a math WWYD... DD13 is 15 lessons away from finishing Saxon Alg 1/2. I have been keeping track on a spreadsheet of which lessons/concepts DD is missing the most of in Pre-A. There are a handful of concepts/lessons that she continues to miss at least 60-70% of the time. Since she will complete this book well before the end of this school year, I plan to use the rest of the school days in heavy review of the weaker areas before moving into Alg 1...I think. Then, moving on to Alg 1 at the beginning of 8th gr, at whatever point she is at then...I think. But what do you suggest? Would you skip the review, review until mostly solid or review until there's a bit more mastery on the weaker areas before moving into Alg 1? Will Alg 1 be that much harder and will the gaps widen if I just move her on? Or will the gaps close if I just go ahead w/ Alg 1? I'm not as mathematically inclined so I'm not sure how to handle this one. . A good friend of mine never holds her DD back to review/make solid before moving on, explaining that stopping to do such review instead of continuing to advance actually interrupts some sort of math learning flow. She is also using Saxon. She feels like her DD will eventually catch on to her weaker concepts because she will continue to see the concept over and over. I followed that advice to see if it was right for DD and even though it has ironed out some missed concepts, there are a few shaky ones still remaining. So, I just don't know what to do next. My honest opinion is that DD has passed Pre-A as a whole. And for every lesson she has to re-do any she's gotten wrong. The final grade comes after the one re-do and I consider the re-do additional practice. After every re-do the final grade is usually a high B or low A. I don't want to make Alg 1 harder on her than it has to be so what do you suggest?

a math WWYD... DD13 is 15 lessons away from finishing Saxon Alg 1/2. I have been keeping track on a spreadsheet of which lessons/concepts DD is missing the most of in Pre-A. There are a handful of concepts/lessons that she continues to miss at least 60-70% of the time. Since she will complete this book well before the end of this school year, I plan to use the rest of the school days in heavy review of the weaker areas before moving into Alg 1...I think. Then, moving on to Alg 1 at the beginning of 8th gr, at whatever point she is at then...I think. But what do you suggest? Would you skip the review, review until mostly solid or review until there's a bit more mastery on the weaker areas before moving into Alg 1? Will Alg 1 be that much harder and will the gaps widen if I just move her on? Or will the gaps close if I just go ahead w/ Alg 1? I'm not as mathematically inclined so I'm not sure how to handle this one. . A good friend of mine never holds her DD back to review/make solid before moving on, explaining that stopping to do such review instead of continuing to advance actually interrupts some sort of math learning flow. She is also using Saxon. She feels like her DD will eventually catch on to her weaker concepts because she will continue to see the concept over and over. I followed that advice to see if it was right for DD and even though it has ironed out some missed concepts, there are a few shaky ones still remaining. So, I just don't know what to do next. My honest opinion is that DD has passed Pre-A as a whole. And for every lesson she has to re-do any she's gotten wrong. The final grade comes after the one re-do and I consider the re-do additional practice. After every re-do the final grade is usually a high B or low A. I don't want to make Alg 1 harder on her than it has to be so what do you suggest?

My accelerated DD is almost finished with Saxon Alg 1/2 and loves it. We started with AoPS and she loathed it. I picked up the Saxon material and she hasn't looked back since. It is a strong math curriculum IMO and she will even tell you she is a much stronger math student because of the Saxon approach. She has completely self taught through Saxon this whole year (once we got some huge kinks worked out), with the exception of a new concept or two that she needs a few minutes of my time for. I think it's a very individualized thing and you might only know if it's right for you if you try it. I can't say enough about how it turned things around here. AoPS almost had DD rebelling to ever pick up math again, and now SAxon has completely saved her attitude for math. I asked her if she wanted to stick with Saxon next year or look into other math curr and she insisted I order Saxon Alg 1.

Another vote for MBTP. Can't say enough about it. I have an art loving 13 yr old girl. Sure there are *some* worksheets, but there is SO much more to it than that. And plenty of art thrown in the mix.

I'm not sure what the question is, but here, I just calculate how many possible points they can get, grade their efforts against the rubric and write down their total points earned. Divide the points earned by the possible points, like you did. I have a 10 pts spread between letter grades (100-90=A, 80-90=B) though, so I'm not sure if in your case, who has set the grade spread. I see what you're saying about a 3 not really being the middle grade, but..I just grade it and go on and they take what they earned. LOL

we are stalking the 750. I participate in surveys for small amts of cash each and I have been collecting for about 6 months. I"m about $20 away from getting it with only survey money! I figured if we started smaller, it would cost more in the end by the time I added on to satisfy him. We plan to use it as our 'science' as a break at times from our chemistry curriculum this year.

I was homeschooled only through high school. Dh was not homeschooled.

We ordered Chemistry/Logic for my middle schoolers this coming year and we haven't used it (but are excited to!) ..but I wanted to mention that there is a packing list of everything the kits include, so if want to know what else you need, email Paige and ask for a packing list. I compared mine to the kit we opted for and I don't think there is much at ALL I am going to need to also buy. Anyway, I thought it would help somebody to plan.

We have mechanical pencils..the kids prefer the one in the link. They are 3.50 ish ea at Walmart, and at back to school time are around the 2 for $5 mark. We buy the lead that fits it at the dollar store and away we go. The eraser winds up or down and they last for a really long time. DD has 3 she has used for 2 yrs now. The eraser is JUST NOW getting low. We also only use the sharpener for colored pencils or stray #2 pencils someone picks up. http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mate-Mechanical-Starter-56047PP/dp/B001T6QCJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397341952&sr=8-1&keywords=papermate+clearpoint+mechanical+pencil

This is totally us.. this next year we are rotating a couple of very different things throughout our science curriculum, and a bit through history. Language arts and mathy stuff is all the same, every day.

Check out Moving Beyond the Page. It's project and literature based. Fun activities too. I haven't used the level she'd be in but it might be a good fit. There's a facebook group, "Differently Schooled Using Moving Beyond the Page" that you could join and ask questions if you considered using it.

The activities weren't as ..hard? The material is written a bit differently, much less intensity and more enjoyable in 2nd semester. Far fewer activities to solidify the lesson. More on a middle schoolers level. Semester 1 felt like high school science with activities in over drive.

Depending on the package you put together when purchasing, you may need to buy the science kits separately. Our kit was packed full of so much stuff ... even 'possible' stuff that we never opened. We have so much left over I have googled experiments to use the stuff with in order to use it up. And, at the 11-13 level, I can REALLY tell that the first semester and second semester's author were different. The second semester is completely different in every way than the first.

I also wanted to add that I re-read this page often when I feel like I am becoming frustrated over all this again. I've posted this link on this forum before: http://usingsaxon.com/newsletterpage-2013.php#0413 Particularly the entry under the Sept 2013 blog portion. He says: "So long as you do not reward the student for making these simple calculation errors on the weekly tests - like giving them partial credit for getting the concept right, but the answer wrong - they will eventually overcome that shortcoming. And if they do not, but their weekly test scores remain constantly at an 80 or better, I would not worry about it. Remember, the cumulative and repetitive nature of John Saxon's math books is what creates the mastery as opposed to other math curriculums reviewing for - and teaching the test. So making a few computational errors, while maintaining a minimum score of 80 on the thirty-some weekly tests, is truly outstanding. While I fully understand that everyone considers an acceptable target grade for tests at 95 - 100, receiving an 80 on one of John Saxon's weekly math tests is equivalent to the 95 one would receive on the periodic test using some other math curriculum that teaches the test." Sooo.... it *really* upsets her if she thinks she is averaging lower than a 90 until I remind her how Saxon is set up and that an average 80 is exceptional. :)

thanks for asking! Things have REALLY improved and her overall average (tests included) is around 90%. She is allowed re-dos in daily lessons..I consider it practice as well as helpful for pulling the wrong problem apart to figure out what went happened. No re-do on tests of course. Since posting this, I have come to some different conclusions. 1)Even though I didn't think so at the time, DD was de-schooling when it comes to math, being that this was her first year back homeschooling. She relied heavily on a calculator (I took it away), was encouraged to tape a multiplication chart..ones through twelves! to the back of her notebook (I took it away) and never ever wrote her problems down as they only used worksheets. I took the advice to have her using graph paper for a while to re-learn how to line her problems correctly, expected her to know multiplication, and put away the calculator. 2)It took a while to settle into the right program and the inbetween was unsettling to her perfectionist personality. She is now firmly set into the Saxon methods, likes it, understands it and is happy to feel like this is the math curriculum she wants to be in. 3)I have let go of any timeframes for math. I narrowed down my objectives... do the work the way Saxon prescribes it, slow and easy and full, no matter how long it takes. Through the months, the time it takes has really shortened as she's gotten the hang of it. 4) I stayed firm on re-training her how to set up her problems on her page. Lots of room, who cares how much paper we use. I couldn't believe how much of a difference in her score this made once she actually listened to this advice. 5) Hormones.......... enough said. LOL! I eased up my attitude about it too, coming away from thinking she should SOOOO know this by now. There were a lot of other factors involved than ability. there are now days where she crashes and burns real bad and we take the next day's math time to re-do things, re-explain, ease through the concept, don't go forward unless she gives the go-ahead. It was hard at first as her brother (in public school, one year below her) is bringing home the exact same work she is doing at the same time. Meaning, she did ALL of this last yr, and it is HARD for me to see her not advancing to Alg 1. But, I came to the conclusion that she wasn't a solid math student in PS last year, no matter what the test scores/spring scores/Principal/Teachers said. It makes me SO happy she is homeschooling b/c she was paraded through many awards ceremonies at the school, getting prestigious math awards for years...but that didn't mean much when it came to standing on her own as a math student. NOW...she can do it. We didn't really start Saxon Alg 1/2 heavy duty till around late fall or so and I had no real hopes of finishing the book this year. But, after she got her confidence back, and I tested her out of about 12 lessons somewhere in the middle, she is on lesson 100 today, there is only 123 lessons in the book and I anticipate not only will she finish the book this year, but will have time to do the supplemental appendix material at the end to completion. I totally credit her for sticking with it and working her tush off...I credit me for calming the heck down and letting her lead this and follow her cues and being ok with however it ends up. But I also REALLY credit the Saxon way to helping her shape up. I was so doubtful about Saxon and only tried it ..because, I'm not really sure, actually. And it has worked so well for her, she has asked to please stay with Saxon into Alg 1 and for next yr, I already have everything her waiting for her, including the CD's b/c she wants to add the lesson on computer to start her math lessons this next year. I say, "Whatever you want (within reason) if you are learning and becoming solid this way!!" lol And...today is a mental health day around here..that helps too. haha!

We are gong to use History Odyssey's Level 2 Modern curr this year so I guess I"d better take a look at that and see if my 8th grader is ready.

We are using the full 11-13 MBTP curr this year. Easy is not a word I would use at any time with this curriculum. The science is very solid and very rigorous. In the first semester it was tooo rigorous but found it easy to tweak to our needs. The 2nd semester of is 'just' right' for us...and dare I say...fun? lol We are learning a TON and I have a hunch it's going to make high school science a breeze. lol Even for a science filled family, I would venture to say you'll probably have as much science as you want with this curr. My FAV part is the manipulatives kit you get to use with the science curr. If you only buy the science portion, you'll need to buy the kit separate. I was really impressed with what was in that box!

You may have already seen this, but this link helped me tremendously in figuring out what to do next according to edition: http://usingsaxon.com/newsletterpage-2013.php#0413 My DD was labeled as gifted too, only I had not heard Saxon was a poor fit for gifted kids. I started out with Aops and she crashed and burned the minute she opened it. lol I tried Saxon next and off we went. She came right out of PS this year to homeschool and of course, math is the hardest fit. Saxon is just really right for her. All her sloppy mistakes are gone and she's only got around 25 lessons on her book left for this year. I don't really listen to anyone else because it's so individualized anyway. It shocked the heck outta me when this worked for her but..whatever works! ETA: In that link, the whole page is good, but scroll down to the April 2013 entry for an examination of the different Saxon editions and the order recommended per edition.

My 7th grader is using Moving Beyond the Page this year. Its very challenging, open and go, all planned out for me with a Parent Overview section in the back that spells it all out for me. It meshes many different methods in the curriculum. Their website describes the mix of methods they have included.. Classic Education, a little Charlotte Mason, Montessori, etc. Sort of eclectic in that way, anyway. LOL We really love it and find it very rigorous. It's listed as a gifted curriculum but even so, there is usually more than one option available in completing assignments..one that is easier, one that is more challenging. You can buy the whole box or just one unit at the time if you don't want to commit without trying it. There are also samples on the website.

Well good grief. I see nothing wrong with the things the OP posted. Why all the insecurity and bitterness? So he/she didn't say things just right. So he/she is a little over confident. So what?? I don't share his/her beliefs/financial situation/job options and abilities, I'm not sure how I'd answer the question in the original post. But why not live and let live and be happy for somebody who is doing ok...as of today anyway? You can tell he/she realizes things could change, or he/she wouldn't have started an education fund in the event of such change. I keep wanting to understand what is wrong about he/she has said and I don't get it. Makes me much less likely to reach out here, too. If these expressions are so wrong, I should probably only EVER read here.

In the middle of a beginners lesson on sentence diagramming here, and DD is trying to write down the rules as she learns them as a reference. But I KNOW something like that has to be available online so I don't want to reinvent the wheel. Can anyone point me to a chart or quick reference type of website/page that has something like this in place already? Maybe I can just print it and file it in her notebook.

we've used PBS since 2008. We really love it and use it somehow every week. The kids ALWAYS try a search on PBS when they want a new book. We have had great success with our wishlist. For school, I have found a few things we needed, including a Dolciani Algebra textbook! Just last week, 2 books that DS is dying for and put on my wish list came up for him, and he was so thrilled. It is a bit of a wait for wishlist items, but it's like any other thing you want to get a real deal on..you either have to do lots of digging, or wait. As for books I'm offering, I just have a moving box in the basement with the books I've listed in it. I keep adding to the box and when one is requested I just visit the box. One trick I've used over the years is to go in and totally remove ALL the books you are offering and then re-add them if you haven't gotten a request in a while. I don't know what it does to the system, or if it makes it think you are new again or what, but about once a year I do that and immediately get requests for a while. And I love that if I don't wanna fool with sending books out, I can buy credits and get books in for the cheapest anywhere. AND if I want it new, I can click on the amazon link and choose to use 1 credit to get some $ taken off the Amazon price of the book.

You HAVE to at least look into Moving Beyond the Page. It is literature AND project based. There is so much variety in the activities that we just can't get bored. And if you buy the 'manipulatives kit' that goes with the level you choose, most everything is there for you. And when I say project based, I don't mean complicated stuff either. There is usually at least 2 options for the projects or activities and you can be as involved as you want in it. Sometimes, yeah, both options are involved. But do what you want that time. There are so many creative suggestions and different ways to drive the lesson home that we are thoroughly enjoying our year using it. ETA: there is a very supportive group on FB that can help you decide yay or nay if you start thinking about it. It's called Differently Schooled using Moving Beyond the Page.

I got our History Odyssey books in for next year and there is a TON of writing assignments in it through the year, with one big essay to be organized all year long and given at the end of the year. There is a LOT of instruction, charts and guides as to how to write various types of papers, how to organize thoughts and research points and get it all down on paper. We already have a rigorous writing program so I won't be doing a lot of the writing in HO, because it's a ton! We got the Modern Times, Level 2 material.

it could be. I find it really strange though that it only happens within a certain period of time of following here, every time. Even across more than one email acct. I think I'll try gmail and see if it still happens.