Musicmom
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Posts posted by Musicmom
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Congratulations! She's beautiful!!! And she looks like such a sweetie. She may have more the coat of a lab, but I definitely see tons of golden retriever in her in the photos--the head and body shape, the face and eyes (that classic golden expression!), and the antics! Reminds me so much of our beloved golden retriever that we lost 2 years ago. He also left a big dog-sized hole in our lives... which I am currently filling by adoring other peoples' dogs. ;) I so agree--our sweet puppy (well, he was 6) could never be replaced, but I do hope to get another golden retriever someday. So glad to hear your new pup is filling the void already. :) Wishing you many happy years ahead with her! :)
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Thinking of you, and hoping you're feeling better today. :grouphug:
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It sure sounds like migraine to me, perhaps combined with sinus and/or stress. But honestly, given how long it's gone on and the fact that it's an unusual combination of headache symptoms, I'd go in to the doctor. Is there a nurse line in your area that you could call for advice? You could also definitely go to the ER, esp if this headache is incapacitating for you (and it sounds pretty severe). If it's migraine, the ER docs will give you a bolus of medications that will stop it. And if it's something more serious, you'd be in the right place, kwim?
My dd suffers from very severe migraines (as well as sinusitis), and has been to the ER three times (once by ambulance) in the last year, while she was away at college. Her doctor here, last fall, had encouraged her to do this if she ever got a severe migraine that her meds wouldn't take care of. Then this past spring, when she graduated and moved back home, he referred her to a neurologist, who's been able to manage the migraines better.
Anyway, I'd recommend you seek medical care and find out what this headache is.
I hope and pray you feel better soon! :grouphug:
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Looks like it is fixed now. :)
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Help--this is happening to me now! I can sign in, and I can pull up the list of my classifieds, but if I click one, the system immediately logs me out. And if I try to renew an ad, the system not only logs me out, I also get an error message saying something to the effect of I'm not allowed to do access this function unless I have at least one post on the forums (I have several hundred), and that I am not the owner of the ad. So effectively, I can't do anything with my classifieds. :(
Is anyone else having this problem now also?
Btw, I am on a chromebook, so am running Chrome.
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The tests in the College Board book are the closest to the real thing, and presented in the real format. If at all possible, it is wise to take the practice test in CB book just before taking the real one. And if your dc has not taken an SAT Subject test before, seeing the real format in the CB book is invaluable!
The CB book does not prep you on the material, however. FWIW (and our experience is 10 yrs old), we did not find the Barron's Biology helpful at all. It had far too much detail that was too far afield of the actual questions that were asked on the test. For Biology, we found Princeton Review and SAT II Biology for Dummies the most helpful. This is not to say Barron's is never any good--we used Barron's for Chem and it was excellent for that test.
My dc never took the World History test, so I don't know if Barron's is good for that one.
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We used the grammar portion of Abeka's Grammar and Composition series. It was thorough, painless (the kids corrected their own work using the Teacher manual) and easy to complete one book in one year spending just 15 minutes or so per day. I think you could start with either level I or level III, depending on how firm a grasp of grammar your dc has already. Each book kind of starts at the beginning with the basics (so you don't miss anything starting with a later book), but each successive book covers the earlier topics more and more briefly and goes on to present/teach more and more advanced grammar topics. Does that make sense?? So Grammar I and Grammar III will both start with the same topics, but Grammar I will spend more time on the basics, while Grammar III will move more quickly through them and cover more ground than Grammar I. If my memory is right, Grammar II and IV cover just a couple more topics beyond I and III respectively.
Anyway, we liked A Beka--it didn't take a lot of time and both my kids turned into excellent "grammarians"! :) Hope this helps.
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Argh! How frustrating! I hope you get an answer soon!
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Did you get an error, such as a server error when you tried to post the ad? That has been happening to me over the last week or so also. But, somehow my ad is getting posted in the Classifieds anyway (yay!) I've posted 3 ads in the past week, and even though I've gotten some kind of bizarre server error each time, all 3 have ended up posted. You might look through the Classifieds forum and see if your ad actually made it as well. I hope so!
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Oh my. I can relate. Dd is 700 miles away and a junior this year. I got quite a few gray hairs the first 2 years. Phone calls at 1 am from the dorm hallway (food poisoning, stomach flu). Phone at 1%, computer problems, illness during finals (had to talk her through studying one night), chronic nosebleeds in freshman year (one resulting in an ambulance ride and ER visit). Mystery chronic stomach illness all through sophomore year (now diagnosed as abdominal migraine), influenza, migraine headaches (not to mention friend drama and an emotionally toxic roommate--many late night tearful phone calls on that.) It's hard to be far away. And yes, we understand doctor appointments during breaks!! We've had many. This year seems better, though. Much better roommate, and though the migraine challenge continues, and academic stress is very high, dd seems to be handling it all better, and I seem to be worrying a little less. A little. So maybe the graying rate will slow down!
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We bought the one sold by Sonlight. It has been excellent, and has more features than similarly priced high school microscopes, which made it easier to use.
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I agree with the others--I'd keep it under foreign language. :) That is what I did. You want to gear your transcript toward college requirements. (Some colleges do look for more than 2 years of foreign language, and those that don't would still view it as a plus, esp if a student plans to major in the humanities.)
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When my dd needed some brushing up on basic arithmetic concepts, I bought Barron's Arithmetic the Easy Way. I got it based on the excellent reviews on Amazon from adults who had used it. It covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals and percents (I don't think it covers negative numbers, though.) It's not a huge book, and is designed to get you up to speed quickly. It's also quite inexpensive. Here it is on Amazon, with the reviews:
(As a side note: we are done with our copy, and it's still in like-new condition since dd only looked at a small portion of the book for a very short time. PM me if you are interested.)
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My dd also did Thinkwell Precalc. It's a big course, and sometimes there's a disconnect with concepts such as you describe. Also sometimes the exercises don't quite match up with the video lesson.
We used Lial's Precalculus as an additional resource and that worked quite well. We already had the Lial book on hand since ds had used it as a primary text for a different Precalc course. The first part of the book reviews necessary concepts. Lial's Intermediate Algebra, mentioned above, would probably also be a good resource. Anyway, Lial's Precalculus is also easy to obtain inexpensively from Amazon. (We are also done with our copy if you are interested.)
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In addition to all of the excellent suggestions above, we started by practicing essays from actual ACT prompts, un-timed--and even going back and revising to work in all the elements needed, seeing where it could be improved, etc. Then gradually as dd started to get the hang of it, we added in timing, and lastly stopped revising. It seemed to be effective for dd, who scored well on the test.
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:grouphug: You can do this!! You might have some frustrations here and there, but that is normal; don't be discouraged. You will find a routine and system that works for you. :) Here are some random thoughts and ideas that come to mind from my homeschooling years--perhaps they will help you:
1. You can homeschool with a baby in your arms. I remember many moms of multiples talking about this. You can be in the recliner with your baby and have your other children gathered around you or in the same room--and you can teach and direct them, read to them all, etc. A friend of mine with 6 kids taught her older 4 while she was pregnant with the youngest two (fraternal twins) and on bedrest. I asked her how in the world she managed, and she said it was easier than she thought it would be--she didn't go anywhere, she had the children do chores, and she had them come to her where she schooled them in bed!
2. I used to put my 2-yr-old daughter in her high chair with special tray toys to play with while I taught my ds. A lot of times she made a racket, but it worked pretty well. Later I put her in her booster chair at the table with preschool workbooks, coloring books, or just paper to draw/scribble on (her "school" hee hee).
3. At a HS conference I listened to a mom of 13 talk about having special toys for the toddlers that only come out during school hours. You can even have different special toys for each day of the week. And if they are educational or creative toys that's even better.
4. Some people school in a room that is next to, and can be gated off from, a room where the toddler plays.
5. Often moms of multiples create schedules for everyone that allow them time to care for infants and toddlers, time to school the older children, and time to get other things done. It can help everything run smoothly. There's a book called Managers of Their Homes* that has helpful tools for this, if you feel you need a resource. I used it even though I only have 2 kids! :laugh:
6. Another thing moms of many do is enlist their older children's help with household chores and with entertaining toddlers and holding babies. Your olders are at an age where they are likely to be very accepting of schedules and working together to help Mom, especially since they are excited about homeschooling. (Mine were very accepting.)
7. And if you get sick... well, another homeschooling friend of mine, who had 7 young kids at the time, told me how she got through the stomach flu! She put all the kids in the master bedroom with their school books, toys, etc. and lay down on the floor in front of the door, so no one could leave without her knowing! :lol:
Anyway, I would just encourage you to go for it and implement your plans! You will hit your stride. :001_smile:
*By the way, since I am done homeschooling, I'm in the process of starting to sell my materials. If you are interested, I still have the Managers of Their Homes book, just haven't gotten around to listing it in the Classifieds yet. I think it's still in great shape. This is what it is: http://www.rainbowresource.com/proddtl.php?id=003890
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Sounds fine (and familiar) to me! :) My ds was like this also--very advanced reader (reading at 4th gr level) going into 1st grade. I let him go ahead and read at his level, and continued with the phonics anyway so he would have all the background. It seemed to work well. He enjoyed doing the phonics.
You're likely to find, too, that your ds's writing abilities (and emotional maturity for language exercises) are not as advanced as his reading (this was the case with my ds), so continuing with 1st grade phonics in BJU and language materials like the First Language Lessons sounds like a very good plan to me. I had my ds in a 2nd grade spelling/language book (Horizons maybe??) when he was 1st grade age, and I remember having to skip a lot of the writing/language stuff because he just wasn't ready for it. Better for things to be on the easy side than too hard. I found that with my dd too. She didn't read early, but she was about a year ahead in language/writing abilities (exact opposite of ds), and at 3rd grade I was going to have her do the 4th grade A Beka grammar book (Language A) recommended by WTM. She cried when she saw it at the book show! She didn't get any of the cute humor and was totally overwhelmed by the format (even though I thought she could probably do the exercises). On her own, she found the A Beka Language 3 book and fell in love--it looked so doable to her and she was so excited about it, I got that one for her instead and never regretted it.
Best of luck to you!
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For literature, I'd look into BJU.
For grammar and writing, you might investigate Rod & Staff English--either the 9th or 10th grade book (they're interchangeable.) I haven't used either; only looked at it a few times at a HS conference. It's very advanced--practically college level. It looks like it will review grammar and go on to advanced grammar topics. It also covers writing. I've heard good things about R&S.
We used Abeka Grammar & Comp in high school--but for grammar only. It's great for grammar--definitely an "open and go" type of thing where you do the lesson and check the answer key. But I wouldn't recommend the writing portion of it. You could potentially use it for grammar only and then add a "do the next lesson" writing curriculum.
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Yes. All the advice I read back when I did my dc's transcripts said to include it, and many of the colleges we looked into mentioned it specifically. So it's important, even if it seems meaningless. During our college visits, we sometimes had the opportunity to sit down with an admissions counselor, show our transcript and supporting documents and ask if it met their expectations, if there was anything else they'd like to see from a homeschooled student, etc. Each of the admissions counselors liked our transcript, and I seem to recall positive comments on the fact that I had included the grading scale. So... I'd definitely advise including it.
ETA: And it does not need to be complicated, by the way. Mine was a simple 90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D and < 60 = F. I also reiterated the grading scale in my school profile, explaining briefly why I used that particular scale (it was the scale used most often in our outside courses and the one recommended by the authors of several of our at-home curricula), and noting any differences (some of our outside courses awarded A+ for scores over 95, whereas I did not give A+'s.)
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Hi Katharine! I'm so glad your friend was able to get back in!
That's a great idea to try from a different browser! Thanks! That could make a difference. I was on Chrome, which is all I have. I could try from FF or IE using one of my dc's laptops, but I ultimately decided not to try again. Since admin does not seem to be responding to issues, and I need to be on the forums (since I'm selling on the Classifieds), I decided to just leave things as they are for now and not risk any further problems! :tongue_smilie: I may try again in the future, but not sure.
To anyone else who's having this same problem with not being able to change email addresses, please post here and let us know your experience! Maybe trying a different browser or restart will help!
Thanks again, Katharine! :)
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Typically the next course to take after Algebra 2 would be Precalculus (which includes trig). If your dd likes TT and has been doing well in it, I'd suggest sticking with that and moving on to their Precalculus course.
I haven't used TT, but from what I've read, their sequence may be a bit different, in that they've put some topics in Precalc that appear in other high school algebra 2 texts. They seem to have their reasons for doing so, and by staying with the program, your dd would still get those topics. I've also read that they have added more content to the newer edition of algebra 2... but I don't know if their Precalc changed at all as a result. If you're concerned, I'd suggest having your dd take the placement test for Precalc that's on TT's website. If she doesn't test into it because of missing topics, you could contact TT and ask their advice.
Incidentally, colleges can vary as to how they apportion content across their algebra classes--which is why they have their own placement tests. It's possible your dd placed into Int. Algebra simply because of a few topics she hasn't covered yet (and the rest would be repeat.) I wouldn't worry about it too much. If she did TT precalc next year and then tested again, it's possible she'd test into calculus at that point. I've read of other students who have successfully gone on to calculus after TT precalc.
Hope this helps!
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Yes. I don't remember the score ds got on the official CB practice test (might have been 780 or 790) but there were no surprises when he took the actual test (where he scored 800--he was one "very" seasoned test-taker by that point!) Anyway, we always found the CB practice tests to be the most like the real thing, in every subject we tested on.
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We found the videos above helpful also.
But it's true, as mentioned in an earlier post, there really isn't time to do all the reading in the Science section. For the sections that have more graphs than text, you often can go straight to the questions without reading the passage at all (have your dc try it in practice though--it doesn't work for everyone.) For the sections that compare different experiments, skim the passage to get the general idea, then work from the questions. For the long section that's mostly text, reading will be necessary. For these, though, learn how to read at different rates so that you understand at a high level what's being presented, but yet can just buzz through or skip over details (like formulas, data, etc.) noting to yourself that they're there if you need to refer to them. Don't worry about never having learned the topic or about actually understanding the formulas, etc. You don't need to. These are mostly tests of reasoning and the ability to work with graphs and data. All the answers are in the passage.
Another strategy for saving time that we read about in a test prep book was to realize that you don't have to do the science sections in order. What you can actually do is go through and do all the short, "mostly graphs", sections first because they are the quickest to get out of the way. Then go back and do the experiment comparison sections, which are next shortest. That leaves more time to spend on the long, "mostly text" passage, which requires more reading. That way, even if you don't complete the long section, you won't lose all the points for the shorter sections that came after it because you got bogged down. (I hope that makes sense.) BUT... if you try this method of skipping around you MUST be extremely careful about also making the same jumps on the answer sheet. Make sure the question number and answer number match!!! In fact, although this strategy makes sense, my dd opted not to skip around on the test, for fear of messing up on the answer sheet. She blazed through in order instead, not allowing herself to get bogged down. In some cases, she'd just fill in something on the answer sheet and move on so she'd get through it all, and then she'd come back and spend more time if she could.
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Glad you decided to go for it. :)
Dd did Thinkwell Calculus AB and enjoyed it (well, she enjoyed the instructor!), but in retrospect, I think the College course would be better if you're not aiming for the AP test. It's true that the AP courses are subsets of the original college course, and sometimes things ended up a little disjointed as a result (some lectures were not included that were needed to do a few of the problems, and some problems were inserted for "AP" that required later lectures to solve--or were completely baffling. Ugh.) Happily, I don't think you'll have any of those issues. My dd is also good at math but doesn't enjoy it, so the fact that she really enjoyed Dr. Burger was a plus!
Precalculus text options
in High School and Self-Education Board
Posted
Lial maybe? My ds used Lial's Precalculus 3rd edition** with his online precalculus course a number of years ago. It is not graphing calculator intensive at all--you don't even need a graphing calculator, and ds's course did not use them. The text has some problems you can do on a graphing calculator, but these are optional. FWIW, my ds has never owned or used a graphing calculator! (And he has a master's in Comp Sci). He did use some graphing software in calculus at home and advanced calc courses at college, but not in precalc.
**If you're interested, I do still have my Lial Precalculus text and the complete Solution Manual that goes with it, which I would be happy to sell. Both are in excellent condition. The text looks like this: https://www.amazon.com/Precalculus-plus-MML-Student-Starter/dp/032123815X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1512095971&sr=8-6&keywords=lial+precalculus+3rd+edition