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Wildwood

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    HOD middle school - CTC and higher

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I am currently using CTC with my oldest who is 11 and in 5th grade.  I am also using Beyond with a 2nd grader.  My 3rd grader has been participating some in both.  All three of my children have used Rod and Staff English since 2nd grade, so they came into HOD with that background this year.  They also came in with a background of having done some written & oral narrations, and much copy work and dictation.

     

    The comments below are going to be focused on my experience with CTC.

     

    Hmmm...from everything I had read on the HOD board I honestly expected an advanced program.  I wouldn't say that is what we have found.  In fact, the more I have done of CTC the more surprised I have been by what the program really is versus what I thought it would be.  I have also been very surprised that the end of the TM is not any harder then Unit 1.  With all of the skill building discussed around HOD, I really did expect and think skills would build within the guide.  When I look at RTR it really doesn't look any further then CTC; so I am missing where the real skill building is taking place.

     

    I wouldn't say it is grade worthy, except maybe in the amount of work and work load.  The program doesn't lack in the number of assignments.  It lacks though in rigor, depth of thought, and an application of thought to the study of history or written narration or literature.  The questions are very basic for my kids, and I expected them to be pulling more depth out of the study of the Old and New Testaments.  

     

    I think though instead of giving a review, I will share the main comments my 5th grade son has made regarding the program from his experience of doing it.

     

    *The narration box provided in the note book pages has frustrated him due to its small space.  The written narration is supposed to be 5 - 8 sentences.  He likes to use adjectives and adverbs to give descriptions of the subject he is discussing in his writing.  His sentences tend to be compound sentences so they are much longer then a second or third grader might provide.  Between these two realities in his writing the box provided is much too SMALL.  His written narrations have mostly been 3 - 4 sentences, and he writes very small Italic on lines that he inserts into the box with a ruler.  This fills the box, and thus his written narrations have been limited in length by the space provided.  The amount of space does not even allow him to complete the assignment given.

     

    *The time-line is fairly basic for the OT and NT.  This was frustrating to him since he knew many more events in both books of the Bible then is mentioned in the program.

     

    *He liked the Greek and Rome books.  He rather read the actual Scriptures, then Christine Miller for the OT.  Fortunately for the NT the actual Scriptures are used, and he prefers that.

     

    *His main comment though has been he thinks the program lacks depth and has many assignments, but none that require thinking.  He says that in many ways it has made it more difficult to do because it doesn't make him think.  Since it isn't requiring him to think he ends up bored and then he says that it is harder to make himself do the work since it isn't engaging him like other home school work has done.  This is a child though who started oral narrations at 6, has voluntarily orally narrated books for years, is an avid reader, and it doesn't take a lot of thought to tell about something he has read.  What would take a lot of thought is the next level of thinking that he is needing to start engaging in.  I actually bought this program with the thought it would help take his thinking to that next step.  I believe Susan Bauer calls it the logic stage.  He is ready to start thinking more deeply, comparing and contrasting, and developing reasons for why he believes what he believes.  He really needs to be thinking through issues as he enters the middle grades, and this program felt like it was holding him back.  As I have looked at RTR - MTMM to see if they would be better for 6th I am not getting the impression they would be.  They would add more work, but I am not seeing how they would add more thinking or beginning analysis.  I had this impression that HOD devolved into real thinking, and was a program full of rigor.  I was very mistaken.  I don't consider busy work rigor, but just more work like they had us do in school! :huh: I think HOD has a lot of public school elements and scope and sequence that isn't honors level.  I thought it would be more CM, and there are a lot of CM elements.  The public school scope and sequence, which is lower expectations then I have, surprised me.  I still love a lot of her books picks though!  However, definitely not all of them.

     

    I don't know if this is what anyone was looking for in an answer, but I thought I would bump you up because I am interested in hearing what others have to say too.  :lurk5:

     

    I am not planning on continuing on with HOD next year.  Faith & Jesus Christ & Bible as the center of our home school has always been the most important part for us, but we really do need academic rigor as well.  Hopefully, I can figure out a way to have both.  :)

    Reading through your son's comments and his abilities as you expressed, regarding CTC, it sounds like he was possibly placed incorrectly in the CTC guide.  I wonder if placing him in RTR or higher would have been a better fit?

    HOD middle school - CTC and higher

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Sorry, I had to edit/remove the HOD writing progression information because I just read in one of the pinned posts on this forum that we are not permitted to copy text from another site and post it here.  I get that : )  So, if you want to read HOD's writing progression it can be found through a search on their forum : )

     

    And oops, it looks like the text was quoted in another post....should probably remove that quote, too ; )

    • Like 4

    Writing With Skill along with The Creative Writer

    in Logic Stage & Middle Grade Challenges

    Posted

    Thank you.

     

    Okay, it is looking like I might need to wait a little on WWS for my dd if we go that route.  She loves to write, but it's a lot of free writing and creative writing, and she hasn't had much formal writing.  I wonder what a good lead-in prior to WWS would be.  I've been looking into CAP W&R again (not sure which level, though), and SWI from IEW.  I'm pretty much all over the place again on writing for her ; )

    Supplement for TT 3

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I've been looking at the workbooks from Critical Thinking Co., they are the Mathematical Reasoning books.  They look like they would make a good go-along with TT to provide more opportunities for problem solving.   It looks like they have a pretty straightforward/traditional scope and sequence but the concepts seem to be presented in a critical thinking type of way....mind bender stuff, puzzles, and so forth.  Anyway, we've used TT in the past and when I started looking into the Mathematical Reasoning books, I thought they'd pair well with TT.

    ATB dry with too many facts?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I felt the same as your daughter about ATB.  I borrowed it from a friend to look it over and was bummed to find that it just seemed fact-based and lacked an interesting story line.  It also seemed "snippety" in its presentation like it lacked depth and fleshing out of topics.  That is probably due to it being more of an overview, but it just wasn't what I was looking for.  I actually borrowed it a second time hoping I'd come at it with fresh eyes and I just couldn't get into it.  I am finding the Hakim history books to be interesting in their presentation.

    • Like 1

    Where and how do you find social opportunities for your kids?

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I have two girls, ages 8 (almost) and II.  My II-year-old is really needing more time with kids outside the home.  She's been asking about going to traditional school a lot lately because she thinks it sounds fun.  I know she is envisioning time with friends.  She does have friends, of course, but it seems like they have become busier and busier lately as they get older...one friend's schedule has become so packed, we rarely see her anymore.

     

    We are very lucky as we have a homeschool family in the neighborhood, so my girls get play time that way, but they are a very busy family and aren't home much of the time anymore.

     

    I haven't had much luck with homeschool groups, it seems it's so hard to find the right fit there.  One of the main groups around here is very judgmental and legalistic, in my opinion, and the other has members that don't even say hello and turn the other way when I've tried to integrate at park days.  I find homeschool groups look great on paper, but when you actually experience them in person it's a whole different feel. 

     

    I've had my daughter signed up with community classes, but friendships have never been established that way.  Same with basketball, it's been a great experience, but no friendships develop as a result.

     

     

    I'm looking for ideas to find ways for my girls to make lasting friendships with other kids.  Not a lot to ask, right, lol?  Thanks for any help.

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