Those sound like interesting topics! For purposes of my question, though, I meant the use of technology like computers, the Internet, etc. I did find this article, that has a fairly extensive list of technology one might want to explore: Documents & Desktop Publishing Blogging Podcasting Video podcasting Wikis Photo/Video sharing Image editing/graphic design Audio Editing Movie making/Digital Story Telling Concept-mapping Presentation tools Programming Web Design, including HTML 3-D Modeling Game Creation Animation Spreadsheets Databases

Which areas of technology do you think it is essential for students to know before they enter high school? Any other areas that are beneficial, if not essential?

Language Arts is the subject area that I struggle with the most when it comes to choosing and planning curriculum. I am looking for ideas and inspiration. So, what does your middle schooler's LA curriculum look like?

Has anyone used or considered the Prentice Hall Writing Coach? What did you think of the program? (cross posting from the middle school board because the program spans middle and high school grade levels)

Has anyone used or considered the Prentice Hall Writing Coach? What did you think of the program? (cross posting to the high school board because the program spans middle and high school grade levels)

Ooh, that looks fantastic! If there's one for younger kids, I would love to know about it! This one says the student has to be 13 to access the online boards, and my daughter will only be 11.

What were your goals, when you signed up for the exam? Was it a new subject for your children? Or an area of interest for them? My daughter loves ancient mythology and she can recite tons of myths in great detail. I am wondering if spending a unit on the materials for this exam would be worth our time, if it would expand her knowlege or just be a review. Also, did you find it necessary to purchase the materials from ETC?

My daughter has been very resistant to writing. She can do it just fine, it's more of an "I Hate Writing" mental block resulting from a traumatic experience with her third grade teacher. So, this past year I took it really easy on the writing assignments. I thought she might have needed a break. She did do some creative writing on her own. Any suggestions for what to do to get her over this? For creative writing, I was thinking of starting off the year it with a unit of poetry. I thought that might be a little different and help to loosen up her creative writing. Any other ideas? As for research papers, how many do you require of your children over the course of the year?

I saw the Discovering Literature series by Garlic Press mentioned in another thread here. I took a look at them, and am interested in possibly using their challenging series this year with books like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Flies. Are there other resources like this, which provide discussion points and activities tied to classical books? Which would you recommend or not recommend? Thanks!

Are there regular times when the OUP Medieval & Early Modern Times books go on sale? What is a good sale price for them? I have time to wait to order these and watch for sales, but I'm not sure what price range to watch for as a good price range for these books. I was hoping that some who have snatched these up on sale in the past could give me idea of good times to watch for sales, and prices I should expect to pay. ETA: Also, does anyone know if/where the Teaching Guides for this set are available? I see only European World on Amazon, and can't find any on the OUP website. Thanks!

If he gets what division means (dividing a larger number into smaller, equal groups), and he just needs a method to do it, I would recommend trying the partial quotient method. My daughter came home yesterday very enthusiastic about having learned division using this method.

Thanks for the link to the CPO books! After looking at the sample chapters, I am impressed by them, at both the middle and high school levels. I like the writing style and I think they have substantial content. I also love the accompanying Investigations Manuals. The text + Investigations Manual together fit the idea that I had for teaching science next year - that I would assign reading material on the topic, so that basic terms and info would be introduced, and then we'd explore the concepts in a more hands-on fashion during our class time. These are currently at the top of my list! ETA: Also, thanks to every one who has left links and suggestions! I have checked out all resources that have been recommended.

I am wondering if any of you use high-school level science texts with your middle schoolers, and if so, if or how you adapt them. I've outlined the science topics I want to cover next year in Earth, Physical & Life Sciences. Now I'm looking for a text that we can use as our core, and ideally supplement with lots of labs and further content where there is interest. I've been looking at middle school science texts, such as Science Fusion. I think it is appealing in design, and it seems to have lots of labs, but I think the info is too simple; there's not enough depth of content. When I look at the high school texts, I am happier with the depth of content. But they're dry; I don't think I could assign them as independent reading. Also, they seem to have fewer labs. Have any of you faced this dilemma? How did you solve the problem?

Oops - double post. How can I delete?

Wow, thanks everyone for sharing your experiences! I plan to complete at least 5B with her, but to pretest each chapter and skip any parts that she has down. I am still not sure of what to do about 6A/6B - I may get Elementary Mathmatics and compare it to the contents of 6A/6B.

"Serious" was probably the wrong term, but I couldn't come up with a better description at the time. Did not know about Dick Blick's lesson plans - am hopping over there to check them out now. Thanks!

I am hoping that some artists and parents of artists on the boards can help me out! My dd (next year she will be in 6th grade/age 11) is a strong visual artist. She wants to do a lot more art next year, so I have worked a daily block of time for art into our schedule. I'd love to be able to have her take art classes with local teachers, but they are very expensive. So we'll be doing a lot of art ourselves at home. And that's where I'm hoping for some advice! My questions: 1. Recommendations for books on drawing? We are currently working through You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler, and the accompanying videos on his website. She has been frustrated with it, finding it is not challenging enough. She has liked some online videos by Mark Crilley, such as his "How to Draw a Realistic Eye", although she gets frustrated when he jumps ahead through time lapse. For next year, I was thinking of using Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain, possibly followed by The Natural Way to Draw. Any recommendations for or against these books? Is one version of Right Side better than the others? Any other recommendations? 2. Recommendations for books on color theory? I'd like to do a session on color theory in the fall, but I haven't found any books that seem to be strongly recommended on this topic. 3. Recommendations for watercolor resources? After we finish color theory, she'd like to learn to paint with watercolor. Any recommendations? 4. I could possibly pay for occasional lessons, either with a student from a local college, or with a local teacher that she has taken lessons with before and adores. Do you think a private lesson once or twice a month for 30 minutes would be useful, perhaps to review what she's been working on and offer critique and advice for moving forward? I am also open to and appreciative of any other suggestions you may have!

I like the car idea - thanks minniewannabe.

As I'm sure many of you are doing, I am beginning to plan my curricula for next year and am searching for used books at reasonable prices. However, I am concerned about bringing bugs into my house, especially bedbugs, through second-hand purchases. Today I came across this blog post on the topic, which I found really helpful, and I thought I would share the link in case others find it helpful, too. My strategy will be to go ahead and purchase used books, but on receipt: 1. Open all used books before bringing them into the house, and thoroughly examine for any signs of bugs. 2. Double-bag in zipper freezer bags and place in the freezer for at least two weeks. Does anyone else have any tips?

1. Camera & Video camera: My TV cabinet has 3 drawers. We keep the cameras and some other electronic items in one drawer. It has worked well because they're handy to grab for a quick pic. With a little one, I'd put a child lock on the drawer. 2. Flashlights: On each level of the house, in a central location that's easy for everyone to access, we have a flashlight that stays plugged in and comes on automatically if the power goes out. Other flashlights, along with emergency radio and extra batteries and bulbs, are stored in a bin on the landing at the top of our basement stairs. 3. Purse: on a hook behind the front door. Each person has two hooks there for a coat and a bag. 4. Incoming mail that you don't have time to open just yet: we have a fabric pouch that I sewed and attached to the door with Velcro, to catch mail as it comes in through the mail slot. I just leave it there until it's sorted. 5. Dh's wallet: I don't know where he keeps it 6. Library books: A tote bag hanging on a hook behind the front door. Also put reminders on my calendar. 7. Items that need to be returned to stores but you can't get around to immediately: in a tote bag in the car trunk 8. Outdoor toys: Toys that are used in the yard are in a Rubbermaid Roughneck vertical storage shed in the yard. Larger or seasonal items, like sleds and bikes, are in the basement or garage. 9. Completed homeschool stuff (workbooks, etc.): if we're keeping them, on bookcases out of the way in an upstairs hallway. 10.Game system accessories (dance mat, wii balance board, rock band drums, etc.): smaller items like controllers are in one drawer of the TV cabinet, and game discs are in a 2nd drawer. Balance board slides under the TV cabinet. Drums are tucked out of the way behind the sofa.

I think that your youth pastor needs to set some limits and make those limits clear to the parents - for example: "We youth pastors and volunteers often end up being confided in by your children. We feel, and assume that you agree, that it is of great benefit to the youth to have adults, in addition to their parents, in whom they can confide. Everything that they confide will be kept in the strictest confidence by the youth ministry staff, unless there is the imminent possibility of harm to themselves or others. It is up to the youth pastor to make that judgment call, and if (s)he feels it is warranted, (s)he will contact the parents." Then there is no worry of hard feelings if you don't tell the mother. Everyone understands what the expectations are. In this case, since this has not occurred, I think that it is appropriate for you to confide in the Youth Pastor, and for the Youth Pastor to decide whether, and how, to approach the parents.

It sounds like your son is being quite realistic in his expectations of his friendships - sometimes he does what they want to do, and sometimes they should do what he wants to do. But it sounds like what he wants to do is simply beyond their ability to join in. I wouldn't be afraid to discuss giftedness with your son. He's already very aware that he's different in some way from his age peers, and he's trying to figure out why that is and how to connect with them. I'd recommend the book The Gifted Kids Survival Guide as a great resource to help open a dialog on the topic. Beyond that, I'd look for opportunities to foster friendships with children that share similar interests. That may involve friendships with older children. Or it may involve finding places where there are other gifted kids. For example, I've found it extremely beneficial for my kids go to a summer camp and take weekend classes designed for gifted kids, in large part because it helps them to interact with other kids who think like they do (and because they are choosing the classes they wish to take, they are meeting other kids that also share their interests). ETA: I never heard of the National Mythology Exam before, but now I absolutely MUST look into it - I think my dd would love it!

Yesterday, I'm riding in the car with my daughters, and they are bored because they have no screens to distract them (no videos and I'm not letting them use my iPad because I'm using it for directions). We've seen a program on the transit of Venus, and it's gotten them thinking about all sorts of stuff. So, they start throwing questions at me. Some of the questions have fairly complicated or convoluted answers. Other questions are essentially nonsensical from a rational-adult perspective, but show interesting creative thinking on their parts. I'm attempting to construct answers to the questions that I can answer, or construct positive replies to the more creative questions. They, meanwhile, are continuing to ask questions, often not even bothering to wait until I've finished an answer to the previous one. They are building off of each other's ideas and running with their thoughts faster than I can keep up. I'm outnumbered, and my head is soon spinning! In retrospect, I can appreciate this moment for what it was. I am glad that they have each other to follow along with and build on their thoughts and ideas. I'm glad to see their enthusiasm and creative thinking. I can see that sometimes they don't need my answers as much as they need to be able to ask the questions. And I need to make sure we make time and space for more moments like these-free of distractions like screens, and with some interesting information or experience to stimulate their thoughts. Just thought I'd share - I figured you could all relate! :001_smile:

Thank you for the video links! Those were the videos they showed at the Planetarium.

Thank you!!! That's exactly what I was looking for! Now I just need to wrap my brain around it, and then I can share it with the girls. (I don't expect them to understand all of the math, but it's an excellent of example of the application of mathematics in real life.)