We did practice initially with base ten blocks. Then we did the writing that relates to the physical manipulatives. If my son got a problem wrong, I had him show it with the manipulatives. It was slow going for a while, but taking the time and making him show the work really helped.

I have MathType. It is not that significantly different than Equation Editor. Basically, Equation Editor is the no-frills version & MathType has more features. I needed MathType when designing an internet course so I could change the color of equations. In more recent years, there are some symbols that aren't in EE so I bought MathType. I have not found it to be easier or faster to use. I'd think in that case, LaTex may be better, but I think it has a pretty steep learning curve. One thing that will help with using EE is to learn the keyboard shortcuts. Do a search in Word's help... I'd set it up so I reassigned the key <Alt> "E" to open an equation. <Ctrl H> does an exponent, <Ctrl F> sets up a fraction.

From what I've read, this can be considered academic dishonesty at some schools, so be very careful in a college setting. I'd think doing a similar topic where research can be shared would be safe, but submitting the same paper for two classes isn't good.

Oxford Press World in Ancient Times series has a book: The Early Human World. It's pretty good... unsure of how early it would work though...

:glare: at all of you. Just bought the book. :glare:

Hope things went smoothly and recovery is as easy as possible. :grouphug:

The graph paper or lined paper for place value is really good. We have only worked with single digit division but when we were getting started, I used base 10 blocks for the first couple of days. First just working the problem with the blocks, then working the problem and writing the steps. Finally, we'd just write the steps... although getting a problem wrong resulted in going back to the manipulatives.

I tell students to leave answers as improper fractions unless it's a word problem.

I enjoyed it. :D

I've found myself singing along with music while reading. It still surprises me when I notice it. I don't think I've done this much while studying, but I do find music helpful when studying - but not while watching something I need to listen to.

And it can be hidden in many products. Be careful with margarine and many breads are not safe. FAAN (food allergy and anaphylaxis network) has a lot of useful information. My son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy at 3 months. It's a pain but it's possible. There are a number of threads on the board (check allergy tags or do a search) that have links that you may find helpful & lists of foods that are okay. :grouphug: Good luck!

:iagree: We're doing 3/4 and I do use the TM. The More Notes book does have additional websites (some with dead links at this point) but putting that together with library books does help a lot. The HW is definitely a bit further extension/review of the text/activity books and the HOTS really stretches :) We also do the tests & they aren't as much of a stretch as the HOTS but they are more difficult than the HW. I like that it gives the test as a learning opportunity rather than just a regurgitation.

Wonderful news about the CT scan. Hope the surgery goes smoothly and you get only good news from here on out! :grouphug:

I feel your pain. :glare: One thing I'm doing is before listening, I try to ask what he wants. Is it just to vent or is it to bounce ideas around. If it's just venting/sharing the day, I try (oh I try) not to give possible "solutions" to what I see as problems. I also try to judge my mood and energy and say whether I can listen or whether I'll be saying what he should be doing (which generally doesn't help either of us). :grouphug:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

My son's dairy allergy was really clear when after being careful with dairy in my diet I had mashed potatoes and gravy from a restaurant without thinking. After nursing, he almost immediately had a diarrhea with some blood. :( We were told it was okay to add dairy back into my diet after only a few months off of it. I don't know if that contributed to his allergies being as severe as they are. It is tough. There are a number of threads where people talk about dairy free eating, so you may find some ideas there. The Pareve label was really helpful. FAAN is also good with info about what to look for when avoiding foods. :grouphug:

We are. Doing my morning email/computer check while son is reading. Then we'll get to work. You're not alone out there! Hope your day goes well.

Anne McCaffrey (although some are more adult... but Harper Hall trilogy should be fine). Tamora Pierce Robin McKinley Terry Pratchett You may want to double check anything questionable (use amazon or something else). But these may be good authors to check out.

Lived in CA and was in Monterey during the 89 quake. I actually had time to get to the door during that one and then outside for the aftershocks where I saw the ground roll. Pretty neat (nothing to fall on us outside, so safer than inside). I never heard a noise. The closest was the first quake there when I thought it was a semi going past (very mild one).

I used Spelling Workout with my son in 1st and 2nd grade. It did nothing for him - just busywork. He hadn't learned phonics because he was a self-taught reader. When he'd read aloud he'd sometimes make ridiculous guesses at words - mainly names. I read a lot on the boards here and made the switch to All About Spelling. It was a bit frustrating since I'd just bought our 3rd grade materials & had bought the next level of SWO. It was tough to not complete book 2 and not to use book 3 (I bought it!! I must use it!!). AAS has been a much better fit & it has helped a ton with phonics as well. I've also got a reference book, The ABC's and All Their Tricks that talks about how many words are spelled in a certain way. It's nice to have but I've been most impressed with AAS.

:grouphug: I'm sorry. I lost a friend at 32 to colon cancer. It's a *^#*^@ thing. :grouphug:

Nasty. Can you stick it under a pile of books for a bit and see if that flattens it?

That's the grading scale in our whole state. When students report GPA for scholarships, grading sales are also sometimes asked. This grading scale isn't outside the norm. It's also what was used when I was in high school in CA.

The danger with this acronym (or PEMDAS) is that many students get hung up and think that multiplication must be done before division. Be very careful to stress that multiplication and division are at an equivalent level and that you do whichever appears first from left to right. I use the explanation of shortcuts for order of operations. (1) symbols of grouping (parentheses, brackets, fraction bars) (2) exponents (a shortcut for repeated multiplication) (3) multiplication/division as they appear from left to right (shortcut for repeated addition/subtraction) (4) addition/subtraction as they appear from left to right. If you have something like 6+3*4, you can write in expanded form as 6+4+4+4 and it shows why the order of operations is what it is. (I see a lot of students who have acronyms memorized but still can't do the problem.)

If the instructions are to "evaluate", you have to be given values to substitute and to evaluate with. Otherwise, the directions should be "simplify" (to clear parentheses & combine like terms). I so would not be able to handle the math that would come home with my son were he in public school (or private). :glare: (Of course, I am yelling at the math text I have to teach from at the cc this semester pretty regularly as well. Sigh. If a number line has only one arrow, it's a ray not a number line. A line needs two arrows (otherwise it's a line segment or a ray as our text has it). Grump, grump, grump.)