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!

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!

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.

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.)

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: http://www.amazon.com/Arithmetic-Easy-Way/dp/0764129139/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446073349&sr=8-1&keywords=barron%27s+arithmetic+the+easy+way (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.)

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.)

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.

: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

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!

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.

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.)

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! :)

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!

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.

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.

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!

I'd suggest Videotext (which Lori D. kindly listed above.) Videotext is rigorous and thorough, and the DVD presentation is excellent. The really great thing about Videotext in your case, since your dd has already had some algebra, is that students can go through it at their own pace--working quickly through material they already know well (or grasp easily) and slowing down and getting more practice on concepts that are new or more difficult. The video lessons are relatively short--they average about 15 minutes--and very clearly present one concept at a time. Then the exercises for each lesson are designed so that you do the odd exercises first, and if that's enough (the student takes a quiz to determine mastery) then you move on. If more practice is needed, you do the even exercises. The shortness of the video lessons makes it easy for the student to watch it again if needed, and for the parent to take the time to watch along with the student, which is what I did. That way, I had a good handle on what my kids were working on, when they needed extra help, etc (not to mention re-learning my algebra so I could actually help them!) In contrast, Chalkdust has very long video lessons, which might make it more tedious for your dd, since it might be harder to work quickly through familiar concepts. I've never used Chalkdust, but I considered it once and had my kids watch a sample lesson. It was not a good fit for us--my kids and I found it way too long, and found the presentation style boring. On the other hand, some people really like it. Anyway, because some material will be a repeat, if you consider Chalkdust, I'd really recommend viewing a sample lesson and assignment to see if the style clicks for your dd, and if the length of the video/assignment combination is going to meet her needs. It would be a good idea to sample Videotext as well. They used to have a promotional trial DVD with sample lessons on it. You might see if they still have that available on their website. Anyway, Videotext worked well for my kids and they felt it gave them a solid background in algebra. Both did really well in higher math because of it. I wish you the best of luck in finding what's right for you and your dd! :)

I need to change my email address, but haven't been able to do so. :confused1: I go to the Email & Password page under My Settings, enter the new address, and again to confirm it, and enter my current password. It says that when I submit it, I'll be signed out and will receive an email to the new address with instructions to re-activate my account. But when I hit Save Changes, it just sends me back to the home page--no automatic sign out, no email to my new address, and no change to the email address listed in My Settings. I've tried it twice, and signed out and back in again, but nothing seems to happen. Has anyone else encountered this? Is it a known problem? I did send a message about it to administration (via the Contact Us page), but haven't heard anything back.

For the PSAT on Wed, I think your plan is a good one. For down the road, it's important to know that the PSAT, SAT and ACT math sections are quite different from each other, so each needs a slightly different strategy to prepare. The PSAT and SAT math portions are somewhat similar, but PSAT tests more geometry than the SAT does and is slightly more straightforward. The SAT math section (at least currently--I believe the SAT is changing in either 2015 or 2016) uses more Algebra I concepts, and does not test in a straightforward manner. It is very much about problem solving--and seeing the fastest, easiest way to solve a problem. The best prep for SAT math is to practice with the real, previously released SAT tests in the Official SAT Study Guide (big blue book) put out by the College Board. Do a math section (untimed at first) and then go back over it (both the questions missed and those that were correct) with the answer key, and figure out why each answer is what it is and what the easiest way to solve each problem would have been. Gradually, you will get the hang of it from this. Then, when this is going smoothly, add in the timing element. The ACT tests math concepts in a more straightforward manner. It tests from Algebra I up through precalculus/trigonometry, and once in awhile includes a question or two that would be found early in a calculus course. There are usually only a few questions on the highest concepts, though. The questions generally increase in difficulty on the test, whereas on the SAT, difficult and easy questions are interspersed. The best prep for ACT math is a solid math background (through at least Algebra II, and through precalculus if you want to score really high), and practicing with the real previously released ACT tests found in The Real ACT Guide (a big red book put out by ACT.) Hope this helps!

You do not have to choose 4 colleges to receive reports at the time you register for or take the test. We did not send any score reports to colleges until application time (summer/fall of senior year). There is a fee, but we felt it was worth it to have control over which ACT score was sent and to be sure of only sending reports to colleges my dc were actually applying to. Your student can very easily send score reports to colleges at any time by logging in to their account on the test organization website (for the ACT it is www.actstudent.org, for the SAT it is www.collegeboard.org) and following the instructions from there--the instructions will be obvious. There is a fee for each score report you send, but typically it is not huge. Back in 2009 I think it was $9 per score report for the ACT. For the ACT, I believe you choose which test DATE to send the scores from, not individual sections across test dates. I think it might be the same for the SAT, but I'm not sure--it would say, though on the website. For the SAT, even though you can choose which scores to send, check to see what your college wants to receive. Often colleges want (or require) that you send ALL the SAT scores*, and then they pick the best section scores across test dates (which can be to your advantage.) For us, it was a lot less stress at test time to not have to worry about which colleges to put down on the registration form. On the other hand, if you are sure of the colleges you want to receive the score from the current test, and either 1) time is of the essence in getting the score to the college (e.g. a senior taking the fall ACT) or 2) you want/need to take advantage of the free reports, then you just need to find the ACT (or SAT) codes for the colleges and have your dc take them to the test to fill out on the form (or maybe it's online in the registration by now--my experience is 2 yrs old). These college codes will typically be found somewhere in the Application info on the college's website. If you do designate colleges at test registration/administration time, the colleges will receive the ACT/SAT score report from that test date. In the case of the ACT, it will be ONLY the scores from that test date. In the case of the SAT, I believe they will also automatically receive all SAT scores to date*. *Only SAT scores from 9th grade on are sent automatically. 8th grade SAT scores are not sent (and possibly not even kept on file unless you specifically request otherwise.) I hope this helps!

I've heard Spelling Power is good for any age. We had good success with Modern Curriculum Press' Spelling Workout series (the earlier books might be a little juvenile for your dc, though). Anyway, whatever curriculum or source of spelling words you use, I'd suggest you try having your dc practice spelling the words out loud--and even have them spell out loud for tests. This is what made the difference for my dd, who struggled terribly with spelling all through the elementary years and into 7th grade. I used to think she was just one of those people who would never be able to spell. No matter how many times she wrote a word or looked at it, or studied the rules, the spelling would NOT stick. But once we switched to oral spelling practice and oral spelling tests, she improved steadily. It forced her to think about the sequence of the letters, and that understanding led to better and better spelling even after she had finished the workbooks. By mid-high school she was an excellent speller (still is... I think she probably spells better than I do!)

Just bumping... in case anyone has comments. :bigear:

Thank you for the input, Regentrude and Kareni. Good food for thought. I'm one to go off and do my own research also, which is ultimately what we all have to do in order to meet the needs of our unique children. I was just wondering if there were folks out there who might be looking for a stepping stone to get from knowing very little to diving into the world of researching homeschooling options. But perhaps this kind of a guide is either unnecessary or not really possible--which would explain why I don't see one out there already. If anyone else has comments, I'm all ears. :)

I did exactly this with my ds's French 2 course, which we did over two school years. It worked out fine on the transcript.

Hi all, I’m wondering if you all can help me analyze something. I’ve had IRL friends and acquaintances come to me with questions about homeschooling high school and about college testing (SAT etc.) As I’ve answered questions and tried to point people to resources where they can get all the information they need, I’ve realized that on both topics there is a LOT to know (watching people’s eyes glaze over was kind of a clue) and there’s a tremendous amount of information out there these days to sift through to gain the necessary knowledge! For instance, we have a tremendous wealth of info here on the forums alone, and I always recommend them (and TWTM book) to friends. But for someone who’s never homeschooled before, or someone new to high school, it can be like taking a drink out of a firehose! I started my research (months of it!), using books from the library and I suggest this to others as well, but again, there quite a few books out there, all of which go into quite a bit of detail. Especially for someone who needs to figure out a path quickly, it can be hard to know where to start. I know what I would tell people, but am considering writing it down in a more organized fashion. So, my question is: if there were a short, easy to follow guide that would help newbie high school homeschoolers get up and running on a solid viable path, while pointing them in the direction of resources to research further as they have time, do you think people would find it worthwhile? Would you have found something like that helpful going into the high school years? If so, would you have been willing to pay for it, or would you expect to find it for free? I have the same question in regard to college testing. There are tons of test prep books out there and lots of insider knowledge (many threads here) on how it all fits together. But if there were an overall guide to the what, when, where, why and how of the various tests plus syllabi on how to prepare well using existing books, do you think homeschoolers would find it useful? Or do you think such a thing would be too redundant with what’s already out there? Please share your honest thoughts, opinions, criticisms, flaming arrows :D , etc, with me—either here or via pm. Thanks so much.