Driving myself crazy with curriculum!!!!

[Mom in High Heels]

Ack!!! After reading WTM, I've decided to cobble together my own curriculum instead of going with WP Sea and Sky, like I had planned. I'm driving myself crazy. These boards don't help because every time I think I've made a decision, I read about a program someone else is using and I want to try that one! ;)

Anyway, Indy (dyslexic and a slow reader) is going to be in 3rd grade next year and I think this is what we will do. Tell me if you think it's enough/too much/not enough.

 

History Odyssey-Middle Ages

Map Trek

REAL Science Odyssey-Chemistry

MCT-Island Series

TT-4 (Math)

Minimus Latin

German (Rosetta Stone)

 

The only thing I don't know about is spelling. Does MCT include spelling or do I need to add it?

[Suzybearybake]

I have a ds who is dyslexic and has CAPD, what you have listed would have overwhelmed him in a heart beat. Foreign language was not even an option. We have opted to go with sign language. Hands on curriculum work best for him. All ABout Spelling, Sequential Spelling, Math-U-See, Right Start Math, Teaching Textbooks, Story of the World, Hands-on English with Linking Blocks, The Sentence Family, Growing With Grammar, Institute for Excellence in Writing, Explode the Code, Toe BY Toe, Apologia Science, and Considering God's Creation have all been successes in our home. Dyslexics tend to do better with mulitiple choice and matching. That way their word retrevial issues don't get in the way. Multisensory programs tend to stick better. The last 2 SoTW books depend more on outlining and we had to switch, but the first two were great for him. Let me know if you have any questions. What are you using for remediation? Barton and Wilson are both good options.

[MelanieM]

We just started MCT with my rising 3rd grader. I'm thinking you need to be a strong reader to get the most from this program at this age, so I'm not sure it would be the best fit if you're having reading struggles. That said, I have no experience with dyslexic children and only minimal with MCT, so others could likely speak to each of these points more clearly.

 

Oh, and no, MCT does not include spelling.

[Mom in High Heels]

 

Oh, and no, MCT does not include spelling.

 

Thanks for letting me know! I guess I'll need to figure out something for that.

 

Foreign language was not even an option. We have opted to go with sign language

 

We live in Europe so he hears foreign language all the time and has a fairly good grasp of basic German. He wants to learn more so he can talk to the German kids when he goes to the play place at IKEA. :lol: When we went on our cruise last month, he wanted to know how to say basics like "Hello" "Thank You" etc, in the countries we visited, so he was working Spanish, French, Italian and Arabic. He likes stuff like that, so a more formal program than what we've been doing (days of the week, weather, basic German phrases) is really exciting to him.

 

We just started MCT with my rising 3rd grader. I'm thinking you need to be a strong reader to get the most from this program at this age, so I'm not sure it would be the best fit if you're having reading struggles.

 

Hmmmm....now I don't know. He is a slow reader, but his vocabulary is amazing. At 5 he tested in the 15-18 year range for vocab and verbal skills (and believe me he exercises his verbal skills at every opportunity) and while he has trouble reading, he gets incredibly bored with more basic LA. Drat. Now I'm going to have rethink MCT.

 

Can anyone else weigh in on this? Please?

[Colleen in NS]

Anyway, Indy (dyslexic and a slow reader) is going to be in 3rd grade next year and I think this is what we will do. Tell me if you think it's enough/too much/not enough.

 

History Odyssey-Middle Ages

Map Trek

REAL Science Odyssey-Chemistry

MCT-Island Series

TT-4 (Math)

Minimus Latin

German (Rosetta Stone)

 

The only thing I don't know about is spelling. Does MCT include spelling or do I need to add it?

 

We live in Europe so he hears foreign language all the time and has a fairly good grasp of basic German. He wants to learn more so he can talk to the German kids when he goes to the play place at IKEA. :lol: .....He likes stuff like that, so a more formal program than what we've been doing (days of the week, weather, basic German phrases) is really exciting to him.

 

He is a slow reader, but his vocabulary is amazing. ....while he has trouble reading, he gets incredibly bored with more basic LA.

 

If he is a slow reader and dyslexic, I would stick to basic skills, just to get started.

 

- reading practice (does he need phonics still? practice with phonograms from a multisensory program? etc.)

 

- spelling (I'm thinking multisensory - WRTR, SWR, AAS to name a few)

 

- grammar (FLL and R&S are both simple, thorough, and don't take long to do)

 

- writing (copywork or dictation, plus narration)

 

- math

 

I probably would hold off on starting Latin, until his English skills get a little more cemented, esp. the reading. But if he's keen on German, have fun with Rosetta Stone! Maybe have RS be a "fun" component of school, but not required when he gets bogged down in the basic requirements of school?

 

I don't know anything about the history and science programs you mentioned, but I would keep history and science simple (after getting a good routine going in the basic academic skills) - reading through a "spine" book over the year for each, reading supplementary library books, using this reading to do his writing skills mentioned above, and maybe some fun activities around it like experiments, drawing, colouring, crafts, re-enactments, etc.. Though I do have to say I ADORE MapTrek, and I'd probably try to make that a "requirement" along with history reading. :D It's simple to use anyway. :D

 

hth

[Mom in High Heels]

Thanks Colleen, but I think that would be too easy for him. We do rigorous work. History and Geography are his favorite subjects (he plans to be an archeologist when he grows up-more specifically he plans to be Indiana Jones :D). I showed him MapTrek and he was crazy excited. If I kept History and Geography simple he's be bored to tears. He eats history and wants to know as much as he can about it. We've already done the ancients and as much as he'd LOVE to study them exclusively (especially ancient Egypt and Rome), he's excited to start learning about the middle ages, especially since he's been to about a million castles. :)

He wants to learn Latin. When we were in Pompeii and Rome a few weeks ago, he really, really wanted to be able to read what was on all the buildings and ruins and asked if we could add Latin next year.

We've been doing some work with the Davis method for his dyslexia and his reading is really improving. I think once he starts reading he's going to devour everything he can get his hands on.

I'm really on the fence now about LA. I don't want it to be too hard, but I don't want it to bore him either. Why is this so hard??????

[Colleen in NS]

Thanks Colleen, but I think that would be too easy for him. We do rigorous work. History and Geography are his favorite subjects.... I showed him MapTrek and he was crazy excited. If I kept History and Geography simple he's be bored to tears.

 

When I mentioned keeping history/geography and science simple, I was assuming that you'd be spending more time rigourously doing basic skills like math, learning to read well, spelling, grammar, and writing. It was more like, "Since you'll probably be devoting a lot of energy to basic skills, it's OK to ease up on content subjects if you like." I guess I assumed that because I saw mention of his reading trouble more than once.

 

But it looks like you have one child, so maybe you'll have more time to go crazy on history and geography after doing the other things. Have fun!

 

He wants to learn Latin.

 

That's great he has the desire. If you've got time and energy after the other things, go for it. If you have a time and energy crunch, though, I wouldn't prioritize this until his other basic academic skills are progressing.

 

I think once he starts reading he's going to devour everything he can get his hands on.

 

THIS is great! It's a lot of fun to watch happen. My dd learned to read several years after the age when my son did, and to watch her start devouring books was priceless.

 

I'm really on the fence now about LA. I don't want it to be too hard, but I don't want it to bore him either. Why is this so hard??????

 

What part of LA? LA consists of separate skills: reading, spelling, grammar, and writing. You can look for an all-in-one program, or you can cobble together separate programs. For example, in grammar stage I used WRTR to teach how to read and how to spell, FLL and then R&S for grammar (FLL 3 and 4 weren't out yet), and copywork/dictation and narration for writing skills. I would think it would be easier to cobble things together, because then you can tailor each skill-book to his level. Maybe because of his reading trouble, he wouldn't be ready for a "third grade" level spelling book, but he could do a "third grade" level grammar book. Or, maybe he needs a "second grade" level grammar. Or something like that. Try having a look at separate skill programs and see if you can figure out what would fit him.

[Matryoshka]

The MCT LA includes grammar, writing, vocab and poetry. No spelling. It was originally written for gifted kids, and while I think it can be used very well for "regular" kids in a home setting, I think especially at the Island level, it doesn't have enough "nuts 'n' bolts" type writing for kids who need more practice. I don't know if you've got a penmanship program, but that may be another thing to add. It also sounds like you're using a program for reading, so you have that covered.

 

I'd definitely suggest adding a spelling program to it, and for writing I find WWE to be a great complement to Island level to get that "nuts 'n' bolts" stuff out of the way. I wouldn't be afraid to take it slow and do the Island level over two years, even. It's a big jump up to the next level (Town), and there's no rush at all to get there.

 

And hey, take advantage of all the language learning opportunities living in Europe! I'm jealous. :D At that age he'll pick up tons just being around other kids, if you can find a way to make that happen regularly. Do you speak any German?

[ElizabethB]

On my Leigh Print page, there is an explanation of Leigh Print and a link to a document in this print in German and English, A New Guide to Modern Conversation."

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/leighprint.html

 

Give him a week or so to get used to the print, it might take a while. It may prove too distracting, or it may be very helpful, special prints can go either way with my struggling students. My older students usually find them helpful, most of my younger students find them distracting but some find them helpful.

 

I found it helpful for my German!

[Mom in High Heels]

When I mentioned keeping history/geography and science simple, I was assuming that you'd be spending more time rigourously doing basic skills like math, learning to read well, spelling, grammar, and writing. It was more like, "Since you'll probably be devoting a lot of energy to basic skills, it's OK to ease up on content subjects if you like." I guess I assumed that because I saw mention of his reading trouble more than once.

 

But it looks like you have one child, so maybe you'll have more time to go crazy on history and geography after doing the other things. Have fun!

 

Yes, I have just the one child, so it is easy to do lots of stuff. I see what you're saying. We do a lot of writing, reading, and copy work with science and history. With the writing and copy work we do talk a lot about sentence structure, spelling, etc. He does have trouble reading, but his memory is amazing.

 

 

That's great he has the desire. If you've got time and energy after the other things, go for it. If you have a time and energy crunch, though, I wouldn't prioritize this until his other basic academic skills are progressing.

 

 

We won't be doing a lot of Latin, just once or twice a week at most unless he really takes to it. He was quite frustrated by not being able to read the Latin in Rome and decided then and there that we needed to add it to school. I told him I'd think about and he said, no we had to do it because he needed to learn it. Of course he also wants to learn Egyptian and Chinese. He's got a good ear for language, so I guess that's a good thing.

 

Matroyshka,

My German is minimal at best, though enough that I can get by and figure things out and even have very basic conversations. You have to know a few things to be able to drive over here or you'd never figure out what's going on and end up in France or Poland. :001_huh: The biggest problem I have is that EVERYONE speaks English. If they say they don't, they're lying! They all speak it and generally want to speak English with Americans instead of German (probably because we butcher their language so badly). After 8 years, you'd think I'd be fluent, but no.

[ElizabethB]

Yes, they all speak English and are impatient if your German is slow and stumbling. In our 4 years in Germany, I spoke more German on a 3 week TDY to Berlin ( I was in the Air Force then) than our entire tour in the K-town area. My poor German was appreciated in Berlin!

 

A friend with a dyslexic 2nd grader is currently borrowing my Grammar Island. While her 5th grader is getting more out of it, her 2nd grader is enjoying it and learning a lot. It can work with a dyslexic student. It is a really fun way to learn grammar! Even with my 2nd grader who is reading fluently, we are doing MCT lightly, we read through a bit more than half of Grammar Island and about half of the poetry book. We will add some of the writing and sentence analysis next year.

[H0MEFree]

Don't shoot.... but in my opinion Spelling is not necessary.