End of Week One - HELP!!!! Please!

[MariannNOVA]

Really, I mean it: H****E****L****P

 

DD10 loves what she is doing - 5th grade, similar to what she would be doing in private school - she is very happy!

EDIT/ADDITION: I just sat and spoke separately with dd8 and ds8 - I asked them what they thought of our first week. Both responded that they love Science, but they both very politely suggested that they found English (R&S) BORING, and the Math boring (I am in total agreement with them).

The twins are incredibly lively, perky, inquisitive and bright. DS8 wants to sit and have deep, philosophical discussions about the Bible, build incredibly complicated LEGO things, and he has an amazing imagination! DD8 LOVES ART, and LEGOS, and animals, and has the most tender heart and lively spirit. I think I have TOTALLY mmissed the mark on how they should be taught. Can anyone suggest a 'school of thought' or curriculum that I can research (I don't know, Calvert, Oak Meadow). On their standardizied testing, they both blew the test away (as did DD10) -- they are capable.

The twins -- 3rd grade -- are being well-behaved (which means their ADHD meds are still working), BUT they seem SO bored! We are using R&S English, Saxon 3 Math and both seem to be SO dry and the twins seem to be able to do this in their sleep -- and I know that the beginning of any curric is review, but none of us seem to be enjoying either of them. I am thinking of going back to Singapore Math which we used in first grade and they used in private school last year and just seems better geared for us. English? I don't know -- R&S seems so DRY! Sonlight, maybe? My kids don't need to do 14 sentences to understand a concept -- they are bright and pick up things quickly.

 

All three are loving Science Odyssey - Chemistry (thankfully).

 

But, the History Odyssey Level One-Middle Ages also seems to drag a little for them. DD10 is loving HO-Middle Ages-Level Two, but, I have to say, the same time period in Level One, just isn't doing it for the twins. DS8 was so looking forward to the period of the Middle Ages, and he looks at me every day as if to say, 'Is today the day it gets interesting?'

 

The private school they attended last year was rigorous academically (I am tough and I think the school was rigorous); I am wondering if materials on the 3rd grade level are too easy for them.

 

HELP -- another week like this, and the three of us will be snoozing at our places! And, I am an incredibly animated teacher, and I cannot even make the material 'come alive.'

Did I make poor curriculum choices?

 

Am I still TOO much in the mode of classroom teacher and reluctant to move away from the curriculum they had in private school? Do I need to TWEAK more and pull material from here and there so it is interesting? Am I missing the WHOLE point of Homeschooling,:svengo:, and have I created a boring classroom at home? :confused::confused:

 

ARGHHHHHHHHH!

Edited August 28, 2009 by MariannNOVA
add info

[abbeyej]

Couple of quick thoughts...

 

Math: Saxon elementary runs about a grade behind. I think 3 is probably well below your students' level, and the style may not fit them either. It sounds like Singapore was working well and would be a better fit for them. I'd switch.

 

Grammar: Can you look through multiple lessons at a time, determine what they don't know, and present only that material? They don't have to write every sentence in every exercise in every lesson. If they grasp the material quickly, already know things, can do some work orally... Perhaps you can go more quickly and make it drag less. I would try that for another week or two before giving up and buying another curriculum for this subject (though others you might consider would be Calvert grammar 4 [available separately from the complete Calvert program], or perhaps Shurley would appeal to them?)...

 

For history, why not dump HO level 1 and just use SOTW and the AG and lots of library books? *If* the subjects studied lined up between HO level 1 and 2, it would be convenient, but they don't. I don't find HO level 1 to be an improvement over SOTW and the AG at all. If you want, I'll try to post below the SOTW chapters that line up to HO level 2 lessons (roughly), in case you want to do the same topics with your older dd and the twins. That way you'd be reading SOTW slightly out of order, but you'd all be on the same topics each week, and your older dd might enjoy joining you all for projects or read-alouds.

 

BTW, I find it difficult to read the bold formatting of your post...

[PeterPan]

Did you do the placement test on the the Saxon? I agree with Abbey, they're probably misplaced. You could do a combo of Singapore and Saxon, but you need to get the levels right.

 

On the R&S grammar, you could get the workbooks for it ($2.50) and do just the first few sentences in each section, as needed. You need to pare it down and make it work for you. Some people like to have their dc write out all those exercises as a way to increase writing (not so much for the grammar). If your kids are doing plenty of other writing, you can trim down the R&S. Do it, but don't belabor it. They're going to see it many other times over the next few years! You could even carry the grammar into your IEW time. For instance, if you're covering adjectives in R&S, then circle adjectives in your IEW model and try to include 3 colorful adjectives in your rewrite. Keep a running list of things you've covered in grammar and look for them in the IEW models. Carry the R&S skills over to your writing, and then you'll need less R&S.

 

The trick is not to change materials so much as to change how you're USING them. But I would change the level on that Saxon and add in the Singapore you liked. You may decide Saxon balances out Singapore and that you want them both.

[MariannNOVA]

Thank you for your insight and the incredibly helpful info -- I look forward to the other info you can provide, and I will stop using the bold -- sorry for that -- I was typing without my glasses (which were right on top of my head but I could not find them).

 

Yes, I agree with you about Singapore - in fact, ds8 came to me a minute ago, out of nowhere, and asked where the kind of math was that we did in first grade (singapore), so I think that is the right way to go.

 

I like the idea about SOTW and the AG (which are sitting right here) and the library books and still being in the same time period as DD10 -- the approach you suggest lends itself to a number of positive scenarios.

 

Thanks -- and sorry for the bold -- I should just have my glasses hot glued to my head.:glare:

[MIch elle]

:confused:

[MariannNOVA]

:confused:

 

 

:glare: My bad!

[HollyDay]

Deep breath and break out the chocolate!

 

Saxon is dry anyway, and being a grade behind would be a real problem. I agree with the other posters, it sounds like they need to be in Sax 54. Did you do the placement test for Saxon? It is available at cbd or the Saxon homeschool site.

 

Would a literature approach to homeschool work better? If so, there are many choices: SOTW, Beautiful Feet, Sonlight, etc.

 

How about some logic? It sounds like they would enjoy some logic games, puzzles and activity books. Logic Links, MindBenders, maze books, search and find, Rush Hour, Blockus, are all fun activities.

[Beach Mom]

The first 40 lessons of Saxon 3 are review. We take the tests until the kids score less than 90% and then start there. We also do one side Saxon and a couple Singapore Challenging word problems to mix it up. That said, if they have learned their math facts Saxon 54 may be more appropriate. You should be able to tell from the placement test.

 

For R&S it can be done almost completely orally. For us it gives us a chance to make it silly, write on the white board, do it out on the deck etc. You certainly don't need nearly all of those problems per lesson with one or two kids. Pick and choose a few until they understand the concept and then the lesson is finished. We do very little written work with R&S which is one of the things my kids have come to like about it.

 

IMO a week isn't long enough to tell if a curriculum is wrong, but if your math level seems off do some testing to see. I found sometimes just doing work on pink paper, using colored pencils instead of a boring lead pencil, doing the lesson on the white board instead of the worksheet or doing it under the kitchen table once in a while makes it a little more interesting.

 

Hang in there, the first week is always a big adjustment. The beauty of it is you can use the materials the way it suits your kids and tweak as needed.

[Rebecca VA]

Mariann: I just sent you an e-mail about a literature/writing class that a former teacher from T______ Christian School will be teaching for homeschoolers this year. Maybe your children would enjoy that.

[MariannNOVA]

Deep breath and break out the chocolate!

 

Saxon is dry anyway, and being a grade behind would be a real problem. I agree with the other posters, it sounds like they need to be in Sax 54. Did you do the placement test for Saxon? It is available at cbd or the Saxon homeschool site.

 

Would a literature approach to homeschool work better? If so, there are many choices: SOTW, Beautiful Feet, Sonlight, etc.

 

How about some logic? It sounds like they would enjoy some logic games, puzzles and activity books. Logic Links, MindBenders, maze books, search and find, Rush Hour, Blockus, are all fun activities.

 

 

:rolleyes: Ok -- I needed a moment so I wasn't typing with chocolate in my mouth! :lol: That will probably be the best suggestion I get all day.

 

Yes -- to the Literature approach -- I think for all of us, it would work better. We have SOTW, and we are surrounded by books and we are a hop, skip and a jump to the library.

 

And, Yes -- to the Logic - which I have to incorporate ito DD10's work so I will do so for the twins as well. Thanks for the suggestion -- I should not have overlooked Logic for all three.

 

And, yes, I did print out the placement test, no clue where I put it:001_huh:, as I was engrossed in DD10 and watching her come around to the fact that we would be homeschooling, and the placement test went :svengo:. All three of us enjoyed Singapore and I know I purchased grade 3 books and they are on the bookshelves so that is an easy fix.

 

I think today will be a good tweak day -- dd10 needs some library time, the twins can get lost in some books there and I can fix what needs to be fixed here.

 

Thank you again -- I have to go get more chocolate.......:leaving:

[AngieW in Texas]

I mostly agree with the others.

 

Your kids liked Singapore, so go back to it. Be sure to do the placement test first. They may not place where you think they will.

 

I don't like Saxon at all. I think Saxon is dry and boring and I would have failed math if that had been the program where I went to school. I don't learn the way that Saxon teaches. Other kids do learn the way that Saxon teaches, so it's a great fit for them.

 

I have never used R&S English. I actually just used Flashkids Language Arts at that age. It's very inexpensive ($6.95) and it's at every Barnes&Noble since the publisher has an exclusive agreement with them. I like Winston Grammar Basic starting in 5th grade. I prefer IEW for writing. For your twins, the best program would be either All Things Fun and Fascinating or Student Writing Intensive level A.

 

I would also try using SOTW2 with the twins and pulling in literature to go with it. There are suggestions in the Activity Guide. My kids didn't like the AG for SOTW1, so I didn't buy it for any of the other levels. I'll cut-and-paste the books that I used with SOTW2 when my kids were in 2nd and 5th grades. The age ranges after each book are the ages that I think will enjoy the book as a readaloud.

 

 

 

 

 

Europe, 500-1400

 

Tales of King Arthur (Usborne) - ages 6 and up

* Black Horses for the King (McCaffrey) - Lord Artos (later known as King Arthur) seeks horses strong enough to carry his knights in full armor, ages 10 and up

* Ballad of Sir Dinadan (Morris) - one of 4 King Arthur stories by this author, excellent, ages 8 and up

* The Squire's Tale (Morris) - another King Arthur tale, ages 8 and up

* Favorite Medieval Tales (Osborne) - ages 8 and up

* String in the Harp (Bond) - wonderful story about a family falls apart after the mother was killed in a car wreck and then moves to Wales. The son finds a harp key that belonged to a 6th century Welsh bard and sees his life story through the key and the whole family pulls back together again. There is some language in this book, so it's better as a readaloud where you can edit on the fly. ages 7 and up if you edit, ages 12 and up if you don't

* "Merlin and the Dragons" - short video about Merlin as a young boy, ages 5 and up

Usborne Time Travelers - Viking section, ages 5 and up

Captured by Vikings (Hauger) - story of two Irish children captured and enslaved by Vikings, ages 7 and up, but pretty intense in parts

The Saga of Erik the Viking (Jones) - historical fantasy adventure, ages 9 and up

* Favorite Norse Tales (Osborne) - ages 8 and up

* Gods and Goddesses of Vikings and Northlands (Ashworth) - ages 8 and up

Lost Diary of Erik the Red, Viking Warrior (Barlow and Skidmore) - spoof, ages 7 and up

* Viking Ships at Sunrise (Osborne) - Jack and Annie go back in time, ages 4 and up

* Viking It and Liking It (Scieza) - ages 8 and up

* Sea of Trolls (Farmer) - wonderful historical fantasy adventure, ages 10 and up

* Knights at Dawn (Osborne) - Jack and Annie go back in time, ages 4 and up

* Knights and Castles (Osborne) - Magic Treehouse research guide - ages 8 and up

* Castle Diary (Platt) - 11yo Tobias goes to his uncle's to serve as a page, ages 6 and up

* The Whipping Boy (Fleischman) - Prince Brat drags his whipping boy along when he runs away, available on audiocasette, ages 6 and up

Great and Terrible Quest (Lovett) - boy helps a knight complete his quest, ages 7 and up

* How to Train Your Dragon (Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III) - ages 8 and up

* The Apple and the Arrow (Buff) - William Tell, ages 5 and up

* Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine (Royal Diary) - Eleanor becomes queen of France at 15yo, ages 9 and up

* Robin Hood (Bull) - easy reader, ages 4 and up

* Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest (McGovern) - deeper version of Robin, ages 8 and up

* Minstrel in the Tower (Skurzinski) - two children search for the uncle they never knew they had when their father doesn't return from the Crusades and their mother gets sick, ages 5 and up

* Crispin (Avi) - boy must flee after being declared a "wolf's head", ages 8 and up

* Girl in a Cage (Yolen) - 11yo Marjorie, daughter of Robert the Bruce, is captured by King Edward and displayed in a cage, part of a series of 4 books set during the English/Scottish wars, ages 10 and up

* Door in the Wall (De Angeli) - son of a knight is crippled by disease, but manages to save the day, also available on audiocasette, ages 7 and up

Dragon: Hound of Honor (Edwards) - set in medieval France, ages 10 and up

* "Joan of Arc" - video about Joan of Arc in the children's video biography section

* "Princess Isabel of Castile" - Royal Diaries video, much better than the book

King Herla's Quest (Map) - collection of medieval folk tales by Walter Map, ages 10 and up

* Catherine, Called Birdy (Cushman) - Catherine doesn't want to get married, ages 10 and up

 

 

Asia and Middle East, 500-1400

 

Trolley to Yesterday (Bellairs) - two boys and a professor use a time trolley to go back in time, ages 8 and up

* Princess of the Moon and Stars - Royal Diaries series, set in 6th century Korea, ages 9 and up

* A Single Shard (Parks) - orphan in Korea works for a potter, tear-jerker, ages 7 and up

* Beduin's Gazelle (Temple) - betrothed cousins in a nomadic tribe are separated when he is sent to the city and she is lost in the desert, ages 10 and up

Kat and the Emperor's Gift (Bradford) - Kat travels back in time and meets Marco Polo and Kubilai Khan, has historical notes in the back, ages 7 and up

 

 

Europe, 1400-1650

 

* The Second Mrs. Giaconda (Konigsberg) - story of Leonardo told from the perspective of Giacomo (also known as Salai), ages 9 and up

* Daughter of Venice (Napoli) - set in 16th century Italy, historically accurate, need to pre-read this one, ages 10 and up

* The Warhorse (Bolognese) - set during the battles between Italian city-states, ages 7 and up

Kat and the Missing Notebooks (Bradford) - Kat and her aunt use their time machine to go back to Renaissance Italy and meet Leonardo da Vinci, ages 7 and up

* "Leonardo da Vinci" by Nest Entertainment in the children's video biography section - I didn't think this was very well done.

* Galileo and the Universe (Parker) - biography, ages 8 and up

* "Galileo" by Nest Entertainment in the children's video biography section

* Breaking into Print (Krensky)- picture-book detailing the change in how books were printed over time, ages 5 and up

* Mary, Bloody Mary - story of the first daughter of King Henry VIII, ages 10 and up

* Elizabeth I, Red Rose of Tudor (Royal Diaries series), ages 9 and up, also available on video

* Queen Elizabeth I (Greene) - nonfiction, ages 7 and up

* Assassin, Betrayal, Conspiracy (Finney) - first three Lady Grace Mystery books, Grace Cavendish is a maid of honor to Queen Elizabeth, ages 9 and up

Deception (Finney) - fourth Lady Grace Mystery, ages 9 and up

* King of Shadows (Cooper) - boy in present-day Shakespearean acting company goes back in time and meets Shakespeare, warning: parent committed suicide, pre-read this one, ages 10 and up

* Shakespeare Stealer (Blackwood) - apprentice is supposed to steal the script for Shakespeare's "Hamlet", also on audio, two sequels, ages 7 and up

* Stage Fright on a Summer Night (Osborne) - Magic Treehouse series, Jack and Annie travel back in time to see Shakespeare, ages 4 and up

* William Shakespeare and the Globe (Aliki) - Shakespeare, the original Globe and the rebuilt Globe, ages 4 and up

* "Shakespeare Can Be Fun" series (Burdett) - series of storybook versions of Shakespeare's plays, ages 5 and up

*Don Quixote and Sancho Panza (Hodges) - retelling of Don Quixote, ages 7&up

[MariannNOVA]

Angie: Thank you! You brought up something that I had not considered -- R&S (which I am finding dry) is probably not going to be a good fit with DD10 as she has been doing History and Math all week and we haven't done English yet -- thanks for the English suggestions.

 

The book list you provided is great -- we already have many of the titles lined up for our use, and I am going to see what you have on your list that we haven't acquired yet. I have the AG for SOTW 2 and I will give it a look. We also have an activity book for the middle ages (knights and damsels or something like that - Laurie Carlson, I think) THAT looks like a fun book and DD9 already has dog eared pages of projects she would like.

 

I'm off to buy some printer cartridges as I have lots to print from the info I have received here.:auto:

[msjones]

What an incredible book list from AngieW in Texas. I'll be keeping that!

 

For the OP, I'd definitely switch things up -- at least a bit.

 

My kids have never, ever complained that the Sonlight cores we do are boring -- they love it and want to do it first each day. I hear kids feel the same about Story of the World, although we haven't used that.

 

For your math, we LOVE the RightStart math games. They could easily supplement whatever curriculum you settle into. Again, my kids never complain about the games and want to do them every day. So fun! And easy to align with whatever topic you do in your 'regular' math each day.

 

Also, Susan Wise Bauer would never aprove of this, but we have loved it -- Bravewriter. Check out the Bravewriter web site for some great ideas for creative, soul-searching (for your twins!)writing. We use Bravewriter in addition to some of SWBs recommendations (WWE, copywork, dictation, grammar), and it has been a delightful addition to our school days.

 

Any of these would be fairly easy to 'add on' -- as opposed to major curriculum overhaul.

 

It sounds like you have great kids. Good luck with keeping your homeschool challenging and exciting!

[claire up north]

I think you need to give it a little more time before you jump ship. You had good reasons for picking the curricula you did; give it a little more time.

 

I'd start moving a lot faster through stuff that they found boring. Skip some pages in math; do just 3 or 4 items from each R&S excercise and then move on if they know it. I usually require about 4 pages in math per day. If pages 10-14 are important for them to do to, but they are boring, I might assign 10 & 11 and then skip to a totally different section (like some graphing or geometry stuff) and do pages 233 & 234.

 

I'd also start supplementing the grammar with some fun stuff. Make up some of your own goofy sentences. Pick sentences at random out of favorite books. Have kids write sentences with compound subjects or whatever they are supposed to be learning.

 

R&S is a very thorough program, but it *is* boring, imho. That's OK; not everything has to be a load of laughs. Just do what you can to spice it up.

 

Also, R&S can feel very tedious if you require kids to write out everything. I would photocopy the pages and let kids just mark the changes. Or, you could have them write one or two on the white board.

 

I hope something here helps. Good luck!

[MariannNOVA]

msjones: Thank you -- Bravewriter will be taking up some of my time this afternoon. Thank you again!

 

claire up north :seeya:: :seeya:Hi! Can I have the diet coke? and, thank you for your good advice, and your suggestions were good ones. I will try them. Glad I am not the only one who thinks that R&S is borrrrrrrrrrrring.

[Corraleno]

Your kids liked Singapore, so go back to it. Be sure to do the placement test first. They may not place where you think they will.

 

I don't like Saxon at all. I think Saxon is dry and boring and I would have failed math if that had been the program where I went to school. I don't learn the way that Saxon teaches. Other kids do learn the way that Saxon teaches, so it's a great fit for them.

 

I have never used R&S English. I actually just used Flashkids Language Arts at that age. It's very inexpensive ($6.95) and it's at every Barnes&Noble since the publisher has an exclusive agreement with them. I like Winston Grammar Basic starting in 5th grade. I prefer IEW for writing. For your twins, the best program would be either All Things Fun and Fascinating or Student Writing Intensive level A.

 

:iagree: with all of this.

 

It sounds like Singapore is much better suited to your kids' learning styles, and you already know they like it, so I would definitely go with that. The level of repetition in Saxon would drive my kids (and me) nuts.

 

For grammar you might look at Junior Analytical Grammar; it's recommended for 4th-5th grade, but I think a bright 3rd grader could do it. You would be able to use it for all three kids at once, it's quick, and it only lasts 11 weeks. If you use IEW for writing, that includes grammar as well. This year I plan to do Jr Analytical Grammar for 11 weeks, followed by IEW's Ancient History unit. They also have a Medieval history unit or, as Angie suggests, the "All Things Fun and Fascinating" unit would be a good choice as well. And Mad Libs are a fun, non-schooly way of reinforcing parts of speech.

 

Analytical Grammar website:

http://www.analyticalgrammar.com/junior-analytical-grammar

(Be sure to watch the videos that explain the products and why they are designed the way they are.)

 

Jackie

[MariannNOVA]

Jackie: Thank you so much! you've raised an important point -- FUN! and I am going to look at JAG -- anything I can do with all three at one time is a huge plus for me.

 

Thank you again!:001_smile: