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mckive6

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Everything posted by mckive6

  1. Just wanted to suggest you check out Bookshare. It is similar to Learning Ally, but it is free to children with a reading disability. Their web page explains how to qualify. Our developmental pediatrician wrote a script for my DD. We use is through Voice Dream. It has audio, the font can be enlarged and it will highlight. Also, you can get any book you need, by requesting. They will do textbooks also. We've just started using it, and it is a big help. Pauline
  2. My dd used Derek Owens last year for Precalculus. Before this, she has had some good and not so good math experiences, too, primarily when I tried to teach her Algebra our first year homeschooling, during 8th grade. She had a hard time finding a curriculum that fit her especially because it was our first year. We chose Derek Owens because she was leaving for France in February and a whole year class would not work. Derek Owen's program worked pretty well for her. His videos were good, and the practice problems worked well. She just does best with more accountability and an in-person teacher. When she had to stop taking the class in February, and I emailed to put it on hold, I was told we had paid the full amount (7 months maybe?) and that she could have access to the class when she returned for however much time she needed at no charge. Seems like a good deal. Pauline
  3. My dd took Algebra 2 and Geometry with Jann in TX. We had just started homeschooling in 8th when she took Algebra 1 and didn't know about her classes, or we would have taken it with her. She is also bright, but math does not come as easily to her as language arts subjects. Jann was a great teacher, and she provided extra help when needed, which was often. I would recommend the 2 day a week class. Her classes start 9/14 if you are interested. HTH Pauline
  4. If she is looking to become fluent in French, Spanish, or German, En Famille is a great program. It is a language immersion program for ages 9-17. They match your student with a student in one of the 3 countries. One child arrives to the exchange country for 6 months then they both go back to the other country, so essentially they are matched to be like siblings. My daughter just returned from France and she is now fluent in French. It was hard but she lived in the culture and went to school there. Paulime
  5. My daughter took AP US History at PA Homeschoolers in 9th grade. It is a very fast paced class. She really wanted to try a rigorous class. She did well and really enjoyed it.
  6. The kit is pricey but I've purchased them for the other courses by Apologia. It makes science so easy. Most things for the try-its and experiments are included. This year we are also using the chemistry and physics book but through a co-op class, so we did not purchase the kit. There is a supply list included in the book or on the website, I believe if you want to gather your own supplies.
  7. NYT Upfront sounds great! It is also Scholastic. At the bottom of the order form, there is a phone number to call if you want fewer than 10 copies. I haven't called yet. Hope that helps!
  8. New Hampshire is easy, also. You only have to send your intent to homeschool once, for each child. You have to have a portfolio reviewed by a teacher or standardized testing each year, but you don't send it to anyone. There are a few other parts to the law, like what has to be taught, all the basics including health, and the US constitution. The law does specify that the homeschool has to teach at least 50% of the classes. Also, the homeschooled student may participate in sports at the middle school and high school level, and take classes.
  9. I also have a child with Down syndrome. Homeschooling wasn't on my radar when she was young, but then I decided to homeschool my son for 1st grade, when she was in 5th. Then I added my other dd in her 8th grade year. Now, that my dd with ds is 15, we've decided to start homeschooling her this school year. I'm a little nervous, but I've found curriculum, and I plan to add in lots of visuals because that is how she learns best. The hardest part will be getting her to follow my schedule, but we'll start slow and take lots of breaks. She'll also do drama at our local co-op. If only I knew back then what I know now. I really wish we had started at home much younger with her. Preschool years and kindergarten were very good, but honestly, after that, for services she primarily had speech in school. And last year she was diagnosed with selective mutism, an anxiety disorder. She's probably always had it at school because she hardly spoke at all even though she was able to speak. She has lots of anxiety concerning school, but the school says they don't see it, most likely because they have low expectations and just assume she doesn't know very much. Therefore, they aren't helping her cope with it. When my dd was young, and actually until last year, I thought public school was the best place for her, thinking they knew how to teach her. She is no longer included with typical peers, and I spent hours last year trying to pre-teach topics and literature, and provide her with homework because the school doesn't believe kids in special ed have enough parental help to receive homework. It is a hard decision to make. I think the advice to not think too far ahead is good. There is a facebook page called Homeschooling and Down syndrome II. You might find it helpful. Many moms have asked this same question. Pauline
  10. We jumped right into Time Capsule. I don't think GrammarCracker is a prerequisite. Fabulary is new this summer and sounds great, but my ds11 needed a break.
  11. Yes, Amy sends back a copy of each rough draft with comments. She gives suggestions to improve or change sentences. She also grades each rough draft and final draft. Pauline
  12. We have not taken Landry Academy English courses or the WTMA writing course, but my son took both Attuneup classes, the fall, Time Capsule, and spring, The essay Practitioner. He is 11 and he really enjoyed every aspect of both classes. He did them entirely independently. I did not think he would be writing well-polished essays at this age. Amy is very helpful, and understanding, and a great teacher. He would really like to take another class with Amy. Hope that is helpful. Pauline
  13. That is so wonderful! It sounds like a very good fit. I need to begin to look for a tutor in French also. My daughter is now in the 4th month of her French exchange, near Paris, France. She is speaking fluently, with good vocabulary. She is still working on grammar, conjugation and sentence structure. She will need to converse regularly in French when she arrives home in August, in order to stay bilingual.
  14. Hi, My ds (11) completed Time Capsule and is in his last week of The Essay Practitioner. He's done well in both of these classes: grammar, paragraph writing, writing 10 types of essays, making an outline from a chapter, outlining an essay, and some note taking. Any suggestions for what to use next year? One thing we would work on is more varied sentence structure. I've considered Writing with Skill, IEW (but which one?) Any thing else that would work? I would really prefer an online class because he's been so successful this year, and writing is one area in which I don't feel that confident teaching. We plan to finish R & S 6, also., and probably do Center for Lit's online discussions. Thanks for your help! Pauline
  15. My daughter took AP English Lang as a sophomore, and she would have taken AP English Lit this year, but she decided to spend 6 months in France, February to August.
  16. My daughter is taking AP Lit this fall, but she took AP English Lang with Lili Serbicki last year. She really enjoyed the class, and got a 5 on the AP test. She felt very well prepared for the test.
  17. Nancy in nj, Thank you for the advice! AP Stats is a really good idea that we had not considered.. She took Honors Macro last semester, so I think stats is the best idea, especially because it will be a math credit. I appreciate the transcript advice. Yes, she is going to school in France so she should get credit for her work. I'll check out Nan in Mass's posts to get ideas on how to write it up. Honestly, I've done so much reading about college admissions, credits, high school transcripts, etc, that I can't remember why or where I read about the computer class. I'll have to look into that, and the class might not be necessary. Thanks!!!
  18. Hi , I have a few questions I'm hoping someone has experience with or ideas. My daughter is finishing her junior year in France. She is an exchange student from February to August 2015, in a language immersion program. It is something she has always wanted to do, but it is tricky, with her senior year and college so close. I'm hoping to finalize her classes for next year soon, so she can get started when she returns. Because she was only here for the first semester, she was limited on what classes she could finish. One thing to know is she does best with classes at the local high school or online. We tend to not finish home classes as well or as thoroughly, including self-paced or video classes. Also, she is a very determined, high achieving student, but math does not come as easily to her. She's had vision issues, which have improved with vision therapy, but there is still something there. She may go through neuropysch testing this fall, and I know it's late in the game but she really needs extra time for math, on tests. She seems to have processing issues. She hopes to major in Neuroscience, or Biochemistry or economics. Also she has already taken 3 AP classes through PA homeschoolers (US history, Government, and English lang). Also, I will be able to give her credit for some subjects over there, but I'm not sure what right now, besides French. Here is what we need to figure out: 1. She took pre-calc through Derek Owens, and is about two-thirds done. She can finish it in the fall. That seems like the best option. 2. She started physics also through Derek Owens, but only completed one-third. She needs this class but how? community college? It would be better if she only did one self-paced class. 3. She needs to finish pre-calc and take calculus next year. She was supposed to take honors calc at the high school, but she won't finsih pre-calc by 8/27. We now have a community college offering inexpensive courses to high schoolers, so this is a possibility. It would have to be in the spring if calc 1 is offered then. Or maybe through Liberty University's online program. 4. She is taking AP English Lit and AP Bio at PA Homeschoolers in the fall. 5. She wants to take world history, and hoping to do it at PA Homeschoolers, but she is not here to fill out the application, and she can't do it in France. I think 3 AP classes would be a bit much. My thought is have her take it through Debra Bell, or another source and take the CLEP test. One of the schools she is interested in accepts CLEP credit. And this class would not be as time consuming as another AP class. 6. She also needs French, but we're not sure what level. She had one year of French through dual-enrollment, and her experience in France, at school. She could take it at the local school, but she hasn't heard great things about the class there. 7. She also needs a computer class, because she hasn't had one. Our states virtual online classes has one, i think. She is also a runner, so I'm trying to make sure everything is done with NCAA. I'm also trying to round up a lot of college info, just streamline it so she can use it in the fall. She had a very busy first semester and couldn't get to everything she wanted to do. She is doing a great job adjusting over there, but it's not easy. Her first question last week was about her SAT scores (she had a makeup test 2/21)...she had counted the days and KNEW the scores were in. She didn't do as well as she had hoped that is adding stress to her. I can't ask her about any of these questions because she really just needs to live in France right now. It is a great opportunity. So if you could help me, I'd appreciate it!
  19. Jann at myhomeschoolmath.com is really good. My daughter took Geometry and Algebra 2 with her. She offers 1 or 2 day options. It is secular.
  20. Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but, I just ordered Ready Readers: lessons in comprehension and analysis from Center for Literature. There are socratic questions for 5 books in each reader. They are higher level questions, and they include the answers! I also need help in this with my bright 10 year old. There are 3 different levels available. I have watched the DVDs for Teaching the Classics, but. I need guidance applying this to books. Here is the link in case this is what you taper looking for. http://www.centerforlit.com/Sale/catalog.aspx Hope that helps! Pauline
  21. My dd started cross country in 9th grade. Our town does not required to take classes in order to participate. She really enjoyed the experience, and the team. She made two close friends, who are now in college, but always run with her when they are home. She's fairly quiet and has just a few close friends so this was wonderful. And, practice didn't start until 3:00, even though school was out at 2:00. This year, she did decide to take honors chemistry. She knew the teacher because she attended all the meets. She also talks to other students about the classes she's interested in, and finds out what the teachers are like. She likes to be sure the class will be challenging. That is a benefit to getting to know the school kids. Her class was first period which was great because it forced her to start school at 7:20am. That really helped. With a schedule full of AP classes, honors, etc, and participating in varsity sports all 3 seasons, It was hard for her to do her electives daily, so we are finishing them now. Pauline
  22. I agree. I went to our local one last week, and most items were more expensive than my local grocery store. The produce section was really small. We have a whole foods opening soon and I'm looking forward to going there occasionally. Pauline
  23. We use the soy free Earth Balance also. It is great! We also like Giradelli Semi Sweet chocolate chips, which have no dairy. Pauline
  24. We used Supercharged Science for a while, both K-8 and the high school. It was okay, but often the experiments didn't work for us. I prefer to purchase all the supplies for science, because the extra cost is worth it to me. You may already know about this, and have decided against it, but just in case you haven't, we really like Apologia elementary science books with the purchased kit. Everything is in it, and labeled by experiment. There are very few things you have to supply, like paper towels. We've done Botany and Astronomy. My ds, age 10, is very science oriented, so we do add to these curriculums. For astronomy, he's watching TGC's Hubble Telescope and the Night Sky, and reading additional books. Since your son is upper elementary this may help. Pauline
  25. I don't recall any difficulty. The proofs were tricky, but my dd felt Jann's approach was effective. You might want to contact her... she is helpful. Pauline
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