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GrammarGirl

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Everything posted by GrammarGirl

  1. This looks very much like my plan. When I taught first grade in a private school, there was so much filler and busy work. At home, first grade work can easily be done by lunchtime, though I expect my toddler twins will do their best to throw off my schedule!
  2. I'm reading the first volume myself. It is definitely not written for children, because of the style and the content. I would say 10th grade and above would be the appropriate audience. As much as I want to love it, I'm finding it dry. (And I was a western civ teacher, FWIW).
  3. I have CLP's Building Spelling Skills but am not a fan of the 20-word lists. I thought of eliminating some of the words, but then the exercises will not work. I've looked at R&S 2nd grade spelling and believe DD can handle it since she's a confident reader, but what other options should I consider? (I don't think AAS will work for us.)
  4. I'm using OPGTR with my almost-four y.o. It's easy to use, takes just a few minutes per day, and is cheap (got mine from PHP's 60% off scratch-and-dent sale). I make it "fun" simply by being enthusiastic about it and DD's progress.
  5. Thanks for sharing. My DD6 was born in FL and insists she is a Floridian even though we moved before she was one. She will love these just because they're from FL, and I think they'll be nice for our biology studies.
  6. That's awesome! My SILs and I all homeschool (that's what happens when you marry brothers who were homeschooled) and I wish we weren't so spread out across the country so the kids could build closer cousin relationships. I'll have to keep the on line course idea in mind for the future.
  7. My DH was K-12 home educated with ACE. He just completed his ThM, so I'd say he turned out quite well academically (and otherwise!). He did feel his high school math and science could have been stronger, but I think he'd have the same complaint regardless of the curriculum his mom used (in the 90s anyway) because his mom didn't really provide much help in those areas. I also had friends in college who'd used ACE who were well-prepared for college. Even though ACE isn't my choice for my kids, I have seen only good results with those who've used it.
  8. If you purchased the program directly from IEW you can return it no matter what condition it's in. Just throwing that out in case the cost holds you back from switching to something else.
  9. We used PAL for a little while, but my DD had already been through an intensive phonics program and was reading well. She could actually sound out the "sight" words. I will use some of the games with my next child, but I would not make it my primary program because a systematic, intensive phonics approach like A Beka or SRA is more logical and easier for most kids.
  10. I think you're thinking of IEW, not EIW. I was supposed to incorporate IEW into my classes at the UMS school I taught in. I could not in good conscience force students to add unnecessary adverbs into their paragraphs! IEW violates Strunk and White on too many points for me to warm up to it.
  11. Learning to complete tasks within a time limit is a much needed skill. Few jobs allow for open-ended deadlines. Having taught in high schools and a college, the greatest difficulty formerly homeschooled students had in my classes was finishing a quiz or test within the given time. It may seem harsh, but I would set a reasonable amount of time per assignment and give a consequence for failure to complete the.work.
  12. I felt the same way about A Beka first grade. We used it for K ( I used to work for their parent company and, so, had a loyalty to them that led me to that choice), but the only thing I ordered from them for 1st is the math. I feel dizzy looking at those worksheets and thinking of how much math DD will have to do each day to get through the book. I hate to waste the money, but I'm dumping it and going with something else.
  13. I am uncomfortable with Cothran's articles, too. While I usually agree with his general premise, the lack of substantiation or use of outdated sources nags at me. I am using Prima Latina, STT, and NAC next year; but I prefer more intensive phonics programs, a more advanced math scope and sequence, and a less Euro-centric approach to history to ever do a full package.
  14. I've been reading lots of threads here for weeks but finally joined today. This coming year will be our first full-fledged homeschool year. My husband was homeschooled K-12 (He just graduated from seminary with honors so is a ringing endorsement for hs-ing IMO). I have been a Christian-school teacher for over 10 years, most recently at a UMS school. Last year, I home schooled my eldest dd for K, partly because of the expense of the UMS school. Now that dh has finished school, I get to stay home full time and teach the pre-K and first-grade dc while chasing after toddler twins. I'm setting lofty goals for us, all the while knowing we might have to drop a few things, but I'm thrilled to home school!
  15. My pre-K dd loves to do schoolwork along with her older sister. She'll be using the CLP preschool book which covers phonics, numbers, and handwriting; but it's only 2 pages a day and won't keep her occupied long. She'll be sitting in on our science and history read-alouds as much as she wants and doing our weekly art project; but I'd like to add something else in just for her on my Rainbow Resource order. I also have toddler twins, so I can't do anything that requires my undivided attention. Any suggestions?
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