I'm on a budget and found a deal on a Holt Physical Science set but it has a 2001 copyright. Is it going to be terribly outdated? (This is for my 8th grader, BTW.) Thank you!

Ok, thanks! I'll keep looking.

Is this the cd-rom? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Holt-Physical-Science-student-edition-on-CD-rom-NEW-/140586376436?pt=US_Texbook_Education&hash=item20bb99dcf4 And do the materials have to have the same copyright to be compatible? I'm looking at a cheap copy of a 2001 text....would the cd-rom work with it or should I find a more current text? Thanks!!!

Well.... I just bought a copy of Glencoe along with a study guide and "student works plus CD". Hope my 8th grader likes it! I'm a little worried now but we'll give it a try. :)

OK, thanks! Are you referring to the homeschooling set that comes with a cd-rom? I'm on a budget and was looking at just getting a used copy of the student text - not the homeschool set. I'm not sure if I can get the cd-rom used?

Is the teacher manual a necessity or can we get by without it? (My ds wants to work as independently as possible.) Would it make a difference if we had the test book and the study guide with answers (as far as needing the tm)? And does it matter what copyright I get? Thanks!

I'd say he's a strong reader. What do you mean by you adapted "the output requirements to make it a middle school course"? Was that about the OM syllabus? Thank you!

I'm going to use either Holt or Glencoe geography as a stand alone (still deciding) but I've noticed they both have middle school texts as well as high school texts. What does everyone generally use for 8th grade? I haven't seen any of the books in person so I can't compare. Thanks!

I'll check it out for sure! Thanks! I actually just bought Jump In because I've heard good things about it and liked the description. I got a good deal so I figured it's worth a shot. I just hope it's enough for 8th grade? I do want him prepared for high school writing.

Thanks for the replies! I like the idea of spending a couple months reviewing and filling in the gaps before moving to algebra. That might be a good compromise. I don't know anything about AoPS.... Art of Problem Solving? I see it's supposed to be a full prealgebra course so I wonder if we'd really be able to get through it quickly enough to move on to algebra? I'd love to use something that would give that good prealgebra foundation but I wonder if this would work for us? I've never seen the books so I don't know how different it is from what we've used. As mentionend, Lials Basic College math could work for this purpose too. Why BCM and not prealgebra? What is MM? As far as vocab, I wouldn't say he needs vocab but I wanted to add it in since I have it. :) I used Lightning Lit 7 several years ago and remember liking it....but that's about all I remember. I need to keep things simple so I'm not sure if I want to add LL or not. I can't remember how time consuming it is? Is it a fairly independent course? Can anyone clarify about the geography.... Is the Glencoe geography a high school text? I assume it's doable for an 8th grader? And it looks like Holt has a middle school world geography as well as a high school text... which one does everyone use? This is so overwhelming! I usually have months to plan and now just days! I want to bring him home by next week....

AimeeM, I know you're right and I'm certainly not sure yet about placing him in algebra. It's hard when I know he'd be perfectly capable under different circumstances and when I know how frustrated he is about it. I think we'll do the CLE placement test and take it from there.... AK_Mom4, thanks for your input Glencoe! The geography sounds like what we're looking for. :) And I'll have to look at their physical science too! Does it have experiments and are they easily done at home? And do you need a TM? Thanks so much!

Thank you both for your thoughts on Algebra. I'm glad to hear a good review on CLE! I'm really concerned about how he would do on the CLE placement test. I printed it and will probably have him take it but I actually had him start the Saxon Algebra placement first because it was fewer pages so less intimidating. ;). He became discouraged by how many things he didn't know because he feels like he SHOULD know them. I hate to tell him he can't do algebra but I don't want to ignore the gaps left by the previous school (so frustrsting!). I'm not sure if he'd do better with spiral or mastery but he's done R&S and CLE so maybe he could make either work. Which method is better for filling in the gaps?

My almost 14 gear old recently started his 3rd year in a Montessori school (homeschooled prior to that) but I think we've decided to bring him home again. We're probably going to use a lot of textbooks because I think that's what he needs after his experience with Montessori. He loves to learn and is very bright but needs something more straightforward. So having said that, I'd like to bring him home asap but am so unprepared! He wants to be as independent as possible and I'm fine with that. We're on a tight budget though so I have to keep that in mind and will try to use some things that we already have. I know we'll do Rod & Staff for grammar b/c I already have it and love it! :) I'd like to skip R&S writing and add something else though. I have Writing Strands as well as Jensen Format Writing (never used FW) but I'm not sure if I want to use either. Suggestions on something fairly independent and affordable? Jump In? Might throw in some vocab because I have Vocabulary From Classical Roots A and Words on the Vine....would one of those be simple for him to do on his own? I can't even remember if I've used them before. We'll do physical science and I have Apologia but am thinking about trying Hewitt or Holt. I'm not a big science person and need something that will get done. :/ If we did Hewitt or Holt, do I need a student book and a TM? Anything else? Are there experiments in those books and can we do them at home? I think we'll do world geography in place of history and I'm looking at Glencoe or Holt. Would either of those be good for independent work? Same question as above... do I need a TM and student book? I think I'll throw in some logic but don't want it to take up too much time.... I have Introductory Logic, Logical Thinking Skills (Martha Martin), Mind Benders, Orbiting With Logic, and The Thinking Toolbox/The Fallacy Detective. Have no idea which to use! Math....saved this one for last. He really wants to do algebra. He's good at math but his standardized test scores have consistently dropped since he's been at the Montessori school. I know we have some gaps to fill but I wonder if there would be enough pre-algebra review in most algebra texts to make it work? I have BJU and Lial's but I just saw that Christian Light has an Algebra course! Is it any good? I love CLE math for the younger grades. I should add that he'll likely go back to school of some sort next year so I want him to be prepared for that. I know this is a lot but I need to get this figured out asap so any help would be so very much appreciated!!!! :)

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OneStep, Yes, I totally agree about the reading! I plan to read lots of great books to her! I know hearing great literature is so important. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the grammar. Good points. :). I did wonder if starting with LiPS or level 1 of Barton was really necessary but I'm understanding better now and seeing the value. LaughingCat, That was so awesome of you to explain the different programs! I'm sure I'll do some more research but you saved me hours lol! Thanks for reading my other post too. You're description of LiPS makes me nervous though. I imagine that any program for dyslexia is going to be a lot of work for the teacher....but is it even a lot of work considering that? I may sound lazy here but I just know I need a program that does a lot of hand holding since this type of teaching is new to me. I know you said it is worth it though... Unfortunately, money IS an issue. That's why I'm trying so hard to find a good fit right off the bat....if possible. But of course I'm willing to keep trying until we do find something that works. I'm a little nervous about spending $250 on Barton and if we do LiPS first then Barton will have to wait just a bit. So when I see someone mention something cheaper that has a method similar to Barton, I'll at least check it out. But I'm sure there's nothing out there exactly like Barton (or LiPS). Pen, Thanks for the link! I'll check it out for sure! I wonder what it was that made H N work for her dc where Barton didn't. Of course my dd may have different issues. I'll have to read the thread. :) And I'll need to do more reading/research on H N but does it have any auditory processing help like Barton and LiPS? I agree with you about spelling and would not add that as a separate subject right now. Thank you all!!!!

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OneStep, Yes, you have helped tremendously! :) Thank you for explaining what worked for you as far as scheduling. I was concerned about the length of the lessons b/c I can't see my daughter being able to do an hour or more of Barton in one sitting. Of course I don't even have the program yet so it's hard to say how she'll feel about it, but I'm guessing that 30-45 min every day would work better. And thanks for info about the grammar. I just wonder if we could work in some grammar that didn't require much, if any, reading. I mean I'd like to make sure she knows parts of speech, types of sentences, etc, but wouldn't want to interfere with what Barton is trying to accomplish. Hmmmm.... Thanks again!!! :)

So much info! :) I m going to have to reread the replies several times to get it all! OneStep, I know you're right that there is no way to know which would work better without trying both. I hate the thought of wasting time and $ on the wrong thing but I guess it happens sometimes. :/ Thanks for sharing your experience with Barton. Maybe this info is on their website, but would we do Barton every day? I would assume so since it's all she'd be doing for language arts. Also, do we not even worry about grammar? My boys used Rod & Staff for grammar (which I LOVE!) so it's hard for me to imagine not doing any grammar in 5th grade. merry, My daughter has been to the audiologist several times for her hearing loss but they've never even mentioned anything about auditory processing. The auditory processing/dyslexia was what the school found. Dd goes to the otologist once a year and the audiologist there tests her hearing loss but they only check to see if the hearing loss has progressed. Is that a special kind of audiologist that checks for things like auditory processing? Your input on the sound comparisons was helpful. For the /s/ and /sh/ I'm guessing that's a memory issue b/c she just couldn't remember the order of the sounds. The other one was a combination of issues b/c she kept throwing a /g/ sound in there and just got all mixed up on all 3 sounds. But if Barton gives some hints, as you say, it might be enough for her? StoryGirl, Thanks for your thoughts on math! I may just try CLE again. That's what we were doing up through 2nd grade before I put her in the Montessori school. I felt like she was doing OK. I know she'll need help with her facts though, due to the memory issues. Overall, math is her strength. I need to figure out what level to put her in b/c I feel like she didn't progress at the Montessori school as much as she could've. :/ LaughingCat, Oh no....did you really give me more options?!? lol! I know that was probably not what you were trying to do but now I must compulsively research Abecedarian and Dancing Bears. ;). Maybe you can spare me and tell me those don't fit our situation? If you did them BEFORE LiPS maybe my dd would be past needing those? OhElizabeth, She was getting speech services at the Montessori school. The speech therapist (she's great) has been working with her on her /r/ sound production and she said they "incorporate activities to strengthen her ability to recall information presented auditorily (which involves immediate memory and attention skills as well)". She told me that since my dd qualifies for services she may still be able to get speech through our public school (and she does recommend we continue). It seemed as thought LiPS was more expensive than buying one level of Barton? I guess that's what I was comparing. You said.... "It would be really ironic if what seems like dyslexia is actually because of auditory discrimination issues because of the hearing loss.". We've talked about this with the school because it's so hard to know if any of this is the result of hearing loss. But her loss is mild and so far everyone who has worked with her, assessed her, etc, thinks it's not the hearing loss but the way she's hearing the sounds, processing or whatever. :). She also struggles with writing so that points to more than hearing I suppose. And then there are the memory issues. (It's never simple is it?!) And speaking of memory, no, I haven't heard of metronome! I'll check it out! I definitely want to help her with her working memory as, like you said, it will help across the board!

Thank you both! I will look for a used LiPS manual but am still considering going straight to Barton. If I can find the LiPS manual at a good price it would be worth looking at though. I do like that Barton covers all the language arts that we'd need. :) Can anyone compare Barton and High Noon? I just read about High Noon and it looks interesting. I'm so new to all these programs and it's overwhelming! I've been reading some info in other posts but thought I'd ask here too in case anyone has thoughts specific to our situation. I went ahead and did the High Noon assessment and she can read the first couple of passages with small errors. (I had her read the 3rd and 4th passages and she was able but was less fluent.) After reading the first passage she had no idea what it was about. I told her I was going to let her read it again and then ask again. After that she was able to tell me about the first couple of passages but most of what she recalls is specific words and phrases more than being able to understand and summarize...if that makes sense. Anyway, I've been assuming that we should do Barton (and maybe LiPS) but should we consider High Noon or even something else?

So I gave my daughter (10 yo) the Barton screening and she did fine on A and B (needed just a little help with the one syllable word), but *barely* passed C. There were a couple that she got correct after repeat and then she got two wrong.... /ch/ /j/ /sh/ /s/ /sh/ /s/ And I'll admit that I gave the screening to her twice on two different days and she missed those two both times. The number "correct after repeat" varied slightly but no more than 3. Also, the second time I noticed that she repeated /e/ as /a/ two different times. I didn't mark those wrong b/c I don't think she did that the first time but I'm sure she does have some trouble differentiating between the vowel sounds sometimes. I gave details in a post on the special needs board but basically, she has a reading disability/dyslexia as well as memory and auditory processing issues. She also has mild conductive hearing loss but we were told that it's most likely the other issues that are causing her learning problems. Anyway, I'm a little concerned that she barely passed the screening. Would we be OK to start Barton? I looked into LiPS a little bit but don't know if that would be necessary or not (plus, from what I can tell, it seems really expensive?!). Also, I've done some reading and research on dyslexia, auditory processing, etc, but am a little overwhelmed. I'm almost positive that we're going to try homeschooling again this year (after 2 years in a Montessori school) but I feel very unprepared to start in August like I want to. Could you all give me some curriculum recommendations? I need some place to start. I used Rod & Staff and/or Christian Light math with my boys but I'm not sure those would work for her? So I'm looking for suggestions for math, of course reading/spelling etc, and any other subject! :) Thank you!

OK, I think I just realized that there is a "learning challenges" board as well as a "special needs" board, correct? I didn't even realize there were two when I posted! :) Maybe this post would have fit better on the learning challenges board? I gave my daughter the Barton screening and had some questions so maybe I should post there? Thanks again for the advice, encouragement, and support, BTW! :)

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