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Sarahkay

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Posts posted by Sarahkay

  1. I agree with Paradox5 and her comments fort GWG. My 4th grade DS Hated FLL. Too much repetition and structure. We love GWG - you're in; you're out. Short lessons that can be done independently. Throw in a few chants for linking verbs, etc. then a viewing of schoolhouse Rick parts of speech, and you're good to go!

  2. Getting parts of speech is a concept that takes a little time for young concrete learners. Try playing games about parts of speech. Simple (very simple) diagramming might help a visual learner.

     

    Also, a HUGE hit for my kids was School House Rock and the catching jingles about parts of speech.

  3. We tried FLL and my kids revolted. Too much memorization in long lessons. We use Growing with Grammar. Love it. Simple explanations of nuts and bolts grammar that is perfect for third grade. We use the spiral text book, consumable worksheets, and test worksheets. I pick and choose or do evens/odds on the worksheets since my 4th grade DS has a good grip on grammar. That way my daughter can use same worksheets and still have plenty to practice on. GWG has nice diagramming, too. Another perk: a nice price for the curric.

  4. Looking for a lapbook for France and all the traditional things to study about a country. But I also want to include fun mini books on the French culture...cooking, fashion/design, ballet, music, conversational language and common French expressions, vocabulary, etc.

     

    Does such a thing exist? Or am I on my own to come up with a mini book for French pastries? :-)

  5. We've used Evan-Moor Word-A-Day which does what the title says plus a very brief, interesting application exercise to do with the day's word. There's also a multi-choice "review quiz" each week. The kids had no complaints about it. I bumped up a grade or two for a more difficult level.

     

     

    Forgot to mention it's 100% independent.

     

    And about your concern if vocab is important....yes, I think it is. My kids are waaaaay verbal. And I credit that to all our reading and vocab study. They have a mighty word bank to draw from when they write and speak. Vocab provides for specific word choice and rich diction in a child's writing. Good luck!

  6. I just got the results for my ds 4th grader (we took the test in May). It says my son scored a grade equivalent of a 10th grader finishing the 4th month of school.

     

    Really? I knew my son was a bright kid, but 10th grade? Really? It seriously makes me wonder the expectations of basic skills and knowledge of 10th graders in our schools? And if the Iowa tests are "easy." Or, mercy me, is my kid just that high-achieving ;-)

     

    Maybe I should use the ITBS for 10th grade and see how'd he score. Anyone have insights or personal experience to share about results?

  7. ...how do you set up our school time?

     

    We had a "regular" school year. But I'd like to continue this summer because some upcoming family plans will interrupt our school days this fall. So, I want to school but not do full days this summer? A recipe of summer vacation with a dash of school. Do you do a few hours each morning? Every other morning? Math and writing Mon/Tues, etc. Just looking for a few ideas to get me started.

  8. my dreamer needed plenty of hands on stuff to keep her engaged. She illustrates a LOT of her stuff. During read-alouds she has to follow along in her own book or she zones out.

     

    My dd has done well with Apologia science.

     

     

    Love the read-along-in-your-book idea! Love the idea of illustrating everything.

     

    Could you please share ideas for other hands-on activities you do?

     

    Thanks!

  9. My DD is also a dreamer. She is my most creative child and believes that all things are possible. We do art every day. She needs it. She also adores and needs projects related to history, science, etc. She is more interested in creative writing than copywork, so I skew her LA that way. Living books (about people!) rule for history. She loves MCTLA and the Brave Writer lifestyle. She responds best to schoolwork when allowed to pick the order of subjects every day. She needs flexibility and an ability to fly by the seat of her pants (while DS9, a diplomat, and DS5, a driver, need order and a relatively firm schedule).

     

    Above all, she needs to be heard and understood, so make sure to make time for talking and cuddling.

     

    Okay, you're on to something here :-) Can you share more about...

     

    - art you do?

    - what's MCTLA?

    - Brave Writer lifestyle -- I'll look at the website.

     

     

    Thank you!

  10. Gosh, I hate to be the baddie, but i would cry too, if I was forced to do at her age all of what is listed in your siggie. There is so much overlap and repetition. She may well be bored to tears. Or totally overwhelmed.

     

    Actually, that's on old sig I should update. We only do family devotion, Saxon, WWE, daily Lang review, SWO, SOTW, read together, and a science lap book. And we only school 4 days a week. I think that's reasonable. Several items on her list take just 10-15 mins. Suggestions on deleting overlap?

  11. Anyone with a dreamer child? My DD age 8 is a certifiable dreamer. She has tender feelings...she's sure I hate her or am angry at her when I tell her to do things...she longs to "create" all day long...she resists academics with an angry attitude. Otherwise, she's a completely positive, precious, sweet, compliant, obedient girl. Yet try to do school (or any home responsibilities) with her and she lashes out -- typical dreamer. Tips, tricks, books to share? Any favorite curriculum that engages your child?

  12. 25% off pretty much everything when you show the B&N Educators card. You get that by showing proof the you hs or write a letter to show the store manager that you hs.

     

    Educators usually get 20% "school/education" materials only. But this week (through Sunday 4/22 I think), it's 25% off and good for darn near anything in the store.

     

    Shop. Save. Now THAT's smart :-)

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