At some point you need to focus more on writing, but it doesn't have to be all the time. Sometimes less is better - depends on the child. My struggling writer did very well with Brave Writer online courses - had done several things ineffectively before that time.

I just accidentally found this thread as I never look in the writing workshop area generally. First of all, I don't think it's ever a good idea to "crush" your student if they put in effort. Give them praise as well as critique - you don't have to pick at everything, just choose a few things to work on at a time (you can make a list of things you want to come back to, but don't give all negative feedback for a paper they actually tried to do well on). First - did he do the assignment regardless of how well it is written? IEW is a box checking type curriculum - did he check all the boxes of what should have been included? Second - is he improving? Some kids are natural writers, but for a struggling writer it is a painful process. My severely dysgraphic son certainly couldn't have written that at age 14. I found IEW a great place to start with my severely dysgraphic son, but we didn't seem to progress at all with it. He could follow the formula, but it sounded childish and if asked to write anything else without a formula it didn't happen. We turned to Brave Writer when he was 14 (and started with Kidswriter Basic) - it was a fabulous decision. He has taken several of the online courses and each teacher has met him where he was and taken him much farther. In a few short years 9th-11th grade his writing has gone from sounding like a 3rd grader to sounding like a college student. This certainly won't be typical of all dysgraphic students. He's very smart and has a huge vocabulary, but the process of turning a thought into words is extremely slow. The Brave Writer teachers are fantastic about pulling out things to praise and then asking questions so that he can revise but keep his own voice. Hope you can find your path of teaching him writing.

Looks good to me other than I question the 25 books in a year. It really depends on the books and how fast of a reader your son is, I tend to make a list of books - you can have a goal of one every two weeks. I set a minimal amount of reading time to be done daily. However, I find some books are short and can be done in a week; others are much longer and it'd be a big push to do those in two weeks - some take more like a month, depending on the length and the difficulty of the language. I have a ballpark idea how long each book should take when I give it to my son so I know if he's on "schedule". When we finish one book, we just move on to the next one on the list. I have a looser schedule than many, so your family may need more of the structure of saying how long each book takes.

AoPS Geometry is certainly a way to go deeper and stretch things out. AoPS is also a great way to strengthen problem solving skills. Algebra isn't formally reviewed in precalculus, but it is a building block and you can't do precalc without knowing algebra. Certain skills are used a lot in precalc and others are not reviewed at all. If you want to stretch things out, but do something different then you might look at AoPS counting and probability. If you want to review and go deeper in algebra, you might look at AoPS Intro to Algebra. You could just look at the end of chapter reviews if you know the topics well and work through the chapters that you can't do the end of chapter reviews. I'd bet many students who have finished algebra 2 would still find much of the AoPS Intro book difficult. If I had to pick, I'd say algebra is more "important" to know well than geometry. However, if it fine to pick whatever interests you to study further.

If she likes Saxon, then I'd be inclined to stick with it. Lots of people do fine with Saxon. Is there a reason you want to do AoPS Geometry? I think she's probably covered geometry already through Saxon (am I wrong?). If you want to go further in geometry, you certainly could do AoPS. If you are not a math person, then you would have trouble grading it as her answers will not look like the solution book. I'd feel fine letting a self-motivated student do AoPS on their own as it is written to the student and then self-grade. The AoPS geometry book is a long hard book. I would not recommend jumping into AoPS intermediate algebra. Edited to add that she'll get lots of algebra review in a precalc course. As far as math for the future, you might also look at statistics.

I'd hands down recommend AoPS geometry for a kid that does well in Mathcounts. I agree that you only need to know through quadratic equations for the geometry book. My son completed geometry long before completing the end of the algebra book. IF you are greatly concerned about the grades, then AoPS is a tough course and might be a struggle to make an A in. One of the ways to make the course more manageable is to work through the book ahead of the class.

Praying.

While it sounds great to naturally teach writing across the curriculum, it doesn't work well in all cases. One of my kids, I can teach this way, but my (smart) kids with learning disabilities need a lot of guidance and hand-holding and it is more structure than I can naturally provide. Try it out, keep what works, and find some other way to teach the parts that are not working.

I'd ask yourself if the coop is the best solution for his math. It doesn't sound like a good fit from what you describe.

Oldschooling certainly means different things to different people. I agree with the others that I wouldn't buy a bunch of homeschool curriculum years before you need it, but if you find great reference material that is always helpful. Co-ops - these may be done for academic reasons or for social reasons; they take up time and may or may not be useful. Are your kids college-bound? IF you are striving to push your kids academically to meet their potential, then you might not be the best resource as a mentor. Most people cannot teach all subjects at a great level. I probably could teach everything. However "I" don't have the time to do that with all my kids especially since three have learning disabilities and take a lot of time. Simplicity - turn off the electronics and stay home. This frees up a lot of time. I think you can use new curriculum and new techniques (internet based, etc) without losing the oldschool feeling. I'd pick things like AoPS over Saxon at my home even though AoPS is much newer. The point is teaching the subject and fostering family time and family values rather than picking curriculum that has been around for a long time. "I" have more family time by farming out a few subjects so that I'm not as involved in everything. We pick and choose some online classes so it doesn't take a lot of travel time. Also I'm very careful to ask lots of questions before I sign up for a class.

Well, if you like IEW, there's nothing that says you can't do it quicker. The Student Intensive Continuation Course has a syllabus to spread it out over a year with lots of extra assignments. The SICC is 9 dvds which were filmed as nine classes over nine weeks. There is nothing that says you have to spread it over a full year at all. If you want you can watch an entire 2 hour dvd in one sitting (as the students in that class did in real life) and then do the homework assignement as assigned as your homework for that week. For my accelerated kids, less is better as in I don't give them more just because they can handle it. I expect excellence and I expect them to fill their day with learning, but it doesn't all have to be assigned by me.

It was accurate here at my home.

My son is one of the few that though Geometry was much easier than algebra - it's mostly how he thinks. Maybe geometry won't be too much harder. :) I agree that working through the book early and consistently will help. Don't skip the constructions (the last section of most of the early chapters). Much is learned through the constructions about how to look at later problems. I agree that chapter 7 is the hardest (but not something you can skip ahead to). Pythagorean theorem, along with 45-45-90 and 30-60-90 triangles in chapter 5 isn't too hard, but is foundational to knowing well for the rest of the book. Have fun.

Well, my favorite PreA is AoPS. :) As far as Derek Owens, typically you buy the workbook and then pay for monthly access to the videos, homework pages, and tests. The first couple of chapters of the prealgebra book are in entirety on you-tube for prealgebra only, but you still wouldn't have the homework and tests. The workbook itself as pages for notetaking during the lectures as well as a lot of practice problems. Once you finish a chapter in DO, there isn't more review of those concepts unless you are directly using them to build upon for future chapters.

Learning about osmosis. Kidney dissection - can buy a kidney from Home Science Tools as well.

I'd start where you left off with Beast Academy - level 4. Even the concepts that she already knows will be worthwhile to do the "Beast" way. Just do it quickly if she wants to move along. You can also move to a 6th grade program alongside Beast if you want (this is what I do with my daughter, but it's because Beast hasn't been published fast enough and she needs more practice). I don't call it a grade level - just book 4, but I do think Beast is called for a certain grade which isn't my favorite way of labeling.

Yes, scratch. Teaching Company videos

Whether or not you do a full algebra based physics course first is up to you, but I think it is beneficial to gave been exposed to some physics concepts first so that it is not all new. This can be through textbooks, Teaching Company, or less formal reading and videos.

It sounds like she might be struggling with certain concepts. I'd get someone else to sit down and pick through her math abilities and then take it from there. It is not to her benefit to "struggle" through another year of math if she isn't solid on the foundational concepts.

I agree with the others about testing to see what might be going on. I want to say it's OKAY to be behind in math for whatever reason. I think it is much more important to teach the concepts well rather than rush to try to catch up. If you are rushing, then the foundation is not understood well, which will haunt you later in math. I'd much rather see a child take their time and learn the math along the way rather than just be frustrated later that they don't understand anything. You do have the potential to "catch up" some as many people do prealgebra skills over a number of years. Teach at a pace comfortable to your student - with my gal who was behind, we did little bits of multiple areas (a little multiplication alongside some clock work and maybe some geometry). She could handle the volume in different areas, but not in one area. Understanding is better than rushing. This doesn't mean you have to master it before moving on though. It is fine to set aside a topic that is frustrating and come back to it later - just don't set aside it at a 4th grade level and come back to it at a 5th grade level - keep working at the level your student is at. Take lots of breaks. Does he need you to sit with him and do it? - I know this is hard with little ones. Seek out an understanding of what is going on (learning disabilities, ADHD, vision, etc) Another free resource is MEP though "I" like their materials much better starting with level 7 where it is not so integrated and you can pick and choose what you want to work on.

It's hard to find the right balance when their emotional readiness and organizational ability don't match their academic potential. I'd still pick something that sets him up for success. It is very beneficial to take an "easier" course and learn to be organized and build the confidence to take something else by excelling at the first.

I would teach him at the level that is best for him which sound like physical science. I think it is much more in the student's benefit to study at whatever level they are at rather than try to push to please colleges. Of course you have to box check and meet certain minimal requirements and if your student isn't excelling at high school math/science then they might not make it into the most elite colleges, but it is fine to take physical science now, perhaps a high school level physics later and save college level physics for college. It is way better to have the student learning at THEIR level rather than flopping by trying to do something out of their reach.

Help me name this math class - This is an elective math class taken during the senior year in which various mathematical topics were explored with an emphasis in competition math. Topics included algebraic equations, combinatorics, probability, number theory, sequences and series, logarithmic and trigonometric functions, complex numbers and polynomials, plane geometry, and special geometry. Multiple math competitions and math texts are listed as resources.

For my son in a similar situation, I thought I was going to go a different route, but decided that doing precalc next year was in his best interest as he will be in the running for National Merit and I want him to have the math skills before his junior year. I like the idea of AoPS Counting and Probability as well as Number Theory for anyone who hasn't already had this (my son has). I wouldn't hesitate from not having "computational math". Any math forgotten can be reviewed. Precalculus gives the background before it is seen on college board testing. Another option would be to do Statistics which I think is good for anyone going into any field.

Brave Writer does not have a video component. All teaching is done through text assignments - usually 2-3 per week. The assignments are very good and broken down into manageable chunks. The biggest thing you get is the teacher feedback. This is invaluable. The teachers always find things to praise as well as areas that can improve. They work with your student's writing and help them take the next step. It is also helpful to read the teacher comments to other students in the class. Yes, it feels "complete" - of course that depends on what you are looking for. Both my natural writer and my dysgraphic, hates to write son do well with Brave Writer. All our instructors have been great.