I'm sorry this happened to you. AOPS was a "fail" for my first DD as well, though I didn't try to force the square peg into the round hole quite as hard as you did. While I could certainly see the rigor of the book, after first DD tried it, I didn't see how kids could love it. The book is sort of a junior level version of a college level math class in it's methodology--how can middle school kids relate to that? Then my second DD fell in love with it. She's always been my "try it first, explain it in words later" kid. She loves the way it doesn't talk down to her when it does explain things. She loves the Alcumus website. She is starting to make strides in being willing to show her work (which is the only way we're ever going to finish a book of this caliber), because I threaten to take the curriculum away from her if she insists on doing it all in her head. I still can't really explain it, but this program is apparently great for some kids. --Janet

Since DD is using Alcumus simultaneously, she can get videos recommended that way before she gets to the chapter in the book. It doesn't seem to hurt her understanding to have that happen sometimes. --Janet

Chiming in since you're not getting much feedback-- My 6th grader did Thinkwell 7th this year. The only drawback we found was that the online practice was not quite enough--you may need to print out some of the worksheets as well. I definitely did this on a pick-and-choose basis, but some was needed even for a fast math learner. Our login expired, so I don't have the interface in front of me anymore, but as I recall there are cumulative worksheets for each chapter and topic worksheets at the subchapter level. My DD finished the course early, and since I didn't want to buy another curriculum since it was May, I switched her to Alcumus, which she loves, so we're going to use AOPS next year instead. But, if she hadn't fallen in love with Alcumus, I'd use Thinkwell again. --Janet

Literature in translation goes under English, but literature in French would be Foreign Language. --Janet

I'm wondering what your thinking on this is, as my DDs are dancers, too. Why wouldn't you want to give her credit for something she spends 7-8 hours per week on? --Janet

I'd like to see one more credit (6 credits per year). Test prep wouldn't be considered a credit (public school kids don't get credit for enrolling in Princeton Review, etc.). The essay intensive portion could be a partial credit, but you already have a credit in English. The art history could be a full or partial credit--depending on the workload expected by the teacher, or you could supplement at home if it needs beefing up. I would say 3 or 4 hours per week for a full year would easily be a full credit. Since your sig indicates DD is a dancer, what about adding a full or partial credit in PE or Fine Arts for dance? I don't agree with the responder that said your 6th credit needs to be "pretty academic." The first 5 credits cover that, the 6th can be an elective. --Janet

The exact savings depends on the number of sales they get--the larger the group participating the deeper the discount. It's free to join the co-op, and you can choose not to buy unless the savings is at a certain level. It's worth checking out (as long as you can resist the sales flyers they send out weekly for stuff you didn't know you needed!) http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ --Janet

Thinkwell math videos are going on sale again June 18th. Not sure that other subjects are included this time.

Do you need a full curriculum, or something to review and fill in the holes? For the latter, you might look at the Straight Forward math supplements. They are review and practice books, so not huge amounts of instruction, but they are short and do-able in a summer and will hit the most important topics. http://www.rainbowresource.com/searchspring.php?q=straight+forward+math

Secular, but college or AP level. They're all very challenging for high schoolers, and the physics is calculus based.

There's a wonderful analogy I once read in a book on teaching your kids to read, about not rushing kids to read too soon (to paraphrase): If you want to grow a rose, you can provide good soil, sunlight, fertilizer, etc. But, a good gardener never grabs the bud and forces it open. I think there is nothing wrong with having a 9 year old that is not ready for weekly writing assignments, and grabbing the bud and forcing it open may ruin the bloom. That being said, if you want good essays in high school, 4th grade is a good time to start learning the basics. Reading good writing comes first. Always. I personally like the way the MCT books break writing down--first write great sentences, then paragraphs, then essays (Sentence Island, Paragraph Town, Essay Voyage). That being said, we've only done a small selection of writing assignments each year and never finished any of the MCT levels in one year. We are very much a quality over quantity family on "outputs."

I think high schoolers should pick their own electives, with enough guidance to make sure that long-term needs are met. What are his goals for after high school? Are his elective choices besides piano going to get him there, or are they just things that sound fun? If you cannot afford a piano, can you start with an electronic keyboard picked up at a garage sale? If money for books/lessons is tight, maybe show him the budget and let him help decide how to spend it and give something else up? Can he get a job or do some sort of work-trade to pay for lessons? Can he learn the computer skills in the context of assignments in subjects that he finds fun/interesting? My kids have picked up their computer skills "on the fly" rather than by working through a computer skills text. --Janet

Output requirements are: Keeping a learning journal, some short answer questions, three papers (mostly using the texts listed above), one project (additional research required). Student is in 9th grade. --Janet

Are you sure you want to do this book? It's rather below the level of someone who has passed algebra 2, and can even be taken before algebra 1 if the student has a strong pre-algebra background. Giving the course a fancier title won't change that. If a college wants one math after algebra 2, I would assume that means advancing in math skills past algebra 2, rather than just putting in some hours with a math book after algebra 2. --Janet

Our reading list for a full year of archaeology is: Archaeology, A Very Short Introduction, by Paul Bahn The Adventure of Archaeology, by Brian M. Fagan Exploring the Roots of Religion by John Hale (36-lecture course from The Great Courses) Written in Bones: How Human Remains Unlock the Secrets of the Dead edited by Paul Bahn Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners by Bill Manley The first book provides an overview of the purpose and methods of archaeology, the second book is a history of archaeology, and the remaining items explore my DD's own interests (Stonehenge, mummies and burial sites, and ancient Egypt). It's the first year I've taught archaeology, so I can't say for sure that any of them are "must reads" over others, but DD likes the materials and is looking forward to doing this next year. The first two items might be a good basis for a one-semester course, then follow those with a research paper or project in a specific area of interest. The second two items survey concepts (religious artefacts and burial sites, respectively) across various times and cultures, and the hieroglyph one is the most specific resource on the reading list. --Janet

I hope you learned from the math experience that advice on the internet is worth every dollar you pay for it. :001_huh: You seem to know where your son wants to go to school, and what he wants to study. Art and design school is definitely more "artsy", whereas computer animation requires both art and math/computer skills. His exact course of study will determine to some extent the preparation required. Since you have a university and program in mind, you should look at the required courses for his possible majors and see if he is truly prepared versus able to squeak by. Talk to the admissions people, visit the college and sit in on classes, meet the students. There is an article linked to this thread on the college board: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=382040 which is a reminder that lots of kids start college, but the 4 year graduation rate is hovering around 50 percent (more for the well-prepared students, and well below 50 percent for the marginally-prepared kids). There are people telling you things you don't want to hear in this thread. Some of them are coming from other situations than you are, and you have to take that advice with a grain of salt. But, try to take the concern for your son to heart, even when the specific advice doesn't quite fit. Remember that getting into college is the beginning of a journey, and finishing that journey requires strong academic skills and work ethic. Good luck!

I'll vote for just staying with Latin, given the dyslexia and all, changing language gears is harder for him than for other kids. He's doing well with Latin, and didn't do well with Rosetta Stone before. Don't mess with success. Even if some colleges don't like Latin, there will be plenty of others which either don't have a foreign language requirement or which will accept the Latin. --Janet

Where can one find foreign language curriculum reviews published? I have one kid doing Spanish and the other in French, and don't know how to evaluate or research the various options. Is Breaking the Barrier good for both languages? Thanks!

That one is free during the summer... I peeked at it when they ran the free-for-summer promotion last summer and it wasn't a fit for my kids. But, YMMV. http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/yourteacher-freebie/?source=Home-Page --Janet

I don't have R&S either, but I think you are talking about simplifying radicals? http://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra/exponents-radicals/v/simplifying-radical-expressions1 If the above examples are too advanced, try this instead: http://www.khanacademy.org/math/algebra/exponents-radicals/v/simplifying-square-roots Another possible resource is here-- http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Videos/index.php?type=prealgebra#chapter9

Thanks for the responses! I have a couple of friends who did 9th grade this year--one who plotted a rigorous course load, didn't finish, and plans to homeschool all summer. One who decided to keep doing for 9th what had worked before--an eclectic mix of structured and unstructured school, and is worried her 9th grade year looks too weak. I'm aiming for the "happy medium"--some ambitious, rigorous classes, and some that are just "get it done." Finding the right mixture isn't always easy! --Janet

I'm just starting 9th grade this fall, but I'm doing records in a combination of systems. 1. A tabbed, one-inch three-ring binder with lesson plans and grade sheets for each subject. At the end of the year, I'll keep keep only the syllabus and grades, not the day to day lesson plans. (Later on, who will care if she read chapter 3 of her French book the week of September 16th?) This is a combination of blank forms to fill in during the year (grade sheets, daily to do lists) and typed up syllabus and course requirements, etc. Blank forms came from calendarlabs.com and donnayoung.org, which I edited and customized as needed. Grade sheets are literally just a sheet of lined notebook filler paper, which I'll fill in as I go. I've used computer-based planning forms, but I found I was writing everything out by hand, then going and typing it in. Now, I'm trying not to do things twice, unless there is a good reason to have things in electronic form (for example, to reprint or cut-and-paste for college apps). The cover sheet of this binder is a list of the classes she's doing, with color-in "progress bars." As parts of the syllabus are completed, I can color in the progress bar so she can see where she is ahead and behind and concentrate efforts where needed. 2. A transcript and course description in word on my computer. I'll edit the transcript as grades are earned, and course descriptions if plans change. At the end of the year, I'll print out these records and add them to the binder. 3. An Evernote account. I'll back up the transcript and course descriptions there, and scan in a few work samples to keep for future reference for each course, tagged with student, course area, and year. I know that some states require you to keep detailed records of attendance and hours, but my state doesn't. I don't keep things that I don't have to do. My goal is to have an organized record to refer to for college apps--not too much, not too little. Putting work samples in Evernote will eventually cost a monthly fee once I go over 60MB per month, but I like the ability to search by tags and the ability to reprint anything I need later. Plus it's all "in the cloud" in case my computer dies. --Janet

You are getting good advice if your goal is a traditional four-year university degree, but for graphic design, a CC associate's degree or an art school are also options, and the entrance requirements (and costs) will vary for those. If you are planning on continuing at the community college (do they have a strong art program?), you might be able to catch up on math/science there, as there will be more remedial/catch-up classes on offer than at a competitive university. For art school, a strong application portfolio is a must, which might mean doing 2 semesters of drawing at the CC to have the pieces available for that. Use the summer to identify some places where you want to apply to go next, then work backwards to fill in those requirements. --Janet

:iagree:I know two other families who used MUS to recover from previous poor-fit choices in curriculum, because it's very sequential, so you can find and fill in holes easily, and the lessons are generally broken into "small bites." MUS Algebra 1 is a little light, so Algebra 2 does not start out too difficult. There are placement tests here: http://www.mathusee.com/about-us/assessment/

General planning question-- When you are planning, do you coordinate workload between subjects, or do you just divide up the work by week and let things fall where they may? For example, if there is a 3 page paper due in English, would you move the 4 page History paper to another week? Or, do you say, "Nobody's going to do that when the kids get to college. She's going to have to work harder that week or remember to start an assignment early, but those are the breaks." I have to admit I've been pretty much a coordinator--making one subject easy if another is hard, or cancelling all other subjects a few days before the science fair board is due. But, I'm wondering if this is something I should change starting in 9th grade? --Janet