Hmmm... I can't really think of a great American Lit. + writing program that is largely self-directed. Maybe you and DS together could come up with a booklist of interest, look for individual lit. guides? And then decide on writing assignments that would be useful for him now, and in his future adult life. A few assignments could be about lit. from the booklist, but what about including some real-life writing? Or, go with several of the Lantern English advanced writing classes, and outsource?

A high school English credit is often 1/2 Lit. + 1/2 Writing, but there are certainly options. What would he be interested in reading/digging into for literature? A focused topic such as works from the Sci-Fi genre? Or Ancient Lit.? Or World authors? Or would he prefer doing all-writing for the English credit, and doing something like a Journalism program?

Well, if she is mature enough to handle dual enrollment, DS#2 here did ASL for 2 semesters in 12th grade as his foreign language. He went on to continue at the community college and completed 2 of the 3 years required for the AAS degree before deciding that was not the career he wanted. If your DD is not willing to work for mom, then I would definitely outsource it as an actual class, and preferably in-person, rather than an online course. Perhaps check and see if one of the high schools in your area offers it, and see if their policy allows homeschoolers to take a single class with the school? (Although, it sounds like from your post above that may not work.) Or, see if locally in some other way ASL is offered as a class -- maybe through Parks & Rec, or even a college student you could hire as a tutor for a 2x/week lesson (like someone taking music lessons or martial arts)?? Life Print is the only thing I see recommended on these boards for ASL -- but it is self-paced, so if she is unmotivated, and doesn't respond to mom scheduling/pushing, I really wouldn't recommend that... Plus, there is no interactive element, which really is a must (IMO) for ASL or any foreign language. And, if she DOES do it as a DE course at the CC, and hates it or is falling behind, you can have her withdraw for a W on the transcript, which is "no harm no foul" -- you just need to keep a close eye on the CC's schedule for the deadline to withdraw.

^^ That was my thought as well. (@Farrar's input and suggested alternatives.)

Totally JMO: I absolutely get that need to reestablish social outside the home aspect this past year, and that academics took a bit of a hit as a result. And for your DS10, that's not going to be a big deal. It won't be hard to pick up writing next year, and you can probably use whatever you want. Really, consistency is going to be your best friend -- whatever you use, just make sure you are doing SOME writing every school day for about 20-30 minutes to build up those writing "muscles" (lol). If he was enjoying Wordsmith Apprentice, then great, go ahead and finish it, as it is easy to do. But I would also be looking at something you can implement daily that will work on things like, what is a complete paragraph, and the writing process (brainstorm, organize, rough draft write, revise, proof-edit). The IEW method of breaking those 5 stages of the process down and doing one stage a day over the course of the week yields a paragraph a week. And you can even knock out longer multi-paragraph pieces of writing by doing the next paragraph the next week, etc. It's amazing how you can "eat that elephant" by tackling it in one consistent "bite" of writing every day... 😉 re: Brave Writer I think you have to be a certain kind of student and a certain kind of parent/teacher for their stuff to work. I have the Help for High School program, and In some ways, I feel like there's just so.much.talking in the program, rather than just getting down to it and DOING the writing. lol. But some people really do better with all of the prep/pep talk about writing, and it gives them a context. So, YMMV. 😉 re: Wordsmith Did your DD click with that? Or do you feel she needed something more formal in explanation? If she clicked with Wordsmith, then I might suggest Jump In, which is a more in-depth program, written to the student, that focuses on helping students figure out what to say, and how to organize their thoughts. It goes from single complete paragraphs into multi-paragraph essays in the 4 areas of writing: descriptive, narrative, expository (factual/report), and persuasive (opinion/argumentative) with a wide variety of writing assignments, and not just essays. (assignments include: a process ("how to") paper; persuasive essay; book report; news article; compare & contrast paper; cause & effect; report with citations) Here's the Cathy Duffy review. re: "knowing how" to write an essay If what DD is really looking for is specific "how to write an essay" type of program, you might look at @wendyroo's suggestion ofLantern English. For your 8th grader, I'd say go with the "Essay Basics" series of classes (Essay Basics; Essay Basics Practice; Growing the Essay I; Growing the Essay II; Growing the Essay Practice). Each class runs 8 weeks, is $60, and does provide instructor feedback. It is more of a self-paced "correspondence class" style of class, so no live interactions. Each of the classes in the series focuses on different important aspects of writing (like planning/organizing, or rough drafting, or revising)-- which are important transferrable skills to ANY kind of writing assignment (it just happens to be context of essay writing here). Enrollment starts July 17 for the first session (Aug. 20-Oct. 8)of the 2023-2024 year. They also have a summer session, so you could finish that 5th class next summer, which would complete the essay series just in time for starting 9th grade the following year. re: fun writing projects Again, Brave Writer doesn't quite click for me due to not as much clear, direct instruction and explanations, but if it works well for your DD, sure, that could be a great way to get back into your school year for 8th grade. Once she's back in the regular routine of daily writing with those type of fun projects in the fall semester, then maybe use the spring semester to focus on solid "formal" writing in prep for high school. Just an idea. 😉 Another "fun" option for 8th grade, especially if she is a bit inclined towards creative writing, is the full-year program, Cover Story. Here's the Cathy Duffy review. Cover Story has DVD lessons, which might be a bonus for a dyslexic student who struggles to read or to get full comprehension from written instruction (such as with Wordsmith or Jump In).

Looks like a narrower kitchen that is almost like a hallway? How about: 1. photo 3 -- replace that metal shelving between the 2 doorways with upper/lower cabinets and a counter top, and install electrical outlet there so the appliances on the counters by your sink can go there -- like a little serving buffet almost -- and dishes, mixing bowls, cookware, etc. could go in those new cupboards 2. photo #4 -- then you would have freed up existing counter space by the sink for food prep near the sink & stove, and all of your spices and frequently used food items for food prep could go in those cupboards for easy access 3. photo #2 -- I can't really tell what's behind the metal shelves that are next to the table -- is that a window overlooking an outdoor porch, or a glass door to another room of the house? If the later, could that glass door be removed, and the space behind be converted into a nice-sized pantry? 4. replace low hanging light with a ceiling fan + light, so you can cool air in the kitchen without needing a giant floor fan taking up space Agreeing that the built in china cupboards on either side of the radiator, and having "nook" table & chairs look nice there, since you can't really take out the radiator and AC unit from the window to create another cupboard/counter top there...

Gotcha. I confused you with a different poster with 4 children, all young. 😉 Sounds like you have a solid plan! (And, I feel your pain re: cost of a new AC unit. Two years ago, we unexpectedly had to spend $10K on a new AC/heat pac. Granted, the old was 20yo, but still... not a fun cost to have to absorb!)

Sounds like your DS is beyond the level of Wordsmith Apprentice, BUT, it could still be a fun supplement -- something to work on once a week, for example. Or as a unit every so often as a fun break from focusing on formal writing. 😉

"Fit" beats saving money every time for me. Just my experience: DS#1 (math-minded) and DS#2 (math struggler) were SO completely different in their math abilities and what program worked for each, that saving money by reusing would not have been an option, in order for DS#2 to actually learn math -- esp. in the early elementary grades. (I had to go through 5 programs in 4 years to find what worked for DS#2.) So I personally would NOT reuse for a younger student unless the program was a GOOD fit for that younger student. If the fit was only "okay" and a different math program would be a really GOOD fit and more interesting for the younger student, "fit" still beats out saving money for me. If money is very very tight, then what about possibly borrowing the "good-fit" math program from a fellow homeschooler. Or buying used, even if it's not your favorite way to go. If, on the other hand, you feel that from what you have seen of younger student and his ability with the way math is presented in Abeka Grade 1, and you feel that would click for that student -- sure, reuse. But do so knowing you'll likely hit that spot again of wanting to transfer that younger student to Dimensions for grade 2... And then there will still be students #3 and #4 to consider how they will fit with Abeka grade 1 + switch to Dimensions grade 2... And I can almost guarantee that with 4 students, SOMEone is going to need yet a completely DIFFERENT program all the way through for Math... 😉

It would like like he took coursework towards an Associate's degree, and other classes via homeschooling towards high school graduation. 😉 The potential future university will count the DE however they normally count transfer credits -- if the tech courses specifically are the ones that match up towards a degree, then those DE courses will end up doing triple duty for your DS: - credit for high school Elective or Computer - credit for community college Associate degree program requiring those specific courses - credit for university degree program requiring those specific courses. Or, if the potential university does not require those specific courses towards a degree program, then those credits will be transferred in by the university as "electives," even though they counted towards the Associate degree as specific required credits. Sure, if in his 12th grade year you really don't WANT to do a Science or Social Studies credit at home, you can outsource and do it as DE at the CC. And do double duty by making sure to pick specific courses that could transfer as gen. ed credits accepted towards a degree program for potential future university. But also totally fine to continue doing credits at home. That aside 😉 ... If what you are asking is "would a 4-year university think it is weird or unbalanced that a student only took tech courses and Writing 101 for DE" ... No, I doubt the university would bat an eye at it. Students come in with all kinds of collections of courses and credits. Some will transfer and count towards a 4-year degree, and the others will be counted as "electives". For example, that Math 110, while needed for the Associate's degree, may only be counted as an elective by a future 4-year school , unless it is the specific College Algebra course that is frequently required by many universities as part of the specific gen. ed. coursework required for degree programs. If it were me, I'd have DS take 1 DE class in the fall, see how it goes, and see if his future interests/goals have changed or not, and take it semester by semester for his last 2 years of high school. 😄

Similar to the thinking of some of the above posters... Just because a student loves a particular class in a particular subject area doesn't mean that the student would love to WORK in that field as a career. It sounds like the extroversion and working with people is going to be really key for this young lady to have a meaningful work environment. Doing a Work Values Survey is very helpful for deciding on what are the top 3-5 most important things you want out of a job so that work has value and meaning and purpose to YOU. That is going to be different for every person. For generating ideas of occupations that involve working with people (extroversion), you might look at the "Assess Yourself" tool at the New York Career Zone website. That allows you to input your top 3 interest areas, and when you click on "View Occupations", a list is generated for you, with 3 stars most closely matching the 3 interest areas, and 1 star only matching somewhat. The Zone 1 to Zone 5 indicates how little (zone 1) or much (zone 5) education and training is required for the job. Note that to see the complete list under each "zone", you click the "See all ___ # of matching occupations in this zone. Beside each occupation is also the 1, 2, or 3 letters that match the occupation to the interest areas entered into the search engine. So, your DD would possibly focus on the jobs that just have an "S" next to the job listing. Or possibly "S I" (Social and Investigative) which would match both her extroversion (Social = working with people), and her STEM interest (Investigative = jobs with analyzing, learning, problem-solving as a major component -- often the sciences). Rearranging the order of the same 3 interests generates different ideas, as does inputting the same first 2 letters in the same order, but then inputting a different 3rd letter as the 3rd interest area. Mostly, this can be a helpful tool for generating occupation ideas -- often in areas you might not have initially thought of. 😄

Specifically to help with writing across the curriculum, here's a past thread: "Writing across the curriculum - coming up with ideas?" Also, unfortunately a SUPER past thread on this topic is no longer accessible, but I had saved my responses, and I am posting parts of that below in case it helps. The poster I was responding to had late middle school/early high school aged students, and had actually tried to implement The Writing Revolution, but wasn't having much success. My responses were geared for that older age range of student, so this may not be as helpful for you at this stage as you implement parts of TWR at the beginning stages of writing. ______________________ re: how to NOT overdo it Well, I went for time, not # of assignments. So I shot for 30-45 min/session, 4 sessions/week. We worked until the assignment was completed -- that might be 1 day, or 1 week, or 8 weeks. And that yielded the amount of completed assignments that was a fit for each student. I just readjusted here and there as needed -- added a short assignment to fill if we got done sooner than I thought (like, add a reader response paragraph to a prompt about the literature) -- or I would drop an assignment if we were needing more weeks to slowly plod through doing a multi-page research paper than what I thought we were going to do. It's about QUALITY, NOT quantity. And working at the pace that allows each student to succeed at moving forward in writing. When homeschooling my own DSs, I didn't hesitate to use the IEW method of "a small bite a day" -- so we would spread a 1-paragraph assignment into small bites, with one bite per day -- in middle school, taking multiple days to do 1 paragraph to polished completion: day 1 = brainstorm + organize into a key-word outline (I was heavily scaffolding here) day 2 = rough draft from their key-word outline (students most wrote solo) day 3 = revision (I was heavily scaffolding here) and proof edit (I was lightly involved here) As they gained maturity, experience, and speed, we could shorten that 1 paragraph up into 1 day, in 2 sessions (9th grade and up): morning: brainstorm, organize, rough draft write afternoon: revise, proof-edit As they gained writing stamina, we started work on longer assignments (3-5 paragraphs), and we went back to 1 day per stage of writing. Later in the high school years, as they gained speed and endurance, we could shorted up those multi-paragraph assignments from 1 full week into 1-2 days. When it came time for multi-page writing, we would take several weeks to slowly, at DSs' unique paces, work on the piece of writing till it was polished and done. Again, that went from late middle school taking 6-8 weeks, to late high school taking about 1-2 weeks. And in all of that, YMMV due to individual student ability. ______________________ re: How do I know what is age-appropriate? This is more based on where are they in their thinking skills rather than specific age or grade. If a child is only in the beginning "logic stage" and doesn't have a lot of abstract reasoning developed yet, then argumentative writing and literary analysis essays which require making a "debatable claim" and supporting it with an argument of points supported by examples is going to be extremely tough for them -- they just don't have the skills for it. Just from my experience with lots of different students in my classes, I'd say the average writer is just beginning to be ready for this type of writing along about grade 8 or 9. However, I've had 10th and 11th graders who aren't close to having the switch flip yet, and I've had 6th-7th graders already well-developed in this type of thinking and writing. It's a very individual maturing process. So if the student is not ready for that type of assignment, spend the year on solid paragraph structure, getting used to going over the SAME paper MULTIPLE TIMES (lol), expository (factual) writing with citations, getting solid with formatting and how to set up the word processing document in format (margins, indents, type size and spacing, left justified, upper left heading, upper right automatic page numbering, centered title, what gets italicized and what is put in quotation marks, etc.). Do some real-life writing (it has purpose and meaning!); develop writing skills where they have an opinion -- AND support it with examples, facts, etc. -- the "because" from The Writing Revolution. Also, a student can do more than you might guess, when given good scaffolding throughout the process. I can't tutor each of my class students through the process so sometimes I'm asking those remedial students to jump a wider gap than they are capable of. When I see they are struggling, I shorten the assignment or adapt it to something that requires less abstract thinking. Also, I try and provide a ton of written feedback on their papers with examples of what I mean -- then for later papers I can say "look back at that previous paper for an idea of what that looks". Example of feedback: "You're missing a sentence of commentary here that explains how/why this example from the book supports or shows your point in this paragraph; one way you might do that is a sentence that says something like this: ____________." ______________________ re: helping to develop abstract thinking to be able to build supported arguments The one thing I did from grades 8-12, almost every single week, was an idea I got from @8filltheheart, which was practicing timed essay writing. That one thing helped them get solid at building a supported argument (make a claim about the essay prompt, then support with points, with each point supported by facts and examples). Being timed meant they knew they didn't have to write very long (both DSs always hated writing) -- but it also helped them learn to think quickly. And because we did NOT grade these, AND we all 3 did them together, it took a lot of stress off. It actually got to be kind of fun -- I'm a naturally writer, but tend to be extremely wordy, and once DSs figured out how to build an argument, they got quite good at completing an essay, while I'd get caught by the timer only halfway through. 😄 Also, we started small (10 minutes, one complete 1 paragraph with intro sentence stating your position, a few sentences of support for your position, and a concluding sentence). And over about 1.5-2 years we built up to 25 minutes, 3-5 paragraphs. Along the way, we would add a new element to include and practice (like, add a hook; add time & length; add detail sentences; add commentary sentences; leave yourself 2 minutes at the end to go back and do a quick proof-edit; etc.) So our overall Writing process when DSs were in grades 8-12 was that we worked through excerpts of various writing programs and did our own writing assignments, working for about 30-45 min./day on 4 days/week, and the 5th day we did the timed essay writing. Also, we discussed everything all through the years just as part of our daily life. As DSs got older, we would have them support their thoughts and opinions -- "Interesting opinion... What facts or examples support your opinion?" -- (Or, fill in the "because _______" in terms of The Writing Revolution.) So anything that helps students have an opinion and have to support it is great. That can be logic materials, debate materials/prompts, etc. Bottom line: good writing comes out of good THINKING. If you can't think and build a structured, detailed discussion or argument, you're most likely not going to be about to WRITE well. ______________________ poster said: ... I loved Writing Revolution but failed at implementing it. At least I think I did. Are there any other books that might help? I have the WTM Instructor Text... My kids are going to be in 8th and 9th... my response: I've never yet found a book that has most everything I need to teach writing for the middle/high school levels... I don't know your children and their specific abilities/needs with writing, BUT... if I were going to do writing across the curriculum, esp. for the late middle school/early high school ages which is the critical time for solidifying writing skills -- I would start with an overall plan or set of goals for moving forward with writing, plus types of writing assignments I wanted to accomplish, and then plug in the different subject areas as they fit in with the overall writing plan. So, plan your writing FIRST, and then do specific assignments in different subject areas as they fit in well with your WRITING goals and schedule. For example, for the Writing portion of my Lit. & Comp. co-op classes my goals re: assignments is to shoot for: 1. assignments in all 4 areas of writing (Descriptive; Narrative; Expository; Persuasive) 2. assignments of different lengths ( complete sentence;; complete paragraph; multi-paragraph; multi-page) 3. assignments of different types 4. assignments that strengthen real-life writing that they will use all of their lives

As you noted, Writing Revolution is a (classroom) teacher resource, rather than a program with schedule, assignments, and instruction "bites" in a lesson plan. When I read through TWR, I found 2-3 small, specific tips/techniques that were helpful for me in teaching writing to my homeschool co-op classes. But because I had been doing a ton of research on teaching writing, and had a wide variety of learner types at different levels of writing, I had already pretty much developed my own process for teaching writing (which has some overlap in approach with TWR). So that's most likely why The Writing Revolution wasn't revolutionary (lol) for me, or had much to add to what I had already figured out. 😉 However, I could see how TRW could be a useful resource for someone who is earlier in the process of learning how to teach writing -- to come back to TWR every so often and work on an element at a time, in conjunction with using a more scheduled writing program. Note that some of the material in TWR is for middle/high school age students (for analysis, developing a thesis, and creating an argument of support), whose brains have matured in the critical thinking and logic/analysis skills areas needed for those more complex types of writing. So you would need to pick out the parts of TWR that are appropriate and useful to your DD's current level of writing, and then circle back around in a few years, and use some of parts of TWR that are geared for more advanced thinking/writing. Writing across the curriculum is a great idea. Also, your DD's age is an ideal time to have fun with all kinds of writing assignments: - make your own family newsletter - blog entries - design a poster or brochure - short book and movie reviews - write out recipes - personal recipes - creative writing (if enjoyable to DD) -- poetry, work on a story - give a presentation on how to do or make something 100 Writing Lessons: Narrative, Descriptive, Expository, Persuasive (MacCarthy) -- has lots of ideas for interesting writing assignment ideas And, if DD enjoyed MCT's Island, she might also really enjoy Wordsmith Apprentice -- gentle, informal, written to the student with a silly/fun "cub reporter" theme. Can be done in as small/big a "bite" per day as you want, and can be picked up/put down easily and used as a supplement. BEST of luck in your writing adventures! Warmest regards, Lori D.

In general, my experience (from homeschooling my own DSs and teaching writing over the years at our homeschool co-op) has been that essay writing (as in a piece of writing that makes a claim or contention (thesis) and develops an argument of support for that thesis) requires more matured critical thinking, logic, and analysis brain development, which doesn't tend to happen until somewhere between ages 12-14 (depending on the student). So that is probably not the type of writing I would focus on for a 5th grader, especially as you say this is a reluctant writer. For a reluctant writer rising 5th grader, I would focus on: 1. writing as a multi-step process (brainstorm, organize, rough draft, revise, proof-edit), done over the course of a week -- so a stage or two per day to get comfortable with the reality that you come back to the piece of writing a number of times and don't expect to just), complete paragraphs, writing 2. writing complete paragraphs 3. doing a wide variety of writing assignments: • various lengths -- some as short as lists and others as long as a long paragraph • for various audiences/purposes -- an informal letter, a news article, a book review, an oral report/presentation, a short history/science report, create a flyer or brochure or poster, etc. • using the 4 types of writing -- descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive I would also carefully consider what resources I used and make sure it was a good fit for the student. For example: I had a reluctant writer (disliked writing) and a struggling writer (mild LDs in spelling and writing), and while SWB's formal writing instruction program series of Writing With Ease / Writing with Skill works for many, it would absolutely have KILLED any potential future willingness to write for both of my DSs (for different reasons). On the other hand, both DSs really enjoyed Wordsmith Apprentice. It was gentle, written to the student, and we could do as small/big a "bite" per day as you wish. It takes students from words/phrases and complete sentences to complete paragraphs. It covers all 4 types of writing. It has a silly "cub reporter" theme that really appealed to DSs, and it sparked an actual enjoyment of writing that year. However, YMMV, and all that is just my 2 cents worth. BEST of luck in finding what is the best fit for your family. Warmest regards, Lori D.

Thank you so much for adding those details! 😄 And, SO glad to hear you are in a better-fitting job now! 😄

I was thinking of your DD when I listed OT asst. 😉 SO good to hear it is continuing to be a great fit for her! 😄 As a side note, many STEM and medical jobs are NOT be part-time or flexible. For example, you might talk to @dirty ethel rackham about her journey of finding a good fit for place of employment after getting her training and Associate's in diagnostic sonography -- it sounds like part-time and flexible hours have not been an option.

A number of medical areas have a high degree of interaction with people (patients/clients), but don't involve Chemistry: 2-year Associate degree: Occupational Therapy Assistant Physical Therapy Assistant Respiratory Therapist Diagnostic Sonographer Radiologic and MRI Technologist Cardiovascular Technologist/Technician Dental Hygienist Bachelor's degree: Recreational Therapist Speech-Language Pathology Assistant These medical fields work with Chemistry, but not much with people: Chemist / Materials Scientist -- Bachelor's degree Chemical Engineer -- Bachelor's degree Environmental Scientist/Specialist -- Bachelor's degree Biological Technician -- Bachelor's degree Clinical Lab Technologist/Technician -- Bachelor's degree Nuclear Medicine Technologist -- Associate's degree General STEM fields that might fit an extrovert: Environmental Engineer -- Bachelor's degree analyzes environmental impact and hazards; uses chemistry, biology, and engineering; interacts with other professionals (city planners, lawyers, businesses, etc.) Natural Sciences Manager -- Bachelor's degree supervises the work of chemists, physicists, biologists

If it's a competent writer, what is the need to *increase* the writing output? A few longer papers to go with your AP and lit. sounds fine. Rather than manufacture meaningless and needless writing assignments, what about looking more closely at what his potential post-high school path may be, and gear a few writing assignments to prep for that? A few real-life writing ideas: - resume & cover letter - business letter (a letter of... thanks, request, commendation, complaint, etc.) - oral presentation with slideshow (frequent requirement in many college classes these days, and a skill often needed at career jobs) - "email etiquette" -- formal email with attachment, as one would write to contact a hiring manager, boss, or college professor - blog article or news article -- in some workplace jobs, ability to contribute to a company newsletter is a bonus skill - personal essay for scholarship or college application What about letters to the editor or "op-ed" pieces on topics he has a personal interest in? But, if you really feel regular short pieces of writing are needed, what about honing thinking/argumentative writing skills once a week through having you BOTH pick an old SAT essay prompt** to write about? ( It is often far more engaging for an unenthusiastic writer if you are both doing it and can discuss together. 😉 ) You could focus on different aspects of essay structure each time, and gently critique each other's essay. If occasionally a topic is of high interest, take time to research more and turn a short 5-paragraph essay into a longer, researched piece of writing. ** scroll down this linked page to the "SAT Prompts" clickable link, which opens up links to past SAT prompts from 2006-2015.

Although it's written in "educator-ese", you could also look at the World Book Typical Course of Study for each grade level -- specifically the LA areas. Those lists are very broad scope of the general U.S. public school system. BTW -- I completely DISAGREE with schools with a scope of introducing and pushing Writing (length and types of writing) into such young elementary grades where it is completely NOT developmentally appropriate. JMO. ETA -- specifically about developing Writing, I suggest looking at @8filltheheart's posts in this old thread, where she lays out her progression of teaching writing over the years ( @8filltheheart created and sold a wonderful grade 3-5 writing program, Treasured Conversations, for a number of years):

Here's one that is very BROAD and GENERAL for the AVERAGE student. Adapt as is needed: Overview of LA/English Skills by Grade grades K-1 - Reading (phonics, learn to read program; progresses to simple readers - student reads aloud to parent) - Read Alouds (parent reads aloud/audio books, from quality books at/above student's reading level) - Handwriting (penmanship / copywork; learning to print letters of the alphabet and numbers) - Phonics (in support of Reading) grades 1-2 - Reading (student begins to read quality books at grade level, some solo, some as "buddy reading: you read a page, I read a page") - Read Alouds (parent reads aloud/audio books, from quality books at/above student's reading level) - Handwriting (penmanship / copywork -- manuscript / printing instruction and practice) - Phonics (in support of Reading -- and Spelling, if doing optional Spelling) optional: - Solo Read (10-15 min.., "book basket" choices to aid fluency and/or support other subjects) - Free Read (as child CHOOSES in free time -- books, magazines, etc. of personal interest to CHILD, at reading level desired by CHILD) - Spelling (basic phonics/vowel patterns; basic word families and "sight words") - Writing (what is a sentence; short ORAL narration; optional creative writing) - Grammar (capitalization, punctuation -- note, formal Grammar can wait to be introduced between grade 3-5) grades 3-4- Reading (build reading confidence, practice for fluency and stamina, begin to read for content subjects) - Read Alouds (as above) - Handwriting (cursive instruction and practice) - Writing (sentences; narration, beginning free writing/journal writing, short reports, letters, everyday writing, etc.; creative writing optional) - Spelling (vowel patterns; beginning syllabication; word endings, prefixes, compound words, etc.) optional: - Solo Read (15-30 min.., as above) - Free Read (as above, as child CHOOSES) - Grammar (parts of speech, grammar mechanics, beginning grammar usage, etc.; can wait until grade 5, or do in alternate grades 4, 6, 8 ) - Vocabulary grades 5-6 - Reading (building in complexity and comprehension; reading for content subjects) - Read Alouds / optional: Solo Read / optional: Free Read - Typing (if Handwriting practice is no longer needed, learn "touch typing" to facilitate writing future papers) - Writing (beginning paragraphs; 3 of the 4 types of writing: Descriptive, Narrative, Expository; exposure to news article writing; variety of writing/length) - Grammar (beginning diagramming, types of sentences, more complex sentence structures, punctuation,) - Spelling (homophones, multi-syllable words, "tricky" letter sounds and letter pairs, etc.) optional: - Solo Read (30-40 min.., as above) - Free Read (as above) - Vocabulary (Greek/Latin roots; vocabulary from reading; etc.) grades 7-8 - Literature (beginning to read some classics with beginning, gentle literary terms and analysis) - Writing (essay structure; short multi-paragraph essays; introduce 4th writing type -- Persuasive; variety of assignments/lengths; optional creative writing) - Grammar (diagramming, phrases, clauses, modifiers, subject/verb & pronoun/antecedent agreements, grammar usage, etc.) - Spelling and/or Vocabulary (if Spelling still needed; can combine with Vocabulary--or switch to just Vocabulary) optional: - Solo Read (45 min.., as above) - Free Read (as above) grades 9-12 = English credit - Literature (read, discuss, analyze, write about classics — novels, novellas short stories, poetry, essays, plays) - Writing (multi-page essays of all types, research papers with citations, real-life/business writing, oral Power Point presentations, etc.) - Speech/Public Speaking (research, write, prepare, and give different types of oral presentations in front of a group) optional: - Vocabulary (from Literature; Greek/Latin roots, ACT/SAT test prep) - Grammar (possible light review, or if needed in support of strengthening writing, and for revising and proof-editing writing) - Read Aloud (do some Literature together; enjoy family "reader's theater" of classic plays, share enjoyable or important books or books to encourage/challenge, or books just for fun)

I know. I totally cringed too, when I realized DS never used the single set of dishware and utensils I sent, but instead bought STYROFOAM disposable plates and plastic utensils from Walmart and used those so he wouldn't have to wash just those few dishes when he did the meal or two a week that was NOT part of his meal plan. ::fainting emoji:: And as a family we always worked hard to be environmentally sound and discuss that with DSs... Just sayin' that they WILL make their own choices once they're on their own, and sometimes those are NOT the choices you would have thought... 😱😩

Here are 2 threads from PAGE 1 of the big pinned thread, "College Motherlode", at the top of the WTM college board: COLLEGE VISITS What to ask or look forQuestions to ask when touring universitiesWhat to ask at a college visit Here are articles with checklists of questions: "College Visits Checklist and Questionaire" -- Taming the High Cost of College website "100 Questions to Ask on a College Visit" -- Cappex website And a bunch more articles came up when I did an online search for "what to ask and look for on a college visit". Hopefully others will jump in with specific experiences that will also help you. And, welcome to the "getting ready to launch" stage of homeschooling! 😉 Warmest regards, Lori D.

Since you haven't had any more responses, I'll throw in a few of our experiences specifically about these questions. 😉 Both of my guys tend to be "minimalists". When DS#1 went to college, I didn't send tons of stuff, but it turned out that I did send more with him than he needed or ever used, so if your DS is also a streamlined living kind of guy, he may not need a lot more than the basics. re: basics A good, comfy backpack got used daily. Also, an inexpensive wheeled, plastic drawer unit along the lines of this did double-duty as a night stand and holding all of the odds and ends. re: cleaning supplies Items that got used regularly: a kitchen trash can + bags and paper towels. Realistically, I think a lot of cleaning supplies only end up getting used at the end of each semester, when rooms have to pass muster by the RA before students can check out and not have to pay a cleaning fee, lol. BUT: DS did at least a few times have to use: - toilet brush and cleaner - scrubbing bubbles or other for shower and sink - a "stick" vacuum cleaner re: things that turned out to be necessities He ended up getting sick several times (germs pass around campus a lot), so sending cold and flu supplies is a good idea. He asked for a long board (type of skateboard) that first Christmas (end of 1st semester at college), and he used that for getting around campus faster for the rest of his college time -- it was a smaller, self-contained campus with no restaurants or businesses within easy biking distance (needed to drive). So you may want to think about whether or not your DS will need anything other than walking shoes for getting around at his campus, or if a bike would also be useful if he won't have a car AND if there are places near campus that he would go to off and on -- like for haircuts, restaurant for variety in food, Walmart for various snacks and supplies, etc. DS#1's second year in the dorm, he ended up with a snoring roommate, and I shipped him a container of foam sleeping ear plugs. But, stuff like that, you never know until it happens, so you can just wait and ship odds and ends as needed. re: food and kitchen DS#1 never did make any food in his dorm room except for reheating the occasional frozen or box dinner out of his fridge. He had a meal plan and used that almost all of the time. Does your DS like to cook for himself and is planning on cooking at college? If not, then I wouldn't bother with kitchen ware other than what he needs for microwaving (like paper plates and napkins), plus a few ziplock bags for storing leftovers in the fridge. (I would normally use a plate or bowl for microwaving and plastic storage containers for the fridge, but that adds the layer of washing dishes, which DS#1 didn't want to do -- he just wanted disposable.) I sent a small cutting board and kitchen knife, a pyrex measuring cup, and a single bowl/plate/set of silverware for kitchen use -- I don't think DS every used them, lol. If your DS is sharing the kitchen portion of the dorm with another guy, they can coordinate and each buy/bring ONE, to split the cost -- unless there is the SPACE, and they each NEED and WANT to have their own private fridge and microwave. re: linens Check the college website, but MANY MANY dorms have the extra-long twin mattresses, so you'll need to buy sheets that fit. re: laundry A lot of times now that is paid for with an app, but some campuses still have coin operated, so he will need a roll of quarters if that is the case. Also he'll need laundry supplies -- a bag of those laundry packets and a ziplock with a handful of dryer sheets, plus a sturdy laundry bag that is tote-able to get to/from the laundry facility. Having 2 sets of towels is nice to extend the times between having to do laundry, and enough shirts, socks and underwear to be able to go up to 2 weeks between laundry was what worked for a lot of the guys on campus, so they only needed to do laundry about half a dozen times during the semester. 😉 re: electronics Phone, laptop and/or tablet, earbuds or headphones will be needed, plus all of the power cords and connecting cords -- and a power strip and an extra charger will be needed. A printer is often not needed anymore as many campuses have everything turned in electronically, or have a printer that students can pay to use for the rare print job. Hopefully others will throw in their experiences for you. 😄 Warmest regards, Lori D.

See the list of credits I posted up-thread. That is the floor for basic college prep to a standard (non top tier / non selective or competitive) college.

Check the college's website first. They often have a list of what to bring, but also esp. what NOT to bring/what is not allowed in dorm rooms. Then check out PAGE 5 of the big pinned thread "College Motherlode" at the top of the WTM College Board Packing / what to bring to collegeGwen’s complete college supply listWhat to bring to college What to take to college: list of must haves?What do they really need for the dorm? Packing for college dorm/apt life Dress clothes for college? Best vacuum for college dorm Sheets and towels for dorm What sort of mattress cover did you get for the dorm?Locking trunk? Keeping things [secure] in a dorm room Small dorm storage: share advice or past mistakes Congrats, and BEST of luck to your college student! Warmest regards, Lori D.