Woodland Mist Academy
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Posts posted by Woodland Mist Academy
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The boxes were $5 here. My coworkers and I bought a few. I think we all ate two, maybe three each over a couple of days. I don;t understand how nobody wants to eat a thin mint or s'more once a year. lol
For starters, food allergies.
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We dropped Girl Scouts years ago, partly for this reason. :grouphug:
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Help me hash out high school English, please. He's taking English 9 this year through a co-op (grammar, spelling, vocab, lit). I'd like to do Lit next year with some writing worked in. I know he needs 4 years of English, but his interest is in Science and math. He'll be taking 3 math/science classes next year. So, while we need to meet the minimum for English, I don't want to bog him down with it. What does HS english look like for these kids?
My dd is taking 3 math/science classes next year as well. She's also taking an AP English class.
I don't think there is one right path for "these kids". I think the paths will be as varied as the kids that walk them. ;)
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Hmm... Perhaps it depends on what type of science or what the student wants to do within science, but the message my dd frequently hears from scientists is to learn to write well. This may be a function of the circles she moves in, but in our part of the world English for the Science Minded means strong, rigorous English courses.
Again, disclaimer, to be clear, make no mistake....
I am not referring to all scientists. I am sure there are many who would balk at what I just wrote. Fair enough.
Spend some time pouring over research studies and ask yourself if being strong in English is important.
The scientists we spend time with are well-read and frequently make references that have nothing to do specifically with science, but are often from literature or other realms.
Far from being a distraction, being well-read and well-educated overall is a boost to the scientific mind.
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Trade books are nonfiction books that are meant for the general public. So textbooks or books geared toward professional psychologists wouldn't be considered trade books.
At least that's what I mean by the term. Others might have a different usage. I hope that helps a bit.
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- Psychology by David Myers (high school/college level? It's a textbook that we found used)
This is the book my daughter used in AP Psych. It's a good one!
Also a second vote for Oliver Sacks.
I'll need to look into the other ones quark mentioned. My daughter might like those as well.
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Also, each family differs in what is "appropriate". As you mentioned, adult topics are sometimes present. So between appropriate academically and appropriate developmentally and appropriate morally... I'll just give general recommendations. :ph34r: ;)
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This may or may not be helpful, but it's a bump if nothing else...
Not specific titles, but here are two things that worked well for us starting around that age that also helped me to see more clearly what aspects of psychology interested her. (And probably helped her understand that herself.)
1. I would show my daughter a few trade books on Amazon and let her choose one or two at a time to read.
2. I would take her to that section of the library or bookstore and let her browse and choose.
She took AP Psychology at 14yo and loved it! I highly recommend the class a few years down the road.
I am terrible with "appropriate to middle school" type of recommendations. Hopefully someone else will chime in with titles.
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Another vote for Wilson Hill.
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Hi Woodland Mist Academy,
Would you mind sharing the course which your daughter struggled in? I am trying to decide on DO for our middle daughter next year who will be taking Pre-A. It will be her first online class. She's using MM right now which is not spiral. Though they do offer good built-in reviews before the tests and cumulative reviews before mid-terms and finals.
I've generally heard good reviews of the DO courses. This is the first time I've heard of problems with the video format and lack of reviews before mid-term/final exams. Since there are so many who take DO classes with positive results, I guess the format works better for some than others. Still, it is very good to know that for some there are problems as we have very different styles of learners in our family. I can imagine dropping being a hard thing to do but better if it simply was not working out.
Edited to remove personal info.
It was physics. Feel free to PM me for more info.
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We would certainly consider the classes if we lived in the area. :)
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My daughter took a different DO class. The video set-up was frustrating for her. She eventually dropped her DO class in large part because of the videos. Derek Owens is kind and quick with responses. Having several short videos just felt choppy and overly time consuming for my dd. Dropping it was a tough decision. I wish he offered live on-line classes.
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Very helpful. Thanks!
What format are the tests? Multiple choice, short answer, essay questions, something else?
Was there something particularly stressful about them or just general test taking stress? Feel free to PM if you'd prefer. Thanks!
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Spelling Wisdom might be worth a look. It uses a Charlotte Mason approach and might fit your copy work needs.
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I am trying to make the same decision. How has your other dd found WTM biology in terms of workload, level, etc? Feel free to PM if you'd prefer.
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Just a note of encouragement...
My dd started drawing lessons this semester. She will never draw like some of her friends, who are natural born artists, but I have been so very pleased with the progress she's made. It took a tutor and an analytical approach for her to make progress in her work, but there was finally a distinct improvement.
I am taking a similar approach for her art credit (although I'm not sure what I'll call it yet...). She will have a mix of art appreciation, art history, and studio art. The instruction is high school level and improvement is being made, so I'm counting it. It's art for non-majors. ;)
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Wouldn't it be so much easier if the answer to most things weren't "it depends on the student"... ;)
Then, just to add insult to injury, there are many questions to answer...
Could it be done?
Could it be done while maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health? And life balance?
Should it be done?
Is this the Goldilocks placement? Is it too hard, too easy, or just right? (Or, as is sometimes the case, is this the best option even those it's not perfect?)
Is there a valid reason for it to be done?
Do the pros outweigh the cons?
What would the student gain? What would the student be giving up to do this class?
Every student is different, but given the schedule you've proposed, the main concern for my student would be that there might not be enough time for large amounts of intense input. I'm torn about online classes... in some ways they are amazing and wonderful, but in some ways they just aren't. Even short, productive, beneficial tasks can accumulate to the degree that they crowd out activities that need more sustained attention. I also wonder if having many of these activities contributes to shorter attention spans...
I've noticed that since my dd rearranged her schedule this semester, which resulted in having fewer online classes, she actually seems to be spending more time absorbing meaningful input. (AKA reading.) There does seem to be an affection for video clips and lots of responding to posts in online classes. I wouldn't want to do away with those entirely... I do think they have value and have a place. My concern is when they become a significant means of input and output. (I don't know specifically about the classes you are considering. Maybe that wouldn't even be a concern with those classes.)
Given your son's history, I think the schedule is certainly possible. Whether or not it's the best plan is anyone's guess. You would know better than I would, for sure. It seems to me that you keep your finger on the pulse of your child. You also keep an eye on drop dates. Given your attention to these vital details, I think it would be reasonable to give it a whirl.
One last thought...it's only a year. Even if it's not ideal, but it does what it needs to do (gets the credits and gets him to college), maybe that's good enough. Sometimes good enough just happens to also be best.
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Hearing the stories of several people in various dream jobs who each started out on an entirely different path can be enlightening.
A common refrain my dd hears is:
If you want to be an XYZ scientist, don't start out trying to be an XYZ scientist. ;)
Hearing a mix of careers paths from "I've known I wanted to do this since I was a toddler" to "I always thought I wanted to be an X, until life showed me I REALLY wanted to be a Y" can be effective. Even if at the moment the students still insist they will never change their minds, at least the seeds have been planted.
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Free for mine because of talent search awards, so why not?Overall, summer camps provide opportunities to visit surrounding colleges & cities, take classes with other kids,and just have fun (unless they are serious camps like one of those olympiad study camps, then the kid's brain willneed to crank much, much harder).
Nothing in life is truly free, is it? Most things cost money or time... many things cost both. For most kids, camp costs time and money. For your kids, it just costs time. ;)
For everything we do, there is something else we don't do. Actually there are many other somethings we don't do. Not every kid finds camp worth the one to three weeks (or more) in the summer. They have other activities that have a higher priority -- sometimes more educational and sometimes just a higher fun factor. Not every student enjoys the campus/summer camp scene. So for some, that's why not. :)
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The issue with Northwestern CTD, CTY and Duke TIP is that you don't know who your child would get as instructors for class and camp.
Agreed. Teachers can make or break a camp and they vary by location and year.
:iagree:
Vanderbilt Summer Academy has teacher bios available when you register. Much, much better. At least you have some idea about who is teaching the class and can make an informed decision.
Our experience with instructors was much better at VSA.
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As to whether or not these are really gifted classes, the TIP online classes require scoring at about the 97-98% level on the SAT or ACT in 7th grade. Academy is a bit higher and Center is for the 99+%, so it's really only the Center classes that would be geared for the seriously gifted. CTY's online classes have much lower cutoff scores and they are more like standard school classes than TIP (foreign language, bio, chem, writing, alg, geom, AP courses vs. psychology, global politics, cryptology, genetics etc.). They're also offered all year round while Tip is only in the summer.
This had been my understanding as well, so I was confused by the "not for gifted" post. My DD is Center eligible, but we weren't overly impressed by the first camp she went to, DukeTip Crisis, so she didn't return for Center. It's certainly possible the older grades are better. I think the teacher played a significant role in the widespread discontent with the class in our situation.
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My Dd took Chinese classes online with CTY for two years, from age 9-11. They were very rigorous. They used upper middle school/high school level texts, and Dd was expected to read and write in characters without using pinyin. Since classes were very small they had a lot of conversation practice and everyone was required to participate. They were well managed and there was no wasted class time. Now that she is older, she feels comfortable taking a class with high schoolers, and will join Chinese 2 in the fall (with another provider). A lot of it will be review. The CTY classes are expensive, and the time slots were difficult to manage with her dance schedule, so we decided to make a switch. However, I feel the classes were worth it. They fit her needs perfectly: challenging, well taught, and with other kids her age to interact with.
I could absolutely see this being true for a subject like Chinese, for which there aren't several vendors. For more common classes, the value becomes much more murky for me.
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I am curious what grade-level classes are you talking about? Looking at descriptions, classes for younger students don't look as challenging as those for middle and high schoolers, even with an adjustment for age. My DD is going to a CTY camp this summer where it is described pretty much as a college course and it is offered to students 7 grade and up. It sounds pretty challenging to me.
I am pretty sure you are not the only one disappointed. Unfortunately, it's hard to find reviews of these courses and most of them are not detailed, mostly just one word, usually "liked" or "loved", which leaves me suspicious :) So, thank you for offering another opinion!
My dd attended camps for middle school and high school. The online classes were for high school.
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I was pretty sure they were advertised as being for gifted. Thus, the disappointment. As you said, whatever "gifted" means... ;)
Book a Week 2016 - BW12: Vernal Equinox
in The Chat Board
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Mostly misreading recipes today...Somehow I grabbed the coconut flour instead of the almond flour. The spring cod and herbed potatoes had a slightly tropical flair...
I started a Daphne du Maurier novel... Drizzly spring days whisper of du Maurier and of England...