OOOOOOO, cool--- thank you both for those resources! I was looking through currclick for everything I could find on fossils and paleo stuff a couple of months ago. I got myself so confused, I let it go. Today I find these new resources and I am buying Learning about Fossils today! We are going to start our unit in December.

Bill --- MCT is definitely worth seeing and meeting! I met him this past spring and it was awe-inspiring to hear him speak and to have lunch with him. His rapport with children is captivating. He understands them. I wish he could tutor my child, too! Go for it!! (if they decide to do it again next year.)

I bought the pdf version and only printed what I needed for the selected lessons I wanted to use. So, I didn't use the whole book. Are you talking about the ILL pdf version?

:hurray: Wonderful and exciting!!!! (More confirmation that my ds will love this, too!)

This is an old thread BUt a Very good one! This is great thread to go along with the other threads on writing. Thank you 8Filheart for typing that all out -- the progression in writing. I finally figured out the missing piece for teaching grammer in MCT. I need to use DS writing samples to transfer his grammer knowledge into HIS own writing. This will be piece of cake. Thank you everyone -- I pieced all the good info and great encouraging advice from this thread into a Word Doc and I will be able to create my OWN curricula that will fit ds's natural writing style instead of derailing it :D

ok - great! Even better.

ok after reading BW a second time, I want to buy Partnership Writing. Sometimes I think ds could do Faltering Writing based on what Julie says in BW about when they are ready for FW, but I think PW will do just fine :)

rdj2027 - Just curious -- Why did you only use the first and third book and not coconuts? I have Pre-alg AOPS because I want to start pre-alg in the Spring next year. I keep going back and forth whether to buy JA or not. I think I like the first chapter from JA to start things off with and maybe go back and forth with Pre-alg AOPS and JA, like what you are doing. It's the group activities that am boggled with. I know I can post here for ideas but math has many possibilities for answers, is good to have other kids to talk about it, instead of just me and him. >>>Egad! So many typos. Sorry.

First, this is great thread! I like how alot of different threads about writing are coming out of this thread! I want to respond about the college years. me, I have a B.S. Science degree. The first year of college I had some liberal arts stuff small reports and maybe an essay for tests. Science reports were mini Thesis reports to get ready for doing Master's work. It made sense that BS science degree will prep for working Master's. I also had alot of small mini lab reports with science courses. But dh took alot religion and phylosophy, psychology courses in college both in B.S. (Theology) AND 2 Master's programs (Theology and Pastoral Counseling). He reads his resources, types his quotes first THEN just types up his report. As he types his report he adds in his quotes. No outline, no bibliography cards, just a first and second draft. The report is in his head. I think my ds is like this. The MAJOR difference is: he wrote for what the teacher wanted! This was a garantee A+. Dh LOVED A's. He learned in High School how to write a paper TO THE TEACHER. If he didn't, he got less of a grade. Sad but true. Now, for my one Major Science Professor in College, she LOVED if you had other conclusions that was not the norm. But of half of the Science teachers in my Major faculty, they did not like it if you were different. This thread has sparked me to go down the memory lane about my college experience :) I hope things are different now with the professors. I don't how to teach my ds how to write a paper to a teacher that does not want it be different AND a teacher who wants you to think for yourself. How do you do that!

ok -- I get it. I like what you are saying. It's helping me to understand Bravewriter just alittle more. For me, its the baby steps :)

For a second there, I thought you were calling me :) It is really weird to see your name here where it is unusual every where in the world. I haven't read those books, so I have to go and check them out! Thanks :)

Hi Farrarwilliams, I am so glad you answered but I am disappointed it didn't work for you! Your enthusiam for Bravewriter is very infectious :) We did start Poetry Teas over a year ago, and that works well but I wanted to do more of Bravewriter without buying anything else from Bravewriter, first. We do the summary and narrations, but right now he dictates his summary and then we use that as our copywork. Someone on this board recommended to another Mom this Bravewriter class Kidswrite Basic http://www.bravewriter.com/program/online-classes/class-list/kidswrite-basic/ but the cost is too high for us. But the outline helped the way to go for us but in Bravewriter she doesn't specify how long to do the Keen Observation. She also doesn't say how she went from Keen Observation jottings to writing about your object. I wondered if anybody used the Keen Observation and then took it to do a free write on it? But then that wouldn't be "Freewrite" would it? because freewrite is just to write about anything and not really worried about "what you are writing about it?" Is that how you see freewrite? Atleast these ramblings will get me to understand what I need to do with ds and where I want to go with this stuff :001_unsure:

Hi, After having Baravewriter sit on the shelf for a year, after reading some it, I decided to try it this year. So, over the summer I read atleast half of Bravewriter Jungle and I wanted to do some of the exercises described in it. So, we started with the Keen Observation writting exercise with a lemon. I was surprised how my son just took to the pencil and paper and wrote all his observations without dictating the words to me like we do for written summaries. He seemed to enjoy it. Now what is my next step? Do I pick different things for him to jot down words to describe something? When do we write about the description to a paragraph about the lemon? Do I use it for the Freewrite exercise? Could you tell me how you went thru this exercise with your kids and how you went to the next step in writing? Ds is 10 yrs old.

Halycon, I need this! Could you box it this up and send it to me? :lol:

Alte Veste Academy your ramblings are the same in my head, too :) As I this is the last year for grammer stage child, I have the same feelings and thoughts rambling in my mind. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

I noticed "The WOnderful Wizard of Oz" book for Grades 4-6. This is such an awesome book! I highly recommend reading it. After watching the movie multiply times, I thought I could never read it because I know the story line so much. Of course, the book IS better And different. I was really surprised about how different it was AND how wonderful this book was to read. I wish I had read it when I was younger.

Bill --- My ds is like yours, just once is enough. They get it. Done. Let's move on. MCT is sooooo written for him, its uncanny. I thought I wasn't doing enough until I met Mr. MCT and heard him lecture on writing. He makes it sounds so easy and for my child, it is.

Thanks for the bump up. I am still trying to figure out if I should do Pre-A in the Spring or Fall but I will look at this. I was thinking about going with KB, but now I do not know.

Ok, I was wondering if you got more as a teacher. Thanks!

So, the only additional cost is the shipping, if everything is completed correctly? That sounds great!

Hi, I noticed when I am on the Khan Academy site--- you can sign up as a teacher or a parent. Which should I sign up as?

And don't forget Life of Fred Decimals and Percents. :)

Great thread! Thanks for the bump.Sagira - Thanks for the link for Elementary Spelling. I wonder if there is lesson plans laid out like there is for PLL and ILL like these http://www.primarylanguagelessons.com/faq ?????

To me, this spoke: "Encouragement takes them places they never believed they could go. Criticism stops them dead in their tracks." and " 20. Focus on what they ARE learning, rather than what they are not. The positive far outweighs the negative." I should type these up and put it somewhere I can read it everyday! Thank you!

Thanks for bumping the thread. After many broken pencils and bad sharpening, my dh told me to just go out and buy those old fashion, hand cranky things. I need this thread! :lol: