My daughter is 10 and did A as a 5th grader this year. She is an advanced reader, but not an advanced writer (probably a behind writer). It was a good fit for her, and we did it double time instead of using it for a full year. We are starting the continuation course A now, and I feel like it was a good fit. If your daughter already writes at a 5th grade level, B might be a great fit. Pulling sentences out of my daughter is like pulling teeth, so starting small and building on it over 15 weeks or so was a big confidence boost for her.

Math Mammoth also has review workbooks that spiral through the grade level materials. It's enough like Singapore that you wouldn't have any trouble jumping in.

First worked for me too. Thanks!!!

Sometimes I just do the next thing and sometimes we review until summer comes. Last year when my first grader finished her first grade math book in December, we obviously grabbed the next book. In April she finished 2nd grade. We reviewed 2nd grade until finishing school in May and I made sure to get harder math for her to do to keep her busy this year. ;) My oldest just finished IEW Student Writing Intensive A and I went ahead and purchased the next in the series and we are starting it. If I had a high schooler, I'd probably call a subject finished (except maybe review math a little every day to keep it fresh...math has a bad habit of being forgotten at my house if we aren't constantly using it).

Could he be depressed? I know people like to think that kids can't get depressed, but they can. A lot of those behaviors sound like depression to me, especially after a move that left him shaken. On days when he refuses schoolwork, what are the consequences? Just losing kindle time? At our house, you would just sit in front of your schoolwork until it was done. Eventually you get bored just sitting there, so you finish just to get on with your life.

No real advice. Hugs for you...and obviously, wine and chocolate.

5 hours/5 days a week.

Having worked through all the BA there is so far (though that doesn't make me an expert by any means), I agree that I wouldn't move on without understanding how to do long division. Beast continues to use it over and over and over again as you continue on. As for the distributive property, meh. (Not that I don't think the distributive property is important because it obviously is, but they don't use it again in Beast for awhile--5A--and when they do, they refer you back to the original coverage for a review.) By the time you get around to the distributive property again, he may be more receptive. I don't think there's any way around the division. I'd just hang out there until he gets it. Or, maybe step away from Beast for awhile and do some other math review like clocks, money...I don't know...just something totally different for a week to let his brain rest and then give it another shot.

I'm so glad you are out. The bullying and the teacher's response would have been all I needed to pull the plug.

And to answer the original question, lol. We are enjoying 5A. My daughter really loved the chapter on geometry (not my thing, but hey!) and is breezing through the chapter on solving equations. It is very much in line with the other books in the series with some things being really challenging, some things just really fun, and some things so well explained that they could be challenging but aren't. It's another great addition to the series.

This thread is kind of interesting: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/563786-finishing-beast-academy-what-next/

I've got the AOPS Pre-Algebra text and we are finishing 5A. I've already introduced percents while we were waiting for 5A to be published. We will move straight into the pre-algebra text sometime in the next two weeks. I've looked through it (and worked through part of it myself) and she should do fine. There are several on the board who have moved on to the pre-algebra book from 4d. Maybe they will chime in.

This was the grading scale at my middle and high school. My college was 90-100 an A, 80 to 89, b, etc.

Oooh, this could be fun. Neither of my parents finished a baccalaureate. My mother did an associate degree in accounting and my dad joined the military and trained in maintenance. I have a baccalaureate degree and graduated with honors. I'm not sure if this qualifies me to comment in this thread but I'm curious to see where it goes. Both of my husband's parents have undergraduate degrees. He and his two brothers are all degreed (my husband as a chemist and engineer, middle brother an engineer, and youngest a very recently graduated seminarian). We all have children and expect they will go on to college for a baccalaureate as a minimum. ETA: While neither of my parents were degreed, the expectation was always that I would be.

As you say, it's written to the student. There is no harm in trying and if she is motivated like you say she is then she may very well do a good job. If it were me, I'd let her give it a shot and then I would check for understanding with an occasional quiz. ETA: Wish my kid felt a little more independent.

Wow! I've been looking for someone to put something like that together. What an amazing amount of work. I'm bookmarking this for a future date. My oldest is still a little on the young side for some of the graphic violence. Thanks for sharing!

You could definitely do SWI-A without TWSS. I have TWSS and watched all of it (and it was really long...). It does give you a nice overview of where the program is going and why things are done the way are. You also get to hear Pudewa say things, like the previous poster mentioned, about how there is no such thing as helping too much. That said, SWI-A is DVD based for the student and all the instruction is right there. You would be absolutely fine. It also included the overview DVD for the parents.

Wow, I wish my kids were still that age!

Thanks! You helped me find it!

Is there a way to see samples of the notebooking pages? I can't seem to find them.

I'm currently using ELTL2 with my second grader. I'm only half way through, but the only writing is still copywork, though sometimes the copywork is from their own oral narration. I've flipped ahead and don't see any additional writing exercises. This is the first year I've used it so I can't say how children do in the long run. I love the literature, the fables, poetry, memory work and the picture study is ok. I don't love the writing, or rather the lack. We do a little additional writing every day. Usually she writes a few sentences about some of the day's reading or she'll narrate something and I'll write it down. She then copies it into her notebook.

I'm in Georgia too. :) If it were me, I would go ahead and test him in May because age wise he's a third grader and he's been to third grade. I would test him again when you feel he has completed the third grade material. Then you'll get to see the improvement and you will have both for your records. I can imagine very few situations where you will be asked to show your testing results, but if it were me, I would want anyone who inquired to see that I was doing things by the book and for me, unless you are planning to hold him back and call him a third grader all next school year, then he's in third now until May.

We are really enjoying ELTL 2 and I've checked out Wayfarers for history. I agree it's very tempting. I'm not in a place where I want to combine my kids for history, but if I did, I would totally go that way.

Can't believe my youngest will be in third next year. Math: Continuing from wherever we stop in Beast Academy History: She is not a SOTW fan, so we are reading lots and lots of books for this. Maybe I'll add some narrations. Spelling: Continuing with Apples and Pears Writing: Ugh. I don't know. Right now I'm writing down her oral narrations and she's copying them for her writing and handwriting practice. I'm also considering IEW. I have Student Writing Intensive A, but I don't think she's really there yet. Maybe All Things Fun and Fascinating. Grammar: Currently ELTL 2. Maybe 3 next year or I might do MCT island (even though I already sold it because I didn't think she would like it, but now I think she would...don't tell my husband) Handwriting: Copywork Science: Bookshark Science 3 She'll also continue with piano. She will have to pick a new PE activity because apparently she doesn't want to dance anymore. She doesn't like gymnastics or soccer either. She is now saying karate. Who knows with this kid.

Well, I don't have a 12yo so I can't offer much advice except to say that I can understand your frustration. My oldest in a dawdler and would sleep in that late too if I let her. I have an alarm set in her room. That said, she is NOT a teenager and their sleep needs are different. I am sure of one thing though... My school hours are from 8 to 3. That is to say, Mommy quits after 3. Anything that is left is homework. I'm reasonable, if we followed some bunny trail and that put us behind, no problem. I'll cut your workload in other ways for the day. But, if the reason you still have work after I quit is because you dawdled or slept in--well, it isn't fair to keep me working just because you chose to keep different hours than me. I need from 3PM on to get everyone prepared for afternoon activities, do chores and prepare dinner. After dinner, I'm off the clock for anything that isn't fun. Want to play a game? Come see me. Want to watch a movie together, read a book? I'm your girl. Go for a walk? I'm game. Discuss that math problem that we didn't get to for faults not my own? See me in the morning and continue doing the work you don't need me for. Harsh? I hope not. I need time to be mommy and wife if I'm going to stay sane. ETA: We all get up at 7AM. I hate, nay loath it. But when we don't, no one has time for anything fun. I know part of the joy of homeschooling is for everyone to sleep in, but that just didn't work for us.