What are some literature curricula that appeal to classical educators for 6th grade? Thanks!

Where does a sixth grader begin Writing and Rhetoric? Last year he completed Rod and Staff English 4 and Igniting Your Writing. Prior, we used EIW Grade 4. We are in our third year of narrating (oral and written), copy work, and dictation. Should we begin W&R book 1? What is the sequence to follow for a student jumping in at sixth grade? Thanks!!

We finished MUS Gamma through Zeta and were set to use MUS Prealgebra. However, upon receiving the material, I was sorely disappointed in its scope. So I purchased BJU Prealgebra and the first chapters are foreign to my kiddo because negative numbers weren't covered in MUS. So instead of it being review, as the book intends the first chapters to be, it is totally new and frustrating for Ds. My first thought was to stretch it out through next summer (3 semesters). I am not sure that will work so well because there is a HUGE difference between MUS and BJU math. It was suggested to do BJU Fundamentals first, which I own. So I was excited about that option until I found out our state requires Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and an upper math for high school. So if we did Fundamentals for 8th, there would be no credit assigned to Prealgebra in 9th. I am at a loss. Teaching Textbooks was recommended. The only thing I know about TT is the complaints that it was behind. I think I read that has been remedied?? Any info on TT is appreciated. How does it compare to MUS? What are some other options besides Saxon (total bust for Ds)? Please help me figure out how to keep my 8th grader on target for high school, without him crying all the way through.

If PP is working, I wouldn't switch. :-)

Do any of you homeschool some of your kids, while some of your other kids go to public or private school? How is it working out? We may find ourselves in this situation in January so I'd like to hear from some parents that have been there and done that. Thanks!

We use Nancy Larson Science and LOVE it! We've used levels 2, 3, and almost finished with 4. I am about to order level 1 for my first grader because the other science seems rather light and fluffy after using NLS with my older children. It is so much more than science! There is definitely a language arts component that is rare to find in other science programs. The initial investment is steep for many people but not only is the program worth every cent, it holds its value and can be sold for almost the same price you paid for it, less the consumables. It is practically a free year of science if you sell it after you've finished it :hurray:!

First, I would like to ask if the child took the placement test for Singapore and is well place? An hour is much too long for such a young child and I can't help but wonder if the dc is struggling with concepts. Each student is different in their learning but I wanted to ask about placement before going too far into the meat of your question. I have a student in Singapore Math and another student in Math-U-See because they are very different learners. I would suggest really learning how your student learns before jumping ship from SM into a master program like MUS. They are VERY different methodologies and MUS is not hands-off. We've completed Primer with my younger student last year, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and beginning Zeta for my oldest kiddo. I spend more time re-teaching the video and helping my student in MUS than I do in SM. But again, they are very different learners with different academic strengths so ymmv. Note: My SM student spends about 20-25 minutes in 4A, which includes the teaching segment. I have 4 students, each in a different math program and grade so I understand the need for something that doesn't require an hour of teaching. :-).

Thank you, Momofabcd and Cbollin! There is so much to ponder :-). Besides Sonlight, MFW, and HOD, are there any other programs that would work well as a filler year? I need something put together for me because things will be crazy with life for a few months next school year.

If a student takes a year off HOD after CTC to go into MFW ECC to mature a bit, will he or she still be prepared to jump back into HOD for the RTR guide? Or, will the student have lost skills and risk no longer being ready for HOD RTR?

Funny you mention this because I spoke with my son today and he said he didn't want or need easier work because he would be bored again. His mind is very sharp and although he is technically a 4th grader, he usually works on a much higher level. I refer to him as a 5th grader because he skipped kindy, which was a mistake on my part. I should've just made kindy more challenging rather than bumping him up to first grade. But that's another story ;-). I've always had trouble finding a perfect balance for him. The work is either too easy or just right but his little body can't physically put out what his mind has to say. He did his day 4 written narration and I told him to just write the minimum 5 sentences to try to help with our issue. He wrote the 5 sentences but stated that he had more to say so he felt cheated but his hands and fingers didn't hurt. He doesn't type fluently so poking one letter at a time to type his writings takes forever so this is out for now, atleast until I teach him to type. I just know the writing in RTR is going to be way too much so I need to figure out what to do. Thank you for sharing!

Since my ds10 does well with independent work in CTC, I can make some of the "T" and "S" boxes into "I" boxes in Preparing. What is preparing like? My ten year old likes to read so I was thinking to add the extensions for extra reading but eliminate the written work for those books. The only reason I'm hesitant to put him in Preparing is because he doesn't find the work in CTC too difficult...it's just the physical inability to write so much. Will preparing keep him feeling adequately challenged? I really want them separate but I don't know any other options to separate them if I don't go with my option 1. My oldest is fine where he is so I can't bump him up. Thank you everyone for your responses so far!

X-Posted We began HOD CTC late last year (Oct. 28, 2013). We are now in unit 17 with ds10 and ds12. My 12 year old is flourishing and doing very well in everything offered in the guide. He is very well placed and this has been a great year for him thus far. My 10 year old is also doing very well except he just told me today that the writing is too much for him. He is on the younger end of the guide; he began it 2 months before his 10th birthday. He has never complained or said anything until now about the writing. His answers are well stated but messy because it is physically difficult for him to write so much. This leaves me to consider other options for him for next year so he can mature a bit before going into HOD RTR. From what I've seen, it has a LOT of writing and it would be too much for ds10. Now, another piece to the puzzle is I want to separate them into their own guides anyway. My oldest wants his own thing and to not feel like he is in the same class as little brother since he is going into junior high. There is also a bit of competition that has arisen as well as one kiddo not trying as hard because the other is quick to answer. There are some other things but the point is they would do better in their own guide. So I need your help :-). I have some options...some makes more sense than others ;-). Please chime in and be sure to offer other options that I haven't considered yet. Note: We aren't necessarily concerned with teaching history out of order. I am more concerned with giving him a proper workload for his age and maturity level. Option 1: Have ds10 stop CTC and go to Preparing. He will finish Preparing, then finish the 2nd half of CTC before going into HOD RTR. Option 2: Ds10 finishes CTC then takes a break from HOD. He goes into MFW ECC for a year then head back to HOD RTR after he's matured a bit. This option would mean I would teach MFW ECC to ds10 and HOD RTR to ds12. How would this look for me? I can't put my oldest in ECC because he doesn't do well with MFW. Now that we've found what works for him, he would like to stick with it. Option 3: Keep him flowing with the HOD guides and put him in HOD RTR after finishing CTC. Option 4: Anything else I haven't mentioned :-). Thank you for your time!!

We used Nancy Larson Science Levels 2 and 3 and we LOVED it!! The teacher’s manual is scripted, but if you don’t like that sort of thing you can just read over it and use your own words when teaching. The program came with almost everything you would need for the activities; you just supply household items like paper clips, scrap paper, etc. The program teaches the material in a very child-friendly way without insulting the child’s intelligence. The lessons take about 20-30 minutes and are hands-on. My kids always ended the lessons with a comment similar to “Wow! I can’t believe I didn’t know that already!†The material teaches so naturally! There are reviews and tests built into the curriculum, as well as science word lists to help with vocabulary retention. The CD-ROM has supplemental resources to help “drive the lessons home.†It appears to be a little expensive but it is sooo worth it! Keep in mind that the cost covers your supply kit, resource kit, teacher’s manual with solutions, tests, student worksheets, student booklets, and more! Not only does it include the things I’ve listed, but it even teaches study skills and the kids learn how and what to hi-light in their booklets to help them during study time. You will even find some grammar teachings, which may appear as a latent function to parents but never-the-less, it is intentionally and creatively woven into the curriculum. For example, level 4 teaches the Greek root bios, and then the child learns about the suffix –logy, then the derivative “biology†makes sense. NLS has a built-in reading reinforcement as well. My son struggled with reading comprehension for a few years and we were beginning to think there was some sort of delay or diagnosis. However, after using NLS for one year, his reading comprehension rocketed up to grade level! Now, here is the part that made my eyes swell with happy tears: After completing level 3, my son tested into 9th grade reading/comprehension! Oh my, I get weepy just thinking about it! After all, every mother wants her child to do well in school. Every mother wants her child to have confidence in his or her academic ability. Every mother’s heart hurts a little more each time her child cries because he or she just don’t seem to be able to understand something in school. It seems odd that a science curriculum can hugely impact reading, right? Well, Nancy Larson did her research and developed such a curriculum! It is fun AND easy to teach! My kids actually remember things they learned months ago so this alone makes me a happy camper. Update: This school year we went with a different science program because of finances and changes in our family structure. It has been 7 months since we have used NLS and we are going through withdrawal ;-). My son had a backwards turn in reading comprehension. At first, there was the stagnation. Now, we seem to have shifted gears into reverse. We were doing so well and progressing very nicely with comprehension for the last two years with NLS. Now, he is losing those skills and regressing. It is similar to how the brain dumps information over a long summer break. Well, that is what’s happening to my son. It’s as if he is on a summer break as we use this other science program. Mind you, we are using a reading curriculum—the same reading curriculum that we used over the last couple of years so this variable is constant. I truly believe his decrease in skill is because of our hiatus from NLS. My sweet child is now frustrated with reading and narrations and all of those yucky feelings we had in our days prior to NLS have returned. Oh, what is a mother to do?? This question has left me puzzled for months and my dear child has asked when are we going to return to Mrs. Nancy (as he calls NLS). So you know what, the answer is we are going to return to NLS! There is simply no question about it. I want to see the joy return to my son’s eyes as he narrates and comprehends with success. I want him to feel the butterflies in his tummy as he identifies the main ideas in the student booklets. I *need* my son to feel confident in his academic abilities, so we *need* to return to Nancy Larson Science. So to answer my own question “What is a mother to do,†it’s simple. NLS Level 4, here we come!!! Thanks NLS for helping my once struggling reader to gain confidence and skill in reading and comprehension, including a fantastic and superior understanding of science vocabulary and concepts. He burst through the barriers that once kept him behind in reading and we look forward to vaporizing more of these obstructions. We are amazed by NLS' methodology, focus, scope, and sequence. Yes, NLS is THAT good!

I received a double bachelors and double masters degrees while homeschooling our four kids and let me just say, it IS possible!!! You CAN do this. Will it be easy? Absolutely not. You asked for brutal honesty ;-). It is tough but not impossible. You will lose out on some time with family and friends but this won't last forever. If married, does your spouse support the decision? He will be instrumental throughout your academic career. Perhaps the best advice I can give you is to make the decision to *complete* school, then remain 100% dedicated to the goal even when you are not 100% motivated. Treat it with the same dedication you give to homeschooling. Maintain a schedule and prioritize it. Oh, and use your crockpot :). You can do this, mama! :) Best wishes!

Hi! Please vote for Nancy Larson Science to win the 2014 Practical Homeschooling Reader Award!! It is super easy and quick to do. Just scroll to the Elementary Science section and select a well-deserved "10" for NLS and submit! (p.s...and no, I don't work for the company :). I just LOVE and believe in the product with all my heart!) http://www.home-school.com/2014-reader-awards/