What Farrar said. I've been using Singapore Math for almost ten years now. My DD, in Standards Primary, is doing word problems similar to my son's Algebra 1 text but without the equations. She is using bar models to work the problems. The questions involve multiple steps and are far more challenging than what her friends in the local schools are being asked to do. I do find that Standards Primary is slightly more challenging than the US Edition and loads more challenging than the Math in Focus series.

We've enjoyed Suzanne Selfors books (Smells Like Dog series) and are finishing The Sisters Grimm series (9 books).

For my oldest DD: Math: Not sure yet. This year we are doing Singapore Primary Standards 5A & 5B along with Beast Academy 4 and 5. I have not decided if I should continue with Singapore 6 or do their Dimensions program or maybe switch to a Pre-Algebra program such as AOPS or Jousting Armadillos. To answer the pp, I have found that (for my DD) Singapore 5 has been more review than I expected rather than new material so I am concerned about a similar experience with Singapore 6. We love Singapore Math though so that's why I may look at Singapore Dimensions. The issue with the Dimensions program, for me, is I am not sure what level of math follows Dimensions 8 (Algebra II, Geometry??) Language Arts: Handwriting-- Zaner Bloser Handwriting (Cursive) 7/8 Vocabulary--Vocabulary from Classical Roots 6 & Maybe Vocabulit or Sadlier Spelling: Continuing with Megawords (Books 3 & 4). Spelling is a weakness and a frustration for her unfortunately. Grammar: Well Ordered Language 3A & B, and Parts of Analytical Grammar. My DD loves diagramming sentences so definitely we will continue with that. Composition: IEW SWI B, IEW Theme Books (probably Ancient History), Start Writing with Skill Level 1, Kilgallon sentence composing books (a big hit with my DD!) Literature: Novels with Discussion/Novel Guides/Teaching with the Classics, Short Stories from Lovin Lit on Teacherspayteachers, Poetry Study, Possibly Essentials in Literature 7 Science: Chemistry & Physics but I'm not sure how this will happen yet. Maybe Mr. Q. I already have Masterbooks units on Matter, Chemistry, etc. and Nancy Larson Science Units. There will be experiments and hands-on. We have Snap Circuits and she loves those. History: Ancients with a variety of sources. She is very excited to start studying Ancient History! Geography: Maybe Memoria Press Geography II, not sure yet. Foreign Language: She has been begging me to start French so she may take French for Middle School (French I) at our homeschool co-op Fine Arts: Continue with Ballet and Tap, add Contemporary dance, continue with audition choir, Continue with piano lessons, Studio and History of Art class at homeschool co-op Physical Education: Dance, swimming, horseback riding

I'm in the same situation so I am watching.....

I currently am using Kilgallon Elementary mostly (the yellow book) and also the Story Grammar book (Elementary level). I have the middle school books on deck.

We also are going through the Kilgallon books (Sentence Composing, etc.) and integrating the concepts into IEW compositions.

I was wondering about this as well. DD is an above average writer but she fluctuates between wanting to write often and not wanting to write at all. Last year (4th) she did IEW Student Writing Intensive A and Student Writing Continuation Course A. This year (5th) we have been doing IEW Continuation Course A and some IEW theme books using the Level B directions. I am looking at Writing With Style maybe for spring or starting next year. I don't want to overwhelm my DD and cause her to go into a period of "not wanting to write."

I thought I was the only one, lol!!! YES, body aches (mostly my back) and a feeling of pressure and swelling (mostly in my head and sinuses) whenever it's humid. Constant rain, heat and humidity also makes me irritable. Growing up in So Cal with hot but DRY weather, the SE is now killing me! Especially the constant weeks of rain, heat and humidity. I will be okay for 1-2 days but by the third day I am feeling terrible. One of my DDs (who was born here, btw) gets migraines when it's been hot and humid for more than 3 days. Lots of that this whole summer!!!

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this. I truly do understand family drama (unfortunately).... I'm assuming you have been in contact with your sister in general (?) If it were me, I would probably call and have a heart to heart with her as this is a personal and sensitive issue. Are you saying that she (your sister) will make you the "family bad guy?" Also, what is npd? <<<<<<hugs>>>>>> and prayers!!!

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses and helpful suggestions. I fear also going down the track of becoming a "Latin hoarder" as I figure out how best to teach Latin for the first time, yikes!

Oh my....these are essentially the same response I got to my post on the Middle School Board......(paraphrase) "Latin Alive 1 is not really appropriate for beginners." HA!!! I also was not hip to "LA is not for beginners" when I was looking at it on the CAP website. The website pretty much leads one to believe that Latin Alive 1 is just fine for the older beginner, grrrrr. On the other board I was alerted to the Yahoo Group for LA which has tests, quizzes and extra worksheets available made by many users. I joined the group today. It was also suggested to me that I could use the free supplementary worksheets for Latin for Children A and B available on the CAP website which is a great idea. At this point I have ordered Getting Started With Latin and will begin with that when it arrives. I am also teaching my DS English grammar that will help him with Latin. After GSWL, I will reevaluate and see if I will stick with Latin Alive 1 (using the extra resources mentioned above) or maybe go with Latin Prep (Galore Park), So You Want to Learn Latin (Galore Park), The Big Lively Book of Latin Book 2, Visual Latin, or even Memoria Press Latin! I may keep Latin Alive 1 and just use it for the history and cultural stuff and then sell it all (Books and DVDs). I'm not decided yet. It's been very disappointing.

Oohh, good idea to use the worksheets for Latin for Children A and B. Maybe I can "save" this year yet and still use Latin Alive 1 after Getting Started with Grammar!!! Yeah, DS is not as strong with grammar as I would like. It's not that he doesn't "get it," it's that he starts to get anxious whenever "traditional" names for things appear (like "principle parts of a verb"). Then he can shut down. When he actually does something like conjugate verbs or diagram sentences, he's fine. It's just that things move slowly as we attempt to get him past things he *thinks* will be "hard." I will pm you for the Excel spreadsheet, thanks. The "lesson plans" on the CAP website seem flimsy to me.

AGGHHHH!!! I should have read that link before going with LA!! I agree with that poster though, I did not catch a "not for beginner vibe" when I was looking at LA on the website. I guess I may be selling LA 1 or using it next year. At least it appears that Quizlet has vocabulary work already available. So, now what after Getting Started with Latin? Maybe Latin Prep? Maybe So You Want to Learn Latin? Maybe Memoria Press Latin? I want something that has the richness of Latin Alive but doesn't move too fast and won't totally turn off my DS. Maybe the Big Lively Book of Latin Book 2?

Thanks for the link!! : ) I previously did some research on the Hive and found the suggestion for GSWL and had planned to do that first anyway. I'm still thinking that the Latin Alive exercises themselves seem "light" in terms of amount for the concepts presented(?) My son probably is going to need some drill to retain concepts and vocabulary. Should I make my own flashcards, find some other exercises to supplement.....?

.....especially Latin Alive, but really any Latin. Has anyone used Latin Alive book 1 with an older student who has never studied Latin before (or studied any foreign language at all)? If yes, did you find that Latin Alive Book 1 (with the DVDs) was enough practice and drill to effectively learn and retain concepts, vocabulary, etc.? If not, what did you use to supplement Latin Alive book 1 (aside from the DVDs which I already have). Alternatively, maybe Latin Alive book 1 is not a good choice for someone who has never studied a foreign language before and who will need consistent drill and practice. I am open to other suggestions. Background: My DS will be starting Latin this year for the first time; in fact, this is the first time he has ever studied a foreign language and he is in the 9th grade. He chose Latin and I think it will be a good fit for him overall as he loves ancient history and doesn't want to worry about needing to cultivate a conversationally appropriate accent. However, in looking over the program I selected (Latin Alive1) I am now thinking that we will start with the book Getting Started with Latin first and then go into Latin Alive book 1. My DS also is somewhat weak in grammar and I think starting with Latin Alive right off would probably give him anxiety. Thanks!!

.....especially Latin Alive, but really any Latin. Has anyone used Latin Alive book 1 with an older student who has never studied Latin before (or studied any foreign language at all)? If yes, did you find that Latin Alive Book 1 (with the DVDs) was enough practice and drill to effectively learn and retain concepts, vocabulary, etc.? If not, what did you use to supplement Latin Alive book 1 (aside from the DVDs which I already have). Alternatively, maybe Latin Alive book 1 is not a good choice for someone who has never studied a foreign language before and who will need consistent drill and practice. I am open to other suggestions. Background: My DS will be starting Latin this year for the first time; in fact, this is the first time he has ever studied a foreign language and he is in the 9th grade. He chose Latin and I think it will be a good fit for him overall as he loves ancient history and dosn't want to worry about needing to cultivate a conversationally appropriate accent. However, in looking over the program I selected (Latin Alive1) I am now thinking that we will start with the book Getting Started with Latin first and then go into Latin Alive book 1. My DS also is somewhat weak in grammar and I think starting with Latin Alive right off would probably give him anxiety. Thanks!!

The first semester he had Mrs. Osborne and the second semester he had Mrs. Staggers. Who is your son taking (if you don't mind saying, that is.)

Ohhhhhhh, Thank you! : )

I don't know what GSWL is, but my DS will be starting Latin Alive! Level 1 from Classical Academic Press this year. We have the TE, student workbook and DVD's. Just throwing this out there in case you wanted another Latin program to peruse (or not.... : p) Annndddd......, just for kicks, what is GSWL?

Sorry to get back to this after such a long time away (summer camps are sucking up a lot of time—driving, picking up, etc.....) Anyway..... Thanks so much for the review of EIL, mmasc! I had the same thoughts about the novel in 8th so I skipped it. Now that DS is starting 9th, I'm looking again. However, Teachers pay teachers has a lot of truly excellent resources, as well, so I am torn. 2Peanuts, I understand the hesitation to switch classes but I was just so fed up with the poor classroom management it was either that or quit IEW entirely. I figured they would rather I switch than quit : ). I did not say that, though. I said it was a scheduling conflict and they never asked any questions but just switched my son. My DS is taking Eva's All About Essays B week that starts Monday, October 15. Did you find out if your DD had the same IEW class that my DS had? The student in question would fill the chat box continuously with spam, looooooonnnnngggggg spam. And he also put forth comments that were unrelated to what was going on.

Oh, I noticed your oldest was doing Essentials in Literature Level 7. Not to hijack this post : ) but could you tell me what you think of the program? I am seriously considering buying it for DS (the 9th grade version). Is it solid and enough for an entire year? Any other comments would be appreciated. Thanks!!!

My DS took the IEW SWI B class online this year (he is finishing 8th grade). We had two different teachers because we switched at the semester break. The difference in teachers made quite a "difference" (pardon the pun!) The first teacher had weak classroom management skills so very little of teaching substance got done online. There was one student in particular who was quite immature and liked to type loooooonnnnggggg, distracting things (spam type of things) in the chatbox. This teacher would allow it to go without wiping the chat and spent quite a bit of time with the "Now, ______, please stop doing that......" It was highly annoying and took time away from teaching. My son, who generally has a high tolerance for this type of thing, didn't even want to continue the class. In hindsight I should have complained earlier and gotten a switch in schedule. So, if you have some distracting students in class, and the the teacher you have is weak with online classroom management skills, it probably won't get better and it will affect the quality of teaching .This teacher also spent roughly 30 minutes a class period doing Fix -It Grammar which we had found not that useful and stopped doing early on. So the 30 minutes was a waste for us. The next semester we had a different teacher who taught similarly to me, ran a "tight" ship so to speak, and actually taught. This was a far different experience and worthwhile. This teacher spent about 10 minutes with Fix -It and the rest of the time with writing instruction, answering questions, etc. Often the class would end 10 minutes early because everything for the day had been covered. Yes, you do need the DVDs because you need to watch them as the appropriate section comes up. I am selling the DVDs (and many people sell them separately) so if you are interested let me know. Then you need to buy the student book online at IEW (costs $10.00 as a downloadable ebook; only run off the pages you actually need) and you will have the whole course for less than $109.00. If you are using FIx-It Grammar you can purchase it used (I also have it for sale) and you only need the Teacher Book I think....... The most valuable aspect of the IEW SWI B online course for me was that it kept my DS on track with writing and completing assignments regularly. I have other children to teach (younger) and the assignment schedule assured me that DS was doing enough writing for an 8th grader. His writing improved immensely as a result, and having to consistently go through all the steps (drafting, dressups, etc.) established an excellent routine. He also did many different types of writing (as the class delves into most of the units) and this was a plus. As a follow up, DS will be taking Open Tent's IEW class online with Eva Meola (the one for grades 8-11) next year. I used the Writing with Skill Level 1 book with my DS during his 7th grade year (no online class). I actually really like that series! However, for my DS he needed the structure that IEW provides in order to build his confidence and his writing skills. I did not consider the online class with WTM because it looked like there would not be enough scaffolding for my DS. I may consider it in the future (maybe for 10th grade) after he has another year of IEW to cement skills.

AWESOME!!!!! : )

My 8th grade DS just finished using the Physical Science Apologia text in a co-op class and we both strongly suggest you avoid it. It started out pleasantly enough but by the middle of the year we were both tearing our hair out due to the author's "chatty" and meandering style of writing. He often uses two or three different terms interchangeably for the same concept but does not explain he is doing this so it can get very confusing. He could have used a good editor, imo. The On Your Own questions were maddening to answer although the Study Guide questions at the end of each chapter weren't too bad. The tests place a heavy emphasis on memorizing elaborate definitions (if you plan on giving closed book tests which my son's co-op teacher did). There is almost no review built into the lessons/chapters. My son did quite well in the class but it took a huge amount of effort on my part for that to happen. I don't know about the Novare text but ANYTHING has to be better than the Apologia Physical Science textbookfor 8th grade!

I print only what I need for Core Knowledge and that's all in b & w. The flip books and pictures (slides) in the anthologies I show on my lap top as I read the stories that go along with them. Never had to print anything in color is my point. It cost some in toner and paper but it's been minimal.