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FromA2Z

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  1. Growing so fast: Language Arts: *Current Plan* Grammar: MCT grammar/sentence/practice Island for independent reinforcement in summer & early fall. Followed by ELTL 5 (literature, copy work & grammar) for rest of year OR followed by MCT Grammar Town and MCT Search Trilogy. Poetry: Music of the Hemispheres Spelling: LOE Essentials Writing: CAP 4 Cheria and Proverb, 5 Refutation & Confirmation Latin for Children B or dropping Latin and going with Ceasar's English. Math: Rightstart Math E (2nd half) and Beast Academy 4. (Alternating Days) Combined with DS 8/9 History: TOG Year 1 - Ancient Science: Science in the Ancient World & Sassafras Geology and Astronomy (He loves these books & does them on his own) Art: Projects from Deep Space Sparkle PE: Football (Fall), Basketball (Winter), Baseball (spring), Tennis (Summer). Music: TBD Composer Study and Piano
  2. I am totally in the same boat with you. My eldest is in ELTL 4. I love the diagramming and he has been doing extremely well with the program. Initially I was going to move over to W&R after ELTL 2 but stuck with it. We like the copia exercises in it but I just felt recently that he needs a bit more direction in the writing. I picked up a used copy of narrative 2 a couple of weeks ago and it seems exactly what we need. So we are finishing the year w/ the reading, diagramming and some of the copy work & picture studies in ELTL 4 combined w/ W&R. I did pick up a used ELTL 5 for next year. I just don't really want to give it up. That being said I also got a used set of MCT grammar/sentence/practice Island. I'm going to have him go through at least part of those books after we finish ELTL 4. I like the way MCT uses the 4 level analysis for diagramming. My DS diagrams well but I don't think he fully comprehends that words are parts of speech & parts of a sentence at the same time. I think the 4 level will give him his "aha" moment. Then I'll let him decide to continue with MCT or ELTL. .....(maybe). I just really like the lit selections in ELTL and the diagramming/grammar taken from the literature...and the picture studies. Sorry to be of no help to you, just commiserating.
  3. My first DS just breezed through Foundations. My 2nd DS has problems with fluency. His understanding, decoding, & spelling are excellent. I did take a break in B because of the fluency but he got so bored reading the same things he didn't want to do anything. So I slowly started back up. He really needs the stimulation of learning new phonograms and rules, but we needed to add in lots of reading practice. I use AAR readers and word cards. I did do a few lessons out of AAR since I had it but he hated it (esp...the fluency sheets). So we keep going on, I do think that it will just click with him and he will then already have a solid foundation. I do also have an eye appointment set up for next week.
  4. I didn't see a sample on my AMazon mobile app but Amazon often just puts up a generic sample of classic works. The Ingpen illustrated books are simply beautiful. Lots of illustrations, chapter dividers, heavy paper, and relaxing word spacing. I have quite a set of these books going.
  5. My ds7 really enjoyed the geometry section. He is my good at math but not liking it child. He said to me, "I didn't know shapes were math," which is funny to me since we've talked about quadrilaterals & triangles since level A. I'm pretty sure he didn't think drawing could be math. I liked that he had a hands on way of discovering fractions and relationships between shapes instead of just looking at pictures. I did have to help with the tools but it was good working together.
  6. I have no personal experience (we started from K), but there have been several on the RS Facebook and/or yahoo group that switched later. RS puts out a Transitions lesson book to help older kids switching over with the way RS teaches before being placed in higher levels. I love it and the way it helps visualize/manipulate numbers.
  7. Love the stand mixer. I do have an extra bowl so I don't always have to wash in between when doing more than 1 thing at a time. What I love most about it, is that I can do something else/ prep while it is mixing. My dh got it for me years ago for Christmas after I told him I was not going to make another chocolate peanut butter cheesecake until I got one. ...After I had burnt out my 3rd hand mixer in a couple of years making it.
  8. Lego High Speed Train Set. Someone got him the cargo train set for his birthday. And now he has to have this (because, you know, they have a picture of it with the cargo train on the cargo train box). Do Legos ever go on sale? And Bongos.
  9. I really love ELTL. We have done 1 and are 1/2 way through 2. (I also have 3 which I have read through). I had planned on using 1 just for the copywork in 1st, then moving on to something else for grammar and reading. My writing adverse son actually enjoyed doing the copywork b/c it came from something we just read. He likes that sort of thing. I at first didn't get the samples of later levels but the more I looked at it the better I liked it. Here's what we did. Level 1: We did 3 days a week (that is the recommendation.) I read the story at snack time. (Five children & It and Jungle Book we divided up. 1/2 at snack and 1/2 at bedtime. During lesson time I read the poem & fable. Every third lesson is a narration lesson. It alternates between 1.) picture study (in which the child would tell you about the picture) and 2.) the child drawing a picture about the fable of the day. Toward the last 1/3 of the level, the child would orally narrate the fable. (In the end there is still space to draw a picture also.) Then my DS would do the copy work. Grammar lessons include nouns and action verbs ( done orally) and the use of quotes to show someone is speaking. Level 2: Lessons are written in a 3 day copywork pattern which is in addition to copywork from the story. So repeating every 2 weeks. Day 1: Scripture Verse Day 2: Picture Study Narration (not written). Day 3: Poem (usually 4 lines every 3 days until poem is finished) Day 4: Maxim Day 5: Fable Oral Narration. -one sentence you use for child's copywork Day 6: Poem. Grammar lessons are really gentle & short! and use passages from the story. The child then marks up ONE passage from the story. (In the wb space is also given for the child to draw a picture of the passage.) The lessons do spiral back so they are constantly reviewing. It also does not FEEL like the child has to get every thing right away as it will come up again. Grammar Lessons include nouns (person, place, things, ideas - all introduced separately.), pronouns action verbs, state of being verbs, linking and helping verbs, adj, adv, & prep. Direct & indirect quotes, contractions, abbreviations, and homophones/homonyms are also discussed. Days of the week, Months, Seasons are reviewed/memorized via poems. Address, Phone # is used in copy work, addressing envelopes/writing letters are also covered. The definitions of grammar terms are also supposed to be used for memory work. Writing includes the oral narrations and then starts to build toward the end with written narrations, prepared dictation, and some exercises like turning direct quotes to indirect. This all builds up slowly. Each day also includes a poem and a fable to read. How we do it. I read the chapter during breakfast. We Do the memory work after our morning "music"/wiggle time. We use the copywork for memory. So everyday we recite the current scripture, maxim and poem, then 1 set of past memory work. 1 set for Mon, Tues & We'd, & Thurs. so that we are reviewing old ones a week, then eventually once a month (on Fri.) We do a different grammar def. everyday. I do the grammar lesson right after memory work. I guide my DS as he marks up the passage. Memory & Grammar are done in less than 10 min. I actually DON'T read the poem and fable most days. I also do literature with TOG and also different things with my 1 yo & 6 yo, so something had to go. The daily poem is different then the copywork poem. She suggests letting the child pick out one of the daily poems to memorize but it is easier for me to have him memorize the poem he is doing for copywork. My DS then draws a picture to go with the day's chapter and does his copywork independently. To me the curriculum just "flows" and gets a lot done with a minimum of work for me. I did get the workbook (I printed & spiral bound it). It saves time on me (not having to write out) and aggravation (as in "I lost the page" the passage was on).
  10. My 2nd grade dos: Reading: Can read above MTH level but does not like to read longer chapter books by himself. What we do. Spelling/Reading: RLTL- 4x per week, LOE games 1× per week. 100% w/ mom. Spelling dictation, read aloud. Literature, Grammar, Handwriting: ELTL: 25% Independent. I read the literature chapter (during breakfast), go over grammar lesson or take narration with him and go over memory work (verses, poetry, & grammar); he does copywork and draws picture narration from chapter independently. History: TOG. 20% Independent. We buddy read history/literature book. I work with him on oral narrations, get him stared on and help out with map work and other projects. We work on together on a long term writing project once a week. Math: Rightstart C. 30% Independent. We work on lesson together and play math games together. He does worksheets independently. Science: 100% with mom. Elemental Science: Sassafras Anatomy. We buddy read, I guide him in filling out logbook and doing demonstrations. Latin: Song School Latin - 90% Independent. I will watch DVD w/ him and sing songs w/ him and will play Monkey Match. He does workbook on his own. Art: Artistic Pursuits: 75% Independent. I go over lesson/artists and get correct supplies. He is then on his own, though I often join him in doing the project. I'm using this year as a start in a journey towards independence. Copywork & the few worksheets we have are the only thing completely independent. (Though I'm still in the room working w/ his brother or sister, so I can keep him on task.) Buddy reading this year will hopefully get him comfortable to read his history/science books on his own next year. His oral narrations and guided writing will hopefully lead to his own short written narrations next year. ETA his activities. Yeah, screen time would be his first choice, barring that: Imagine play - which to him is: run around the house with a light saber, bounce off the back door, run back through the house, somersault unto the sofa, bounce off, rinse and repeat. WHen I ask him to imagine play outside, he says, "I can't - there's no sofa outside." We went to a local nature center Friday and newly installed in their "natural" play area was a sod sofa. I need one of those! Besides that it is: Lego, wrestling with his brother, reading super hero readers, playing in our 8x8 sandbox and playing with little sis.
  11. LOE foundations is a very complete phonics program covering reading, spelling, and handwriting. You wouldn't need anything else. I did use the AAR readers in conjunction w/ Level A & B because they are so nice. I bought them used along w/ the whole AAR set since that was cheaper then buying just the readers new. I did use some of the AAR lessons with my 2nd DS while on summer break. I did not like it as well as LOE. (I like LOE because it is interactive, has a ton of phonemic exercises sprinkled throughout, and the discovery method it employs of learning rules). However there are a lot of people who prefer AAR and it is a very solid program. Since you already have it, maybe you should give it a shot. I definitely think that doing both programs simultaneously is overkill (with exception to the readers). The same goes for Phonics Road. I was going to use that before Foundations came out. It was too mature for my then 4.5 yo. When Foundations came out it was perfect. It really has the same information but is geared younger with color, pictures, & games. My 1st DS used A-D my 2nd ds is now in B. I do puffy heart love LOE. Phonics Road is a get it done program but very thorough. It would be possible to get the LOE games book and cards set to go with either PR or AAR to liven them up a bit without going full freight on Foundations. I know nothing about CLP's kindergarten program. I do think anything that adds on my more learning to read/spell/ etc would be overkill but a program with good books that you read to her would be good along with exploring some science/social studies or history topics. For math, we have really enjoyed Right Start. HTH, Kerry
  12. I just wanted to add that I did a modified writing with my boys. In A we did writing via gross motor movements, salt tray, paint bags and tiles. In B we used large letters on a white board. We started using the worksheets provided for spelling in C. (I skipped the sentence copywork in C also - my eldest was still in K then). It has worked out beautifully for my eldest, who now easily does multi-sentence copy work in ELTL 2.
  13. My level 1 had a top line but level2 doesn't. So I think it was a change with the upgrade. I was worried at first, but my ds did just fine. His handwriting has really improved as a matter of fact. (Whether this is due to the lack of line or simply maturity, I'll take it.)
  14. Well with my boys, we did very little writing in K. Pretty much the only writing we did was one sheet a day of letters and about 3 spelling words. We do some FIAR lapbooks, and if they want(Ed) to write some info on their mini-books, they did. If not, I did it for them. My oldest did do writing on his own when he wanted. In 1st grade I added 1 sentence a day copy work, 5 spelling words a day. Again he could write down what he wanted for history/science or I would write for him. Now, in second grade he writes 1-3 sentences of copy work a day. We do 10 spelling words. He gives me a narration for history and/or science and I take one sentence of that for him to write down. I have been very pleased with his writing this year and he is slowly building up stamina. In K we focused more on the mechanics (letter formation, spacing & spelling) than on quantity.
  15. I was planning on using Phonics Road with my DS until there was an offer to Beta test LOE at the time. I haven't looked back yet. The ONE thing that held me back from Phonics Road at the time is that it is written for FIRST grade and was told that it would be too much for a 4 y.o.) Yes, you can modify for handwriting, etc. At the time, I was advised to just " play around" with letters/ words, etc.). But my son was raring to go. LOE foundations came out and A fit us perfectly. A does provide a lot of fun and games, you can skip some or all (it's very flexible). What I like about it is that I don't have to search out ideas to supplement. They are already there if I want them. She also includes ideas for "writing" with non-writers. So writing is not a problem, but your child learns the motions of writing. The other thing I liked about A is that it gives tips and exercises for visual learners or learners that have trouble forming/hearing certain sounds. You don't have to do these if your child does not need them but it is nice to have them. My DS went through all 4 levels and like a pp said he can read anything. But they will not be able to read early readers in the beginning b/c of the use of sight words. Though I believe now they list in B and C some readers that correlate with certain lessons. In addition each level comes with 8 "readers". D has readers and books. My DS is now in 2nd grade, we use RLTL 3 for our spelling and to continue on his oral reading skills, (enunciation, punctuation, etc)
  16. My oldest has gone through LOE A-D. He is a very capable reader, understands the phonograms, spelling rules, and how to analyE words. I've been very happy with LOE and plan on continuing it with my youngers. I just recently got RLTL levels 2-4 to reinforce spelling with him and work on reading aloud with proper punctuation, enunciation, etc. I really like the looks of the program, it's OG foundation and the reading selections. It is very thorough. For me, LOE just simply has the added advantage of 1.) games (that you don't have to think up yourself), 2.) a discovery and incremental approach to learning spelling rules (this is THE reason I love LOE so much. Other OG programs (including RLTL) use the method of just stating the rule during the spelling dictation of each word it applies to. Repetition and pattern recognition over time eventually leads to understanding the rule.) 3.) various methodologies for learning. There's the spelling analysis found in other OG programs, but also a variety of games (physical, card, and worksheet), workbook activities. This makes it very adaptable. I do think RLTL will work perhaps more efficiently for an older learner. But LOE was just plain fun for us. It was extremely helpful for me as a first time teacher.
  17. For school: The God King Jungle Book Bedtime: Charlotte's Web Various Picture Books
  18. I rotate between my 1st grader and my pre-K'er. (And have a 1 year old.) Our time can very greatly. Tue - Thursday Song Time: Rotate patriotic songs, folk songs, hymns/bible songs. Approx 10 minutes. History: read aloud/ buddy read, map work (T), lit worksheet (W), picture narration (Th). approx 30- 40 minutes. Listen to younger brother's stories, play with baby sister or do Legos, snap circuits, etc. approx 15 minutes. Snack Time: I read our Literature book (ELTL) during this time. (Approx 15 min.) Phonics/Spelling/reading/Grammar: 30- 40 minutes Copy Work : approx 5 minutes Lego's etc. while I finish his brother's phonics: approx 15 minutes. Song School Latin : 15 minutes Lunch/Play/quiet Time approx 2 1/2 - 3 hrs Math: 20-30 minutes Lego's etc - 15 min. Science: 15-30 minutes Friday: Song Time Board Games /puzzles (his brother and him each pick one). 30 min History project : 30- 90 minutes Snack Phonics/spelling games - about 15-30minutes ( he usually chooses to join in on brother's games). Math Games - about 30 min Latin game: 15 min Saturday: Music and Art Appreciation -15 min Art Project 15 min to ?
  19. I got mine used. So it came with a teacher's manual but no workbook. The teacher's manual has all the workbook pages with the answers filled in. I ended up not getting the student workbook as I found we could do most orally or at the whiteboard. The teacher's manual has more "fun" worksheets like crosswords/word searches. My boys love the DVD. Really it's nice. And you get to be out of the teacher's seat for a few minutes. There is a review week every four to five weeks in which there is no DVD lesson. My son suggested he do all the review week work on a no school day, so we could move on to the next chapter right away. He couldn't stand missing a week with no DVD lesson! Our schedule: 1 chapter a week Day 1. DVD - listen to to the last 4 or 5 songs. Day 2. Listen to last 4 or 5 songs. Do workbook exercises orally and at board. Day 3. Listen to last 4 or 5 songs. Do worksheet from TM. Day 4. Listen to all songs learned so far. Play a monkey match card game.
  20. We do Science 3-4x a week. Each "day of creation" has 12 regular lessons and 3 "challenge" lessons. If you just did the regular lessons you could do the 72 lessons 2x a week for 36 weeks. My eldest is in 1st grade so we just do the demonstration and I talk about the lesson. (I read it before teaching and just paraphrase instead of reading directly out of the book.). Then I orally ask my ds the couple questions at the end. It only takes us about 15 minutes. Older students have writing/project assignments at the end which would require a longer timeframe. The notebook you found is not "officially" part of the curriculum. A mother designed it to use with her dc when she was using the curriculum and she was kind enough to make it available to others. I believe it follows most of the questions/assignments in the text. It certainly is nice to have for your 3rd grader. I decided it would be too much for my 1st grader. The book is a text book so you will need only one copy if you are doing it together. The questions at the end include questions for the younger, older, and oldest students. Again the younger students questions have simple, oral answers. The older and oldest students questions were designed to be answered in a composition notebook of their own (or you could use the notebook). The sample text should have the experiments in them. Is this the one you used? https://www.bereanbuilders.com/mkt/res/samp/9780989042406samp.pdf
  21. My K'er is on the older end. What we'll be doing Phonics/Reading: LOE B and C Math: Finsh up RS A then start on B History/Lit/Geography/Science: FIAR Music: Faber's My First Piano Adventure, Classical Kids Art: Artistic Pursuits Book 2 Enrichment: Free art, imaginets, snap circuits, marble runs, pattern blocks. He can also tag along w/ his brother for TOG and Science in te Ancient World. He can also tag along with his older brother if he wants.
  22. I was wondering when the February planning threads would start! I have most of my stuff waiting in a Rainbow Resource cart awaiting the tax refund. History/Geography/Literature: TOG Year 2 Writing/handwriting/Grammar/Literature: ELTL 2 Spelling: WRTR - I'm finishing LOE Foundations D in a few weeks. I'll be trying to fly solo with WRTR. If all goes well, we will continue into next year. If not LOE Essentials, here we come! Math: RS C (we'll be starting this in a few weeks) Science: Science in Ancient Times, Sassafras Botany, 1x a month Zoo Homescool Class Language: Song School a Latin 2 Music: My Piano Adventure, Classical Kids CDs Art: Artistic Pursuits k-3 Book 2 Morning Time: Making Him Known Series by Sally Michael, My Bookhouse Books 5&6, Rotate Wee Sing America, Bible Songs, Folk. Rotate health and safety topics.
  23. I'm Cross-posting this here as many I know plan ahead and might find it helpful. http://blog.drwile.com/?p=13271 I saw this come across my FB feed this morning and thought it would be of interest. My disclaimer. I really don't know what happened b/w Dr. Wile ( who wrote the Exploring Creation series) and Apologia. This could be a case of sour grapes for Apologia rewriting his books. However, he has positive things to say of the 3rd edition of the Anatomy book. His review is highly detailed giving specifics on his issues with the new edition. His reasoning is logical and consistent. Enough so, that even though my eldest is in 1st grade, I'm picking up a used copy of the 2nd edition.
  24. Haha! We posted at nearly the same time! Yep, I'm picking up a copy of the 2nd edition.
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