Oh, these are great thoughts. Thank you guys!!! This is very helpful.

This was exactly my thought. We take the ACT here. She had done Abeka grammar and then took this year off of it. Her English ACT dropped from a 31 to a 30, so I wanted to bring it back in for a good, solid review before taking what will likely be her last one. Thank you for the validation. I was still vacillating, but I think since you corroborated my thoughts, I will stick with it. Did you use the Literature portion, too?

Hello - I love the Abeka Language Arts program - but this year, my 10th grader did the IEW Essay Intensive as well as Windows to the World. Both worked great for this year. I am going to add some grammar back in for 11th grade for a good review before college, but I'm at a crossroads with the literature. I can either go whole hog on the Abeka 11th grade LA, including the American Literature anthology, or I can use the IEW British Lit (which I already own) and filter in with the Abeka grammar. I write my own lesson plans anyway, so this wouldn't be too terribly difficult. I am just not sure whether to go "whole book" or "anthology." I will add that she reads all the time and has read a ton of classics. But she isn't particularly fond of writing - she is more of a math girl. She will take Calculus, Computer Programing, and Spanish 2 at the local university next semester, so I also want to keep LA consistent but not overwhelming as far as workload. Thoughts? Thank you!

This is so helpful. Thank you so much!

I actually am very interested in this option. I read about Owens after reading your post and am very intrigued. I assume I would have her take geometry through him next year and then algebra 2 the next year?

That would have been a great idea! I wish I would have thought of that. But she did Alg 1/2 last year, and now we are nearing the end of 7th grade and Algebra 1. Maybe I could just slow her down, and not try to finish it all this year...to give her some rest, but still keep moving forward. ? I do not want to change math curriculum. I am not comfortable with completely switching gears at this point.

My dd is in 7th grade and doing Saxon Algebra 1 with the integrated Geometry. She is doing well, is very smart, but this is the first time she has had to work hard to learn something. (Just being honest here.) This is challenging for her. She prefers writing, history, and reading, so this is not her favorite subject. She is irritated with the subject, partly because she just doesn't find it interesting (how do you top the beheading of Marie?) and partly because she has to put forth extra effort to learn the material. I am torn between pushing her through and changing things. I would add a year of geometry next year to change things up for her, and then go to Algebra 2 her freshman year. If I go this route, I will have to use a different publisher, mostly because I haven't heard good things about the Saxon books that don't include the integrated geometry. This is our second year of her really despising math. I feel for her, and don't want her to hate it like she does. Plus I am personally finding it exhausting. She finishes it in about an hour per day and is getting an A, though she is starting to struggle a little more with the information. I would love some feedback and/or advice. My oldest loves math and loves Saxon. She is doing Algebra 2 with integrated Geometry and does very well. So this is new territory for me. They are all different, yes? lol

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I posted something in the k-8 board, too, but I thought I would say something here since Algebra is technically high school level class. Has anyone had any experience moving from a Saxon base (we have used Saxon since early elementary) to a more traditional program in the later years? The Saxon homework is a lot and I'm not alway sure she needs it all. I came across BJU Algebra and am trying to gather reviews/thoughts. It seems to get good reviews, but I don't know anyone who has made that transition.

I'm not worried about doing Algebra next year - she will be in 7th grade. She isn't having any trouble with the information. (This is the same girl to taught herself to read at age four. lol) I was just wondering if switching to a more "traditional" curriculum might give her some homework relief? But I didn't want to move to something inferior. I've always really liked Saxon.

We have used Saxon since my oldest was in 5/4. She is now finishing up Alg 1. She loves it and it works great. My middle one is finishing up Algebra 1/2 and I feel like it is sucking the life out of her. She does well - she is completing this as a 6th grader. The concepts are not too hard for her and she understands it. But something about it - she just does not like it at all. I don't require that my children love math - it's not that - but it downright makes her miserable. I don't know if it's the 30 problems (I do take some off sometimes, even though I know that's a Saxon no-no) or what. I do think the Alg 1/2 year is an especially hard year as far as long, drawn out problems that take a lot of time - my oldest actually finds Alg 1 easier. But I do worry about continuing this with her. I am going to use the BJU Science for her next year (7th grade) and began reading about their Algebra curriculum as well. I haven't seen any examples/info/insight into potentially switching from Saxon to BJU for upper levels. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Thank you! I guess I missed that. lol I haven't decided about the labs yet. I haven't looked at them. Do they both include everything for all labs? I don't think we will do every single lab; however, going through each lab, deciding which ones to do, and buying the stuff a la carte seems time consuming. I did think we might buy the dissection DVD since it's middle school and not high school. ?

I am curious as to the length of the DVD's. I am going to use this for my 7th grader next year, and am undecided about the DVD option. I don't want it to lengthen her school day but a ton, but it would be helpful to have some outside explanation. I was hoping someone who uses it could tell me how long the video lessons usually last?

I am interested in TPS in general, but I can't find any reviews on here via a search. I'll follow this thread.

We have used Abeka grammar in the past and have liked it. The Rod and Staff is more straight-forward, which is why we switched. But I could see Abeka working well as a high school text for review of things she has already learned. Thanks for that suggestion!