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vaquitita

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Posts posted by vaquitita

  1. I think I have 8th grade nailed down for my oldest...

    Math: SingaporeMath Live 6 (prealgebra)

     

    LA:

    English From the Roots Up 2

    EIW 8

    Either Fix It grammar 2 or the grammar section from a partially used EIW 6 I have

    For literature he'll read the books from bookshark 8 lit, not sure if I'm going to do any activities from the guide

     

    History: Bookshark 8 History of Science (his choice, he's very excited about this). I got the workbooks to go with the first two Story of Science books. I now see MBTP has units to go with the last two Story of Science books, I may grab one or both of those. I'm not good about enforcing written narrations or notebooking or outlining, so I need something more laid out. It's time for more output in history, not just read and occasionally/rarely discuss. Lol

    Science: Bookshark's new science 8 that goes along with the History of Science

    • Like 2
  2. I'm feeling the same way for my 6th grader. LA has too many pieces and it makes me feel scattered. I prefer an all in one, but those just don't work for this kid. She'll be continuing AAS, and I'm adding in SWI and Fix It grammar. For literature in thinking of using a Pathway Reader and workbook, just cause I have it and it's independent which I might need with all these other mom intense programs (and I have 3 other kids). Tho I'm also eyeing MBTP LA units, I'm thinking of picking a couple of that that go with American history and do those instead.

  3. My charter just did the same thing.

    Bookshark? Lots of great books there and it counts as core curriculum. For a first grader, I would think there would be plenty of fun kits that would count as science. RSO science is fun. Or I just discovered crafty school crates, and I'm getting the history crates for my 9&6yo.

    It wouldn't hurt to point out that you are reusing AAR 2. I discussed this with my ES because I won't be spending that much on my younger kids. Between reusing books from my older kids and finding bookshark sets at our school resource center, I only need a few workbooks. But I am using $500 worth of core curriculum, so she said it's not an issue. The point is they don't want people spending all their money on extracurriculars and not putting much effort into schooling (unfortunately it DOES happen. Tho I'm not sure that it's at an extent that requires these measures) and having those kids test scores drag down the school average.

    • Like 1
  4. Hits:

    Logic of English Foundations A for my youngest. He loves this. So fun and yet includes so much review and practice that he needs. 

    Right Start Math, also for my youngest. He's very social, wiggly, and hands on.

    Singapore math 2. In the middle of the year I switched my 2nd grader to RS so that he could play with all the manipulatives and games that his younger brother was doing. But after a couple weeks he asked to go back.

    Bookshark, mostly. K science and history and LA2 were pretty good. The read alouds were a huge hit with both my 8&5yo boys. Science 3 was a hit, but history 3 was a miss for my daughter. Science 6 was not a hit as far as my son is concerned, but I consider it a hit. Lol. It got done and my son learned how to dig for information to answer questions. We will be using Bookshark again next year. It gets done, is mostly what I want, and I don't have to plan it. I'm tired of planning.

    CLE math was a hit for my daughter for the second year in a row.

    AAS- my daughter hates it, but I see her spelling improving.

    Girls of American History- unit studies using American Girl doll books. My daughter LOVES this.

    English From the Roots Up with notebook. My son liked this, probably cause he got to draw pictures. Lol

     

    Misses:

    Bookshark history 3, my daughter couldn't keep up with all the reading on her own and I couldn't read to her as it's intended.

    Write@Home online classes. I felt like this was just assignments with no teaching.

    Winning with Writing. I don't know, this just didn't work. I guess cause I expected it to be independent and it just wasn't.

    Growing with Grammar. IDK it just didn't get done.

  5. On 5/18/2019 at 7:26 AM, Sammish said:

    EIW 6th grade - the grammar portion was fine, but once we got to the writing, there were so many tears. Having to come up with his own thing to write about (even given a topic), and then being told to edit it to make it sound better, without a lot of direction... It made me realize that IEW really was the right method for this child, and so we went back to it!

    This was helpful. It helped crystalize my thoughts. 🙂 My oldest is using EIW6 and after a few other writing program failures, I'm loving it and felt like finally it's teaching HOW to write but without being super restrictive, which my son hates. It's so easy to use too. I've considered having my daughter start using it too, but hesitated and couldn't quite out my finger on why. But she hates coming up with her own thing to write, and now that you mention it, it probably isn't enough direction on how to improve her writing. I have been putting off trying IEW, but I think I just have to bite the bullet. Lol

    • Like 1
  6. I haven't used CLE 'for the long haul' yet, but wanted to chime in on the conceptual teaching part... My kid who uses CLE hated Singapore math, didn't understand it, didn't get the conceptual teaching. But over the past two years with CLE I've seen her not only grow in her confidence with math, but I've also seen that she does understand concepts and make connections. Eventually. She is a parts to whole learner. She just wants to know how to do something, and then after weeks or months doing it she puts it all together and surprises me with observations on why things work or on the connections between things. Things Singapore math teaches first and the algorithm afterwards. She needs to practice doing it (the algorithm) and then she can understand the big picture. I've seen it repeatedly.

    I think that the concepts are there in CLE, it's just that they're taught in a parts to whole manner, whereas in Singapore math there taught in a whole to parts manner. I do have experience with more conceptual math, my other kids use beast academy or Singapore or right start. And my kids that use Singapore or beast academy would hate CLE, but that's cause they're whole to parts thinkers. My youngest I don't know about yet.

    • Like 4
  7. This will be my fourth, and last, time teaching K. Not sure whether to cry or celebrate. 😄

    Math: second half of Right Start A. I'm also going to pick up the new Singapore Dimensions K workbooks for something fun and colorful to do while driving around to the bigger kids classes.

    LA: We just started LOE foundations A and so far so good, so I think we'll be continuing that and level B next year.

    This is my first time doing cursive first (well he did learn to write capitals this year with HWOT, but tho he recognizes lowercase letters he isn't writing them), but it seems like good timing because it's time for his 8yo brother to learn cursive and they love doing everything together. Hopefully I can match up LOE A cursive and Rhythm of Handwriting. 

     

    History: tag along with bookshark 1

    Science: tag along with RSO Life

    We'll probably also do a few more Ivy Kids kits, those were fun this year.

    Other: speech therapy, swimming

    • Like 2
  8. My oldest will be in 8th

    Math: Singapore Math Live online class, 6/prealgebra

    LA: Fix It grammar Robin Hood and a local IEW writing class or SWI with his sister... OR I'm feeling tempted to give bookshark LA 7 a try. Writing about history, kill two birds with one stone. I've decided I need to go with something more independent. With three younger kids, one of them still in the learning to read phase, my time is at a premium. SO I'm thinking Essentials in Writing 7. Of and continuing with English From the Roots Up 2.

    History: bookshark 7, world history part 2

    Science: bookshark 7, robotics and technology

    Other: drawing, swimming, and ??

    • Like 1
  9. This is my third time teaching third grade

    Math: Singapore 3, thinking I'll try the Dimensions version next year. Supplement with Beast Academy, finishing up 2 and start 3.

    LA: bookshark 2 intermediate and continue rhythm of handwriting

    History: bookshark 1

    Science: RSO Life

    Other: KWOT typing, Bits Box, drawing, swimming

  10. This is for my non academic child...

    Already rethinking some of this! 

     

    Math: CLE 500 and Division Facts That Stick

    LA: AAS 3&4 and a local IEW writing class. I also just want her writing something, anything, every day, but it needs to be easy and independent. I'm thinking either Growing with Grammar 5 or Spelling You See copywork, the American book would go nicely with her history. I have no idea what I'm doing beyond AAS. Spelling is clearly the priority at this point, but I'm not sure whether to continue holding off on everything else.

    History: bookshark 4, American history part 2...  Girls of American History to cover this time period

    Science: RSO Life with her younger brothers, but with reading in an age appropriate Science encyclopedia.  A closer look at this and I've decided it's WAY too simple for her. Now I'm thinking bookshark science 5, health and human anatomy.

    Other: typing, drawing. And one other yet to be determined, maybe gymnastics or violin.

    • Like 1
  11. I'm looking for reviews of Mr D math. I'd like to know what kind of kid is Mr D math good for? For the math phobic or the math inclined? Is it spiral? Mastery? Daily review yes or no? Are the explanations good? Do they explain why things work the way they do or are they more focused on just explaining how to do it?

    I'm trying to figure out what route to go for my oldest when he hits prealgebra soon. Till now what has worked well for him in the past was Singapore PM and now Beast Academy. Things that haven't worked for him are: MUS (too slow)and Teaching Textbooks (hated the explanations, or the lack there of).

    I'm also considering Singapore Dimensions, Jacob's algebra, and AoPS.

    • Like 1
  12. Last year my 6th grader switched to beast academy and did books 3b thru 4a (was planned to get thru 4b, but life got in the way). He loved it, did it on his own, all our math frustrations melted away... Fast forward to this year, he's working on 4b but is not working on it on his own At All. I'm having to walk him thru every problem and I feel like I'm doing the math, not him. This cannot continue. I know math is important and I'm willing to work with him every day, but I can't sit here for every single problem. I have four other kids to teach.

    I find myself tempted to switch him to something else, but I don't know that that's really the answer...

  13. 3 hours ago, Syllieann said:

    I would put the younger kids in sm or mm.  It doesn’t sound like math is a subject that you need to be intensively involved in for them to learn and be relatively content.  Save your time and energy for other things where it is needed.  It will be ok, really.  They will still get a great math education and you will be less stressed.  It might even mean you are more available for other fun things like field trips, art, or music.

     

    Good points. Math Mammoth was a fail with my oldest and I see it being a fail for the same reasons with my other boys (pages too crowded, etc). But Singapore math is an idea... I used it several years ago and liked it, we ended up switching partly because it was a bad fit for my daughter and I was still trying to keep everyone in the same math back then ? and partly because I was letting the curriculum be my master instead of my servant. ?I think I could use it again and do better with it this time. 

    My youngest is just TK and I do think I will stick with RS over Singapore for him this year, he's not ready for the amount of writing/lack of fun in essentials (I have used that before).

    Unless someone writes my heart's desire program in the next two weeks... If right start math and cuisenairre rods/miquon had a baby, that math program is what I want. LOL

     

    Eta: you know right start is pretty much the math equivalent of AAR. And that program made me want to poke my eyes out. ? I used it with both my middle two, but neither finished it. None of us could take it anymore.

  14. 4 hours ago, Targhee said:

    Why not stick with Beast Academy for your 2nd grader? I absolutely love RS level B - such a great foundation for math! But we didn't feel the love with C and so my kids switched into BA (one switched about half way through the year, and the other I used singapore 2 and then BA because level 2 wasn't out yet).  Not only is it solid math, he likes it, he did well with it (he placed into RS C after only half of B and one BA book), and he does it semi-independently!

     

    That's a good question... I guess some combination of "right start = the best for wiggly boys" thinking being stuck in my head, plus some regrets of not using it with my oldest son, plus beast 2 not being fully released yet, etc etc... I hadn't even really thought about what I was doing for math with him, just assumed I'd continue from last year.

    I sat down this afternoon and flipped thru RS C... And remembered all the reasons I found it hard to use with him. Some how he enjoyed it despite that, but his love for beast academy definitely surpasses RS. I looked on my shelves and I have some random math things that he can do alongside beast for more practice: subtraction facts that stick, thinking tree's Minecraft mysteries math book, and Singapore 2 extra practice. He will enjoy most of those. After this year I will have to assess what proportions to continue in beast and Singapore with him, which one will be the spine/which one will be the supplement.

    • Like 1
  15. I will have four students for the first time this school year and I'm nervous about whether I can handle it. I'm suddenly having a math panic attack. What was I thinking, thinking I could do right start math with TWO kids???

    My oldest two are set. My 7th grader will be doing beast academy 5, mostly on his own, with help from me on hard problems/sections. My 5th grader will be continuing in CLE, that worked fab for her last year. Similarly doing it mostly on her own, with daily check ins with me. 

    And then I'll have my youngest two boys, in 2nd grade and TK, who I blithely planned to use right start with (levels c and a, respectively). What was I thinking? How am I going to have the time and energy for that??? Last year my 1st grader did RS B the first half, family emergencies threw a curve ball at us, and he did beast academy 2A the second half of the year. I'd read the guide with him, but he did the workbook semi independently. He loved it. I gave him the RS placement test at the end of the year and he placed in C, so I was planning to just move him into that this year. But now I'm wondering... I have a time crunch, he picks up math quickly... Should I switch him to something else less time consuming for the teacher? Singapore? Horizons? Ack!!

  16. On 2/5/2018 at 2:47 PM, vaquitita said:

    My oldest will be in 7th next year. Ack!

    Math: Beast Academy finish 4 plus do 5

    LA: Brave writer as a family plus Write On! when I don't have time for family writing projects.  

    Fix It grammar 2

    Word roots of some kind, either R&S or CTC

    History: Layers of Learning year 3

    Science: Layers of Learning year 3

    Geography: Layers of Learning year 3

    Extras: piano lessons. Typing, next year we need to actually DO it! And I've decided next year is the year of PE.

    I pretty much ended up changing everything. ? I am switching my older two to doing their own reading for history and science. And I involved him in picking his LA curriculum, hoping that will help with cooperation. His line up is now:

    Math: Beast Academy finish 4, do 5 (unchanged)

    LA: HWOT, Growing with Grammar, English From the Roots Up, Writing Strands (possibly BW Faltering Ownership for the 2nd semester), a mix of BW arrows and boomerangs.

    History: mom made History of Technology

    Science: Bookshark 6

    Geography: Wayfarers 50 States and where to find them, mapping activities only.

    Extras: Keyboarding without Tears, drawing, tennis, gymnastics, BitsBox

  17. On 2/5/2018 at 12:13 PM, vaquitita said:

    Math: CLE 400

    Spelling: R&S 3, and possibly 4

    Grammar & Writing: Climbing to Good English 2

    Reading: Pathway reader 5, Murche science reader 4, classic literature that I'll pick as we go

    History: Layers of Learning year 3

    Science: Layers of Learning year 3

    Extras: violin lessons, typing, gymnastics

     

    I pretty much ended up changing everything. ? I am switching my older two to doing their own reading for history and science. After 7 years of homeschooling, I am also SO DONE with planning everything. So we are giving Bookshark a try. Also, I involved her in picking her LA curriculum for this year, hopefully that helps with her cooperation level. Her line up is now:

    Math: CLE 400 (unchanged)

    LA: R&S spelling, HWOT, Growing with Grammar, Winning with Writing

    History: Bookshark 3 Intro to American History

    Science: Bookshark 3

    Extras: Keyboarding without Tears, drawing, tennis, gymnastics, BitsBox

     

    • Like 2
  18. On 1/24/2018 at 8:00 PM, vaquitita said:

    DS#3 will be in 2nd... Everything he's using this year is going well, so we'll probably just continue with the next level for everything

    Math: Right Start level C and Beast Academy 2 c&d

    LA: Spelling You See level C, brave writer lifestyle, HWOT

    History & Science: Evan Moore Daily Science. And going to try Layers of Learning year 3.

    Music: hopefully he'll start piano, I'm just waiting for him to be mature enough that daily practicing won't be torture. ?

     

    I pretty much ended up changing everything. ? I am splitting my older two off to do their own thing, so now this guy gets history and science catered to him. After 7 years of homeschooling, I am also DONE with planning everything. So we are giving Bookshark a try. His line up is now:

    Math: Beast Academy 2 B&C, Singapore Dimensions 2

    LA: Bookshark LA2 regular readers. Explode the Code 4-6. HWOT.

    History: Bookshark level K

    Science: Bookshark K

    extras: Keyboarding without Tears, drawing, gymnastics, tennis, BitsBox

     

  19. Thank you everyone for your thoughts! ? I am feeling much better about the coming year. 

    I am going with mostly bookshark this year, to save myself the planning I don't feel like doing. LOL. I love that it has a 4 day schedule. My oldest two are each going to do their own reading. I was going to combine those two for science, but we have a chance to meet with a friend and do the bookshark science labs so they're going to have separate science too. I am combining my younger two. The kindergartener will tag along with my 2nd grader, we will see how that goes. If he's just not interested, that's ok. 

    I sat down with each of my older two kids and got their input on what they will do. I'm so glad I did because I found out that my daughter loathes climbing to good English, when I thought she was ok with it. Lol. I had already let my oldest pick a couple things, but I think letting them pick (between some mom screened options) is going to really help with their cooperation level. ?

    Their responses were very typical. LOL. My oldest requested a year of history of technology, so I made up a list of books and he will just read his way down it. My daughter otoh had no clue what she wanted, and surprised me by not wanting to do BF history of the horse. ? She said just give me American history (bookshark 3), which I had shown her as an option and I do think she'll enjoy the books. And she's excited about the lapbook. 

    My daily plan is to have the older kids start their work on their own (they're used to that) while I sit down with the two youngest boys. I'm hoping my 2nd grader can start on some things while I work with the K'er but it might be too interesting for him to not join in. Lol. Then I'll work with the 2nd grader while the K'er does pattern blocks, etc (or reading eggs when I'm desperate). After that I will meet with each of my older kids to go over their work and help as needed. 

    Typing that out, I realize the only thing that's really changing is that there will be no group reading time. I will be reading aloud to my younger two only. I may end up reading a couple of the harder books to my daughter, but it'll be in that one on one time. 

    • Like 1
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