ItoLina
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Posts posted by ItoLina
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Mine was $74! That was a great email to wake up to!
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I forgot to add that the web cam classes we do ranged from about 20 minutes a class for kindergarten to an hour this past year for my third grader.
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We have used a charter from the beginning and it's been great for us. I get $1500 per kid which I can use on curriculum (I can choose basically what ever I want--I have never in 4 years asked for something and been unable to purchase it) extra curricular activities (art classes, tennis lessons, gymnastics, swimming, etc), annual passes to local museums and national parks, and online subscriptions (brain pop, IXL, ALEKS, RazKids, etc are some of the options).
It has allowed me to base curriculum decisions on what will work best for us rather than budget. It's also allowed us to have an awesome stock of art supplies available to us at home. My kids get to do a ton of extracurricular activities that we wouldn't otherwise be able to afford and have made some wonderful friends at those activities. It's also allowed us to try some of the online subscriptions that I would never have been able to afford on my own. Basically it just lets me make choices for my kids education with out money really entering into the equation, which is nice.
In exchange for this allotment the kids have to do two classes a month with their "teacher". We are on an island an our charter school is located on a different island so the classes are via web cam. The quality really depends on he teacher. Sometimes they get a lot out of it, sometimes not so much. Some teachers give a homework assignment at the end and some don't.
My son, who completed third grade this year, also had to do the required state testing this year. I stressed over it a ton and in the end it was no big deal. It was 4 total days spread over 2 weeks, only about an hour to an hour and a half a day. He didn't love it, but he didn't dead going or anything either.
To me the couple hoops we have to jump through pale in comparison to the benefits.
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Ds8 does soccer, tennis, and swimming in the summer
Dd6 does soccer, gymnastics, and swimming in the summers
The swimming I force them to do, then I tell them they can choose 2 other activities. That's all I can juggle, lol.
They have also tried baseball, dance, and martial arts.
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These videos (there are a few related to evolution and adaptation) are also great.
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My kids are 8 and 6 and all of us are getting a ton out of it. It's been one of the better sources I have found for evolution.
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I am not sure either. It does seem so simple. We are having the same experience here, though. It's the only thing that has made any difference in my son's ability to spell, so we are sticking with it.
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I did one online math and o e online language arts practice test with ds just so he would know how to navigate the computer aspect of it. I have talked to him about the fact that he will not know everything on the test and that if he doesn't know just to make his best guess. I have also stressed to him that while it's important to do his best (as with everything we do) there is no horrible consequence that will befall him if he doesn't score well on this test. My main goal is for him to get through it with minimal stress at this point though.
I have also talked to him about things like raising his hand if he needs help or to ask to go to the restroom, etc since he would probably just get up and go like he does at home or yell out his question, lol.
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I wanted to add that I am using MP K enrichment with my kindergartener this year and loving it. That's a much better option for that type of thing I think.
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I agree with Calming Tea. I got it one year through our charter, took one look at it and never used it. The books are nothing great and neither is the guide. There are much better options out there.
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My 4th grader finished TC about 2 weeks ago and we went directly into The Most Wonderful Writing Lessons. Next year we will do Wordsmith Apprentice.
Lana
Thank you! I will add those to my list of things to check out.
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Sorry, last night I was on my Kindle, so kept it short (for me, that is). ;)
What I was thinking was this: Your son struggled with WWE in 1st grade, but that might have been true for him then with any writing program. Many, many six year old boys are going to cry and struggle when it's time to write. They just aren't ready for that process.
But WWE may be the best fit for him, now that he is slightly older, a bit further along developmentally, and has had a positive writing experience with TC. In fact, SWB has stated that WWE was written with your son in mind! ;) (I'm loosely paraphrasing -- what she said was that WWE was written for the boy who struggles with writing and needs the steps broken down, one at a time.)
You wrote:
DS gets really overwhelmed by the amount of writing and by new things that he doesn't feel he can immediately be successful at. One of the great things about TC for us was that it broke things up into really manageable chunks. Also, it built up skills so nicely and I loved the pace. He kept making gradual progress, but he never felt like he couldn't do the new task because it was really clear how he was just combining the skills from previous lessons to do this new thing. It was also great that he didn't have to just come up with a story out of the blue. When that is the case all I can get out of him is recaps if soccer matches, lol. I think those things were key to building up his confidence and stamina throughout this year.
I'll just share our experience, and perhaps you will find it helpful. We tried CAP Fable with my oldest, verbal, word-loving, always-writing daughter. We tried it just for a "change of pace" from WWE, not because WWE wasn't working or we didn't like it, but just for something different.
Both of us hated CAP (sorry, I know some people love it, but we hated it). It was so wordy -- and this assessment comes from two super-wordy people, LOL! :) My daughter thought it jumped all over the place in the "preamble," which definitely seemed to amble.... If you want clear, concise, explicit instruction, CAP is not it (IMO)!
But I think the main flaw we saw in CAP was the lack of instruction. There were plenty of words all over the place, but the direct instruction (both to the student and to the teacher) was seriously lacking (in our opinion). I did take into account what my daughter thought of it all, because she is (and was then) a very insightful student, especially when it comes to writing. She asked to go back to WWE, and we were relieved to do so.
If your son responded to the gentle, incremental, clear, and explicit instruction of TC, you might want to consider going back to WWE again, now that he has had such a good writing experience. :hurray: Perhaps try the placement tests, or if you still have Level 1, just go through all the odd-numbered lessons until you finish them. If he has confidence with those, then WWE is a good track to be on.
FWIW, we never tried to finish one level of WWE per year, and we never did do any of Level 4 (I have it, though). We finished Level 1 in 1st grade, but slowed it down after that. No rush. We finished most of Level 2 in 2nd grade, the rest of Level 2 and part of Level 3 in 3rd grade, and the rest of Level 3 plus "other things" in 4th grade. My oldest moved into WWS 1 this year for 5th grade at half-pace, and is doing really well with it and enjoying it.
Some of those "other things" that we do in addition to WWE include -- lists for grocery shopping and Christmas, letters to friends and family, one-page narrations for History and Science and Literature, occasional short reports (e.g., if we go on a hayride and to a bonfire, they will write and draw about it the following day, and put that in the Family Record Book), occasional and voluntary short stories (I generally get Rainbow Fairy Princess stories, while you get soccer recaps, LOL), and anything else that they come up with.
Last year for US History, they made their own History Notebooks that contained their written reports (one-page, they chose the topics) and drawings. They still go back and re-read those notebooks. This year they are doing the same for Ancient History and Science -- read from the History Book Basket or Science Shelf, choose a topic, and write a one-page report. Lather, rinse, repeat. ;) HTH.
This was very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to explain.
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This is another one I haven't looked at. I will have to check it out thanks for the suggestion!We moved on to Writing Tales 1 and FLL3 after TC. It has worked very well.
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I am not 100% sure but I think it's upper elementary? Like 3rd-5th or 6th grade-ish? Maybe someone else can chime in with a more sure answer. I really felt it was perfect for my son in 3rd grade. He is 8.what is the suggested age range for Treasured Conversations?
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We tried CAP Fable, but hated it. We were happy to go back to WWE.
It has been a few years since you used WWE... and your son has grown as a writer... perhaps it would work well now? Based on how you described your son, I just don't see how CAP will be a good fit. It is so unnecessarily wordy, we were relieved to get back to the simplicity and clarity of WWE. HTH.
Good to know. I considered going back to WWE but I was sort of unsure of what level to start with at this point. And we had such a bad experience the first time around I was hesitant, though I really do think he just wasn't ready for ANY writing program at the time we tried it. Definitely something to consider.
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Wordsmith Apprentice (gr. 4-6) might be a good fit -- it is all 4 types of writing (Descriptive, Narrative, Expository, Persuasive), in the setting of writing for the different departments of a newspaper. Fun silly one-page comic to start each new unit -- the Editor in Chief explains the new department to you. Written in an informal tone and very gentle. Don't be scared off by the grade range -- you can do as big or small of a "bite" per day. Even my "pencil phobic" DSs really liked this program.
table of contents and sample pages = http://www.christianbook.com/wordsmith-apprentice-janie-cheaney/9781929683178/pd/683170?event=ESRCG
suggested schedule (VERY adaptable) = https://www.commonsensepress.com/wordsmith/wordsmith_apprentice_lesson_plan.htm
Thanks! I have never even looked at this so I will have to check it out.
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Can I just thank you?! I really needed a boost tonight and your post made my night! I am so glad he liked the stories. :)
Thank you! This writing program has been so wonderful for me and ds. It has totally changed the way we approach writing and his attitude toward the subject. It's the first time I have felt so sad over finishing a curriculum.
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We've actually gone back to a combination of WWE3 and writing paragraphs about science topics this year in 4th grade, after doing much of TC in 3rd. Dd tried CAP Fable, probably too young, and hasn't been interested in revisiting it. I did get BW Partnership Writing, and the "writing lifestyle" stuff is mostly things we already did or have incorporated. I actually didn't like the projects very much. But then I'm not a crafty/projecty type, so if I'm going to do one, I need a lot of hand holding.
I am SO not crafty either! That would be a big turn off for me. And honestly my son isn't into that type of thing either. Especially with writing. He doesn't want anything that's going to lengthen the process. My daughter...that's a whole other story.
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Yes, you would like CAP Fable! I just finished it with my third grader, and am now deciding between continuing with Narrative (the next CAP book), or taking a break and doing Treasured Conversations in between.
I just started Treasured Conversations with my second grader, who has named the squirrel who frequents our birdfeeder "Bushy the Hungry Squirrel."
Yes! All the stories in TC are so great! It was so motivating for my son.
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Thank you all for helping me think this through.
I think I am leaning toward CAP Fable spread over a year with some TC style assignments related to our other subjects thrown in the mix. ScoutTN, I totally agree, I will have to pre plan these or they will never actually happen. So, I guess I better get planning our history and science studies, lol. I am definitely feeling less scared about doing it this way if it's pre planned though. I feel less worried that I would totally drop the ball if it's all scheduled out.
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My Dd enjoyed CAP's Fable. They include copywork and dictation (not as difficult as WWE), but have lots of other fun things with each lesson. It is designed for a semester, so it is easy to do along with something else.
I know people with kids who find writing frustrating sometimes choose IEW or Bravewriter, though these have very different approaches.
Thank you for the suggestions. I had been looking at CAP fable. I was just thinking I would want to use something with it for more nonfiction writing. I somewhat feel like after TC I could just use that method to add in some non fiction writing assignments on my own related to our history and science studies but I am a little nervous about really staying on top of that.
I have also considered IEW...but the price, ugh. Such an investment if it doesn't work out, and our track record with writing programs isn't great.
I have looked at Brave Writer and actually have read the Writers Jungle. I love the idea of it, but I just can't see myself doing it in real life. I need more of a concrete plan. Sometimes our life gets really busy and on those days things that aren't straight forward or at least a little open go get skipped.
DS gets really overwhelmed by the amount of writing and by new things that he doesn't feel he can immediately be successful at. One of the great things about TC for us was that it broke things up into really manageable chunks. Also, it built up skills so nicely and I loved the pace. He kept making gradual progress, but he never felt like he couldn't do the new task because it was really clear how he was just combining the skills from previous lessons to do this new thing. It was also great that he didn't have to just come up with a story out of the blue. When that is the case all I can get out of him is recaps if soccer matches, lol. I think those things were key to building up his confidence and stamina throughout this year.
I feel like IEW is described as having a lot of the characteristics we liked with TC, but I don't feel sure about it for some reason. How does CAP look as far as the amount of writing each day and scaffolding skills into so nothing gets sprung on them out of the blue?
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What did you use before that provoked tears and arguments?
We loved TC too!
We tried WWE in first grade and BookShark language arts in second. I also tried some stuff on my own. Just journaling about topics we were studying, copy work from our current read aloud, etc. when I got totally discouraged by what we were using and didn't want to buy something else for the year.
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My son is in third grade this year and we will likely finish Treasured Conversations by about June. I have LOVED this program and it has been so great for him. It's the first time we have consistently had writing lessons without arguments or tears, and I feel like his writing is improving. He has gained confidence in leaps and bounds and is actually enjoying writing.
So...if you used TC and loved it, what did you use next? I am at a loss. I really want to continue this great forward progress and especially his positive attitude toward writing.
Thanks!
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Punalu'u black sand beach is another great one. There have been turtles there every time we have gone as well. If you go down there stop by the Punalu'u bakery. Yummy treats there [emoji4]
Also seconding the recommendation to hike the petroglyphs trail at the volcano park. It's not a very long hike and it's totally worth it. Another good hike there is the Thurston Lava tube. You actually get to hike through a lava tube...pretty unique experience.
Also, if you have people into astronomy definitely check out the IMILOA astronomy center in Hilo. Lots of cool things to see and do there for all ages. Also, the food in their restaurant is great!
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Good Charter School Experiences?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
In ours if you quit before December 31 you have to repay all the allotment money you have spent. After that you just have to return your non consumable books and materials you bought with the allotment or borrowed from the resource room.
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