We are considering trying an online math program for Algebra. Looking for reviews of TWTM Academy program. Thanks!

My 6th grade son has finished LFC A&B. I think that it is an excellent program, but that LFC B was much more difficult than A because of all of the translating and parsing. He liked Dr. Perrin and that's what kept him going when it got hard--plus the fun videos. We have SS Greek, and my younger son has used it to teach himself the Greek alphabet because he's a GT kid and is like that :-) But, I would not want to teach it to him! It isn't anything like English, so part of why you may not have liked the looks of SS Greek is because it's Greek! I just bought SS Latin 2 for my younger son. It will actually be his first exposure to Latin. SS 1 looked too easy and LFC A is too grammar heavy for him just yet. I think the focus of learning Latin for us is to build vocabulary and to master grammar skills.

I appreciate all of the input and am now going to rethink this whole thing. I want my son to love to read, so I think moving towards the classics is a better way to do that. We are studying American History this year because it ties to what we'll be doing in CC and then will pick up on the history cycle next year. So I will have him read about Ben Franklin and some modern scientists because he already enjoys that type of reading. Now I feel I can move away from history reading and towards classics! I don't know why this didn't occur to me sooner.

I am just a little confused as to what to use for our reading time now that I've revisited my copy of TWTM. Should we be using books that tie to history or using classic literature? I realize that some books cover both categories, but what should I be using overarchingly? I am used to TOG that almost always uses history for the literature and I know Sonlight is the same, but then when I look at VP or MP and TWTM, it is based more on classics. I am not using TOG this year and have to schedule reading for my 3rd grade reader (who reads above grade level, but isn't convinced he likes to read).

Yes, we will use the Classic Starts for the literature! We also like the D'Aulaire books and the "you wouldn't want to..." books!

Most of the books can be read in a week. A few will take 2. I will assign a certain number of chapters per day to be finished in a week. I just looked at the ADV reading list, Sonlight's reading list, and TOG's reading list for that part of history and mushed it all together according to what we are talking about that week. Some things won't correspond week by week, but fit historically.

These are the books I am planning on having my son read to himself this fall. We also have others scheduled for reading aloud. I would love input from those either familiar with the books or curriculum. My son is 8 and reads at about the beginning of 5th grade reading level, but does not yet love to read--so I've stuck to shorter stories that he can finish in a week (mostly). MFW Adventures covers highlights of American history. They do not schedule daily reading for the students to do alone, so I've come up with things that seem to tie to the lessons and a few that I'd like him to read at the end. Any glaring omissions? We are reading the Courage of Sarah Noble, Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims, Sarah Whitcher's Story, In Grandma's Attic, Mountain Born and Little House books as read alouds. Leif the Lucky-D'Aulaire Pedro's Journal Pocahontus-D'Aulaire 3 Young Pilgrims Sea Clocks Sam the Minuteman George the Drummer Boy What's the Big Idea Ben Franklin? And then What Happened Paul Revere? Paul Revere's Ride The Matchlock Gun Meet Thomas Jefferson Meet George Washington George Washington-D'Aulaire Chocolate by Hershey Dear Benjamin Banneker The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal Finding Providence Who Was Daniel Boone Casey Jones (On My Own book) American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne You Wouldn't Want to Explore with Lewis & Clark The Story of Ruby Bridges A Pocket Full of Goobers The Bears on Hemlock Mountain Paddle to the Sea Aesop in California Favorite Poems for Children (coloring book) Abraham Lincoln-D'Aulaire Escape North: The Story of Harriet Tubman Tornado Sarah, Plain & Tall Gulliver's Travels So You Want to be an Inventor The Little Prince Peter Pan

Mine followed the revised 3rd edition. Hope that helps.

We used them with TOG year 2. My son is in 5th grade and we both enjoyed the books. I have to say I feel like she has a good way of bringing US history to life. She gives quite of bit of depth to the people and the times--so that history doesn't feel like fact learning, but understanding who these people were. Yes, there are a few opinions (we only used book 2 and 3), but I never felt that they were totally off kilter, and I am a conservative. And they were usually hidden as questions for the students to think about. I don't know my history well enough to know if the books contain mistakes or not. I love the book series and would highly recommend it. I think that it is perfect for middle school and would be way too detailed for younger children. Sonlight uses the series for late middle school and high school in their Core 100, so that should tell you something. We also had the book from Audible along with the paperback to look at--lots of great artwork and details.

Alright, I just received MFW Adventures through the mail. I know that no curriculum is perfect (at least I'd want to tweak almost everything because that's how I am). But looking it over, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I love that everything from Bible to science to music and of course history is scheduled in. I love how many hands on things that there are to do. The Bible portion also looks great. My disappointment comes in the part where about 10 weeks are dedicated to state studies and hardly anything else. With so much rich American history available, I don't get that. It looks like the state study is really based on the book basket and a worksheet with hardly anything else to do. There doesn't seem to be a spine to that portion of the curriculum. It just seems kind of weak to be 1/3 of the year. I am debating on whether to keep it or not. I do love the schedule, and after having used TOG for two years, it looks like a breath of fresh air from that perspective. Just trying to figure out if I should send it back. Am I wanting to do too much with a 3rd grader because I have been working with an advanced almost 6th grader and TOG? We will be doing CC too, so will this be enough? I'll only have my rising 3rd grader home next year.

I also like the hands on activities and the Thinking Cap section. IMO it is just a more complete curriculum overall because it is designed for PS. I did add a daily review of previously learned concepts--I think it is vital especially for 4th and 5th. You can accomplish that with any math review workbook that is grade level appropriate. There are so many new concepts in those years and it's pretty easy to forget something when you've moved on to something totally new.

I think that it is a challenging program, and the WWS 1 could be used for 9th grade...no problem. So, I agree, I think 2 is a good choice for a reluctant writer.

2 it is! We don't need hard.

I think you are right. Why do we get so caught up in "3" must be for 3rd and if you do 2, you are behind :-)