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dachewitt

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Everything posted by dachewitt

  1. For that age, I would just use MCT. Both my kids used his program and it was great for us. I only added spelling through grade 7. In middle school I did mix in SWB's writing with skill to be sure we had more direct instruction. I follow the literature suggestions (and philosophy) of MCT and SWB and focus on reading and discussion and only added writing about the books in upper grades. Both my kids love to read, so I think that was a success (and my oldest tested very well and is off to college in the fall). For test prep, my daughter worked through Analytical Grammar for review because she had finished the MCT program. She reviewed MCT's Word Within the Word to keep up with the vocabulary. Regards, Debbie in Maryland
  2. Hi, So sorry to hear of the hurdles thrown at your family. Even if dementia is not part of your mother's diagnosis, please take time to read The 36-hour Day. It is a family guide to caregiving and will have resources for you as you become the primary caregiver. It has chapters on taking care of yourself and children too. Also, check with the Social Worker at her current facility to try to get as much help at home as possible. There are many aging in place and caregiver support groups where you may be able to get volunteers to give you some help or free time by sitting and keeping your mother company (and safe) while you run errands or take a breather. You may have to convince your mother's partner to do more--explain that this is what is done for someone you love. Also, if you do have other family that can help, try to get a commitment of help (bring dinner every Tuesday, give you a Saturday afternoon away, take Mom for a drive, etc.). For school, if you follow the basics in the Well-Trained Mind, I think it can be done inexpensively with lots of library resources. Just focus on the basics with lots of outside reading until your life settles down. At my library, I can order books online and they notify me when they are ready to pick up. I hope yours offers a similar service. I go through the Well-trained mind or other lists (from here) for history, literature, and science and order books. If they do not have it, I move on to the next on the list. The librarians also could be a great reference for suggesting books. Audio books are great too for listening during car rides to medical appointments or arts and crafts. If you do not have a copy of the Well-Trained mind, contact me. I have two and could part with one. The older version doesn't have Susan Wise Bauer's writing course, but we have found that course to be pretty independent for daily work, especially for Writing with Skill. At 5th grade, your daughter may do better with Writing with Ease if she hasn't used the course before. That is more teacher involved, but still not so much if you are using other independent sources. SWB recommends Writing with skill for 6th and above. My kids are older so I have already parted with many of the younger grade books or I would share. In 5th grade, my kids used the history and science encyclopedias as spines and did the extra reading/projects/experiments as we could. For typing: BBC Dance mat typing was easy/independent and best of all--free. https://www.dancemattypingguide.com/dance-mat-typing-level-1/. Both my kids are self taught using this program. It sounds like you have other good recommendations for math and science. For a 5th grader, try to balance computer work with books and paper. I hope she'll be in an area that she can get outside daily too to play and go for nature hikes, etc. (you too for the mental break from being a caregiver). Your mother is fortunate to have you. I'm sure she will appreciate being in her own home and getting to know her granddaughter better. Best wishes, Debbie in Maryland
  3. I also recommend Art Reed's dvds. My daughter used them for Algebra 2 through Advanced Mathematics and then took calculus at the community college in 12th grade. She did meet with her professor there for some tutoring but was at the top of her class with the Saxon Math foundation taught by Art Reed. Mr. Reed's videos explained concepts very well and meant that I did not have to relearn it all. Debbie in MD
  4. If a tutor is not affordable, I recommend the Art Reed videos that correspond to Saxon Math. He calmly and clearly explains each lesson and is very easy to watch. Rainbow resources sells the program as a package, but you can see samples and read Mr. Reed's teaching suggestions at www.usingsaxon.com. I have also found Mr. Reed's book _Using John Saxon's Math Books_ helpful, but much of the information is written on the site. My oldest switched to Saxon, taught by Mr. Reed, half way through the year when she wasn't understanding a different program. She has completed the rest of the Saxon program very successfully and is starting calculus at the cc this fall while my youngest is working through the Saxon program. Best wishes, Debbie in MD
  5. My daughter worked through the early books of LOF (fractions, decimals, and pre-algebra) and enjoyed them. By Algebra though, the story was muddling the algebra for her, not clarifying it. Mid-year she switched to Saxon Algebra 1 (starting at the beginning of the book) and much prefers it. She is now through her first year of Saxon Advanced Math and uses the Art Reed videos as a supplement which I recommend highly. Regards, Debbie
  6. Hi, I found Beth's posts last year about LNM, and while I couldn't splurge for her online course, my daughter (14) and I did enjoy using LNM I this year. The books are beautiful, and the teacher manual has answers to the exercises in addition to many interesting side notes. I think a student with previous exposure to Latin (my daughter had worked through Lively Latin 1 and 2) could do well with it for high school without it seeming redundant. We used the book, Teacher manual, and the workbook with answer book. I did the lessons with my daughter; I wouldn't consider it a self-teaching course. I think if you could afford the course, having the extra support would be great, especially if you will be going on to higher levels. LNM I is doable at home, but I would think LNM II would be better in a class (online or dual enrollment at the CC). Regards, Debbie
  7. My daughter used BtB Spanish 1 last year. There are tests built in at the end of each chapter in the book. The CD's that we have were for listening. I think if there is a separate Test disc, that it is for a school environment. Regards, Debbie
  8. My daughter used the Right Start math series through Geometry and then tried Life of Fred for pre algebra and algebra. She felt that she wasn't retaining the information so switched to Saxon two years ago, repeating half a year of Algebra 1. She feels the Saxon program is much more thorough with enough practice to truly learn the lesson. This year for Algebra 2 we added the DVD supplement by Art Reed and find that his lectures and tips make the course even better. He has a wonderful rapport with his video audience. I highly recommend Saxon (3rd edition), especially with Art Reed. His videos with samples are available at www.usingsaxon.com. Debbie
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