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I double majored in Computer Science and Behavioral Science with a concentration in education.
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Pandia Press removed the Biology 2 release date of "February 14th" from their website and replaced it with the more ambiguous "February 2013". Also after reviewing the Facebook page, in response to a customer's question regarding an outline of units for Bio 2, Pandia press responded that they should have samples up on their website next week. So, I doubt the actual product will be ready until the the last week of February at the very earliest. I am excited though that it Bio 2 really seems like it is going to be released. It has been in publishing limbo in so long I had given up on it.
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Disney Education's American Presidents
thejourney replied to KristenR's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
You can watch a few clips on YouTube before you open your DVDs. Just search for "Disney American Presidents". Here is one on . Having not watched the series myself I can not comment on whether or not they lean one way or the other. Congratulations on winning them! -
MCT--Which level/components to start with?
thejourney replied to Tracy's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
I am doing MCT Island with my 3rd grader this year and so far it has not been overly difficult, with the possible exception of certain sections of Music of the Hemispheres book. He completed GWG 3 last year which prepared him well for Grammar Island. He has found the story of Mud to be very entertaining and he now happily picks apart the parts of speech and parts of a sentence just for fun. Sentence Island builds on Grammar Island by reinforcing the need to use correct grammar in writing, including writing in complete sentences. It also stresses using strong nouns and verbs rather to solidify an idea rather than depending on the use of excessive adjectives and adverbs. The story of Mud keeps the lessons entertaining. You can pick from a multitude of mini writing lessons. I often will start doing a lesson with my son orally. Then I will write the first sentence or two on the white board for him to copy. He then finishes the assignment himself on paper. If your child can write multiple sentences without struggling to make each letter you probably will be OK with Sentence Island but you know your child best. On a side note, we also use WWE and Check the Deck for writing in addition to Sentence Island. Building Language is fairly straight forward. It doesn’t cover that much vocabulary but it does delve into the interrelations between various languages and the idea of root words, stems, prefixes and suffixes. Then there is Music of the Hemispheres. This is a marvelous book, but I have to admit I had to really study it myself prior to reading it with son. As I child I recall studying Haikus and perhaps a simple rhyme in school, but even in college my study of poetry never came close to this book. That said my son found Music of the Hemispheres fascinating. We both gained a new found respect for poets! While we read the book together, I focused on the concepts of rhyme, alliteration, personification, metaphors and similes. I spent less time on meter and foot as I felt that at this stage I was looking for more of an introduction to these complex topics rather than mastery. I am sure as the years go by, we will revisit these poetry concepts again so I am not concerned that he understand every last detail the first time around. What I do want, is for him to gain an appreciation for poetry and the beauty and complexity of language. I think you will be fine in whatever you choose to do. You could always start in 3rd grade and then if you find that Sentence Island and/or Music of the Hemispheres is to difficult you could push those books to fourth grade. Since MCT doesn't suggest starting Paragraph Town until after you have completed Grammar Town you would have some time in the beginning of fourth grade to work through Sentence Island and Music of the Hemispheres. -
Questions for those who use Mr. Q science
thejourney replied to Laura Cook's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
I made my own lab sheets using MS Word based on the ESP method chapter at the beginning of the parent/teacher's guide. -
Questions for those who use Mr. Q science
thejourney replied to Laura Cook's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
We are using Mr. Q Physical Sciences this year and I have found that unless your child really enjoys word searches doing all the worksheets can be overkill. I introduce the science concept, and then have my ds read the student pages. Next we go over the discussion questions (in the teachers guide) together. Once I am sure he understands the vocabulary and main concepts, I select the worksheets I think will help him best retain the information he has just learned. I usually always leave out the word search, but will occasionally include the crossword puzzle if I think he needs vocabulary reinforcement. I particularly like the comparison, matching and multiple choice worksheets. Not all worksheet types are included with each chapter and after I am done removing sheets I deem unnecessary, he usually ends up completing two to three sheets per chapter. This way we can complete the reading, discussion questions and worksheets and in one lesson (about 1 hour). In the following lesson we will do one of the experiments listed in the teacher's/parent's guide. Sometimes I will skip an experiment if I don't think the result is worth all the trouble (i.e. it requires to many materials!). However, I have usually found the experiments and activities to be quite good. Occasionally I will substitute a science kit we have in place for an experiment or two. For example my ds just happened to get a Mechanical Science Pulley kit for Christmas that fit perfectly into our Simple Machines Unit. It was much easier and more fun using the kit than trying to create a pulley out of a ruler, a wheel, a piece of string, and our kitchen table. I also printed up a bunch of lab sheets at the beginning of the year which we use whenever a lab is marked ESP. You can read about how to run these labs in the teacher's guide. During these labs you form a hypothesis, record your observations, data, and write a conclusion. For each chapter we usually do the student reading/discussion/worksheets, two labs and then depending on how involved the topic is (or how interested my son is) I might add some additional reading from the library or from online sources (like BrainPop). The Mr. Q Blog also has some ideas for additional resources. I don't think it is necessary to add anything to Mr. Q at the early elementary level but it sure breaks up the monotony! That said my son finds the Mr. Q student reading to be quite humorous and it often gets him excited enough to want to read additional books on the topic being discussed. Have fun! -
We pick from many different sources. I have yet to find an all-in-one program that has stellar resources in every topic we wish to cover and matches my child's learning style and pace for each subject. I must admit though, that I occasionally peruse the boxed curriculum websites longing over their neatly packaged materials with the corresponding yearly lesson plans.
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AAS, SpellWell and Spelling Workout are worth checking out.
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You can do it:)! I would definitely suggest using the Singapore Standards Edition as it has much more comprehensive teacher guides. We are using 3A/3B now and everything so far has been fairly straight forward. I am have had to teach myself the concept of using bar graphs to help solve word problems but that is about it.
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Horrible Books? Why can't I order online??
thejourney replied to NotSoObvious's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
It's real. I ordered a number of Horrible History and Science books this year from Horrible Books and Horrible Ray sent all the books to me and even prefaced my name with "The Great....":001_smile:. I mailed the check to him on receipt of the books and got a thank you email in return! Not many people run a business like Horrible Ray does anymore. -
I would look for a spelling program that is based on phonics. Each lesson introduces one or more spelling rules and words are grouped by similar sounds and/or spelling patterns. A few programs you might want to check out are All About Spelling, Spelling Workout and SpellWell. We are currently using Flash Kids Spelling Skills. Each lesson teaches the relationship between sounds within a series of words and spelling patterns, followed by reinforcement activities and a proofreading passage. It is just a workbook but it works well for my natural speller & reader. Since your son is already a strong reader I am guessing he is probably also a strong speller. I would definitely suggest looking through multiple levels of each program to find the level that suits him best. The exception would be AAS where I believe they suggest you begin at level 1 regardless. You can also reinforce phonics rules when your child stumbles over a word while reading to you. Obviously you wouldn't want to do this to the point that your child no longer wants to read aloud but done occasionally it can be very beneficial.
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Anyone else have a terrible library?
thejourney replied to mothergooseof4's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
I'm not sure I'd say our library is terrible but neither would I say that it is good. The books are scattered over multiple branches which means driving around town to get all the books you need. Supposedly you can put the books on hold and pick them all up at one branch but I have found that this rarely works as it should. The interlibrary loan is even worse as our library charges an undisclosed fee for this service (you find out how much you owe when you pick up your books). The book selection is also limited. There are no homeschooling books, little in the way of juvenile classics and very few non fiction books that have been published within the past decade. On the plus side, our library does offer many wonderful free programs for kids and the main library has a nice air conditioned play area for little ones that includes a pretend kitchen, bank, train tables, lego tables, puppet theater etc... I was thrilled to recently discover that I can use my library card at any other library in the state as long as I return the books to the library from which I originally checked out the books. The town over from me has a much more extensive selection and I am very excited to start taking books out from there instead! -
What are your "extracurricular" spending priorities?
thejourney replied to kubiac's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
We probably spend about $1,200/ year total on extracurricular activities for our 3 kids. Most of the money goes to violin lessons & museum memberships. Our Current Activities Violin Lessons (taken through the community center to keep the cost down) Religious Education (~$35/per kid, per year) Sports (Little League Baseball, Tennis Lessons, Swimming Lessons etc...) Theater Classes/Productions Museum Memberships Concerts, Theater, Festivals, Field Trips etc... Travel This year we might add a co-op, 4H, choir, and art classes at the local art museum as well My youngest children's activities thus far are mostly free (weekly library classes, puppet shows, various playgroups, story time & crafts at the bookstore, park days, playground meet-ups etc...). Once they are a bit older I except the extra-curricular cost to rise substantially. Although I appreciate all the extra activities we get to do, I really wish we lived in a neighborhood where kids could just knock on each others doors and ask each other to come out and play. Activities run by adults can never truly replicate the spontaneous imaginative play of children. -
Wow, what a wonderful opportunity for your family! I would have your son continue to read plenty of books in English (chapter books, picture books, short stories, poetry, novels, non-fiction books, and books that correlate with whatever you are reading in SOTW). The book wizard on the Scholastic website gives the guided reading level (and the DRA & Lexile Levels) of lots of books so you can check that you are picking books within his reading and interest level. Let him pick out books that interest him as well. Informally I'd do a combination of silent reading, having him read to you, read a-louds by you and perhaps having him listen to a few audio books. Since your son is already reading at a 3rd/4th grade reading level I'd probably focus more on reading comprehension rather than phonics. If you feel he still has some gaps in regards to phonics you could probably address it with a strong spelling program instead. As for reading comprehension you can discuss select books with your son and/or have him narrate what he has read. If you would like a little more guidance and structure you might want to check out guides such as Jacob's Ladder Reading Comprehension Level 1, Novel Units and MBTP literature guides.
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If you buy your curriculum new, where do you buy it?
thejourney replied to foofoobunny's topic in K-8 Curriculum Board
I do order some items directly from the publisher. MCT, HWT, BFSU & RSO pdfs and Meet the Masters comes to mind Otherwise I primarily purchase new curriculum and trade books from Amazon and Rainbow Resource. For science related items I like Home Science Tools. Homeschool Buyer's Co-Op is another great place to check for group buy discounts on select curriculum and subscriptions.