Is MFW high school meaty enough?

[Excelsior! Academy]

I reallly am leaning toward MFW for high school. I don't know why. I have been dead set on doing a straight WTM history until now. Other than previewing certain books that MFW carries to see if they match with our beliefs, I like the literature they pick. It just doesn't have as much primary source readings as I would like.

 

How long each day does it take?

 

Is it hard to add in extra literature?

 

Anyone BTDT and have advice?

[Brindee]

My dd is doing the MFW AHL for 9th next year, and it SEEMS meaty to me! I'll be interested to see what responses you get!

 

:lurk5:

[Donna A.]

MFW uses Notgrass as its main spine for history, as well as the book "In Their Own Words" which contains excerpts of original sources.

 

She will write EVERY day (or nearly every day), and she'll write for both Bible and history as well as English. My dd did an Argumentative paper already in Week 1. (Includes hand-holding instructions if you don't know how.) As of week 19, she's done a Nation Project project twice, and other papers on various topics in addition to the daily writing.

 

The Lit Supplement guide has deeper thought/comprehension questions for the scheduled literature, along with biblical worldview and vocabulary. Grammar is also taught, but my dd is doing Easy Grammar Plus, as well.

 

You'll find suggestions for more reading in the manual, and I've also assigned some titles from the Ambleside list. MFW also recommends the SAT & College Prep Course for the Christian Student by James Stobaugh, and that is one awesome book! There's a lengthy list of recommended titles in there, too, sorted by which ones should ideally be read in which year of high school.

 

She'll read the entire Old Testament from cover to cover in AHL, and the entire New Testament in WHL. She'll read and study from other sources along with the Bible... The New Answers book is one hefty piece of work! No fluff there! :tongue_smilie:

 

So yes, there's plenty there, and it is quite meaty. MFW is definitely college prep material. Also realize that each year builds on the previous year... And while some weeks of AHL are lighter than others, on those "heavier" weeks, she won't have extra time (or the desire) to read a lot of extras. ;)

[Donna A.]

Oh, and it takes about 3 hours a day for the three subjects done in MFW, give or take. She may have "homework" scattered throughout the week as some assignments take more than just the allotted 3-hour timeframe. Friday's usually a wee bit lighter, so she has to wrap up anything she didn't get done earlier in the week. There's also a scheduled meeting time with a parent on Fridays, but we find ourselves discussing randomly at other points during the week, too.

 

If we let anything slide over til the weekend, it's Bible. She actually had to back off the Bible reading schedule a bit. I'm letting her follow the 40-week schedule in the OT Challenge book, rather than the 36-week schedule in MFW lesson plans.

[Brindee]

 

If we let anything slide over til the weekend, it's Bible. She actually had to back off the Bible reading schedule a bit. I'm letting her follow the 40-week schedule in the OT Challenge book, rather than the 36-week schedule in MFW lesson plans.

That's good to know, Donna. We do lots of other Bible stuff, so to spread it out over the 40 week schedule may be a good idea! Thank you for sharing that! :001_smile:

[Donna A.]

That's good to know, Donna. We do lots of other Bible stuff, so to spread it out over the 40 week schedule may be a good idea! Thank you for sharing that! :001_smile:

 

Brindee, it does cause them to get off track just a wee bit as far as tying Bible in with some other assignments. For example, she had an assignment to complete a chart of the Kings while reading through the books of Kings. So that was off a bit. I've given her a bit more time to complete the chart in order to keep pace with the actual reading of Kings. Thus, you'll want to keep an eye out for things like that.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Donna A. Thank you! Your post eased many of my concerns.

 

 

I guess we'll work in extras in the summer or as Daddy's read alouds at night. Or *gasp* realize we really can't do it all. LOL! It's getting harder and harder for me to realize that!

[Rhondabee]

I reallly am leaning toward MFW for high school. I don't know why. I have been dead set on doing a straight WTM history until now. Other than previewing certain books that MFW carries to see if they match with our beliefs, I like the literature they pick. It just doesn't have as much primary source readings as I would like.

 

How long each day does it take?

 

Is it hard to add in extra literature?

 

Anyone BTDT and have advice?

 

Take everything I say with a grain of salt, because I haven't started using MFW yet.

 

One of the reasons I'm switching to MFW from doing a "mom-planned Ancients" year for 9th grade is that it is too tempting to over-do it. We had a great if too-full year last year, and if I weren't having daily migraines and having to work part-time I would be tempted to continue the insanity. But it was INSANE!

 

Honestly, I am constantly on a see-saw of relief and worry about choosing MFW. Worry because, yes, I can relate to those moments of knowing I'm leaving part of my homeschool ideals; (said with a touch a sarcasm) You know, "How will my DS ever survive in this world if his 10th grade year isn't exclusively focused on the Middle Ages and Renaissance?"

 

(OK, confession time - I had visions of achieving some full scholarship to some classical college. But honestly? My ds doesn't share that dream, and it's time for me to give it up, ya know?)

 

But, back to my see-saw analogy....When I think back to my own high school experience, I realize how much more MFW is going to offer. I mean - Look - I even started a "books that we're going to read this year that are on the WTM list" list trying to calm my fears, and I finally realized that this was a pretty pathetic worry. I need to relax!!! This is a great curriculum! I need to trust it and master it. After all, I NEVER READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS BEFORE I STARTED HOMESCHOOLING AND I HAVE TWO COLLEGE DEGREES!!! So why I am freaking out about not doing *harder* versions of these books with some other method or curriculum for homeschooling HIGH SCHOOL?!

 

OK - if you must know - these are the WTM-approved books/authors I listed before I decided this list was a waste of time :)

Shakespeare - Julius Caesar

7 weeks is then spent on a Research paper during which Literature is optional. We might add in Augustine here IDK?

Beowulf (Heaney)

Everyman

Canterbury Tales (selection)

Sir Gawain & The Green Knight (excerpt) - I do wish this was complete. May add above.

Renaissance poetry: Spenser, Marlowe, Raleigh, Donne, Milton

Erasmus - The Praise of Folly

Shakespeare - Sonnets

Paradise Lost - excerpt

Practicing His Presence (not on WTM - a modern work, I think)

Pilgrim's Progress

At this point, Week 17, I stopped my list since I was really only concerned about Medieval pieces when I was making my list. This was just the pieces listed under "Literature", and did not include the primary sources studied in history, IIRC.

 

And, I don't know about the Ancients year, but in the World History there is a list of almost 30 historical fiction books and almost 40 movies in the appendix (all of which are optional) which you can add in to kick it up a notch as well as the SAT prep book mentioned earlier in the thread.

 

Anyway, I hope that helps!

 

Mostly I guess I am typing this all out for my own benefit - LOL! Something concrete I can come back to in my less-than-stellar moments when I know that my DH just can't relate to my lack of confidence.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Rhondabee

[Excelsior! Academy]

Rhondabee

 

I also have an education without having been well read in many of the subjects I wish I had. I guess my similar dream for my dc is vanishing too.

 

This did help a lot, thank you!

[Donna A.]

I'm guess I'm missing something.... what makes you think your child won't be well read by using MFW? There are a number of great books included in the MFW packages... NONE of which I read in high school, nor did my dh read any of them all the way through his undergrad, graduate, or (so far) seminary degree programs. Not to mention all the other *optional* titles are listed. Plus if you use the recommended SAT book, you'll get a good deal more from that source.

 

I don't know, I guess I think that MFW just makes SENSE for the person who wants a good, solid, college prep course which includes several great classics without the hassle of trying to pull it all together themselves. :D

Edited July 26, 2010 by Donna A.

[imeverywoman]

now, over using MFW AHL and Omnibus. I even ordered MFW to look through, and I must say that I do really like the questions in the New Answers book, along with those in the Notgrass supplement. However, it seems to me that the questions in Omnibus are a bit more thought provoking.

 

All this to ask, if you were considering any other curriculum, what finally made to commit to MFW?

 

I think I'll post this as a separate thread, too.

[Quad Shot Academy]

If you want something to compare it as far as academic rigor, compare it to World Views of the Western World.

 

Here is a sample.

[Donna A.]

now, over using MFW AHL and Omnibus. I even ordered MFW to look through, and I must say that I do really like the questions in the New Answers book, along with those in the Notgrass supplement. However, it seems to me that the questions in Omnibus are a bit more thought provoking.

 

Did you order and look through the whole MFW package? There are a lot more questions and writing assignments in the Lit Supplement guide, and the OT Challenge book is *very* thought provoking. It's not just one book or writing source... it's the whole integrated package.

 

Plus if you follow the lessons in the SAT prep book by Stobaugh, That will add *anything* that you feel might be missing from MFW.... although I've read concerns that doing the Stobaugh book *and* MFW is just too much. I think it was determined that the Stobaugh lessons are geared more for the student who isn't doing a classical lit-based method of study or a thorough college-prep curriculum like MFW. Thus, it was suggested that the MFW student could likely pare down the number of lessons and suggested reading material in the Stobaugh book.

 

I love how MFW is scheduled and the different subjects are integrated with one another. It's very WTM style in that sense... except more so for the Christian because of the biblical worldview. The Lit Supplement guide provides hand-holding for teaching writing, too. Do a search for my name on this board and you'll find my detailed posts from the first four weeks of AHL.

[imeverywoman]

Donna, thank you so much! I will do that search right now! :)

[Excelsior! Academy]

I'm guess I'm missing something.... what makes you think your child won't be well read by using MFW? There are a number of great books included in the MFW packages... NONE of which I read in high school, nor did my dh read any of them all the way through his undergrad, graduate, or (so far) seminary degree programs. Not to mention all the other *optional* titles are listed. Plus if you use the recommended SAT book, you'll get a good deal more from that source.

 

I don't know, I guess I think that MFW just makes SENSE for the person who wants a good, solid, college prep course which includes several great classics without the hassle of trying to pull it all together themselves. :D

 

 

Good question! I guess I just had MY list of reading Plato, Aristotle, and other classics, which admittedly I've never read myself.

 

I just wanted the Hive Mind's opinion of college prep.:D

[Excelsior! Academy]

If you want something to compare it as far as academic rigor, compare it to World Views of the Western World.

 

Here is a sample.

 

Now why did you have to go and throw in another curriculum I've never heard of. Ugh!

 

This looks interesting. Where did you find it?

[cbollin]

I just wanted the Hive Mind's opinion of college prep.:D

 

my part of that opinion?

parts of college prep involves:

*(Read the entire Bible and definitely establish it as a daily habit and encourage weekly discussion with an older person who has read it too)

*Learning to stay on a syllabus (MFW provides plans for the students to follow)

*learning to manage time across many subjects

*opportunities to read and discuss quality literature from lots of times in history

*learning to write argumentative essays, research papers

*testing skills and reading from textbooks by various authors

*thinking skills (goes with the discussion and writing)

*being able to get along with others

*time to pursue community service

*being ready for life (such as finances, etc)

*learning what you really want to do in life and college

 

ok... MFW provides most of that. not the last one as much, but that's not up to curriculum anyway.

 

MFW has a lot of reading in high school. In AHL, there are extra reading suggestions from library for a variety of books. Some will be harder than others. And some are to enjoy a book or two on the historical fiction genre. Later years in MFW, they are working toward texts that help with CLEP exams. You read the entire Bible.

 

Some of the things my oldest daughter has learned in the first 3 weeks have been awesome. She's not being spoon fed this stuff and I think this is an important part of it too.

 

definitely meaty enough for college prep high school.

 

oldest is in AHL now.

 

-crystal

[Quad Shot Academy]

Now why did you have to go and throw in another curriculum I've never heard of. Ugh!

 

This looks interesting. Where did you find it?

 

:tongue_smilie: I heard Quine speak at the first HS conference I went to over 10 years ago! We have used his math program as a supplement over the years. I have always had this curriculum in my mind as my end goal for my oldest. He is using his Starting Points biblical worldview curriculum this year and if that goes well, he will move into WVWW. I also belong to a Yahoo group about it.