sandra in va
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Posts posted by sandra in va
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Thank you, thank you!! These lists look great. I was planning on using core 1 and 6 next year...this helps me bridge the gap between the youngers and olders. I love all the extra reading suggestions, too.
:)
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Thanks, AngieW, for this list! I'm saving it for when we get to core 7 year after next when I'll be also be using it with an 8th and 6th grader. Do you by any chance have a similar list for core 6? :D
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If you choose to do core 2 - your younger kids could use the 2 readers (intermediate or advanced), but what would you use for your 10 yo? You could add in your own reader list, but it seems that you are looking to streamline things and want the SL schedule and reader questions.
Are you really set on doing world history? You've probably had your fill of American history if you've been doing HOD, however, it seems that SL 3 or 4 would be a better fit if you want to combine all your kids. Your youngers could read the SL 3 lit or use the 2 readers (guide inc. schedule and discussion questions is only $5).
Assuming your 10 yo is going into 5th grade? Then you could do
5th core 3
6th core 4
7th core 6
8th core 7
I'm thinking this would be perfect for your 9 yo, but your 7 yo would always be a little stretched. However, you said that child is an advanced reader. You could always adjust reading (fewer books, some hands-on), too. I think it might be helpful to not only consider what they want to study now but to also include long-term planning. You may not stick with SL for that long, but it still helps to have a plan.
I feel your pain, I've got 6 with one entering high school next year. I think we'll be doing 3 cores - however, I'm going to try and have my oldest 3 working fairly independently (core 6 and 200). My younger girls will do a core together. It helps that I've already done core 1, so I'm familiar with the books. But still, thinking of next year kind of makes my eyes cross - I wonder if I'll be able to do it. I just don't want to combine my youngers (6 and 8 next year) into core 6.
I love Sonlight, I really do, but I have been thinking of MFW just for the ease of combining. Have you looked into that program? It doesn't have everything that SL has (scheduled readers and all those wonderful books!), but it has the book basket concept which might be perfect for your advanced readers. It could free up a lot of your time for your littlest ones.
Just thoughts. I hope you find the right thing for your family. Don't be discouraged - it will all come together! :grouphug:
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We've had 3 kids doing SL 5 this year and book sharing hasn't been a problem. They know how much reading they have to do each week and adjust their daily schedule if the book is being used (i.e. do another subject until the book is available). The only thing we did have to work on was learning to always put the book back on the bookshelf when they were done...a few times we had to hunt for the book before the others could read it. ;)
We did have two copies for a few of the books and it was nice, but not necessary.
hth,
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Here's mine for next year:
Bible: VP Bible year 2
Math: Horizons 2B/3A
LA: R/S 3, IEW (SWI A and some Fairy Tales Theme-based), Lit - my own reading list plus some VP guides, SWO C/D, Reason for Handwriting C, Journal/Copywork
Foreign Languages: finish PL then start LC 1, Spanish (RS, La Classe Divertida)
History: SL core 1 with younger sis + hands-on activities from Handle on the Arts (still thinking about whether to use MOH1 or CHOW as written)
Geography: Trail Guide to World Geo/Audio Geo songs from Core 2 (spread out over 2 years)
Science: SL 1 with My Body Book
Music: Piano
PE: Dance, Karate, bike riding/walks
Some things I would really like to add in this year - (hopefully this will be the year they actually happen!) :tongue_smilie:
Art: Artistic Pursuits 1 (projects go well with SL 1)
Music: Color the Classics
Memory work: Catechism, verses, selections from Living Memory
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We are probably going to continue using SL for high school. One mom I know who uses SL for high school offered me this advice on accountability. She has her dd write out the answers to all the questions in the Bible, history and lit guides. I was planning on giving my dd the student sheets, having her write answers in a notebook and then discussing with her once a week. (Similar to TOG, but much less intese.) She would also make tests based on that work.
You are much farther ahead than me, but I just thought I'd share this bit that helped me with the accountability aspect of SL.
I agree on the amount of read alouds - I have fallen behind this year. I will have to finish up over the summer. I also give them the RA as readers, too. I prefer not to b/c we love reading together - but sometimes it's a necessity b/c we have to move forward. Also, I don't use the mapwork - I also found them strange. Core 5 has great mapwork with the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer book, but the other cores just have the maps in the history/read aloud guides. I think I will be adding some Knowledge Quest maps to our core 6 next year.
Hope you find the answers you are looking for!
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I think it's great that you're starting to homeschool yourself, not only for your Italian, but your education in general. Italian is just one of the areas that you have chance to really work on now. :)
*amaro
The easiest thing is to play film and voila, let the kids learn... Unfortunately many schools today work by that principle, of "amusing" kids rather than educating them. :rolleyes: It's a LOT easier and requires considerably less mental effort from everyone, professor, and students included.
You can PM me regarding any specific questions you might have (for Italian II, or III next year too), problems with grammar and alike.
I understand that Ester Maria's tone feels brusque, but I felt that she was genuinely trying to help - as evidenced by her offer to help via private message. It obviously took time to write out her criteria for Italian I and II, as well. I think what has happened here is evidence of a cultural misunderstanding, amplified by the sterile nature of writing on the forums. Without speaking face to face and seeing expressions, it is easy to over-interpret. Please stay on the boards - we need the perspective you bring!
Along with the others here, I applaud tigersgrowl in her desire to homeschool herself. I think any foreign language is difficult to self-teach, and given the limited options for homeschoolers - Rosetta Stone is often the curriculum of choice. It is not necessarily the best, but it is functional and easy to use. From what others have said, if one uses it, they should be prepared to take the languages again in college to insure complete grammar coverage.
I was reading this thread because my 7th grader wants to take Italian. Since I don't know it and we are unable to hire a tutor, we will probably use a program similar to Rosetta Stone. I've been looking into Tell Me More. It seems more complete than RS, though I'm sure it is still lacking in its grammar coverage. It might be one you could look into tigersgrowl. I would still like to add in some kind of grammar text. I will look into the ones that Ester Maria mentioned earlier, though they may be too much for a jr. high student.
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How about Biblioplan?
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Oops. Sorry. I don't know how I missed that. That's a change I can live with, especially if it means I can afford it!
Thanks!
No problem! :)
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See my post above re changes to the teacher's manual that resulted in lower cost.
:)
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ugh i wish i would have known a new version was coming out!! i just bought it.. ugh.
She might be willing to exchange it for the new edition. I would call and ask! But you might want to see the new edition first, you might like the current one better.
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Or maybe not. What are they changing and what about the "new edition" of the book? Is it an abridged version or something?
I don't think the new edition is abridged, but I don't know any more than that. The main changes to the 2nd edition is in the teacher's guide. The current guide includes exact copies of the students' sheets with the answers. In the new edition, the answers will be there, but not in the form of exact copies of the student sheets. Apparently, this will make the teacher's edition much smaller - therefore the lower price (and easier to carry around). I personally like to have the student sheets in my teacher's guide, so that I know exactly what the questions are. I'll wait and see the samples on the website (around May 1st) and then decide which edition I'll buy.
I hope I've conveyed the changes accurately, you might want to email the author (or call her) and get more details. She said they will still carry the 1st edition student books for a few years so that those who have that teacher's edition will be able to get the matching student books. Also, they will have the 1st edition for a while longer - so if you prefer that edition, it is still available.
Hope this helps!
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Just wanted to add - I talked with the author a few days ago and she told me that the new edition of LL LOTR is coming out at the beginning of May. It will be less expensive and tied to a newer edition of the books.
You might want to wait and check out this new version before you buy.
:001_smile:
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I know these are more operettas than opera, but my kids have really enjoyed Gilbert and Sullivan. We went to see Pirates of Penzance and watched the Mikado on video. It is nice b/c it's in English. :)
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Also, chalkdust, you said it is a faster pace. Is it able to be slowed down if she needed it for certain topics? She is generally VERY good at her math lessons, but there are times when it just doesnt click right away. So if she got it, would we have to watch the whole lesson to get everything? Or once she got it could we go on? Ok, maybe I said that confusingly. Does it do a whole lot of problems of the same complexity before moving on to more complex? If that was the case would we be able to separate that to different lessons?
I'll take a stab at these questions...we've used CD Basic Math and are doing Prealg this year. It can definitely be slowed down. It is mastery-based, so each chapter has its own topic and each section of the chapter has its own sub-topic (kwim?). So, each section of the chapter has a video component - yes, sometimes it is long, but if you have trouble with this you can spread it over two days - and usually a ton of problems. So, if your child has trouble, he can watch the video again and do more problems. Often, we have not had to do this - usually just going over that type of problem from the lesson in the book is sufficient to clarify any confusion. Although my 12 yo has had trouble with one particular chapter recently, so I had him just do the whole thing over again. He completed it rather quickly the second time with much more understanding.
I just want to reiterate that each section has its own set of problems (sometimes as many as 200), so you'll have to assign the ones you want your student to work. Evens, odds, or every fourth problem. It still leaves many left over if he needs more practice.
One other way you can slow it down is to take longer to do the program or use it one year "behind". Last year my 7th grader used TT Prealg. This year she is using CD Prealgebra. It is different enough that she is quite challenged, yet the TT did give her a little more preparation (she's not a real math-y kid).
Sorry this got so long, hope something here helps!
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First time doing 9th grade - this is how it is looking right now, all one credit unless noted...
English - Analytical Grammar, IEW Elegant Essay and IEW Starting Points lesson plans, literature (Sonlight core 200 with 4-5 literature guides - Progeny Press and Sparknotes), vocabulary (Wordly Wise)
Math - Chalkdust Algebra 1
Science - Physical Science with DIVE CD-ROM and Apologia PS text
Latin - Latin 2, Henle units 6-14
History - 1/2 Notgrass world (remainder saved for 10th grade), Sonlight core 200 (reduced history book list)
Bible/worldview - Combination of Sonlight core 200 Bible (again reduced Bible book list) and 1/2 of Starting Points by Quine (Cornerstone Curriculum)
Health (1/2 crdt) - Hewitt Homeschooling lesson plans, book - Total Health
Music Theory (1/2 crdt)
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Sola Gratia Academy (by grace alone) b/c it is the grace of God that has given us the children we have, the hope we have, the talents/abilities, and the opportunity to homeschool...basically everything!
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Could the older two do core 6 on their own mostly? I am planning on having my 7th grader do either core 6 or alt 7 next year, but he will do it pretty much on his own. This way I can focus on my rising 3rd and 5th graders - I'm planning on doing core 3 with them. My youngest will do her own thing as she will be too young for core 3. I plan on working with her a lot, too.
Do you think you could do 3 cores if the older kids handle core 6 more independently? Then your 3rd grader can do core 2 and you can move on to core K with your youngers. You could even spread out core K over two years with your little ones (my 2nd grader did core K this year and I just added in some geography workbooks to beef it up for her and it worked just fine). That should help ease up your schedule, too.
Just some thoughts. I'm in a similar situation as you - trying to minimize cores, but maximize both learning for the kids and my own sanity! I have tried TOG in the past, and for me, it took too much time to organize and plan. You still have 2-3 levels of books that you need to use to make it tailored for each kid's level. It is a wonderful program, but it was not a good fit for me. As Heather said, it works best for planners. I think if you are used to SL and want to minimize planning, TOG may not be the best way to go. However, that said, you should print out their three week plan and try it, esp. if your goals are 1. to keep your kids studying the same history topic together, 2. maintain a four-year history study, and 3. include a study of the Great Books and in depth history analysis/discussion.
HTH,
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Trail Guide series? They have world, US, and Bible geography books with corresponding notebook pages for the levels of your kids. I've only used this as a supplement, but I'm sure it could be used as your main curriculum if you do all the research projects.
Other options: SL 5 has been great this year (eastern hemisphere geo) - would work for the ages of your kids.
Hth,
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We used core 5 with a 4th grader this year and it was fine. He didn't do all of the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer and he skipped one or two readers, but other than that he kept up fine with the core. He also used Science 5 and was fine.
After reading the other posts, I'm editing to add that I shared the above b/c you asked if anyone had used SL with a "younger than recommended" child successfully. We did have a good experience this year. However, I wouldn't say that it could be done with every child. My 10 yo is an advanced reader and isn't bothered by sensitive material. On the flip side, my K-er is having trouble keeping up with K this year. I agree with the other pp - each kid is different. :)
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We are really enjoying the U.S. History in My Father's World Adventures for our 2nd grader. It has been a fun, interesting year!
That's what I was going to suggest. :)
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Thank you to everyone who has shared here. You guys are the best!!! I have learned so much about HOD from your experiences. I haven't reached a final decision, but I think my next step is to get my hands on the guides and books for the levels I want to use. As some of suggested here, without seeing them in their entirety, I can't make the best decision.
I hope that this thread will help others researching HOD in the future! :001_smile:
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If we used HOD, I was planning on having the kids in their separate programs, but I am open to combining - esp my 5th and 7th graders (in RTR probably). I appreciate how each level of HOD is so age-appropriate, so I didn't want to lose that by doing too much combining. I was thinking of Bigger or Preparing for my 3rd grader and LHFHG or Beyond for my 1st grader.
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Thank you everyone for being so honest. It is so very helpful to hear both the good and challenging things as I'm trying to figure out if the "risk of change" is worth it.
I'd love to hear more people's experiences - thanks for sharing!!
Please help! Sonlight Core 2 questions
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
I think your decision sounds wonderful! SL 2 will be great for your kids and it will be wonderful to have them all in one program. I think you could definitely add in some of core 7 literature for your oldest. You may not be interested in this, but just in case - if you want the questions/schedule, you'll have to buy the core 7 IG b/c it is not separated out like in the lower cores. You may also want to consider adding in some of the core 6 readers b/c core 2 starts with medieval period which is in core 6. :)
As I've been researching this for next year, I've found a couple of things that might interest you - Calvert sells a workbook that goes with A Child's History of the World. It gives outlines for each chapter with blanks the kids fill in, as well as some puzzles and activities. They use it for grade 4 at Calvert. It might add a little meat for your oldest. Check it out here -
http://homeschool.calvertschool.org/why-calvert/homeschool-enrichments/history-courses/a-childs-history-of-the-world
Also, if you like some hands-on things added in, Handle on the Arts has activities that correlate to core 2. You can see it here -
http://www.handleonthearts.com/cart/handson-history-year-2-p-44.html
Hope you have a great year!