LaurieM
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Posts posted by LaurieM
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Any other homeschool moms who have just wanted to throw in the towel and say, "I can't do this anymore?" Just not able to keep on schedule, up with grading, things fall behind and you seriously believe they would get a better education at a private school where there is more structure and accountability and they'd learn to be more responsible for their own work? As a homeschool mom, if something doesn't get done, I don't feel I can just give an F/0 and move on...I still make the work get done and then we are further behind.
Pretty late to this conversation but here's my comments anyway! I'm glad things are looking brighter for you now!
Yes, I definitely had many moments like this. However we just kept moving forward. Sometimes it helps to just take a break and walk away from it all for a week or two. Even without the structure and accountability that I personally felt was lacking, I knew my sons were still getting a better education because it was custom-made to fit their strengths and weaknesses.
As for grading, I never gave a failed mark and moved on. I figured it was better to have them complete what was started and possibly readjust future assignments if necessary. We did discuss the downside of not meeting deadlines and how it would affect them if they were in a different educational environment. We also evaluated the why behind a late assignment. Was the assignment too much? Were necessary skills lacking? Do we need to adjust the assignment in some way? Do we need to get together and talk out the assignment in order to get started?
Honestly, I was afraid the missed deadlines would be a problem once ds was in college. He is now in his second year of college and has never missed a deadline. It seems to make a difference as to whether the assignment is for Mom or a professor. ;)
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I downloaded Our Night Sky last night for $29.00. I've had my eye on the course for a long time and couldn't pass up the deal they offered me. I hit "buy" when I read a review of someone complaining that the professor was spending too much time on mythology.It's so often the "bad" reviews that make we want a curriculum :-)
Has anyone completed this course and really taken the time to seriously study classical/naked-eye astronomy?
We are currently using Our Night Sky. We just started - have only completed the first two lectures. In other words, too soon to tell how effective the course will be for us.
I loved your comment on the "bad" reviews, how true! We usually plan our movie and documentary viewing based on the bad reviews....
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Hewitt Homeschooling sells a State History syllabus for a High School level course, 1/2 credit. It might be a helpful guideline. We actually created a 1 credit course on our State's History and Government because this topic was of great interest to my ds. Sent you a pm with our State History course description so you can get a feel for what we did. HTH!
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Some movies and documentaries we watched while studying the 20th Century, mostly PG or PG13 but check before your children view:
Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1850s-1960s, slavery through Civil Rights movement)
Fiddler on the Roof (1905)
The Greatest Auto Race on Earth (NY to Paris 1908) - documentary
The Great Race (slapstick comedy based on the 1908 Great Race, starring Jack Lemmon & Tony Curtis)
NOVA documentary - Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance (1914-1916)
Lawrence of Arabia (1916)
Chariots of Fire (1924)
Cinderella Man (1935)
K-19 The Widowmaker (1961)
Thirteen Days (1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis)
Operation Dumbo Drop (1968)
Cool Runnings (1988)
Invictus (1995)
Hotel Rwanda (1994) - rate PG-13 but I think this is better for high school, very disturbing story and images.
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We've used Sonlight with great success.
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So glad you posted, Laurie and Mom22722!
I *meant* to express that SL was not a fit for *us* and why -- but I think my explanation came off more as "dissing" SL and dismissing it for *everyone* -- NOT my intention at all!
There are so many programs out there because our students are unique. And SL IS a good fit for many high schoolers, otherwise they wouldn't still offer it and be in business! ;)
Warmest regards, Lori
Lori,
I did not think you were "dissing" SL at all. I merely posted my family's experience with SL in reply to the original poster's question.
It's always nice to have replies from all angles, just to muddy up the water a bit! :::joking!:::
Laurie
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I'm just curious about those that have done or are doing SL (history cores specifically) thru high school and what your experiences have been?
Have you been happy with the coverage of topics? Have your kids done well on tests-esp ACT?
Did you use their science or other science?
I've only read a few threads on this and it seems there are some extreme reviews-some really loved it and others didn't feel it was "rigorous" enough.
Honestly, my oldest is not going to be an AP student, but I want him prepared for college and to do well on the ACT.
Thanks for your feedback.
We have used SL with two students through high school with great results. One ds has taken SATs, SAT IIs, and APs with no difficulty and has scored extremely well. Ds was very prepared for college and is excelling in their Honors program. My other ds has not tested yet, but I expect the same results when he does.
As with any curriculum there may be some tweaks necessary to fit your student(s).
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Ok, I'm gonna be snarky and say one thing, and then I'll be done. Sometimes a dh gives advice because he's tired of hearing about things and just wants to *solve* the problem. He can pick the method when he teaches it. If *you* look at the WTM methods and only feel like you can *try* SIGH, then you need to keep looking. It's way too teacher-driven and specific to have you only be in the *I'll try* camp. You have to be honest with yourself about what you need, and if WTM doesn't provide it, keep looking.
I'm not saying you shouldn't do WTM. I'm just saying dh's have different methods of solving problems than us. ;)
The best way to figure out what you want to do or what will be right for your family? Stop thinking about it. Totally decide you're not going to deal with it for three more weeks. Put it aside. Leave the boards, and go do lots of things with your kids. Go make brownies and make plans for Easter and do lots of crafts with your SL 3+4. Take long hot showers or soaks in the tub. Look for spring flowers or grow some if there's too much snow. And in a month come back with a fresh mind, think about what you've learned about how your family works best and what you want, and the answer will be obvious. It's very hard to find yourself when you're lost in the crowd of people telling you so many things. There are too many voices. You have to go aside, till everything is still and quiet, and hear the little voice inside saying "Walk this way, this is the way you need to go."
I think this is wonderful advice! I'm now in my last year of homeschooling, (Year 14!) and I wish someone had spoken these words to me long ago. Instead I floundered around for awhile before figuring it out for myself!
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If you used this for High School..How did you use it and what credits did you give?
Thank you
We used this for high school, granted one credit - History of Art. We loosely followed the Art History syllabus sold by Hewitt Homeschooling Resources. Very enjoyable study!
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Michelle, could you tell me where to find this file? There are a bazillion files on that yahoo group and I have been trying for the last 20 minutes to find it and I can't!
Thanks! I have TtC and WttW on the way from IEW! I mostly got TtC for myself, and WttW to use with Austin next year for 9th grade. But if there is a better way to use them, I am all for it!
Not Michelle, but maybe I can help...
If you go to the IEW yahoo group and look in the files section, you'll see a folder called "Lessonshare". Inside that folder you will find another folder called "Jill Pike Windows Syllabus", which I believe is what you are looking for!
HTH!
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My worrying about how colleges might look at 200 and 400, and given so many SL users get into college without problems, obviously I just need to be educated on how list it and give it credit.
Sorry, wasn't trying to put you on the spot, or really compare them. I didn't word that well. Like I said I think SL is fine for high school, even through it is not at the level of rigor that TOG is. I personally don't think you NEED that level of rigor. If you like it fine, but you don't need it. I used TOG because I tweak everything and it gives me more options to play with, not because I am looking for rigor.
My thoughts are more about how to make it practically work when a child might be board or might have read several of the books. If Lucinda chooses not to use the in-depth material for D level then she will drop one of the texts and the coverage of bias, so maybe then stepping into Core 100 would work better.
Good to know! That is what I really was trying to ask about. My question got lost in the whole of my thoughts.
If I can bug you a little more, what are your thoughts on 400? When I used to be on SL a lot I don't remember hearing a lot about it. There are probably a lot of people that just don't make it that far. I have only seen one person mention that it was a little preachy, trying to push civic involvement (not talking just voting), so I am not sure that it wasn't biased.
Also do you have any thoughts about how much US history is covered in Core 300?
We tend to move so slowly through TOG (we are on year 7 of our first history cycle, though we will finish this year), that it is very likely I will have to pull my oldest from what the rest are doing and have her finish up separately. Doing Core 300 her senior year, or doing 300 and 400 for 11th and 12th were two options I considered. Doing the Notgrass one year US history with a separate civics program in 12th is another. And yes I am too much of a planner, but I can't help myself. :D
Heather
I think many homeschoolers don't want to spend a whole school year on Civics/U. S. Government so they find a 1/2 year Government program instead. As for the pushing civic involvement, no one at my house came away with that impression.
I felt that Core 300 did an adequate job of covering the events of the 20th Century in the U. S., but it is best represented as a 20th Century World History course.
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Well, it was said somewhat tongue in cheek....but the bent of the thread implies that SL is far inferior of a high school education.
Dawn
Sorry, didn't mean to offend or seem dense. I'm working on minimal hours of sleep today so some of the subtleties of forum jargon are getting lost on me!;)
:::::back to lurking:::::
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Of course they can. Sonlight is a very good curriculum that has been around for many years and many have gone on to college after using it. You can read just as may threads that say that TOG is too much. What it comes down to is what are you looking for in educating your children and how do you want to approach that education.
:iagree: There is no one perfect curriculum, thus the reason for so many choices! Choose whatever works best for your student and/or family and enjoy the process.
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I posed this on her other thread, but I will repeat it here.
For the record I do agree that SL is fine for high school, and would go one step farther and say it goes above and beyond what I learned in PS. Take the college credit thing out of the equation and many of my problems go away.
I'm not sure what you mean by "take the college credit thing out of the equation".
With Core 100, History of the US is so light and several of the readers are used in TOG at the Upper Grammar level, so the student might have already read them (Amos Fortune, Free Man, Call of the Wild, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler, My Side of the Mountain, and Sounder my dd has already read). I do own the core 100 notes and have read them so I get how they are dealing with bias and such, but TOG does that at the Dialect level by using two separate texts at grade level. Going to a single lower grade level text and reading it and John's notes....seems like a step back. If the child isn't bothered by that neither would I, but my concern is the child would be board.
I honestly wasn't comparing SL to TOG. My understanding of TOG is too new, I would feel uncomfortable doing a comparison of levels/curriculum. I was only commenting on Lisa's post about the negative comments in regards to Sonlight's high school level Cores. More letting her know that some have used SL at the high school levels with no troubles.
With Core 200 you still have some of the reader problems, TOG schedules most classic starting in the Dialect level, but not as many as with Core 100. My bigger concern is that it might not have value with many colleges. With TOG you cover the same information, but while you are also covering history, so the student might not get a full history credit, but at least they would get partial.
I read on your other post on the S/O thread where you stated:
Level 200 I am fine with, I just question the wisdom of doing a program that is totally focused on a topic that most secular colleges won't recognize. At least with TOG you are covering secular history at the same time.Actually, Core 200 is very rich in history. My ds took the European History AP after completing Core 200 with no difficulties and we listed the course as European History on his transcript.
Level 300 is the one I have the least trouble with. I don't recognize most of the readers and they stopped using the digital text, which would have been a problem here.
Level 400 I have heard is very political in that it promotes political activism as well as teaching about government. That bugs me. But I would also be again concerned about how the credits would look to your average college. Can you take a partial history credit? There is likely to be some issues with the readers as well. My dd has already read Bud, Not Buddy and I know a couple of the other texts are scheduled in TOG at the D level: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Julie of the Wolves. There might be more I just can't remember if they were at the D or R level in TOG.
I would love to hear your perspective, Laurie, especially as someone who graduated kids and have gone through the college application process.
My ds who is currently attending college is majoring in history. He scored very well on the various tests (SAT, SAT Subject tests, APs). We had no difficulties with the application process and ds was accepted into a variety of schools, including upper tier universities.
In the end I think 100 is the biggest hurdle. Laurie, do you know if anyone has put together a schedule adding a different spine? I know some SL users can be very resourceful.
Heather
I really don't know if anyone has put together a schedule using a different spine for Core 100. Sorry!
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Laurie -
Thanks for commenting on this. I can see my daughter possibly using SL all the way through, and I suspect she would love it, but I don't think it would be the best fit for my son. Still, it is encouraging to hear positive feedback about the high school levels.
Did you use all the components, including the LA, at the high school level or did you use a separate program for that? I'm not even sure how SL is different from the lower levels once you get to Core 100 other than there are no longer any read-alouds.
Lisa
We did use all the components, including the LA. We also used IEW materials alongside Sonlight's Language Arts.
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Not fabulous, but it seemed sufficient:
Analyzing Literature
Through the reading and study of The Lord of the Rings, the student will demonstrate a basic understanding of literary terms and literary elements; be able to interpret and write about literature; have a basic understanding of the history of the English language and the field of linguistics. Student will acquire a basic understanding of the background of the ancient epics (The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid); also a basic understanding of Old English Literature through examining significant portions of Beowulf; acquirea basic knowledge of the Arthurian legends. Students will also be introduced to the works of Thomas Malory, Sir Edmund Spenser, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson in this context, though these works are not thoroughly examined. Student will obtain a working knowledge of the basic elements of traditional poetry forms; know about various genres of literature with particular emphasis on the benefits of fantasy literature as defined by Tolkien in his landmark Oxford lecture “On Fairy Stories.â€
Materials Used:
· Literary Lessons from The Lord of the Rings, Home Scholar Books
· The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
· The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter
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I've used SL since pre-k and plan to continue with it at least through core 7. I have heard so many negatives about their high school programs though, I'm not sure we'll continue with it at that point. I'm hoping to, but I will have to take a closer look as we get nearer to 9th grade. SL has said that they are going to reevaluate their high school programs and they may revamp them. But who knows when? As GVA mentioned, I am also seriously considering MFW for high school. I think it would be a great fit for my son.
Lisa
Just a quick note. I've used SL from Core 2 through Core 530 with two students. One is in 1st year of college, the other finishing his last year of homeschool/high school. Honestly, we've had no difficulty with Sonlight's high school level Cores. My ds who is now in college has adjusted very nicely into a rigorous honors program. Sonlight may be different, but I feel it is a very strong program (JMHO, of course!). I'm a firm believer in use what works for your student/family.
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Thank you for the link!
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I had been away from my PC for a few, checking on our Weckmann which were baking in the oven (St. Martin's Day).
Sorry for the duplicate information!
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I'm looking for an Art History curriculum/textbook(with tests and teacher's guides), do any of you know of a good set? I've looked on Pearson, McGraw, and Glencoe, but I can't seem to figure out which one would be acceptable for homeschooling or a good textbook to use as a course.
Do any of you have any ideas? Or previous experience in a Art History course? It would be used for one in their senior year of high school.
We used The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich for a text, and a syllabus by Hewitt Homeschooling. The syllabus by Hewitt Homeschooling included ideas for papers and projects, and quarterly tests (no answers).
It was a very enjoyable course!
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Not much help, we have purchased "familiar" movies in German: The Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, etc.
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We've purchased but have not yet read: Der Richter und sein Henker (German Edition), ISBN 978-0395044995. Found it listed on an upper level German class syllabus and it sounded interesting to my ds.
We have also had great success with the Harry Potter books and with books by Cornelia Funke.
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What did you use for grammar
Not Cheryl in SoCal, but wanted to let you know that Hewitt Homeschooling carries Grundlage Deutsch Worktext: Fundamentals of German, Levels 1 & 2. I believe these worktexts are used alongside the Rosetta Stone program when following Hewitt's German syllabus. HTH!
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Can anyone recommend a text or course for my son in Art Appreciation?
TIA!
We used The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich for one credit of Art History. If needed, Hewitt Homeschooling sells a syllabus for this book.
Laurie
book recommendation for medieval studies - Time Travelers Guide to Medieval England
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Earlier this school year I bought this book for our studies, but haven't gotten around to cracking open the cover yet. Glad to see that you're finding it interesting! Thanks for posting!