whiteisle
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Posts posted by whiteisle
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Trying to plan my up-coming 9th grade son's year and I'm stuck on a science plan for him. He's not a science-y guy and I really don't see him pursuing a science based career with the exception of computer science but that may be a bit of a stretch even. He is currently making his way through Apologia's General. We are in NC and according to the UNC school admission requirements it says:
Three course units in science including:
- At least one unit in a life or biological science (for example, Biology),
- At least one unit in phsyical science (for example, Physical Science, Chemistry, Physics), and
- At least one laboratory course
I was thinking of having him do Apologia Physical in 9th, then Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Just wondering if this seems to be a good path for a kid like him.
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It's an optional buy for the 6th level. I thought it was for the others but I just checked and it's not. Sorry for the confusion. :)
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I've used levels 7-11 with my kids. Your son's lack of grammar isn't going to impact whether he can do the course, unless his grammar is so off that he can't compose sentences. The biggest determiner of whether to place him in 8 or 9 would be whether he needs a more incremental approach to writing. Level 8 is going to be more gradual and incremental in some areas than levels 9 and 10--and levels 9 and 10 are more incremental than levels 11 and 12. So, expect some "jumps" in how much explaining the instructor does on the videos when going from 8 to 9 or from 10 to 11.
Of the levels I did, I actually liked 8 the best, but they all worked well here.
As an example of something that is more incremental--in the sentence portion of each level, your son will work on things like identifying dependent and independent clauses and proper comma usage, how to combine sentences in various ways, and so on. In level 8, the program provides sentences for the student to analyze and rewrite. In level 9, they still explain about different types of sentences but have the student find sentences in outside reading to use as examples. That takes a deeper understanding and ability to analyze, and might be a stretch for some students. So that's one way in which I think 8 is a gentler introduction for both student and mom (because you know who will do the helping and scaffolding if the student struggles with the assignment!)
He'll get experience with writing various types of essays and a research paper in either level.
HTH some!
Yes! This helps A LOT! Thank you!! :) I was concerned that the program would start slinging grammar terms/concepts he isn't familiar with and expect him to already know what they are and how they are used/applied. I don't want him frustrated to the point he thinks he can't do it or won't try. He actually writes pretty well but it's been limited to short stories of his choosing, so not a lot of pressure there.
Could I apply this same advice with my dd who will be entering 7th grade? Same situation with her....minimal grammar knowledge. I was wavering between levels 6 & 7 for her. I'm thinking 6 now because I think she needs a bit more foundation and struggles more when it comes to actual composition.
One more quick question....do I need the Assessment/Resource Book for them?
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KarenNC - I see now that I am not bound to the public school requirements - whew! :) I appreciate the clarity on that! I wasn't aware of the requirement of Alg. II for dual enrollment. That will definitely influence his math schedule. Like you, I did geometry in between the algebras.
I'm off to check out the FB page - that sounds like an awesome resource! Thank you!
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I'm considering EIW for my up-coming 9th grader but have some placement concerns. We haven't done much structured grammar over the years so he only knows the very basic parts of speech and punctuation. I understand that the 9th level doesn't have specific grammar instruction but is gone over/reviewed in the context of writing.
I spoke with EIW's customer service and she said he would probably be fine and that I could always supplement with a grammar program if needed. But I'm still wondering.
For those that have experience with this program, do you think a student who isn't strong in grammar can manage and be successful in the 9th level?
I was also thinking of other options such as:
1. - grab a copy of Easy Grammar Plus starting now and through the summer to prep him and place him in the 9th level in the fall or
2. - put him in the 8th level for 9th grade and then just progress him up the following levels ending on the 11th level by 12th grade
I'd love an opinion from someone who is familiar with this program and any advice you could offer.
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momofjep, thank you for that information!
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Thank you petepie2! Yes, I have also looked at the entrance requirements for the UNC schools but I wasn't sure if I was bound by the NC high school requirements.
I've thought of dual enrollment but haven't explored it too deeply yet - it's definitely something to consider! :)
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I have a soon-to-be 14 year old ds who will be staring HS in the fall. I'm starting the planning process for what curriculum and materials we'll use and trying to also look at the big picture of all 4 years. I'm a bit confused on the History/Social Studies part. According to the ncdnpe site, it says there needs to be 4 credits for history/ss - 1 world, 2 us, and 1 civ & eco. I haven't found any publishers offering 2 US history courses. It says that these are the "minimum requirements for graduation from a North Carolina public high school" Do I have to adhere to this since I'm not a public hs or can I I sub in a geography or other social science like psychology, anthropology, etc.?
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We didn't do all of them, but I generally had my son pick one from each module. They aren't that hard to do, and it's good practice :-).
That's a great idea! Thank you!!
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Thank you both!
SebastianCat - As of right now, I don't believe he'll be a STEM student (I reserve the right to change that assessment at any time lol). For HS, he'll probably do 1 Bio for sure, either Chem or Physical, and ??? after that. He is not a motivated student at all. He's basically suffering through school until he can graduate. He's my get-r-done kid.
I do like your idea of picking a certain number of experiments to do - that might make it less overwhelming for him and allow him to do the ones he's most interested in (if any - ha!). Co-ops wouldn't do for him - not his style.
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We're using this for my 7/8th grade ds. I was wondering whether I should make the experiments mandatory or not. He would rather not do them. If you've used this, do you do the experiments or not?
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These are some awesome suggestions! Thank you everyone!! :)
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Ooooo.....that looks interesting. Thank you!
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Is there a history text or even a list of history books appropriate for 3rd grade that is NOT a all-inclusive curriculum like HOD or MFW. I'm just looking to get my new 3rd grader casually acquainted with some history (US, World, etc...not picky at this point) Story of the World is not an option for us as I don't care for it.
If it matters, my older two are doing Notgrass' America the Beautiful so perhaps keeping everyone in US history would be nice. I have Squanto Friend of the Pilgrims and Stories of Great Americans....what else do you think might keep a young boy's attention?
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I'll be getting General for ds13, Flying Creatures for dd11 and Astronomy for ds8 this year. I was wondering about getting everyone the lab kits, especially for the General.
What are your thoughts about buying the kits?
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Thank you Ellie!
I need to think how that will pan out over the next few years. Would you just do each level until you run out and then try to find something else?
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I tried Writing Strands 3 about 2 years or so ago with my then 11 and 9 year olds. We did it for a few weeks but then fizzled out due to lack of interest from them and other circumstances. Now my oldest is entering 8th and we still haven't used any formal writing program (just doing some light creative writing here and there). Needless to say, he and his sister are both weak in the writing department and I'm wanting to use this year to get ds13 prepared for his upcoming high school years.
I am really considering Writers in Residence for this year as our writing program. I like that it incorporates grammar, especially in the context of writing vs as a separate component. But I also have read some great things about WS and I wonder if we should give it another shot.
*If* we were to use WS again, and after going through WS3 this year, what level would I go to next for each child? Are they in sequential order or do I place them according to age/grade? They are ds13 and dd11.
Thank you!
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Thank you all!
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I was just wondering if the General Science from Apologia is meant for 5 days per week?
Thank you!
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MerryAtHope,
Thank you for that link - you have some fantastic information there!! I'm definitely going to be pulling from your awesome booklists too! :thumbup:
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Oh, wow! Thank you for such a detailed answer and for sharing how MOH worked in your family. I see how trying to keep them together can prove to be difficult. We are currently using Notgrass and I have the older two using America the Beautiful. I have the same question about how to schedule that if we were to stick with it. I like the Notgrass but MOH just looks really interesting.
I'd love to figure out what our high school plans will be and then reverse engineer the next 2-3 years. Is that possible? 🤔 😄
Thank you again!
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I'm considering starting MOH for our history but am wondering how that looks in a few years. My kids are ds13, d11, and ds8. I'm mainly wondering about the older two and how the four vols. will play out as they approach high school.
Has anyone used these in this capacity (infringing into the high school years)? And what do you label these as on a transcript if so?
Ds13 is entering somewhere between 7th and 8th and dd11 is entering 6th. If I can get ds up to speed in his LA I'll probably call him 8th by the fall.
So, for him:
7th/8th - vol. 1
8th/9th - vol. 2
9th/10th - vol. 3
10th/11th - vol. 4
11th/12th - area of choice or other????
For her:
6th - vol. 1
7th - vol. 2
8th - vol. 3
9th - vol. 4
10th, 11th, & 12th - ????
And I guess ds8 will have a whole other game plan given his age. Could he rotate through them again but doing the more advanced work?
Thank you in advance for any help with this. :)
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Thank you MerryAtHope!
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Thank you!!
8th grade History and Science help needed...secular?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Quick summary....dd13 wants new curriculum that isn't Christian/religion based. This is proving to be harder than I thought. While I respect that she doesn't want a religious bent in her school materials, I would appreciate it if the material isn't disrespectful or untruthful about it either. Does that make sense?
So far I've found:
History Odyssey - not feeling real sure about this one based a few reviews
Human Odyssey - I guess just use the books as a spine and fill in with other reading books?
Discovery k12/Time4Learning/other online options - she doesn't want to do online
Story of the World - may still have a Christian/religious undertone that she'd balk at
Singapore Science - our only science under consideration right now
Any other suggestions that are secular or neutral that (big condition here) don't cost an arm and a leg? Thanks for any help!