Thanks for the replies. :)

The weakest link (I think) in language acquisition is conversation. We tend to pick up the grammar and the vocabulary and read it okay, but speaking it with a Native is priceless. Just talking and listening (a big part of the Advanced Placement or Regents if you take those) are skills that would help your daughter do well. Good luck.

Sorry I don't have time to search for you but here are a few links you may have luck with: http://www.gutenberg.org/ http://the-orb.net/ http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/links/generallitlinks.htm Some may be dead links. I suggest you try searching some British search engines, too. Good luck!

Forgive me if someone asked this before-- 1. How do you guys grade your children--numbers or letters (for their transcripts--for college someday)? 2. If I teach my son a half year of something, other than Core subjects, is that considered 1/2 an elective? (I'm in NY State). Thanks.

We have only rabbit ears and what comes over on tv that way. However, we use the computer to get programs. We also go to the library and get dvds or use Redbox. Do you really need all those channels? I remember in our last house we paid over 100 dollars a month for cable/phone/internet. We thought we needed it, too. What a waste.

I'm sorry. Some people do have difficult personalities. Some are more mellow. I have a 14 yr. old son and we are very similar but we get along great. BUT, my husband and son BUTT heads all the time. So I get to be the referee. That stinks almost as much as having your kid talk back to you rudely. Your son is testing you, I think. Can you talk to him at a calm time and explain what he said really hurt you? Good luck.

When we get bored with grammar (I have not really taught grammar in 3 years but I am trying to slip some in now my son is in high school) I go online and we play MadLibs. Yes, those MadLibs. It's silly and we can learn parts of speech. Grammar is boring---and I was an English major!!

What about simple sewing projects? There are very easy patterns for kids of all ages and she would be engaged and make something she could be proud of! If safety is not an issue you could get her a small sewing kit and let her try and make some Barbie doll clothes. PM me if you need some easy pattern links. Or check on youtube or online (google). Good luck.

Although my husband often says I am raising our son to be a "PC Liberal" that is far from the case. LOL I am trying to get him to think about many sides of an issue, many sides of looking at things. We do a lot of WHY questions as we read or do school work. I ask him all the time as we read WHY did so and so do that... It's important for a person with Asperger Syndrome to understand how the other guy feels.

I mean follow the guidelines yet do your own books (that you find) and your own exams/quizzes/find lectures and materials online and at the library? It's the way I have been home schooling. NY State gives you requirements but how you teach them, using what materials, is up to you. Just wondering if anyone out there is (as insane) as me!!:lol::tongue_smilie:

My son is 14, in 9th grade and has several issues requiring me to slow down and do a lot of modifications. He has Asperger's *high functioning autism* so I do adapt the lessons and times if necessary. I am trying to keep him on a schedule but I also have an unemployed spouse home a lot so we often deal with interruptions. M-F 6:45 am I get my son up and he has breakfast. I try to keep things mellow and play quiet music and not start the day with discussions with the spouse--they often lead into arguments these days. :( 7:30 am start the school day ideally but my son will dawdle if I let him so if it's 7:45 that is also typical. We have a schedule of math (practical), Earth Science, English, History (World), Spanish (third year but I guess you'd call it Spanish One for High School), Film Appreciation and History (Elective) and Gym (3 times a week). I also try to get some Social Skills and special ed. work in. We go from that 7:30-noon or so. I hardly give him a break but if I feel he needs it, I cut the lessons from 40 minutes to 30. In the afternoons, after lunch he reads a bit or I let him play a video game for awhile, then it's reading again (he has to read an hour a day), and typing or free play on the computer. I'm trying to slowly incorporate more writing into his workday and have him using his audiorecorder to study and review vocabulary and spelling and math facts. We belong to a gym and go 3-4 times a week as a family. On weekends we usually go to the gym at least once so I don't have that pressure to do gym on top of everything else. Fridays I try to do catch up if we have to or we use the weekend for that but again the main thing now is getting him back into the groove and slowly increase his work. In October we start a Social Skills group again which runs at night once bi-weekly for 5 or 6 sessions. He gets to socialize with his peer while parents attend workshops. I don't do the same subjects the same times every day. I vary it. We also sometimes go to the gym in the day and do work later into the afternoon or night. That's the good thing about home schooling. We can vary our schedule so no one gets bored.

First off, thank you for that Spanish link. I am on year 3 teaching my son Spanish and always looking for more resources. Secondly, I have a 14 year old son so I can relate. I really did not want to home school this year the the first few days I was nursing a bad tooth, then had an extraction. Talk about a way to start the year. Can you take a break from questions and answers and let your son do more computer games/work on his own pace with the material online/let him watch a dvd on the subject? Maybe turn it into a game? I know I have to mix it up all the time with my son because he has a limited attention span and special needs (in certain areas).

Thanks Jenn. I appreciate your reply. I think we will try to cover the whole thing as my son is in 9th and a quick reader. My undergrad degree is in English and this is year 3 of us homeschooling. I do try to get my son to think and engage himself in the stories. Because he has Asperger Syndrome (a type of autism) he often has trouble identifying why and how a character does something so what you suggested is great for him. Jenny--it's a book set in Prehistoric Times by Peter Dickinson.

9th grader with Asperger Syndrome. We start around 7:30 am and go till 12ish and get our major subjects done, including Spanish Elective and Film Elective. Afternoons he reads at least an hour, does typing and we go to the gym 3 days or more a week. I also sometimes add additional work (and will continue to). School just started last week. Sometimes we will save film for later in the day and watch a movie for class. I'm fluid but dealing with an unemployed husband who doesn't see why I have to do so much through the day as it takes away from him and his issues. I feel like I am torn in 2 most of the time and it's exhausting. (sorry to complain). I am trying to improve my son's writing skills and prepare him for "real life school."

It's an easy read but I like to tie in History with English when I can. We're doing Prehistoric World History/Earth Science/and I am going to use this book in class. Has anyone used it? It seems popular but I was looking for a study guide or questions for comprehension or some other educational materials. Thanks.