vmsurbat
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Posts posted by vmsurbat
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They are both good programs but differ in style and fell.
You received a good description of Jensen's Grammar from a previous poster.
Amsco vocabulary is a series--we've used two of the series, the 9th grade text (name escapes me now) and the Vocabulary for the College Bound.
Amsco's text has several chapters and tackles vocabulary from many different angles. The 9th grade text was too easy for my eldest daughter, so I switched her to Jensen's which was much more challenging and she enjoyed it. She would often come to me with vocab. words that she found in her readings.
For my next oldest daughter, I used Vocab. for the College-Bound. (It was cheaper). I thought that was a very good text--there is a significant portion dealing with Latin/Greek-based words, but also many others (foreign, by context, and more).
Jensen's is strictly root-based and works on "figuring out the meanings". You do a page a day, test on Friday (if you want). Like all Jensen's products (and I use a lot of them), it is very straight-forward and no frills.
Amsco works with roots plus many other aspects of words in its exercises (synonyms, antonyms, shades of meaning), etc. It is not laid out in such a straight-forward manner--I had to make up a schedule for my daughter to use it. I still think Vocab. for the College-Bound is a good place to begin if your child already has a good vocabulary (meaning skip the younger grades)....
HTH,
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First, I do agree with Susie that 6 is awfully young to be *overly* worried. However, there is no reason not to work on short-term memory and overall reading comprehension.
First, there is a *big* difference for a young child in comprehending material they are reading and material that you are reading to them.
For young children, the mere act of *reading* can have them so busy focusing on the words (eg. sounding them out) that they don't even think about what the word means. That *may* be a real factor.
What I would do:
First and most importantly: if you are not *already* in the habit of reading aloud to her, you need to start this practice. While your daughter is listening to your words, she will be developing how to "see" the action of the words in her mind without first having to put the words in there by reading them. Children who are read to have much greater comprehension when they do learn how to read than those children who are not exposed to read-alouds. If reading aloud is not something you currently do, I would focus on this aspect of reading for quite some time--2 or 3 months minimum.
Second: When the "read-aloud" habit is established (or if it already is), *You* read aloud a interesting passage. (Check http://www.mainlesson.com for plenty of short, interesting stories--don't use school texts--they are not engaging enough!) At the end, ask her to tell you all about it. If she can't, don't panic! You might model what you are looking for. (give a *very* simple retelling). You might need to do this several times. You might need to read a paragraph and get a response after each one. Your job at this stage will be to find and read a short enough bit of an interesting passage that your daughter *can* succeed in giving a short retelling. Practice this for a good, long time.
Third: at some point (we are talking several months from now), you can try having her tell you about something *she* read on her own. Again, if she can't tell you at the end of the story anything about it, don't panic. Just have her read the first paragraph and tell you about it. If she can't do that, start with a sentence! Some children need to work on developing paying attention to written material.
If, at this point (after months of read-alouds and telling a bit back of what you read aloud), she is reading by herself and cannot tell you even on a sentence-by-sentence level what she just read, then I would consider contacting learning experts.....
HTH,
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A friend of mine who was bright in math in highschool and then went on to major in math in college got stumped/behind/struggling with a certain concept at the Calculus level. After seeing and talking with the prof, she realized (with his help) that she wasn't messing up on the calculus, but some earlier skill.
A review text is good, but is your son truly missing out on every earlier concept? Could it be something as simple as not knowing (ie. automatically) his times tables? This will really mess up algebra because you need it for factoring. Another potential problem area occurs with fractions--algebra is filled with all kinds of complex fractions and a simple lack of knowing how to manipulate simple ones will hinder upper level math.
For concentrated practice on important topics related to higher level math, I highly recommend the Key To series: start with fractions, move on to decimals, then percents, and lastly the first four books of Key To Algebra.
These booklets contain good explanations, build logically, provide plenty of practice of *very needful skills.* Plus, there is lots of white space and they are non-intimidating.
HTH,
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I've used Jensen's Grammar with four of my five children thus far--the youngest one will complete it next year (age 13). It is a *very* good junior high/early high school review text of grammar. I think it would be tough if your child has never encountered nouns, verbs, prepositions, antecedents, etc.
One characteristic style employed by Jensen is a repetitive format: each lesson consists of two pages: LH page: the lesson explanation, RH page: the exercises. He purposefully does this with all his texts so that students are not figuring out what to do in a lesson--they can get right to business.
It is not a flashy program but covers grammar extensively at the sentence level (including basic punctuation rules involving phrases and clauses.) To "prove" their mastery, after lesson 20 or so, the children have to write their own sentences to fit given sentence structures (eg. Sub I, NM S V Pp Pp). If that looks intimidating, let me assure you that the students are led into it incrementally. My kids all have different styles and interests (from "I love creative writing" to logical math/science kids) and they have all appreciated Jensen's text.
Jensen's Punctuation is meant to follow Jensen's Grammar; the children need to be *very* familiar with phrases and clauses. I've used this with two of my children (now off at college) and my third will use it next year. I like to use it a bit later in high school as prep for SAT testing. When I last used it, it was published as two books--now they are combined into one.
The first part is entitled: Major Punctuation and deals extensively with the 5 most common punctuation errors related to joining clauses and phrases. Once you (or your child) works through this, you will know just how and when to use a semi-colon properly!
The second part is entitled: General Punctuation and covers many more items.
After some brief initial teaching, he basic format is a page (or section) a day in which to find, mark (the nature of the error), and correct all errors. Each page (or section) tells a story--they are not just lists of unrelated sentences, nor do they highlight only one kind of error. The child works from a sheet that lists what they are to look for, so it *is* doable.
I credit Jensen's (in part) for my two college students excellent SAT writing scores (high 700's/perfect 800).
I also have Jensen's Writing, but it was not a good fit for my two oldest daughters--they are naturally good writers. However, I have just pulled it out for my writing-phobic, math/science guy, and we will be working our way through it. It is just what he needs: a plain, here-is-how-to-do-it guide on expository writing.
HTH,
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Abeka has solid grammar/comp texts for the high school level. You could choose either the ninth or tenth grade book set.
R&S is also an excellent choice; we use it only at the elementary (K-7) level because after that, I prefer the workbook format of Abeka. It is visually appealing, provides solid instruction, includes plenty of exercises (choose just half!), and is a nice change of pace from R&S.
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I have Math Relief 1 for Algebra 1 and it is my alg. program of choice (will be getting Math Relief Alg. 2 for the upcoming school year).
I have Chalkdust's PreCalc set which my 12th grade daughter used last year. We live overseas and due to a shipping mixup, she was only able to use it for 6 months of the school year (rather than all nine) and while not a math whiz (just competent), she was able to test into taking the *regular* Calc I course this year at a rigorous college.
My thoughts about the two programs:
First, BOTH are very good programs with *very good teachers* and will give your son solid math skills.
The DIFFERENCES of approach should be the determining factor:
1. Math Relief is *designed* for high schoolers, Chalkdust uses college-level (remedial but appealing to that audience) texts.
2. Math Relief is more *user* friendly: you know to do one lesson a day and each lesson is clearly marked. Mr. Firebaugh (with Alg. 1 at least) has noted those lessons that might take more than a day. I don't know if he explicitly does that with the Alg. 2 program--those lessons are longer because the material is more complex and the general recommendation might be to spend two days per lesson.
Chalkdust requires you (or your student) to figure out how much to do each day and how many/which exercises. My daughter had no problem with doing this on her own--my son, when he gets there, will probably need my input to know how to schedule it all out.
3. Math Relief uses a worksheet approach--all the exercises are in a consumable packet--all very black and white, nothing but the problems.
Chalkdust uses a modern, colorful textbook. A few students might find the layout "busy", most would find it attractive.
4. Math Relief (at least at the Alg. 1 level, I don't know about the Alg. 2 level) is focused on the skills of manipulating equations--all kinds of equations, including messy-looking equations. It does cover "word problems" but in a concentrated manner. The general (underlying) approach is that Alg. will give you many necessary tools for solving all kinds of real life problems, but first you have to learn how to use the tools. FWIW, my son who used MR Alg. I last year (and is doing Geometry this year) has been able to correctly answer all the alg-based "word" problems included in the "Official SAT Question of the Day" email sent out by the College Board site.
Chalkdust, geared for the college crowd, includes more "real life" problems right along with learning about how to solve them algebraically. These problems are truly drawn from "real life" and cover topics that may or may not interest a high schooler (economics, population statistics, safety, science, etc).
5. Math Relief's answer key includes step-by-step solutions, often with a written note about *why* he did a particular step at the time or things to watch out for.
Chalkdust solutions book is the one done by the textbook company and has no written commentary, just the steps.
For us, I prefer Math Relief Alg. because I like the fact that it is geared toward high schoolers. I like to think of my brood as mature and bright (and they are), but they are still just 12, 14, and 16 years old.... I am very happy with using Chalkdust's PreCalc book in 12th grade because I want my students to be familiar with college-type classes. (We don't have the option of dual enrollment).
HTH,
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Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat OR any of John Buchan's writings...
These are not are *only* favorites, but they hadn't been pointed out thus far.
Have fun reading!
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we actually preferred Abeka's Elementary Art program. It is a bit more expensive, but much more bright and colorful in the lower grades. It also consists of once-a-week "art" class listed by month. Thus, the finished artwork makes cute, seasonally-appropriate decorations. I always used it a grade behind (ie. my second grader doing the first grade book) because that requires a lot less help from Mom.
The artpacs *ARE* an excellent value--just less exciting. The upper level of Artpacs (5th and up) actually give more art instruction than the Abeka series (which only goes through 6th grade).
HTH,
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First, explain your situation--older son, going to college or not, how well he is currently doing, etc. Mr. Firebaugh has always graciously answered my questions.
Note: I don't think you can use the "Contact me" page at the website--instead just note the email address and write directly. It made a difference when I last contacted him (a year or so ago).
Personally, if my child were planning to go on *at all* in math, I would have him do Phase 3.... but, I do think I would ask Mr. Firebaught for input in *your* unique situation...
HTH,
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I have a set of old-fashioned flashcards (from Abeka) where the problem is given complete on one side: eg. 9+6=15 and as just the problem on the other: eg. 9+6= . One key to using flashcards is to keep it short and sweet--*never* more than five minutes. We are aiming for fast recall and that is taxing on the brain.
The second (and all-important) key to using flashcards is to use them to *teach* the facts first. Most people immediately use them as a testing device, hoping their child will eventually come up with the right answer. We are assuming that your child understands the basic meaning of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and that you are after automatic recall.
To get to that point, here are some steps you can take. Get your set of facts that you want your child to master (all the +5s or the problem facts or doubles or however your particular program introduces them) and work through the following steps:
1. Flash the cards WITH the answer side showing and have child say the entire problem with answer. Eg. "Nine plus six equals 15" Your child will find this ridiculously easy. Use this step to require giving the full, proper answer.
2. Once that is easy (and it should be pretty quickly with a nine year old, go through the flashcards again WITH the answer side showing and have the child "take a snapshot". That means he/she LOOKS at the card, closes his eyes, and states the full equation again. Eg. Looks, closes eyes, says "Nine plus six equals 15". This step may take a first grader several days and it can be a lot of fun when he uses his fingers to "click" the picture! This step forces the child to actually look closely at the problem.... (This is important because future facts will have the same digits (9x6) but a different answer. Many careless mistakes are made when children don't LOOK at the problem closely and they are getting a mix of add/sub/mult/div problems all at once.
3. Once that is easy (again, pretty quickly with a nine year old), go through the flashcards again SANS the answer side showing. The child sees "9+6=" and see if they can give the full answer pretty quickly. If they can, progress to giving a slightly abbreviated answer: "Nine plus six, fifteen" (Note, the word "equals" is not used--we are trying to shorten the response of 9+6--we don't want our child to ALWAYS have to mentally insert the word "equals" to get the right answer.)
If your child could not give the answer quickly, but instead is trying to figure it out, flip the card to answer side and have him take a "snapshot" and give the answer that way. The goal is always a correct answer quickly.
4. Once the child can give the answer to a flashcard, shorten the step to giving just the answer. Eg. Child sees "9+6= " and responds "Fifteen." When your child can do that, you can review a lot of mastered facts quickly.
Once you've reached step 3 or 4 with one set of facts, you can begin introducing a new set of facts at the Step 1 stage. Just remember to never go more than five minutes. Also, many kids go through plateau periods where it seems that you have flashed the same facts over and over and over and you think they will NEVER get it. Three days later, the kids find it a piece of cake.
This type of flashcard work is quick and painless and incorporates hearing, seeing, and saying.
For written practice, you can require your child to write out at the beginning of the week a "help" chart. I'll use addition as an example. Make a grid that will cover the facts you want your child to learn. If you want addition facts up to 9+9, then you will need 9 rows down and 9 columns across. Number down 1-9, number across 1-9. The box where row and column meet should be the sum of the numbers at the beginning of the row and column. The same type of chart can be done for subtraction, multiplication, and division. This kind of chart is easy for kids to fill out because there is a pattern to each of these help charts. Let your child use his chart as an aid in daily written math work--NOT during flashcard drill, though.
We worked on mastering math facts from 1st-4th grade. It is easy to make simple motivational games (esp. for younger students). Eg. One step forward for a correct answer. (No penalty for a wrong one, though). When they reached Mom. they got a hug and a kiss! For a nine year old, though, you may need a different motivational rewards like stickers, M&Ms, and nickels to make it fun and worthwhile (from the child's point of view!).
HTH,
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the Hands and Hearts History kits: these are pricy but complete "craft" kits that tie into a particular historical era. We've used Anc. Greeks, Anc. Romans, and The Middle Ages. My dd (age 12) is eagerly looking forward to the Anc. Far East kit. There are several others that cover American History. The projects span a number of age-ranges. IMO, the children on the upper age limit (like my daughter and your son) can enjoy the crafts independently and produce some stunning results.
This year we were not able to get a Hands-and-Hearts kit but are using Discovering Great Artists (this covers arts and crafts from the Renaissance to Modern times) and that is also going very well--again, the projects she's done are very satisfying and worthy of display. I almost let the suggested ages (younger) put me off, but I am glad that we have the book (which is *very* reasonably priced). We will get a lot of mileage from that book...
HTH,
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to make sure your child is reading quality books and for *you* to continue read-alouds with her--books that she'll find enjoyable but that stretch her at the same time.
My children have *always* scored 100% on the vocab portion of standardized test scores. My two oldest, in college now, scored in the high 700's and one perfect 800 on the Critical Reading portion of the SAT.
Without a doubt, I am a firm believer in learning vocab by reading (and being read-to) in the early years. Take a look at Ambleside Online for the types of books (look at years 0-4) that count as "quality" books.
Note: I followed CM methods fairly closely in my children's early years (K-4/5th) grade requiring lots of oral narration, getting more traditional (ie. using textbooks) (but still keeping lots of good reading on hand) in the upper grades. I used no vocab books in during the elementary years, but add Worldly Wise starting in 7th grade. They know many of the words, but the exercises themselves are worthwhile. Another great series (at the high school level!) is the Vocab. for the High Schooler series....
HTH,
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I used R&S spelling (through 5-6th grade--depends on the student) and then move into vocabulary studies. R&S 7th and 8th grade spelling books are much more like vocabulary books (complete with root studies) than spelling books. However, by jr/sr. high, we appreciate the ease of worktexts so do not follow R&S into those years. The program I like best for ease of use and worthwhile activities is the Wordly Wise 3000 series. Wordly Wise is very easy to divide into daily exercises. (eg., Day 1: Ex A and write list of words; Day 2: Ex. B&C, Day 3: Ex. D&E, Day 4: Test).
A close second is the Vocab for High Schoolers series (this includes Vocab for the College-Bound and Joy of Vocabulary). This second workbook series is very good, but it is not as easy to divvy up the work into daily assignments. Some of my children can do that well on their own and some can't. If I had more time, I *could* sit down and figure out a schedule of completion, but for now, I opt for Wordly Wise....
Vicki in MNE
Mom to 5 (2 in college).
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Can you tell I've been homeschooling a looonnnnggg time? :)
I think all three are good programs. It just depends on what you want to get out of your literature program, how much time you have, and your child's abilities.
Here is my take on the three:
Abeka 7th grade lit. book: This was the first one I had as it was given to me. (We are missionaries overseas). I do not have the TM that would go with it. All my children have greatly enjoyed the stories in it--Lots of excerpts from great children's writing. The book also includes selections that can be timed and used for calculating reading speed. I have fast readers, but if your child needs to learn to speed up, these types of exercises can help. At then end of the selection, there is a "Know these words" section that is there for you (or your student) to review before beginning the lesson but no definitions. However, on those selections with old-fashioned writing (eg, from "Of Plymouth Plantation" by William Bradford), archaic words *are* defined at the bottom of the page where used. There are decent "comprehension" questions at the end of most selections, including poetry; few "digging deeper" type questions. I personally have no problem with that as I do not think most 7th graders are capable of lots of really deep thinking....
I only used Abeka 7 with my eldest because all the rest read it on their own, long before they hit 7th grade.... (I also have the Abeka 8, 9 and 10 readers and they also are enjoyed as "free reading" when the kids are in the mood to read something short and sweet.)
BJU Lit. 7: This book is slightly shorter than Abeka's book. Each story also has basic comprehension questions at the end (fewer than Abeka's). Both BJU and Abeka texts give brief author biographies. BJU intersperses vocabulary words (with definition) right at the end of each paragraph.
The biggest difference (I think) is that the BJU TMs gives a lot more ideas for expanding the lesson well beyond the reading. There is an emphasis on applying the themes to the student's life. (Eg. in the chapter with a theme of courage, the *teacher* is to challenge the student about being courageous--this in only in the TMs, not in the student text). There are suggestions for discussion (this is where the "digging deeper" questions come up) as well as a few composition assignments. (I do think ABeka's TM also gives ideas for composition assignments...)
I am using BJU's Lit 7 this year with my youngest daughter (age 12) with the HomeSAT DVDs. (Long story of how that came to be). The DVD teacher includes a *lot* of the ideas suggested in the TMs in her lesson presentation. I am very happy with the class as Mrs. Vick's teaches it. I, personally, would not have time to use it that way if I were teaching it myself. If you did, though, it would be a very rich course when used in full with the text and TMs.
If I had to choose between Abeka and Bob Jones Lit (in 7th grade) with only minimal "teaching" from me, I would choose Abeka. (BJU TMs can easily make one feel confused and/or guilty for not doing all the suggested enhancements). I think Abeka's text has excellent selections and introduces a student to a wide variety of genres, all worth reading, in an easy-to-use manner.
3. Lightning Lit 7: I am using this with my son (age 14) this year. This is a year long program (but if your child is a strong reader you can easily speed it up) that includes a heavy composition component. It has more actual "literary analysis" than either BJU or Abeka (but it is at a very beginning level). For example, the student learns about (and writes about) "plot line" in the very first chapter. In the second chapter, the idea of plot line is reinforced in a mini-lesson on outlining as well as in the choice of composition assignments.
With LL7, the child also reads more "whole" novels and stories than in either BJU's or Abeka's texts. There are comprehension questions for each chapter (fewer than Abeka). The TM has a few "digging deeper" discussion questions suggested that are entirely optional.
Because of its focus on developing writing skills, LL7 includes worksheet pages that cover various generic writing topics: outlining, basic grammar review, note-taking, and more. (The TM has the answers to these worksheets). The student covers several genres (autobiography, memoirs, short stories, poetry, and more) and is given the opportunity to write in that genre as well.
This program has the strongest tie of literature reading/writing of all the programs and the least "worldview"/moral teaching of the three.
Choose LL7 if you want to increase the amount of literature-based writing your student is doing. Each chapter gives 3-5 possible assignments and the TM helpfully notes which are easier and which are harder. (There are no answers, though, to these suggested compositions.) This is also a good choice if you want to be involved minimally with your student's lit studies (more than what Abeka would require and less than what BJU expects....)
Hope this helps,
Vicki in MNE
Mom to 5 (2 in college!)
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There are several forums for buying/selling BJU books because so many people use the Satellite option and *have* to buy their books.....
Vicki in MNE
Mom to 5
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The junior high books (I & II) will be too easy for your son who has gone through R&S 8.
One thing I like about the upper Abeka books are the "Improve the Sentence" writing exercises (at the end of each chapter). These covers things like parallelism, eliminating excess wordiness, and more. Just enough to keep those ideas fresh in our student's mind....
I also think you could easily choose between the 9 and 10th grade books--they are very similar, the writing component differs the most so you might base it on that (If you might want to use the writing resource--I've pulled a few things out from there...) I happen to have bought the 9th grade book (III) for my daughter (now in college) and thus all the rest of mine start with that one because I've already invested the $$ in the teacher's manual.
Best wishes with your decision,
Vicki
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We switch to Abeka's Grammar texts in high school. You can easily take one book and stretch it out for two years as a review text. It is very easy to assign partial exercise sets and the ease of a worktext (after hardback R&S English) is a treat for a busy highschooler.....
Having had two children graduate and done well on various tests, I can tell you that you are wise to insist on grammar review to the 12th grade.
HTH,
Vicki in MNE
Mom to 5
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Sharon,
If you are willing, I'd love a copy of your schedule. I, too, have an 11th grader studying US history next year and living overseas we need *simple* enhancements--one course from TTC might just be perfect....
Thanks so much,
Vicki in MNE
Mom to 5
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Mystery of History is absolutely the easiest of the available programs for the age bracket of your children. I used it as our base and we loved it. For the first time in our homeschooling career, we were able to keep (and stick to it) a timeline. After 2 years with MOH (Vol. 1 and 2), the habit has stuck and the timelines are still going strong!
All I felt I *had* to add to Vol. 1 was Guerber's Story of the Greeks, Story of the Romans (two books, available free online at http://www.mainlesson.com). I didn't worry about scheduling those books to match up with anything--the kids just read 1-3 chapters a day (they are short) until they were through (first through Greeks, then Romans). If your children are not strong readers, you can sub Guerber's books with Famous Men of Greece and Famous Men of Rome, also available free online at mainlesson.com. Either series help round out those two important eras....
HTH,
Vicki in MNE
Mom to 5
PS. With MOH Vol. 2, I didn't feel the need to supplement with any further text. Just added the fiction we have around the house (after 15+ years of homeschooling, we have a large library....)
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Greetings!
I can't compare R&S to AG, but I wanted to say that it is a bit of comparing apples to oranges. While AG will cover *some* grammar components (what about mechanics and usage?), R&S is a complete English program. This means that in addition to grammar, the student will also cover some poetry (I am poetry-challenged so I appreciated those doable lessons) and composition topics ranging from simple reports to outlining to oral introductions to business letters and more.
It may be that you are not looking for a full English program--although I think R&S is especially well-suited to upper elementary (4-6/7th grade)--we've taken breaks (Daily Grams is great for a quick daily mini-refresher).
So think about what you are *really* desiring. If you get AG, will you need/want to supplement for composition and basic mechanics? If you go with R&S, will you skip the composition? It is best to think of your goals and *choose the program* that will get the job *you* want done.
I prefer to teach "English" comprehensively in grades 1-6 (Primary/Intermediate Language Lessons 1-3, R&S 4-6), and then hit grammar *intensively* in the Jr. High years (they get it via specific grammar texts, composition program, Latin--grammar is foundational to so many things...) In high school we use Abeka worktexts (grammar only portion) at half-speed (1 text over two years) to keep things fresh for testing purposes. R&S would work as well, but worktexts are easier with all the *other* writing a highschooler is assigned). I've been pleased with the above progression and have used it with four of my five children (the eldest was the guinea pig, poor thing!).
Best wishes on finding your way,
Vicki in Montenegro
Mom to 5 (2 in college!)
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Hi Holly,
I am on my fifth (and last!) seventh grader. I think your plan in general is very good and well thought out. A few specific comments:
1. LL 7 is a very enjoyable program. I am using it this year. It introduces beginning literary concepts, covers some composition helps and plenty of composition topics, reviews some grammar points (especially mechanics), and is not overly fast paced. I have fast readers and strong (if somewhat reluctant) writers, so I can supplement with more books (Sonlight readers for fun) and more composition (Wordsmith series).
2. I have CW Homer (although I am not using it this year) and if you use Harvey's, that will be plenty for grammar (especially when combined with the bit of review in LL 7).
3. I had SOTW 3 (and 4) to use this year for Sonlight 7 history (part 2 of World History) and my seventh grader begged me not to use it. She felt it was way too babyish. We have been through World History before; if you haven't, your student will probably find it very interesting. I would recommend getting the Test book to use as either worksheet reinforcement or as a practice tool for testing; the SOTW Activity Guide would probably be too young unless you child loves simple projects in which case he/she would find it a lot more enjoyable than the Tests.
BTW, we ended up going with BJU's 7th grade history text which also covers the second part of World History (picks up with a brief review of the Middle Ages, Ren & Ref, then covers the rest of World History with a strong geographical component. My seventh grader has been enjoying this very much--we read the text aloud together and go over the Review Q's orally. I assign a few of the Activity Sheets (available separately), all the mapping assignments (found in the activity book), and a few other projects (the teacher's guide gives suggestions, such as oral reports the students might do, a recipe for every chapter). I also use the Test Booklet as I think it is 1. a good review of the material, 2. the questions are worded in such a way that they force the student to think, and 3. Provides opportunity for one or two beginning "essay" questions every chapter. The level of work and thinking seems well-suited for a 7th grader.
4. Latin: It is very difficult to suggest a program without knowing how much (if any) Latin you have covered. If it is none and you are not versed in Latin yourself, I would suggest Latina Christiana 1. (This is what I used, without DVDs). It is very easy to use and will prepare you for any of the other more rigourous programs.
If you want to charge ahead, I would recommend Latin in the Christian Trivium (LitCT) as it is the best Jr. High program for the non-Latin teacher. I am using this with my 7th grade daughter. For us, with LC1 under our belt and several years of R&S English, it is a nice mixture of review and stretching, grammar-based but with a reading/story component. Like CW, it utilizes the notebook approach and is very strong grammatically. I would personally recommend keeping a grammar notebook for either CW or Latin (my preference would be with LitCT) but not both--total overkill.
If you want a straight forward, no nonsense approach to Latin which is strongly grammar-based, you might look at Henle's with MODG's Latin I Syllabus. I am using this with my sons (ages 14 and 16) and they, logical thinkers both, are enjoying it very much.
I have personally not had much success with reading-based Latin programs (Lingua Latina, for example) but it is because I can't figure out how to teach it. I have not found Latin to be self-teaching, therefore I have to use a program *I* can figure out. I am still hoping that we will enjoy Lingua Latina as readers some day soon.... :-)
Some food for thought,
Vicki in Montenegro
Put That In Writing, Jensens, IEW, Warriners, CW, or Writeshop for 9th?
in High School and Self-Education Board
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Just go the http://www.cbd.com and do a search for Jensen's Format Writing. You will be able to peruse the Table of Contents as well as the first 8 pages or so of the book. You will see that it is a very straight-forward presentation of putting together basic expository paragraphs and essays (including book reports).
I've tried many of the programs you listed and they are all good programs. For our family, what works depends on the child. Four of my five are "natural" writers--they have a good sense of style and expression and needed only nudges in the right direction. All the programs ended up being too restrictive for them--they didn't actually need a curriculum to work through--I just needed to learn how to "point out" the next thing in terms of improving their writing. The fifth is my language-challenged child--extremely concrete and laconic in all verbal expressions (although he does great with grammar since it is (mostly) logical.)
Jump Write In worked well (doesn't focus on "creative" writing, clear assignment format, worthwhile lessons) until we got to explanatory essays--the jump from paragraph writing to essay writing was too much. He could do it (knew all the steps in terms of brainstorming, basic research, writing one paragraph at a time) but needed more work on developing a flow within paragraphs and between paragraphs.
He is currently using Jensen's Format Writing which works on paragraphs for a long time and is *very* concrete in how to put together a paragraph (and later an essay). A natural writer would cringe at the rigidity--those who struggle are grateful to learn what to do..... My son is in the latter category...
Anyway, take a look at CBD to get make your own assessment of Format Writing.
HTH,