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LanainMA

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Everything posted by LanainMA

  1. We use it, but I have never used Henle so I cannot compare. We are halfway through volume one. I like it because it has a daily suggested schedule and I need that. I don't particulary like all the writing because it seems like busy work to me so we skip a lot of it. I just don't think it is necessary. We spend about 30 minutes, 4 days per week on it. Dd has managed to get A's on all her tests so far. For the most part, we have been happy with the explanations and have had no trouble understanding it. You definitely need a basic understanding of grammar before going into it. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.
  2. I know exactly how you feel. I split my kids up in SL last year, and while I could keep up fine with the reading, we really missed being together in our learning. We are using TOG 2 right now to do medieval times together (I thought Core 6 went too fast for that time period) and when we get to where Core 7 starts, we will probably jump back into SL. We miss it. Anyway, when we did Cores 3 and 4, we took about 3 years to go through them, but I did it along side Truthquest. My older did it pretty much as written, but we often stopped to add in topics from TQ that SL just glossed over. I read aloud the SL history to both, and then I used TQ for age appropriate readers for my younger. It worked well. If you want to stick with SL, there are lots of people who have found a way to add a younger student with Core 5 and have posted their book lists and resources. When you get to Core 6, you could continue doing the same thing or maybe have your younger to Core 1/2 while your olders do 6 and then Core 3/4 while your olders to 7. Good luck finding what works for you!
  3. I think that you should go for SWI-B. SWI-A would introduce things very slowly for a 7th grader and the kids on the tape are 3rd - 5th graders so I think it would seem juvenile to a 7th grader. Also SICC-A would be way too simple for an 8th grader, but you would need to go from SWI-B to SICC-B. Next year you can either slow the SWI-B down for your 5th grader or sell it (they have a very high resale value) and buy SWI-A.
  4. Yes, I think 4th or 5th is great age to start. I started my son in 4th, and I don't think he would have gotten much out of it when he was in 3rd. Like everything else, I am sure it depends on the child.
  5. I understand what you mean now. Yes, there is a chart on the CD with a suggested daily schedule - Day 1, do this, etc. I have never used it though. After we watch the DVD and get the assignment, I just tell them when it is due, and we briefly go over what they need to do each day to accomplish that.
  6. SICCs are very easy and all planned out. They come with a CD which has all the lesson plans that you can print out all at once or as you need. You can see samples on the IEW website. Click on the product you are interested in seeing and scroll down just a bit and you will see where you can click on the student lessons or the teacher lessons. Hope this helps!
  7. My dd is using TT Pre-Algebra this year and with did fine with the transition. (She also used TT6 and TT7). There hasn't been any CD switching though. She just listens to her lecture and does her work in her notebook (which she always had to do), but now she numbers the problems and circles the answer. At some point during the day, I correct her work with the answer booklet and she corrects any that she has gotten wrong. We have never been stumped so that we had to go to the solution CD. I really don't think it is all that different.
  8. I think the best place to buy IEW is straight from IEW. They have topnotch customer service, and their shipping is not expensive. They guarantee all their products so that you can return anything that you are not satisfied with even if you have used it. When you are buying expensive products, the guarantee is worth it.
  9. Yes, I use it this way. We take two days to do each exercise and it is working fine. I used it with my dd, and although she was happy to finish in ten weeks, it was too much in one day.
  10. I have two D students but one of them is just easing into D work. We are now beginning our week on Thursdays. (We didn't start out this way.) I print out maps, geography assignment, and the D questions and we read the intro to the week together after Wednesday discussion. We split up the reading and questions over four days, Thursday-Tuesday with discussion/timeline and Church history on Wednesday. My oldest writes out answers to AQ's and passes them in and only makes notes in her notebook about the TQ's. At present, my youngest fills out the UG history reponse pages instead of questions. Friday is geography day. Lit is just spread out over the 5 days with one day usually reserved for the worksheet and a discussion at the end of the book. We have done a couple of the evaluations and I hope to use them a bit more as we find what works for us.
  11. No, there is no teacher's book with the Bible-based lessons. If you are unsure about the answers, I'm sure someone on the yahoo loop could help.
  12. Wow, I didn't even notice that. I like Latin Road so far. We are in chapter 4 and dd is doing well. There is a LOT of writing so sometimes, if I feel that it is busy work, we skip it. Most often though it helps her to see it and write it. What I really like is the schedule. I needed something that said, "Day 1, Do this." We do it 4 days a week and it takes about 30-45 minutes. It's getting done and it isn't over our heads yet, so I give it a thumbs up!
  13. Yes, it is unit 1, week 3. I'm not sure how intensive the geography is though. It is just labeling a few places like Jerusalem, Medina, and Mecca and then highlighting the Muslim empire.
  14. I have used this program. I used it years ago when it only came on cassettes. I learned a lot and it got me speaking the language. I especially like how they break the sentences into parts because you learn how to form all sorts of simple sentences with your vocabulary. In my opinion it is much more practical than Rosetta Stone. There is also a lot more interaction so it is not as boring as Rosetta Stone. My dd used this in 7th grade and did very well with it. There are lots of games on the computer version to practice vocabulary. I believe there is a schedule online as well and you can take online tests. I would recommend it for junior high and up.
  15. Hi Cheryl, I'm sorry, I should have let you all know what I had decided. I too the advice given and just stuck with TT, but I did supplement with MUS Epsilon. We watched the the lessons and worked with the overlays and did problems together on the white board. That helped her understanding of fractions significantly. So we are using TT Pre-Algebra this year and she is doing well. Thanks for asking!

  16. :iagree: I don't think you need anything formal at that age. I am also a huge fan of IEW and use it as our main program, but I would wait until 4th grade.
  17. In this instance, "down" is an adverb. It answers the question "where". Where did he throw the ball? He threw it down. It cannot be a preposition because there is no object of the preposition. If the sentence read, "He threw the ball down the stairs," it would be a preposition, "stairs" being its object.
  18. We have been using IEW for 3 years now. I would recommend getting the TWSS/SWI combo. I think it is important to watch the TWSS all the way through and see where the program is bringing you. If you find the TWSS unnecessary after that, you can sell it at a high resale value. The SWI gets you going through the program and gives you a glimpse of how to teach the program. The SWI was invaluable to me when I first started the program and my kids enjoyed Andrew. Last year we did a theme-based book, which we enjoyed as well. It is just a different format. This year we are using the SICCs and my kids look forward to watching Andrew. It makes writing just a little bit fun.
  19. I am using Year 2 this year with two D students. I used classic in the past but this is our first year with the redesign.
  20. Only in Units 1 and 2 do you take three key words from each sentence. In Unit 3 you get key words by asking questions about a story. In Unit 4 you summarize a reference by taking key words from facts. In Unit 7 you take key words by asking yourself questions (notes from the brain). Each unit is a bit different, but the concept of key words is introduced in the first two units.
  21. I'm not sure where I saw this link posted, but dd followed her instructions and her salt map came out great. You can see it on my blog (link below) if you are interested. Just scroll down a bit.
  22. I'm sorry I wasn't more clear. The issue with TT is I don't think she really understands math. She is successful with it, but I fear it is because it does seem easier than other programs. I see her just plugging in numbers and I wonder if it is because the word problems are almost all the same. She doesn't really have to think it through because they are all worded the same so she just does it like the one before, kwim? I was just thinking that something else may be able to get her to really understand the why - something like LOF or Chalkdust. Everyone raves about Dana Mosely, but I don't know if she would sink. The other issue is that I have ds who is excellent in math and I think TT may not be challenging enough for him. I would rather not buy two expensive math programs each year. If it is best, I would probably go ahead and do that, but I am just trying to see what other options I have.
  23. I really need some advice on where to go with my dd, who will be in 8th grade next year. She has always struggled with math. She was still working on addition and subtraction at the beginning of 5th grade. Really. However, she opened up that year and was able to get multiplication without an issue. In 6th grade she actually completed TT6 and got excellent marks, but she did have to work hard for it. This year she is doing TT7. Again, she works hard but gets straight A's. For the first time she does not think she is terrible at math. My problem is what to do next year. I don't really want to continue with TT but I am also afraid of changing because this is the first curriculum that ever worked. (Part of the reason I don't want to continue with TT is that I have a younger ds who gets math and, if possible, I would like to pass down the math program so I am not spending $500 a year on math.) However, that also could be because she was just ready, although I do think that TT is somewhat simplistic. She still doesn't really understand math. I don't think she really understands why she is doing something. She just knows this is how they did the last problem that was just like this and so just plugs in the numbers. The word problems are some of the easiest I've ever seen in a curriculum and, at times, she doesn't get what operation to use. So, I could just continue with TT since she is successful with it, but this doesn't really address her lack of understanding. I could use Chalkdust, but I am truly afraid that this would be too difficult and math would become excruciating again. I have not seen this program but I know that most consider this rigorous and I can't see her in a rigorous course. Or I could do something like Life of Fred (Fractions and Decimals/Percents), which I think would appeal to her non-traditional nature and possibly help her to have a true understanding of math. But would those two books constitute a year of pre-algebra? Is there something I could add to it for extra practice? Could I use this all the way through without something else or perhaps with something else? But what? Or I could use MUS, but could I begin the upper maths without having done the lower? Something else? She really has no idea what she wants to pursue in college so my view is to prepare her so that all options are open to her. Thank you if you have read this whole thing! So what would you do with this student?
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