Does anyone have a good resource for logic stage literature analysis? I don't want to use this type of tool for ALL of our literature at this stage, but there are some stories and poems that I'd like to have a little help with. Literary analysis is such a broad Internet search with so many possibilities that it boggles my mind. That is why I'm posting here to see if any of you out there in the HIVE might already know of where to go for help. Here are a few titles that I'm going to be presenting to dd in the coming months. I don't want rhetoric level analysis, just enough supplement to help us think and discuss the pieces to add more meaning to our reading. The Adventures of Don Quixote The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Alice in Wonderland Wordsworth poetry Poe poetry (The Raven) Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass Thanks much for any suggestions you may have. Blessings, Lucinda

I learned about Visual Latin from others on this board, and have decided that when it's time to go back to our Latin studies in high school, this is what we will do. I've watched samples online and it looks great to me. You can buy CD's, downloads or take a course online. They have four free lessons to begin with, and from there the lessons are very, very reasonable in price, no matter which format you may choose. Here is the link to their website. Blessings, Lucinda

Finding this thread piqued my interest today because I've been thinking about the Amish and Mennonites a lot lately. This all because this week I started the "Abram's Daughters" series by Beverly Lewis, and have been researching the lifestyle online because I've been fascinated with their culture off and on for many years. I visited an Amish community a number of years ago when I was in Indiana on vacation and found them to be quite interesting, but it was a news headline and numerous articles from more recent times that touched me the most. Do you remember the story I'm referring to, the one about the man who walked into the West Nickel Mines School in Lancaster County, PA in 2006 and shot 10 girls then shot himself? The situation received a great deal of national attention, especially since the community responded immediately with amazing grace and forgiveness. This gave me reason to completely respect the Amish. They, like everyone else, are not perfect. I know that when it comes to their own, forgiveness is not as easily given. We're all aware of the practice of shunning, I'm sure. But if the majority of them hold the same standard of love and forgiveness as the Old Order Amish demonstrated at that time, then I'd say they have us all beat in having a Christ-like attitude. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm just curious about this and thought I'd ask here. When you purchase PDF curriculum do you prefer to print out the whole thing and read the hardcopy, or do you read it on the monitor and then print off the pages you want dc to study? Thanks! Lucinda

The choices you've listed look like great resources that I personally would choose to use as a supplement to a formal learning program. So far in our experience it seems that the best way to learn a foreign language is to jump right in and start learning with a coach or a program and then add on extras. I've also learned that using more than one program is helpful. For instance, we have The Learnables as our primary source, but I've also gone to the library and checked out other programs to see how they work. Some days we listen to someone speaking in French and try to follow along. Other days we look at written text to see how much we understand so far. It's been really fun this way. Best to you as you seek out the best ways of learning for you and your kiddos. Enjoy the journey! Blessings, Lucinda

Roxy, I read in another thread that those that use Hake grammar along side WWS don't use the writing component of Hake. That is what I am thinking for us, based on the info shared on those posts. I also learned that the writing assignments are in the student workbook, along with some review sheets. Buying the workbook is optional, but if you buy the hs kit from Rainbow it comes with it. Buying the student text and TM separately is only a savings of $3-4. Blessings, Lucinda

Hi Roxy! How do you and your dd like GWG? I've heard mixed reviews, people liking it a lot or those that say the retention rate is low. I still thought about using it, but then I hit upon the idea of using the spiral method for grammar and thought it would be excellent for our situation. I'm also anxious to see what others say Hake's 7th vs. 8th grade editions. Blessings, Lucinda

That is what we bought brand new and are using. Dd loves it btw! Great curriculum! Blessings, Lucinda

I've read through the other thread and have solidly landed on the idea of Hake grammar for dd next school year when she'll be in 8th grade. She has completed very satisfactorily FLL 4, R&S 5 and will have all 20 weeks of the ALL samples done by the end of this school year. We had planned to use ALL this year for 7th grade and then the next level for 8th, but since it will not be available we'll switch over to Hake instead. We will also be using WWS 2 if it is out in time for the next school year when we begin - even it is still in draft form. I would much rather use SWB's writing program than anything else. I'm inclined to place dd at grade level next year with Hake since it is spiral with lots of review, but I don't know the major differences between Hake's 6th - 8th grade levels. 6th grade level would be a logical progression from ALL, but I don't want too much review next year and ALL does seem a bit more advanced than other grammar programs. Reviews I've read state that with a decent amount of grammar as a foundation, one could start Hake right at grade level. So with that, I'm looking at either 7th or 8th grade. Does anyone have experience with both Hake 7 & 8? Would it be wiser for us to use 7th grade level next year, or go right on to 8th? Thanks once again, Hive! Blessings, Lucinda

I'm getting into Pinterest too, so am taking up your invitation. See you over there! Blessings, Lucinda

:iagree::iagree::iagree: I work two part-time jobs as it is, so the only resource for hs support is this forum. I love it that I can come here 24/7 and always get input or learn new things. It's the best!! Blessings, Lucinda

We are on week 7 of the 20 week sample and I know already that I will definitely be getting the IG. I do refer to it and find it helpful. Besides, if the author says it is needed and that they were designed to work together, I am taking her word for it. A lot of time and effort went in to creating this great curriculum so that it is most beneficial to the student. To say that both books aren't necessary almost comes across as saying that the authors and producers just wasted their time. I'm a fairly smart lady, but not anywhere close to being a mind reader. Blessings, Lucinda

Remember, too, that these statistics aren't absolutely conclusive due to those that have used up their unemployment benefits and are still out of work. Once that happens, a person is no longer calculated into the unemployment percentages. Even so, I appreciate the graphic and find it to be quite interesting. Blessings, Lucinda

Of course they are both equally important, but if I MUST choose one or the other I'd say that writing ability trumps math skills. Communication is undoubtably the most important life skill one can possess. Without that, knowing numbers wouldn't matter nearly as much. Blessings, Lucinda

I'm not sure about how or if phonics are used. So far, no. But it could be that there is more to this than I'm aware of because I have not used the full program yet. I think this would be a good question to direct to the company. Their website has a lot of info, and there are reps to answer any questions you may have. Blessings, Lucinda

Eeeeeeeewwww!!! :eek::eek::eek: Well, despite most of our positive experiences, it IS a risk -- no matter where you go -- when you buy and sell used materials. Lucinda

I've also had nothing but really good experiences as both buyer and seller on the homeschoolclassifieds website. Blessings, Lucinda

Thanks for all the great tips and recommendations everyone! This has helped me so much. I'm very, very thankful for this thread. Please see my replies below in green bold. Thank you, Dina. I've never seen or heard about this before. I'll take a look at it, but I am leaning more and more towards a totally U.S. history focused course. We will be using WWS next year too, so the writing part in Take a Stand program wouldn't be useful to us. But gosh, there's getting to be more and more really great curriculum choices out there and this one looks like a decent option for those using the Classical approach. We will most likely be putting dd in a private school for high school, but if that doesn't work out I am already planning to use MFW for that age level. So what I'm looking for now is a good course to use just for 8th grade history, and covering the time period I stated in my op. Blessings, Lucinda

Dd sometimes gets time off if I'm dead sick, but she does as much independently as possible that I have already planned out for her. I've also been known to lie on the couch and have school in the living room a time or two. We're flexible and just take each day as it comes. Hope you are on the mend soon! Blessings, Lucinda

Dd and I are using The Learnables French 1 this year. I like it very much and am starting to learn the language with her. The Learnables first starts out with just listening to a native speak the language while you look at visuals. Once this is finished, you next go to a reader/workbook with CDs to repeat the audio lessons in combination with written text. After you complete this, you then spend time working with grammar enhancements before you graduate up to French 2. I really appreciate this sequential approach a lot. I've never used RS or any other immersion type of foreign language program, but I can honestly say that the program we are using is working well for us. This means a lot to me because I do not speak a foreign language yet and must learn alongside my dd. Blessings, Lucinda

Yes the PDF version is cheaper, but if you plan to print it out, don't forget to add the cost of paper and ink. These are quite long documents, even if printed 2-sided. :001_huh: I think I'll hold out for the printed version since I have the 20 week sample. Blessings, Lucinda

This is a very assuming statement. It is not unusual at all for modern day Christians to object to the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. Not unusual in the least! The same people of faith also object to the celebration of Halloween by the way. There definitely is a movement within the Christian community to move away from these pagan practices. Although many Christian families include Santa as an element of Christmas festivities (and teach their children about St. Nickolas and his contribution to the early church), Santa and the gifts are not the main focus. Lucinda

I sent a note and loving thoughts, asking when would be a good time to visit when a dear, dear friend of mine was dying of cancer recently. Unfortunately, the family was so busy attending to her needs that I did not get a reply until they contacted me to let me know she had passed. For the rest of my days I'm going to regret not going. If I had, it would have been most appreciated by my friend and her family. I know this because they told me so at her funeral. When it comes to late stage cancer, time is of the essence. Don't waffle on this. Make a decision right away while you have the time because whatever that decision is, you will have to live with it. Blessings, Lucinda

We have used a combination of TT, LOF and Saxon here at our house. We've also supplemented with Calculadders. I voted Saxon because I think it is the most thorough that we've found so far, but TT does an excellent job too. Blessings, Lucinda

Thank you everyone! I'll be checking on Brothers brand units next since so many of you use and recommend it. I really need to have a copier/printer, so the all-in-one models are most appealing to me. As to this whole disposable printer idea that we've come to, I would think printer manufacturers would be feverishly working on a more earth friendly solution. I dread to think of the mammoth sized piles of dead printers we're leaving behind - not to mention all the piles of ink cartridges. Blessings, Lucinda