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scootiepie

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Everything posted by scootiepie

  1. I appreciate all of the discussion and insight, and would like to be clear that History credit is not in question here. The books are simply included to spark discussion and offer some historical analysis of the time period. Nothing more. I am dealing with a dysgraphic and ADHD child and books can be tedious. We did in fact listen to the Hobbit last year on audio and I simply can not imagine this child reading through that book. Even good books on audio need to have really engaging narrators to draw him in. I want him to have an enjoyment and appreciation of books, not something that is a chore to get through. I had to read some really dreadful books in HS and I remember nothing other than hating them and I was a good, overachieving student. Looking back it was an exercise in futility. So I am trying to balance his abilities and a proper language credit with books that are not going to make him dread literature for the remainder of high school. We are just getting started.
  2. Yes, it is The Indigo Girl (2nd one). There is another history book as the spine of the class, these readings are supplemental and a springboard for discussion and enrichment. I just settled on EIW 9 (writing) after much wrestling over my options, and changing my plans at the last minute (initially wanted TGTB). I knew I could either piece together a literature component, or go with EIW literature, but overall not wanting it to be an overwhelming amount of reading. I appreciate your comments. I'll check through their site more.
  3. My son (9th) is taking a HS History class at his co-op which includes required reading over the course of a year (Indigo Girl, Across Five Aprils, To Kill a Mockingbird, Sarah Plain and Tall). I am wondering if it is something I could incorporate into his HS English 1 class as well. Currently I am looking at EIW 9 which is simply composition and I will be piecing together a literature study to round out his credit. Not sure if it is frowned upon to have the appearance of "double dipping", so to speak. i guess I'm just concerned about how it would come across on a transcript. To be clear, it would not be him doing his history work and me just counting a literature credit, I would have him to a Glencoe or TLP study of the books as well. Plus I think he would kill me to add a lot of reading on top of this. Not really his thing.
  4. Thanks for the input. That is sort what I am going for; exposure and enough to get the gist of it.
  5. How essential is it to have a good grasp on probability and statistics during middle school math (Prealgebra / MM7). We are still finishing last year's math (!!) but I am debating doing a quick overview rather than spending a lot of time mastering these topics. Just wondering if this would hurt in the long run.
  6. Thank you. We have done MM 1-7. We did not get through MM7 completely, finishing up through the Geometry section. I'm glad to hear of your success with Mr. D!
  7. For my rising 8th grader, I am planning on going from MM7 to Mr. D Math for Algebra - the self paced option. I reached out to their customer service and found out the self paced courses are good for 18 months. My son struggled with MM7 as a 7th grader and I was either going to spend the first part of this year finishing up with a major emphasis on review, then start Mr. D hopefully by the New Year... Or the other option is go ahead and start Mr. D now, going super slow, taking the whole 18 months if needed. Just curious to see if anyone sees any pros/cons to do it either way. MM7 was a struggle in part, I believe, because of the lack of an actual teaching element (besides the reading ...and me..ugh).
  8. I am curious if, or how, you use successfully Great Courses Plus in your homeschooling. I see a lot potential for homeschooling (Spanish, Latin, Algebra, Science, History -- so many options!) but I'm not real sure if it can ever be anything more than a supplement, or useful for the interest-led kid. Does anyone use it for more than that?
  9. Yes to the careless mistakes - he tries to do so much in his head, and in word problems, he does not read through them carefully. He also forgets the various formulas whatnot so I do know more spiral review is going to be needed. I have noticed that in the MM cumulative reviews and chapter tests (the ones that are separate PDFs), those problems are much easier than what is found in the chapters. He actually does ok on those. They are straightforward problems rather than more of the deep thinking required working through the chapters. So I would say he understands the basic concepts but either doesn't have the maturity or the discipline to think through the deeper stuff. All the options overwhelm me as well! Thanks for the suggestions so far.
  10. My 7th - soon to be 8th - grader boy is trying to finish up MM7. It's been somewhat of a struggle. Based on this I don't see him being successful moving on to algebra next year for 8th. I'm trying to decide if we should beef him up with another course of prealgebra for 8th, or dive in with algebra then likely repeating it for 9th when I would have to assign transcript grades. I'm not really sure which would be the better approach. I can't put my finger on if this is a readiness / maturity issue, versus a tendency towards laziness and not wanting work though difficult problems. He is very bright but doesn't have a great work ethic and probably needs more hand-holding than what I've been able to do. He does have dysgraphia so he tries to do as much in his head as possible. This is a part of the problem but it's not the only thing going on. I know that MM7 is fairly rigorous and in my mind that kind of complicates the issue. He may have been better served with a different program. If you have been in this same boat, what have you done? I could use guidance / advice.
  11. At that age I imagine they are pretty self directed and enjoy the freedom to do what is fun for them. We run a lot of tournaments, and the kids have classes / coaching at our club as it is more competition minded. When playing for fun, Bughouse is popular. You could also introduce a chess ladder that would be ongoing over time. They are also some variations of chess games you could find online, like 4-way Chess or Plunder Chess, also, there are Equalizer Dice you can play with (role and move what you role).
  12. I have been volunteering at a large chess club for a few years. There are many things you can do to spice it up. Are the kids primarily casual players or more competitive? Is your meet up more of a social gathering, or would the kids like to go further with their chess skills?
  13. Thank you for feedback and suggestions. I really like the look of Wordsmith. I'm checking out the others. He does type and he'd be awesome at debate one of these days. I got behind trying to follow the WTM progression and I should have switched directions after WWE3.....so it feels like a big step backwards. The dysgraphia is limiting for sure but all the more reason I want to get it right this time. Thanks again.
  14. Writing is a struggle here, both the actual writing for my son and finding a program that fits. He is 12yo, dysgraphic, and while he has lots to say and has excellent reading comprehension, getting words into written form is difficult. I tried the first 3 books of Writing and Rhetoric before moving into WWS. My plan was to go slowly through WWS but it's just not right for us. I'm thinking of either Jump In or perhaps IEW. Possibly back to Writing and Rhetoric, even. I've seen IEW recommended often but it seems we should've started that long before now....and I never quite understood all the pieces and how it works. I wouldn't know where to begin. (I think I shied away because I like to keep things simple.) I feel like he just needs the right method or instructional material to "get it". I mainly interested in the how-to's for expository type of writing...not journaling or "about me" type of assignments. Anyone have feedback about Jump In? Starting IEW in 7th grade? Higher levels of Writing and Rhetoric? Anything else that is basic, straight forward, remedial even, for a middle schooler?
  15. This is certainly reassuring. Thank you. I assumed things would happen symmetrically, and I just don't remember how it all started.
  16. My daughter has a lump, for lack of a better word, just under one nipple. She is not developing and I was thinking maybe this is a first stage - except that is it just one side. Not sure if I should wait it out and see what happens, or if this needs checked out. She's fairly active and just finished basketball so I thought she could have an injury, but it doesn't hurt and there's no discoloration. I'm assuming this is really not normal. Thoughts?
  17. Another yes, but I would also call and say "I really need to see someone who specializes in (your condition)". GI docs can develop a focus of practice, such as liver disease, so it's helpful to find one that can really speak to your diagnosis.
  18. I am doing it slower- paced with my 6th grade boy. He's doing fine and catching on. We edit, redo, edit, redo, a lot. It's really his first how-to-write curriculum and I want to take it slow and hand-hold a bit.
  19. My kids and I just finished Science in the Beginning, and I have to say I loved it. However, I think I discovered this series too late. As much as I want to continue my oldest is in 6th grade and it is starting to seem a bit too baby-ish or young for him. He's not science oriented and while I liked the way the material is laid out in bite-sized chunks, I think he needs more challenging material to keep from being bored. I'm wondering if any has used these books for a young middle schooler? How do the later books in the series compare, with respect to content and challenge? Suggestions? I also have a 4th grader who enjoys science and I want to combine science as much as possible.
  20. I used it as a filler between WWE3 and WWS with my oldest. I'm debating on whether or not to start with my now 4th grader. Did it make him a better writer? I would say no in respect to the mechanics of how-to write. Meaning, I do not think I could give him a writing assignment and have an expectation that he'd know how to write a proper story, report, essay, whatnot. For example, when we got to outlining, it wasn't really taught well IMO. I consider that an important skill. Now that I'm getting into WWS..... THIS is what I was hoping for in a "writing" program. CAP was a plus for the creative side of writing, and I do like parts of it including their use of fun and entertaining stories. I just always thought something was missing and I could never really put my finger on it.
  21. Yes it is very confusing to me! Is Logos publishing an alternate to the themed units, or do you use Logos Press materials as a stand alone, without having done IEW?
  22. My son will be in 6th grade next year, and so far, for writing he has finished WWE 1 -3, CAP W&R through Narrative II, and I still don't feel like he is learning to write properly. I might bite the bullet and go with IEW, and in looking around, I came across Writing Trails by Logos Press. In the cover it says it is "Based on Andrew Pudewa's Excellence in Writing Program" I'm not seeing enough of the sample or finding enough information to figure out if these are stand-alone type workbooks, independent of any IEW offerings, or if they are a complement/supplement to IEW. Would love some feedback on this if anyone if familiar with it. Thank you.
  23. I am doing it this year with my 3rd and 5th grader. I read aloud to them, and for about every page or page and a half or reading, there is an experiment/demonstration to go with the reading. I almost always have on hand the things needed, and rarely have to prepare much ahead or time. It is perfect for what I need as a homeschooling mom. We are about halfway through. I do think my older one will need more "meat" next year. I wish I had started a year earlier.
  24. I am also thinking about buying this before the sale ends. Does anyone know if the more modern eras (Explorers onward) are mainly Western - centered, or do you get a larger view of World History (like SOTW)?
  25. I am thinking about buying a self-paced History Course since it is on sale right now. I think my kids would enjoy it. If you have done these, can you tell me - Does this sale come around every year? (Once a year?) Can you jump in at any point or is it better to start from the beginning and proceed chronologically? Is it a stand-alone kind of program? Thank you!
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