Well-Trained Mind Press is having a Cyber Monday sale; today only, we're slashing prices on all downloadable products by 40%. That includes Story of the World student pages and audiobooks, all of Jim Weiss's audio stories, Writing With Ease, First Language Lessons, Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind, math resources from Kate Snow, how-to workshops by Susan Wise Bauer, and many more! Get started here.

Hi all, "Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind," the follow-up to "First Language Lessons," will be available on PDF in just a couple of weeks and in physical form by late September or early October. But we know that many of you are eager to get started, so we're giving away the first six weeks of the curriculum here. This grammar curriculum was formerly known as "Advanced Language Lessons," and you may have heard about it under that title. It consists of a Core Instructor Text (used for all four years), yearly Student Workbooks (the first one is being released now, and #2 is in development), yearly Answer Keys to explain all answers for the Student Workbook, and a Comprehensive Handbook of Rules (a handy reference guide for grammar, useful for all writers of whatever age). The free PDF includes: The first 6 weeks of the Core Instructor Text The first 6 weeks of the Student Workbook for Year 1 The first 6 weeks of the Answer Key for Year 1 (which gives all answers AND thorough explanations) The first part of the Comprehensive Handbook of Rules I'll be available to answer questions in this thread. We will also be releasing explanatory videos in the coming weeks. Follow us on Facebook for updates on that. To answer some possible questions: --Yes, this is good for middle-grade students, but could also be used with high-school students --Yes, it can be pre-ordered on Amazon (but their release dates aren't always accurate) --Yes, some of the sentences in the exercises are drawn from "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "The Princess Bride." --Yes, schools and co-ops can get bulk pricing. Contact us at 1.877.322.3445 or order@welltrainedmind.com Again, the first six weeks are available here. Here's a longer description of the curriculum: Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind takes middle-grade or high school students from basic definitions through advanced sentence structure and analysis—all the grammar skills needed to write and speak with eloquence and confidence. This innovative program, by experienced educator Susan Wise Bauer, combines the three essential elements of language learning: understanding and memorizing rules (prescriptive teaching), repeated exposure to examples of how those rules are used (descriptive instruction), and practice using those rules in exercises and in writing (practical experience). Scripted lessons make it possible for any parent or teacher to use the program effectively. Step-by-step instruction takes students from the most basic concepts through advanced grammatical concepts Extensive diagramming exercises reinforce the rules and help technical/visual learners to understand & use the English language effectively. All diagrams are thoroughly explained to the instructor/parent. Examples and exercises are drawn from great works of literature, as well as from well-written nonfiction texts. Regular review is built into each year of work. Core text is designed to be used effectively with students from fifth grade through high school, regardless of background. The program is easily customizable to each student’s strengths and weaknesses. Description of the Program Each year, parents and teachers go through the dialogue, rules, and examples in the Core Instructor Text; students follow along in the Student Workbook. This repetition solidifies the concepts, definitions, and examples in the student’s mind. The Core Instructor Text provides not only rules and examples, but scripted dialogue that makes it possible for any parent or teacher to use the program effectively, along with instructor notes that thoroughly explain ambiguities and difficulties. There will eventually be four Student Workbooks, one for each year (the Year 1 Workbook will be released first). Each Student Workbook contains the same rules and examples—but four completely different sets of exercises and assignments, allowing students to develop a wide-ranging knowledge of how the rules and examples are put to use in writing. Each Student Workbook has its own Key, providing not only answers, but also explanations for the parent/instructor, and guidance as to when the answers might be ambiguous (as, in English, they often are). All of the rules covered, along with the repeated examples for each, are assembled for ongoing reference in the Comprehensive Handbook of Rules. This will become the student’s indispensable guide to writing through high school, into college and beyond.

Hello Forum Folks, The Well-Trained Mind team is committed to helping you and your children navigate the wilds of education...whether through these forums, our books and audio products, our online courses, or our website. As part of that commitment, we are always looking for new ways to bring content to you. Can you help us? If you post a response to any or all of the following queries, you'll be entered to win one of five Well-Trained Mind tote bags we're giving away! How do you use streaming video content in your educational efforts? Do you watch videos about homeschooling, parenting, skill development, or education? Do you use videos with your children as part of your lessons (not counting full online classes such as Well-Trained Mind Academy)? What are your favorite programs/channels/presenters for this type of content? Why? How long, on average, are these videos? And: For this content, do you use paid services (Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, other [please describe]) or primarily free ones (YouTube, etc)? Thank you for your help! We'll announce the winners by December 7th. Justin and the folks at The Well-Trained Mind

Hi all, I wanted to let you know that TODAY ONLY (July 4th), Well-Trained Mind Press is celebrating America's birthday by offering 35% off everything America-related in our store. Jim Weiss's audio biographies of Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, Harriet Tubman, George Gershwin, and others; The Story of the World, Volumes 3 and 4 (America comes up a lot in those books); our illustrated reader of American Tall Tales; the audio downloads of "Electoral Apocalypses: How America Survived 3 Divisive Elections"; and the ever-popular colorable action figures from Figures in Motion. Browse our America category here.

Dear Forum Folk, We hope you have found The Well-Trained Mind and these forums to be excellent resources for your home schooling efforts! We’ve been in the classical education business for over 15 years, providing homeschooling families with high-quality, ground-breaking resources that combine the best of the classical tradition with innovative teaching methods. In fact, more than half a million parents have successfully used the curricula, book lists, and methods of The Well-Trained Mind to teach their children at home. Now, we’re excited to bring you the second academic year of the Well-Trained Mind Academy, with experienced instructors to further your ability to homeschool your children at middle school and high school levels of learning. We’ve listened to our customers who feel they would benefit from access to instructors for advanced or technical subjects. Explore our online course offerings to discover exciting new options for your family! Over 25 full-year courses and 13 single-semester electives. Special focus on written language, small class sizes, and instructor feedback. New electives offering music theory, Socratic discussion, spoken rhetoric, and grammar. Pre-Registration for the 2015-2016 Academic Year is available only until April 14th, which entitles you to the steepest discounts we will provide to the general public! Simply visit our site for a list of courses, and pre-register today! www.WTMAcademy.com Contact Us: 844-986-9862 Why the extension? Many have asked us about monthly payment plans. We’re finalizing a system that will allow families to make automated monthly payments on tuition, rather than having to pay the full amount up front. It's almost ready to go, but still needs thorough testing. So we’ve decided to delay general registration until that payment-plan testing is finished.

Our oldest will begin kindergarten in August. This year, he's finishing up HOP Kindergarten and the ETC primers. He can read beginner books like the first set of BOB books pretty easily. My plan for kindergarten is to work through OPGTR and HOP First Grade with plenty of easy reader books on the side, plus ZB handwriting K and 1. But, my eyes keep wandering to Saxon Phonics K-2. We're using Saxon Math already and he loves it, plus it's simple for me to implement. When he starts kindergarten, we'll have four under 5, including a newborn. Simplicity is very desirable! However, I'm not sure what all Saxon would replace during the grammar years. I was thinking we would proceed with the resources recommended in WTM, but if he enjoys Saxon as much as I think he would, I'll be wary of changing. Can anyone give some guidance? Thanks in advance!

Hi folks, I've been struggling a bit with my 5th grade son, and rereading WTM for help and inspiration. Whenever I read this book I find myself thinking-THIS is the way I want to be doing school! Then I remember-- oh, this doesn't always work for my particular kid. First of all, it just seems like so much more work than either of us want to be doing. Secondly, my son has never fit well into their specific grade-level models, and I get overwhelmed just trying to think about how to make it all work. I believe that gifted students progress through the trivium differently, but I can't always get a handle on how. It's part of that whole confusing 'asynchronous development' thing. One of the things I'm learning about my son-- and myself-- is that we both are energized by novelty and newness, and I find that mixing up the curriculum throughout the year is very helpful. I'm thinking about creating some type of term or semester system that would actually plan for that, rather than making me feel like we are 'quitting' on things. For example, we are halfway through Latin for Children and though Latin has been a favorite for a long time, we are both waning to the point we can hardly stand it. I think I should put it aside for now and move on to something else, but it makes be feel like we're quitting. Another example is using a core math program and mixing it up with 'Life of Fred' and those 'Key To' books. So you can see that this makes using WTM a challenge. I am wondering how other folks use this program successfully with their gifted kids, and how they adapt it. Part of my problem may be that I need to focus more on their methods rather than specific schedules and curriculum choices. I think if I could do that I may be close to designing something that works. I'd love to hear thoughts on these issues! Thanks! Amy

Hello. I have an older WTM edition, but the green-eyed monster is beckoning me to buy the new one, too. Can someone compare the differences between them that might justify another purchase? Is there substantial change in the book itself or just up-to-date resource listings? My finger is on the *purchase* button*. :D Ginger

Just wanted to pop on here real quick before my travel day tomorrow and say how fabulous this conference was. I haven't been to an event so wonderful in a very long time. My mind is full, my heart is full, I had a BLAST meeting and chatting with so many fellow boardies and other like-minded Moms, and when I can put thoughts down more coherently, I will. I have to travel all day tomorrow, and I'll try to write my thoughts here again in a few days. I'm sure others will talk about it, too, and post all the pictures we all took. If Susan and her wonderful family and crew ever do this again, and if you are trying to give your kids a fulfilling classical-style education and you need help, try to go. You won't regret it. Susan, you and all your people are awesome. xoxoxoxo Thank you so much.

and buy the new WTM. I only have the first edition, and I got about twice as much money as I expected for my birthday/Mother's Day, so I think I will order it! :D

I would have been fine waiting to buy a copy of the new WTM. I can handle the little ad at the top of the page here. It doesn't mock me too much from my Amazon cart. But I couldn't handle meeting it face to face in the bookstore today. I was WEAK! I bought it. *sigh* :D

I've been checking forever and hoping that when the 3rd edition came out it would be on the Kindle. We even asked Susan about this at the conference and she didn't know either. I completely forgot about it and just checked this afternoon and it was available! It's a bit less than $15 if I remember correctly. Don't ask me how many copies of WTM I actually have now. It would be embarrassing. There are very good and logical reasons for them all though. I'm not nuts. Well, not about this but that's a whole other point. Now, we just need to bully them into getting WEM on Kindle. It would often be useful to have those booklists available for the unexpected visit to the bookstore or such. Even if you don't own a Kindle, please go to Amazon.com, search for Well Educated Mind and click the button that says "I want to see this on the Kindle". Please!

Feeling a bit foolish, but hey, what can I say. I own the first and the second editions of TWTM, both completely tabbed and underlined with our public library call numbers for the books referenced. I love this book. So, should I buy or not buy the third edition of TWTM? How much of it is just exactly the same, and how much has changed? Are the changes significant enough to warrant buying a new edition? Thanks for your input, Stacie:tongue_smilie:

I am going--can't believe it! Arriving Wednesday night, and leaving Sunday morning to visit the IL's on the way back to California. Spending Thursday in Colonial Williamsberg. Rental cars are surprisingly expensive. Anyone want to share?

Sell it at a discount? Donate it to an organization that gives used books to HSing families in financial need? Give it to a friend? Donate it to our local public library? It's in relatively good condition, and I would normally list it for sale on the S&S board, but I'm not sure there is a market for it now that the new version has been released.

How much does your homeschool conform to TWTM recommendations? I'm not talking about specific book recommendations, but the content and the form of your homeschool. Include in your calculations all of the years you've known about TWTM (so, if you used A Beka before you knew, don't count that, but if you had read TWTM and only decided to use it last month, figure that as a lower number). Also include your plans for the future (so if you want to use TWTM for logic stage only but your kids are eight, count that).

nm

I am looking back and reflecting on the sudden decision to homeschool our boy. And there are two things that I am most glad of: 1. That my husband and I had the courage to pull him from school and homeschool him 2. That I found The Well-Trained Mind and then these boards. Over the last six months we have explored some of the highs and lows of homeschooling. There have been weeks where it is only my pride that has stopped me from throwing him into the car and taking him straight back down to school. And there have been weeks where everything has just flowed in the most natural and harmonious of ways. In the last six months he has come from being behind in many areas to working at least one grade level above. He has grown in height and weight from a scrawny size 4 to a healthy size 6. His behaviour has improved immensely and he is happier in himself. He is thriving and it makes my heart so glad to see this. As for myself, though I was already compulsively ordered and tidy I have had to become even more disciplined, especially in the use of my time. It has been proven many times that without doubt I am the linchpin of this whole family and if I am stressed and disorganised the EVERYTHING will fall apart, but if I am disciplined myself and keep us moving through the tasks then it will flow much more harmoniously. I have also tried more methods and means of doing our homeschooling than I can count and the way that has proved the best fit for me is one that I read on here - the suggestion horrified my book-lover soul at first but it won me over and soon I was merrily chopping up all his workbooks and putting his weeks work into a leverarch folder. This has made such a difference to us both - no more scrabbling round finding the right book and right page. No more being overwhelmed at all the words and pages when really the days work is so little in comparison. No more fussing around. I spend two hours on a Sunday night chopping, collating and sticking on hole reinforcers and then I don't need to do any more preparation. I have no idea who suggested it on here, but if i was Pope I would canonise you without a second thought! These boards and the book that inspired them has been such a blessing in venturing into this whole new world of homeschooling. Voila! A map/guide and a huge bunch of helpful strangers eager to point the way! I can't moan or ask questions of friends and family as they will question our decision. With you wonderful people I can rely on your collective wisdom and experience and learn so much from you. I am so grateful and we are having so much fun. Homeschooling is not a scary overwhelming burden but a great blessing for our family and we are all benefiting from this decision. So while I am sure that forum regulars have seen countless threads along these lines, I thought I would add one more as I can't say it to my friends and family but I find I need to shout it from the rooftops - We homeschool and it is GOOD!

There doesn't seem to be a tag for Well-Trained Mind. I thought I'd start a post just to add a tag instead of sticking it in an inappropriate thread.

Has anyone ever followed the Logic stage English section of the WTM and if so, did you follow exactly as stated? THANKS

I am very interested in(but not very familiar with) classical education. I am going to check out The Well Trained Mind book this afternoon from the library. But would you please help me get started? Could you list the most important things I need to get started? And if you have used any materials that you especially like, could you please tell me a little about them? I would be using these for children ages 10 and under. Thanks so much for your help!:001_smile:

And how did you make use of the book? How often do you refer to it? I have read it once so far, cover to cover, and took it very slowly as I took notes and made list. I am going to re-read it during the 3 weeks prior to the start of our 2008-2009 homeschool year. I think this time it will get post-its stuck around the 1st grade information for quick reference!

Will you please tell me about your experience? Would you do it any differently if given the chance to do it over? What worked? What didn't? What was the best/worst thing about following all, some or most of the WTM's recommendations?

I am using SOTW with my dc, 8 and almost 6. We are finishing SOTW 2 this year. I used SOTW 1 with them last year; since they were 7 and 4 at the time, I focused on picture books, age appropriate short stories, and projects. I read a couple of longer books to ds 7, including Black Ships Before Troy (which he loved; although in retrospect I wonder , "What was I thinking?" :rolleyes: ) and Tales of Sinbad (which he also loved). In general, I would say I treated every chapter equally; I read SOTW, they listened to the audio book, I checked out books from the library, ds 7 did map work and narrations or answered review questions. This year, using SOTW 2, I'm attempting to focus on some of the key events and historical figures in greater depth. I have read more biographies, and more literature. I have done fewer projects with them. I plan to do this next year as well. Which brings me to my question: to what degree do you try to incorporate the list of "great men and women to cover" and literature selections in WTM with SOTW? Obviously, most of the great men and women are included anyway, but to what degree do you use this list to guide you in decisions about what to cover in greater depth? How many of the literature selections do you try to incorporate, and do you do so in a systematic way, or simply read them in the order suggested in WTM? I'm curious to know how others approach this; I may also post a poll about how many of the literature selctions to cover, and which are "must reads." Thank you!

Does anybody sell a pre-packaged curriculum that follows the 4 year rotation and uses WTM's book suggestions? The library where I live is very new and doesn't have many books. I will probably use Sonlight as my base if I can't find something pre-packaged, but I really want to do the 4 year rotation and own all the books with a schedule.