I had the same issue with my 3rd grade DD this year. We did AAS last year and she loved it but to save some intensive mom-teaching time this year I switched her to R & S. Big mistake. She hated the exercises and retained very little. The style is just too dry for her and too scattered. She is not a natural speller and needs the concentration on one rule at a time. Needless to say, I am back to AAS and all is shiny here again.

I am starting my reluctant 7th grade writer (ds) in book 6. I have been using the earlier books with my 3rd grader but, after looking inside all the available books, the skills taught starting in book 6 seem to be the best place to start for my ds.

I haven't tried these but I am looking at them for my next year 4th grader (DD): R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey Chemistry Level I http://shop.pandiapress.com/wp-content/themes/maintheme/images/try/RSO%20Chemistry%20(level%20one)%20Freebie.pdf Master books http://www.masterbooks.com/homeschool-curriculum/grade-level/4th-grade/science-starters-elementary-chemistry-physics-pack

Because my oldest was in school (public and private) for grades 4-6 (ds now home again in 7th), dd #1 will be my first homeschooled 4th grader. It has taken a lot of time and effort to find out what works for her and it is still easier to say what doesn't work (and may lead to revolt). One thing that does work for dd #1 is variety so, although it looks like we are doing a lot, it's just that we often move among different curricula to keep things interesting. If it is a "leveled" text (like All About Spelling) we will finish each level unless the curricula is a "bad fit" and totally dumped. We also do not do all subjects (such as grammar) everyday. Already changing things around......... Spelling: All About Spelling Levels 4 & 5 All About Homophones Vocabulary: Red Hot Root Words Book I Either Zaner Bloser Word Wisdom 4 OR Evan Moor Vocabulary Fundamentals 4 Composition: IEW Themes: Ancient History --switched off with CAP W & R Narrative Book II and IEW SWI A Homemade writing workshop exercises Literature: Mosdos Press Ruby Novel studies with literature guides & discussion Grammar: Continue with Sentence Family Analytical Grammar Junior: Mechanics CAP Well Ordered Language Levels 2A and 2B (CAP WOL Grammar has been a MAJOR score for 3rd grade) A bit of First Language Lessons Level IV Handwriting: Finish Zaner Bloser Cursive 4 and start ZB Cursive 5 Zaner Bloser Cursive Supplement workbooks such as Presidents, etc. (when she wants something "different" for practice) Mathematics: A rotation of: Finishing Beast Academy Level 3 and beginning Level 4 Singapore Math 4 either Standards or Math in Focus (back as our spine) MEP ( a bit) Math Mammoth Grade 4 (topics as needed) FAN Math Process Skills in Problem Solving Supplemental projects and "fun" math topics Science: This year she will study chemistry and physics using-- Relevant Nancy Larson modules from Levels 2, 3 & 4 Real Science Odyssey Chemistry Level I and Real Science Odyssey Physics Level I "Real" books and DVD's History: Ancients from Creation to Rome; I'm still working on this—I know I will use Story of the World for one spine as well as lots of "real" books and DVD's/movies Geography: Legends and Leagues East (Asia) possibly, I'm still thinking through this one Bible/Character: Not sure yet, possibly CAP God's Great Covenant New Testament Book I; we are doing CAP Old Testament Book II this year and she loves it Also considering Digging Up the Past:Discover 4 Yourself Series (and Abraham: God's Great Explorer and God Has Big Plans for You, Esther!) Beautiful Feet Teaching Character Through Literature Selected Scripture Memory Verses Fine Arts: Drama weekly at our local homeschool co-op Choir weekly at a community children's choir Ballet, Tap and Jazz dance weekly at a local dance academy Piano weekly Physical Education: Weekly all year Ballet, Tap and Jazz dancing Ice skating weekly all winter Swimming spring and summer Horse back riding spring and fall Soccer in the fall Morning "Power Hour" : rotating learning about Ancient Art, poets and poetic forms, and classical music/composer study

You say he hates reading—is his reading ability at grade level, below grade level or above grade level? Are there any skill deficits that may be contributing to his "hating" reading?

My son is easily distracted by the chat boxes so at times I have had to tell him "no more chatting." He has had online classes with a few different teachers and schools and I have found that it varies whether a teacher allows off topic chatting or not. All of his teachers will warn a student if his or her chatting is getting distracting. One teacher he has will disable the chat if she thinks it's getting too distracting. If it was up to me I would turn the public chat off during instruction time except for when students are expected to interact with each other. There are discussion and message boards available for most of my son's providers so I really don't see a purpose in public chat after instruction has started (unless, as I mentioned earlier, students are expected to interact with each other for learning purposes). We have never experienced "sounds" from the chat boxes.

We used it briefly but found it VERY light. My children needed more even at 1st grade. Maybe it's a good spine but I would add to it. Like others we did not use the state part.

Yes, I appreciate the help very much boatwife98! : ) Anybody else have any experiences with Home2Teach?

Thanks boatwife98!! Was there a textbook/manual used and, if not, what types of materials were used? Did the coursework require much help from you or did you find that the assignments were easily completed independently? My son has trouble working independently even though he has no learning difficulties (he just likes having his hand "held"). So, the more "obvious" the assignments the better for encouraging growth in independence!

I am considering enrolling my 7th grade DS in the Home2Teach online class Fundamentals of Writing I. I should add that he is a reluctant writer but not necessarily a poor one. http://www.home2teach.com/classes/session-4/fundamentals-of-writing-1/ Have you had any experience with Home2Teach online classes? Their class descriptions are somewhat generic and it's hard to get a feel for what the class would actually entail. Reviews based on actual experiences would be very helpful, thanks!!!

My son currently is taking Math 6 (pre-algebra) online with Veritas. It has been most useful so far for accountability (my son is a reluctant student in every subject but especially math). He has homework four days a week that is periodically checked by the teacher (HW poll) and a test or quiz every two weeks. The schedule has kept him on track. I have ended up having to teach him things but that's because of his own inattentiveness as he gets easily distracted by the chat box and misses information. Some online classes my son has had (homeschoolconnections) the teacher will shut down chat if it gets too distracting. This teacher will not do that and seems to have a high tolerance for students chatting. I will say that this teacher is very warm and accessible and spends a fair amount of time going over questions from students and/or questions from tests and quizzes that many students have missed. My son definitely enjoys her and thinks this class is about as painless as a math class could be. Veritas has worked well enough for us this year that I am about 80% certain I will be signing my son up for Jacobs or Saxon Algebra I for next year.

I check this thread regularly. Thanks for the new info!

nm

Thank you for your comments/experiences, Lori and Calming Tea. Yes, I forgot to add that we would be doing the class online, possibly also with Veritas. There is a solutions manual for Jacobs that I also would purchase; I have found the solutions manual helpful with Saxon at times.

I am planning my ds's math course for next year and need some advice. He's now in 7th grade and doing Saxon Pre-Algebra 1/2 online with Veritas. He actually is a strong math student but doesn't like the subject at all and requires steady review to maintain his skills and bolster his confidence. I was thinking I would continue with Saxon Algebra I for 8th grade next year (3rd edition) but in looking at the actual book I'm just not sure. It seems even drier and more tedious than the Saxon Pre-Algebra book and ds has started complaining about the "dryness" of the Pre-Algebra book. I also have started becoming concerned about the Saxon emphasis on algorithms and solving equations divorced from actual situations/problems which, for my son, can be a turn-off depending on his mood on a given day. So, now I am wondering if Jacobs may be a better fit as it seems to focus more on understanding the algebra concepts that underlie the procedures and formulas. Yet, Jacobs also does seem thorough enough in regard to procedures, etc. (I could be wrong of course). I am wondering if Jacobs would have enough ongoing review however, similar to Saxon, which has been very helpful for my ds this year. Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated! Thanks!

Never mind : ).

I'm looking at Mosdos Press for my DD next year (she will be in 4th grade). It looks rigorous and comprehensive but it's also expensive. Rainbow Resource carries all the components and offers a peek inside. My DD will also be reading "good" literature/novels which we will discuss and maybe she will write something related to them.

Wow. I'm following because my son also is in 7th grade and I am planning on purchasing W & R book 5 for him to start in January! He is not an "easy" child to teach by any means (due to attitude and not ability) and typically does not like writing. I did IEW with him in the past and that was modestly successful. He still groaned but liked the structure of the content readings and key word outlines as they let him concentrate on word choice and sentence fluency instead of stressing about "what" to write. He also was proud of himself for producing "more" than he thought he was capable of achieving. I started using W & R book 1, and soon book 2, this year with my DD in 3rd grade. She loves it and it has not been deadly dull or tedious for us (like WWE was for both my DS and DD, oh my....) I switch it out with IEW and DD also loves that. Because of my success with DD and W & R, I was planning to start my 7th grade DS with W & R in addition to bringing back IEW. I downloaded the generous sample from the website and will be using that before I purchase to see how things go. I know that attitude has a great impact on how my DS receives/accepts curricula so I appreciate your concern there. But then again, if a curriculum doesn't work for a child one of the great things about homeschooling is the freedom to change it up quickly if need be. Have you looked at W & R book 6 or 7? The website has generous samples to download and try out. You mention that the stories in W & R book 5 don't seem engaging and maybe the assignments are too simple. It's possible that W & R book 6 or even 7 may be a better fit for you son. I'll be watching to see how others respond.

Zaner Bloser Cursive is an oldie but a goodie for us! We get it through Rainbow Resource but it is available on Amazon and often even on Ebay.

When they were younger, I tried WWE with a son (now 7th) and a daughter (now 3rd) who have very different learning personalities. My DD loves stories and writing while my son dislikes writing. They both hated WWE, go figure. They found the selections interesting but groaned about narrations and hated the copywork. It was turning composition into daily drudgery so I had to shelve it. IEW is loved by my DD and often enjoyed by my DS. DD loves the material/content, the organization and support of the key word outlines and the whole revising process. DS needs the support of the key word outlines as it frees him up to be creative with sentences and word choices without having to stress about what to write about. This year I started alternating IEW with Classical Academic Press's Writing and Rhetoric just to change it up and approach composition from different angles. DD adores CAP (she's almost done with book 1 and will soon start book 2). She probably likes CAP even more than IEW. I'll be starting CAP with my DS next month (book 6). I will try WWE with another DD in 1-2 years. I really don't know what to expect now.

I'm having a similar dilemma. Last year I was able to get all skill subjects (language arts, math, handwriting) and content subjects (science and history) in pretty much daily. This year not so much. I have had another child come home (7th grade) who is not very independent and this adjustment is sucking up time that I would be spending on content subjects for the youngers. The other kids are 1st and 3rd so I have made the decision that skill subjects need to be done but the plan is to get back to also doing content regularly with them. On the plus side this year I added a looped poetry, art history and American folk music study to every morning so there has been some "enrichment" daily. I am working toward adding back in regular study of content subjects by next month. My children already regularly do choir, dance and drama so they are getting something outside of "skills." You asked about foreign language and vocabulary—I added vocabulary to my 3rd grader's language arts but didn't do it for second grade. For third grade it's been a good addition. I am waiting until 4th grade to start foreign language but then again, I'm not bilingual so it would be a "subject" and not a natural outgrowth of what I already know. If I were fluent in another language like you are I might gently add in a bit starting now.

For DD, 3rd grade: Loves: Beast Academy 3. My math-disliking little girl reads the guides for fun! WIN Well Ordered Language from CAP. DD told me "grammar is actually fun!" They promised me at my homeschool convention that this is a program that helps kids love learning grammar. It seems to be working here. K12 Literature 3. DD likes the variety of classic lit and poetry. Homegrown American art and music study looped with poetry study. Part of our new morning Power Hour. DD LOVES learning about American artists especially. Huge win here and a wonderful, enriching way to start our day. All About Spelling. Finally DD has found a spelling program she actually likes and thinks is worth her time. CAP Writing Fable. She is really enjoying this. IEW Writing (looped with CAP). She likes this as well; it is a nice change from CAP and CAP is a nice change from IEW. We switch off. Not so Great: MCT Grammar Island. I thought DD would like the story elements but she just thinks it's weird. Rod & Staff Spelling (looped with AAS ). DD really doesn't like it but she does appreciate that the lessons are short. Writing with Ease. Just kind of boring for DD so we dropped it. She liked the stories but found everything else tedious. This is the second kid I have tried this with that thinks it's boring. I'll try again with kid #3.

I started WWE Level 2 with my 3rd grader this year and she has not done any WWE before. With FLL she is in Level 3. She dislikes most everything "school" but today she said she likes the "stories" in WWE 2. In terms of challenge level 2 is a fine fit. Try it!

YES, PLEASE!!!! Sign me up! : ) I have a grammar-disliking 3rd grader that I would like to have try this. I also have an advanced 5 yo (doing 1st grade).

Mystery Science is free for the entire year (or it was a few days ago....) There may be some parental involvement needed though. I second IXL as useful for independent, spiral review of many topics. I was looking at purchasing a GIzmos subscription on Homeschoolbuyerscoop.com. It looks pretty interesting and the cost is reduced with the group buy. If you are not a member yet it's free to join. They also offer reduced rates on many other subscriptions such as IXL.