Heather in VA
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Posts posted by Heather in VA
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How about Math on the Level?
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My daughter took courses with Julie Bogart (the owner) and Christine Gable. Both were excellent.
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Thanks everyone... I know this sounds crazy but I ended up finding a used copy of Natural Speller. It seems like an easy way to go through the rules and patterns she has problems with and not make a huge time or financial commitment. I think I can tailor the info in there to cover the mistakes she's making.
At least for the moment I've decided to calm down about spelling LOL
Thanks again!!
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Maybe it depends on your instructor for the class? Because I love them so far and I don't have to do anything. I helped her find some books at home and at the library, and helped her wade through some Shakespeare articles, but that's it.
I agree. My daughter has taken three and I haven't done one thing for any of them. Her essay writing is excellent and she is very comfortable with the writing process. Her instructors have really helped her develop the tools she needs for writing.
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I agree. That's exactly how we use it, and I've no desire to add any extra busy work from the revised workbook.
This is good to know. The workbooks didn't look like anything I really wanted and as a picky side-note they were printed on that really flimsy newsprint type paper which tears and doesn't erase well. I want simple. Just something to keep our toe in the door on spelling. SWR is just too much. She doesn't need all that anymore.
I'm going to give her the Sequential Spelling placement test and see how that goes.
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Well, I like Sequential Spelling. I'm sorry you had a bad experience at the convention. I can't speak to your experiences with other programs, but all you really need for Sequential Spelling is the teacher text and some notebook paper. I think there is a placement test on the Avko website. Oh, here it is:
http://www.avko.org/free/Rough%20Placement%20Test%20for%20SS.pdf
Good luck to you. I find spelling really frustrating too.
So if I just need notebook paper why was there a huge workbook?
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I spend all day at a homeschool convention and still have no spelling. I hate spelling. My daughter just turned 11. We've done a variety of things. She spells pretty well but she's starting to make what I call 'advanced spelling mistakes' so I feel like we need to do some more spelling before calling it done. We've done SWR/AAS for a while. SWR was just too much and AAS was incredibly slow. It's a good program but just moved so slowly and cost a fortune to 'speed up'. I bought the Wise Guide a while back and started working through the word lists without a real program. It didn't really seem to do much. So I'm trying to stay away from the O/G/SWR stuff because it's just way more than I want at this point.
At the convention today I saw Spelling You See. That didn't thrill me and it seemed pretty easy. I saw R&S and almost bought that but I know myself and even though I'm a Christian R&S products are over-Christian for me and I don't want 1/2 of her spelling words to be books of the Bible or other church words. I saw Sequential Spelling which actually seemed pretty interesting but the guy talked so fast and just handed me this workbook with a bunch of blank lines that didn't really help. Then he told me she would need to take a placement test so I'll have to do that if Sequential Spelling is the choice. I almost gave up and bought Spelling Workout. But then I kept thinking about all the posts I've seen hear about how useless it is. And I looked for Building Spelling Skills (Evan-Moor - not CLP) but Rainbow didn't have it in their booth - although they do sell it.
I want something that is worthwhile and straightforward. Should I have gotten Sequential Spelling? Should I just get a workbook so it's something and figure that's good enough since she spells pretty well?
Tell me what to do... I don't think I can think about spelling anymore LOL
Thanks
Heather
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Of course, they're about 1/3 as expensive as the uni....
That isn't always true either. Our CC is twice the cost of doing dual enrollment with several universities I've checked with. It's cheaper than being in college full time but individual classes are no bargain.
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How about either VP's Self-paced online - they have 2 years that cover American History or Biblioplan which covers both American and World history at any grade level.
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I rate ours as 'Very Expensive'. I have been reading all these posts with long lists of courses kids are taking at the local CC. I just don't get how anyone affords it. Ours run nearly $700 a class (plus books). It's actually cheaper to do dual enrollment with a few of the 4 year universities I've looked into. So while ours is supposed to be "good", it's way more than I would think a CC should cost.
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Please don't believe that "colleges want to see top 10% minimum" -- that is ridiculous, except for the few colleges that really do have to reject 95% of their applicants.
I have a love/hate relationship with the "strive for the best" attitude on WTM. On the one hand, this forum is the best place to learn from parents who really do care about their kids achieving deep learning. On the other hand, the perfectionism is sometimes unhealthy.
While I agree in theory not everyone has the option of ignoring the reality of competitive college entrance. In VA, if you live where I do and deal with quotas for entrance into our state schools, it can be almost easier to get into Ivy than our state universities. I'd love to be able to just blow that off and look at other schools but the financial reality of needing to look at state schools means that I have to be realistic. To give you an idea.. here is the equivalent chart for SATs (not subject). The top 10% puts you in the 650-680 range depending on the subject. Not going to get you into UVA, William and Mary, probably not VAtech unless 680 is the lowest and it's English but your math is really high. It's tight for JMU. It's just reality. My oldest is currently at a private school in VA that she was able to do because she got a huge scholarship and it provided what she was looking for educationally. My middle daughter will more likely be looking more main stream so these are the schools that we will be able to consider. I have to play the game.
http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-2013.pdf
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This is making me question having my daughter take the SAT Subject Chemistry test. We don't plan to do it until after she finishes AP Chem but she's already started practice books and does very well on the practice tests. However, I'm sure colleges want to see top 10% at minimum and "perfect" is a lot to ask for.
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I agree with Angela. We did not find Challenge to be rigorous or "challenging' (sorry for the pun LOL). In addition, at the levels that would be considered high school it not only is not rigorous but doesn't come close to being what would be necessary for high school credit for really any subject except perhaps math (we didn't do the math part because we don't use Saxon).
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It is, however, the school's prerogative to decide the course requirements. If taking the AP exam is one of them, then the student needs to take the exam. I am at a loss as to why a student would take an AP class in a subject where they had already earned or were in the process of earning a college credit.
ETA to see that the student isn't also enrolled in an AP course. However, it is still true that the school (or school district, perhaps) can decide the course requirements.
Yes I agree. I've never questioned that the school system CAN do this. I think my mistake is assuming there is a rational reason for something that clearly has no rational explanation. :-)
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They can't. My husband had a security clearance and it is about a background check and FBI interviews, not about college classes. I didn't want to rain on anyone's parade, but a security clearance is not something someone takes classes for. A place of employment usually secures that. Places like Lockheed, Raytheon, TI, JPL, etc require them of certain employees. It would be pretty much exactly like a college saying because you can study abroad with them, it ensures they will have a passport when they graduate. Yes, they will, but not because the college did it.
I assumed that the college helps connect them with internships and jobs that require them to go through the security clearance process. In order to get a security clearance you first have to have a job that requires it. In DC having a security clearance is a huge deal since often employers would prefer to hire someone who already has one. It becomes like the 'can't get experience without a job but can't get a job without experience' thing. You 'can't get clearance without a job that requires it but can't get a job that requires it without clearance'. I assumed from the excerpt posted that they help with that initial job/internship with employers or agencies willing to do the security clearance.
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Thanks for the support, everyone! :)
It's not that I care if anyone approves or disapproves. It's just that this is a really exciting time for her and it's hard to watch some people rain on her parade with negative comments. :o
Being able to stop in here and just get some support is really nice!
Why on earth would anyone rain on her parade? I'm not all that familiar with Patrick Henry even though I actually live here in Northern Virginia so maybe I'm missing something but she found a school she likes, can afford, has the academics and opportunities she's looking for so I don't understand how that could be bad at all.
My only 'rain on her parade' is to warn her that while Purcellville looks close to DC, the traffic is hideous so it's a major hike. :-)
Good luck to her and I hope she loves it
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It is certainly a skill that can be learned, and honed with practice. I might start having her practice by trying to outline TC lectures that aren't her "real" classes, so she's not freaked out about being measured on two things at once. Most of the Great Courses come with an printed outline in the box, her goal should be to try to reproduce that outline from just listening to the lecture.
To start, a good lecturer will drop a lot of clues about the outline of the lecture, and it is important to pay attention to these clues, some of which may be non-verbal. Introductions and conclusion are often key to generating the "big picture" of the structure of the lecture, and good speakers often use lists, both in intros, and in later parts of the talk. If the speaker is giving their summary, and "telling you what they told you", it is a good time to review your notes, and make sure that your notes match up with the summary. If not, then that is a good time to ask a question, or rewind the DVD.
So,a lecture might start out with "Today I want to talk about Columbus' voyage of discovery. There are three main reasons he decided to sail West". Immediately, the student should know that the whole lecture is divided into three major sections, which she can then fill in later, with a sub-outline under each point.
Often, the speaker will have a long pause between sections, and even if there wasn't a list of what was coming, that's a big clue than a new section is beginning, or the current digression is finishing.
Sometimes, it helps to rewrite the notes in a more pretty, structured format after the lecture. If you are preparing her to take notes for college classes, I would either rewrite the notes as soon as possible after class, and certainly before the next office hours, recitation, or time for one-on-one questions, so she can bring her notes with her to help clarify any unclear points.
The trick is being confident enough to write all the important stuff down, without missing anything that is being said because you are trying to catch up. Practice makes perfect. Good luck!
Thanks this is really good. I'm going to show it to DD. It's quite possible she'll pick this up just with some tips like this and some practice. It's a skill that scares me because I am so deficient in my auditory skills. I like the idea of using the TC guide as a measuring guide. It certainly will help me at least :-).
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There are other methods obviously. (Cornell, etc.) Also see the thread I had recently on typing vs. writing notes. Pudewa's is a little unique, so I'm excited to have dd watch the videos this summer.
I haven't looked for the thread yet but just FYI - do not let your kids assume they will be able to type notes for lectures. At L's school they are not allowed to bring their computers to class and she's not the only school I've heard that from. (assuming the computer isn't needed for the course itself)
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I'm confused about the link to the percentages.... Am I reading that chart wrong? The percentage is supposed to be the percentage of students who did worse than you if you got a certain grade so the 90 by the 800 on Chemistry sounds like they saying that 10% of students taking the Chemistry Subject test get a perfect 800. That seems highly unlikely to me.
Also - My currently college student didn't apply anywhere that required SAT Subject tests but my next one probably will. What to colleges think about kids taking an SAT Subject test in the same subject they take an AP exam?
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I haven't used it but I've looked at it several times and personally I'd call it a Creative Writing elective. To me high school English is literature and composition with grammar etc as needed to support those tasks. OYAN is a creating writing program but not academic composition, literature, analysis etc. I am considering using it at some point but I plan to give it an elective credit.
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I should state up front that I absolutely can not do this. I am not an auditory person and all through school unless I could see it - I was doomed LOL. But I want my kids to know how to do this. My rising 10th grader is going to use her first Great Courses lecture series next year and I want her to take notes on the lectures. I don't want it to be so overwhelming that she despises the lectures or that she misses the point of the lectures because she's so caught up in trying to take notes. How do I teach her how to do this when I haven't the first clue?
Help!
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Well I'm in Fairfax County as is George Mason University. The girl is in high school in Prince William - they pay for their exams as well. All the counties in the area that I am aware of do but that doesn't mean counties in other parts of the state aren't different.
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Yes we are in VA and here, at least in our county, the students pay for the AP exams. The student in question is taking her courses at George Mason University so I'm sure it's not an accreditation problem. The mom has no idea why she's being required to this and as one poster said she's worried because AP exams are so specific and she took a college course made for college kids not high schoolers taking the AP exam. So she's going crazy studying for the exam. It's just so wrong. But I'm relieved to hear everyone else things this is crazy too because I want to be sure if I decide to do any dual enrollment (NOT through the public school) that I won't have to expect to take the AP as well.
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Otherwise, I do not see how the school system can not *require* a student to take an AP exam - what can they do if the student refuses?
ETA: The only reason to take an AP exam would be if the credit from this institution is not accepted by the final college, but an AP score would be. But that is not something the school could know, since it would depend on each student's the final college.
The school has told the students that they don't get credit for the course (on the high school side) if they don't take the AP exam. So technically they could remove it from the transcript or block graduation (or the higher diploma you get from the more advanced classes). But it's just nuts that they would required this test when it's not necessary.
This just sounds like a huge scam to me.
So Dang-Blasted Frustrated!
in K-8 Curriculum Board
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Spectrum Chemistry definitely needs more math than your daughter has had. Rainbow, from the same company, would be more doable. Apologia would be very difficult to do secular. I'm a Christian and I find it overbearing enough that we don't use it.