Have you looked at Classical Composition, via the Memoria Press Online Academy? You could start with Fable for your fifth grader. If you hop over to the class previews, you can watch a class and see if you think it would fit your needs.

filing these podcasts away for later. Thank you!

My daughter has been taking classes in the MPOA for a number of years, and has had Mrs Peterson for 2 classes. (Middle School Science I and II) We're signed up with her for Physical Science in the fall. I would highly recommend her, without hesitation. If you hop over to the class preview section, you can watch Middle School Science II, to get a feel for her style and how she runs the classroom, etc. She loves her topic, engages the children, keeps a good eye on the chat box, etc. She's a homeschooling momma herself, so she's been really good about answering my questions about science paths for my student, etc.

We might have already talked about this, but I HIGHLY recommend Kristen Peterson for science courses. (I think we talked about it in another thread!) Next year, I'll be able to comment on pre-algebra.

I don't think you really NEED the NLE prep class, honestly. My daughter takes the NLE every year, and we just spend some time on the NLE site, taking old tests, and running through Quizlet. Teacher recommendations, I've seen scattered around. Sometimes, they're discussed in the MP forums, or in FB groups. I thought I'd seen a couple of threads here, too. Dr Dray gets RAVE reviews, and Meredith Cuterer, too. We've only ever done the summer Latin reviews in the MPOA, so I can't comment with personal experience. I would probably look at the class previews and find watch them, to see if the teacher's style works for you. I THINK the Third Form class listed there is Dr Dray. (I can't open it at work)

Do you have a link?

Just bumping this up for folks who might be interested in MPOA (Memoria Press Online Academy). The early bird discount will end 3/15 -- if you're on the fence, go check out some previews, and sign up with the code EARLYBIRD2019 to save 10%.

Can you clarify this more? Not familiar with CLE at all. In our home, we do it like this, using the MP guides. Reading notes, before we even read the chapter/section. Then, we round robin read ---- I take a page, then each of my sons. If they have a vocabulary word, I might call attention to it, and ask them to underline or star it. We read the entire chapter like this -- modeling good reading aloud -- inflection, expression, etc. Next, we tackle the vocabulary together -- which goes pretty quickly. I write ALL of the definitions on a white board, from the TM. We then take turns reading the vocabulary word and choosing the definition from the board. Many times, my kids will know the general meaning already, but I want them to know the definition that they will see on a test or quiz. If there's a Latin root that they might know, we call attention to that, too. This week, in 3rd grade literature, one of the vocab words was gorge. We had a discussion about noun vs verb, gorge as in eating vs gorge as in valley, etc. Last, depending on time, we tackle the comprehension questions together, much in the same fashion. Pencils down for the boys. One of them will read the question, and answer. I will always point out if there are two parts to the question. "Describe Charlotte's egg sac. Why does she call it her Magnum Opus?" I want them to pay attention to the types of questions. What does it mean when you're asked to describe something? Pretend you're telling your friend about it. As they are telling me the answer, I'm writing it on the whiteboard. I'm checking for good sentence structure, and adding in punctuation. If a sentence is choppy, or run on, I might ask them how you would say it better. If they totally whiff and don't know the answer, I'll pull the book out again and read the passage where you can find the answer. As they get older, the literature is more independent. Even this year, my boys have gone ahead and worked on some comprehension questions on their own, in their spare time. That's OK with me, as long as they check in and show me their work. My 7th grader does her work totally on her own --- just checks in with me periodically. So for us, literature covers a LOT of composition and grammar practice as well. Last week, I left the white board up on the table, and my husband saw it. He looked at it, and said, "Those answers are really thorough! Those are amazing." I said to him --- "That's your boys' work. I'm just the scribe. 😉 "

Excellent idea! Filing away for future reference.

I can't say enough good things about MS Science I. We LOVE Mrs Peterson.

My daughter will be taking two classes in the MPOA this fall --- Physical Science and Pre-Algebra. I feel like you really get what you pay for with these -- my daughter's teachers have been excellent. Plus, you can watch an entire class to see if you think it's the right fit for you. I've been really hesitant to sign up for classes anywhere else, because I'm not sure what I'm getting. I agree with @teachermom2834 --- you don't HAVE to take online classes. For me, it's to the point where cottage school classes and online classes are a must. I'm spread too thin, otherwise. If you sign up before 3/15, you can do an early bird discount, with the code EARLYBIRD2019.

We did it as an independent study with my daughter, and just enjoyed it. I vote #3. We bought the complete set when my daughter did it a few years ago and had a lot of fun with it. If he enjoys drawing, I think this book looks like fun too. MP created a collection of bird song links that you'll want to bookmark, too. Checking out your local Audubon group would be fun, for an Owl Prowl or Bird Count. Also, you can pick up owl pellet dissection kits, too. You're going to have fun! This makes me think maybe I need to do this for my boys in the fall.

Well, I was just getting ready to post mine, and I was getting all tearful. Y'all. This homeschool thing started as an experiment. Our Plan B, after we didn't get in to a local classical school. I cannot believe we've made it this far. ❤️ This summer: Christian Studies: MP CS I US History: Catholic Textbook Project's From Sea to Shining Sea For the fall: Math: College of the Redwoods Pre-Algebra, via MPOA Science: Novare Physical Science, via MPOA Latin: Henle II Classical Studies: Aenid Composition: Common Topic Literature: British Literature Extracurriculars: AHG Horseback Riding Art class Religious ed? Catholic Youth Group

My daughter is doing her second year of MPOA Middle School Science, which use the Tiner books as a spine. This year was Bio, Physics, and Chemistry. Maybe watch a sample class and get a feel? http://memoriapress.adobeconnect.com/p38o2ykfvvw/ Another thought --- Bright Ideas Press Academy? https://academy.brightideaspress.com/product/christian-kids-explore-biology/

When we had our twin boys tested, we went with a local psychologist who is a dyslexia specialist. She was recommended to us by a close friend, and was also highly recommended by one of our local dyslexia schools. Our workup included -- 1 hour intake interview; 2 days of testing, and 1 hour followup, to go over the results. Our test result packet was 30+ pages. I would recommend checking out the Bright Solutions (Susan Barton) page on testing -- they'll give you practitioners in your area. In your situation, it sounds like your neuropsych person is who I'd go with. But --- email her. Ask her questions -- what kind of tests, what do you do with results, etc, etc.

Can anyone give reviews of the Academy at Bright Ideas Press? I'm looking at an Equine Studies course there.

This is exactly what I needed to hear --- because I have ZERO experience in what makes up a course, etc. I spoke with her current science teacher, and she felt like Physical Science would be the logical progression for her. We will see. I need to sit down and hash some things out with my husband. We will likely look into these courses over the summer. I appreciate your help, Lori.

A HA! I meant self paced in --- you can start any time. Thank you for that clarification. Now this makes sense. I'm looking at TWO actually: The Horse Course and/or Equine Welfare and Management. I wasn't sure if I could call a six week course good enough for a year of science. Of course, let's be frank. I'm in KY, so we're not highly regulated. I could have her take the two courses, add in shows, barn work, trips to the farrier, vet, equine dentist, etc. I appreciate the hand holding. Like I said -- I've never forged out on my own, so I'm second guessing myself. I like the 4H stuff as well. Will take a closer look when I get home.

Rambling thoughts are fine and dandy! ❤️ I'm over here just spinning in circles --- "Look at ALL the things!" So, does that mean that Coursera is self paced? I'm totally down with that --- AND it saves some costs. (very important with show season coming my way) They had a suggested schedule, if I remember correctly.

Sounds like your daughter and mine would get along beautifully. She has multiple books about drawing horses --- and notebooks filled with drawings as well. Without much help from a non horse loving mom --- I'm right there with you. I think horses are beautiful, but I don't want to hang out with them all day like my daughter does. I appreciate your input! I think I'll cross WP off my potential list.

bahahahahaaha! Right? I poured over old posts here. I've always followed the MP scope and sequence, so I'm a bit weirded out by stepping outside the box. I'm also NOT skilled at devising lesson plans, etc. I'm used to opening and going with MP texts and lesson plans. In other words, I'm leaning heavily toward something where the framework is already there, and we can add to it, or delete things we don't need.

Next fall, I'm planning equine science as my daughter's science selection. She'll be in 8th grade, and has been riding for 7 years; works at the barn, shows, etc. Horses are her passion, so I want to allow her to be able to dive in deeper and enjoy a science class learning about something she loves. I PROMISE, I have looked through loads of posts already and came up with some wonderful options. Now, I'm trying to narrow them down, with help from y'all. Winter Promise: I'll be honest. The sales page here doesn't impress me. #picky Is this meaty enough for eighth grade? Coursera: This looks like it would fit our needs well. Can someone chime in and tell me if this is a self paced course? I couldn't figure that out from the website. Once again, is it meaty enough for eighth grade? The Academy at Bright Ideas Press: Equine Science --- this looks like an excellent course. Anyone here taken the course before, or something similar? I'm interested in the size of the classes, how they are ran, etc. She's experienced with the MPOA, but those classes are small, and well organized.

I'm glad to read a followup, Quark. This marks our eighth year of homeschooling, and instead of being MORE confident, I spend more time wringing my hands about decisions than ever before. I think it's because we're knocking on the door of eighth grade and I feel like we're in the "S&^%'s getting REAL" phase. You know, like now the decisions I make really matter, and I could be screwing this up royally. Basically, I just need reassurance. It's hard to get it from my husband --- he is completely supportive of homeschooling, but really doesn't know our ins and outs. I made a decision a few weeks ago to veer away from our recommended path (We are a MP family) for science, and I'm thinking it will pay BIG dividends for us. We'll be back to our 'school is amazing' days, instead of it being a slog --- because we're going to be doing something that my daughter LOVES, and I'm interested in learning more about. (equine studies) Thank you again for listing these. You're exactly right ---- your kids THANKING you for homeschooling makes this marathon so worthwhile.

This is a hard one for me. I tend to ask around in private forums re: teachers, instead of in the official MP forums. I don't want to sound like I'm bad mouthing people. But --- classes aren't cheap, and I have a certain level of expectations. For the most part, I think you can email them and ask to watch a sample class of a teacher you're considering. Unless they are brand spanking new, they should have one. Go ahead and email him! I've already sent him a handful of emails for next year. I feel like he says, "Oh! There's another email from Dianna"

From a parent's perspective -- fairly well independent. I would go in and check grades, assignments, etc, because my daughter is at that stage where one day, she's a rock star, and other days, will whiff on assignments. I'm paying for this, so I'm not going to be completely hands off. :)