I believe many schools use Mosdos, so I'd say the advertised levels are appropriate for an average reader in the target grade by age. But its more about the stories being appropriate for the maturity level of the reader, rather than the reader's vocabulary/synthesis/comprehension level. My DS is labeled an advanced reader but I've kept him at grade level in Mosdos for that reason. I want him to learn about literature from Mosdos material & our discussions, not necessarily stretch his reading level using Mosdos. (We stretch/build reading level in other ways.) Sorry, that's not a very clear answer, and I'm not familiar with the CLE lit program that you said you've used. Here is a sampling of the "word bank" vocabulary in the Grade 6 Pearl student book, which might help you evaluate reading level for your DC: endure, turret, siege, sallow, burnished, parched, supple, stupor, assimilated, stark, deftly. For those who may be wondering about the various "parts": If you want to use Mosdos as an almost-complete LA program (I think the only thing missing would be formal grammar), including in-depth vocabulary exercises and extensive creative writing assignments, you'd want the student text, student workbook and the teacher manual. But we don't use it that way, because DS is a bit asynchronous when it comes to the various aspects of LA. He's at different levels for reading and vocab vs. grammar and writing output. We use other curricula for the other parts of LA, and Mosdos just for exposure to quality literature in all the various genres at his interest/maturity level, and it is a gentle way to introduce literary terms & analysis. Here is some info based on Grade 6 Pearl: In the student text, every selection is preceded by a brief one-page "blueprint for reading" that gives background info, biographical info about the author, a high level summary, and, depending on the unit, a brief lesson about the various parts of a plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), or setting, or characterization through dialogue, etc. Following every selection, there is a "studying the selection" page with 3 - 5 review/comprehension questions, a few "focus" questions that are a little deeper about the selection, like "why do you think X happened?" or "how do you think X character was changed as a result of Y?" or comparing/contrasting the selection with a previous selection, and finally, a third section with 3 - 5 creative writing prompts related to the selection. Within each selection, there are small "word banks" at the bottom of the pages with brief definitions of vocabulary used in the selection that may be new to the reader. It's very unobtrusive though. Really, the books are beautifully organized and illustrated. (Mosdos books are visually very different from so many textbooks that are used nowadays.) There is a student workbook that can be used to turn Mosdos into a more complete LA program, if you choose. Here's the website's description of the workbook for level 6: "For every prose piece in the textbook, the workbook has vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, in-depth comprehension questions, and creative writing exercises. Twenty-five additional creative writing tasks incorporate the language arts components, and the facets of each literary genre. The workbook also offers twenty-five original, one-page, prose pieces with comprehensive questions, designed to prepare students for standardized tests." There are also test masters available but I've never looked at them. The teacher's edition is an annotated version of the student text. It includes possible answers to the student text questions and also the workbook answers. It also takes some things much further, as a classroom teacher might need to do, such as offering multi-level assignments for readers of varying abilities in the same class. I don't use the TE. I usually just read the assigned selection from the student text with my DS or read it on my own the night before he reads it, so we can discuss together. Barnes & Noble carries Mosdos, so that might be a good way to see them in real life if you have one of those stores nearby. Hope that helps!

Really, I wouldn't worry about teaching grammar concepts until at least 3rd grade. Just get them reading well and enjoying it. Re: the problem with not being able to use the "enter" key, if you're using Internet Explorer, try a different browser like Firefox or Chrome (both free). See thread below: Apparently there was an update recently so IE in conjunction with some forums has problems with the enter key. I switched to Firefox and now no problems! http://forums.welltr...ost-or-message/

DS really likes listening to SOTW audiobooks on his iPod. We've never read the actual books but DS thinks the audiobooks are an enjoyable supplement and I see them as a worthwhile, detailed history review for him. He retains & learns a lot from them just by listening during quiet time in his room or at bedtime. Listen to some samples here to see if you/your kids like the narrator's voice.

Just personal preference to spread it over 2 years. Once I realized how similar the 5/6 & 7/8 levels are to each other, and considering the high amount of review built-in, it made sense for my DS. This way I'll spend money on only 2 levels instead of 4 and get essentially the same concepts covered. Not much new is introduced between 5/6 and 7/8, although the complexity of the material is slightly higher in 6 & 8 vs. 5 & 7. My DS is strong in LA and just seems to "get" grammar concepts easily. There are around 110 - 120 lessons, and that's definitely doable in a year if you school 180 days and do 3 lessons per week. DS does one lesson per day on the days we do grammar and it takes him about 15 to 20 minutes per lesson. He does every other review problem (only odds, or only evens) in every lesson, BTW, and that's plenty of review for him.

I second Mosdos. High quality anthologies, strongly virtues-based but secular, so a particular Christian "flavor" isn't an issue. Expensive to buy new but holds its value very well for resale. This is one of the things my DS has adamantly asked for next year. He loves the stories.

The free one is a generous sample of the full Level 1 Visual Link program. If you like the free samples, sign up for their email newsletters. The various products/levels go on sale periodically and you'll get notified via the newsletters. BTW, we finally bought the downloaded version vs. using the online access version. We liked the online but it was frustrating at times. Now with the download stored on our computer we have less hiccups, much faster speed. I've seen others say the same.

Agreeing with PPs. Also, you might want to look for a small leather thumb/finger guard like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Leather-Thumb-Guard-Small-Made-in-USA/dp/B0002IY0HE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368291561&sr=8-2&keywords=whittling+thumb+guard

As an aside, Lindi, for you & others having the same problem with not being able to use the "enter" key, if you're using Internet Explorer, try a different browser like Firefox or Chrome (both free). See thread below: Apparently there was an update recently so IE in conjunction with some forums has problems with the enter key. I switched to Firefox and now no problems! http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/464401-any-special-reason-i-cant-use-the-enter-button-when-writing-a-post-or-message/

Doesn't the hardback teacher book cover all WWE levels? If you have that and don't mind coming up with your own sources, that's all you need. The paperback books, with student & teacher pages in one book, are by level, WWE1, WWE2, etc. The single volume hardback came out first. The 4 paperback student/teacher combo books came out later due to some customers wanting the sources/assignments all laid out for them. You really don't *need* both the hardback and paperback versions.

FWIW, DS had also used Spelling Workout as recommended by SWB before we completely dropped spelling. The higher levels of SWO teach vocab as well as spelling by introducing lots of Latin and Greek root words in the weekly lists. IMO, SWO is good for natural spellers who like efficiency/workbook learning.

We dropped spelling in 5th grade with our natural speller and did just straight vocab. By that age, spelling was just busywork for him. Any words he misspelled in his writing were added to a list for more practice/quizzing. That really increased his motivation to take the time to spell correctly. Over the entire school year, he only had about 15 - 18 words added to his list.

I didn't use the elementary levels of ES, and many seem not to enjoy those. However, my DS has really loved the logic stage ES earth/space and biology courses. I like having it all laid out and the fact that it is based on secular, widely-known and respected encyclopedias, rather than a single author who may or may not have written accurate science. My DS likes being able to work independently for lots of it. It has a schedule, discussion Q&A, vocabulary, quizzes, memory work, a weekly hands-on activity, and teaches the scientific method. It is highly flexible and adaptable. A younger child with a love of science and/or who has previously had wide science exposure (and wants more) can easily use the logic stage materials for higher level input, with less output required. Of course, if encyclopedia-based learning is not your thing, you won't like ES. It isn't the fault of the curriculum, just a mis-match of learning preferences.

FWIW, Hake 5 & 6 and then also 7 & 8 are very similar to each other. Our plan is to use Hake 5 spread over 2 years (started in 5th grade), then use Hake 8 spread over two years (starting in 7th grade), and then hopefully we'll be done with formal grammar instruction. (Looking back, if I had realized I would follow this plan, I would have used Hake 6 instead of 5 - those 2 levels teach different concepts in only 8 lessons out of 120+ lessons. I can't recall exactly, but levels 7 & 8 are that similar as well.)

Agreeing with the previous posters. I also see your husband's point. Belonging in/to a sports team does great things for some kids. If there must be a sport, how about trying a different one? Frankly, being good at and enjoying basketball takes a certain personality. More aggressive, physical contact. My DS can't do it. He just isn't wired that way. He loves to compete in certain sports, but basketball isn't his thing. (He prefers the more "gentleman-ly" sport of baseball most.) Maybe volleyball? Softball?

I get that. Homeschool-friendly secular science is hard to find. But as a secular homeschooler, I'd rather my high-schooler use good, introductory college textbooks for non-science majors than use Apologia in high school. Maybe something like that (a college text) could be included in your options as an alternative for them to see.

I think the author of Getting Started With Spanish recommends doing the Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish as a follow-up or alongside GSWS, so you might try going through GSWS first. You can do more than one lesson per day of GSWS, especially at the beginning, if it seems too easy. Or skip ahead in GSWS until you get to stuff that's new to your DS. Then pick back up with the PMP workbook. Re: the DVDs, I guess it just depends on your preference or your DS's learning style (visual vs. auditory). We have DVDs around the house, like the Stuart Little movies, that have the option of Spanish or French voices in the DVD's play options. You might also check your library to see if they have any DVDs available with Spanish subtitles or Spanish-dubbed voices.

They're telling you that because they want to sell it to you. :coolgleamA: IMO, doing both TWSS and SWI is redundant for most people. TWSS teaches you how to teach it and then you come up with your own resources/assignments, or use a theme unit. Or you can watch SWI with your child, learn it with them, and use the laid-out assignments. TWSS was their original product. Then they came out with SWIs because people like me wanted more hand-holding and didn't want to have to come up with the assignments on our own. You really don't need both unless you're extremely uncomfortable teaching writing.

I really don't think you'd want to include Apologia if your target audience is secular. Some of the other non-secular items on your list can be used in a secular way, but you just can't do that with Apologia, IMO. A few more ideas: Elemental Science, Wordly Wise Vocabulary, Garlic Press (grammar/diagramming, literature), Mark Kistler (drawing)

If it's a vocabulary issue, one thing you might consider (if you haven't already) is an e-reader with a built-in dictionary. Getting my son a Kindle helped a ton with that. You just highlight the word you're unfamiliar with and a secondary screen pops up that tells you that word's definition. Yes, he could get up and look up the word in an actual dictionary, or even just ask me if I happen to be nearby, but the reality is he never did that with a real book. Took too long and disrupted the flow of his reading. With the Kindle, it's touch the word, instantly see the definition, understand the passage, keep reading. It's not my ideal but it works. He's reading and now those new words are learned in context instead of being skipped. If cost is a concern, beyond the actual price of the e-reader itself, there are many, many free books for Kindles. Also, our local library is part of a network that lets us borrow an amazing number of books for free on the Kindle.

Thanks for the reminder! I actually bought a copy a couple of months ago, read the first few chapters - which I liked, well-written - and then set it aside and forgot about it (embarassing). I remember thinking it'll make a great spine for DS when he does American History again in 8th grade. (I think this means I have a book-buying compulsion - I don't even plan to use it for a couple of years, LOL.)

I second The Complete Book of US History. Although it is brief and very much a high level overview, it was a good spine for us. We used it with added historical fiction and Netflix videos, not much written output. It was a great history study for us. K12 recently came out with their own concise version of Hakim's History of US. It is secular. Four volumes. K12 uses it in 5th & 6th grade. May not fit your definition of lively and engaging though. You can buy those and the student pages/TMs on the used market easily. There's also the Sonlight history booklist/core that covers American History (Core D?). Easy to secularize by leaving out the books you don't want, and the Christian viewpoint that is present in the TM is easy to skip.

Thank you both for sharing your real-life experiences. This helps. This is why I love these boards!

Seconding Visual Link Spanish. Hugely effective here. Also, Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish workbook - there are others in the series but we haven't got to them yet Getting Started With Spanish and also here (free audio files are excellent supplements to the book) free Salsa cartoon episodes (each episode has a related PDF transcript and activity) watch favorite/familiar DVDs in Spanish instead of English

What is the age of the children you asking for? Probably more options for older kids. Secular or not?

Still thinking about this. In the catalog, they refer to logic, not actually math, using Saxon. The catalog also says "Students bring in questions from the previous week's material to discuss in class. Tutors answer questions and introduce concepts from the next four lessons." Your experience, referring to the class as not highly participatory, seems to not reflect what they advertise in the catalog. It sounds like parents are expected to be highly involved in actively teaching math outside of the CC class time, but I'm also hearing that there isn't much time within the 30 week course to do much math in addition to what CC covers. Thoughts regarding your experience?