For the last seven summers, I have taken a group of high schoolers down into Los Angeles for a week of service learning and exploring social justice issues. It has only just occurred to me that it might be a good idea to have them read a book--fiction or nonfiction--prior to coming on the trip. Does anyone have any good suggestions for a book that engages the issues around human migration, poverty, homelessness, systematic racism, etc., that would be suitable for high schoolers? Thanks in advance for your help.

We have used Medieval and Early Modern World series this year and we've really liked it; it is very bit as good as the Ancient World series. I wish they had a series for the Renaissance; I'm on the look-out for what to use next year.

Thanks, Ellie. I'll take a look at it. I'm happy to correct and remediate--it sounds promising.

Specifically, I need help planning and executing grammar in my house. I have three boys, grades 7th, 4th, and 2nd and I have used First Language Lessons with all of them. I also use Writing with Ease for the younger two and Writing with Skill for the oldest. The oldest completed First Language Lessons through level four and I have tried to use Analytical Grammar, and Michael Clay Thompson's material with little success. I have found Analytical Grammar's practice sentences very complicated and working through the material always requires lots of my time. Alternatively, I don't have a clue how to formulate Michael Clay Thompson's material into any kind of a structured program. Here's what I'd like: A program that teaches grammar concepts, is highly structured, and doesn't require lots of my time. (I'm in graduate school full time and it's grammar that keeps getting dropped off the list.) If you have suggestions for using Analytical Grammar or Michael Clay Thompson that would be great. If you have an alternative program, I'd be happy to hear about that too. I'm open to any and all suggestions. What I'd really like is for Susan Wise Bauer to publish her grammar program for middle schoolers (I don't care if it's a bizillion pages long). Thanks for any help you can provide.

Thanks Taryn, your response is very helpful. You've given plenty to look at, but I will cross post it all the same. I really appreciate your help.

I need a little help planning and executing grammar in my house. I have three boys, grades 7th, 4th, and 2nd and I have used First Language Lessons with all of them. I also use Writing with Ease for the younger two and Writing with Skill for the oldest. The oldest completed First Language Lessons through level four and I have tried to use Analytical Grammar, and Michael Clay Thompson's material with little success. I have found Analytical Grammar's practice sentences very complicated and working through the material always requires lots of my time. Alternatively, I don't have a clue how to formulate Michael Clay Thompson's material into any kind of a structured program. Here's what I'd like: A program that teaches grammar concepts, is highly structured, and doesn't require lots of my time. (I'm in graduate school full time and it's grammar that keeps getting dropped off the list.) If you have suggestions for using Analytical Grammar or Michael Clay Thompson that would be great. If you have an alternative program, I'd be happy to hear about that too. I'm open to any and all suggestions. What I'd really like is for Susan Wise Bauer to publish her grammar program for middle school (I don't care if it's a bizillion pages long). Thanks for any help you can provide.

First, thanks to everyone for their reviews. I always find the curriculum feedback very useful on these forums. I do speak Spanish, which I don't think helps choose a curriculum. I feel impatient with the tedious conversation they offer. (Clearly my problem, where else does a beginner, begin?) Forgive me, but I don't know what TPRS and GSWS stands for. Would you mind unpacking the acronyms for me? It's clear I have some research to do. Thanks, always, for the help.

I've searched the forums and found very little about Spanish curriculum choices. Next year I will have a 7th, 4th, and 2nd grader and I'd like a curriculum that I could use with all three of them. I'd also like the lessons to be daily, brief, and have both spoken and written elements. Anyone have any suggestions?

Sorry I'm a serious extrovert, and I'm always asking questions in social situations. I don't like to talk about myself, it feels too vulnerable.

I had the same issue.

Thank you for this list; it's awesome!

Align has 4 mg of Bifidobacterium infantis 35624. Yours has a different number, which I can only assume is a different strain. According to my son's pediatric GI Align is the only probiotic that has been studied for its effectiveness with IBS, which is why we use it.

My son has IBS and this is what we use and where we buy it.

Thanks for this thread; it's been really helpful. We're ending Saxon 6/5 and it seems like one new, complex concept after another.

I have three of these, two small and a larger one; I use them all the time. Each morning I set the big one out an hour before school and count down. Everyone, (including me) needs to be ready (chores done, breakfast eaten) before the timer goes off. My oldest uses one for math every day; he no longer sits for hours and stares out the window. We set it for 30 minutes, he works at his math, then he takes a break. Then he sets it for another 30 minutes and he usually has his math finished. These timers are especially helpful for children who can't read a clock or are too young to have a sense of time. So during quiet time every day, I set one to avoid the endless question, "When is quiet time over?" I *heart* these timers. I really wish the app had better reviews.