Pen, a lot of what you wrote above is really resonating with me, as I think about my DS and teaching writing. I know you said you're not currently using a formal curriculum, but do you have any links for further info about the 6 Traits curriculum you mentioned? (I'm somewhat familiar with Bravewriter but I need something more concrete, for me as a teacher. I wonder if 6 Traits might help me.) My interest is piqued and I'd love to learn more. Sorry for the hijack. This is a great thread, Rose! Thank you!

There's also this: http://myhomeschoolmathclass.com/index.html It uses a standard textbook (Lial's) and, I believe, the classes follow a set weekly schedule, not self-paced. I have no personal experience with it, but the teacher is also a member of the boards (Jann in TX) and there are lots of posts/reviews if you do a search.

My DS prefers working independently. (He's introverted, self-motivated and loves working from a weekly checklist.) To give you even more curriculum ideas, here's what he used in 5th grade that I feel good about recommending: Math Mammoth IEW SWI-B for writing - we watched the DVDs together once a week or once every 2 weeks, approx. 30 min. each time, depending on the lesson, and then he worked independently - I just checked his papers and helped him revise Hake Grammar Wordly Wise 3000 vocabulary workbook Lit was nothing formal, just a list of good books from which he could choose, followed by brief, informal discussions but not for every book WTM-ish history using an encyclopedia (Kingfisher) and K12 Human Odyssey for additional reading (K12 HO saved me from struggling to find supplemental books at our small library for every topic) Elemental Science for the logic stage, encyclopedia-based and WTM-inspired, very open and go Sheppard Software for geography Visual Link Spanish offers free trials For art & music appreciation, DS liked watching DVDs such as Sister Wendy and Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts

My DS11 likes Drive Thru History. It's not animated and not a complete history but does give an overview of certain time periods with some humor included that keeps it fun. There are episodes on world history and separate ones on American history. Has a Christian perspective, but we also enjoy it as secular homeschoolers, if that matters to you. On Netflix: http://dvd.netflix.com/Search?oq=&ac_posn=&v1=%22drive+thru+history%22 If you want more resources to go with it, there are free downloadable discussion guides available on their website: http://www.drivethruhistory.com/downloads/ Another vote for Horrible Histories here too, both the BBC version and the cartoon version.

I own the white Kingfisher, all three volumes (ancients to current) of K12's Human Odyssey, and two volumes of OUP's ancients series, as well as a Famous Men book and a couple others. I have a problem with collecting history books, LOL . . . find just the right fit is especially hard for us in history. I voted for K12 HO as my favorite for middle schoolers. I like Kingfisher as a spine for organizing an overview with more study added as needed/desired. The white Kingfisher is more narrative and better aesthetically, IMO, than the newer red one. (I haven't seen the very newest Kingfisher though.) The white is less choppy, although still very much at a summary level, with a few paragraphs on each topic, not just lists of bullet points. The writing style worked fine for WTM-style list of facts notetaking & beginning outlining when DS was just learning how to outline but he can easily handle more now. So it was great in 5th grade and good for 6th grade, but I doubt we'll use it past 6th. I wanted to like OUP a lot, but was disappointed in the lack of organization and flow in the one we used, just seemed to jump back and forth a lot within chapters. Lots of people here do like them so the series overall must be good. But my DS just doesn't want to spend as much time on history and OUP was way more detail than he cared for. I think OUP works well for those who enjoy history and really want to dive in deeply. K12 HO is in the sweet spot for us. It is a complete series from ancients to current times. Readable flowing narrative, not overwhelmingly long or detailed like OUP (for us), outlinable, visually uncluttered, focused on themes and connections (vs. just facts & dates), non-Eurocentric, secular, appropriate scope and relatively balanced, appropriate/relevant primary written sources and artwork. The reading level increases in each volume, so I think we'll probably stick with the series through middle school. K12 HO combined with Kingfisher is all we use most of the time now, rather than trying to find supplemental books at our small library. The text itself doesn't contain chapter summaries, "goals for reading", review questions or anything like that, which was a plus for us as it ends up being just a book to read with no clutter. I bought the related K12 teacher guides used very inexpensively (for offline parts only, which is still more than I need) and find those useful for mapwork, essay questions, discussion prompts, etc. As a side-note, we're doing world history on a 3 year rotation (5th, 6th, 7th grades), followed by American history with K12 American Odyssey in 8th grade, so the K12 books fit that plan perfectly. (Schools in my state have shifted to American history in 11th grade due to testing, so we're probably going to do that too and won't have Am history back to back here either.) One K12 volume is just the right amount for us to get through in a year.

OP, I just noticed your original post asking for feedback was several weeks ago, and I don't see IEW currently listed in your signature for your 7th grader. Did you decide to use something else? Just curious what's working for you.

Do you have an iPad/Phone/Pod? CC has memory work apps for all 3 cycles available for sale in the iTunes store for around $15 (cycle 3 is less). One time purchase, and much less expensive than a monthly subscription to CC Connected, in case you can't get ahold of the CDs.

I did the same thing recently. I was able to just delete my parent account and sign up again as a teacher. I even used the same email address, no problems.

Have you looked at Mr. Q science? Sounds like the elementary chemistry and/or physical science might work for your 3rd grader. It is downloadable. http://www.eequalsmcq.com/classicsciinfo.htm My DS (who really enjoys CPO and also likes reading science encyclopedias for fun, which admittedly isn't everyone's idea of fun) liked the classic series from Elemental Science, which is also downloadable. If your DS likes reading science encyclopedias, he might enjoy it. Look at the required & recommended books for each level to see if it might be a good fit. If the reading level fits but the questions in the guide are too much (too hard or just too much writing) it is easy to adjust the output required. It was very much open and go for us, easy to use.

For a great speller, you might consider shifting towards a full-blown vocab program, especially at this age, rather than spelling. Although I know the upper levels of SWO do shift focus to roots and stems so that's good. IMO, your plan looks good!

I agree with the others who said SWI level A would be too low for your DD. SWI placement should be based on reading level, not writing ability. Each SWI level assumes no prior experience, and they start from the same place. In other words, you don't progress from A to B, you just jump in as appropriate. My DS used SWI-B as a writing-reluctant 5th grader and it was great for him. He had plenty to write about, just had a hard time organizing his thoughts . . . a problem for which SWI was fantastic. Level A sources would have been too young. For a 7th grader who is a good reader (not sure from your description if likes to read or is an advanced reader?) I might even consider level C. If you bought SWI-A new, IEW has a fantastic return policy. You can return it even if you've used it. If you bought SWI-A used, consider re-selling it to recoup your money if that would enable you to buy B or C. The re-sale market is typically very strong for SWI sets.

What you're looking for is an iBook, not an app. Go to your iBooks icon and search for it there. When I got it, there was a free sample available. IIRC, the full book was around $15. HTH.

Perhaps uzzingo.com for science - - I have no personal experience with it, but it was mentioned here recently and I've bookmarked it to look at further. There's a 3-day free trial option if she wants to try it out.

The Writing Skills series by Diana Hanbury King offers a simple, inexpensive, no-frills program in academic/expository writing at all levels, through 12th grade. I saw it recommended here on the board and used parts of the lower levels with my DS between WWE & WWS, and am keeping it handy as a future resource. For your goals, you might be able to use just the TM to guide you in what to cover. Here's a link to the publisher's website for details and samples: http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/products/details.cfm?seriesonly=2561M I've seen these books listed on Amazon, etc. HTH.

Please do! I'd appreciate hearing more. The program we're testing out right now has review that might be similar to Saxon's spiral format, I don't know. For example, the assignment for Lesson 45 has, say, eight problems from the current lesson, plus five problems from Lesson 44, and three problems from Lesson 43, and so on, typically going back three or four lessons. So it is constantly rotating through a spiral review, but never backwards more than three or four lessons, if that makes sense. There are a total of around 25 problems per assignment. The review doesn't appear to ever go back into previous chapters or anything too far back though. The review was driving DS batty, so I've been tweaking the assignments to cover the current lesson and only one lesson back. However, the tweaking is getting kinda tiresome. :coolgleamA: (I don't recall this program being specifically marketed as having this review feature, so I'm glad we're just trying it out. If the video instruction didn't seem solid, we'd have dropped it already.) So it sounds like the assignments/review in Derek Owen's program must be quite different from that, I'm guessing, or you would have already mentioned it . . . ? Anyway, I'm looking forward to learning more about how Derek Owen's program works. And glad to hear your DS likes it! Thanks!

Thank you for sharing this! I poked around the site a bit, and was so impressed I decided to sign up for the MOOC that they're hosting starting next week! I think DS will get a kick out of this. Thanks again!

Sorry you thought it wasn't helpful. The way I interpreted your original post, I thought you wanted to know which books are *required* in 7th grade, so your DD wouldn't choose to read them this year as a 6th grader and then be required to re-read them next year.

These are currently listed under Intermediate Literature B (7th grade) in the store on K12's website: Treasure Island The Hobbit and Iliad and the Odyssey: Stories from Homer's Epics City: A History of Roman Planning Shakespeare: Julius Caesar

Hooray! That's great! So glad to hear your DS is enjoying it. Derek Owens pre-algebra is on my short-list for what to have my DS do next. My DS is trying out another program that uses video instruction, which seems to be a solid curriculum, but he gets frustrated with the amount and type of review in each lesson, so I'm looking at other options as well. How much and what type of review is built in to the Derek Owens program? TIA!

You asked how quickly WWS1 ramps up the difficulty . . . I haven't gone through all of it with my DS yet (we're in week 10), but I've read/heard that many users stop after week 22. That's a good time to take a break to do other writing or more application of WWS skills learned up to that point, before starting the literary analysis section. WWE isn't a required prerequisite for WWS, but I believe solid narration skills and paragraph writing skills need to be in place from the beginning. I agree, I think WWE3 or WWE4 would probably seem too young to your student, but you could still have him do focused practice on oral narrations and then gradually transition to writing them down, *if* he starts having trouble with the more challenging narrations in WWS. Perhaps just use the same approach as WWE narrations but from source material on his reading level. I had my DS do IEW's SWI-B as well as Paragraph Writing Made Easy (topic sentences, supporting details, outlining) and certain sections from the Writing Skills series (expository/academic writing) last year before we started WWS1 this year. I don't regret doing that at all. Maybe a brief, focused jaunt through a program like PWME or Writing Skills will help your student get on the right track if he starts struggling with WWS. I wouldn't do SWI level A with a 7th/8th grader with an on-grade reading level, unless you're dead set on using it with the younger sibling as well at the same time. Placement for SWI should be based on reading level, not writing level or previous writing experience. Level A can work for an older student but is not ideal, IMO. My DS did level B as a 5th grader (and previously-reluctant writer) with no problems. Also, you may already be doing this, but I've found it *very* helpful for my DS if I go through his student section of WWS and highlight the critical instructions/steps before he starts each assignment. As you get further into it, you'll see there are a lot of instructions buried within the text, which is a good thing, because it is so thorough, but my DS just needs a little boost to rise to the challenge of WWS. I'll eventually stop highlighting for him, but it seems to be a big help now. Just a tidbit that might be beneficial. Maybe I missed how you came to be tutoring this student, but bravo to you for helping him & trying to find the best way for him. Good luck!

OP, as a user of Math Mammoth, if I were in your shoes I'd continue having him work through MM, as long as its working. Perhaps try having him do the chapter reviews & tests as pre-tests or use them to see which chapters he can fully "test out" of, and then slow down as needed and do the relevant lessons when you find gaps in his knowledge. Perhaps its just a matter of him not previously being exposed thoroughly to certain topics, rather than true learning differences. Or maybe he just needs things presented differently than he had them before, especially since you say MM seems to be clicking with him. I wouldn't worry about the bar diagram technique taking some time. I had trouble with it myself as an adult at first - just never had math taught to me that way as a kid. I also wouldn't stress yet too much about his handwriting. Just a few weeks of remediation and practice may make a huge difference. My DS coming out of PS after 3rd grade had atrocious handwriting, simply because his teachers didn't have time in a class of 20+ to work with each kid and I was too naïve at the time to be clued in to the handwriting issues. He was simply forming the letters incorrectly, starting at the "wrong" spot, etc. Sitting by his side and immediately correcting the problems on each letter, while explaining that it wasn't his fault that he had been taught incorrectly/incompletely, it didn't take long to get straightened out. I'd think an older student with math gaps could do MM4 through MM6 (3 levels) at an accelerated pace in as little as a year and a half, a semester per level . . . especially considering the review/overlap on certain topics that carries over from MM4 to 5, and from 5 to 6, which could possibly be eliminated. My DS averaged about 3/4 of a year per level in MM, without trying to accelerate at all, and he doesn't even particularly like math, LOL. MM is clear, conceptual and concise in its instruction, and the author has said it was designed for users to be able to assign only half the problems in each set and be just fine (complete and thorough) as long as the student is picking it up that way. The full problem sets are meant to be used only if a student is having a harder time grasping the concepts and needs extra practice. MM6 (original/as yet not aligned to CC - soon some topics will be moved to a new MM7) is considered by many users to contain most of what traditional pre-algebra programs cover in both scope and depth. Upon completing MM6 many students are ready for algebra, while some take a second go at pre-algebra with a deeper/richer program. It depends on the kid. Its a critical period and you certainly don't want to push forward without filling the gaps. I've compared Lial's BCM, MM6 & a standard PS middle school Pre-Alg text. MM6 is very close to being a complete pre-algebra, and I can't think of one more gentle and inexpensive, as you mentioned. I view BCM as "pre-pre-algebra". It is meant to be a college remedial course & personally I think the BCM format & the context of some of its word problems really aren't appropriate for most middle schoolers. Just my 2 cents. HTH.

I'll share our experience, if it will help. DS is advanced in vocab, working about 3 grade levels ahead - I only mention this in case you look at my sig and wonder why I placed him the way I did - including a more "traditional" vocabulary program (Wordly Wise), which he really likes and says he wants to continue all the way to the end. I picked up Vocabulary from Classical Roots level A for him to try, because I wanted to add in more Latin root study to his primary vocab program. But it turned out to be too difficult for him so we dropped it after a few weeks. I believe it was partly because the material was above his working level but also because there wasn't enough instruction and practice in the VFCR workbook, and the workbook felt, I don't know, just less polished and organized than other programs I've seen since. We could have backed up to an easier level in VFCR, but I was just not impressed with what I saw in it. We started using English from the Roots Up as a supplement to our main vocab program (using the flashcards, notebooking, and ideas from here and here) and that went much better. Currently we're using Caesar's English from MCT as our main program and *loving* it. HTH.

Sorry to hear your DD isn't liking it. Just curious, since you say you want something with a "more focused approach", is it the amount of review in each lesson what your DD doesn't like? (Because it is a ton of review, as written.) If so, maybe you could try reducing the number of review questions your DD has to complete, if you haven't done that already. Where we finally landed is that my DS usually does every third review question (was doing every other question, but that was still more than necessary) in each lesson and that's been plenty of review for him. I also let him write in the book instead of writing on a separate piece of paper. I really like the way Hake presents the new concepts in each lesson and using it this modified way with less assigned review is going well for us. I also like that each review question includes a reference to the lesson in which it was taught, so its easy to flip back if something needs to be refreshed. Rod & Staff is what SWB recommends, but we need something secular. If we weren't using Hake, I'd be looking at Analytical Grammar or go back to Easy Grammar. (We stopped doing Easy Grammar in 4th grade only because it doesn't teach diagramming and DS needed more frequent review, but I think its a great program too.) HTH.

You might want to look at the Writing Skills series by Diana Hanbury King / EPS. Its very public school-ish, teaches academic/expository writing, no frills, inexpensive, and all laid out for you.

I believe the "1-6" notation you saw is referring to the episode numbers, not grade designations. FWIW, my son has watched several of them in both the American and the ancient history series since age 9 or so, and I think they're good for elementary age on up. I don't recall anything graphic or inappropriate for young kids, but DS is not sensitive to things like some kids are, so maybe I just don't recall. We haven't watched the Holy Land series though. DS also enjoys the goofy humor injected occasionally by the host, such as the Romulus and Remus toy figures wrestling in the episode on the history of Rome. If you have Netflix, several of the episodes are available on streaming, and others are on Netflix DVD. You might want to rent them before purchasing to make sure your family will enjoy them. HTH. ETA: They have their own website if you're interested: http://www.drivethruhistory.com/ There are discussion guides and such in the downloads section.