I am thinking of using MFW's Ancient Literature Supplement next year alongside a different history program (a possibility I've seen mentioned in a couple of other threads). Could those of you who have used it, either as part of MFW's AHL study or independently of it, please tell me if it stands completely alone? Are all answers and instructions included, or would one need to also purchase the IG to make proper use of it? Thanks for your help!

Hi. I am currently using the recently updated version with my 9th grader and 8th grader and am, overall, fairly pleased with everything. The individual student guides, IMO, add to the "weightiness" of the program in that the notes on the Hakim material are readily accessible to the student (and thus more likely to be read:001_smile:). Really, the notes add an enormous level of depth to this core, so I feel that has been very important. Plus, I know my dc have enjoyed having all of their assignments/maps/notes altogether in one place. With that being said, though, I have still added some "heavier" reading (e.g. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, & A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass) to the list for my 9th grader and feel that makes for a little more "high school" level experience. HTH a little...

I have been looking at purchasing BP Year 1 for my two high schoolers next year (actually, I would be repurchasing due to the fact that our previous version did not include the high level as it is now) so wondered if I could ask you a couple of questions regarding the high school level? You mentioned that the literature selections are not scheduled at all. So, are you saying then that the high school selections are merely listed, without any scheduling suggestions whatsoever? Also, the BP website mentions usage of the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature--is that scheduled at all? And would you mind sharing just a couple of the literature selections they suggest--other than the typical suggestions like Gilgamesh and The Odyssey? Finally, with regard to the non-scheduled Bible reading--would you say those are handled in a similar manner as the high school literature portion? Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

Hi, I haven't used, but have looked at it. With regards to the experiments, you can look here at the IG sample for a list of items (not included in the kit) needed each week. Hope this helps!

Hi. I haven't used the program (but have looked at it extensively.) If you check out the WP website and click on "Explore Theme Programs" you can take a look at a description of the program that includes a sample of the Guidebook. Here is a link to the guide--if you'll scroll down, you'll find the "Overview of Studies", listing the countries studied by week. HTH!

Well, again, if you are needing free materials, you could try the above mentioned Tanglewood Really Reading program, or you could utilize Starfall online. Since you feel he is not retaining well, perhaps you could use both--a varied approach might help with that. For math, both IXL and Aleks offer free trials that could get you started. Also, here is a site that provides links for making worksheets, etc. Other than that, I still maintain that kindergarten should be focused on laying a solid foundation in the 3 R's-- and that need not be a hugely stressful endeavor at all. Beyond those skill subjects, one could easily make use of the library for science, reading and history. However, if you are at all interested in purchasing an inexpensive, "all-in-one" curriculum, I would suggest looking at either My Father's World or Heart of Dakota. I personally never used either of their kindergarten programs (because I already had phonics and other materials before they came along) but they seem to cover all the bases and I've heard many good reviews of both. HTH as you consider all your options!

Sorry if I missed this somewhere in the thread, but I'm assuming that your ds is in kindergarten? Could you tell us more about his skill level--if so, we could know better what suggestions to offer? For example, one free suggestion for reading would be Tanglewood's Really Reading program. Also, math could definitely be done very inexpensively at the K-level, and free handwriting sheets are fairly easily to find online as well. Really, kindergarten should be a fairly low-stress year, as the major focus should be on the 3 Rs...everything else is icing on the cake!

After reading so many rave reviews, I did look into PR fairly extensively and will definitely say that Phonics Road appears to be a wonderful program. Probably the only aspect that gave me pause was the use of rule songs mentioned by a previous poster--that would not go over well here at all. At any rate, we began using LLATL many years ago (when my oldest dc was young) and have been very happy with the results, so I decided to just stick with it. Here are some thoughts I shared a while ago regarding the "lack of rigor" charge so often leveled at LLATL. Best wishes as you choose!

I am using Core 7 with an 8th, & 7th grader and have a 4th and 2nd grader joining us for the History/Read-aloud time, so I'll share my thoughts. I can't think of any reason inherent in the Core for which you wouldn't be able to jump in to Core 7--no references back to Core 6 or anything like that. If you feel comfortable moving into the study, I don't think it would be a problem. My eighth grader reads at an adult level, so some of the readers are quite easy for her. I personally don't mind that, because, first of all, the reading of historical fiction merely "fleshes out" our historical studies for us. It is enhancing her enjoyment of learning and I like that. Second, I'm not concerned about the easy readers due to the fact that she gets plenty of more mature reading on her own and through our Language Arts studies. I am, for the first time, using a Core basically as written (without heavily tweaking, adding another program or combining with another Core)--I just needed something easy to use this year. However, we do not use most of the Language Arts. I pick and choose from the Creative Expression assignments, but that's about it. Having said that, IMO the Core Bible, History, Read-Alouds and Readers make the purchase of the Core worthwhile. Well, my dc complete the Bible component, Usborne assignments and readers on their own. I read the SOTW, poetry, and read-alouds to everyone. So it usually takes me about one hour with everyone. There are no quizzes or tests, although SL does provide comprehension questions for the readings which might possibly be used as quizzes. I believe there are also SOTW tests one might purchase as well. HTH!

My thoughts as one who has not used TOG, but who has researched it fairly extensively... I would say that it is a very full and complete program--I personally would not want to combine it with anything else. I seriously considered Year 4 for my students this year, but for various reasons chose to go with Core 300 instead. With regards to SL, because my dc have used some of the upper-level cores already (combined with other material as well)-- including Core 530 British Literature last year-- I feel confident that they are well-versed in literary analysis. I will simply add some questions/essays from Sparknotes to round out the Core and leave it at that. If you feel that your student needs further instruction in literary analysis, I would suggest either adding a resource such as Teaching the Classics or The Well-Educated Mind to SL 300, or returning Core 300 to SL and going totally with TOG. If you did that, then perhaps it would be easier to afford the necessary resources? If, however, your dc has a solid foundation in analysis, an easy-peasy solution for you would be just to add Sparknotes to the Core and enjoy your year. Just MHO. Hope this helps just a little.:)

Thanks for letting me know this. Dh and I spoke with our dear friend who is a PT, and he agreed with you.:) So, we will definitely do Physics. Ds doesn't really want to go the entire year without any math, though, so I think we will go the 1/2 credit route for Calculus.

Yeah, that is a concern of mine. I'm wondering about having him do Calculus for 1/2 credit. Maybe he could do it 3 days a week over the course of the year?

Ah. Thanks so much for this information, and the link. This really helps!

Thanks for being willing to go against the grain.:001_smile: I think he would be most interested in physics, as he's a little more "science-y" than "mathy". Still deciding....

He does have 3 colleges he's choosing between right now. Maybe I'll have him call and check. I'll have to look into the possibility of block scheduling. Hadn't thought of that....

Thanks for your thoughts. Unfortunately, I've tried to include him in this choice, but he's having difficulty with it.:tongue_smilie:

So, would you say that an algebra/trig based Physics would be the best choice?

Thank you everyone for your replies. There seem to be valid points for both options, so I'm still hoping to hear more thoughts on the matter. (Any PTs-- or parents of PTs-- out there who could weigh in?)

I really can't answer as to whether the physics would be calculus/trig based, as I haven't made any decisions yet. The calculus would be Chalkdust. He is very science/math oriented, but is feeling a bit burnt-out right now. I'm able to provide very little help, but dh can provide quite a bit. Ahh. Thanks so much.

If you had to choose to offer either Calculus or Physics for a rising senior aspiring to Physical Therapy, which would you choose and why? Thanks!

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm in complete agreement. I guess I didn't communicate my thoughts very well. My concern lies not so much with making math "fun", but with making it clear enough for her that she feels confident she can do it. She currently ends up in tears just at the thought of math, and I am hoping that very understandable instruction will alleviate some of that. The "com[ing] away enjoying math even a little more" would be just a bonus. The posts that mention CD not working well for "non-mathy" kids bother me. I don't want to spend the $$ for something that will only aggravate the situation. Kwim?

Thank you. I read through a thread about Chalkdust not working for people, and it seemed that a lot of kids who are less mathematically inclined really struggled with CD. Since I would be purchasing Chalkdust specifically to increase her confidence in this area, I would hate to have it work in precisely the opposite manner.:tongue_smilie:

Shameless bump. Really looking for insight.:001_smile:

...a non-mathy type kid who utterly loathes math? I've been planning on having dd 13 retake Prealgebra this year alongside her 12 yo brother because she not only abhors math, but is also simply not comfortable with it. She can do it, but feels that she can't, iykwim. So, my thought was to have both using CD. In researching, however, I've seen many comments to the effect that Chalkdust is not a good fit for students who do not like math or who are not particularly gifted in that area. Thus, I am wondering if I should try something else. Has anyone here had experience with a dc like mine using Chalkdust? Did your student do well with it and did she come away enjoying math even a little more? Any thoughts? TIA!

...a non-mathy type kid who utterly loathes math? I've been planning on having dd 13 retake Prealgebra this year alongside her 12 yo brother because she not only abhors math, but is also simply not comfortable with it. She can do it, but feels that she can't, iykwim. So, my thought was to have both using CD. In researching, however, I've seen many comments to the effect that Chalkdust is not a good fit for students who do not like math or who are not particularly gifted in that area. Thus, I am wondering if I should try something else. Has anyone here had experience with a dc like mine using Chalkdust? Did your student do well with it and did she come away enjoying math even a little more? Any thoughts? TIA!