chellesnead
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Posts posted by chellesnead
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18 minutes ago, Zoo Keeper said:
Maybe something like History Odyssey? https://www.pandiapress.com/history-odyssey/
Oh, I really like this, and it's written to the student! It might even be exactly what I'm looking for...except that it's not all of world history in a year. But, that may be too much to ask for. 🙂
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I have 4 kids with very different strengths and weaknesses and am hitting a roadblock planning history next year for my 7th grader. She is a great reader and would like a history curriculum next year that is based on living books. She will need to do this primarily on her own as my time needs to focus on my kids' weaknesses, and this is a strength for her. We did Sonlight for many years as a family, but because of other commitments no longer do that. I do not want to just hand her a Sonlight core and say, "Go for it." I'm looking for something a little lighter than that. I am hoping for something I don't have to create myself, and hopefully someone here can point me in the right direction.
My preference would be world history (though I'm open to American history...we have just done that more recently) with some sort of spine, some books she reads in chronological order along with the spine, and some sort of written work to go with it. She flies through books, and I want to make sure she is processing what she reads and remembering some dates, people, places, etc. If I had to buy today I'd probably choose a volume of Mystery of History and use some novels with it. What I don't like is that it would only be 1/4 of world history, and I'd rather have something a little more broad that she could go through all of time in only a year. I know..I'm asking for a lot. Does anyone have any brilliant ideas?
She did a geography course through The Potter's School this year and will likely be doing an Ancient History course her 8th grade year. There was not a good fit for a class for her this year. So, really I'm looking for something that uses her strengths and can be done in a year.
Thank you for any suggestions, even if not exactly what I'm looking for. 🙂
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Don't skip problems. There are things not explicitly taught, that the student is ingeniously set up to figures out by themselves, as certain problems get increasingly harder. A gifted child can make leaps when not taught explicitly, but if a child is not gifted, skipping problems is equivalent to skipping instruction.
If one of the DVD makers keeps the lesson short enough to ADD to reading the book, and you have time to do BOTH, that would be fine. But those lessons just take SOOOO long as it is.
One thing that really adds to the length of time to complete a lesson is if the student is placed too high. At least the first half of the book is supposed to be EASY and REVIEW. The easier the book, the faster the student is able to complete all that review drill. When what is supposed to be easy peasy review is new, it takes forever to compete a lesson.
Don't be afraid to back up and repeat lessons if a student slows down, to give them some more practice, before adding even more new topics.
We don't skip problems. I put the link and recommended that the poster read it, as there is far more good information at that link than I could post here. As I tried to decide whether or not to continue with Saxon as my daughter was complaining about how long the lessons took, I found invaluable information at Art Reed's site that helped me understand what she needed to do and did not need to do as well as the rational behind it.
This is a great link for why NOT to skip any of the problem set -- the July 2015 entry. http://mail.teachingwithsaxon.com/newsletterpage-2015.php#0615
This is a great link for when and why you can skip the the warm-up box and some of the practice problems -- the February 2016 entry.
http://mail.teachingwithsaxon.com/newsletterpage-2016.php#0216
I highly recommend taking the time to read through his newsletters for anyone using Saxon. There was so much wonderful information that helped me understand how Saxon is written and why. Additionally, for my daughter who does very well with math, the videos have absolutely been worth the 5-10 minutes a day, and I highly recommend them in addition to the text.
In addition to what Hunter said, the extra practice at the back of the book is fantastic when you do need to slow down and give extra review for a concept. It may mean you don't finish the book in a year, but your child will master the math.
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Actually, I'm going to disagree. My daughter has used the Art Reed DVD's in addition to the 7/6 textbook. The videos are 5-10 minutes and she reads the full lesson. Art Reed gives lots of tips to help the student solve the problems. My daughter loves the videos and is doing fantastic with math this year. She's constantly mentioning things that Mr. Reed has taught her that are helpful. I also spent a lot of time reading through his site and got lots of helpful tips for how to use Saxon in a homeschool environment (what you can skip and not skip and why).
http://www.homeschoolwithsaxon.com/
My 2 cents. :)
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While I haven't used this yet, I've signed my 5th and 6th graders up for writing classes with The Potter's School for next school year. TPS came highly recommended by several friends, so I finally looked into it for writing as I'm struggling in teaching it well. There is not a 4th grade writing class, but it would be worth looking into for your 6th grader. It meets live once a week for an hour and a half and there are 4-5 hours of outside homework a week.
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We've used soaring with spelling for my younger child - it's very straightforward. My older child has used Vocabulary with Classical Roots and we've just chosen 10 words each week to use as spelling. One of these books takes us a semster, so we focus on other things in the spring semester. We also use Spelling Works! which is a workbook of general rules. It doesn't include vocabulary, although it does focus on breaking down words into parts - that's part of teaching when to double a consonant, for example.. I tend to run through it every other year as a refresher during the semester that we're not doing the classical roots study.
How old is your older child? At this point, Vocabulary with Classical Roots seems closest to what I'm looking for.
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I have used and loved CLE for LA this year, but my upcoming 5th and 6th graders will be doing an online writing class that has a strong grammar emphasis as well, so now I'm faced with a curriculum change I wasn't expecting. Since their grammar will be covered through their online class, I've got a gap now with spelling. I am thinking about some sort of spelling and vocabulary combo for them with an emphasis on roots and word parts. I'm sure there's something out there like this, but the only thing I'm familiar with is Wordly Wise 3000 which isn't exactly what I'm looking for. I'm hoping for something that is somewhat independent (though I don't mind a few minutes a day on my part) as I'm balancing 4 homeschooling plus a toddler. Thank you!
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Well, my favorite for your ages is IEW.
I was looking at that but honestly I'm so confused! What would I need to buy?
Thank you also for your other suggestions. I will look into them.
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I use CLE LA for my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and it's been great! I'm currently looking for something else to add to it for the writing but we didn't love W&R Fable. I'm also using CLE Math 4 with my daughter who struggles with math and it's been fantastic! My girls have done the 5th grade reading this year, but I won't continue with it next year. It's been good, but with the other things we are doing it doesn't seem necessary.
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I have done CLE LA with my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders this year and it has gone so well! I'm amazed at how much they have learned and how the mechanics of their writing has improved as a result. CLE is however very weak in teaching writing and I'd love some ideas of how to supplement that. I am thinking that I will likely alternate CLE LA with a writing program or assignments, but would love input on what to use or how to do that. I'm open to thoughts of either a program that teaches writing or a philosophy of how to use what we are already doing (thinking our reading in Sonlight history, reading, or science) to improve their writing. I'm having a hard time figuring out which way I want to go with this! I used writing and rhetoric for half of this year, but we really didn't enjoy staying on the same topic of fables for so long. Now I'm just assigning little assignments to go with SL topics we are reading, but I feel like I'm struggling with how to improve their writing once they've written something that maybe isn't all that great. :)
Thanks for any input!
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I moved my 4th grade daughter from BJU math to CLE math this year. It has been a game changer for her! The new topics are taught in very small chunks that are easy for her to grasp, and the old topics get lots of review. There's also speed drills and flash card review every day. When she'd get to cumulative reviews last year in BJU math, she struggled. When an old topic came back around 4 units later, she had forgotten everything from 4 units before. But now, she is remember and understanding so much better. It has been perfect for my non-mathy daughter!
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I'm definitely going to try out Mystery Science. Thank you for the suggestion!
Any other ideas?
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I am overall pleased with how this school year is going, but I am really struggling to fit in any science. My time is spent between 2 third graders, a 4th grader, and a 5th grader, plus a 2 year old. We are doing well fitting in the basics of reading, writing, math, and living in China, also Chinese. I have a great curriculum on the shelf that I was excited about, but the truth is, I just can't find the time in my schedule between teaching the basics to fit it in. I'd love any suggestions for how to outsource science to the kids through reading, videos, journaling, etc. I want to make sure they are getting at least some science content, and feel like this is the area I have really failed them this year. I really want to make sure we fit this in over these next 4 months. Thanks for any and all input!
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I hope something I wrote helps.
Thank you for all you wrote! I may go take a look at Horizons again and see if I need to just start her in an earlier book. I think it would be between that and CLE.
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CLE is excellent for spiral review but definitely give the placement test. It has a bit different scope and sequence. If she doesn't pass to get into grade 4 but comes close you can do 401 with her, going very slowly, to review what she didn't have down. 401 is entirely review of the previous level, nothing new introduced. I highly recommend CLE for a child that struggles with math and needs spiral review, but don't rush forward. Place them correctly.
Is she needing help with math facts? CLE does math fact practice separate from the actual lesson, so it works beautifully for students that struggle with math facts. They have a great way of organizing the math fact review. Also, they have a great laminated reference sheet that I strongly encourage you to get as well. Very helpful. Get the TM. Makes it much easier to grade and it gives suggestions, extra tests/quizzes, targeted extra practice pages, and makes looking up previous lessons much easier.
I also agree that Prodigy math might be a good supplement for CLE. We use CTC math here since it covers all levels of math through Calculus and you can watch explanation videos and do lessons as often as a student needs/wants to solidify a concept, even moving up and down grade levels to master something. Pairs very well with CLE and the child can do it independently for additional help when the parent is busy. All results are tracked and the program remembers where the student stopped, even if they stopped mid lesson.
I am strongly learning towards CLE at this point. I like how the fact practice, flash cards, etc. are all built into the lesson. Also, I'm thinking about getting CTC for extra practice. I just got an email that they are offering an additional 6 months free with the subscription, making it very affordable if I decide to use it with all 4 of my kids.
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Are you sure you are dealing with only ADHD and not dysgraphia?
Agree with above questions, by the way. Could she have dysgraphia or even a developmental vision issue (frequently does not show up in a standard vision screening)? You might also look into dyscalculia.
Yes, feel very confident that for this child she does not have dysgraphia or dyscalculia. I have another that does. Math just does not come easily for her. It requires a lot of mental effort, she zones out, then gets frustrated. She is gifted in the Language Arts. She does really well through the chapters and on the chapter tests, but after she moves on, it's soon forgotten. I really think it's a matter of using a program that is not a good fit for her.
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Take a look at Rod and Staff. You can see samples on milestonebooks.com. Rod and Staff is mastery rather than spiral. Each lesson focuses on one main concept at a time, and they stick with one main topic for a whole chapter. By the end of the chapter they know it really well. Each lesson ends with a little review section at the end of each lesson that spirals old concepts through. It's not flashy, cute, or colorful. It's straightforward, solid, traditional math. But it was a godsend for my math struggling ADHD kid.
If you go with R&S, I suggest you do use the scripted teaching plan in the TM and do a few problems with her to make she sure understands what she's doing before you set her loose on the lesson. This is considered optional, but it was a necessity for mine.
I did look at that a bit as it seems like a good program that has the components I'm looking for. My concern is that she struggles with the transfer of the problems from the text to paper. From what I can tell, this may be a problem for her if I used R&S. How do you handle that with your ADHD child? Where does he/she do the work?
Which version of BJU are you using? And do you use the TG? We are using the newer editions and the review is built in to the beginning of the lesson. There are also review lessons on the CD in the TG and a separate review book you can get as well. Just curious if you are using these resources and it still isn't enough? If so, I'd maybe suggest Saxon (disclaimer: we've only ever used the K) because I believe the majority of each lesson is review followed by a bit of new teaching. I *think* CLE is similar, but have never used it. If you are just using the BJU workbook and not wanting to add the other elements, TT might be a good fit. It would depend how well she does with computer teaching. There is review, but I wouldn't say it is more than what BJU offers, so it might not be a good fit either. They have great samples online to try. My oldest begged to do more and more of the sample lessons, it's what sold us on giving it a try. It's been a great fit for her. :)
She does the distance learning, but because she's ADHD and doesn't enjoy math, she's zoning out and I have to do a lot of reteaching. We are using only the worktext that goes with it.
I don't think Saxon will work with her because of the transfer from book to paper. That's a big struggle with her b/c of ADHD. I think I like CLE because there is nothing for her to transfer and she can answer in the workbooks. I've considered TT, but am after having so many disc problems with the BJU DL, I'm just not sure that I want to go with another disc based program.
This kiddo is a perfect candidate for Prodigy Math (linked down in my Siggie).
I haven't even heard of this, but will definitely check it out! Thank you.
Have you checked her for dyscalculia?
I have not for her, but read about it for another of my children. I am pretty sure that is not the problem.
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I've been doing Bob Jones Math for my upcoming 4th grader for the last couple of school years. She does fine during the chapter, but there is no review built in and she's completely forgotten what she's learned by the time it comes around again. I'm looking at doing something more spiral for next year as she needs the review. I was planning to use Horizons, but my son who is gifted in math has recently made the transition from BJU math 3 to Horizons 4 and has needed quite a bit of extra teaching as there are definite gaps between the programs. I don't think my daughter will do well with that transition, and I don't want her to "hate" math more than she already does. I like Saxon, but I think she'd really struggle with it. She is ADHD and has a hard time transferring from a book to another piece of paper without making mistakes or leaving things out. So, I don't think the format would work for her. I'm considering CLE math, but not settled on it. I'm wondering if she'd do well with Teaching Textbooks or online through CTC math. Does anyone have any thoughts? She really struggles in this area, and it's becoming a big struggle between the two of us. I'd love to have her in a program that is a better fit for her and that helps her like math and not see me as the awful mom who makes her learn in. :)
Thanks!
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I've used it for those grade levels. I have to say that 4th grade is pretty poorly done. The teachers are kinda monotone and not very exciting. Reading was the only one my kids really liked, though I thought math was okay. English is SLOW! We have done 3rd grade math and reading not English so I can't say for sure. At the beginning of this year we started DL for reading, math, science, and Bible. All 4 of my kids (grades 2, 3, and 4) are still doing reading and only one is doing math. The videos just got to be very monotonous and they would beg not to do them, with the exception of the reading. They do really like the reading!
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I have 7-10 year olds at different levels. We are doing Core D together, but my 8 year old is not able to handle the LA that comes with D. He's doing LA 2. If I were you, I think I'd put your older child in Core D and combine the younger two in Core A as at that age the LA is separate from the Core content. They can both learn a lot from the content of the read alouds and history, but you can meet them where they are at with the LA. For the little one, you may not even do any LA for another six months to a year. The other option I see would be to combine the older two in Core B+C with the younger one using LA 2 or 3 and the older one using LA 4&5, and then just reading lots of good books to your littlest. I think though, that you would be better going with a higher Core for your oldest son because he's reaching an age where he will soon have a lot more responsibility with his schooling, so I'd probably give him the little extra challenge instead of putting him in a core that is recommended for ages 7-9 as core B+C is.
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Ok, great! That is good to know. I think I'm going to just stick with Fable.
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My honest thought is that unless your dc 5th is needing more time or your dc 3rd is a precocious writer I wouldn't try to combine 3 kids for writing. It's not unlike trying to combine 3 ages for math. Perhaps it would be fine for your family though.
Thank you for bringing this up as with many kids it would be a concern. My 3rd grader is a very sharp little guy, one of those kids who picked up a book at age 3 and just started reading. He's got great thoughts, but is definitely still working on expanding them to more complex thoughts, his biggest writing weakness and one reason I think W&R is a great program for him. He's definitely more advanced than a typical 3rd grader. My 5th grader loves to read and write, but of the 3 is the one for which writing does not come as naturally. Thus, the reason I can combine the three of them. I have one more 3rd grader with learning disabilities and a toddler, so I try to do as much as I can together with 2, 3 or 4 of them as I've got a lot on my plate. There's no way I could combine my other 3rd grader with any of the other 3 kids as their needs are so different.
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I think the first book is sufficiently challenging in terms of the writing. The reading selections are very basic though. So you could go either way I think. Maybe get book 2 and then decide at that point if you want to start in 2 or 1. If 1, set 2 aside for later.
Good idea! Anyone else have any thoughts?
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Ok, perfect! Just needed a little reassurance before I jumped in! :)
Looking for 7th grade history w/ living books suggestions
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
These are great suggestions! Thank you!