For another perspective....I used to be on the AO Yahoo Group .....I remember reading that a college professor mom on there said, that in her opinion, AO's Lifepac Spanish 1 is equivalent to two years of high school Spanish. It was too hard for our daughter and we dropped it after the third Lifepac.

Thanks for these extra suggestions. :) Lori, I agree with you and we will probably end up using an online course or tutor for his second semester writing.

Faith, do you know where I can view a sample of the Writing Workshop book? Thanks in advance!

I came across this book while searching for CM high school resources. https://www.queenshomeschooling.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=60_61&products_id=370

Lori, I also forgot to say that DS is a second-year Spanish student, so he was getting some grammar study last year and I imagine that will only increase this year.

Ladies, thank you so much! I appreciate all the suggestions:) :bigear: Merry, I was hoping one of you SL moms would chime in!;) Since it was looking like I wasn't going to purchase SL, it didn't seem right for me to post in the "Choosing Forum" like I said I would. I might PM you with further questions, either here or over at SL. Lori, thank you for sharing your comprehensive post! :hurray: I appreciate the guidance and links,too. :) Faith, I like your suggestions and will take a look at the link you provided. :) Julie, I had not heard of that program and will take a look. :) ~~ Okay, so I realized I forgot to even mention his abilities regarding writing. :coolgleamA: Though he seems to be more of a natural writer, he doesn't necessarily enjoy it.;) Because our awesome PS district focuses on strong writing skills in 8th grade, he is now able to produce five-paragraph essays. He received B+ on all papers, so I view that as huge progress and feel more relaxed about this subject this year, regardless of what I choose. With that said, I have just found out that our PS 9th graders focus on learning to write research papers. So now I think : ~Try to find something that teaches the research paper, and is directed to the student. ~Drop the idea of a formal vocab study. ~Since he does not have a firm grip on grammar, I think he needs a little formal study, but not too much. I'm going to keep searching.I took a look at A.C.E. English and there is no way that will work. It's way out there! :wacko:

Hello, After a year long break, that included Ds attending PS full-time, we are returning to homeschool. Ds will be dual-enrolled at our local public school. One subject I need help choosing, is English. In the past, we used Sonlight,and Ds is requesting that he "just read" books, as PS had him dissecting the only four books he read all year. He wants to read books at his own rate, and doesn't want to "study" each one. Or any of them, for that matter. ;) One thought I have, is to have him read at his own pace, through two stacks of books we have left over from previous SL cores. Maybe have him do a Glencoe Lit Study for one or two of them. If we did that, we will still need to cover vocab, grammar and composition. Ds prefers materials written to him, so that he may work as independently as possible. He doesn't want to work online or at the computer, either. What I have found over the years, is that some material which seems independent, assumes either that the student knows a certain amount of information, or that there is a teacher filling in gaps. Other things to consider: ~I need low cost, which is why I am thinking of using the unread literature we have on hand. ~The less moving parts, the better. He doesn't want to do three separate books for each component. Also, I live with chronic illness and pain, and must be realistic. I will not always be 100% available, so the less checking, planning, etc.that is involved, the better. However, this is my first year homeschooling only one student, so I expect it to be easier on me. ~This Ds is still behind in math, so that is our main priority and will require most of what is left of his puberty brain at the end of his days, as well as time.;) So nothing too time consuming. This English course priority, is for him to return to lots of good literature, so whatever else he does, can't consume all of his time. ~Though we are Christians, we prefer Secular materials for academics. With that said, this isn't a sticking point. For ex.,I have used material such as A.C.E., if the course meets our needs. ~Ds remains visually sensitive. For ex., he can't tolerate the Lial's Math books frequently recommended here. And yesterday when I had him take a look at Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum's World Geography course, he said no way due to the cheap black & white printing of maps and graphs he couldn't clearly read. Things like that annoy him and are deal breakers. Curriculum I am looking at: Wordsmith ( hard for us to tell from samples, how user friendly this is, how its scheduled, etc.) Jump In (same concerns as Wordsmith) Easy Grammar Ultimate Series Grade 9 Wordly Wise at grade level Saxon/Hake Grammar & Writing (Though listing this as high school credit might be a problem, even though it seems advanced and even overkill?) Queen's Language Lessons (He loves the simplicity and layout of this, but it seems too easy and maybe appeals to girls more than boys?) A.C.E. (Yes, I know. But. It is *the* most independent and because of his strong desire to "simply read," my thought is to have him work through the English Paces for 30 mins, then spend remaining time reading. I do wonder,though, if it's also overkill for grammar and not enough writing.) My kids have perfected leaving the parts of ACE out, that doesn't agree with our much more progressive beliefs, and I love that character building is built in. I can't come up with anything else, so any input about what I've listed is welcome, along with new suggestions. Thank you for any and all thoughts!

We need one which is easily implemented at home or in the neighborhood. Thanks in advance!

Mapping/cartography? Entrepreneurship/small business? Fitness training/sports training? Sports medicine/nutrition?

Starting in 6th grade, we gradually build up to assigning grades for every subject. First math, then grammar, then science or vocabulary and so on. Doing it this way, my kids haven't felt too much pressure all at once.

Yes, it is a lot of invites! Two from dh's coworkers, two from neighbors, one nephew, then the rest are our kids' friends! :w00t:

Ok, so what about your kids' friends.....Do your kids pay for the gift if you aren't close friends with the graduates' parents?

We have over 15 invites so far! :ohmy: How do people do this? How do you afford the gifts? Please share your affordable gift ideas? ( Is there such a thing when invited to so many parties?) :tongue_smilie: Thanks in advance!

How much of the cost do you pay vs how much your teen pays? I'm talking.... Clothes--tux/suit/dress & accessories? Makeup/hair/nails? Shoes? Dinner? Dance ticket? Post-event activities? TIA!

Thanks, Merry! :) We need to be finished by end of May, but he's a fast, strong reader. I'll be sure to include the 17th Swap!

Our (older) teen dd was going to find a nanny position on care dot com or sitter city, but then read pretty bad reviews about both companies. It seems there are safeguards put in place for the families, but not potential nanny or sitter. She's already tried spreading the news, also asking people to keep their ears open for her. I am so out of the loop with this topic, so any suggestion is appreciated. TIA!

bump

For a 12yo boy, which would you recommend skipping, and please tell me why. :) Plain Girl The Seventeenth Swap Thimble Summer Here Over Here Miracles of Maple Hill Thanks in advance!

Bumping this for more replies..... :)

Using SL, you HAVE been reading a LOT of classic literature, according to *most* book lists! ;) If that isn't enough, here is another hefty list, broken down into narrower categories-- www.mslanguageartscornerstone.weebly.com Eta--for choosing read alouds, browse through The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.

I don't really think I feel overwhelmed? I found myself rolling my eyes and thinking, " Really? First Sonlight, and probably, HOD & MFW, are not good enough? And now not even TWTM?" I think if I was brand new to homeschooling, my head would be exploding with confusion. At the end of the day, what really matters is to read good books to your kids from a variety of genres; not fluff, but even fluff is fine now and then! Round out their education with exposure to the arts, take field trips, watch fun, educational films, explore their interests, don't overload them with workbooks/worksheets, get them outside exploring nature & being a kid. But don't try to do all of these things in a single week! ;) Relax! If you use Sonlight, HOD, MFW or follow TWTM.... You've not ruined your kid.

:svengo:

Janet, I think Sonlight invites "drama" by inviting their forum users to freely offer feedback for Sonlight curriculum. If you are someone who has invested thousands of dollars into SL materials, and countless hours offering constructive suggestions/criticism/feedback AND you've spent countless hours mentoring those hew to SL......then OF COURSE you're connected to their company. Unfortunately, that connection is to a company which operates much like an extremely dysfunctional extended family. Meaning SL, not its users. ;) Regarding the new catalog, it is shocking similar to the few educational catalogs I have for classrooms, and is nothing like the many other homeschool catalogs. In my book, that is a negative... Anyway....

Helpful thread, thank you!

Thanks for sharing this, I enjoyed reading your blog! :)