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kjaye

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Posts posted by kjaye

    Need help finding a solid reading list

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I want to make sure that I'm not missing any of the "greats" with my kids. I have one kiddo who, given the choice, would only read fiction and another who would only read non-fiction. :) We've been reading books that I remember reading as a kid, but I want to make sure that we have a nice balance. I also want to make sure that I'm exposing my boys to all the different genres.

     

    If you have a great book list bookmarked, please share!

    Teaching a child to be OK with a challenge

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    Some of my really really really smart peers in college said they felt hindered by people telling them they were "smart" while growing up. They didn't want to take on challenges because they were afraid they would fail and no longer look smart.

     

    Focus on praising hard work and perseverance, not smartness.

     

    Emily

     

     

    I just read this article recently and I am SO guilty of telling my son how "smart" he is.

     

    http://worth.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2908:the-problem-with-praise

    Alpha Omega Horizons Math

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I think it's a great fit for my 10yo. The variety of it is good for him and I think he benefits from the spiral approach. If he had to focus on one type of problem too long, his mind would start to wander.

     

    For my 8yo, I think it's just too much spiral. I think he'd feel more comfortable if there weren't so much variety in each daily lesson. I signed up for the group buy through HSBC for MM. Perhaps that'll be a better fit, with some Horizons supplementation. I also just purchased Beast Academy for him, but we haven't had a chance to check it out yet.

     

    I was also a little concerned because I don't see many people using Horizons. I see a lot of Singapore, Saxon, MM, MUS, etc., so I was hoping that I didn't choose an inferior program. Being a HS'ing newbie, I'm second guessing every single curriculum choice. :p

    Alpha Omega Horizons Math

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    This year I'm using Horizons math for my boys. It seems to be working well for my 10yo, but not so well for my 8yo. This is our first year hs'ing, so I don't have anything to compare the program to. If you have used it and ended up switching, what were your reasons?

     

    Thanks!

    BrainPop - $$$$

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    FWIW, the $17/ month subscription is cheaper (provided you can use it with more than one child.)

     

     

    The $17/month subscription is only solo access for BrainPop, BrainPop Jr., and BrainPop Espanol. So, it'll end up being ~$11/month with the co-op deal. There are a lot of times that I wish we had the multi-user access, but it's not worth the extra cost for us.

    BrainPop - $$$$

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    There are various options but if you have children with varying ages...BrainPOP Combo Homeschool Solo Access is $131.25

    It includes the BrainPOP (Grades 3 and up), BrainPOPJr (K-3), BrainPOP Espanol (Spanish).

     

    We currently have this combo. My boys are 8 and 10. I like that I can bounce between BrainPop and BrainPop Jr, depending on the topic we're covering. I'm paying for a monthly subscription now (~$17/month), but am going to take advantage of the co-op deal. In my opinion, it's worth it. We use it regularly for social studies and science. My boys also like to watch random videos on their own.

    State standards for Social Studies

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I divide "social studies" into individual subjects:

    World History

    American History

    Geography

    Civics/Government

    State history/knowledge

    Basic Economics

     

    I do my own program, which is quite a bit advanced past state standards.

     

    However, I absolutely pay attention to my state's standards and make sure the material is covered within my program. The material may not be covered in exactly the same order or timeframe, but it will be covered in roughly the same ages/grades. *I second the recommendation for Studies Weekly. That has all of the state standards specific to my state in a fun, newspaper form which my kids generally enjoy. You may want to look at that to see if it will meet your needs.

     

    Many homechoolers (as evidenced by this thread) choose not to follow state standards or not even to know what they are. However, this could present a significant problem in the case of children who homeschool and then for whatever reason need to enter/re-enter the school system. A friend of mine who has homeschooled from the beginning just recenly put two of her kids into public school. The reason was that she has health problems and is overwhelmed by caring for the younger children. Those parents didn't plan to send their kids to public school, but now they have for reasons they did not forsee. The result is that the children are behind (according to the state's standards) and need remedial instruction in various areas. Had the parents paid attention to the state standards and made some effort to cover the material (which is not difficult to do), the kids likely would not have been "behind."

     

    Why intentionally plan for your kids to be "behind" in the school system's eyes? Why not make the minimal effort it takes to cover the curriculum of the school system as well as your own curriculum (in social studies or any other subject). I purposely make it a priority to keep up with the state standards because I want my kids to be advanced not only according to my rigorous standards, but also according the standards of the world in which they will re-enter at some point.

     

    I love your approach and everything you said. I don't intend to send my kids back to public school, but I don't want to rule out the possibility. My 10yo ds is on the autism spectrum and receives services through the school district still. I feel like everyone that works with him is judging my decision to homeschool. Of course, it doesn't matter what they think, because I know he is far better off at home. Still, it stresses me out, so I want to make sure I'm dotting all my i's and crossing all my t's. ;)

     

    Studies Weekly looks awesome. For our state (and maybe for most), they supposedly cover 59% of the standards. Score!

    State standards for Social Studies

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Have you read The Well Trained Mind book yet? Your library may have it if you don't own it. It might help break you out of the public school mindset. :)

     

    I just picked it up from the library! I'm slowly coming to the realization that the books that are used in public schools are NOT conducive to learning. I can see how kids' love of learning is squashed. The social studies text that we're using is so general and goes into nothing in great detail. My boys have had so many questions, but we kept pushing through to get to the next chapter. Forget it. We're scrapping this text and going to make social studies fun and worthwhile!

    State standards for Social Studies

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Grab a copy of The Well Trained Mind and get Story of the World or History Odyssey (essentially a calendar of coordinating reading, discussion, maps, crafts, activities, etc) for history year by year, that you can still customize as you gain confidence.

     

    I haven't heard of World or History Odyssey. I'm going to check them out now!

    State standards for Social Studies

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

     

    1. I don't follow our state's standards, but I try to make sure all of social studies is covered during each level of schooling (K-4, 5-8, 9-12)

     

    2. Every year has looked different, but I do try to keep my overall plan for those years in my mind when planning and choosing curricula. For example, I hadn't done much geography before this year with ds in 4th, so I'm doing a world geography program in addition to history.

     

    3. I plan out a few years at a time as far as what I want to cover in social studies and history. I usually choose history curricula first, then I add to it if needed for the rest of social studies. Some years, all I've used to cover social studies topics that would be included in state standards are some workbooks from school supply stores. I do standardized testing every other year, so I want those things covered on a regular basis.

     

    If your boys love hands on, I would look at Homeschool in the Woods, especially the Time Traveler CDs. They look great, and I've spoken with a friend who says she enjoyed them a lot. I am planning on covering American History in one year next year with ds. I'm going to let him pick 2-3 of these for time periods that we can go more in-depth on and quickly cover the rest. I still want to include US Geography next year as well as some economics and government. He hasn't learned the states and capitals yet because we've been doing ancient and medieval history, so that's on the agenda.

     

    For economics, I'm looking at using these books.

    Comix Economix

    Money Matters

    The Story of Money

     

    For government, I'm looking at this book, but I also have a middle school textbook.

    The Everything American Government Book

     

    The Complete Book of Maps and Geography is excellent to cover map skills and basic knowledge of geography.

     

    Thank you for answering my post so thoroughly. I appreciate your advice. I love the suggestion to check out library books to fill in the gaps. I'm very interested in SOTW, but had no idea how I could do that while covering economy, government, etc. I think I need "unschooling" more than my boys. I'm still very much in a public school frame of mind. :) Our state requires annual standardized testing, so I'm terrified that I'm going to miss something.

    ITBS vs. SAT testing

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Make sure you know your state standards for testing kids with autism. My dd is not required to do testing.

     

     

    I will, thank you! My son does have an IEP (well, now it's been changed to an ISP), that outlines flexible testing accommodations, but I will need to check further what is actually required for him.

    State standards for Social Studies

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I've been using myWorld grade 4 to teach my boys (8 and 10yo) Social Studies this year. I hate, hate, hate it! It is such a mish-mash of incomplete material that jumps all over the place. This is our first year homeschooling, so I felt like I needed to choose a program labeled as "social studies" to meet our state standards. Come to find out, this book isn't covering half of what we should be covering.

     

    My questions for you all:

    1. Do you try to follow your state's standards for the various subjects?

    2. If not using an all-in-one "social studies" program, what do you make sure is covered (geography, history... )?

    3. What do you use to accomplish question 2?

     

    I'm trying to plan our curriculum for next year. I would like to find something that I can do with both of the boys that is hands on. My boys are "do-ers" and learn best with activities and projects, that don't include a lot of writing. I would also prefer something that is pretty laid out for me and not a lot of preparation on my part. I don't mind setting up projects, but I don't want to spend a lot of time searching out information and coming up with my own activities. Am I dreaming that something like this really exists? :001_huh:

    ITBS vs. SAT testing

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    In our state, we are required to test our kiddos. My school district has given me the option of giving the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) or the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT). What is the difference between the two? My boys are 8 and 10 years old. My 10-year old is on the autism spectrum - I'm not sure if one test is better or worse for kids on the spectrum.

     

    I'd appreciate any advice/input!

     

    ETA: It looks like they can also take the CogAT.

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