Maus by Art Spiegelman is an interesting approach as well. I think the Holocaust (including camp names) should be common knowledge. I think it's tragic that people don't know what happened. Unfortunately, I'm not surprised that people don't - and I really don't want to know how many people don't know.

:grouphug:

FYI - the math text we're using is unbound. The department chose that one over the bound version because the bookstore doesn't buy back the paperback version. Using the unbound version saves students about $40 over the bound. Going to hardback would run about $60 more and students wouldn't make it back with resale. I've been teaching 14 years. MML+ / CourseCompass is a wonderful way to help students learn. I think it's well worth the extra (assuming the teacher uses it & students use it correctly). There are online videos, online tutoring, and a help-me-solve-it feature that's really good. I don't see the need to continue to put out revised editions every couple years though... But the departments I'm aware of on my campus do their best to keep costs as low as they can for students - within the limitations of effective teaching.

Just a warning... some courses require online coursework. I teach a math course at the cc that uses CourseCompass / MyLabsPlus. A student code is bundled with the textbook that's sold at the bookstore. You can buy separate access online, but it's very expensive since it has the textbook online. I've had students have problems because they bought the book online and then needed to buy the access separately. It would have been cheaper for them to just get the book at the bookstore. (Of course, then you also get the issues where some teachers use the online resources and others don't, so unless you know the instructor, you may not know what to buy in advance.)

I use tabs for each section. You can ignore the gap chart and I generally ignore the theme overview. I'll have my son read the reading material for teachers after he's done that chapter's work. It gives him a bit more background. Homework, HOTS, and tests are in the lesson plans. For instance, on p220 under Evaluate, it has them do Cycles Ch 2 of Homework and Cycles Ch 2 of HOTS. I like the additional websites mentioned in the lessons and have found them to be useful. I've started emailing my son the websites and he can look at them on his own without me loading them up on the computer :) I've sometimes gotten book suggestions from the TG as well in the lesson plans. The wrap-around for the activity book isn't much help - especially when they say to get the materials from the supply closet :D but I do like the extensions in the text wraparound. I think the Diversity text/lesson plans are the worst of the bunch. I'm glad I've got the TG though. Tabs in the book have helped me. I keep them at our current book in Notes for Teachers, Lesson Plan, Text wraparound, Activity Wrap Around. I also type lesson plans separately that helps me note where I want to be at a certain point. The really strange thing is that sometimes the Lesson Plans have you do work in a different order than in the text & activity book. I've liked the teacher's guide approach better than just using the text... but it's definitely not just open & go for me.

I'm generally around during math but I do have my son do IP and CWP on his own. If he's stumped, I'll sometimes ask some questions, but I don't help much. I've also had him attempt a problem, not get anywhere with it, put it away for the day, then bring it out the next day. I think that returning to a problem can be a useful skill and I didn't want him to just see me provide the solution. I think this was one of the Challenging IP problems and it took 3 days, but he got it. It was definitely tougher on me than just giving the answer! It's a bit tricky to find the right balance between supporting their learning and providing the answers.

When my son did that, I called the dentist and we were able to get back in and get looked at. It just took time to heal and during that time I think I gave some Tylenol as well. :grouphug: And Popsicles! That helped with numbing.

We're doing LfC A. I need the videos and the CD :) My son is enjoying the activity book. It's definitely optional. I'm finding the clash cards frustrating since they appear not to include the macrons.

We use Terminex and in our location they put bait inside - under cabinets, around pipes. It wasn't an issue with our son when he was really little and when we had cats they never were near any of it. You may be fine with just exterior stuff, but I like having the interior as well. It's just a paste they put in certain locations.

:iagree: We used Spelling Workout for Gr 1 and 2 and it just wasn't sticking with my son at all. He was also a self-taught reader and didn't use phonics, so I wanted some phonics work. We switched to AAS at the end of 2nd grade and started with Level 1. It's been a really good fit. We do 15 minute lessons daily. Some steps take a while to work through. Others move pretty quickly. When he gets a new key card, I have him write it in a notebook for reinforcement. He's doing a very good job at remembering the rules - much better than I am! He's also had a large improvement with sounding out words since using AAS.

They're the Diagnostic Tests from the Instructor book. Found here.

We like Netflix. We have the 2 disc selection, although we probably should drop back to 1 disc. There are a lot of instant watch shows now. You would not get current tv. For that, you might want to look at Hulu or Hulu Plus (depending on what shows you want). My husband misses sports and ESPN doesn't show video of games generally. We don't have cable in the house - just internet. We use rabbit ears for the tv and do get basic channels... usually :) I think sometimes CBS/ABC don't come in well. But we just don't watch tv.

The TM/Instruction book gives examples from all 4 WWE workbooks. If you choose not to use the workbooks, the TM will give you samples across all 4 WWE levels. I started my 3rd grader in WWE 2 when we got started from looking at the Instruction book. I've been using the workbooks because they're easier for me. There also may be placement examples on the PeaceHill Press site...

We aren't vegan, but we have dairy allergies here. I'm going to give these a shot! Thanks!

I'd think then it would depend on where your child would be getting a four year degree. Very few of the engineering courses at our cc would transfer while the straight AA/AS would in effect be getting more of the general education courses out of the way. And I know nothing about the four year admission issues :001_smile:

:hurray: THANK YOU for articulating clearly what's been bugging me for years over the self-esteem movement in schools. I had arguments in my education classes with my professors about this. Self esteem & self respect are different. Yes.

Also, the observation that the first year is the toughest definitely held true for us. We're in our 4th year (we school year round) and it's going better than any other years have (so far).

When advising students taking courses at the cc, I'd suggest that having an AA or AS meant that if they didn't complete their BA/BS for whatever reason, they'd at least have a 2-year degree. I'm not aware of disadvantages to having the degree.

I ordered from Classical Home Education in March (the timelines) and they arrived just fine with no problems :)

I skipped 1st grade. We didn't have a gifted program until 4th grade when I got bussed to a different school to be in the gifted program. I never had any problems with the academics. By 7th grade I was seriously suicidal & the only thing that prevented me from making an attempt was that I couldn't be certain that I'd die. If I could have been sure, I'd have done it. My folks made the decision to let me skip because I was already moved up to do math and English in the 2nd grade classes and they thought that when they finished up their schooling, we'd move, and they'd have me stay back. That didn't happen. There were other issues making my social isolation really rough. If you keep a close eye out for your daughter it may be okay - and you're hearing from other people on how a grade skip worked for them. Academics were easy even a grade ahead. Think about how you'll handle dating. When I was in 7th grade, the only kids who let me hang out with them were the ones who were already having sex. Learned a lot from them. I did end up switching schools again and repeating 7th grade - by my choice - to get into an even more accelerated math program. It was completely my decision. I'm convinced that had I not switched schools, I would have made the suicide attempt within another year or two. The neighborhood I lived in contributed to my isolation and some of my parents choices exacerbated it to a pretty extreme level. I may have had similar problems had I been with age peers. But the age difference gave them something that set me apart more. I don't think I'd let my child skip a grade. And I wanted you to know that planning to move and then catch up if needed just may not happen - that had been my folks' plan.

Not an expert at all, just have started a fountain pen collection thanks to this board. :D Yes, the regular refill fits either the Pelikan or the Junior.

The Pilot Petit pens are back... for now. My son enjoys them (and we bought a ton of different inks when we thought they were going away for good). I like this Lamy for me. I have two of them: one color, one black. I like it's feel. I got the Pelikan Junior for my son but it hasn't been liked much. And I'm not fond of the Pelikan I got. I like the Lamy more. (I think the grip of the Pelikan bugs me and I can't get the cap to stay on the back well. I like the Lamy grip.) I like Jet Pens :)

:hurray: Well done! I'm only staying about a week ahead in history right now... :(

:grouphug:

For 7th & 8th in the MEGSSS program, we only used the EM books. They are excellent. When I found the series (available through IMACS now), I bought them all. Unfortunately, I can't get any of the tests, which I also remember as being very good - not just regurgitation of material, but thought out questions taking you a bit deeper. I haven't decided if I'll use the books with my son after finishing PM 6 in a few years, or if we may start some of the books early, or if I'll use AoPS more. :glare: We had a different teacher for 9th & 10th (I moved in 10th, so don't know what was used after that). We used traditional textbooks at that point and had a truly dreadful teacher. The St Louis program looks good from what I've seen. I'd love to toss my son in it - but we're nowhere near there. I don't know if the IMACS classes use the EM texts or not. The online stuff they have doesn't look the same from what I could tell. We also don't live near an in-person location there. There is still a MEGSSS program here... but not in the district we're zoned for. It looks like they do a combination now of the EM books and traditional texts. I know the EM books are weak on additional practice. I remember our good teacher supplementing with extra worksheets for factoring and I know I did extra practice when solving linear equations too. The books did an excellent job of getting me to see multiplication as a scaling relationship and I really understood slope. We worked through most of Book 0 (separate books, each a "chapter") and all of Book 1 and 2 (Logic!). I am certain I'll use Books 1 & 2 with my son.