I used R&S phonics with all three of my kids. It is an excellent program, and all of my kids are very good readers now. I used the readers (not the workbooks - full of unfun busy work) as well, though you absolutely don't have to. The phonics program stands alone; the only connection the reading program has with the phonics program is the fact that the TM's for both are combined into one book. I didn't use the flashcards (not necessary), and I combatted the problem with some words in the 1st grade reading being sight words by starting the readers about a month or so after starting the phonics program. The phonics rules for those words had already been covered by that point, except for a very few, for which I just stated the rule for the sound on the fly and moved on.

The most helpful book I have read on homeschooling high school is College-Prep Homeschooling, by David and Chandra Byers. Contrary to what you might assume it is about based on the name, it is not a book on CLEP and AP and getting college credits in high school...actually, I don't think it even mentions it at all. The authors' intent is preparing your child for success in college (and life in general). While the main author (David) admits to using some standard curriculum (Abeka - UGH), the method is not traditional. He advocates using a "learning journal" (kind of like notebooking) for most subjects and using projects to evaluate learning instead of (or in addition to) tests. It has been the most helpful book I have read yet on the actual nuts and bolts of homeschooling high school without using a box curriculum or pre-written syllabus. I also have The Living Page (by Laurie Bestvater) and I think the two books go together exceptionally well. The most intimidating part of the idea of homeschooling high school for me was how to actually do it...so many people recommend just getting a science textbook and a history textbook and a stack of literature and just going for it. My problem has been what the heck to do with the books!! I know we can read them (duh) and answer any questions at the end of the chapters (boring!), but then what? If I had my kids read and answer the questions they would just brain dump the next day and end up learning nothing, so the entire process would be pointless. I am sure the method is obvious to most other parents, but it isn't to me, and that is where this book has been helpful. I know how to help the student interact with the material (their learning journal) and demonstrate their knowledge (projects). It really fits my kids' non-traditional learning style (discussion and project-based, not memorization and test-based). One caveat: the authors of the book are Christian, but the book does not push a religious agenda and has very little mention of it other than as a possible elective. The only instance I can recall off the top of my head is a warning from the author that the writers of curriculum from companies like Abeka and BJU will mention God quite a bit, and if that is not what you want in a science textbook then don't buy from them; you will be happier with books from another publisher (or something like that). This book is definitely not a manual on religious upbringing disguised as homeschooling instruction (kind of like some homeschooling conventions). If you can read TWTM without twitching, you will not have any trouble with this book.

How about a graphics tablet? It isn't a tablet like an iPad, it is a tablet in the sense that it is like a writing tablet - it hooks up to the computer like a regular mouse, but it uses a stylus. I know it can be used to draw in documents because my kids use ours to illustrate their typed stories. The drawing doesn't appear on the tablet; it appears in whatever computer program you are using (just like you are drawing with a mouse, except it is a stylus).

Yes. My family *loves* this recipe. I will admit to sometimes tossing in a handful of mozarella (because we don't have to eat dairy-free), but it is just fine without it.

I need some suggestions for a good environmental science textbook. My daughter will be in 9th grade this fall, and she has asked to study environmental science as an elective (she will also be studying biology). I am kind of hoping to create an outside-the-box type course for her, so I am hoping to find an interesting textbook (or even a comprehensive non-textbook) to base the course on. I looked at the Holt textbook since it seems to be a popular one, but I don't like it. I don't need anything AP level; I just want an introductory level textbook. I have been looking at the Georgia Virtual Learning course and I like it, and will probably use it as a supplement, but I can't tell if it just covers everything superficially or if it has any depth so I hesitate to use it as the foundation for the course. Also, I am open to suggestions for interesting books for supplemental reading on the topics covered in environmental science. So far I know of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, but that is about it.

If you stick with MUS, Delta is focused primarily on division so you will have some time before she will need to start figuring out fractions and decimals. Delta is hard, though, and will expose any weak spots she has with computation. The problems go straight from learning division to dividing hundreds to dividing thousands and ten thousands, and my daughter got burned out on it. MUS taught the concepts of long division really well, it was just too much all at once. I switched her to Horizons and put her back at the beginning of the 4th grade book to give her a chance to start at the beginning of long division all over again (basically what you are considering doing with your daughter - giving her a second exposure to the concepts with another program). My daughter much prefers the spiral format of Horizons, so we are sticking with it for the time being, but if it hadn't worked I would have put her back in MUS since she was learning from it. If you want to continue with MUS and use a supplement to work on the conceptual skills on the side, I used Primarily Math with my daughter. It was very slow going, but it eventually gave her the tools to solve word problems that she was not getting from MUS.

The lesson on linear functions is in chapter 14 in the old version of the textbook, so you wouldn't need to look for an outside source to cover it. The other two topics aren't in the book anywhere, though; I looked in the index (I am currently using the same version with my oldest).

I have one who has to take tests in the same room as me. That is the only way I can be sure there is no cheating. Also, don't use LOF. Just don't. The answers are right there and the temptation is too great.

My oldest is doing algebra in 8th, but my middle child will have to work very hard to begin algebra in 9th. She just started Horizons 5 and she is in 6th grade. She needs to do Horizons 5&6 before beginning prealgebra, so that means she needs to complete two levels of math in a year and a half (she will work through the summers). She progresses according to her abilities, so I have no idea if she will reach that goal. I would rather her reach algebra with a solid foundation in arithmetic than rush her. I doubt when she takes algebra (8th, 9th, or 10th) will affect her future as much as how well she does in algebra and beyond.

I have the older edition (published by Addison-Wesley) and it doesn't include the review schedule. It does, however, have a handy chapter on programming in BASIC, lol. Note to self: sometimes it isn't worth it to save a few dollars by buying an older edition. :tongue_smilie:

Coram Deo Tutorials has live writing classes using Lost Tools of Writing.

(from the high school board) An English credit built around drama? I am confident that you can build an English course for your student despite the accompanying teen drama. ((((Hugs)))) I hear it gets better in a few years.

I appreciate having them because they include suggestions for modifying assignments for advanced or struggling students, very in-depth answers to the discussion questions (not that the student should be coming up with the same answers, but they are a help for me to guide the discussion), examples of outlines, and lots of information for me as the teacher on the concepts being learned. I find the TM valuable, especially in the higher levels.

Foerster's presents topics in a different order than most other algebra books, it seems. It leads straight into factoring trinomials and using the quadratic formula, then moves on to graphing equations in the second half of the book. Most other books seem to hit graphing first and touch on the quadratic formula late in the year, so supplements like this one that assume graphing instruction was presented early in the year are only somewhat useful. I have heard that Saxon includes a lot of review, but my daughter has seen her friends' books and doesn't like them. I let her choose her math books at this point, so I had to accept her opinion. I actually have this on my shelf. If assigning problems from previous chapters doesn't work to keep her from forgetting things, I may present it to her as an option. I will also keep this in mind for my younger kids, especially my middle child who needs a *lot* of review to keep from forgetting things. You know, I used Jousting Armadillos with my daughter alongside her prealgebra book, and seeing the information presented two different ways (and at two different times) helped cement the concepts. I don't know why I didn't think about using the two algebra books in the same way...probably because I didn't realize at the time that despite the high number of problems in the Foerster book, none of them were actually review problems, and I didn't want to overwhelm her with math problems.

That is a very good idea! I guess if she is forgetting entire concepts she won't remember solutions to individual problems. I will start doing that this week. Thank you, that is very reassuring. This is my oldest child, and most of my friends have younger children, so I am left wondering much of the time what is normal teen behavior and what is behavior worth worrying over since I have nothing to compare it to except my own teen years.

My daughter has been using the Foerster Algebra 1 book, and it is not working. The teaching is fine, she understands it and does well on the exercises and the end of chapter tests, but she is not retaining it. There is zero review of previous concepts. I understand that a lot of it is cumulative and she will retain the concepts because she constantly uses them, but there is a fair amount of information that is presented and then dropped. Any suggestions for either a review workbook that she could use alongside it to keep previous concepts fresh and practiced enough to retain them, or a different algebra textbook? She did really well with the format in Rod & Staff...plenty of practice of the new concept, review problems covering a variety of concepts, and several word problems every day. Is there an algebra book that has a similar presentation?

I will have to update as I get closer to this fall as I don't have much of a plan yet.... Math: continue with Horizons (she is beginning Horizons 5 right now; it is slow progress, but she is learning) History: BYL 6 (2nd half of US history) Literature: BYL 6 English: run through Grammar Revolution again Latin: finish Second Form Latin and begin Third Form Latin (the Forms series seems to take longer than a year to complete a level at my house) Writing: W&R books 6&7 Science: no idea yet Bible: no idea yet Art: no idea extras: choir and piano lessons

I am using the series with my 6th grader; she is currently in the 5th book. I have noticed a tremendous improvement in her writing since she began the series. She is much more descriptive and she naturally varies her sentences so they don't sound bland and basic. It is a really good fit for my out-of-the-box creative child. The exercises vary from day to day, and the assignments are pretty open-ended. The children learn different tools to use when writing, then are set free to use them within very basic parameters. For the child that needs very specific assignments and a checklist of things to include, it probably won't be a very good fit.

I am interested. I don't usually post on this board because my child doesn't have an official diagnosis, but she has some significant challenges.

The thread with everyone's plans for 9th grade left me in tears. I never know if my 13yo is going to wake up with the emotional maturity and attention span of a 13yo or a 3yo; how in the world am I supposed to come up with a plan for high school level courses? For crying out loud, on Wednesday she got distracted and forgot she was taking a timed math test and wandered off! How do you forget that you are taking a math test??? So it kind of amazes me that all these other kids have their heads on straight and are prepared for DE and honors level or even AP level classes. Despite having an upcoming 9th grader, I couldn't contribute to that thread because while I know that she will be taking geometry after she finishes algebra, that is about the sum total of the planning that I can do for this child right now. The rest will depend on her interests (which change with the direction of the wind) and whether turning 14 will be a magical cure for whatever puberty is doing to her brain. On a recent thread someone mentioned that they wished they would have handed their child a tackle box and a copy of Tom Sawyer and sent them fishing for the duration of 7th & 8th grade. I think that if I would have done similarly with my current 8th grader (a sketchbook and a copy of Anne of Green Gables) I might have accomplished the same amount of learning with a lot less anguish.

My 8th grader is currently taking the Intro to Essay Writing class. She enjoys it, and I am happy with the improvement in her writing so far this school year. It is definitely a middle school level course, but the instructor incorporates elements of LToW into the instruction, as well as a small amount of IEW dress-ups to help with style. I am happy enough with the course that I plan on enrolling my daughter in the LToW level 1 course next year. I don't know about the LToW class sizes, but her class this year is very small...I think there are only three students total. There is a lot of student participation during the classes; it isn't just a long lecture. I don't know how the other classes work, but in this class the instructor goes over the students' essays during class so they can all see what each other wrote and see the kinds of corrections she is looking for. crazyforlatin - you might want to email Ms. Shao about the times for next year and see if they are set in stone. She is still a grad student, so this year she didn't find out her own school schedule until around the same time the online class started. Once the class began she sent out a poll to the students and arranged a time for the weekly class that fit into her own schedule and worked for all the students. I don't know if that will be the case again next year, but it would be worth checking with her to find out if you really are interested in the class.

FundaFunda has a free American History schedule that uses a GC American History course as the basis. I don't know if it is the same one that you are referencing, but maybe it will give you some ideas. I haven't used it, but it is on my short list for when my oldest is in high school.

From the school's student handbook (emphasis mine): A nurse that is not on campus would have to be called, and probably emailed if she wasn't answering her phone. The teacher and school were ridgidly following protocol in all areas of the situation. The teacher had to notify the nurse and the school had to notify the parents before they could seek treatment on their own. Profanity is expressly forbidden when speaking to an instructor, so they had to punish the student for that. Physical contact is expressly forbidden (no exemptions in the handbook for lifesaving measures), so they had to punish him for that as well. The rules sound crazy, but this isn't a traditional school...the rules are more similar to a jail because the school is a short-term disciplinary placement facility (from the handbook). Heck, the middle school students have to walk the hallways with their hands behind their back and teachers have to monitor to be sure no more than one student at a time is in the restroom. The kids are physically searched for prohibited items every day when they get to school. I think this shows that the girl should have had her inhaler with her (it is permitted), and also, the rules need to have exemptions for emergency situations like this. The teacher was given no tools to work with in the situation besides calling and emailing the nurse and the office. No one is allowed to touch anyone, no one can go anywhere unless the teacher leads the entire class, and calling/emailing for help is obviously too slow of a solution.

I am using BYL 8 with my 8th grader this year. She is absolutely loving it, and we both wish there were high school levels of BYL because we would use them in a heartbeat. While it is easy to sub out the science course in most levels of BYL (I am also using BYL 5), I think that you would lose the majority of the course with BYL 8. The student does read three times a week from their history book, but even the discussions/writing involve looking at history through how different scientific discoveries had an affect on different events and time periods. The world history really is a very small portion of the curriculum. Without the science, all you have is a schedule for reading through the history book and the art history book (and the living math, too, I guess). The meat of the program is the history of the scientists and their discoveries. Many of the literature books correlate with the different scientists being studied, the timeline work has a definite focus on events in the field of science, and the writing assignments usually focus on the history of science portion of the day's reading. The English is just alternating narration and dictation each day, there is no formal grammar/vocabulary/composition instruction. The curriculum is not so time-consuming that a science program couldn't be done in addition to it. My daughter does a hefty amount of nature study/natural history in addition to BYL 8. She also does Latin, an online writing course, math, Bible, and last semester she took an online digital design course as well, and all together it was taking her 6-7 hours/day.