are going to spend on American History. I figure as we are trying to teach him to love learning, that it would be good for him to find parts of history that he enjoys.

Still using it, still plugging along and happy. We didn't get around to the DORA test last month, but I am hoping to have ds take it soon. I will let you know how he scores.

Have you looked at Timberdoodle? They have so many cool kits for different parts of physics.

We have changed. WWS is teaching all about writing, and his writing is improving so much I am leaving it at that. We are reading so much more with history. When I removed the writing from it, we are going so much more in depth in his favorite areas. I figure we all have parts of history we like more than other parts. So right now he is reading all 4 story of the world books in order. He is telling me what he wants to learn more about. Then we are going to go through history again. Chronologically, but only studying the parts he is most interested in, and doing them in depth. Reading tons, and lots of discussions.

Ok, looks like we might have some similar book tastes. On the Du Maurier side, I lived in Cornwall and had lunch a few times at the Jamaica Inn. How about A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libby Bray. I really enjoyed this first book, but I could not get into the rest of the trilogy. I like books that give a glimpse of history or another culture through fiction. Does that make sense? Anyway, The Poisionwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, The Help By Kathryn Stockett, and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Those don't deal with the supernatural, but are interesting glimpses of other times and places. Also, just really good stories. My friend told me The Help was one of the best audio books she has ever heard. Really well done.

We use Teaching Textbooks. No tests, just quizzes and lessons. I had my son go through taking the quizzes, If he got below 95% I looked at what he missed and had him do that lesson. They have some practice questions at the start of each lesson, so once he was getting under 95%, I had him do the practice questions of each lesson and then the quiz. Again 95%. Once he was below 95% with that we started doing all the lessons and quizzes. I let him get 80% and above in the lessons, but if it is below 90% in a lesson I go over it with him. If it is less than 80% we go over it and then he does the whole lesson again. That has only happened once. It teaches the material pretty well, he is not a kid who was strong in Math, but he gets 100% most quizzes after going through the lessons. We have been using TT for about 2 years now, and he is a lot better at Math.

Unless I missed it. The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. If you enjoyed the historian you should like that. Totally different, but the same if you know what I mean. Have you read any Anne Rice before? If you don't want to read about witches, then Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat are also really good. It is just the Witching Hour is more in the same vein as the historian. Someone reading the history. The vampire novels are from the vampire's point of view rather than someone researching the history. Daphne Du Maurier is one of my favs! Rebecca and Jamaica Inn are both really good.

We are going to spend a long time on Greece too. We are using a lot of what is already posted. Also the book of the Ancient Greeks by Dorothy Mills. There are a lot of good resources with Memoria Press.

We use the IEW Linguistic Development through Poetry memorization. I also sometimes read them poetry. I pick my favorites as they are more likely to like it if I am reading it with joy.

I would take a look at Galore Park's Latin Prep. It is as relaxed or rigorous as you make it. It has 10 chapters in book 1 and we are on chapter 4. We are taking it slow and steady. My 5th grade son picked it over the other programs. He finds it funny, and enjoys it. My Dad who teaches him Latin likes it as even though there are silly cartoons etc... it is a solid latin program.

I get my GP through Horrible Ray. http://www.horriblebooks.com/

We have lakeshore and faber castle and dd asked santa for these this year as she only had an 8 pack. http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-30ct-Twistables-Colored-Pencils/dp/B000REI1FU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356925621&sr=8-1&keywords=crayola+twistables They are her favorite.

Yeah! Good to know. If you look at the guide, would it be good for my 5th grader? I am thinking of having him do ancients with guide at the end of this year and over the summer (we school year round) Then in fall of 6th grade doing the greeks with the dorothy mills guide, and read (no guides) for famous men of greece, and d'auliers greek myths. Then Romans in the spring. I am still playing with History, this is just where I am now. Thank you A, I always appreciate your advice.