How important are AP subject test (English Lit. for example)?

[Kfamily]

I checked out a McGraw Hill 5 Steps to a 5 for AP English Literature just to see what it looked like....oh my....:eek:! I don't think I am nearly well-educated enough to prepare dds for anything like this.

 

If we needed to prepare for a test like this... what curricula would help you?

 

If we needed to prepare for a test like this...wow...what a motivator for me to get my act together. Please tell me there is still hope and time for me! What would you suggest I do to start setting a plan into place to achieve these goals?

[Gwen in VA]

According to your info at the bottom of your post, your oldest is 12. RELAX!

 

Provide your kids with challenging material. Enjoy them. Help them to get excited about learning. Help them develop their passions. Encourage them to read and write.

 

But there is as much difference between your two kids (6 years, I think) as there is between your oldest and her likely high school graduation date. She will change and grow so much between now and then....What seems impossible now will be possible in a few years.

[readwithem]

According to your info at the bottom of your post, your oldest is 12. RELAX!

 

Provide your kids with challenging material. Enjoy them. Help them to get excited about learning. Help them develop their passions. Encourage them to read and write.

 

But there is as much difference between your two kids (6 years, I think) as there is between your oldest and her likely high school graduation date. She will change and grow so much between now and then....What seems impossible now will be possible in a few years.

 

:iagree: You will be amazed how independent your 12 yo will be in 6 years!! Just relax and enjoy this time together. When she's ready for the APs, she'll be able to prepare and study independently.

 

One thing we found with homeschooling was the flexibility to set aside home studies and work toward outside testing goals (APs, SATs) that have specific deadlines, even if that meant everything else went into the summer a bit.

[Blue Hen]

I agree with what the others said but I'll add one thing to your plate. Starting today (or sometime soon) read classics that your child might read in high school. Read books that you wish you had read in high school. Visit sites such as PBS' American Novel to id books to read, and read them. If you haven't done so read through the book Well Educated Mind and read the books listed in there. Use the book list in The Well-Trained Mind and start reading these books now.

 

Also, in high school we used several outside teachers for areas I was not comfortable teaching or leading my child through. AP English Lit was one of those topics.

[MomsintheGarden]

:iagree:

With what the wise posters have said above.

 

I have two dc who have taken and at least passed 3 AP's each. Currently my dd (17) is studying for the English Lit AP and two others. I would never have dreamed that my easily distracted 12yo would have changed into a very studious, efficient high school senior!

 

How did we get here from there? I started using the WTM when she was in elementary school, and she's been reading the classics using that resource and the WEM for years. I have been reading and discussing them ALONG with her. She also studied writing, vocabulary, grammar, math, history, and science extensively - just what I bet you are doing now.

 

The only thing I would have done differently would have been to systematically study literary and rhetoric terms beginning in middle school. A good resource for that age is Figuratively Speaking. I am using that with my 12yo6th grader now. It has about 40 terms, and we usually study 1 term/week, reviewing the others. He's started noticing things in his reading (yeah!). I have also read and recommend Deconstructing Penguins and How to Read Literature Like a Professor to get your brain turned in that direction.

 

For High School, I like Essential Literary Terms, and plan to use it with my youngers. You could get that now and start it slowly. There is a TM for it, too.

 

For now, just keep on doing what you've been doing. Read with and alongside your children. Keep your eyes on the future, but don't get stressed about it.

 

Enjoy the ride!

GardenMom

[Kfamily]

Thank you ladies so much! Your advice is so valuable to me! I do have Figuratively Speaking and Prose and Poetry (Walch Toolbox) and I have just recently finished working a schedule for these two resources. I also plan on use the WEM/TWTM ideas for reading literature and history. Thanks for the encouragement! I know she seems young to worry about this, but it seems this year (7th) has almost completely zipped by and it has been one of our roughest (not with regard to her but with regard to life changes). I feel 8th and then high school looming. I will look for Deconstructing Penguins ,How to Read Literature Like a Professor and Essential Literary Terms . (I do have How to Read a Book)

Edited February 3, 2010 by Kfamily

[MomsintheGarden]

(I do have How to Read a Book)

 

FWIW, I had, read, and sold How to Read a Book. I found it incredibly boring and not helpful. I liked the WEM much better. YMMV, but I just wanted to give you a warning.

 

Also, I feel I must give you a warning about making everything you and your dd read into a lot of work. By all means, take some books and analyze them, write about them, etc., but read others just to read them, too.

 

I hope that makes sense!

 

GardenMom

[TravelingChris]

Also, your child can go to great colleges without AP tests.