Hi Farrar, I've been doing more research (including your blog and comments here on WTMF) and have determined that The Writer's Jungle is what we need at home. Even though my daughter attends public school, she mostly carries out writing assignments at home. And I almost always become a part of the process. I want to be able to be her coach when she can't put down more than 3 sentences. Or when she is so frustrated with a topic she didn't pick. Yes, I was disappointed with her STAAR writing score but I mostly want her to enjoy writing. I have Rod & Staff I can reach to for the mechanics. Plus the teachers will usually provide a school workbook if she needs more practice on grammar, etc. I signed up for the homeschool coop. (I had no idea that existed! I home school only in the summer time and do my best during the school year so there's a lot I have yet to uncover). I think I'm going to order TWJ and the high school directed one. Do you know if when I purchase it, I'll have limited access to the pdf? The reason I ask is that I'd like to download it to my home computer but am planning on a new laptop soon and will want it there too. Thanks for all your info!

I would like to supplement what they are doing in language arts in school. During 7th grade there weren't many writing assignments. Some fiction, poetry, expository. So there was encouragement to write but not a lot of instruction (this per my daughter). She took a creative writing class as an elective which provided more writing instruction. The state assesses writing skills through the STAAR test every third year. I've talked to a couple of parents who were disappointed, as I was, in the writing scores. So, to answer your question as to our goal, I'd like to be able to supplement and instruct when she has me review a draft and to provide guidance throughout the year.

Would Brave Writer (or any of their products) be useful as a supplement to public schooling? My daughter will be entering 8th grade. I don't think the school is doing a good job in teaching writing. From their website, it sounds like it would be a good resource for her and for me to support her.

Can someone tell me what FLL stands for? I was about to buy Rod and Staff English for summertime review. For my rising 7th grader (ps) but ran across the info here and want to weigh. Things out. Thanks!

Our summer break is actually 12 weeks long so I built in some down time. The fun stuff this summer includes a string camp at the university, sewing lessons from Dad, swimming, baking lessons from Dad, and possibly yoga. We're also taking a couple of in-state family trips. So, paring down the schedule of schooling, I'd focus on math and writing. Can I can break down the writing into grammar (R&S) and composition? If the Classical Writing Method is too much to take on, what would you recommend for composition? She's especially interested in Latin so maybe I'll see where we are with math and writing after 6 weeks and start then if doable. I think she can continue with Latin once school starts because next year she'll have the 4 core classes and 3 music classes (no language). I'll check Latina Ponti as well as Vocabulary from the Classical Roots. But knowing we can continue with Latin during the school year, if there are other recommendations let me know. By the way, thanks to AimeeM for reminding me that WTM doesn't address the needs of children with LDs. Thanks so much for all your replies.

How much part time homeschooling can one accomplish over 9 weeks? My daughter is 12yo. She attends public school. Will be in 7th grade next year. I work full time but my husband works from home and promises to help to keep her on task. I understand from the WTM book that in this stage they don't need a whole lot of parent hands on support so I think we can tackle more this summer than we have in past years. She has dysgraphia, possible dyscalculia, and a reading disorder (not a classic dyslexic) but webbelieve in moving ahead and working around them. She's a hard worker and manages to get A's despite the struggles. Of the three disabilities the dyscalculia is worse, followed by dysgraphia. With all this in mind, I've considered the following: Singapore math plus basic math -- 45- 60 min daily -- this is a must because the dyscalculia is the worst of the disabilities. I might check out Ronit Bird but for now will go with info from Yale and others on dyscalculia for math facts automaticity. Rod & Staff Progressing With Courage -- 45 min daily -- I definitely want to do this Writing -- 45 min daily + 15 min therapeutic work for dysgraphia. I'm very interested in the Classical Writing method but don't know where to start and if it's too much to take on this summer. Foreign language -- we'd like to try Latin. Spelling -- maybe, if we have time, MCP Workout book F or G? I would really appreciate some input. My questions are: Should I buy these resources knowing we only have 9 weeks and will not complete them? And will I need to do a lot of preparation on the front end? And from lesson to lesson? Is the Classical Writing Method too much to take on by a novice like me? I'm really, really intrigued by what I've read. Which Latin curriculum would be best given our circumstances? I don't want to spend too much if we're not going to complete the curriculum. I have not taken Latin myself. I'm very excited to be trying this in a more planned out manner. In the past, I would just pull up resources from the web and give it a go. She's older now so my little summertime "escuelita" does not sound like fun. Thanks in advance!