Thank you all for your posts. My husband, emailed Chris Bright yesterday. Below is what my husband wrote to Chris - Dear Chris, I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the rules change preventing homeschooled children from forming and competing as a team in MatchCounts competitions. Two of my daughters have enjoyed the MathCounts experience tremendously and it has resulted in a significant improvement in their math skills and confidence levels. My oldest daughter (entering 9th grade and therefore no longer eligible to participate) considered math her least favorite subject until she joined the MathCounts team. In this team environment, her extremely dedicated and intelligent teachers instilled a spirit of cooperation and encouragement. She developed an appreciation of and an excitement for math. Last year, my younger daughter's first year of MathCounts resulted in a similar experience. She will be most disappointed upon learning she will be deprived of this continuing experience. The MathCounts home page states "MATHCOUNTS inspires excellence, confidence and curiosity...". I urge you to reconsider this seemingly arbitrary decision that will only serve to disappoint and deprive thousands of bright and challenge-seeking children from a wonderful experience. We should be encouraging as many children as possible to develop an excitement for and appreciation of math so our high school and college graduates can better compete in the global economy. I'm very curious as to the thinking behind this decision. I foresee only negative implications. Kindly enlighten me as to why this change was made. Thank you. And below is Chris Bright's response (the same response he's written to others in our group and around our county) Hi John, I certainly understand your concerns regarding the new homeschool eligibility rule. While it is true that homeschool students will no longer be permitted to combine with other homeschool students to form a team, every homeschool participant will still be eligible to register, compete and advance to the State and National Competitions as an individual competitor, as they have for several years now. There were several factors that influenced our Board’s decision to modify the eligibility rule. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly difficult for both the MATHCOUNTS national office and the several hundred volunteers who coordinate the competitions at the local and state levels to monitor whether the registered homeschools in their chapters and states did indeed meet the eligibility requirements of the national program. The frequency in which enrichment programs and tutoring centers (which are not eligible to participate) have tried to circumvent the eligibility requirements by registering as homeschool teams has increased significantly over the past few years. In addition, the homeschool requirements of the past did, unfortunately, allow some homeschool groups to take advantage of the policy and create “super teams†by drawing on students from chapters outside of their own. Unfortunately, this was an advantage that was not afforded to your typical brick-and-mortar school and created an unfair situation. Taking these factors into consideration and recognizing that homeschools account for between 1%-2% of all registered schools in the program, it was decided that modifying the rules to only allow homeschoolers to participate as individuals was the best solution to create a fair and balanced program for all 6000 participating schools and nearly 40,000 participating students. MATHCOUNTS values our homeschool participation and will continue to give homeschool students every opportunity to be involved in and succeed in the program. Although homeschool participants will no longer have the opportunity to participate in the team component of the competition, we hope they will still find a great deal of value and benefit from competing in the individual components, as do the 40% of registered students nationwide who compete strictly as individuals. We appreciate your support of the program and I hope you understand the reasoning behind this decision. Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions or concerns. Thank you. Chris So they are concerned about "super teams"??! Every year homeschoolers have to fill out an affidavit with their name, DOB etc. Why can't they add home address?? Yes, dc can apply as an individual, but when dc is up against teams it's honestly not a reality to think dc with make it to qualifying rounds or even state competition! What's even more ridiculous is that the only way our coach found out about the new policy is because a homeschool mathcounts team from a neighboring county (Howard Cty) was registering early and they were denied b/c of this new rule. No public announcement has been made. Sorry to ramble... it just is ludicrous! :confused: Sangita

Yes, fordham.edu is a great resource. SWB recommends it in the WTM. We love using it for our studies of primary sources. Sangita

We've participated in MathCounts in several years as a homeschool group. Yesterday our MathCount's coaches wife informed us of the following : "I received this message through the Howard County Math List today: Unfortunately, the rules for homeschools have changed for the upcoming program year and homeschoolers will no longer be able to combine with other homeschoolers to form a team. All participating homeschoolers must now register and compete as individuals only. The official rule is listed below for your reference: Homeschools in compliance with the homeschool laws of the state in which they are located are eligible to participate in MATHCOUNTS competitions as individuals only and in accordance with all other rules. Homeschool coaches must complete an affidavit verifying that students from the homeschool are in the sixth, seventh or eighth grade and that the homeschool complies with applicable state laws. Completed affidavits must be submitted to the local coordinator prior to competition. Please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any further questions. Chris" Chris Bright Program Manager MATHCOUNTS Foundation Phone: 703-299-9006 x 104 Fax: 703-299-5009 chris@mathcounts.org For those of you that have, or have had, kids in MC, this is a terrible blow for homeschoolers. Please if you feel lead contact Chris Bright, other board members or even sponsors to express your concern and disappointment. Amazingly, this information is not on the MathCounts website! Thanks! Sangita dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)

Dd is entering 9th and jut told me she wants to try AP World Hist at home. That way if she can't keep up, there is no pressure to take the AP test in May. I'd love to hear how to go about this. I've been on the college board website and looked at the course description and DBQ's. But is there a place where I can purchase a syllabus? Wht books are good to use? Shoudl she just take notes and how do I teach her to answer deeply and quickly for essays/DBQ/s?? (That's a biggie question!) Thank you for any help you can provide! Btw, dd will also be taking another AP Human Geography thru' PA homeschoolers this year. DO you think adding in AP World (lots of reading I'm sure) is too much for 9th grade along with 6 other subjects (Eng, Alg2, Bio, Spanish1, AP HG, Art history)?

I believe BJU has a cultural geography course. Sorry I can't link it, the BJU website was under maintainence. Also, saw someone on the sale & swap board sellling the book. Perhaps it incorporates real books?http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202648&highlight=cultural HThs.

Dd did Traditional Logic I in 8th and I'm thinking of having dd continue with Traditional Logic II in 9th grade. Should this be 1/2 credit? Also, what did you write as a course name/description on your dc's transcript? Thanks!!

Here is the link - http://www.bjupresshomeschool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_Online____559627 Click on the subject you want, then it will show the description, specifications and resources. If you click on resources there is a sample you can view. HTHs.

I'm considering switching from FLL4 to CLE LA grade 4. I plan to use AAS for spelling and either WWE 3 or Meaningful Compositions for writing. So, I'm primarily asking if CLE LA (grammer usage & mechanics) is complete? Does it teach punctuation, capitalization? What about outlining? I'm thinking that's probably taught under writing, but I don't think either of my writing choices teach outlining would like dd to understand it, so does CLE writing cover outlining well? Thanks!

You know, that's sort of what I had to do in FLL 3 for dd to remember the parts of speech definitions. I wrote the definitions of paper then cut them out in strips and further cut each word out. Then I would say the definition 3 or 4 times and dd would piece together the cut out words to make the definition. That was the only way she could memorize the pts. of speech. So, you maybe right, I need to approach dds areas of confusion with a different method... Gotta get to bed! Thanks so much for your suggestion... I'll put it to use tomorrow! Sangita

Aimee, You're post is just what I'm looking for - the good, the bad, the ugly! :D I think dd may have some LDs, she just doesn't seem to process what she's reading. The lesson we did yesterday was on compound subjects & compound predicates. In the written practice she had to find each then diagram the sentence skeleton. This was all review for her, but she couldn't find the subjects or predicates. So, I helped her with that... then she didn't remember how to diagram them, even though we had just read the lesson together. She kept putting the two subjects on the main line (like if the sentence was - Ducks and geese swam in the lake, she would put Ducks and geese | swam ) even though we had just minutes before talked about drawing a "fork" to show both simple subjects. I'm really frustrated... we ended up doing English for almost an hour! ugh! Dd did FLL3 last year; we struggled through... but I don't think she retained much. Maybe I should try R&S Eng 3? (I have it on my shelf)... I'm also looking into BJU online English 4... maybe the video may keep her attention... Sorry to ramble...... I just want English for dd not be a subject dd dreads! for my sanity as well as her attitude! lol! Thanks so much for your advice! Sangita

Hi all, I am on the quest to find a grammar curriculum that works for dd (9 yo). She has LDs and we've tried GWG,FLL3, R&S 4 (currently). My older girls have used R&S sucessfully and I feel it's a great curriculum, but concepts just aren't sticking/retaining with dd. Someone told me to look into Easy Grammar 4. I had a few questions- 1) Have you all used it with a dc that stuggles with grammar? Dd understands the R&S lessons (I read it with her and explain along the way), but bombs the written practice. 2) Anyone use EG all the way into high school? If so, does it sucessfully and thoroughly teach upper grammar concepts (phrases, clauses, infinitives, gerunds etc) 3) EG doesn't include diagramming. I'd like to teach diagramming to dd. For those that teach diagramming, what books/supplements do you use? 4) Any pros/cons? Would you recommend using EG? Thanks! Sangita dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)

:lurk5:

Cindy, Thank you for the detailed post!! It was very helpful. I have a few more question to ask you :) - Do you like BJU's English writing component?? Some of the chapters in t he 4th grade English book seem a little advanced for my dd (Compare-conrast essay, writing a research paper). Should I still plow thru' it with dd or skip and use another writing program- We used WWE 2 this year, and I was planning to continue with WWE 3, but this might be overkill? What do you think? I'm also considering BJU 4th grade reading? How do you like BJU 4th grade reading? Does it go beyond comprehension questions? Does it teach some basic literary terms? We are currently using CLE Reading, which is good, but it's A LOT to go through! I'd like to take a break from it this year... To give you a little background, last year dd (9 yo) used FFL 3, it was quite time consuming, b/c she had trouble understanding concepts and didn't retain much. But, we kept with it through the year. I don't want to go thru' another year of FLL, and am now trying R&S English 4 (already had from older dds). Again, she is having difficulty transferring/remembering/retaining what is taught in the current lesson and using that knowledge to correctly complete the oral & written practice. Today, we couldn't even finish a lesson on compound subject & predicates b/c she didn't remember how to diagram them... I am praying that I find something that clicks with dd. I really don't want another year of struggling thru' grammar for her or me! It's quite challenging! Perhaps having the BJU video may help her understand and retain?... Sorry to ramble, but thought I should explain why I'm looking into BJU online. Thanks so much for listening and answering my questions! Sangita

:lurk5:

I just found out from another post that BJU offers online individual courses for all grades! I'm interested in finding out what people think of BJU English 4 online. I had a few questions - BJU English 4 1) I'm assuming the teacher goes over the lesson then dc does the worksheet and I correct it? 2) Dd needs plenty of review (grammar is a stuggle for her) does the teacher review or are their review practice sheets that I can provide dd? 3) I saw the TM has review worksheets (from the CD), but I noticed the English TM is not part of the online package price (hope this makes sense). 4) When the English chapter covers writing, does it still review grammar? (I think dd would need that) 5) Finally, how do you all like English 4?? Is it as thorough as R&S English? dd is trying that now, but it's a struggle... she seems to understand the R&S lesson, but bombs the practice. 6) Also, I read somewhere that if I purchase thru' a BJU consultant, shipping is free - is that correct? World Studies 7th 1) What type of written work does dc do on her own?? Is there any essay writing? or only Q&A? (I'm assuming there are tests). But I really want dd to write essays for history..... 2) How did ou like the online course? Worth the $$? Thanks so much for any help you can give!!! Sangita dd(14), dd(12), dd(9), ds(6)

Korin, Thank you again for helping me muddle thru' MCT! The post was very helpful - thanks for giving me your opinion on what to buy. I'll try the Mad Libs & games - great idea! We already have those! Thank you again for all your advice! Sangita

I'm wondering the same question as previous posters. I didn't know you could buy single BJU classes for elementary. Are these DVDs or truly online? Thanks!

Korin, Thank you SO much for your post and great explainations. I would like to try MCT, and see how she absorbs it. Perhaps a different approach may help dd. I haven't finalized dds vocab or writing curriculums, but plan to use AAS for spelling. Would you suggest I buy a package? or first simply try Grammar Island (TM & Student) then if things seem to be going well and dd is retaining, should I buy the rest (vocabulary, writing, poetry, practice)?? A big question, I saw on the RWP website, you first to go thru' grammar book (Grammar Island) approx 1st quarter, then start the practice book, alongside vocabulary, writing and poetry. Is that correct?? If so, how do you plan your dc's daily schedule for all these components? I was a little unsure (I'm use to a schedule!!! lol) How often do you teach each? (Vocab twice a week? Writing three times?? what about poetry & practice - is that daily? I know there are a *ton* of posts regarding MCT. But, perhaps I didn't search properly, but couldn't find any about scheduling, so thank you *very* much for explaining the "ropes"! Sangita dd(14) - starts high school!! dd(12) - 7th dd(9) - 4th ds(6) - 1st

Thanks for the grammarland link - I'm assuming its the first book in the list (the white cover)? The second bk is on pre-order... Did someone recommend this book to you? I didn't see sample pages on amazon... thanks again!!! Sangita

Lisa, I really appreciate your detailed reply. Thanks for your ideas!!! I'm thinking of adding in Writing Tales 1 with dd since it incorporates parts of speech in the lessons or IEW (I haven't used it before. Older girls used Wordsmith series and local writing classes). The grammarland book - is it called Journey Thru' Grammarland by Jenson? http://www.christianbook.com/journey-through-grammarland-1-2-kit/vernie-jones/pd/606137?event=CF ? Dd does fine with reading and comprehension of literature, but when it comes to grammar it's pretty much "in one ear, out the other"... lol. I'm also looking into MCT, but it might not have enough review... A friend lent me Laura Berquist's book - I've only read some of it, but its a great book... thanks for reminding me of it. Also, thanks for helping me remember to keep things in perspective and not get frustrated when she is not retaining as "I" think she should... Thanks so much for your insight! Sangita

Thanks for your post. I actually was looking at MCT last night... I'm a little confused by the website (lots to look at!!) But, my curiosity is peeked, because so many on this board love MCT. But, since I read on the website, it was a program for "gifted" dc, and I didn't see much repetition, which is something dc needs.... I looked at a LOT of older MCT posts, can you tell me a few things - 1) Why do so many like it? What is the "different approach"?? 2) How do concepts "stick" if there is no repetition? 3) Is it fast paced? (couldn't tell from the samples..) 4) When you say its not everyones cup of tea - what do you mean... sorry I've read this in other posts, but not clear why... Thanks so much for helping!

LIsa, Thanks for your idea about Shurley. We have never used it. I really am struggling with trying to find a grammar program that works (rather "sticks") for dd (9 yo; 4th grade in the fall). She can recite definitions (FFL 3) and tell me what a verb, noun, adjective is. But when it come to transferring that knowledge to paper, she can't do it. Yesterday I gave her an R&S worksheet to find the sentence skeletion (simple subj & simple predicate). She got most wrong b/c either she wrote the complete subject on the diagram or not the main verb for the simple predicate. These are things she has learned/been taught in FLL 3 and in the prior R&S lesson.... so I'm not sure if it's just a matter of going *really* slow thru R&S or perhaps just needing more repetition (CLE??? or Shurley??). I'm a little concerned that Shurley doesn't teach diagramming. My older girls have gone thru' R&S English 3-8 and I can see the benefit of diagramming. But, I really can't teach the more advanced diagramming concepts - phrases/clauses etc (by the time dds learned those topics they were doing R&S independently). So, do you teach diagramming? If so, how? Do you use another book? Also, if read an older post saying that Shurley does a good job teaching the basics, but not advanced topics like phrases & clauses. What do you think?? What do you plan to use after Shruley 7?? Also, I plan to use AAS, CLE for reading, Vocab - not sure, writing not sure. What do you use for your ds for writing & vocab? Thanks so much for your help! I am *so* eager to find a grammer program that works for dd and we (me & her) are not pulling our hair out!!!! help! Sangita dd(14),dd(12),dd(9),ds(6)

Great thoughts!! Thanks for expaining how you use WWE along with history & science narrations! Very helpful... !

Thank you all for the ideas for my dd.... It is a daily struggle to teach & re-teach.... but I've realized she just needs lots of review... thanks again! I'll give your ideas a try!

:lurk5: