tm_burriss
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Posts posted by tm_burriss
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We love Sonlight. I use the core for history/lit/Bible. There is a good mix of fiction and non fiction. I love that my kids read about it the fiction books but then can't wait to go learn more about it from non fiction sources both Sonlight's and others. I use IEW for writing/grammar, Memory work from Claritas Academy, Apologia Science/Science from the Beginning and CLE math for main subjects and then we use other stuff too.
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I have 3 kids. My oldest is doing Latin Alive for high school Latin. My middle is doing Visual Latin for middle school. I am getting ready to start my youngest with his Latin. If you were starting a child in Latin in 4th grade (he has a good vocabulary built already from memory work) where would you start them and what would the progression be from there. I am not looking to turn him into a Latin scholar but would like him to have a good working knowledge of Latin and be able to apply to learning vocabulary and other languages. Thanks!
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If some of the other moms are having the same concerns or even if they aren't you can go to the Director and see if she will attempt to fix it. If she won't go to her support manager. Each community is different in dynamics. We did it for 3 years and I tutored. We loved our community but when we moved we decided that some of the corporate policies were wrong and we didn't want to be part of the company itself anymore. We now do memory work on our own (not CC) and are much happier. If neither the director nor the SM will listen to your concerns then you will just have to cut your losses but that is better than being miserable all year. The contract states that your tuition is non refundable so going to the BBB won't really do much if anything at all. Each family's CC experience is extremely dependent on their individual community and if you are just not meshing with your community then leaving without the refund may just be your only option.
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You know your kid better than anyone, but be flexible.
AP Latin is actually one of the hardest AP exams there is. The depth of Latin language and literature knowledge you must have is daunting.
One of mine did it with a "5," and one will have four years of high school Latin but doesn't have the drive and detail for AP Latin. She's doing other AP's but not that one. This year (11th) will be her last of Latin with Latin 4. She knows what her brother went through to get there, and she has other things she wants to do in 11th and 12th.
For us, Lukeion was the path that got my oldest to a "5." They have a proven track record of that type of performance. That said, it was the toughest series of courses he had in high school. I heaved a big sigh of relief when I picked him up, and he said, "I aced it."
For now, any of the tracks you suggest will get you there. If he does well on Latin 1 and 2, then you'll want to be looking for someone with a good track record of AP results. Mine did Henle with Classical Conversations, then Wheelock's with VPSA, and then one went to Lukeion and the other to Classic Academic Press.
Thanks! We are going to go into with a plan in case he does decide to take the test but I honestly don't see him having the drive to do that and I am ok with that ;) I have learned that being flexible is the the name of the game in homeschooling.
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We are pretty settled on Latin Alive for high school. With the DVD teacher it is still much cheaper than an online class :).
Is he pretty independent doing it on his own with just the DVD? I would like to do an online class for Latin but our finances are really tight right because we just did a big move so if I can do one with a DVD and wait till next year for the online course that would be great.
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My son has done Henle Latin, VERY slowly for the last two years. One of those years was with Classical Conversations and one was with Memoria Press. I am not sure how much he has retained and he hates Henle. I am thinking of switching him to another Latin for this year but I am not sure which. I have looked at tons and looked at the threads on here but my head is starting to spin. I don't know that he is going to want to take the AP exam for Latin. He is a bright child but very happy with average or just doing what he absolutely HAS to do. I am hoping he grows out of that. I know very little Latin and although I am willing to learn it with him it would have to be a program that is easy to understand and follow or an online program. Cost is some of an issue but if the program is good we will pay for it. What programs would you suggest? I have looked at the Harvey Center, Potter's School, and Wilson Hill Academy. I like the looks of all of them but worry about the ones in which he would have to pass a grammar test to do them. His grammar is improving but still a work in progress.
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6 of our kids (so far) used Horizons through the 6th grade book. (I have been using it for almost 2 decades and their pre-alg and alg are new.) Only 1 of those (my current 7th grader) had any sort of supplementary material. None of them have ever struggled with higher level math. 2 of them have pursued math heavy careers (engineering and physics). Our personal experience is that Horizons is a solid elementary math program which solidifies all the basic/essential math skills so that when they hit upper level math they are well prepared.
What did you use after 6th grade? I am having a math crisis in my house right now and there are just so many options.
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Glad you posted this. We are in Hawaii too and were confused by that. We are sad that we are leaving Hawaii this summer but I am beginning to think its not such a bad thing.
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It's showing $99 now for the year.
ETA: NEVERMIND> That's discovery education. Totally different.
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OK. So I finally figured out that beyond 800 was not "Sunrise". What is the difference between it and Geometry/Algebra1/Alegebra 2?
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I've had excellent results with CLE. However, it might be difficult to put your 8th grader in it because the Sunrise editions end with grade 8. Algebra 1 is out as Sunrise, but it's very new, and no higher Sunrise levels are available yet. I'm having to switch in 7th grade because I don't want two years of pre-algebra.
I saw through Trig on their website. Am I looking at the wrong thing?
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There is a lot of love for CLE on this board. It's not as conceptual (making sure the why is understood vs. just the how) as some programs that might be more challenging. Those would include things like Singapore, RightStart, Math in Focus, Miquon, and Math Mammoth. The heavily conceptual programs are usually mastery, with little review or spiral to them. CLE gets fans because it does have spiral review throughout, and teaches things very incrementally (one new thing a day). I don't think of it as challenging because it is so incremental and spiral, but it's very good instruction. CLE does have some conceptual teaching, but not as much as the above programs. I spent years in those programs, and my kids did learn with them. They are now getting benefit from the spiral of CLE. AOPS and Beast Academy are different takes and considered challenging. I don't know much about those programs.
CLE should be easy to jump into at this point, while the others would be more difficult I think. If you do CLE, do the placement tests. CLE has a different scope/sequence in some areas, and many kids test in below the level they left in other programs (that's ok/it is easy to accelerate). I would add Singapore Process Skills and Problem Solving, starting with/or at least owning to refer to, the beginning book. They are short enough to go through at a quick pace. The word problems are the weakest part of CLE, and Singapore is particularly strong in that area. This will also provide challenge. Most people switch from CLE for Algebra, if not in 7th/8th grade. Unless your oldest has weaknesses (try the placement tests). I would probably be shoring up any weak areas if needed, say in fractions, decimals, or percents, and looking for a pre Algebra/Algebra with a good reputation. I'm not sure on the 6th grader. I think I would give the placement test and see what grade level it places the child. If you have obvious weak spots, I would probably switch. If not, I'm not sure i would. Though I did just switch second semester 5th grader without any weak spots. I'm glad I did.
I saw that CLE goes through Trig. Do most people not stay with it through Trig? My oldest if finishing up Pre-Algebra with MUS and seems to have a good grasp on things. Should I look for something else for him?
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Is MUS working for your children? If it is, then can you just add to it to increase the challenge? I would be hesitant to do away with a program that was otherwise working. I love CLE for my daughter, but after trying mastery based programs that didn't work well for her, I made the switch to CLE for its spiral review. I find it fairly easy to accelerate, but only because I started her at the beginning and the work was easy for her. We also skip the quizzes and tests, and she will be working on math all summer. Also, the first light unit is review, so we skip that. I'm hoping she will be close to where I want her to be next year.
If you are seriously considering CLE, definitely download the free placement tests.
My kids are doing fine with MUS and testing above grade level. However, I am not happy with fact that MUS has decided to align with CCSS. I know it's just one page per lesson at this point but I worry about the future and would prefer to make the switch earlier rather than later if that makes sense.
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I am not on Ford Island but live on Oahu and have friends who live on Ford Island. There are tons of new houses there. We love going to Pearl Harbor. It's been so cool to be a able to experience it . We got to see Under the Blood Red Sun based on the book by Graham Salisbury while sitting on the lawn at Pearl Harbor overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial.
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I am not a fan of LToW. My son hated it and the teacher guide was useless for me and my educational background is in English/Writing. I am sure it is a great program but the one year we did it was enough to where I would never touch it again no matter who was recommending it. I am following though as we are looking for some high school writing programs too. My son is currently doing a 9 week intro to research class through soverbose.com and so far it is going well. I kind of like the idea of sampling different programs/methods through the high school years. We also did IEW and while it is a great program it is definitely very formulated. It worked great for my reluctant writer and his writing definitely improved. It was also good for my creative writer because it taught her to focus her writing. However, I would not want to put a creative writer in more than a year or two.
ETA: we have not used the updated version so it may be a great improvement.
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My kids are currently in MUS. I am feeling like it isn't challenging them enough so I am considering moving them to a different math. We don't like Saxon. I would like to be able to accelerate them easily when needed. I have heard good things about CLE but I am not a math type person. I'm not an idiot about it and have been through college level Calculus but it not easy for me to teach. Is CLE a good program? What others should I consider? My kids are currently in 3rd, 6th and 8th.
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For us, the memory work compounded and as the year went on squeezed out the other subjects that we wanted to cover. My ds studied and made memory master, so it was a big commitment. It really cannot be done in 1/2 hour a week of review. It must be done every day. As the test drew closer we spent hours going over memory work.
I found that if it was just a supplement to our curriculum, I simply could not justify the expense. It is a huge price tag (IMO) for something that is not going to be the core of my homeschool work.
I wrote a lengthy post about our decision to leave CC on my blog. It is not critical of CC, but merely delineates why it wasn't the best fit for us..
We also did memory master and still it didn't take over our school day. That said, I am not one of those with CC that feels that it is the be all and end all of classical education. It works for us now but if at any time it didn't I wouldn't hesitate to leave it behind.
ETA: Ignore this post. I just realized how old this thread was and that I had already commented a while ago :)
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I know that slow and steady is usually best but was just wondering if there was something out there I had heard about for older kids.
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It's just a lack of being taught the rules. They are excellent reader and comprehend well. They were in public school for a number of years and spelling is one of the subjects that suffered. They don't have any issues learning it but just need more of a crash course to catch up a little. Does that make sense? They test 3 grade levels above their current grade in everything but spelling.
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My 6th and 8th graders have horrible spelling. We were working through AAS and have seen some improvement but I was wondering if there was a spelling curriculum or program out there that is more independent and designed more to help them catch up. Thanks.
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I like CC for the accountability and for the fact that even on the weeks when all we get done is CC I still feel like they have gotten a decent amount of information. I think you have to look long term. If you are thinking you would want your kids to to Challenge with CC then I would consider going ahead with the oldest at least. Then again, if you have done it before you can easily do it at home. Why are you looking at doing it? For us, we were in a brand new state and didn't know anyone. It was a great way for us to build a core community and make some homeschool connections. We are in our 3rd year and plan to keep doing it. I will say though that my oldest did Ch. A last year and we are going to take a break from Challenge this year. He is doing the same subjects but we are not doing them with a community. Also, for us cost is an issue but it is not an either/or situation. We can still afford to do CC without having to cut others things from our curriculum or school year plan.
ETA: I personally would not join a CC community that "required" me to put my youngers in a nursery. Part of Bortins vision for CC was the youngers learning along with the olders. It just bothers me when communities require that parents put their kids in childcare. I don't have an issue with them offering it but if a parent wants to keep their child with them I think that is awesome. I say that as a parent and a tutor.
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I am still trying to decide so decided to bump this so others can see it. My son has done Henle 1 through what they would do for the first year with MP but I am thinking it wouldn't hurt him to do it again because I am not sure how much he actually "got" last year.
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Right now this is what I am thinking. It will probably change in 5 minutes
Logic - Memoria Press
Latin - Memoria Press
Math - Math U See/LOF
Science - Apologia (his choice of subject)
Java Programming
History - SOTW/MOH/Living Books
Literature - Memoria Press 8th grade
Writing - IEW
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Right now this is what I am looking at. Do you all see any gaps/holes?
Logic - Memoria Press
Latin - Memoria Press
Math - Math U See and Life of Fred
Science - Apologia his choice of subject
Java Programming
History - SOTW/MOH/Living Books
Literature - Memoria Press 8th grade pack
Writing - IEW
CLE math vs Saxon?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
We love CLE and I wish I had done it from the beginning with mine. We have tried a lot of math curriculums (MM, Saxon, MUS, LOF) but CLE is the first one I have found that we didn't dread doing. We have been using it for over a year now. I do agree to find one that works and just stick with it.