Hi all I will be doing modern world history with my 12th grade ds this fall. We are using A Short History of Western Civilization along with TTC Foundations of Western Civilization II. I will be having him write some essays and a longer research paper for the course but am looking for some other project type ideas for him. Does anyone have some suggestions for things they have done with history to make it more than reading and paper writing? Thanks Chris

Hi all, Since SWB does not have a modern world history text published yet, can anyone recommend a good book for my rising senior? I am looking for something to use as a spine that I will build literature, documentaries, etc around. Thanks Chris

I have the solutions manual. The ISBN # is 0-13-237215-0.

Thanks for the advice. I do believe he needs more practice so that he can develop a systematic approach to solving them. I ordered the Algebra 2 Word Problems and we will see if that helps his understanding.

Hi all, My ds is struggling with word problems. We are using DO precalculus this year and the class is going very well except for this one area. He can understand and work through the examples he is show in the text but when it comes to something different than what he is shown, he really struggles. He is a bright kid and a good math student. Can anyone suggest some resources we can use to help him in this one area? Thanks in advance! Chris

Sorry I havent been on for awhile. I just pm'd you.

Yes, Jetta my ds is the one who wants to be an actuary. Thanks for all the great responses! The water is much clearer now. Because he is going to be a math major, I want the foundation to be strong. We will easily get to calculus before he graduates so we are going to stop the algebra and trig book after chapter 12 and pick up precalculus in the fall. I don't want to short change him in any way and I think the year of precalculus will cement all the concepts before we tackle calculus. Thanks again everyone! Chris

I am looking for some help in order to determine what math my ds should start in the fall. We are currently working through the Foerster Algebra and Trigonometry text for Algebra 2. We plan on finishing the book by mid-July (we didn't start the text until January). I have the Math without Borders DVD and Foerster precalculus text for the fall. I thought my plans were set until I talked with a friend today. We were discussing online math classes and I was telling her about my search for an online precalculus class a few months ago. At that time, I came across the Veritas Press online academy. I was telling her their precalculus class uses chapters 9-15 of the Algebra and Trig text as their precalculus. So she questioned me about having my ds complete another precalculus book when he will already have covered what Veritas Academy considers precalculus. Now the waters are muddied for me. My question is: Would there be an issue moving to calculus in the fall after covering the precalculus topics in the Foerster Algebra and Trig text? Would he be missing something by not completing a precalculus text? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sue, If he completed Abeka pre-algebra, he may find MUS Algebra 1 very easy ( I have tutored with MUS Algebra 1). I have used MUS with two of my dc. My dd used geometry through precalculus and my ds used parts of the Algebra 2. Does your ds have any career goals in mind? I ask because I am not sure it will adequately prepare a child who is considering a stem field (IMHO). My dd is currently an English major at the local state university. She used MUS geometry, Alegbra 2 and precalculus. It was a good fit for her as she is good at math but does not like it at all. I feel MUS served her well. Prior to using MUS she had completed Lial's Introductory Algebra and before that we used Abeka. She had no trouble transitioning to MUS from Lial's and Abeka and she did 90% of her work independently. I would however check her daily work to make sure she was understanding the concept. My ds started the year with MUS algebra 2. He used TT for geometry and Lials Introductory algebra for algebra 1. He is a STEM kid and wants to be an actuary. He quickly became bored and so we switched to Foerster Algebra and Trig using the Math Without Borders DVDs. He is thriving in this text. It is challenging and takes things to a level MUS does not. I check his daily work but he watches the daily DVD lesson and then completes the problem set. We choose to work the problems that have the DVD solutions and it is plenty. So I guess what I am saying is to assess where your child is and what their future goals may be. Can a child use MUS and go on to be a STEM major? Sure and many have. I do feel MUS gives a solid basic high school math education. It may just fit the bill for what you need. Chris

I wish we would have used the Foerster text for Algebra 1. We used the Lial text Introductory Algebra. It was ok and got the job done but I like Foerster so much more!

I have used both Saxon and MUS at the higher levels. Saxon's incremental approach and method did not work for any of my dc. MUS worked very well for my dd who is now an English major at our local state university. This year I started my ds out on MUS algebra 2. By November he came to me and said he felt it was too easy. So we pulled the Foerster text off the shelf and have never looked back. He is thriving with this curriculum. This is a great text for the why of math. There are plenty of real life application problems that are multi-stepped and my ds's problem solving skills have taken off this year. I can say there is no comparison between the Foerster text and MUS. The Foerster text delves into concepts in a way MUS does not. In addition the problems are so much more involved than MUS. MUS has its place and it works for many students such as my dd. However my ds has aspirations of being an actuary and will therefore be a math major. MUS was not enough for him but Foerster provides the challenge and foundation he needs. He likes the text and the MWB DVD's so much that he wants to continue with precalculus in the fall.

We are using it right now with my DS. He is using the Algebra 2 Foerster text. We like the DVD. It has been helpful because David Chandler shows some ways to do things that the book does not. In addition we use the problem sets that he works out on the DVD. It is nice to have the worked out solutions. We don't always watch the lesson nor do we always need the DVD solutions. However it's nice to have that option available and IMHO you can't beat the price. We like it enough that I already ordered the precalculus DVD and are looking forward to the availability of the DVD for calculus his senior year.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I needed. Not sure why I wasn't turning some of this up in my search! Chris

I am planning on using Understanding Basic Statistics next year for my ds. This is the book used by Chalkdust. I have the video and books and am trying to work out a schedule. Has anyone used this book in the past and could offer some advice? It looks like we could possibly do this in a semester? I have tried searching for a syllabus for this and am striking out. Thanks Chris

I am familiar with all except Bridgeway and Buxmont. We use Mason Dixon and I know several families that use Susquehanna, PHAA and Erie. I know these three are open to anyone. Chris

Wow! Lori thank you so much!!! I have a great list of books but now my problem will be narrowing down the list. It's a good problem to have. I really appreciate all the links. Chris

Thanks for the links. I like the looks of the Mythgard Institute. I will need to investigate this more over the weekend. Chris

This is amazing! Just what I was looking for. Can you tell me what guide you used for Peter Pan? Thanks so very much!

Hi all I am trying to plan a literature study for my ds who will be entering 11th grade in the fall. He loves the Lord on the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit. We had an amazing time with literature this year as we used WttW along with a year of science fiction (thanks to the ladies of this board for the great recommendations). I would like to continue having him enjoy reading, analyzing and discussing books next year. So I am looking to build a literature course around the books that influenced Tolkien in his writing. I have done searches on the board and can't seem to find anything helpful. Would anyone have a link to a past thread on this subject or a list of books that might be helpful to me as I plan this out? Thanks! Chris

I have been reading this thread with great interest. I have an older student, rising 11th grader, who has not studied poetry. Would I use some of the ideas mentioned above? I was intrigued by IEW's Grammar of Poetry but didn't know if it was appropriate for a high schooler. I have no poetry background at all and would need something to help both of us understand what we are reading. Any suggestions for an older student?

I can only speak to our personal experience with MUS at the upper levels as we did not use it for elementary math (we used Abeka). My dd used the geometry through pre-calculus. She is currently an English major. MUS was the first math I had used with her where we had no tears. She understood the material and scored in the average range on the ACT for math. In my opinion MUS worked for her. My ds is currently doing Algebra 2. We started the school year with MUS. He was doing very well and the worksheets were taking him about 15 minutes a day to do. I felt the need to supplement the MUS so I was pulling problems from a Larson text I have. Somewhere around November he told me he felt MUS was too easy. So we pulled the Foerster Algebra and Trig text off the shelf. He is thriving with this book. He now has to work for math and is forced to think. This is my child who wants to be an actuary. I can honestly say that MUS is no where near the challenge the Foerster text is. The problem sets are night and day. We love how at the end of every chapter in the Foerster text there are real life word problems that are multi-step. So I will say this (IMHO): 1. MUS is a great curriculum for a parent who is not comfortable teaching math. 2. MUS is a good curriculum for a non-stem kid 3. MUS is a good curriculum for a child who hates math or struggles with it. 4. MUS covers the bases for a good, basic high school math education. I tend to agree with 8Fill about being prepared for a stem major. Your child would need to be very good at filling in missing info in order to be successful. A student that needs to be taught would have difficulty filling in gaps. To the OP, you need to choose a math curriculum that works for your child and prepares them for what they need in the future. We have been all over the board with math. I so wanted AoPS to work for my ds but it did not. He hated the Introductory Algebra book. However he is thriving in Foerster and the MWB DVD. There are lots of choices out there. Good luck in your search! Chris

Here is what I am planning for my ds. I can't believe he is the last of my homeschoolers. :crying: Math: Precalculus - either with DO or Foerster using the MWB DVD. I am waiting to see how he does with the trig section of the Algebra and Trigonometry book. Science: Apologia Advanced Chemistry Language Arts: British lit (home-grown course), LToW and IEW High School Essay Intensive History: This is a get it done subject. I will be using MOH vol. 3 with lots of supplements and writing projects American Government: A Noble Experiment, 5000 Year Leap, and Never Before in History Logic: Memoria Press Traditional Logic 1 and 2 Financial Accounting: Professor in a Box Java Programming: Teen Coder

Do you remember which text you used? There are so many different ones listed on Amazon. I want to create a strong economics class for my ds as he will need it for his college major. Thanks so much Chris

This helps tremendously! Thank you so much. I am leaning towards going with the DO class. As someone else said, precalculus was a long, long time ago! Chris

In some ways the videos are helpful for my ds. He needs to see someone work the problems and explain the concepts. When he reads through a text he tends to skim and thinks he knows more than he does. So the videos work for him. Do I think they are necessary? Not really. I think the text explains things very well. I actually have both the 2nd edition and 3rd edition precalculus texts here. I think it would be hard to use the 2nd edition with the videos. The upside to the 2nd edition for me is I was able to purchase the solutions manual. I could not find one for the 3rd edition however the assigned problems are all worked out in the videos. Chris