Do you think LOF could be done in a summer? Given that Calculus is a 3 quarter course where we are, I wouldn't expect to be able to get all the way through any Calculus course that quickly.

Interesting idea to just start with the text she'll be using. Unfortunately, they don't have the texts listed yet for the fall. I did look at what they used in the Spring, so unless they require a new edition, that might work. I was hoping for something like Lial's that did a great job of putting the teaching in the textbook. The PreCalculus book we had ot use was not great. I'll look into a cheap Saxon :)

Thanks, I'd never tried tagging a post before.

We used Lial's Intermediate Algebra and then dd took PreCalculus at the community college. She is going to take Calculus in the fall, but I'd like her to do some study ahead of time this summer. Is there a Lial's Calculus book you'd recommend or something else? Thanks!

I recall reading a post that referred to a book that had more tests for Lial's Intermediate Algebra, but I can't find it now. Does anyone know of this book and have an ISBN #? Thanks!

I haven't looked at it closely enough to know if the activities at the end of the chapter would take longer than reading the sections within a chapter. I think we'll just start it and see how it goes. Thanks!

Hi, I'm looking for scheduling input from those who have used the TeenCoder Windows Programming course. My ds is in 9th grade and would like to have all his work scheduled out for him daily. Any suggestions? Thanks, Veronica

I said I would never use TT, and now I'm eating my words. I need something for my dd to work on independently, and she is not likely to need rigorous math in her future. So I'm happy to use the curriculum that is a good fit for her and smile sheepishly at the same time.

I taught a small coop class using Apologia Chemistry this past year, and I would agree with the comments about needing to know Algebra 1. The kids who struggled with the math had a much more difficult time in the class. They might understand the Chemistry but couldn't solve the problem because they couldn't do the math!

I like the idea of using evenings more and using a different venue. I was just putting our schedule into a spreadsheet and wondering how I was going to get to everyone. I have to be out driving kids around a lot, so if a sibling and I could get a light dinner or dessert while working uninterrupted, it would feel more like a treat than a chore. I think I would be much less stressed trying to get it all done during the day if I knew I had that window in the evening. The kids are old enough for this to be a possibility now. Thanks for sharing your ideas!

I'm trying "Apples Daily Spelling Drills for Secondary Students" for my 14 year old ds. I've used Spelling Power and Sequential Spelling intermittently over the years. The disadvantage to them as my ds gets older is that it requires a person to give the tests, and isn't really self-directed. I was looking for something he could do independently, and I like the way this repeats the spelling/phonics rules. Just one page a day, so it's not onerous and doesn't feel like a lot of work.

I taught a small group of kids using Apologia Chemistry in my home this past year. The kids who had a difficult time struggled with basic Algebra; I would really encourage a good Algebra 1 background. If money is available, I found the Red Wagon tutorials a useful supplement. The course is very doable at home, but Chemistry is not an easy course. Your son will need to be motivated to work at it and stay on top of the material. It is true that it builds, and you should not move on until you've mastered a chapter - otherwise it will bite you later. I like the Apologia curriculum, but I don't think any high school Chemistry curriculum would be considered easy by most students.

I am not familiar with R&S, but we arrived at IEW after using several writing curriculums that didn't seem to actually teach how to write or how to teach writing. They worked well for the natural writer, but for the rest of us... If you struggle with how to help your ds with writing, then I would recommend IEW. If you love R&S and know how to make it work for your ds, stick with it. Use the tool that you can use best.

Without a teacher and repeated exposure to the language, I think it is unrealistic to expect fluency. If you just want to check the box for college admissions, I think you could choose any curriculum that says it is for high school. We used Visual Link Spanish for 2 years of high school credit, and she is going to take Spanish at the cc this fall. At one of the schools we're considering, all students coming out of high school must take a proficiency exam, and if they don't place out of the required number of quarters of foreign language for graduation, then they have to take it at the university. Community college classes do count as college level credit, and so the student doesn't have to take the proficiency test.

We used Lightbears with a small group of kids this year in 8th-10th grades (13-15 years old in the fall when we started), and we stretched it over a year. I thought there was plenty of material for my 10th grader who is well grounded in her faith, especially once we got to the topics outside of what Christianity is. For my 13 year old, who is still finding his way with his faith, it was a good, solid curriculum to reiterate again the things that we believe. I felt they did a good job addressing issues in our society, and the material lent itself to good discussions. We liked the videos, too. Even thought it is said to be a jr high curriculum, I found it very adequate for our 10th graders. Some of that probably depends on how much time you want your student to spend on this subject. I only wanted .5 a credit, so it fit the bill well.

I've used LL7 and LL8 twice, and I think they are excellent for middle school. They contain much of the teaching in the student guide and are easy to use. Very manageable at the junior high level. We are going to use EIL I for 9th grade (used Windows to the World last go around for 9th grade), but I plan to do a lot of teaching in a small coop and walking with the kids through the assignments particularly at the beginning of the year. My 11th grade dd will use EIL II on her own, but that is because she's already had an intense couple of years of lit analysis taught to her. I don't think that EIL provides as much teaching support of lit analysis. I would use it in conjunction with Teaching the Classics if you haven't done much lit analysis. I like both the flexibility and structure that EIL provides and feel like it will serve us well where we are, but it does not provide so much in the details.

Hi, Anyone have recommendations or suggestions on how to increase reading speed for a student? I'd like to work on this over the summer with my ds who is going to be in 9th grade in the fall and will have a significantly increased reading load. Thanks!

We're considering an American Government class for dd at the local cc for dual enrollment in the fall, so I'm thinking I'd like to get her up to speed a bit this summer. Are there any good, engaging dvds out there on government? Thanks!

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between the different state editions of textbooks, specifically the Holt Geometry 2007 text? Is it significant? It looks like you can find copies of the Texas and California editions for significantly less than the non-state specific edition. Thanks!

Thank you!

Hi, Does anyone have ISBN #s for the 2007 Holt Geometry student text and One-Stop Planner. Given what I think is the going price for these items, I'd like to make sure I'm purchasing the right ones. Thanks!

Thanks to all for setting my mind at rest!

When I was in high school, I took an Algebra 2/Trig class. After reading any post on high school level math I could find, I want to use Lial's Intermediate Algebra, which is an Algebra 2 course. But what happens to Trig? Is it covered completely in the Pre-Calculus course? I want my dd to be prepared to either do Pre-Calc the following year either at home or at CC, so I want to make sure that she is fully prepared and I haven't left something out.

For this past school year, I purchased inexpensive copies from Amazon and purchased a one-year online student access with no problem. I don't know if they've changed their policy or if it is different if you're purchasing the teacher's access.

I am planning on using Apologia Chemistry in the fall and have been wrestling with the lab issue. I would like to do some additional labs and have looked at the Microchem kit that is suggested in the text. My hesitation is that it does not require the students to really measure anything. The kit does not include a scale, and it appears that the instructions are given in "# of drops" instead of units of volume or weight. For that reason, I'm leaning towards the LabPaq CK101 kit in which the first experiment is titled "Laboratory Techniques & Measurements." The drawback is that it is expensive and only contains chemicals for one pass at an experiment, so if you mess up, that's it. The Microchem kit provides enough chemicals to repeat experiments up to 5 times. I can't seem to get rid of the notion that students need to actually measure items when doing Chemistry experiments. I'd appreciate your input; thanks!