I got the 11th grade Chemistry DVDs a few years ago, taught by Mr. Harmon. I believe the course has been updated since then, so this may not be the case any more, but I found Mr. Harmon terribly confusing, my daughter did too. For example, there was one problem he taught on the video, explaining the procedure, and she couldn't make it come out right so she asked me for help (her first mistake, lol). I looked around in the book, and in one spot in one of the books (I forget, sorry) it showed how to do this exact problem, and the procedure/formula in the book was different than what the teacher had taught. That's when we quit and got ourselves a tutor. This year I have been doing Life Science 7th with ds, not on DVD, although I do have the experiments/activities DVD and that is really good. Mrs. Vick is awesome. Ds is not thrilled with the course, though, although he does enjoy Mrs. Vick. Anyhow, for 8th next year, after looking at the new edition of BJU Earth Science at the convention, I decided the new Earth Science is still too similar to what we have now, and I'm going to switch, maybe to DIVE or the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt earth science courses I saw at the Saxon table at the convention. For him it has to be active, and varied, and visual. I don't think BJU is going to do it for him any more. But I would say both of us learned a lot this year in Life Science, and I do think it's a great preparation for biology in the future, so I'm really glad we did it. I do think the BJU progression is great -- general in 6th, life in 7th, earth/space in 8th, physical in 9th. That's just the progression I wanted to do. I may end up using other materials but I'm sticking with this progression.

In general, never be ashamed to use a lower-level skill book with an older kid if that's what they need, no matter what the subject. In the end it makes your life and the child's a lot better, because you will have built the foundation he/she needs. I learned this the hard way (but at least I learned it;)).

Not every kid is going to do well with Rod & Staff, no matter how much we parents like it. You might want to give your son a gentler introduction for his first year at home, using maybe Jr. Analytical Grammar or Winston Grammar basic level (which is very hands on), and then the following year go to R&S if by that time you figure it might be right for him. Just a suggestion. Imo, grammar is one of those things that is okay learned just a bit later, and there is no shame backing up as many levels as needed to optimize learning. It's possible he might need breathing room his first year at home, so relax with him. We are not going for grades, our aim is learning. Don't worry about spelling, just go at his pace, skip the pressure. Boys can be terrible spellers for some reason, but if you take the pressure off, maybe he will do better. At this point with my youngest (7th) I'm doing words lists from various spelling books, no big deal. I also use Megawords for spelling, which covers the rules well. The real test is not how they perform on a Friday test but how they spell in their writing. About phonics for your little guy -- how about teaching the phonograms with a pure phonics program such as Spell to Write and Read? You don't necessarily have to do the entire program, but getting the phonogram cards and learning those would be vaulable. ABeka's "special sounds" cards are sort of like phonograms; they also work really well, and they are easier to use (imo) than SWR (although ABeka isn't completely "pure" phonics in the sense that SWR is, but that's okay I'm sure). All the best to you!

I have a son who hates to read. I have compensated so far by sharing the reading with him, taking turns reading paragraphs and such. I also add in films and activities. I do carry a certain amount of angst, however, because I feel I should be weaning him towards more independent reading. I hope to accomplish this in part by adding more reading in small increments to his work load along the way, and pep-talking him as we go. Not sure really how that will work out given his personality and learning style. But I think as he matures he will most likely improve naturally in this area if I keep the pressure on as opposed to making life too cushy for him. That's my thinking at this point...

Maybe an upper level IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) course? Do you have Write Shop II? That might be more on her level. The benefit of using that is that you already have the teacher manual, which covers both levels of student books.

Sounds like you're off to a good start. A neuropsych eval will give you good information, and the tester should include in his/her written report a lot of teaching suggestions. That should help you. I agree with the poster who said that poor working memory and slow processing are hallmarks of these kids. So, when you're teaching, I recommend repetition, repetition, repetition. I heard some great advice, and that was, in order to cement the processes in, say, for multiple digit multiplication for example, you do one on the board with him watching, narrating as you go, then you do another one, and another, etc., and you're showing him and telling him all the steps as you do them. If he has an assignment with 10 problems on it, do the first few with him watching, and pretty soon, he'll grab the pencil from you and say, "let me do it!" -- he will have gotten it down well enough to do it on his own, but if he struggles, you're still right there to correct him immediately so that bad habits aren't cemented in. After all, the person said, you're not testing him, you're teaching him. Yes, it does take a lot of energy. But seeing that progress is worth it!

Great news! I wanted to say, also, your description of the student in your original post made me think that it might be helpful to rule out learning disabilities, in case that's what is giving him the trouble with his memory. However, MUS is great for kids who learn "differently" as well. (I think we all learn differently anyway -- from each other.)

I did this, and it was the best curriculum decision I have made in a long time. All the best to you (and him),

When the first thing ds13 utters (groans) upon awaking in the morning is, "Ooooh, noooo, I'm not ready for schoooooooool todaaaaaaay, the weekend was toooo shooooort, I need another day ooooff, oh nooo..." :ack2:, then I know it's time to pray for strength. And I do add in fun stuff and activity b/c he needs it :banghead:. Oh, help, and, bother!

Super! Thank you!

7th, but it does depend on how your school system handles it. However, depending on his abilities and what he has under his belt academically, you certainly can call it whatever you want. If you are doing 6th grade work, then call him a 6th grader. You say he would rather be called a 5th grader? I bet he might not like that so much once he gets older and is ready to be DONE with school but he can't because he still has 3 more grades to finish, ugh. My 7th grade son, born in the summer, could TECHNICALLY be in 8th grade, and boy, is he ever hounding me about wanting to be in 8th. NO WAY! There is not a chance in the world that he could possibly start high school work next year! I lost so much ground with him in several of his elementary years when I was so very occupied with life crises, that he lacks some foundational skills yet, so I'm working on those. And darn it if all his friends are in 8th, argh, I hear about that all the time. My answer is SO WHAT?! We're functioning on a 7th grade level for the most part, so that's what I'm calling it.

A ps teacher I know, who was "going back to work" and whose child was about to start half-day kindergarten, which presented her with child-care issues, once asked me, "Hey, would you be able to pick up my child from kindergarten after school every day?" I thought to myself, "You have GOT to be kidding me," but I told her (very nicely but couldn't help smiling), "Well, that would be kind of like me asking you to leave your classroom every day and go pick up my kids from wherever they are..." I could tell by the look on her face she was visualizing that scenario, and then she said, "Oh yeah, I guess you're right; never mind." Yikes!

Elisabeth, I answered you privately by email, b/c it's off topic for this thread. Hope that's okay with you. Look for my email. Maybe start a new thread with this question.

I'm going to do Write Shop I for 7th next year also. Because I have it. I had planned IEW, but stweardship wise, I already have the Write Shop, so, that's what I'm using. Should be good, though, I'm looking forward to it. Perhaps in the future I will use IEW, but this coming year, for 7th, it's Write Shop. For 8th, I'm not sure yet if I will do Write Shop II or not, I'll have to decide that when I get to the end of WS I. My daughter who is just finishing high school now was using IEW this year with a tutor, and I must say, composing from her outline and doing those checklists at the end of every writing assignment was agony for her! My husband and I just had a discussion about it, I was feeling bad for dd, but dh said it's a really good exercise. I guess I agree, but it kind of gave me a little dose of reality for IEW (I had been idolizing it I guess).

Great, it's likely a matter of consistency, then. That's great! My oldest was home schooled through 3rd grade, then went to Christian school for 4th. I had not required much cursive of him although he had learned it, so his cursive was a bit immature when he entered the private school in 4th grade. Well, that teacher required cursive on every single paper, and although he really struggled at first, within probably two months he was fluent. So, if that's the only reason, then, yes, sounds like practice and consistency will do it. Definitely give him the model to look at until he's comfortable. Keep a cheat sheet at his desk at the very least. Some kids need more instruction in the strokes than others, so if that's the case, maybe do it large motor with him (with your hand on his, on the white board) lots of times, instructing on the strokes as you go; make a fun thing out of it. Then add in various other ways of practice. I would also recommend a font style that is simpler rather than a more flowery one. Not familiar with the one you're doing, maybe it's fine, that's your decision. But if you need a change there, now's the time. Sounds great! All the best!

Hi there, I just popped onto this board and saw your post, thought I'd chime in. If he's "using too much battery" to physically write, then there is a problem. That's the easy part. The harder part is figuring out exactly what the problem is. You could do testing with a professional and get some specific information on areas of strength and weakness. You could try occupational therapy, you could go the vision/developmental optometrist route, you could try the neurodevelopmental approach (see Linda Kane or Dianne Craft), and there are probably many other possible roads to go down. Maybe try cross-posting onto the special needs board? I have an almost 13yo ds who has always had trouble with handwriting, and I have neglected to get him any testing or help until now (I'm going to do neurodevelopment). All I know is that writing is more stenuous for him than it should be. It has affected curriculum areas; i.e., I have not done much writing instruction b/c the physical act of writing drains him. You mention that your ds can't remember what the letters look like, that's a red flag to me (unless he hasn't had that much practice -- daily practice is important to cement it in, and also maybe if you required cursive in his daily work, that would force him to learn it, IF there is no other reason why he doesn't remember what the letters look like). You also mention he needs a model to copy. Do you have an alphabet strip you can put up somewhere to give him that model 00 a big one on the wall or a small one on the table or desk? I am of the philosophy that says give him the model as long as he needs it. Oh, you wanted to know if you should give up on cursive -- there is no law that says everyone has to learn cursive. Some folks return to manuscript even though they know cursive very well. However, I do think it's important that they learn to READ cursive, they will have to do that their whole life. It's up to you whether you want to keep going with it or drop it. There may be other points of view on this, but just thought I'd give you mine. All the best to you as you figure this out! Blessings,

I don't know, but if it were me (and it kind of IS, I'm pretty much in the same boat as you) I need someone to SHOW me, and for me, Steve Demme is the guy for that, he makes it accessible for me. His program is not real expensive, and even if you don't use it with your dc, you could use it for yourself to learn it. I have also seen sample videos of Dr. Mosely, and he would make it understandable for me also, but I think he's a lot more expensive. Feeling your pain and rooting for ya!!

Too bad you only have her for a summer! I recommend (and have personally done, even at age 11) backing up -- way up, almost starting over, but not quite from the very beginning. She would go through the material a lot faster, but with understanding. But it sounds like you don't even have that much time with her. Use a lot of manipulatives to illustrate the concepts before you start in with the paper and pencil. If you can find a younger child at a lower level than she is and have her teach this other child, that could be a great help to her and hopefully cement that learning right in there. (We are assuming she isn't being hindered by learning challenges...) I love this article by Steve Demme: http://www.mathusee.com/2011/04/beware-of-being-behind-math-u-see-newsletter-vol-25/ Blessings,

The only one I'm positive we're sticking with is: MUS. Yes, finally I have a program he can live with and thrive with, so I am not touching that again. He will go all the way through with it. :party: We're staying w/ BJU Science through 8th (started it in 6th), then not sure where to go at that point, but happy I don't have to decide now. Also staying with BJU history a second year; that was my plan. I wanted two-year world history instead of four-year, so I picked BJU 6 and 7 and have been happy with 6th this year, although we did a lot of supplementing. Planning TTC and IEW starting next year and hoping to be able to say we'll stick with those as well...

If you buy the course from Covenant Home Curriculum, it comes with a daily schedule for your student to follow. We did that for a few courses over a couple of years, and for a self-motivated student, that daily schedule is wonderful. Just a thought.

Noticing a lot of early birds in this thread... ;) I schedule by blocks instead of by time of day, it just works better for me, given our family style (lots of stuff going on all the time, late to bed, late to rise). Really, I could use more structure, but it just makes me feel totally imprisoned, so I keep to the block scheduling. I made up a checklist document so that ds could keep track of what he's done; kind of like workboxes on paper. I cross out whatever we're not doing that day. First, he does a little thinking skills, page or two, then math, then language arts. I used to have math in the afternoon, but ds asked me to switch it to first thing in the morning, and he's doing better with math (between my curriculum change and time change). By then it's time for lunch. I find I didn't get Bible in like I had wanted to in the morning. Then after lunch we do science and history and any reading we need to get done. Next year for 7th I have to get better at getting to everything, so I have promised myself I won't set us up for failure by OVER-scheduling us! :blushing:

I wondered the same thing myself as I was figuring out what I was going to do for 6th this year. I decided to use SOTW 1 and 2 along with the BJU 6th grade history text, and augmented with Usborne and Kingfisher encyclopedias and videos from Netflix, oh, and map work. I'm happy with how it worked out. We learned a lot (both ds and me)! There were a few things (but not much) in SOTW that I would skip, such as some of the mythology. And, sometimes SOTW introduces a new topic by reviewing, and that's great, but I found it could be sort of baby-ish language for a 12 year old, so I would quickly preview and skip parts I thought to be better read to real young kids. But really, that didn't happen very much. All in all I'm glad I used SOTW in 6th with appropriate supplements.

This will be my only kid left, too. Actually, I can't wait! I just have to make myself not over-tweak. I'm really looking forward to the possibility of using this for high school, but still keeping my eyes open; I appreciate hearing your thoughts, everyone. Thanks!!

Ladies, thanks very much for your wise counsel. I will take everything you said to heart. I appreciate it! I think I will continue on the path I'm on and take it as it comes, keeping in mind my goals and also what you all said. I'll keep looking at it, evaluating, to see if it will be a fit for us. *****Do you do any tweaking or do you use it as is?***** A big reason for me to buy MFW is to have it all there for me, so in theory I wouldn't really want to do very much tweaking, but I have no idea right now how that would work out in practice. This particular ds is a very reluctant writer and reader, so in one sense I'm kind of afraid of high school for those reasons, but I know the next two years are critical years for development of skills. I'm going to be working really hard on those. Thanks!

This is a way-in-advance MFW question, but I'm preparing now for high school in the future. If I'm doing writing with IEW, would that interfere at all, or conflict with the writing component of the MFW high school courses, or would the writing end up being too much if we did both? Would it be complimentary? My 6th grade ds is going to start IEW with me next year for 7th; my plan is to do IEW in 7th and 8th, in preparation for high school. I am thinking about MFW Ancient for 9th. I could feasibly keep on going with IEW through the rest of high school, but I wonder about that, if I'm using MFW, which has writing in it. Does the writing component have instruction? or just assignments? I just did a search and read a few threads here about MFW high school, and learned some great things, so that's good. But I need to know specifically about the writing. And, while I'm at it, I guess my other question is about literature -- if I want to do the literature a la TTC, do you think that's feasible? For those two reasons (wanting to do IEW for writing and TTC for literature) I wonder about doing MFW high school at all; I don't know if I'd be better off just putting together my own history, since the writing and lit would be taken care of. But MFW looks SO good. Glad I have time for this decision. Thanks so much!