Julie, Can I bother you with a few more questions? I signed up for Derek Owens (with me grading) and now I can see the workbook, practice problems, homework problems, and syllabus. How exactly did you schedule this? It looks like you can't do the practice problems until you've viewed all the videos for that lesson section. But then you have homework problems too that look very similar. According to the syllabus the first week includes 15 videos, 2 homework sections and 2 practice problem sections. How do you balance it so you aren't watching 6 or 7 videos one day and then doing both practice and homework the next - or is that what you've been doing? Thanks!

Thank you so much for the info Julie. I emailed Mr. Owens about the grade-it-myself option. I figured I'd use the videos like you do - use them first and then I would step in a teach and clarify. I don't think she would be able to just watch them and teach herself but it would be a good starting point. I feel so relieved. I think I'm on the path toward a solution. I will worry about whether to go into Algebra or if she needs more when we are done. One step at a time :-). THANK YOU!!

Julie... I just spent some time watching the videos and I really like what I see. I had my daughter watch one and she wasn't opposed to them. She said as long as I watch with her and teach her too she'd try it. I think the videos only being 5 - 8 minutes or so helps a lot. I also noticed that he has the first 4 chapters of videos on his youtube page for free so I can start and see how it works before having to sign up. I just would have to get the workbook from Lulu. I think I might have found the right option. I'm going to sleep on it but I think I found it!!

Julie, Is it possible to use Derek Owens without the videos? Can I teach it myself? I see the you said you are grading but the website implied you turn things into them to grade. Does that mean you have the option to have them grade but don't have to? I'd prefer to do it myself. Did you feel like you had to follow it up with AoPS Prealgebra to be ready for Algebra or did you just want to take it deeper?

I'm probably not going to be a lot of help but I would try to find something to switch to now if she's so miserable. It sounds like she's doing what she's asked and it's not just a matter of her whining because she just doesn't want to do it. That can really start in jr. high and high school is just a joy LOL. But if she's good at math and being diligent but she's miserable, then it seems worth trying to find a way to make her less miserable. Lial's in an excellent book. It would be enough and get her ready for Algebra. I don't know much about Math in Focus as far as their scope. I would be sure whatever you pick now would be what you would stick with until you get to Algebra.

Thanks for all of the great information. I'm still looking through everything and trying to decide. Just because I have to know about ALL my options LOL - what do any of you know about Dimensions Math? It's from Singapore and there seems to be 7th and 8th grade level.

Have you looked at Breaking the Barrier?

Wonderful!! Thanks wapiti!! That helps a lot. And thanks Farrar even though it didn't work. I really appreciate you both taking your time to help.

I am considering Center for Lit's Ready Readers 3 for 7th. For 8th and up I used Excellence in Literature.

That is what I did with my other two, especially my middle daughter. She didn't need a review and was already deep into the kind of thinking needed for Algebra. This one isn't there yet. There doesn't seem to be a step between just doing elementary math and full blown algebraic problems. I thought that was what pre-algebra was but there isn't much difference between the algebraic concepts in pre-algebra and in algebra 1.

CONVERSATIONAL!!!! That's the word I've been trying to come up with. Clearly I didn't get enough caffeine today. That's it exactly. The conversational tone really helps her understand. Off to read more samples from Jousting Armadillos. Thanks!!

I haven't seen Jousting Armadillos. I'll take a look. It's a fine line with her on the narrative voice. That is what makes the most sense to her as long as it's not too much narrative and not enough math. Life of Fred doesn't work for her at all. She can't extract the concept from the story, even though she likes the story.

I didn't realize MM had a pre-algebra. I haven't looked at them in several years and I think last time I did they had up to 5th or so. I'll check it out. We've used R&S and CLE but I wouldn't use the word 'like' for this child and math. She's a late math bloomer and her learning issues made it so that I used the curriculum but taught it myself (i.e. took the topics in order of the book but didn't really use the book) and altered the problems, or at least the amount of problems. She has really matured and gained stamina over the last 12 - 18 months and I think she's ready to really use a text with me teaching and helping but not totally replacing the curriculum. We've looked at several together and the word she keeps using is 'quiet'. She wants a book that is 'quiet'. So as clean as possible is key. I am sure she's going to like Fresh Approach when we get there. She read the samples and said they really made sense to her. The narrative type dialog in Fresh Approach and AOPS seems to be what helps her the most. I wish she had a pre-algebra book.

Yes I've considered Dolciani based on reviews I've seen here but I'd really like to see it before I bought it. I found an old thread where someone had attached samples but they weren't there anymore. It was almost 4 years old so I assume the forum ages out attached files. Do you know where I might see some samples?

My daughter has ADD and some math issues. She's getting there with the math but finding a text that doesn't overwhelm has been a challenge. We are going to use Fresh Approach Algebra when we get there because it's the perfect combination of straightforward explanations using real world ideas (not just memorize steps) and uncluttered text and non-busy layout. But they don't have pre-algebra. She definitely still needs pre-algebra. I have a copy of AOPS Pre-algebra and she really likes the explanations and layout. However, there is no way we can use it because the actual problems you do once you cover the concepts are well beyond what she'll be capable of without more stress than I want her to deal with. I also have a copy of Lial's Basic College Math. The level of problems is more in line, even a bit easy, with what she can handle but the layout and busyness of the page made her shake. The explanations are not nearly as good at AOPS either. They tell her what to do but it doesn't help her understand anything. So what I need is a book that has taken AOPS explanations and clean layout and put them in a blender with a more reasonable complexity of problems and hit 'blend'. Thoughts? Oh and she does not learn well from video lessons. I'll be teaching her. I can handle that so that's not an issue but a program like MUS is out because she despises the videos and there isn't really much of a text to go with it.

That's great! My daughter is really excited. She had chosen other schools and hadn't looked at UMW past just asking for info because it didn't have the specific major she was looking for. But when it came time to choose she realized she didn't really love anywhere she applied. She also decided to expand her major - choosing a broader Biochem major rather than the specific Forensic Science major which was what had limited her applications before. About that time UMW sent out an email to their mailing list saying 'its not too late'. So we did a quick application and then went for a visit. She knew that was where she wanted to go. It set up a very long month of waiting. I found out later that they send out that email every year but often they aren't able to take any late applicants. The Director of Admissions called us to say they really wanted her but it might be a bit longer before they knew if they could take her and then last night she called us personally to say it was a go. Huge exhale here. Deposit paid this morning. Yippee!!!

Well, after planning ahead, getting all of our acceptances in months ago, my daughter had a change of plan in the type of school she wanted to go to. So after a long, nail-biting wait to see if the school she wanted to attend would have space for her (they told us a month ago they really wanted her but had to wait to see about space) I can now announce they have accepted her and she will be going to the University of Mary Washington to study Biochemistry and Psychology.

I wanted to start a separate thread for this so it wouldn't take over the Acceptances Announcement thread. There has been a lot of discussion there about gaps, going back, asking for more money, etc. This is something new for me. I hadn't heard you could do that. When people are talking about getting more aid are you asking for more grants or loans? Do the schools typically assume the student will take out the Stafford loans before they calculate grants to get someone closer to their EFC? So for example (figures made up) Let's say an EFC is 15,000. If the cost (tuition, room, and board) after aid (with stafford loans) is 20,000 or $25,000 with out the loans would the gap be considered $5,000 or $10,000? How do you go back and ask for more aid? Do you call, write, have your student call?

No kidding... one of our state schools has over 6k in fees.

My daughter has already been accepted to Marymount University but also applied to their Forensic Scholars program which is direct entrance to their forensic psychology graduate program. We haven't heard about that yet but she was just invited to a special dinner they hold each year for the forensic psychology graduate students to meet people from the various federal agencies that employ and intern these students. I called to make sure this was right since she's not even an undergrad yet and they said 'oh yes - we have invited a few select undergrads this year'. So I'm thinking she has been accepted to the program :-).

She's a minor so I don't think this is an option. I agree with those saying to confront the parents. If they refuse to get medical attention for her then CPS needs to be called. Is there any chance the girl wants professional help but is being prevented from getting it because of her parents beliefs?

Thanks for letting me know that there is an option with DO for non-grading. I missed that when I was looking. I only saw the "live" or "not-live". Non-grading would definitely work better for us for the same reasons you said. I'm not sure if she's ready for something like that now but it's nice to know that in the future this is an option.

I love Biblioplan. The Companion is terrific and having a spine that is so well done and complete makes implementation very easy. I've used it with two kids now in high school and have been very pleased. There are questions, short essays, longer research essay and maps every week. There are also exams every 6 weeks or so. It has lots of literature recommendations and additional things to choose from if you'd like but that's completely up to you.

Yea - that was what I liked about it when I used it for my older ones but they were much more advanced in math. This one is not and wouldn't be able to handle it.

Have you used DO science before? I'm assuming you mean Derek Owens. Are his classes self-paced? I'm concerned about the level of math for my student. She's not strong in math so this is going to be a challenge for her. I was worried that DO classes would move too quickly for her. When I'm the teacher, I can control that. I usually use DIVE because it's very good and not as expensive as an online class (plus I can choose a secular text for Biology since I'm not as young earth as the teacher is) but their Physical Science course recommends already being into Algebra 1 and we won't be there yet. It's the most math heavy of the middle school science courses I've seen.