[5th grade schedules/plans/curricula... anyone willing to share?? Please?]

Well, here are my tentative plans for my 5th grade ds:

 

History/Bible/Music Appreciation: MFW RtoR

Science: Apologia Astronomy and human body study as scheduled in MFW

Grammar: Junior Analytical Grammar

Writing: Writing Strands (maybe IEW Medieval writing)

Spelling: Spelling Today (an old, out of print spelling text we like)

Math: Scott Foresman Exploring Mathematics 5 (maybe Life of Fred as a supplement?)

Latin: Latin for Children

Art: Mark Kistler's online drawing lessons

PE: Golf, basketball

 

I also have ILL which I'd love to use if I can fit it in somewhere. I have a tendency toward overkill when it comes to Language Arts. :)

[Best Place to Buy Saxon 1-3 Student Consumable Workbooks/Materials?]

I second Rock Solid!

[Recipe: Taco Bake]

Yummmmm!! Sounds delicious!

[Need Beginning Reader Suggestions]

We loved the Pathway readers, starting with First Steps and then Days Go By and More Days Go By.

[My cat has figured out how to turn on the electric blanket.]

Oh my! What a smart kitty you have there!:001_smile:

[What did/do you use for middle school middle ages?]

I am all ears here! I'm currently considering either MFW RtoR or WP QMA for my history oriented 5th grader. We've used TOG this year, and while I like it, it's so much more than I need for this age. I can't wait to read the replies you get!

[Doesn't anyone use Writing Strands?]

We use it and like it. I've also used IEW and think it's good too.

 

I found a copy of WS3 on paperbackswap and picked it up out of curiosity. I realized that my 3rd and 4th graders needed some help with the basic mechanics of writing, and they are benefiting from the lessons involving building complex sentences and paragraph organization. I do like the stylistic techniques and dress ups of IEW, though, and I suspect we'll use parts of both programs over the long haul.

[K level math--what do you use?]

We liked BJU Math K too.

[Sunday dinner without: milk, cheese, or other dairy, eggs, wheat, pork, chocolate...]

Not sure if this will help any, but my MIL, who cannot eat dairy, uses non-dairy creamer in her mashed potatoes. I wonder if you could use it with cornstarch in your gravy? Just a thought...

[What do you know about digital scrapbooking?]

Hi!

 

Oh, you are gonna have so much fun with this!! :001_smile: One place to start is http://www.digishoptalk.com, where many stores/designers advertise new products and sales. I think this site will point you to lots of other great resources.

 

If you are interested in downloading some free designs, try these two places:

http://www.shabbyprincess.com for some amazingly beautiful free digital kits, and

http://ikeagoddess.blogspot.com/ for a daily list of new digital freebies offered.

 

Have fun!!

[IEW Ancient History based writing lessons ?]

Yes, I think you'll want the TM. You'll find the vocabulary quizzes (and answers), ideas for games, and semi-scripted lesson plans in the TM. I also found it helpful in that it provides guidelines as to what to expect from Level A, Level B and Level C students.

[Managing Disruptions]

What great ideas here! I love your card idea, Carol.

[Happy Birthday! Because I'm turning 40, our health ins. will cost....]

Oh, Julie! I'm turning 40 next year, and this is something I've been dreading. We too have private coverage for our family of 5 through BCBS, but we pay "only" $900/month. We just upped our deductible to $2500, and of course we immediately had an emergency room visit. :glare: We also have some pre-existing conditions, which make it difficult to change carriers.

[What is your fifth grade line up for LA?]

I'm contemplating this right now for my ds who will be in 5th next year. Can't wait to read your replies! Right now, we use:

 

GWG4, Literature from TOG, and a mix of IEW Ancient history lessons and Writing Strands. We also use an old, out-of-print spelling program that I like. I think for next year, we'll do this:

 

Spelling: continue our current program and add in Megawords, as spelling is a weak area for him.

Grammar: Jr. Analytical Grammar (only 11 weeks!)

Writing: IEW SWI A. When this is done, we'll transition to Writing Aids using IEW concepts. We may also do some more Writing Strands

Literature: from TOG

 

I also do a read aloud at bedtime, so he will get more literature then too, only it won't be tied to history.

[I'm just not on board with keeping the Latin going. *sigh*]

Dawn, I am right there with you! Right now, we are really hitting math, spelling (with my oldest), and writing hard. And, I'm making myself be consistent with history and science. But, Latin is suffering. :)

 

I just heard of a local Latin class, and I'm waiting on more info. Maybe the accountability to an outside teacher will help us. But, the class meets 30 minutes away at 11:15 in the morning--not the most convenient time. Decisions, decisions...

[TOG users -- Will you go digital or print? (& Why?)]

Well, we just started using TOG this year, and we love it! I anticipate using it all the way through. I would prefer to buy hard copies, but it's just not in the budget right now. I plan to order digital editions as needed. I'd like hard copies if for no other reason than the ability to resell.

[What % of your take-home (not gross) income is your rent/mortgage including]

Ours is about 23%, including taxes and insurance. Unfortunately, our health insurance is about 16%. :(

[With the economy the way it is, what have you given up?]

This might be a dumb question, but could someone share specifically how you are being affected by the economy right now? I haven't seen any changes yet. Food prices seem to have stabilized or actually come down a bit. Gas prices are half what they were a year ago. Nothing else has changed for us, so we are actually doing a little better than we were six months ago. Are we in the minority? Are others of you being negatively affected already by the economy, or are these things you're cutting back on in anticipation of what is to come?

 

Erica

 

My husband is a commercial real estate appraiser and works entirely on production. His workload has been much, much lighter this month, and we expect that trend to continue, at least for a little while. At some point work might pick up though, as unfortunately, foreclosures and bank held properties must be appraised. We pay for our own health insurance, and our premiums continue to go through the roof. Our rates went up in November and are going up again in January. Not quite sure why, yet. That's another phone call I need to make.

[So exactly what would one do with a political science degree?]

I went to law school. :) Other options: city/regional planning and public administration.

[With the economy the way it is, what have you given up?]

We've cut back on activities. We did Upward Basketball last year, but it was too far of a drive and the fees for two children proved too much this year. The kids are spending more time playing with their neighborhood friends, and I think they're just as happy.

 

We rarely buy anything new these days. We wait until we can find it second hand. I've cut back on soda (so hard for me!!) and I'm really trying to make curriculum choices I'm less than thrilled with work rather than buying new. Christmas is being scaled way back, also.

 

As far as food, I'm trying harder than ever to stick to a budget, and Aldi's has become my store of choice. :D

[What is not getting done?]

Lively Latin isn't getting done. I've printed everything and put it into gigantic binders. <sigh> Seems overwhelming to get both of these binders out (two kids doing it). I think I need to just pull out the lesson we are working on.

 

TOG is going slowly because I'm having trouble getting my books from the library. My Pals Science is working, but I need to come up with a new science plan for my oldest. He just wasn't ready for Hakim's The Story of Science.

[Voting 3rd party or refraining from voting at all]

I'm pretty quiet here, so please excuse me for sticking my nose into the conversation. :)

 

In all likelihood, I'll vote for one of the two candidates, but I've very seriously considered voting third party. This quote from John Quincy Adams comes to mind:

 

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may

cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."

John Quincy Adams

[The Story of Science by Joy Hakim--Questions, questions....]

Hi Alana,

 

We've just started Story of Science, but we are loving it so far! We started at the beginning with Vol. 1 (we're doing ancients this year), and we are using it with Ancient Science: 40 Time Traveling, World-Exploring, History Making Activities for Kids by Jim Wiese and History Scribe's 100 Famous Scientist notebooking pages. My history-oriented kid is loving this for science this year!

[Did I find a hidden treasure? About Lial's algebra...]

Thank you so much for your help, everyone! Jann, I really like your idea of having this text as a reference. At the price I paid, I won't feel too guilty if we choose to go with a different program, especially if we can still get some value out of it.

 

Thanks also to Karen and Michelle for weighing in! I really appreciate all of your thoughts!!

[Did I find a hidden treasure? About Lial's algebra...]

Hi everyone!

 

I've never posted on these new boards, but I've learned so much from you ladies! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom!

 

I've been starting to follow some of the upper level math threads, and I've heard many good things about Lial's Algebra. Well, I found a copy of Introductory and Intermediate Algebra (2nd edition, 2002), by Lial, Hornsby, and McGinnis yesterday at a thrift store for $1.00. Can anyone tell me if this book can be used with any of the video programs out there? It appears there is now a 3rd edition out--does this render my copy obsolete? For the price I paid, it seems like there ought to be a way to make this work? :) My oldest is in 4th, so I have a little while before we'd need to use this.

 

I'd really appreciate any insight!

Thanks,

Shannon