[Survey Questions # 1 through # 3]

Did I miss a thread somewhere? What is this survey all about? (NM. I just found the introduction.)

 

With educational philosophies, I'm probably more classical, but we use textbooks (I find that an odd philosophy choice) and unit studies. So that got an "other" for me.

 

And with resources / materials, I use all of the options, so I selected "other.".

[Singapore math: spell it out for me....]

Now I see what everybody means about it being a very customizable curriculum. So for manipulatives, I have linking cubes, and all of the RS manipulatives for A. I'll probably get cuisinaire rods...would you guys recommend anything else?

 

C-rods have been my favourite manipulative for Singapore. If you've got those, plus all of the other goodies you have on hand, I think you'll be in great shape.

[Singapore math: spell it out for me....]

Let's pretend for a moment that I'm still looking at different math curriculum for my 1st grader.

 

What books would we need? I keep hearing about HIGs and Challenging Word Problems and, Standards & US Edition. I see text books and workbooks and HIGs, OH MY!

 

And each book set (1A, 1B) is one semester, correct?

 

You are correct: each grade level is broken into semesters A and B.

 

I agree with pps: the HIG , textbook, and workbook form the core of the program. I use the HIG (along with ideas from Education Unboxed, as Monica mentioned) to introduce concepts concretely, with manipulatives. Then we look at the textbook together, doing many problems orally in younger years. Then the student works as independently as possible in her consumable workbook.

 

I add in the CWPs a bit behind (up to a full year behind). I wouldn't get CWP 1; IMO, it wasn't worth it at that level. A far better resource for me was the FanMath Process Skills in Problem Solving books, which helped me teach age-appropriate problem solving skills. After Level 1, though, CWP is well worth the investment.

 

The IPs take the concepts from the TB/WB and use them with larger numbers or more complex problems. They have functioned as a good review for us when I use them a few weeks to a full semester behind where we are in the TB/WB.

 

Extra Practice books provide problems at a simpler level than the WB. They could work as a supplement if a student is struggling with a concept and needs easy practice to reinforce it. That said, there's not a lot of practice for each topic in those books, so their value is minimal.

 

HTH!

[do you pick a science curriculum based on...]

... but if it's cheap but doesn't get done then it was a wasted expense.

 

I agree. The most important question for me in purchasing a program, and especially a science program, is "Will I actually use this?" I make myself be even more specific if I'm looking at something new & pretty: "HOW will I use this?" 

[History of England]

DH is reading Our Island Story aloud with our kids right now, and they are loving it. 

[How would you remediate this child (math woes)? What would you use?]

My oldest could not master his math facts until he did them 3x / day, 7x/week.  Once a day just did not cut it.  We tried that for 3 years before increasing the frequency, which ended up being the answer.

 

Your ds won't be able to do fractions well until he knows his facts.  And he certainly won't be able to do algebra until he can do fractions.  So he has to get those facts!

 

Ruth in NZ

 

I don't want to derail this thread, but I am curious: what specifically did you do to review math facts so frequently? Flash cards? Apps? Worksheets? All of the above? I hadn't thought of increasing the frequency of fact review to encourage mastery before -- what a good idea!

[Redwall as RA?]

I found parts of it weren't written in a way that allowed for smooth reading aloud, but that bothered me and dh more than it did my kids. They loved our Redwall read-aloud this past year and were saucer-eyed in parts.

[great hominin/hominid evolution books]

Thanks for sharing these!

[What do you do when...]

If no one likes it? I temporarily chuck it (it usually ends up going to my sister). If the kids are still tolerating it?  Then I'll just trudge on.  Maybe it's not the the current curriculum but instead the shiny new stuff that's causing the problem?  In that case, I'd probably pick the most important bits to finish over a certain time period (if I was near the end of the particular curriculum).  Then take a week off and dive in to the new stuff.  

 

I try to do the same thing, although the siren call of shiny new curriculum can be difficult for me to resist.

 

As long as the kids are okay with the program, I try to trudge on, but find ways to make it easier or more interesting for me. Sometimes that means finding a documentary or a read-aloud that I enjoy to add in, or changing the assignments so that they're more fun (for me), or cutting out superfluous bits to shorten it. Or just fortifying myself with an extra cup of coffee each day, and rewarding myself with a square of dark chocolate if I make it through that particular subject in a day.  :001_smile:

[Science posts organized by topic]

Posting to follow here ... this is invaluable!

[s/o organization/planning thread--Singapore math]

This probably isn't very helpful, but no, I've never considered that.

 

I actually appreciate having the different books separated so that I can stagger the topics somewhat. I aim to use the TB/WB for a topic, and then a little while later follow with the IP, and then later on with CWP. It's my way of building in ongoing review. I also find that sometimes I need to adjust my expected time for a topic, either by extending or collapsing. With the books separated, it's easier for me to skip over a topic in one of them, or add extra problems in.

 

Mostly I'm here to bump this for you ... surely someone has tried it!

[Writing is suddenly a challenge -- help!]

So after waiting (I thought patiently) for six months, watching her writing dwindle, I posted my cry for help last night.

 

Based on your responses, I decided to back way off today. I told her that we wouldn't spend time editing her writing assignment beyond looking at any grammar corrections. She looked at me as if I'd suddenly turned sparkly purple: "But Mom, I like editing! I want to do that!"  :blink:

 

We read her assignment, and she had all sorts of ideas for expanding and changing wording, which I wrote for her. She even exclaimed over how fun it was and made plans for drafting and editing another writing assignment next week.  :blink:

 

Then for our post-lunch downtime, she marched upstairs with Beast Academy, as has been the norm lately. When she came down over an hour later, I asked her how she enjoyed her math problems today. "Oh, I spent the time writing in my journal instead." :blink:

 

I'm sharing this so that the next time I start to go into panic mode, I can just re-read this and relax. *Sigh.* Does it get any easier, or is this our roller coaster for the next decade?

 

[Writing is suddenly a challenge -- help!]

Thank you, Jennifer -- those are wise words, and I needed them.

[Help! Need help with Language Arts]

Writing With Ease really does work. It is scary at first, because the output isn't high. Just know that it is building very solid writing skills that will pay off eventually.

 

That said, SWB does recommend that WWE is just providing the explicit writing teaching during the day. Your student should also be applying those writing skills across the curriculum: practicing narration, dictation and copywork in history, science, with read-alouds, etc. Using those skills in other content areas makes a big difference in a student's ability to apply the skills elsewhere.

 

I've also learned that if an assignment seems new, such as writing a letter, then I just have to break it down into smaller steps and work through them. Rather than asking your son to write a letter to grandma, you could begin by asking what types of things we might include in a letter, and listing his ideas as he shares them. Then ask him to bring those together into complete sentences while you write down what he's saying. Then you can choose to either dictate his letter for him to write, or have him copy what you've written.

 

As for long-term plans, I've only finished Gr. 3 and just have ideas. I've added Writing & Rhetoric into our days, simply because partway through WWE3 we both needed a break. I'm impressed with W&R and am likely to continue with it. 

 

Rose (Chrysalis Academy) has shared a scope and sequence for writing Gr. 2-8 that I find helpful.

[Writing is suddenly a challenge -- help!]

Thank you both for the replies. 

 

Arcadia, you're right in suspecting perfectionism behind her dislike of editing. That continues to be a major challenge that we face in all areas, and I hadn't paused to consider how it might be affecting her writing. Now that you've mentioned it, I wonder if I didn't spend enough time prepping her for the editing part of the assignment this week. 

 

EndOfOrdinary, you've given me a lot to think about. She has had a lot going on for her in recent months, and I can imagine how she might be avoiding some issues. I hadn't considered her avoiding writing altogether as part of that, but it makes sense. Thanks for sharing that.

 

I'm avoiding the thought of hormones also affecting this .... noooo! I'm not ready!

 

Thanks again!

[Writing is suddenly a challenge -- help!]

I (foolishly) never expected to face writing woes with DD8, who has been very advanced (I suspect gifted) in LA all along. She used to LOVE writing and it was often a way for her to cope with her anxiety. But lately ... not so much, and she's getting frustrated in writing.

 

I have kept my expectations of volume for school writing at a minimum, knowing she was writing creatively in her own time. Occasionally she'd show me some of her free writing, and the quality of it always reassured me that her writing was developing well.

 

Since January, though, her free writing has dropped off to zero. Her level of effort in writing for school isn't minimal, but it isn't great, either -- in fact, it's pitched perfectly to keep me from challenging her. :glare:  The quality is fine, but it certainly doesn't have any of the flair or interest that I've seen from her. This from a child who adores words and revels in well-written sentences. Her bedroom is decorated with pieces of paper on which she's written her favourite lines from Shakespeare and Austen.

 

She hates editing. I know this, and we're working on it. This week I asked her to take two days with a short writing assignment: on the first day she could write up to the end of a first draft, and then on the second day she would re-read it and decide if she wanted to make any changes to it. When she finished her first draft and I responded with something like, "Great -- now tomorrow you can revisit it and see what you think," she broke down and said that her writing is terrible and she just makes mistakes.  :confused1:

 

Oh, and instead of doing writing for pleasure and/or to alleviate anxiety, now she does math problems. What is going on?

 

So here I am in the midst of final curriculum plans for next year, and I'm questioning what I'm doing with writing. Do I need to be concerned? Is this just a phase? Am I missing something?  :willy_nilly:

 

(FWIW, I have used WWE up to partway through Level 3, when the spark was going for both of us. I interspersed some Bravewriter in with WWE3 this year, but Bravewriter isn't a good fit for me at all. We switched to W&R halfway through this year, and she has been enjoying it.)

 

 

 

[Old Earth Christian science books]

I'm not aware of any Christian OE science curriculum, but RS4K and Elemental Science (both authored by Christians, I believe) eliminate or minimize discussions of age of the earth and evolution in their elementary science levels. You can then add in your own resources on those topics.

[something to add to age of the earth teaching/discussion]

It also makes God a trickster.

 

I agree with Dana that this is the fundamental flaw with that approach.

 

I was going to add more, but stumbled across a brief summary by Biologos of the argument against a young earth that appears old. They've expressed it much more elegantly than I could.

[how can I figure out where he "is" in math?]

Listening in and bookmarking this thread. I was just wondering myself how to switch things up for a bright child who refuses to skip anything, so thanks for starting this! And Shannon, thanks for the advice you've shared here, which I'm copying into my "keep for frequent reference" notes.

[Canadians? Standardized tests?]

This is great information here. I hadn't heard of the test centre in Markham. Googling now ...

 

FWIW, I used the DORA/ADAM tests last year to assess one of my daughters. It gave me some helpful insight into her areas of strength that allowed me to adapt our coursework.

 

[Oceans resources for 8yo]

It's been ages since I was here ... I feel like I'm back among friends again!

 

DD8 has developed an interest in oceans. (Convenient, since the nearest ocean is 2000 km away.) Marine biology, currents, geology -- it's all interesting to her.

 

I'd like to continue to build her science reading skills, and would love to find a really good book for her that is about the level of Macauley's "The Way We Work."

 

Any wonderful books, preferably still in print, that I should snap up? Or other resources I should hunt down?

 

PS: Since math can be a factor in these books: her computational speed is probably average Gr. 4, but she intuits her way through much more advanced concepts when she's intrigued.

[Need help in figuring out what to do with DS9]

Okay, I'm not even sure where to begin. DS9 has always been a challenge, since the day he was born. He's not a bad or disobedient child, but he's...different. He went to a private school for Kindergarten, and it was then that I realized he's not like the other kids his age. He's brilliant in some ways, but then behind in others, and it's so hard to guage how he'll deal with certain things.

...

I guess I'm just questioning everything we've done. Questioning what is right for this kid. He can be brilliant at times in his thinking. ... I guess I just see his potential inside him, it just doesn't come out of him, and it's frustrating. LOL

 

I am open for any suggestions on what to do, or how to help my DS out. I want to give him everything he needs to thrive, and I feel as if I'm failing. :(

 

Based on this description of your student, you may also find some helpful advice from the people who hang out on the Accelerated Learner boards. There are many parents with experience in helping students like yours thrive (and with experience in feeling like a failure! I think it comes with the territory!).

[How do you pick a math curriculum?]

I had a complete math bust the first year -- I bought an expensive program that I was excited about, but it was a disaster. That experience helped me figure out what was going to work for me and my students, so when I came here looking for advice, I had a better sense of what would work for us. I think that some programs or even subject areas are like that: you can read, read, read reviews, but in the end it comes down to trying them out and seeing if they work.

[Why are you here at TWTM boards?]

I read TWTM several years ago (before I found the forums(, and refer to it on an annual basis when I'm in planning mode. I had read it before I found these forums. I use some of SWB's recommendations -- the ones that work for our family.

 

The reason I show up in these forums is because they are active and there are sub-forums that are education (vs. lifestyle) focused. High academic standards are the norm, rather than the exception, here, and I appreciate that.

 

I like TWTM because it outlines a workable way of achieving academic excellence, but I know it's not the only way to do that. When one of TWTM recommendations doesn't really fit for us, I can come here and someone, somewhere will have an excellent alternative. That's how I've found the math, science, and grammar programs that we use.

[How many times a week do you study science?]

When we started, I tried doing science 2 days a week. It wasn't enough for my girls this past year, so we aimed for 4 days a week. Sometimes we only fit it in 3 times in a week.