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mommamagistra

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    homechooling mom; Latin & Greek instructor
  1. A number of parents have expressed disatisfaction with the Cambridge Latin series. As a Latin instructor, I can understand the frustration as it is not a text I would recommend for learning Latin. I am sure there are reviews online from Latin teachers who do not endorse Cambridge, so I will not go into details. For students who are not quite ready to attack Latin with Jenney or Wheelock or Moreland & Fleischer or Keller & Russell et al, I can recommend the following series that I have used with my own children in middle school: Ecce Romani. I am not aware of support materials for this series; however, for families looking for a self-paced asynchronous course I can endorse a program called KET Distance Learning (with which I have no professional affiliation). The program comes with videos that thoroughly explain the grammar, vocab, and reading selections in Ecce Romani. There are extensive tests and quizzes -- some online, some that are teacher graded -- that ensure students master the material. In addition, the instructor in the video (Ann Denny) is available for email, phone, and Skype (free) support and respnds swiftly. http://www.dl.ket.org/courses_latin.htm
  2. Never Before in History: America's Inspired Birth by Amos & Gardiner. I think the book is used at Landry. Recommended for secular & non-secular. Not too long, very readable, good graphics. Middle school & High School. Solid explication of America's founding and Christian influence on founding fathers.
  3. British texts list the declensions in the following order: Nominative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, Ablative; whereas US texts list the declensions as: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Ablative.
  4. :iagree: Some classes are more engaging than others, but this depends as much on the subject matter as the teacher. The English classes have more opportunities for interpersonal class relations and the exchange of ideas than some other classes, but if learning the material and doing well on the AP exam is one's ultimate goal then we have not been let down by any class. They are issuing official transcripts too, which you can forward to colleges. You cannot go wrong with PAHS, and the Richmans are always available for guidance and advice. A++ transaction, as they would say on Ebay!
  5. I can highly recommend Jodi Guerra, head of English Dept. at Landry. Her classes -- Advanced Composition and American Lit -- turned my reluctant writer into a capable and confident writer. She might be offering additional Literature and Writing classes. She is very responsive to inquiries.
  6. I also give a thumbs up to Derek Owens, although DD did the class in irregular spurts -- which I'm not recommending (esp. since you pay monthly); but there is flexibility if you need it. Another plus is that Derek Owens gets back fast if you need help and returns graded work in a super timely fashion. Very organized. Class required no parental support, which is good since I know nothing about Physics.
  7. Does anyone have any experience with online classes from CLRC Homeschool, in particular, their English and Great Books classes? Thank you.
  8. i before e (except after c): old-school ways to remember stuff by Judy Parkinson - book contains lots of mnemonic devices -- many of which you might recall from childhood -- for remembering everything from pi to the books of the Bible. lots of fun and good to learn while you're young and it sticks.
  9. Dear Columbia ESP, If you intend to hold classes in Pupin (the physics building), then you might want to extend your zone of safety up a few blocks. Students can gain access to Pupin from the main campus located inside the main gates at 116th street & Broadway or from the side entrance on the corner of 120th and Broadway. Just beyond Pupin on Broadway is Jewish Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, Teacher's College, and Manhattan School of Music -- not exactly hotbeds of criminal activity at any hour beyond the occasional appearance in Law and Order. There is metered parking on Broadway and Amsterdam. Riverside, Claremont, and side streets are unmetered. If you can snag a space on Broadway in the vicinity of Union Theological Seminary or Manhattan School of Music (whose preparatory division will not be in session due to the break; hence, more parking spaces), then metered parking is good for 6 hours . That said, your best bet is a garage. Unless of course the gods of parking karma are with you. Columbia is safe, NYC is safe, and after 11 pm on a Saturday night you will be lucky to find a seat in a restaurant.
  10. Been there, done that! Here is advice I would follow if we were to do it over again: 1. START EARLY - Schools have different audiition requirements for the pre-audition screening cd, i.e., the pieces they want to hear. Some schools want two movements (fast and slow) of the same concerto; others want Bach; some want an etude from a specified list, etc. You need to leave enough time to bring each of the pieces up to performance level. 2. BE ORGANIZED - Make folders for each of the schools to which you are applying and include all the application information, e.g, due dates, pieces, homeschool criteria, essays, etc. Read all the applications in their entirety and don't assume applications will be similar. You don't want to discover (as we did) that NEC wants a list of all the pieces you've played (chamber, orchestral, solo) in the last four years -- and the application must be postmarked within the hour. Yikes! 3. DO PROFESSIONAL RECORDINGS - Try to make the pre-screening cd as professional as possible. That generally means $$ studio recordings. If you are serious about getting in to a selective music conservatory, it would be in your best interest to submit as high quality a cd as possible, and that usually does not mean a home recording. 4. GET A PRIVATE LESSON - If you are serious about a particular school, try to arrange a lesson with the teacher(s) you might want to study with. A private lesson will not only help ensure that this is the right teacher for you, it can help facilitate your acceptance at the school if the teacher wants you in his studio and goes to bat for you. 5. Once you get notification for a live audition, schedule the audition date and time as soon as possible and arrange for an accompanist -- either your own or one provided by the school. If the latter, book early and get in as much rehearsal time as possible. Schedules and rooms are tight. 6. CONTACT ADMISSIONS - Don't hesitate to get in touch with admissions offices for handholding and questions. Admissions officers will generally go the distance to help you and keeps things as calm as possible. DD got an extension from all 5 conservatories to which she applied when she ended up mailing the wrong cds to the wrong conservatories -- Peabody went to NEC, NEC went to MSM, etc. So much for # 2 (above)!
  11. Re: PAH Physics. Thank you to the people who have PMed me with such extensive information. I am very appreciative to you for taking the time to write and for caring. The bottom line is that one can expect a good two hours per day and then some (if you want to collect the extra points). It seems to be a given that the class prepares students well for the AP exam and, since the SAT 2 is supposedly aligned with the AP In this subject area, students are prepared for the SAT 2 as well. And it does not appear that students will need to put in a lot of additional time doing test prep since test prep is incorporated daily into the class. I still can't decide what would be in DD's best interest since one can only do so much and this course does demand a lot of work; however, I now have information that will be valuable in making a good decision. Thank you all so much!
  12. I really wonder how College Board imagines everyone is going to get in all this science.
  13. Can anyone quantify about how much work is involved with the PAH Physics class? As in, what is "a lot" of work? DD's background in Physics is based entirely on the Derek Owens online class, which we cannot speak highly enough about. For next year, we are deciding between Stanford EPGY (not OHS, which has dropped Physics B from its curriculum) vs. another PAH science class -- which are always exceptional but, in our experience, highly time intensive. As of May 2013 EPGY will no longer be providing "official transcripts." EPGY will still provide a tutor, give a grade for the class and an unofficial record. PAH, on the other, seems to provide official transcripts. The main thing for us, however, is the efficiency of the PAH class. As everyone probably already knows, next year is the last year College Board will be administering the AP Physics B exam in its current form; Physics B is going to be divided into a two year sequence. I'm in the same boat as Kangato3: any advice about Physics B for DD, who has Derek Owens under her belt but alas has no science geeks in her family to help with the material, would be much appreciated!
  14. Logo to Lego with Mr. Gray is wonderful. You might not believe that an online robotics class could work out, but it does. And Mr. Gray is great when you have an emergency -- like it's late and the project is due and you can't get the do-hicky to work . . . he'll get back to you. Highly recommend this class. DD had a blast. Only drawback is the set is $$; but with some time and effort on Ebay, one could find a deal.
  15. My kids kept yelling at the translator to be quiet-the wanted to hear the Latin. The also tried to translate the Latin . . . The inscription stretching across the facade of St. Peter's basilica -- under the cornice and above the balcony from which the Pope spoke -- reads: IN HONOREM PRINCIPIS APOST PAVLVS V BVRGHESIVS ROMANVS PONT MAX AN MDCXII PONT VII Translation: in honor of the Prince of the Apostles Paul V Borghese Supreme Roman Pontiff in the year 1612 the 7th year of his pontificate Gives you a good workout on Roman numerals!
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