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sandra in va

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Posts posted by sandra in va

    Can you recommend a writing program for 8th/9th grade?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    IEW is great for not knowing what to write. I like the IEW U.S. History Based Writing Lessons vol. 1 & 2.

     

    Join the IEW Families yahoo group and look through the files AND watch the IEW videos on each program at the IEW website.

     

     

    :iagree: If you are doing LL LOTR, the medieval history theme-based might be a good fit. I'm doing this combo with one of mine next year.

    Bible study for logic stage?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We've used Explorer's Bible studies for that age level and it has worked pretty well. It is very independent. (I wish I was better at having weekly discussions to check what they are learning!) I think we used Discovery up through 6th or 7th and then switched to Quest. It does take a long time to do - I don't know if we've ever completely finished a book. The kids seem to enjoy them.

     

    hth!

    Who has experience with SonLight Alt 6/7?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Not the OP, but I have a question! I am torn between doing both 6 and 7 or alt 7 with my rising 7th grader. If we did alt 7, I would want to add all SOTW volumes in, as well. How was that? Did it feel too rushed? Did you read it together or was it independent reading?

     

    Thanks and hope this doesn't veer too much off course from the original post....

    "Extras" during the school day to keep them occupied

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    You have a great list already!!

     

    Here are some ideas...

     

    some writing? copywork or keeping a journal

     

    an on-going project, perhaps interest-driven? researching and keeping a notebook on a topic they like

     

    drawing - e.g. draw write now or draw and write through history

     

    listening to a book on CD (for ex. SOTW)

     

    having a devotional with devotional book or Bible reading schedule

     

    Another thing I can recommend - my dc (2nd grade and up) have their weekly schedule in front of them, so they can keep track of what needs to be done. They just continue to work through their subjects asking when they need help. They save the subjects they need me for till I am available.

    In need of free and easy curriculum ideas while I process life

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by sandra in va

    :grouphug:

     

    Big hugs! Everything's going to be okay. I've had times in our homeschooling journey where it feels like everything is falling apart - it will pass, and you'll get back on track again. (There are times I didn't do much of anything, which was so hard at the time, but as the years have passed, it ended up being just fine!) Right Start, CW, SWR are very teacher-intensive programs (I've looked at CW, tried to use SWR, and used RS for many years). Don't feel bad about not being able to make it work. Just get through this time and next year, you'll be better able to make curriculum choices. So many times in the past, I've chosen things b/c they are the "best" instead of what I need to actually get the work done. It's a hard lesson to learn b/c we want to use "the best", but often the best is what gets done.

     

    There are great suggestions above, here are some I could think of:

    - go to the library and get lots of books and let the kids read on their own (appropriate level readers and just fun books that they will want to read)

    - play RS games (let your oldest two play them together) - the corners game was a big favorite with my kids, even the easy games will be great review - let them have fun with it.

    - don't worry about teaching your 6 yo to read...there will be time for that later. you can print some coloring/activity pages from enchanted learning

    - call on some friends and ask if they can help you - taking the kids out, letting you rest.

     

    Enjoy your little one and hang in there!

    If you have tried Chalkdust and it didn't work, can you tell me why?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    The problem with that is that she wasn't 1/2 finished after our first semester! What we ended up doing, which was suggested here, was counting the remaining objectives + tests and reviews and spreading them out over the remaining school days. Some days were easier and quicker than others, but she finished last week. :)

     

    ETA: I had her do the odd problems for the daily lessons and all the problems for the reviews and tests. I told her that she'd have to go back and do the evens if she missed too many of the odds, but she never had to do it.

     

    Hi Profmom,

     

    I'm a little confused by what you did for the second semester. We are kind of in the same boat and I'd like to speed up the rest of the book. So, instead of just working for 1 hour a day, you assigned a certain number of problems? This was based on finishing all the objectives, chapter reviews and tests in the remaining chapters? How much did she end up working time-wise each day? Did she watch the videos for the sections, too?

     

    Thanks for clarifying...my brain is really tired!

    Summer schedule

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by sandra in va

    For those who work over the summer, a couple of questions:

     

    1. Why do you do it?

     

    I found that the kids need some structure to their day. When we take too long of a break from "have to's" like school, they can get bored and take their free time for granted. We only do a few of subjects (not sure which ones yet, besides math) during the summer. It also helps them to keep skills fresh! (They also have to keep up with music lessons/practice)

     

    2. What is a typical week like?

     

    It is very laid back. They know how much they have to do each day and can pretty much do it when they want.

     

    3. Do you just continue your regular curr. or do you do other things?

     

    Depends. For things like math and Latin we use regular curriculum. For reading, I'll give them a summer reading list.

     

    :bigear:

     

     

    hth!

    What do you pay for piano lessons?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    We pay on the higher side of the range, b/c we take at a local music school. I think it ends up being between $22 and $25 for a 30 min lesson. I think the school is more expensive b/c we're paying for all the extra expenses to run it, but the benefits are weekly computer/theory time and lots of recital opportunities. Also, all my kids can take at the same place even though they do different instruments.

    VP and SL together

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by sandra in va
    spelling error

    I think it sounds like a great combination and would certainly free up some of your time! I've not looked at the online courses, but VP traditionally has broken up its ancient history over two years.

     

    If the course uses the cards of their regular history program, then the first half of core 1 would be with the VP Ancient Egypt/OT set and the 2nd half of core 1 would go with the VP Greece/Rome/NT set. Depending on which year you were doing, you'd only have to align half of core 1 which would make it easier for you.

     

    If I were you, I'd count on the VP being your main curriculum and add in SL as you can. Our favorites were the RA's (of course!), CHOW, Time Travelers, and Missionary Stories w/ the Millers. You probably could add these in w/o even using the IG.

     

    Hope this makes sense!

    Old and new WP users, can you chime in here?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    You were happy with WP?

     

     

    Yes, I was happy with it. There were things I really liked about WP. I can think of three things off the top of my head that urged me to return to SL - having a new baby, I needed things to be easier, more stream-lined which I feel that SL gives me. Also, we wanted a program we could stay with for the long haul and I preferred SL's upper cores over WP. Finally, we missed all the SL books (fiction/missionary stories/etc.) and the questions that come for the readers and history books. (Probably more reasons, too, if I thought about it...)

     

    Things I miss about WP - the built in notebooking pages, hands-on options, and movies/websites. I'm trying to add in some WTM outlining, notebooking, maps, and hands-on to SL and it's a chore.

     

    Probably too much info for your simple question. :001_unsure:

    A Few Language Arts Questions: Need Advice

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by sandra in va

    We use Rod and Staff and really like it. You could easily put your 9 and 12 yo's in R&S. If you want to do copywork or dictation with them, could you use passages from the books you are reading? I know you want something that is ready to use, but we select copywork passages for my 2nd grader out of her readers and it is really easy to do. You could have your 7th grader select a short passage to copy one day and the next, you use the same passage as dictation.

     

    For your 6 yo, you could use FLL and WWE1 and then transition to R&S in 2nd grade. Or you could use FLL and WWE2 in 2nd and transition in third grade. (We've used the FLL/WWE combo in the early grades and it worked great - transition to R&S was flawless.) If you are concerned about writing skills in 1st grade - you could let her do a portion of the copywork. I'm sure by the end of the year, she'll be able to do the whole thing. For the narrations - you write those for the child, so there won't be a lot of writing there.

     

    Obviously, we are R&S fans, so I'm going to give advice in that direction. WTM says that R&S is fine for both grammar and composition in the early grades, however, we have always used IEW and skipped the writing options in R&S. I'll let others who have experience with the other LA programs (Writing Strands and SL) comment on those. I think it might be better to just do one curriculum for grammar and one for composition - pick the ones that you think will fit the best and not worry about the rest. Then you can focus all your energy on mastering the content in just those curricula.

     

    Hope this helps! :001_smile:

    Which would you say is more "fun"--WP, MFW, HOD, Sonlight?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted · Edited by sandra in va

    I'm like you, feeling the homeschool burn-out of spring and researching options for next year. I do think WP is a fun program...we didn't use the majority of the hands-on stuff, but it was nice to have the option. The books are colorful and fun and notebooking pages, movie ideas, and websites were great. We used AS 1, AS 2, and QAW. Tried Animal Worlds and didn't like it as much.

    Tapestry of Grace or Sonlight HELP!

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I've used a little of TOG (18 weeks of year 1) and several years of SL. I've seen so many families do really well with TOG. You could focus on reading with the oldest and hands-on with the younger. TOG gives you that flexibility. If you want to keep your kids on the same topic, then TOG will allow you to do that.

     

    One caveat - it is a wonderful program, but it requires a lot of planning on your part. (which if you enjoy, won't be a problem!) If you prefer a curriculum that comes with a schedule - another option could keep your oldest in SL and try HOD for the younger. I've heard that it is a balanced program with good lit, hands-on, written work. Winter Promise (which I've also used) could be a good fit for both kids - literature based with hands-on ideas.

     

    Best to you in your decision making!

    STOW and SL Core 1

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Paige,

    Thank you for sharing your resources. However, I don't know how to open the file. Please help.

    J

     

     

    Thanks for sharing your files! :001_smile:

     

    J- I had a tricky time downloading it, too. If you scroll down the page past the ads there is a place where you click "Download now with factory file basic". It will take you to another page where again you have to scroll past the ads to another download button. Hope this helps!

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