:iagree: My dc have been doing IEW for a couple years now and as a previous poster said, it ignited the desire to write because it took away the "I don't know what to write" frustration they were feeling with other programs. That being said, I am switching to Classical Writing for next year because I believe that although they have gotten much out of IEW, I want less "format" writing and more analyzing.

I can only offer some insight into LTREG. First, this is not a program for your child to do independently. You will need to learn along with your child. It does take time but I believe it was worth it. Second, I am just finishing up LRTEG vol 1 with my ds15 and let me say that it was anything but boring. I thought it was a good challenge without being overwhelming to both of us and since I had zero background in Latin, I definitely needed the handholding of LRTEG. Also, I wouldn't attempt it without the teaching DVD's. Third, I wouldn't really consider it for the grammar component. My son had a solid foundation with Shurley and that allowed LRTEG to reinforce it using another language but I think if he hadn't had that foundation, he might have gotten confused or frustrated when it covered the dative, accusative and ablative cases because I really don't think he would've known exactly what the job of the indirect, direct object or object of prep was. Am I making any sense? I only know that years ago when I tried to teach my dd Latin neither of us had a great grammar base and we were overwhelmed and gave up (I was using Memoria's Latina Christiana). So if your child has a strong grammar knowledge this program will definitely reinforce it but if not, I'm not convinced it will do the job of teaching it well. Also, because of the cost and because I now feel more confident in Latin, we are switching to Wheelock's for the remainder of his Latin. I hope this helps your decision making,

Hi Christine, Yes, I think so. My ds just finished this program a week ago. He is 9th grade. The only thing one of your sons would be missing is that the student book when completed and all the exercise pages are torn out becomes a very good "grammar" reference book for future use. Also, I only had my ds do every other sentence since this was really a review for him having had a good foundation in Shurley. I have the TM and reinforcement book (unused) that I have in a pile to sell. If you're interested email me privately. Blessings,

Sue, I'm not sure what the best answer is but let me ask you this. . .if your daughter didn't have plans to go to Hershey park tomorrow with her friend, what would have been your and your husband's course of action for consequences/punishment? I completely understand the other poster's advice but I also come from the perspective of having raised a rebellious teenage daughter. I think there are times when they push our buttons and we react quickly and with no forethought on the matter. It sounds like she pushed your husband's buttons. When my daughter would do something similar, my dh and I would respond with an immediate and swift consequence similar to what the others are suggesting you do; but I will say that looking back I wish I had on a few occasions taken the time to reach her at the heart of the matter and focused less on the outward obedience. Now, I wholeheartedly believe your daughter needs to suffer consequences but maybe it could be something other than taking away her day with her friend. Maybe it could entail losing more than just one afternoon out at a park. I would consider something that required her spending a bit of time thinking through her actions and talking to you and your husband about why she thinks its okay to act out this way. Like I said, I don't have a cut and dried answer because every situation is different as every child is different. You mentioned it doesn't feel right in your 'spirit', have you prayed about what to do? What does your husband think? I will be praying for you,

I've been told that if you rub waxed paper along the rack edges it helps. Never have done it so not sure if it works.

I have a gas stove w/black finish and there are a couple areas where something spilled over and cooked on. I've soaked with sudsy water and used a gentle scrub but nothing seems to work. Has anyone tried the ammonia on the stove top??

When I began with Shurley about 7 years ago, what I loved most about it was that it was scripted! I didn't know how to teach grammar. After using it for a couple years, I found that I could read ahead in the TM and teach the lesson without the script. It gave me confidence. I also love the question/answer flow to classifying a sentence. It makes sense and it has made learning grammar fun! Both my boys have retained what they've learned. Now my oldest is doing Analytical Grammar and still using the Q/A flow to help him. :001_smile:

I used Shurley with my boys but didn't start until Level 3. They both skipped Level 5 and were just fine. My youngest (ds 6th grade) is finishing up Level 7 in a couple weeks. Also, I no longer use the writing component and haven't for a couple years because we switched to IEW. I used the Shurley strictly for grammar and would have my boys do the daily sentence classifications on the white board. Some days that is all we did. Some days I would have them do the skills test or other text work I thought they needed to master. I really think the small daily doses of classifying has made grammar stick. My oldest still uses the Q/A flow to mark his Latin and Analytical Grammar! : ) I don't know if this is any help but I will say there is a lot of overlap between the levels and skipping over one won't leave any gaps. Blessings,

my youngest just started to enjoy reading on his own. He has always enjoyed having me read to him at bedtime but just recently would pick up a book to read for himself. So what was the trigger you might ask??? I bought a couple of old books off of ebay and believe it or not, he loves the 'feel' of the pages. He is just starting to read Robinson Crusoe a 1946 printing with beautiful illustrations and pages with a thicker paper weight in an unabridged hardcover version. Even as I type this, I think it's crazy but he gravitates toward these type of older books! He is also enjoying the story which he told me the other day after reading a little bit that Mr. Defoe writes long sentences with a lot of detail! :001_smile: I guess you just never know what might excite the passion!

I also had my children trace in the air as big as they could which would produce lots of giggles but it worked. I believe the idea is to get more of the brain involved and the bigger the motions the more brain activity. :) HTHs,

I'm not a big fan of reading books online. I would much prefer to snuggle with a book in hand, so with that being said. . . I'm looking for a good translation of Plutarch for me and my ds15 to read. Any ideas?? Thanks,

I have used both with my dc. I began with my dd (now 20) when she was in 7th grade. I bought Rainbow after taking her with me to the local convention and she took one look and said, "Mom, I want to do this science." Considering at the time my dd hated science and was struggling in other areas (somewhat dyslexic), I decided to let her have her desire. What I really, really love about Rainbow is that you have nothing to do but follow along! Everything is done, all materials gathered and organized and the TM tells you what your child should have learned for each lesson and lab. Now, for my dd and eventually for my ds's, it developed in each of them a LOVE for science that I don't think they would necessarily have gotten if I had given them the Apologia books. After finishing Rainbow, my children (except for my youngest who is still in Rainbow) transitioned extremely well into Apologia. Rainbow gave them a good foundation, ignited the fire even if they didn't fully understand all the concepts at the time. They certainly enjoyed Dr. Dobbins humor. :) Also, I didn't (and still don't) use tests for the Rainbow. We kept it very low key. At the end of each section there is a review lesson. My dc would work through the review lesson and we would discuss all that they had learned. I was always amazed at what they had remembered and still do! I will add, that my two older dc also enjoy Dr. Wile and his way of teaching too. But for us, it is better suited to high school science. Just my family's experience,

Pardon my ignorance. . . but what is the National Latin exam? How does one go about participating and when? Is it something that would be beneficial for college? My ds is finishing up his first year of Latin so I'm wondering if he should consider this for the future. :) Thank you,

Yes, the SWI C can be done by the student independently. However, I would suggest you watch the lesson along with him so that you understand what will be required and so that you can correct his papers. He will be required to implement a certain number of dressups and decorations and you will need to know what they are. The TWSS is great for you, the teacher, teaching you the methodology of the IEW approach. But, I wouldn't say it is necessary for you to have it if you will be using the SWI lessons. After SWI C you may want to continue with SICC C (student intensive continuation course ~level C). As for the theme based writing lessons, I haven't used them mostly because I was content with the SWI and SICC courses. HTH,

Hi, I have used these tests for quite a few years now and I would not recommend bumping them down. The idea behind the test is that your children will be exposed to quite a few problems that they most likely will not know how to answer. That is okay. What they are looking for is the student who is maybe ahead of the pack and if they only put problems in that particular level that the average grade level child will know how to answer it won't give a fair reading of ability. Does that make sense? Also, by bumping your child down a level it may bring down their percentile amongst their grade level peers. Go with what they recommend. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. Blessings,

I would highly recommend purchasing the DVD's to use if you have no prior Latin experience. My ds15 and I are almost to the end of vol 1 and I couldn't have done it without the DVD. It doesn't teach the lesson, but Mrs Beers gives you an overview of the lesson that I found extremely helpful. I have had my ds sit and watch it with me so that he also understands what will be expected. I will admit that we both felt as though the program really started to gel for us after the 7th chapter. Don't know why that was. . .maybe it was the Christmas break and letting our brains process the info but after the few weeks off, we started back up with Ch 8 and it seemed a piece of cake!

I also wanted to add my thanks! I've been reading through and gleaning from any post regarding CW and it has been so helpful. I just received Aesop/Homer for Older Beginners and knowing where to start had me scratching my head. I've taken all the advice and it's starting to come together. Fortunately, since I'm planning on finishing out this year with IEW, I have until August to get a handle on it. :001_smile: Hope you find your stride too, Karie!

Having just received CW for older beginners today, I don't have the answers regarding the how's and why's of the program. I can, however, point you to the website in order to clarify the outline process. If you go to the website, click on Aesop then click on 'What you need to buy'. The first thing listed is the Aesop core book. In the description box of the Aesop core book is a link to the 'preview sample pages'. The sample pages contain 22pps. The 21st sample page gives a great description of how to outline. It is very similar to IEW's key word outline. :) I hope this helps!

My son completed the Literary Lessons LOTR last year. He was 8th grade (age 13/14). He really enjoyed it but I must add he is a total fan of Tolkien and LOTR's. He has read the trilogy and the Hobbit multiple times. I did not have to do anything to motivate him to do the lessons! I had him do all the reading, the unit studies included in the curriculum, plus vocab and comprehension questions. He did not do any of the writing because that was a weak area in our home which we have spent this year working hard to bring up to speed. In other words, he would not have known how to write the types of essays suggested. However, we did have some amazing conversations during this study! : ) I would say that if your son is a fan of LOTR and can handle reading the book then go for it. You also don't have to complete it in one year especially with him being younger. The website offers lesson plans for different tracks through the curriculum giving you a suggested daily plan for reading and workbook. Check it out! http://www.homescholar.org/Middle%20School%20Lesson%20PLans.htm Sue in NH Homeschooling 10 years dd20~graduated ds15~9th grade ds11~6th grade

You might want to check out this Latin program . I found this site when someone on this forum recommended their logic but I'm intrigued by their Latin as well. http://www.classicallegacypress.com/latin.htm Blessings, Susan Homeschooling 10 years DD 20 graduated DS 15 9th grade DS 11 6th grade

Hi, I am currently looking into Ask Dr. Callahan's Geometry course for my ds for next year. He has been using Systematic Mathematics and has done really well but it ends at algebra so I need to find another program. What I like so far about Ask Dr. Callahan is the DVD teaching AND that it uses Jacob's for the Geometry. You can check it out for yourself at www.askdrcallahan.com Blessings, Sue Homeschooling 10 years dd 20 graduated ds 15 9th grade ds 11 6th grade

Since you have experience with both programs, do you think it would be worthwhile to do Logic I: Tools for Thinking after completing Introductory Logic by Nance?? My ds 15 is almost finished with Introductory Logic and I was planning on continuing with Intermediate Logic but now am wondering if he would get more out of doing Logic I instead. Sue Homeschooling 11yrs dd 20 graduated ds 15 ds 11