sea_mommy
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Posts posted by sea_mommy
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My son is interested in learning more about Hitler/Nazi Germany. Does anyone have recommendations for high school level/perhaps college level books and/or textbooks?
Thank you!
(Accidently posted in K-8 so moving the question over here 🙂)
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22 minutes ago, cintinative said:
We used this: https://www.amazon.com/Hitler-Nazis-History-Documents-Pages/dp/0195152859
We used Human Odyssey vol 3 as a spine. I also used many other books, but our focus wasn't solely on WWII. It was modern history.
Also, did you realize you posted this on the K-8 board?
Oops! I'm so used to writing on this board, that I actually didn't notice that I put it in the wrong place. 🙂 Thank you!
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My son is interested in learning more about Hitler/Nazi Germany. Does anyone have recommendations for high school level/perhaps college level books and/or textbooks?
Thank you!
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@Zoo Keeper--I'll check out those other options as well. Thank you so much!
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I am looking for some independent worksheets for my 5th grader (who has completed FLL 1 & 2) as she needs a bit of a refresher and some practice. I'd really like something simple that will basically be used as a review. Has anyone every used these before? Would these work for my purposes?
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My son is currently in 8th grade and I am working on planning out history for his 9th grade year. I am having the hardest time and would love to reach out and see if anyone had any better ideas.
Background on son: Has some reading comprehension issues so reading takes a long time. Ideally, I would want something that has some reading but also relies on video or audio.
My current idea is this, though I'm having a bit of a hard time pulling the trigger:
1. Oak Meadow's World History. It says that it is a "textbook-independent" course and that any textbook and/or other research methods can be used.
2. Used with Notgrass World History as the "textbook."
3. He would be allowed to search for videos on topics in order to answer the questions--probably looking at mainly Ted-Ed videos and I might purchase the audio of World History: Fertile Crescent to the American Revolution.
Is this a completely ridiculous idea? What am I missing?
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Right now the basics (English, science, math and a tiny bit of history) are taking up all of our day and not leaving any time for other interests. Is it necessary that I add in other subjects?
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15 minutes ago, kbutton said:
If you scribe for him, does that speed things up or keep him on task more readily? It can be something that helps pace kids or can be something that flusters them if you try to pump too much out of them, but sometimes it's a really helpful way to pace things and take away some of the processing that the child needs to do, particularly if handwriting is an issue.
He'd prefer to write/type himself.
17 minutes ago, kbutton said:I would cut out any redundancies (or fluff) in his curriculum if he doesn't need it for retention or building foundational skills.
I'm looking at what I had planned for this year--I had such grand plans. I'm struggling a bit with trying to figure out what is necessary and what is just fluff.
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Thank you so much for all of the replies. I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to reply. We had some computer problems and, honestly, I think that I just needed some time to think everything through.
On 10/27/2020 at 8:16 PM, PeterPan said:Also, we had this poster years ago who made a comment that stuck with me: THE REWARD FOR HARD WORK IS NOT MORE WORK.
This has stuck with me (almost brought me to tears) ever since I read it and is what I have been thinking about the most. I fear that I have been rewarding his hard work with more work.
On 10/27/2020 at 8:16 PM, PeterPan said:I'll just add that for my dd the low processing speed meant she also *fatigued* with things using lots of processing. So once you get your written report, you might find it also says something about a *reduced course load*. For my dd, that has meant 14 hours a semester in college instead of the 18 you might expect.
YES! The evaluation does mention this! This knowledge has caused me to look at our schedule and evaluate a bit. I realized that all of our core subjects (English, math, and science) are super heavy as we outsourced a lot of things starting last year. We have decided to drop the outsourced math class and move to something that will still move him forward but maybe isn't quite as intense and exhausting.
On 10/27/2020 at 7:33 PM, alpacawalker said:We plan out the week on Sunday writing down what needs to be done making adjustments if needed. I write the schedule out daily on a whiteboard to give a "game plan" for the day. It really helps a lot and keeps her focused. Using this system, we have been able to keep her day to around 8 hours.
On 10/27/2020 at 6:38 PM, TAFKAPastry said:Thats actually my biggest tip - for her, mapping out what needs to be done and approximate times it should take, then setting a timer for her to keep an eye on, helps very much.
Since several people mentioned this, we have been trying a weekly schedule. He looks at the assignments that are due and then determines how long he'll give himself to do that task each day. I'll admit that he's been a bit resistant. I'm hoping that will change soon. 🙂
On 10/27/2020 at 8:16 PM, PeterPan said:Congrats on getting the evals btw! My dd was 11/12 when we started getting evals, and they were epiphanal.
I've been having some guilt about how long it took to get the evals (we live overseas and I couldn't find anyone that could help) so I really appreciate your encouragement.
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I’ve looked through the main board for this question but the information isn’t entirely helpful in my current situation.
Recently learned that DS13 has a low working memory and slow reading comprehension. The report basically said that he is capable of work at his grade level but that it will take him longer than most.
Sooo, how many hours per day is normal for an 8th grader? Should I just expect to add an hour or two to that due to his challenges? I’m trying to find a balance between what is “normal” but also won’t wear him down completely.
Thank you so much!
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OP here.
Thank you so much for all of the responses--I really appreciate it. I'm sorry that it has taken me awhile to respond--I've been processing and changing things around.
As some suggested, I started to watch my son to see how he was using his time. He was wasting SO much time! Getting up to get a drink. Sitting down. Getting up again for a snack. Sitting down. Changing the font on a paper instead of actually writing the paper. You get the point. 🙂 For 3 days, I called him out each time I saw him wasting time. And then all of a sudden, he was done one day at 1pm. And that has continued! 🙂
We've been able to add in history (which he really likes), grammar (which I think he still needs a bit of), and some stuff on reading comprehension and he has still been done at around 2/3pm! Plenty of time to still play and have fun. I took to heart what many people said about maybe not needing some subjects and decided that his spelling is actually pretty good so I probably don't need to add it as a separate subject. We'll do daily typing this summer to work on speed instead of adding it now.
Thank you so much! I honestly don't think that I would have thought about time management without it being mentioned. 🙂
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5 minutes ago, 8FillTheHeart said:
How much time is he spending on those 3 subjects? I disagree with Jackie that 3 should cause all other subjects to be dropped. Spelling, otoh, might not be necessary for a 12 yo.
My 7th graders cover history, grammar, religion, and foreign language in top of math, science, and English composition/literature.
I'd say that he is spending around 6 hours (that does include our morning Bible time), but there is definitely some dawdling so I would say that it's not all focused time. Sometimes when he's finished, he's pretty spent. Maybe I should give him a short break (1/2 hour or something) and then expect another 1-2 hours for my other subjects?
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36 minutes ago, Jackie said:
For this year, I would just let go of doing other things. The outsourced classes are covering all the core subjects except history.
I find that most outsourced classes take at least twice as much time as the same things taught by me. Simply having the instruction and assignments structured for a group instead of targeted exactly at my one child takes a lot longer. Because of this, I’ve become really careful about outsourcing. We outsource when either I am not capable of teaching a subject, when having a group for discussion or projects is a specific benefit to the material, or for fun low/no homework “extras”. Otherwise, we cover the material ourselves.
Thank you for the input. Outsourcing is new to me, so I had no idea that it might take so much time. And yet, I know that the material is engaging him (right before bed I found him reading the science book that he doesn't have to start until next week).
I had also planned on history, spelling, grammar, typing, and computer. Do I just abandon them completely? Do some stuff over the summer? Make sure that he does 1 hour of something extra per day just get some of it done?
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33 minutes ago, 8FillTheHeart said:
It sounds like the courses are not a good match for him. 3 courses should not be consuming a 12 yr old's day. Is it possible that they are taking so much time b/c they are beyond his current functioning level? Or do the courses assign a lot of unnecessary busy work?
In terms of
the fundamental question is what is the motivation to outsource? Is it possible to reduce the number of outsourced classes in order to create more balance?
How many hours per day should a 12 year old (7th grade) being doing? I don't think that there is a lot of busy work. He was definitely not used to this level of intense, of which I feel badly about. I feel like most of this year has been learning how to manage his time, which he still struggles with. The math has been difficult, but I have worked with the teacher and they have been helpful in adjusting his schedule a bit.
We outsourced because ds needed to be around people more. He's grown in a lot of ways and I can see that it's been a good thing.
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Update below.
This is the first year that I have outsourced any classes for my ds12. He is currently taking Math, Science, and English (which includes reading, writing, and some public speaking). They are intense. Getting the work done for those 3 classes is taking up most of his day. I was planning on working on other subjects with him, but I can't seem to fit everything in.
I'm a bit at a loss. I was planning on working on other subjects with him, but I can't seem to fit everything in without making it into a super long and stressful day. Feeling super guilty because I've dropped so many other things. Any suggestions on what I should do?
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24 minutes ago, lmrich said:
One thing I hear from parents who hold their kid back a year: BEST DECISION EVER!
Without knowing your child, at all... if he is struggling now, he will most likely struggle later. If he is immature now, he will most likely mature differently than his peers. If he is not confident now, it is likely that his self-esteem will take a hit being an environment where he struggles both academically and socially. Kids, mostly boys, who have been held back seem to do much better in the lower grade. However, most of that applies to kids who are in school 5 days a week. A coop that meets once a week might not have enough impact to make a bit of difference.
Think way ahead... he could start his freshmen year at college at 19 instead of 18. For a young man, that extra year of maturity can be significant.
What about holding back in later grades? I've heard this for early elementary, but don't know anything about holding back later elementary.
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30 minutes ago, 8FillTheHeart said:
Does he have to take all 3? Can he take just science and English? Is the coop so rigid that he has to go into the same grade level classes across the subjects? Can he go into the 7th grade science and English but their 6th grade math? What are these kids in the coop doing outside of coop? Can you meet with these families in some other avenue? Social time after the coop ends for the day?
We lived overseas for a while and our oldest only had friends who spoke the local language. English was only spoken in our home. But, I didn't see a need in him to speak English with his friends bc he had good friends even if they couldn't speak English. Does he have local friends? Is the issue friends or just having English speaking friends?
*Please do not quote*
The co-op is something new, for people who live in remote places so it is pretty small. Our son would be in the "2nd" year of it's existence. The program works so that the kids fly to another location for 1 week out of the month and then do their work at home the rest of the time, so there is really only social time during that week. They have said that there could be some flexibility in the future--he could repeat pre-algebra when in the 8th grade. If this year of math proves to be too difficult. he could do a "study hall" math time and work on his own math (that we would teach otherwise).
He does have local friends in our village, but they are few.
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31 minutes ago, freesia said:
I understand. I do think meeting his need for heart language friends is important.
heres an option:could he join the co-op as a sixth grader next year, but you keep him as a seventh grader in your school. You could explain that different places do math at different times(maybe show him online)English and science tend to be fluid at that age without regard to books and topics. This would also address the social aspect.
Unfortunately the co-op is only for 7th and 8th grades.
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1 hour ago, 8FillTheHeart said:
KIds, even those in school, are all over the place academically. They aren't defined by ages or grades. They are people who function at their own level.
I am not a co-op person, so from my perspective, I would not alter what I am doing with my children or evaluate their individual abilities based on what a co-op is doing. I homeschool so my kids can do what works for them, not for others. My kids call themselves in grade whatever based on their age, but what they do for school is specific to their abilities. I don't use grade leveled curriculum, so curriculum does not define their level, either.
Having an opportunity to join a co-op does not mean you have to. Does the co-op have non-core academic classes he could take for fun (art, music, PE, etc)? I would not make decisions about what grade my child is in based on what a co-op is offering and if they weren't offering other classes, I would look for other ways for my child to have an outlet (Scouts, clubs, sports, etc)
In terms of his math, I would not try to move a child struggling with concepts faster. That is likely to backfire and just leave him further confused and behind. I would focus on just working daily. Maybe make math a 45 min/day school yr subject but also a 20 min per day non-school day routine. Try talking about topics from multiple different perspectives. Spend time doing spiral review. Perhaps switching curriculum or using 2 different alternating curriculum running at the same time will help him solidify understanding.
What are you currently using and what has he used in the past?
(Also, some kids struggle with brain fog during puberty.)
1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:I could have written your post. Right down to location, lol.
We DID end up repeating 6th. It was a combination of things, but honestly was the best choice for him. He needed growth time. We also had him repeat algebra in 9th (after taking it in 8th) with a different teacher because he got it, but didn't quite get it, kwim? He did okay, but not well enough to move along the path he wanted, so he repeated the course to be more solid.
The big difference is we had a flexible co-op in middle school. He had teachers there that had a decent age span in any class and kids could move fluidly in and out of courses based on their interest. Nobody knew or cared where our kid was working at home, and over time his brain settled, made some leaps, and he ended up finishing middle school right where he should.
This co-op doesn't sound like it is working for you, to be blunt. If it's rigid enough to be lock-step, then you may want to discretely look for/set up private study groups or do live online classes so your kid can thrive instead of feeling like the worst.*please don't copy*
Thank you for much for your replies. Our big thing with wanting to try the co-op is that our ds doesn't have any English speaking friends. We live in a remote area and he speaks the local language well, but we see within him the need for friends who also speak his native language. The co-op only offers 3 subjects (math, science, and English), but he would get to do it English with some kids that are already his friends (though he doesn't see them often).
There are no other options as far as friends/co-ops where we live.
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Edited to add "keepsakes" as I also have a few non-toy items (old piggy bank, necklaces, etc) that I'm trying to figure out what to do with.
I have packed away some of my old favorites from when I was a kid--mostly stuffed animals and a few other random things. A few children have mentioned wanting things. I don't think that it makes sense to just keep them in a box, but how do I decide who gets what?
Any suggestions? Advice? Anyone else distributed their old childhood favorites amongst their children?
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7 minutes ago, kand said:
Lots of repetition and a workbook format sounds like CLE. Their grammar is one of the few things I’ve stuck with for every kid so far, all the way through. It just works so well and relatively painlessly.
I've heard about CLE, but never really looked at their products. Honestly, I've always felt a little confused by the light books. Do they do grammar every day? Every year? Diagramming or just application? Do they have a placement test?
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Okay, so my title might be a bit dramatic. However, I am coming to the conclusion that my well thought out plans are not going to work for this particular child. The problem is that I don't know what WILL work.
Ds is 11 years old and so far we have done FFL 1&2 and R&S 4. I thought that we would continue with Rod and Staff, but I can see that it is not working so well. I really don't want grammar to be something that causes stress. Ds is not very interested in most things school related. He needs lots of repetition and a workbook seems to work pretty well. I've discounted JAG or AG because they say that a child needs to be ready to dissect a language and I really don't think that he or would enjoy that. I've looked Easy Grammar, MP's English Grammar Recitation.
Any suggestions? Honestly, I'm not even sure what my goals for grammar are or SHOULD be . . .
Edited to add more information
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Ds and I have talked and have shelved it for now. However, I will start researching more so that I can figure out what I'm going to decide on in the future. Thank you, everyone, for your input/advice/wisdom.
Nazi Germany book/textbook for high school
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
All of those options are great and look like things my son would enjoy--thank you so much!