JRmommy
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Posts posted by JRmommy
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Now, that I have the hive's approval, we are moving on to the Middle Ages! So excited!
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No question. Go to the Middle Ages.
A historical period that interests the child is more likely to get done.
And I think knights are cool. :laugh:
He thinks knights are cool, too! :)
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We just started the history cycle this past school year. It didn't go too well. I could give a lot of excuses, but in a nutshell, it just didn't get done. My son didn't enjoy it and neither did I. I tried combining two curricula - MAJOR FAIL! He wants to move on to the Middle Ages. He is almost 9 years going into the 4th grade. What would you do and why?
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I have a couple of files that list out what our co-op has offered in the past. If you want to message me your email address, in happy to email them to you.
I am sending you a PM now. Thank you so much!
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This.
I got an incredibly good deal on MCT Island so we gave it a whirl. No. I mean, I can see what others love about it, but it was not right for us for all kinds of reasons. I did not like the vocab, I did not like the grammar, I loathed the writing. But the poetry! It was really good. Good enough that I bought the next volume up used by itself. I did not make my kids do the poetry analysis in it, but we really enjoyed reading it, learning some of the terms, and bringing them into poetry teas.
I'll add that while I like to read my kids "adult" or classic poetry, I think children's poetry is by far the most appealing thing at this age and that's okay. For thinking about complex uses of rhymes, Marilyn Singer is a great children's poet. She's probably most famous for her reverso books, Follow, Follow and Mirror, Mirror, but she has several others and many of them have such a great variety of different meters and rhyme schemes. Also, we've had a lot of luck reading poetry books where the poems are about a piece of art or paired with a piece of art.
Are you talking about MCT's Music of the Hemispheres or Building Poems? My son loves Marilyn Singer!
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Just bumping this up to hear about more suggestions.
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Thanks to Bravewriter and the implementation of poetry teas, my 8 yr old has a love for poetry (both reading and writing). However, I feel inept when it comes to poetry. We read poetry together, and he reads anthologies on his own and picks out his favorites to memorize. We've been working our way through "R is for Rhyme" which discusses various types of poems. I just feel like I need a guide to really discuss the meaning of some of the poems. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear how you approach poetry, especially with the upper elementary group.
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I really appreciate this, as I have a few ebooks to print!
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My son's favorite enrichment coop classes have been: Speech/Debate they used BJU high school curriculum (he was in 7th grade), Drama (middle school), and a Self Defense Class he took. Not sure exactly what you were looking for but that is his favorites the past couple of years. :)
Thank you! These are great ideas!
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I love these ideas! Keep them coming!
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Those sound awesome! I'm starting an enrichment co-op this fall, and I want to be able to present some ideas to those who can't come up with their own. Thanks for your input!
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I'd love to hear about the best enrichment co-op classes that your kids have taken. When describing the class, please state the age or grade level. Thank you!
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Singapore math (PM) is easy to accelerate. We used a few different speeds. The fastest was where my son knew the material cold and could teach it to me. For that, I had him tell me what he knew and had him do one or two of the most difficult problems in the textbook, and then we moved on. The next speed down from this, which was our normal speed most of the time, was for material that was reasonably easy for him, but that he did need some instruction on. For that, we did a quick lesson, and then he would do the problems in the textbook either orally or on the whiteboard. There were a few topics that needed additional attention. For these, I added the workbook, and for some that needed even more practice (like long division), I added one problem each day until he was solid on it in addition to whatever else we were working on.
I also had him do the CWP book (old edition) one level behind, which served as a review as well as practice with word problems.
Thanks for this explanation. At least it gives me an idea of how to actually accelerate it without feeling like he's missing on major concepts. We just switched to Singapore 3A from Right Start C last August. Honestly, I just became comfortable with teaching the Singapore way, and I am a mathy person with an engineering degree. So, part of the issue was me getting comfortable with the curriculum.
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I saved the end-of-chapter reviews to do 1 semester behind on Fridays.
I like this idea!
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BA is definitely more interesting in that it provides a variety of problem types and puzzle-ish problems. And it's more challenging - even 3A. I think accelerating PM is ok, be deepening it is even better. You could use a PM combo with BA. Have you tried using Singapore's Challenging Word Problems? Or the Zaccaro math books?
We did CWP 2 year, and it was too easy for him. I also thought some of the problems were worded awkardly. I haven't tried Zaccaro. I want him to be challenged, but it still alludes me how to accelerate. I just purchased Beast Academy 3A. I'll add that to the line up with Singapore 4A. The problem is because it is too easy, he doesn't like to do it. I think for him it feels like busywork.
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Are you doing grade 2? If so I think BA 3A would be a good fit. They have a placement test you can use to further explore whether it's right for your DS.
Plenty of us accelerate Singapore PM. Probably half the math threads on this board are about that topic. ;)
We are finishing up Singapore PM 3B. I just don't know how to accelerate it. Do you just skip lessons? Or should I have him do the review in every unit to make sure he knows how to do it?
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My 8 year old is advanced in math, but we've been doing Singapore PM at his grade level. He complains that it is too easy. I know that it is. Our state requires testing, and he tests a couple of grade levels ahead. I like the idea of going deeper. Would Beast Academy fit the bill? If so, do we start at 3A?
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Just bumping to get some ideas!
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We haven't played with our RightStart games since we switched to Singapore, but I'd like to add them back into our routine. What are your favorites for multiplication and division?
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I'm actually contemplating the same!
I'm toying with the idea of having some subjects only for 1 term. We follow the CM 3 term year and there are so many CM subjects I'd like to cover! I think it would be a nice change of pace to only focus on some of them each term. Obviously we'd have some subjects for each term (math, LA, history, science, Bible, etc.). However, things like Shakespeare, typing, cursive writing, composer/artist/poet/etc. studies wouldn't necessarily have to be covered for each term.
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First of all, I realize I don't have to do anything other than read to my dd. However, I'd love a simple schedule for us to follow for mom and daughter time. I'm thinking something we could do together in two 30 minute segments each day. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the look of Wee Folk Art, but I think my daughter may be a little too young for it. I'm definitely bookmarking it for next year. She can already identify the letters (both lowercase and uppercase) and knows the sounds for most of them. So, I'm really not interested in letter of the day/week type curriculum. I would love a literature based schedule with simple activities (maybe including bible, poetry, art and/or science type activities). Any recommendations?
ETA: Also, I'd like something inexpensive. :)
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Thanks for writing this up like this. This seems doable. Along with a PE/swim class 1x a week, piano lessons at home and a speech class, I think this should give us a well rounded year. Thanks for your input!
So, here's what I'm coming up with looking at your list:
Bible, memory work, and hymns during morning circle time
Math
Science 2x weekly, History 2x weekly, nature study 1x weekly (one choice per day)
Language Arts, something every day
Typing, Monday-Thursday
Spanish, Monday-Thursday
Art, composer study, and catching up from anything that needs to overflow on Friday
That doesn't really seem excessive. That's a morning time plus about five subjects a day.
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Do you school year round? That's one way that I get "extras" done. Plus, it makes our whole school year less intense, gives us the flexibility of taking much of December off, and allows me to rotate science and history, so I don't have to school them concurrently.
We lighten our school schedule considerably for the summer...typically from the end of April, beginning of May...through mid-September. Actually, a lot of their summer work is review...but not all of it.
Oh yes! Ever since my dd was born, we have been year round homeschoolers! There is no way we could finish it all with my non-napping 2 year old! :)
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After reading the "too many parts for 5th grade" thread, it got me thinking about simplifying my plans for fourth grade for my ds. There is so much I want to cover! Although teacher intensive curricula lures me, I know that with a spunky soon-to-be 3 year old, I have to plan wisely. I need some ideas from you veterans on how to simplify.
I've tried doing morning time, but with my 2 year old, it always fell apart around the 15-20 minute mark. I do plan on doing them again, but streamlining it to last about 20 minutes. I'd love to hear any tips on doing morning time with 2 kids that are 6 years apart.
Here is the list of things I'd love to cover for fourth grade. This is not a list for every day, just a plan for the year.
Bible and scripture memory
Hymns - one per month
Math - Singapore (4 times/wk) and Beast Academy (1x/wk)
Science (2 or 3x/wk) - leaning towards using The Elements with Guesthollow's Chemistry
History (2 or 3x/wk) - I really want him to do VP self paced history, but I missed the sale. Hopefully, they will do another one.
Language Arts (Writing, Poetry, Literature) - Bravewriter type activities. I may add in Write from Medieval History.
Fine Arts - Art (Home Art Studio?), Composer/Artist Study - 1 per month
Nature Study (1x/wk)
Typing (4x/wk) - typing.com
Spanish (4x/wk) - ?
A few notes: We've never done a formal spelling curriculum and he tests well above grade level (our state requires testing). We did grammar this year, but I'm going to skip it for fourth and pick it up again for 5th grade.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
? for those who don't use a spelling curriculum
in Accelerated Learner Board
Posted
I've never used a spelling curriculum with my almost 9 year old. However, I'm wondering if I should. Our state requires testing and he has tested approximately two years ahead for the last two years. Although he seems like a natural speller, I know he doesn't know certain rules or patterns. I have this nagging feeling that if I don't teach him the rules of spelling, he isn't going to progress much further than a 6th/7th grade level. I think part of the issue is he is my oldest so I question myself all of the time. For example, he taught himself how to read right before he turned 3. However, at 4 years old, I still went through the entire Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading book. He read me the teacher's instructions and did the student part. Haha! I still laugh at myself for having him do that entire book. I wish kids came with a parenting manual with a volume dedicated for homeschooling. :)
So my question is when should you use a spelling curriculum and which one? I would love one he could do independently just for the sake of time but am open to others. And please don't mention AAS. I borrowed it and tried to use it with him one day, and it was extremely too slow for him.
Thanks for the advice in advance!