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fractalgal

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Posts posted by fractalgal

    If you dislike IEW what then?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    DS9 (grade 3) and I have tried really REALLY hard to like IEW.  We have tried to use it 3 times in the past year (only units 1 and 2) and we just cant stand it.  Sorry.

     

    We are using WWE and have since the beginning (although we have taken some detours from time to time and always come back to WWE). We are about to finish up with WWE3.  The other writing DS does is Bravewriter freewrites, and he narrates for history/science.  I would call him a natural writer, and I think this could be one reason we found IEW so stifling.  In saying that, he doesn't like a lot of handwriting (physically).

     

    For those who have tried IEW and felt the same way we do, what writing program did you prefer?

     

    You are not alone.  My son has started using it this fall with the DVDs, and I'm already thinking of switching.  In our case, I think the videos take too long to make the point of what the program is supposed to teach.  Other books he has read have said the same thing with much less time.  I have more thoughts on it, but I'd like to withhold them a bit longer.  I am giving it a few more weeks to decide, but I have already started looking at other options for him.

     

    My older daughter, who loves writing, really enjoys Writing Strands.  She thinks it gives her the most freedom to write want she wants, and it also teaches how to write from different perspectives.  She started in book 3 and has now progressed into book 6.  I think with this program, you see the best results when you stick with it for awhile.

     

    She also does alternate her writing with Writing with Skill which I think helps her focus more on specific skills, of course.  It also gives more detail for the grader to see what to look for.

     

    I think there is no harm in taking occasional detours in writing programs, and its been helpful for me to have more than one perspective at times.

     

    For our favorites so far, I'd say Writing Strands and Writing with Skill.

    How Jewish friendly is SOTW?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I'm helping to tutor/supervise a 9 year old girl (newly 9!) and she doesn't care for her current history program. I think she would love SOTW, but her family is Orthodox Jewish (I'm Catholic, so this is a learning experience for me!). I know that as a Catholic, there were some problems in SOTW that simply meant I had to take time to navigate, but we didn't stay with it for very long (my daughter didn't care for it).

     

    I'm not equipped to read it through and look out for any potential issues for a Jewish family, as I'm just not familiar enough with the faith to do so.

     

    Have you considered supplementing with any of the books by Berel Wein?

     

     

    Echoes of Glory: The Story of the Jews in the Classical Era

     

     

    Herald of Destiny: The Story of the Jews in the Classical Era

     

     

    I used sections of the first book above for a different perspective of history with my children last year, and it was one of their favorites.

    2013-2014 School Year Plans

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    Can you tell me why you are replacing Mapping the World with Art?  I'm thinking of adding it to our plan this year.

     

    Hi, Macmom28.

    I'm only replacing Mapping the World with Art, because we will be finishing it.  We still have three lessons left from last year.  For us, it has been an enjoyable 'hit'.  I'd even planned to write a review of it this summer, but I thought I should wait until we are completely done with it.

     

    Good luck. :)

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