:iagree::iagree::iagree: :iagree::iagree: Especially when he puts it in the book (Incas, Aztecs & Mayans) rather than just in the teacher's notes (which I can totally ignore if I want to). My dd loved the Incas, Aztecs & Mayans book. I did, too, other than the sidebar notes sermonizing on using the name of God more and equating Aztec human sacrifice to modern-day abortion. Ugh, do I really need to introduce that topic to my elementary-aged kids????? NO! Sorry, :rant: I'll stop now:D I didn't like LLATL, I couldn't see where it was going. I don't really like scripted things because my kiddos never say what's in the script! There hasn't been much I would say I've hated.

:iagree: I'd do the bolded part, actually parking a little below his level for awhile to get his confidence up.

Unless your 2nd grader can already summarize and do narrations easily, I wouldn't start with level 2. The skills in level 2 build on the foundation laid in level 1. If you want to accelerate the program it's very simple to do two assigned days of level 1 in one calendar day (I did that through all of level one since I started with a 1st grader in April of 1st grade). Meaning you do week 1 days 1 & 2 on Monday and week 1 days 3 & 4 on Tuesday then week 2 days 1 & 2 on Wednesday, week 2 days 3 & 4 on Thursday, week 3 days 1 & 2 on Friday, etc, etc. This worked well because I knew my son was capable of more but didn't have the foundation yet. If you'd like to keep your dc together I'd just start them both in level 1 and go from there. If you do an archive search for WWE you'll find more info than you could ever read through:D. HTH

I'm matching up SOTW to k12's Human Odyssey (try an archive search, there have been *tons* of threads on it lately) with my olders so the olders and youngers are on the same subjects at the same time but at their own levels. I'm not sure what you mean by "young high schoolers" but you can check this thread for info: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=165146 This thread has some pages someone scanned in from k12's Human Odyssey so you can get an idea of how it reads: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158963 This one has good stuff, too: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158839&highlight=Human+Odyssey&page=4 Hope this is helpful!:)

My dd is in 7th right now. We'll finish up CLE 7 and 8 hopefully before we go into algebra. We're going to work right through the summer because I really want her to do alg 1 before 9th grade. But, she'll probably be going back to ps for high school (her choice, not mine, but that could change.....). If she goes back to ps we'll see what they expect/offer. If she decides to stay at home we'll just keep working at her pace year round (math is the only thing I don't allow real breaks from) until she gets done with math (alg 1 & 2 geo & trig, maybe to some pre-calc) before heading off to college! I tried TT and it didn't work for this dd. I tried Lial's BCM and it about killed us both! (Hated standing at the white board teaching and she hated learning from the white board, we go there for necessary help/explanations only now). We may try alg 1 (Jacobs) without CLE 8, we'll see after she finishes CLE 7. HTH

In 6th grade does he still need dictation? As far as narration goes, I would just have him narrate from the reading he's doing for science/history/literature classes. Then, if you feel he still needs dictation, you could dictate back to him some of his narrations the day after he gives them. I'm all for combining subjects together instead of adding in extras (of course my dc would beg to differ on that!):tongue_smilie: Just my 2 cents.:D

If you do a search on timelines here you'll come up with tons of info! (Overwhelming, actually!) I currently use a ribbon on my wall and 3X5 cards that have the date & a pic on one side and info on the other. Not every card has info, but the main ones (and a few my dc just liked) do. If you click on my User CP and profile you can look in my photo albums, I've posted pics. It has worked really well for us. HTH

(emphasis mine) :iagree::iagree: We have done RS4K Level 1 and Pre-Level Chemistry this year. The texts are fine but the experiments haven't done anything to excite my kids. Usually they love the hands-on but they groan when it's experiment time with RS4K....

We hope to get through both CLE 7 and CLE 8 before we do algebra. I chose it for three main reasons: 1) My daughter can do it mostly independently (I help when needed, not everyday or even every lesson). 2) It's thorough and spiral. 3) It was inexpensive.

Thanks Sue! It's probably worth my $18 to avoid the frustration of not finding the right stuff on the right page. I think I'll get 1 new copy and they can share it for worksheets and use my others as a 2nd copy for initial reading time. Thanks!:D

Love it, love it, love it!!!!:iagree: :iagree: :iagree::iagree: I can't say it any better than they did.

:bigear: One more time if anyone knows:D According to the website I would need two copies of the student book since I'll be using it with dd and ds. Would those of you who've btdt say I really need two copies?? I also already have all 3 books, do I really need to spend another $18 to buy their specific edition? Thanks all!

Thanks everyone! One more question: According to the website I would need two copies of the student book since I'll be using it with dd and ds. Would those of you who've btdt say I really need two copies?? I also already have all 3 books, do I really need to spend another $18 to buy their specific edition? Now I know where to pruchase them but I can't seem to get that link to give me samples. Am I missing something?? It's totally possible, it's past my bedtime!:D Thanks!

Where's the best place to see samples of this? Where's the best place to buy it? I've been reading threads about it with interest and I'm thinking it might work for my (to be) 6th and 8th graders next year.... Thanks!

I don't remember who posted them but in a thread from a couple months ago someone on these boards scanned in the TOC and a couple pages of vol 1. If you do a search on k12 Human Odyssey you'll probably find it.:) I ordered it after reading that thread and I just love it! It's like SOTW kicked up a notch for the logic stage! (We're using Vol 1 for Ancients this year (just Greece and Rome, I was unhappy with what we used previous to that and then found k12's HO) and will continue with Vol 1 for Middle Ages next year). HTH

What works for your family may be totally different than mine but here's what we are using: LA: I love WWE (Writing With Ease, from SWB's The Complete Writer) for writing for the early grades! I haven't found grammar/spelling I like for this age yet. Next year I'll be using Phonics Pathways to teach my youngest to read (she'll be K). Math: Right now we are also enjoying MUS (Math-U-See) and CLE Math (Christian Light Publications = clp.org sorry, can't get it link right now) but I'm seriously considering MEP for math for next year (it's free!). Teaching Textbooks was nice to take mom out of the math equation when math was a battle in our house. But, I didn't like being completely out of the loop. I have no useful suggestions for handwriting (we don't do it) or Science (haven't found anything I like) or Spanish (I speak French so my kids will be learning that). Social Studies/History: We have been really enjoying SOTW (Story of the World) by SWB this year. We've added tons of library books, non-fiction and historical fiction. Don't forget the Activity Guide: this is the best part of the program! You'll get tons of replies and tons of opinions from these boards. My suggestion would be to do a search of anything you see that looks interesting. Chances are there are tons of past threads here discussing the merits of just about every program out there!;) My best suggestion: Academics will come much better if you first establish a good relationship with your dc. Let everyone enjoy being together, learn to work and play together then show them your enthusiasm for learning and their's will follow. Sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride!:D Hope this is helpful!

:iagree::iagree: (emphasis mine) I think this is why most people supplement.

(emphasis mine):iagree: I absolutely do not believe in requiring creative writing. Narrative, expository, persuasive yes! Creative, no! Never in my adult life have I been in a situation where I had to write creatively. In college I did expository and persuasive, even an occasional narrative, but never creative (even in my English classes, although I was a French major, not aan English one). I have a ds who dissolves into tears and 3 hours later has 2 sentences and a dd who goes on for 4 pages when I ask for 1 day's journal entry for a chinese immigrant working on the railroad....Dd gets to write as creatively as she wants, on her own time. School assignments always have a point, and are always doable without inventing your own story. SWB writes extensively about this in "The Complete Writer" (the textbook for WWE) and I totally agree with her. After FLL and WWE?? The WTM recommends Rod and Staff. I won't give more recommendations than that because I haven't found anything that really works for us there yet....:tongue_smilie: I have seen the same skills mastered in my dc7 who is using WWE 2 right now.

I tried SL LA 3 (integrated with the history) a couple years ago. We made it to week 13 before I finally just gave up! Dd was learning nothing and I felt like it was all over the place and a big waste of time. That being said, you've used it before so you know what I mean when I say it's all over the place. The nice thing is, it's not particularly expensive. I would *not* give up FLL if it's working. I'm also a huge believer in WWE (the leaps and bounds my son has made are amazing!). But, if you feel like you want more creative writing why not continue FLL and WWE as the regular LA and add in the creative writing assignments from SL LA or use SL's dictation passages that relate to their readers instead of the WWE passage for the day?? I guess what I'm trying to say is this: I don't feel like SL is a solid LA program and in *my* situation I wouldn't give up FLL (which is solid) for it. Add in some fun stuff, yes, but give up the solid for fun? No. Of course, my opinion is completely irrelevant to your family. But, you asked for opinions so I gave it.:tongue_smilie: Your opinion is what counts and it might be totally different.:D

My ds10 is a natural speller. He always aces his tests but is constantly misspelling things in his writing. Basically, his brain goes faster than his hand. If I remind him to go back and check for spelling errors he always catches them. I wouldn't worry, just have her reread her writing before she turns it in and look for errors. If she does this and doesn't find the errors, then I might start to worry. Otherwise, just waiting till her hand catches up to her brain might solve the problem.:001_smile:

:iagree: There's so much available on that, so many picture books and library books and educational videos/games/toys to help the youngers get some exposure, too. I would never try to do two time periods at once, I think it would be way too much work for *me.* Plus, when they are all on the same time period you get those great dinner table discussions (and book discussions and imagination/playtime games, etc). I find that my kids are always playing a "Fablehaven" game or a "Percy Jackson" game or a "Golden Goblet" game depending on what Read-Aloud we have going at the moment. :D But, you may be able to handle two time periods, I know others on these boards have made it work.....maybe they'll chime in with some ideas.

I've used Saxon 1, 5/4 and 6/5. I'm currently using CLE 500 and 700. Saxon almost killed us. It's a very thorough program but my kids hated it. They hated the mental math at the beginning and they hated having to write everything out on their papers. They hated the way things were beat to death with review and review and review, and how "no nonsense" it was. We've been using CLE for just over 3 weeks and it's much better tolerated (by me and the dc!). I like the workbook they can write in much better, as do they. Right now our biggest problem has been concepts that are introduced earlier in CLE that they haven't covered yet so we're playing a little catch-up. (I didn't want to buy an entire year's worth of math to teach metric system and ratio/proportion that he missed on the diagnostic tests. So, it's a little more teacher-intensive right now than I would like). But, I have full confidence this will get better in a few weeks! Both seem to be good, spiral, thorough programs with the difference being in format (textbook/workbook) and scope & sequence. By the time you get to high school they have covered all the same topics. So, for whatever my 2 cents is worth:tongue_smilie:.

Loved, loved, loved the Chronicles of Prydain. Great themes of normal, average people being able to do heroic things by being true to themselves and their friends/families and by just doing the right thing (ie honesty, choosing good over evil, etc) Haven't heard of any of the others.

:iagree: We've been doing the SWI B this year with dd13 and ds10 (almost 11). They have enjoyed it, I have enjoyed not having to inrtoduce the concepts because of the dvd. Obviously, I assist and help and read and grade, but I don't originally introduce the concepts. Next year (now that I've watched the TWSS and used an SWI for a year) I plan on using SWB's writing lectures (from Peace Hill Press) and an IEW Medieval Based Theme book and do all (or most of) our writing from our history/literature studies. I would not have attempted this my first year teaching IEW, but I don't have any confidence in myself when it comes to teaching writing. If you do, you can just watch the TWSS dvds and get all your assignments from your other subjects (like literature/history/science).

Pandia Press has a big chunk of the lessons available as a free try-before-you-buy on their website of the all HO levels. (Just in case you haven't seen these!) Most people I've read on these boards really like HO Level 2 Middle Ages.