Would you please critique my tentative 8th grade plans?

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Am I missing anything? Of course, I'm trying to focus on skills that will be critical to know by the time we get to high school.

 

Brief explanation for LotR: we're doing this orally this year to complement our study of ancient history. LLftLotR has led us to read kid friendly versions of Gilgamesh, Iliad and Odyssey. Next year, we'll finish LotR to supplement Medieval history. Again, it is planned so that we will read Arthur legends, Sir Gawain, Beowulf, etc... So, we're not using it as intended, but as a guide to help supplement history.

 

 

For 8th grade:

 

• Math: Lial’s Introductory Algebra I
  
• Science: CPO Physical Science
  
• Spelling: Megawords
  
• Writing/Grammar: Potter’s School: English I
  
• Lit: LotR (done orally to supplement medieval history)
  
• History: MFW Medieval; EftRU Latin Roots
  
• Foreign Lang: Rosetta Stone Spanish Yr. 3
  
• Elective: ???
  

 

[elegantlion]

Your plans look good to me. The only thing I would look at adding would be logic. Does your dc have any outside activities, sports wise? If not I would try to add some structured physical activity.

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Your plans look good to me. The only thing I would look at adding would be logic. Does your dc have any outside activities, sports wise? If not I would try to add some structured physical activity.

 

Thanks, Elegantion! Thankfully, dd rides horses for her activity, and I'll look into logic. We've always seemed to run out of school day before we ever get to logic, and it has never gotten done. :001_huh:

 

What is a good logic program for an 8th grader who hasn't had logic? I feel a little embarassed to ask, but this is just where we are.

[angela in ohio]

I would definitely add logic.

 

Unless there is a spelling issue, I would drop that for vocabulary instead, also.

[elegantlion]

I would start with informal logic, Fallacy Dective is one option, Art of Argument is another.

[Testimony]

I agree with the previous posters. You need logic and vocabulary words instead of spelling, however, at that level the spelling program should do vocabulary word instead of spelling anyway. If it doesn't then choose some roots vocabulary program. I did Vocabulary Vines with my son.

 

Also, I did Building Thinking Skills Level 3 Verbal. This book is very good at doing the analyzing of words.

 

Blessing in your homeschooling journey!

 

Sincerely,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Sounds good to me. Like everybody else though I would add in logic. I would recommend Fallacy Detective and Thinking Toolbox (you should be able to do both in a year if you stick with it, I know fallacy detective has 32 or 36 lessons) That is what my 7th grade dd is doing this year. We are almost done then we will start thinking toolbox. For vocabulary I would highly recommend Vocabulary Vine and Vocabulary Vine Science Roots. Do 1 regular root a day and 1 science root a day.

Edited January 12, 2011 by wy_kid_wrangler04

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Thanks so much, everyone!!!

[1Togo]

Adding logic sounds good, but I would look at the hours before you add anything. You have about 6 hours of work per day so far, and that's if everything is clicking. Can you add another 45 minutes or so for logic? Also, does your student need daily study time for anything? For example, dd needs about 30 minutes per day to study Latin. That's in addition to her daily Latin work. Also, if the vocubulary and/or spelling has quizzes, does your study need study time for that?

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Adding logic sounds good, but I would look at the hours before you add anything. You have about 6 hours of work per day so far, and that's if everything is clicking. Can you add another 45 minutes or so for logic? Also, does your student need daily study time for anything? For example, dd needs about 30 minutes per day to study Latin. That's in addition to her daily Latin work. Also, if the vocubulary and/or spelling has quizzes, does your study need study time for that?

 

 

1 Togo, This has been our problem for YEARS. The time it has historically taken for us to get schoolwork + homework done keeps us from adding anything extra. This is why logic hasn't ever been done. Honestly, I really don't know if we'll have time to do it. How bad is it if logic is skipped??????

 

I bought Dandelion Logic grades 3-7 (three books) to attempt logic this year with all of my kids..... it hasn't gotten done.

[1Togo]

I may be booted off the board for saying this, but I don't think you kids will suffer if they do not do logic. We have homeschool friends with children who are National Merit winners, Phd earners, etc., and they did not do logic. I am not the brightest bulb in the box, but I did not do logic during high school. I did, however, take formal logic in college -- loved it and made A's. I have logic on our list, but we're going to get in all the basics first; i.e. 4 math, 4 science, 4 English, etc. In addition, I've learned that I can plan it all out and then things change; i.e. one student needs to take more time or backtrack on math, another jets through foreign language in half the time, writing is slow and painful for all, which negates my grand plans for writing competitions, an extracurricular activity takes on more importance because it become a passion, etc. My advice is to put the logic on the list at the bottom, and if the core schedule gets done, order the logic. It usually only takes a week to get in curriculum.

[Matryoshka]

Your planned list is very close to mine. :)

 

One of my dds will be hopefully doing Lial's Introductory Algebra, I already have LLfLOTR on the shelf ready to go, and I plan on having us do CPO's Physics: A First Course rather than the Physcial science, but almost the same. We'll be doing Spanish III, but with Breaking the Barrier. We're doing a different history, but will also be in Medieval (or I fervently hope we'll be there by then!) I also have the Duke King Arthur study ready to mix in there somehow when we get there.

 

I'd agree with the rest that unless there's spelling problems to do Vocab rather than spelling. We're using MCT's vocab, but I'd think anything that works for you is fine.

 

As far as Logic, I hope to get to it, but it won't be a central focus. Right now we're using Philosophy for Kids (I know, not really logic, but thinking anyway...), and we're getting it done by opening it up at the dinner table and discussing it as a family. It seems I'm pretty much stuck with Critical Thinking for secular logic; I've got it on my shelf and when we're finished with PfK, I'm hoping to haul it out on a semi-regular basis at dinnertime and see what happens. We've had some fun discussions, dh enjoys being involved - and it doesn't take away from school time.

[angela in ohio]

1 Togo, This has been our problem for YEARS. The time it has historically taken for us to get schoolwork + homework done keeps us from adding anything extra. This is why logic hasn't ever been done. Honestly, I really don't know if we'll have time to do it. How bad is it if logic is skipped??????

 

I bought Dandelion Logic grades 3-7 (three books) to attempt logic this year with all of my kids..... it hasn't gotten done.

 

I really do think it is important to take time out to do logic before high school (or even early in high school.) Some classical schools put it in the science time slot for junior high in order to fit it in. You will want to do Physical Science for 8th grade, so that wouldn't necessarily work. I would find a way to do it, though. It makes making those connections in high school so much easier. :001_smile: My dc use what they have learned in Intro/Inter Logic all the time in their other coursework. I would skip the vocabulary and/or spelling until later to get logic in now.

 

True, I made it very far in life without logic (I was a National Merit Scholar, actually :D,) but I learned a LOT when I did logic with dc. I wish, wish, wish I'd had it earlier in my education. It truly is a case of not knowing you needed it until you learn it (as with so many other things. :001_smile:)

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Your planned list is very close to mine. :)

 

One of my dds will be hopefully doing Lial's Introductory Algebra, I already have LLfLOTR on the shelf ready to go, and I plan on having us do CPO's Physics: A First Course rather than the Physcial science, but almost the same. We'll be doing Spanish III, but with Breaking the Barrier. We're doing a different history, but will also be in Medieval (or I fervently hope we'll be there by then!) I also have the Duke King Arthur study ready to mix in there somehow when we get there.

 

I'd agree with the rest that unless there's spelling problems to do Vocab rather than spelling. We're using MCT's vocab, but I'd think anything that works for you is fine.

 

As far as Logic, I hope to get to it, but it won't be a central focus. Right now we're using Philosophy for Kids (I know, not really logic, but thinking anyway...), and we're getting it done by opening it up at the dinner table and discussing it as a family. It seems I'm pretty much stuck with Critical Thinking for secular logic; I've got it on my shelf and when we're finished with PfK, I'm hoping to haul it out on a semi-regular basis at dinnertime and see what happens. We've had some fun discussions, dh enjoys being involved - and it doesn't take away from school time.

 

 

Thanks for posting! May I ask you about your schedule since we're doing similar things?

 

We will finish Rosetta Stone Spanish next year.... YEAH! My kids don't really like it. I won't count it as high school, of course, and will need something new for foreign language. How do you like Breaking the Spanish Barrier? I've thought that might be an option for us if we continue continue with Spanish for high school.

 

I would love to know what you are doing for Medieval history. I will most likely borrow a friend's copy of MFW Rome to Reformation and do my best to kick it up to use with 3rd-8th grade. Since dd will be trying to stay afloat with TPS English I and Algebra I (not to mention CPO physical scicnce), it's fine with me if history is lite.

 

Lastly, would you please explain to me what the Duke King Arthur study is??? I've read this title so many times on this board, but I've never understood what it is or why it's so popular.

 

Thank you so much for your help!

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I really do think it is important to take time out to do logic before high school (or even early in high school.) Some classical schools put it in the science time slot for junior high in order to fit it in. You will want to do Physical Science for 8th grade, so that wouldn't necessarily work. I would find a way to do it, though. It makes making those connections in high school so much easier. :001_smile: My dc use what they have learned in Intro/Inter Logic all the time in their other coursework. I would skip the vocabulary and/or spelling until later to get logic in now.

 

True, I made it very far in life without logic (I was a National Merit Scholar, actually :D,) but I learned a LOT when I did logic with dc. I wish, wish, wish I'd had it earlier in my education. It truly is a case of not knowing you needed it until you learn it (as with so many other things. :001_smile:)

 

 

Thanks, Angela. I will absolutely take this to heart. DD could stand to go over spelling rules... spelling isn't bad, but could definitely improve. A high schooler who misspells common words??? This is what I'm trying to prevent.

 

Yet, I understand the importance of Logic. If we do MFW high school, they schedule Fallacy and Toolbox, so maybe we could do the Dandelion 7th grade logic that we were supposed to do this year plus something else. Building Thinking Skills 3 Verbal maybe??? I really don't think we could do Intro to Logic or anything that formal.

 

Obviously, I have some thinking to do concerning logic for next year. Also, vocabulary..... I guess we could practice spelling vocabulary words.

[Matryoshka]

We will finish Rosetta Stone Spanish next year.... YEAH! My kids don't really like it. I won't count it as high school, of course, and will need something new for foreign language. How do you like Breaking the Spanish Barrier? I've thought that might be an option for us if we continue continue with Spanish for high school.

 

I do like Breaking the Spanish Barrier. I speak Spanish, which makes it a bit easier to teach, but I've heard of people doing it without that. I bought Rosetta Stone Spanish levels 1-5 thinking to use it like a "language lab" supplement, since the hardest part is always getting them to speak, but they aren't using it. :glare: I'm thinking I might be able to get them to use it over the summer so all the Spanish doesn't fall out of their brains.

 

I would love to know what you are doing for Medieval history. I will most likely borrow a friend's copy of MFW Rome to Reformation and do my best to kick it up to use with 3rd-8th grade. Since dd will be trying to stay afloat with TPS English I and Algebra I (not to mention CPO physical scicnce), it's fine with me if history is lite.

 

I'm using K12HO's texts (not the course) as a spine, and adding literature and such along with it. The first volume is Ancients - Medieval, but we've only gotten to Ancient India, so I'm guessing Medieval will hit sometime next year. :tongue_smilie:

 

Lastly, would you please explain to me what the Duke King Arthur study is??? I've read this title so many times on this board, but I've never understood what it is or why it's so popular.

 

Swimmermom3 put me on to that. I was thinking we'd use it sometime this year, but now it looks like next year... Duke's TIP program puts it out. There's a course description and samples here. It's built around reading TH White's Once and Future King, but it's got a lot more to it than that. It is completely unclear to me how we're going to get through all this when LL8 is taking us longer than I'd thought...