Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,113

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

    Class of 2023 College Acceptances and Decisions Thread

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    On 11/7/2022 at 7:24 PM, freesia said:

    However, if a miracle happens and we get the money over and above tuition and room and board, he really wants to go to an aviation program. So, that would be LeTourneau most likely.

    LeTU is my husband’s Alma Mater; he went for Aviation & is now a CA for a major commercial airline. He’d be happy to speak with your DS about the decision, if you’re interested. No recruitment, just information - the good, the bad, & the ugly. 😉

    • Like 3

    Middle Grade Novels in Australasia / Oceania

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted · Edited by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

    4 hours ago, bookbard said:

    A lot of the books mentioned in previous posts are quite old and dated. Playing Beatie Bow is really dated sadly - we revisted it recently and I felt some bits were problematic. I think Storm Boy is good but again - it's from the 50s and my kids were traumatised by the ending. I was definitely traumatised by most of the Colin Thiele books like February Dragon (are they even in print now?) Same with The Green Wind - it's really old fashioned, and yeah, although I loved the Billabong books they are pretty racist and sexist. 

    Thank you for letting me know! I had no idea where to even start, but came across a list on Goodreads. Was able to easily eliminate some, but it’s so hard to tell from only a short blurb & many would be hard, if not impossible, to source here. Fortunately, I think I’ve got a few good options now. 🙂 

    ETA: What is traumatizing about Storm Boy? Is it a “loss of a beloved animal companion” book? My DS isn’t sensitive to that sort of thing & likes older literature, but definitely want to steer clear of any of the -isms!!

    Middle Grade Novels in Australasia / Oceania

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    I’m searching for novels set in Oceania for a 10yr old. We’ll be touching on the area twice: pre-1850 & again in the 1880s. If anyone could help me determine which of the following would be best suited, I’d greatly appreciate it!

    Storm Boy 

    The Green Wind

    Sister Heart

    The First Voyage

    New Guinea Moon 

    Bridie’s Fire 

    Crow Country*    
       (This had mixed reviews - problematic?)

    The Golden Day

     

    The following I suspect have an older target audience, but if you could also weigh in on their quality for me to keep in mind in the future, I would greatly appreciate it! 

    A Waltz for Matilda 

    A Rose for the ANZAC Boys (WWI)

    Eventual Poppy Day (WWI) 

    Enrollment Cliff ???

    in The College Board

    Posted

    7 hours ago, MagistraKennedy said:

    Wasn't this the way it was, years ago?

    I’m not sure when you attended, but when I was in high school (~15-20yrs ago) anyone who wanted a high GPA took as many as possible. Our school weighted AP classes on a 6.0 scale. Many of my peers dropped all of their hobby extracurriculars because it dragged their GPA down too much to be in any class where “only” a 4.0 was possible.

    The front office would post GPA (to the hundred-thousandth of a point) & updated class rank on huge bulletin boards every 6wks; made students absolutely neurotic. 

    • Sad 3

    Everything has been ordered for 2023/2024

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Malam said:

    Just curious, have you gone through *Teaching Writing: Structure and Style* by IEW?

    I have. I found the webinars really helpful as a reference alongside the resources, but I’ve struggled to provide what I feel is adequate composition practice when working independently. We tried “writing across the curriculum” this year & I don’t feel that we were nearly as consistent or successful as when had been while using the IEW texts. 

    I do own some of the upper-level books, given to me second-hand, which I plan to use as a framework to design my own thematic units in the future. Those are all 2+ levels above what we’ve used in the past, though - Wonders of Science is at the very next level. 

    Enrollment Cliff ???

    in The College Board

    Posted

    This has been incredibly interesting to read, as the parent of a child who will graduate at the end of this “cliff”.

    Selfishly, I hope it means that DS will have a better shot at a competitive placement in a quality program. 

    I am concerned about the impact of further narrowing students’ academic background by eliminating courses / majors in literature, philosophy, & the arts. Public K-12 schools have already lost so much depth & breadth, so much vibrancy - it would be a shame to see the same trend expand to the university level. 

    • Like 2

    WTM Academy math after geometry

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted · Edited by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

    I am very much hoping we will have the same experience, as my son has absolutely loved Beast Academy but I’m concerned that the format, pack, & scheduling of AOPS Online would not work well for him. 🙂
     

    From the WTM Academy FAQ: 

    “This is how our courses line up with the AoPS curriculum:

    Pre-Algebra = AOPS PreAlgebra 1 & 2 

    Number Theory = AOPS Number Theory

    Algebra I = AOPS Algebra A 

    Counting & Prob I = Intro to Counting & Prob

    Algebra II = AOPS Algebra B 

    Geometry

    Pre-Calculus 

    Calculus 

    Please note: We do not currently offer AoPS Intermediate Algebra because topics from that text are covered in our Algebra II and Pre-Calculus classes. Students who complete our Algebra II class are prepared to move on to either Geometry or Pre-Calculus.”

    It sounds like your student is ready for WTMA PreCalculus &/or C&P II, which appears to be a new offering as it isn’t referenced above. There is also an Advanced Statistics course which uses a non-AOPS text. 

    • Like 1

    Additional AOPS Content Available via WTMA

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted · Edited by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

    2 hours ago, Malam said:

    Have you looked at AoPS Virtual Campus? I wonder how it compares, given that the prices seem to be roughly the same (~$800-$900 per year)

    AOPS Virtual Campus classes are $875 per *semester*. 

    We actually have an AOPS Academy locally that I would love for him to attend, however it’s extremely expensive ($600 per trimester) & the same issues apply regarding class scheduling & pacing. We’re keeping it in mind, but at that price point it would have to be undeniably our best option.  

    Additional AOPS Content Available via WTMA

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted · Edited by Shoes+Ships+SealingWax

    WTMA has added courses to their offerings using AOPS Intro to Number Theory, Intro to Counting & Probability, & Intermediate Counting & Probability!

    All signs point to AOPS’ online class format just not suiting our family well (pace, frequency & length of sessions, scheduling) so I’ve been planning to have DS take the courses here on WTM, but a HUGE drawback was that these wider-rather-than-faster courses weren’t available. I’m so excited to see them being offered & really hope they do well so that he can take them once he’s completed the prerequisites! 

    • Like 2

    What to use for 5th grade math?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Another vote for Beast Academy (& AOPS afterwards, assuming it’s a good fit). Fun, colorful guidebooks he could easily use independently. Material moves quickly but deeply. Lots of puzzles / out-of-the-box topics. Online or physical book options. My mathy guy has absolutely loved it!

    • Like 1

    Aops academy online - language arts?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    On 2/17/2023 at 9:12 PM, CWright said:

    1.5 years late to the game, but my daughter just finished one semester of AOPS' online honors 4th grade language arts class. I have to say, despite the high price ticket, the course is very impressive! Moreover, my daughter, and (from the sounds of it) most of her classmates, thoroughly enjoyed the course and want more! That said, the course is quite advanced and rigorous for the grade level AOPS pegged it at. The class projects were 1) A subtly persuasive play and 2) a time travel livestream of a historical research topic (they got to choose from three options and research material was provided). My husband and I both went through public school systems (my daughter is homeschooled and advanced in both reading and language arts according to assessment tests) and we were a bit awed by the writing projects. I would place the writing projects at middle school level. There's quite a bit of reading involved as well. Reading comprehension is through online quizzes. Vocabulary and advanced grammar concepts are interwoven into the reading comprehension quizzes and the writing projects. The classes seem engaging and fun (I did not watch the meeting recordings but my daughter always reported that the classes were fun)!  I felt the homework load was kind of heavy for a supplemental class (as the course does not replace your child's regular language arts curriculum), but my daughter did all of her work without much complaint and says she learned a lot from the class and wants to continue taking AOPS language arts classes in the future, so that in and of itself is sufficient endorsement of the class for me!

    Thank you for posting your experience; very interesting! 

    Novels that Frequently Reference Poetry

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    34 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

    Watership Down (Richard Adams) begins each chapter with an epigraph, many of which are a few lines from a well-known poem. Definitely more mature in the writing than works you listed in your post, so you might preview it first.

    The Hobbit has several songs and poems, but they are all written by JRR Tolkien as part of the work and world of the story.

    I can't remember if any of these older classics quote or reference poems, but you could flip through them quickly to see...
    - The Wind in the Willows (Grahame)
    - The Secret Garden; A Little Princess (Burnett)
    - Little Women (Alcott)
    - Peter Pan (Barrie)

    We have read The Hobbit & the Secret Garden, but not the others. Wind in the Williws & Peter Pan are on the literature shelf, but haven’t made it off, yet. 

    Watership Down is definitely on our “to be read” list… eventually 😉

    Novels that Frequently Reference Poetry

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    A bit of an odd request, perhaps…

    I read aloud to DS10 nightly. He enjoys poetry & particularly enjoys reading books that reference it, as afterwards I’ll look up the poem itself for us to read & discuss. He particularly enjoys longish narrative poetry: The Raven, The Highwayman, Charge of the Light Brigade, The Hanging of the Crane, etc. 

    We did this with Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass (compared Carroll’s satirical poems to the originals), the Math & Magic books, & five books (so far) of the Anne of Green Gables series - among others. The books don’t emphasize their inclusion of poetry - quoting it here & there is treated as simply a normal part of conversation.

    Do you know of any other good books we might enjoy that do this? 

    What animal behavior topics would your kids like to learn about/discuss? (X post with AL board)

    in General Education Discussion Board

    Posted

    Animal sensation & perception could be a cool one. So many animals experience the world vastly differently than we do thanks to higher sensitivities to various stimuli (seeing in a different spectrum, magnetic sensitivity, pheromones, etc). 
     

    Animal learning & community behavior could be another. How do animals glean information to one another? How do they pass information between generations, or between distinct groups (two different herds, for example)? Where is the line between following instinct & learning?

    • Like 1

    “Robotics Track” for Middle & High School

    in Accelerated Learner Board

    Posted

    DS, a laid-back kid who has never in his life wanted to pick a “favorite” anything & never had any sort of answer for “What might you like to do when you grow up?”, has developed an interest that has blossomed into full on starry-eyed discussion of going to MIT / WPI / etc to become a robotics engineer. 

    We’re going to work through some Scratch Coding Challenge books this summer. He might attend another robotics day camp as well. He’s joining a FIRST Lego League team in the fall which is in partnership with successful FIRST Tech Challenge & FIRST Robotics Challenge teams. 

    He’s bright & mathy, but not profoundly gifted - he’ll be heading into AOPS PreAlgebra for 5th grade so theoretically he could probably complete the AOPS core sequence.  We’ll look into their Python classes as well. 

    Assuming the interest sticks, what else should we consider to help develop the skills he’ll need? 

×
×
  • Create New...