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GrammarGirl

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Everything posted by GrammarGirl

  1. I have toddler twins and always do history or science while they are in their high chairs snacking. If we have a longer project , we come back to it at nap time.
  2. For us, I feel that by being more observant, I can make connections between school subjects and to things we see when we're out. For instance, we studied birds in science for three weeks. The other day, I called the kids' attention to a grackle in a parking lot. My 3 year old has picked up on this excitement of bird study and informed us a blue jay was in our yard. Over the summer, we studied Monet prints a few minutes a week. Now it seems that we see Monet prints everywhere! Making connections between our school studies and the rest of our life has made this really rewarding lifestyle of learning. So my advice is, make those connections from what you read in history, science, etc., show the kids how excited you are, and you will have the atmosphere you want.
  3. I believe the purpose is to have a student hold a thought in his head and then communicate it on paper. It is meant to prepare a student to get his own thoughts out in the next level. By looking at the passage first, this important step of thinking the words is skipped.
  4. I had BJU myself growing up. I was very well prepared for college grammar classes for my English major. I do find R&S to make a better connection between grammar and composition than any other program I've seen, but I do not think you can go wrong using BJU. It is colorful and has a better variety of sentence topics.
  5. We've been using CKE Biology. I like that it is inexpensive and has the coloring pages and book lists, but the chapters are so skimpy. Basically, it is a helpful tool to guide our selection of topics. We get most of our real info from the living books we read to correspond with the chapters. The hands-on activities are often writing projects, not experiements. It's really just on okay program, IMO. I am not sure we'll move on to the next book next year.
  6. Thanks! I have actually been looking into both Jot It Down and MCT. I know they are quite different, but both seem to suit DD's interests and abilities.
  7. DD6 is bright, not gifted, and finds most of our curricula easy. Math seems to give her a challenge, history and science are enriching and broadening her horizons, but (except for cursive which she just started) language arts seem "blah" to her. We use AAS2, WWE1, FLL1, and a phonics curriculum which is essentially a review for her. What, if anything, could I add in to challenge her and give her a greater sense of accomplishment? I have encountered too many high school and college students who were so used to getting A's because their courses weren't difficult enough to challenge them but then got upset in my classes when I made them *work* for A's that I do not want my own child coasting through school and thinking she's "entitled" to A's. It seems it's best to require at least a tiny bit of sweat from the get-go. I'm particularly interested in fostering her enjoyment of writing. Any suggestions are appreciated.
  8. Thanks for sharing! I had not heard of this curriculum but think I'll order first and second grade since they are so cheap at Rainbow Resource. DD finds FLL so boring; perhaps she'd like this better.
  9. The first homeschooling book I read was So You're Thinking about Homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel (aka Blaire from The Facts of Life). It's a very basic overview of many styles and reasons for homeschooling.
  10. Most of my teaching experience has been seventh grade and up, but I did teach first grade for a while. The curricula I love the most are antitheses of what I had to use in my first grade class. I love SOTW because it respects children's intelligence. It's engaging and accessible, but not watered down. WWE is my personal favorite part of our day. My principal wanted first graders writing paragraphs without first really equipping them with the tools of written language. I love how WWE gives kids those tools. My dd really enjoys the narrations! I haven't yet found a math program that I love, but the one we use is strong on learning the math facts. My poor first graders were subjected to Everyday Math which has no math facts. I hated it! Overall, I think I gravitate toward the curricula that builds a strong foundation. I have seen too many older students who didn't get that foundation.
  11. This is where using the "who, whom, what?" really helps. The concept is a tough one for an 8 year old. My suggestion would be to cross out the sentences that don't have complements before you have her do the exercise. I taught high school and college grammar classes for years, so trust me: there's plenty of time to master the concept!
  12. Complements *complete* the idea begun by the subject and verb. I always trained my students to ask "who, whom, or what?" after finding the subject and verb to locate the complements. To add to 8's explanation, direct and indirect objects are also complements. They follow transitive (action) verbs. There is also the objective complement that renames or describes the direct object.
  13. We really enjoy Vos's The Child's Story Bible as the main part of our Morning Time. I also use a book and CD set called Hymns for Family Worship. The CDs have the piano accompaniment for the hymns so singing along is more enjoyable. (DH plays the piano but is at work before breakfast). I usually read a story book as well and help the girls learn their memory verses for Awana. Sometimes we can get our Latin in too if the toddler twins aren't begging to get out of their high chairs yet. I am really glad we started this morning routine because no matter how crazy the day gets, I know we have had a worthwhile time together.
  14. It depends. If the paragraph describes the character's thoughts or reaction to the dialogue, then no. If the paragraph is describing the character's gestures as he speaks, no. But if the preceding sentences are not related to the quotation, then yes, start a new paragraph. Much of this is intuitive, so don't overthink it.
  15. Yes, even if one speaker says just one word, you are to start a new paragraph each time another character speaks.
  16. I had a college student write a personal narrative for me once about his father neglecting his education while "homeschooling." The student as a teen was very concerned about his own future because of the neglect and took matters into his own hands, convincing his dad to order him some textbooks. Not every child can do this for himself. Definitely notify the authorities. Even if the state does nothing, your own conscience will be clear.
  17. This describes me, too (including the loss of brain cells). I can't believe how much I'm learning while dd does AAS. I think dd is a natural speller, too, but now that she's learning spelling rules, she is proof-reading her own work to make sure she's spelling correctly.
  18. All of the sudden it will click for him. There are some parts of the process that are painfully slow for us moms.
  19. I think so. With PAL there's not a clear progression as there is in OPG. With OPG you can just look at the table of contents and see exactly what's covered to compare with what you've already done.
  20. I have both and would choose PHP hands down. My dd was already reading well when she turned 5 so PAL's phonetic farm was a quick way of introducing her to the rest of the phonograms. She could already read the sight words phonetically. I am not a fan of non-systematic, intensive phonics programs and think PAL would be confusing and slow going for a beginner. I am currently using OPG with my almost 4 year old. It is systematic, intensive, easy to use, and working great. Having used PAL with a child who had already done a good bit of phonics, I'd say it'd be hard to jump in and pick up where your child's skill is. It jumps around so much that you could be teaching a random consonant sound one day and then the aw/au the next, then doing something like silent e the next.
  21. I would think an A Beka or CLP "box" would be more work. Yes, A Beka will spell out the plans for you, but there are so many worksheets. As far as whining about schoolwork, do not tolerate it. Impose consequences. As a classroom teacher, I was always one of the strictest, in every school I worked for, but I also got the most out of my students because I did not tolerate dilly-dallying or complaining. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I think the homeschooling community needs a healthy dose of discipline.
  22. I think 6-7 hours is appropriate considering a typical public or private school student would spend 7 hours in school plus have two or more hours of homework per night.
  23. Both. I make it as a main dish but used leftovers as a side.
  24. Try Goodwill. I have seen tons of Magic Tree House and lots of other great kids' books for $.49.
  25. I roughly schedule my books by putting them in a plastic crate and using cardboard dividers for each month. This way, if a book has a seasonal theme or ties in with our science curriculum, I don't forget to read it at the right time. At the beginning of the month, I move that month's books to a shelf in the dining area where we do our morning read-aloud. I mostly "wing it" when it comes to choosing the book for the day/week.
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