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Name a curriculum you use & love that you think is underappreciated


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I sometimes wish everyone could be as excited about _________(fill in the blank) as I am & feel it's a bit underappreciated.

 

I'm not a curriculum hopper but am always on the lookout for things to use in the future. What currics do you use and wish more people knew about it?

 

Mine is IEW Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization.

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Write Source

 

It is written for the public school market, so I think it is dismissed by many, but I think it is one of the best writing curriculum out there. It breaks writing down into many small steps. I also like the grading rubrics included in the student manuals. It really allows the student to look at their own writing and see how one might improve. The writing examples are good.

 

I could gush on and on. I've tried many of the programs developed for the homeschool market, but I really wish I had had Write Source (the new edition) when my older kids were younger. I do like R&S writing included in their English and I do use it, but I also make writing its own class with Write Source.

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I love Writing Strands.

 

It is boring and simple and very incremental, but it teaches pretty much everything about writing, and does it in such a way as to preserve the writer's style.

 

For that matter, Writer's Jungle--a whole other approach to writing that preserves writing voice better than any other program around. More of a writing lifestyle than a curriculum, though.

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Mine is IEW Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization.
I was looking for something for poetry. Now I have something else to look at. Thanks.

 

I will check out Write Source too. That is a one I haven't looked at!

 

We love science ATM, but haven't used it for long, so I have nothing to add, unless you want to talk about preschool, loving those. :)

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The Harcourt Language series is a grammar and composition text book. It has a similar scope and sequence to Rod & Staff or similar texts but is secular and user friendly. It has plenty of extra practice problems within the text, but I also purchased the workbook for reinforcement. I bought both via amazon used for $3 or $4 each. I didn't purchase the teachers guide - not necessary for us. I recently purchased the coordinating vocabulary workbook and am waiting for delivery. The series is for grades 1-5; we're using the 5th grade book.

http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/homeschool-value-bundles.htm

 

Spelling Mastery is an incremental program for kids who stuggle with spelling. Again, I purchase this via either amazon or e-bay. I own all levels from C-F and will use them with both my dss. This is a fully scripted program and requires both the teachers manual and the student workbook. https://www.sraonline.com/di_family.html?section=3&family=3014

 

Little History of the World was written by the well known art historian E.H. Grombrich. Gombrich was an Austrian Jew who fled Nazi Germany in the '30's. He wrote the book during WWII. It's secular and extremly well written. It is a brief world history for the middle school years. While not as detailed, it outshines similar texts like the Story of Mankind by Van Loon in the quality of its writing. The audio book version is well read and cheap. http://www.amazon.com/Little-History-World-Classic-Collection/dp/078617286X/ref=tmm_abk_title_0

 

I probably have more but can't recall at the moment.

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BJU textbooks. They are more interesting than other textbooks and provide a great spine for further study. Even when we haven't done more than just read the text, my kids have retained a lot of information.

 

McDougal Littel's The Language of Literature. Most of the selections are complete poems and short stories. Very few excerpts from whole books compared to other Lit textbooks. A wide variety of authors from classical to modern. Good vocabualry lessons. Good grammar review. Good ideas for papers and projects.

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Vocabu-Lit for vocabulary. It makes more sense to me than Worldly Wise, and is easier to use than Vocabulary from Classical Roots.

 

Matin Latin. It used to be a recommendation from the older versions of the Veritas Press catalog and WTM, but it's not scripted and is thus harder to use for most people. I prefer having the minimal teaching materials though because I know a bit of Latin and perfer to teach it myself at the very early levels.

 

We've used Christian Light for three plus years now and it used to be almost unheard-of on these boards, but of course that changed ;).

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The "Best" books by Jamestown publishers. They have introductory, intermediate, and advanced books. I'm using the intro books. They take short stories, non fiction, poems, plays, etc., and then have the child analyze various components of each. My son has gotten a lot out of these books!

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Irasshai Japanese. I cannot believe how wonderful this program is. I ordered the dvd set through Georgia Public broadcasting for $100 and bought the books through Amazon. It is just PERFECT for my ten year old. Our whole family enjoys it. You can watch the videos for free online, but it wouldn't be the same for us.

 

http://dl.gpb.org/vsx/GPBPro/diglib_search/search (search for irasshai)

 

Science Jim. His Bite Size Physics book is just great.

 

http://www.sciencejim.com

 

Supercharged Science. http://www.superchargedscience.com/

 

The Happy Scientist. Fun videos. Gotta love Robert Krampf!

 

http://thehappyscientist.com/

 

McRuffy. http://mcruffy.com/SEAnnouncement.htm

 

Spelling Through Morphographs. Expensive, but for a child who really struggles with spelling, even reading, this has really changed the way ds13 looks at words. I waited for a good price on ebay.

 

Writeshop. I recently started using this and love it. Having kids in public school, I know how much writing they do. Other programs just wouldn't provide the explicit instruction and handholding I would need to compare. DS is a struggling writer, so he needed to start with the basics.

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Write Source

 

It is written for the public school market, so I think it is dismissed by many, but I think it is one of the best writing curriculum out there. It breaks writing down into many small steps. I also like the grading rubrics included in the student manuals. It really allows the student to look at their own writing and see how one might improve. The writing examples are good.

 

I could gush on and on. I've tried many of the programs developed for the homeschool market, but I really wish I had had Write Source (the new edition) when my older kids were younger. I do like R&S writing included in their English and I do use it, but I also make writing its own class with Write Source.

 

Can you tell me more about how you use this? I'd love to know what components are necessary, and which are helpful.

 

Do you buy the grade level materials or a handbook & skillbook for each age range (Write On Track, Writer's Express etc)?

 

The teacher's manuals for the current editions are pricey. Are they worth it?

 

I have Writer's Inc. and always thought that with a little planning, it could easily be a writing program. I never realized until today that they offered so much more than just the handbooks.

 

Last but not least, where do you order it from? It looks like Rainbow Resource carries quite a bit of it and the 2006 editions seem to have all parts of it available right now.

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Tatras Vertical Phonics-This we used to introduce all of the phonograms in a quick and easy manner. We use it to learn the word lists as well.

 

 

 

Let's Read, A Linguistic Approach by Leonard Bloomfield-this reading system is amazing and very easy to teach once all of the phonograms are known. We really enjoyed it and loved the stories. One manual gets you through k-3rd grade, maybe sooner depending on your readers.

 

 

 

Spelling Plus Dictation--I love knowing that the dictation sentences are there for me, and my son is really learning to spell using this method.

 

 

That's all for now! In 10 plus years of homeschool, these are the ones that really stand out and not that many people use them. :)

 

Dee :)

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I discovered Jolly Phonics this year. It is a UK program; I believe I read that roughly 1/3rd of British schools use it as their phonics program.

 

For me, it features a great combination of solid phonics with a bit of fun, color, and movement that appeal to little ones. So it's quite age appropriate. Jolly Phonics offers a wide range of supplemental products to help the process along. The good news is that they are multisensory and keep things fun for my daughter. The bad news is that they can get rather expensive. ;)

 

I started the program with my daughter when she was about 3 years 9 months, and we are going through it at a gentle pace. She is now reading simple words, including diagraphs.

 

Here is the UK website:

 

http://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

 

And here is the website for the American distributor:

 

http://www.beereading.com/

 

Hope this helps somebody.

 

Great thread, by the way! :)

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Can you tell me more about how you use this? I'd love to know what components are necessary, and which are helpful.

 

Do you buy the grade level materials or a handbook & skillbook for each age range (Write On Track, Writer's Express etc)?

 

The teacher's manuals for the current editions are pricey. Are they worth it?

 

I have Writer's Inc. and always thought that with a little planning, it could easily be a writing program. I never realized until today that they offered so much more than just the handbooks.

 

Last but not least, where do you order it from? It looks like Rainbow Resource carries quite a bit of it and the 2006 editions seem to have all parts of it available right now.

 

Hewitt offers an Write Source elementary syllabus. I picked up a teacher's manual 2 years ago for $2 plus postage on Amazon.

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I discovered Jolly Phonics this year. It is a UK program; I believe I read that roughly 1/3rd of British schools use it as their phonics program.

 

For me, it features a great combination of solid phonics with a bit of fun, color, and movement that appeal to little ones. So it's quite age appropriate. Jolly Phonics offers a wide range of supplemental products to help the process along. The good news is that they are multisensory and keep things fun for my daughter. The bad news is that they can get rather expensive. ;)

 

I started the program with my daughter when she was about 3 years 9 months, and we are going through it at a gentle pace. She is now reading simple words, including diagraphs.

 

Here is the UK website:

 

http://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

 

And here is the website for the American distributor:

 

http://www.beereading.com/

 

Hope this helps somebody.

 

Great thread, by the way! :)

 

 

We use jolly phonics here too. The writers are from Britian but now live about 5 minutes from my parents here in Alberta. The program is very good and gentle. Ds likes the actions used to remember the sounds of each letter. They have 2 forms of print, so be careful how you order, one has the fancier manuscript letters, we opted toorder the ones in print form (basic ball and stick form) to make it easier for ds who was struggling with basic letter formation.

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I sometimes wish everyone could be as excited about _________(fill in the blank) as I am & feel it's a bit underappreciated.

 

I'm not a curriculum hopper but am always on the lookout for things to use in the future. What currics do you use and wish more people knew about it?

 

Mine is IEW Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization.

 

We have struggled with Science since we started homeschooling 5 years ago! Singapore Science MPH 3/4 (my 3rd grader) and 5/6 (my 5th grader) is a wonderful fit for us and we LOVE it! I am pleased with the quality of the projects and the thoroughness of the additional workbooks (hmwk & HOTS).

 

Blessings,

Angela

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I like Hands-on standards for math supplementation. I have a TON of manips but never knew how to properly use them. Now every Firday we do a lesson in this book. There is 4 levels pre-k/K, gr 1/2, gr 3/4 and gr 5/6. The books can get pricey but are non-consumable, and at pace we are going each one will last close to 2 school years.

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I love Simply Spelling from Shoelace Books. It's a non-consumable bargain for grades 3-12 and is filled with copywork gems as well as daily exercises for spelling.

 

 

:iagree: I love this too. I've been using it for my 3rd grader. I also love their Simply English A for my 1st grader. After we finished phonics I didn't know what to do until we start R&S English 2. This fit the bill.

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Thanks for this thread!

 

I had stumbled across Write Source, it looked fantastic, so I purchased (from Rainbow Resource) the first two books for my K-1 girl. I was wondering why people didn't talk about it more on WTM, good to know my initial thoughts are confirmed, that it is a great program!

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MFW Kindergarten. Getting ready to start it for my 4th kindergarten. PEople say its not "rigorous" enough, but I lean towards a gentle fun kindergarten with memories of children being "wooed" to learning at home....MFWK did this EVERY time. WE LOVE IT!!!

 

Its precious!

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Thanks for this thread!

 

I had stumbled across Write Source, it looked fantastic, so I purchased (from Rainbow Resource) the first two books for my K-1 girl. I was wondering why people didn't talk about it more on WTM, good to know my initial thoughts are confirmed, that it is a great program!

 

I think the reason Write Source is not talked about much on these boards is that it takes a much different approach to writing than WTM. Write Source follows more of a ps approach in 6-trait writing, brainstorming, original writing, etc. WTM feels that writing in the grammar stage should be copywork from great examples of literature rather than producing original material (which in WTM happens more as you transition into the logic stage).

 

Write Source may be a great resource if you want to follow more closely with what the local schools are doing in K-4, but philosophically it differs from the WTM/classical model. (I researched it a lot when I was hashing out how to teach writing, so I hope this helps someone with all the confusion I sorted through :).)

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Darla,

 

I would recommend the 2005-2007 editions. They are all titled Write Source and then have a grade level after the title. I do have some of the older versions, but feel that the new edition is much better put together. The older versions I have seem to be more of a handbook and the new ones are much more lessons. Hope that makes sense.

 

I have used the student book and the teacher's edition in the past. The teacher's edition is the student book with teaching ideas around those pages. It also has a section with helps for planning and meeting state standards. It also helps you to tie all of the other pieces into your writing lessons. I don't use the Language Workout or skillbook because I am happy with R&S and Shurley English for grammar skills. I am not using the Teacher's Edition for my younger girls this year and am doing fine without it. I do have it for my son because I was able to get it for free from the school library. I am glad I got the TE the first year I used it. It has suggestions for teaching below grade level and for challenging excelling students. In that way, I was able to use it for three students all on different levels. And I don't really think that the grade levels are that important. If you are able to get an used book that is a grade level above or below your student;s level it will be fine. Also, in that way the books can be used for more than one year. I have not been able to fit a whole book in a school year so we use the books for about 1 1/2 years or so each.

 

Let me know if you have anymore questions.

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We have liked the Stack the Deck writing series. I have a reluctant writer, so I appreciate that it is very incremental.

 

Thinking in Threes by Brian Backman, Cottonwood Press, has been a great writing supplement. It is in a workbook format, kinda fun - not dry, and offers some good tools to allow students to brainstorm, come up with a thesis, organize an essay and write catchy introductions. Not a complete writing course but a good break for middle or high schoolers.

 

Figuratively Speaking by The Learning Works has been useful for going over story elements, poetic and figurative language, and literary techniques. You can jump around and incorporate the sections in with your other studies, or just go through from beginning to end and do this book on its own.

 

Someone else mentioned Great Source and we have used the Daybooks of Critical Reading and Writing, as well as the Daybooks for Life Science, Physical Science and Earth Science. They are all set out in a read and respond format to get students thinking about the text. These have been a useful supplement for us. They are kinda spendy new, but I have found them on paperbackswap and betterworldbooks or half.com, so I was able to get them for much less.

 

We also like the Key to Algebra series from Key Curriculum Press. We use them as a supplement here. They are inexpensive, very straightforward, and good review.

 

Kathleen

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Crimson Wife, Can you provide a bit more info about this book? I like and have used their sentence combining workbooks and am wondering about this new text.

 

I haven't used any of the Killgallons' other workbooks so unfortunately I can't compare them for you. The grammar covered includes subjects & predicates; sentence tools including words, phrases, and dependent clauses; and positions of those tools including openers, S-V splits, and closers. The student practices the grammar by imitating model sentences taken from classic and modern children's literature.

 

Folks should be aware that a number of the sentence models are from the Harry Potter series. So parents who are uncomfortable having their children read even individual sentences from Ms. Rowling's books should pass on this particular workbook.

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I used Jolly phonics with my youngest and think the physical movements they incorporate to remember each letter or letter combination is soooo creative and cool. It's a very well done program.

 

I'm so happy to find other people who have used (and liked) Jolly Phonics!

 

Since I'm still at the beginning with this program (through the 42 letter sounds, starting to blend and read words), do you have any advice for me on implementation? How far did you go with the program . . . how long did you use it? And did you use something else for phonics after Jolly Phonics?

 

Thanks much! :)

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Pentime Handwriting! It is soooo good and so few people even know about it. The transition from print to cursive is wonderful and the books are so fun and age appropriate. My 1st grader has pictures to color at the top of the page, while my older son (when he still did handwriting), had neat educational blurbs to write. It is such a great handwriting program. I can't say enough good about it. :)

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I discovered Jolly Phonics this year. It is a UK program; I believe I read that roughly 1/3rd of British schools use it as their phonics program.

 

For me, it features a great combination of solid phonics with a bit of fun, color, and movement that appeal to little ones. So it's quite age appropriate. Jolly Phonics offers a wide range of supplemental products to help the process along. The good news is that they are multisensory and keep things fun for my daughter. The bad news is that they can get rather expensive. ;)

 

I started the program with my daughter when she was about 3 years 9 months, and we are going through it at a gentle pace. She is now reading simple words, including diagraphs.

 

Here is the UK website:

 

http://www.jollylearning.co.uk/

 

And here is the website for the American distributor:

 

http://www.beereading.com/

 

Hope this helps somebody.

 

Great thread, by the way! :)

 

:iagree:

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Little History of the World was written by the well known art historian E.H. Grombrich. Gombrich was an Austrian Jew who fled Nazi Germany in the '30's. He wrote the book during WWII. It's secular and extremly well written. It is a brief world history for the middle school years. While not as detailed, it outshines similar texts like the Story of Mankind by Van Loon in the quality of its writing. The audio book version is well read and cheap. http://www.amazon.com/Little-History-World-Classic-Collection/dp/078617286X/ref=tmm_abk_title_0

 

 

 

:iagree: I love this too.

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