Smarr Intro to Lit and IEW Ancient History

[Wendy in ME]

Writing is my son's weakest subject. He is very mathy and very black and white. He loves to read but not to discuss or write about literature. We will be doing a bit lighter ancient history and geography in order to focus on some writing skill. He does not need separate grammar because he excels in Language on all of his testing. He is also continuing on to his 5th year of Latin. My question is this: will these two programs be too much writing? Our plan is to alternate days with 90 minute sessions. He does better with fewer subjects per day for longer periods.

 

Thanks.

[G5052]

The IEW Ancient History book is oriented for grades 3-8 and covers the IEW units including keyword outlines, narrative stories, writing from pictures, writing from multiple sources, etc. etc.

 

I've never used Smarr, but I know that it involves writing literary critiques.

 

IEW works far better if you do focus on one assignment at a time, and I'm guessing that Smarr is the same. So I think that I'd alternate the two by completing an assignment in one, and then switching. Given that he is older, the IEW will be lighter and I'm guessing that he can complete each writing assignment there over 2-3 days at the most and then work on SMARR until he completes a unit there and then go back to IEW.

[Wendy in ME]

Thanks for the input. I know that the ancient history IEW is a bit young for him, but he is pretty weak in writing. I thought it would go well with our history and not overwhelm him. My hope is that the Smarr will provide the high school level of lit analysis and writing that he needs. I think the Smarr writing lessons are scheduled only after reading the books, so I can probably work it out so that he is only working on one assignment at a time.

[JSnow]

We used Smarr Intro to Lit this year. We really enjoyed the books, there are questions for each section read and quizes. The writing instruction is broken into pieces so that the student learns a few things at a time and their writing should grow with each literary analysis written. The publisher is also on hand via phone to answer questions. We did call a couple of times to get clarity and he was terrific.

[Wendy in ME]

Thank you. That is great to know. I am really looking forward to next year now that I have it all planned out. I have everything on hand except for Smarr and IEW, so I just keep wondering about them. I can't even believe that I am planning a high school curriculum. He has been home since third grade. It is exciting.

[Janice in NJ]

Hi Wendy,

 

Have you used IEW before? Do you own any of the DVD series? :001_smile:

 

Peace,

Janice

[Wendy in ME]

Yes, we have the DVDs, but I am not gifted at coming up with topics. Drew actually liked the method and the bite-sized pieces. He is very intimidated by writing and especially coming up with his own ideas.

 

Thanks,

Wendy

[Janice in NJ]

Hi Wendy,

 

In your original post you wrote:

 

Writing is my son's weakest subject. He is very mathy and very black and white. He loves to read but not to discuss or write about literature. We will be doing a bit lighter ancient history and geography in order to focus on some writing skill. He does not need separate grammar because he excels in Language on all of his testing. He is also continuing on to his 5th year of Latin. My question is this: will these two programs be too much writing? Our plan is to alternate days with 90 minute sessions. He does better with fewer subjects per day for longer periods.

 

In your tag line you also listed the following for curriculum for next year:

 

9th: HOD CTC w/extra HS reading, Mapping the World With Art w/ extra reading, Discovering Mathematics 3, MP Traditional Logic II, 3rd Form Latin or Henle, Smarr Intro to Lit, IEW Ancient History, PS Science, Violin

 

I do NOT want to butt in, but I was wondering if you might be interested in a bit of advice from a BTDT mom of a math/science/black and white thinker/former-non-psyched-to-write kid? (Psst: IEW really helped) Note: I have NOT used SMARR, but I do know that writing a literary analysis is much easier if you have mastered paragraphs, narrative essays, expository essays, and persuasive essays FIRST.

 

Let me know if you want to chat more about this. (Psst. I'm going to try to talk you out of IEW Ancients for 9th grade; I would suspect that SWI B or C will jump start even a reluctant writer MUCH faster.) If you love your plan and you want me to hush, let me know. I'll keep my mouth shut. :001_smile:

 

If you want to chat more about this, may I ask how you are planning to change the curriculum you have listed into courses for your son's 9th grade transcript? Names of courses and credits that he plans to earn? And how has IEW worked for you in the past? Have you used the student-directed videos or have you been teaching this? Does it get done? Or are your plans to teach this hopeful rather than productive? BTDT TOO! NOT slinging any mud from my end. I have three kids. Planning to get stuff done and getting it done were often majorly at odds with each other around here until I stopped planning for the impossible and started taking a serious look at what we COULD actually accomplish. (I am ONLY one person. Dealing with that took practice.)

 

But that's when we started moving forward. The roadblocks started to come down.

 

Let me know if you want to continue this conversation or if you would like me to HUSH! :001_smile:

 

Peace,

Janice

[Wendy in ME]

I came here asking for advice, and I have always loved your posts. Please tell me why you want to talk me out of IEW ancients. I am struggling with this child. Thank you so much for taking the time to try to help. As far as IEW in the past, it was more of a planned to do with the student directed videos. With the 4 boys I struggle to find the right balance between what I can teach to each child and what they will have to do on their own. Obviously the littles take more mom time than the older ones, but I don't want to neglect the olders either. I thought maybe the student IEW would be a good compromise but it seems like we weren't productive with it. This year was a struggle for us for non-school related issues anyway. I have such high hopes for next year that both my 14yo (15 in Dec.) will not be so easily distracted and I will also be more focused. I feel like we really have to get serious now about some things while at the same time keep some fun and interests. Anyway, I'm rambling now. I am open to any and all advice from btdt moms. Thank you!

 

Wendy

Edited May 18, 2011 by Wendy in ME

[Wendy in ME]

I forgot to talk about my transcript plans. Of course I have no idea what I'm doing, so please chime in.

 

Ancient Hitory - 1 credit

Geography - 1 credit

Traditional Logic I and II - 1 credit

Latin - 1 credit

Violin - 1/2 credit

PE - 1/2 credit

Math (I don't know what to call it yet because DM is so integrated - 1 credit

Honors Earth Science - 1 credit

Intro. to Technology - 1 credit (both sciences with be at the school)

English (I'm lost here. Please advise me.) I'm thinking 1 1/2 credits for IEW, Smarr, and maybe 1/2 R&S 8 as grammar review.

 

He will do History, geography, logic, Latin, math, earth science every other day for 90 minutes x 36 weeks, intro to tech. everyday for one semester 90 minutes, English (lit, writing, grammar) every day for 90 min. x 36 weeks, violin will be 1 lesson per week with 45 minutes of practice 5x wk, and PE is sort of unscheduled. Does this all make sense.

Edited May 18, 2011 by Wendy in ME

[mjbucks1]

Wendy,

I have a rising 9th grader as well. We have used IEW Ancients as well, but I used it for ds when he was in 6th grade and I am just finishing it with dd who is in 5th grade. It really is YOUNG. But maybe you could "beef" it up a bit by requiring a little more :confused:. IEW's Elegant Essay might be a good place to start as well to get the basics. This is just my 2 cents :D.

 

Blessings,

Michelle

[Janice in NJ]

Hi Wendy,

 

First of you mentioned that you struggle with finding the balance between what you can teach and what your kids can do on their own. PLEASE know that you are not alone in this. It’s just the economy of hsing. Home schooling high school adds an addition set of challenges to momma’s time-budget. I love mathematics. LOVE it. When I started hsing my oldest in first grade, I couldn’t wait until we could do real mathematics together. I worked hard to self-educate in the humanities. Hard. And I patiently and diligently hsed my kids through arithmetic – I thought we would NEVER get to the good stuff (real math). When we got there? I didn’t have the time to teach it. Not the way I wanted to. What a mind-bender, an incredibly disappointing paradox. I. Just. Can. Not. Explain. It. With. Words. I felt so disappointed. I felt like it was finally time for dessert, yet I wasn’t going to get any.

 

Oh well. Life goes on. Personal disappointment has become common-place. No big deal. Really. I found a DVD program I like (Chalkdust). Dana Mosely has the time and patience to teach that same geometry lesson on the board in the exact same way for all three of my kids. It’s actually quite remarkable. He is neat and careful. He teaches good habits. He teaches the math well. After they work with him, I spend time with them checking to see if they grabbed what they needed. I assign hw problems, and then I check them. We go over the things they missed. It works GREAT. But no, I do not have the time to teach a 45-minute math lesson to three kids every day. Nope. Oh well. I got over myself. All’s well.

 

I said all that to say this: I had ideals. I had plans. But because those plans were going to get in the way of progress, I ditched my plans. Fast. And then I turned my face toward reality. It was a tough transition. NO DOUBT! An emotional rollercoaster. Overall, I KNOW that hanging out on these boards for the past twelve years has been incredibly productive for me and mine. However, there has been one major drawback. I created and glorified some ideal in my head about what hsing high school was going to be like. It’s not anyone’s fault but my own. I took bits and pieces of what everyone said and created some pie-in-the-sky picture of what it would be like. The trouble? I was wrong. It wasn’t like that. My bad. Oh well. Life is grand. No harm done: I decided to alter our course toward reality.

 

So please know that hsing high school is daunting. Really. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know until I knew it. Nature of the project. But chin up! It does easier.

 

The details: Wendy, I really think you have too many credits listed for high school. Attempting to earn nine-ten credits per years is too much. Even a competitive student doesn’t try to earn nine or ten. Colleges will look at your list and be suspicious. So in the end, all that work probably won’t get you what you want: a strong college-ready transcript. In high school you need to earn credits in order to fulfill the requirements for graduation in your state. You are within an acceptable range if you target 120-160 hours per credit. Know that some folks shoot toward 180 hrs per credit in core areas of math and English; there’s a reason for that. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are skills. If those are rock-solid a kid can go as far as they want to. If those are weak, the kid is going to be limited.

 

Back to the basic core credit requirements v. competitive college requirements: If your child wants to go to college, you need to bump the core requirements up in order to meet college-entrance requirements. Have you had the opportunity to read any of the hsing high school books? Debra Bell has a checklist on her web site. I also like her planning grids with the moveable tiles. Fun.

 

http://debrabell.com/homeschool-tools/high-school-home/

 

Take a look at her checklist. It represents a core college-entrance checklist. I believe a competitive transcript would move toward the following:

 

Math: Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus

Science: Biology w/ Lab, Chemistry w/ Lab, Physics w/ Lab, An additional year of lab science

English: Four Credits Minimum. Prep schools often separate English Composition from Literature and offer more than one credit – especially in 9th and 10th grades. You might have two credits of English Composition in grades 9 & 10 and four credits of literature – 1 per year. But colleges only require four credits of English. Even the competitive ones.

History: Two Years of World History, One Year of American History, US Government, and Economics

Foreign Language: Three Years – Top schools want to see four

Electives: Fill in to complement the student’s interests. This is where they can shine. Different states have different requirements here. Jersey requires a credit of fine arts etc. HSLDA would have the info for your state.

 

Then the child will need to complete an extra-curricular sheet outlining the outside-of-the-classroom stuff they did: the stuff that will make them an interesting part of a diverse college campus. (You need to save some things to put on the this list. You generally can’t double dip between this list and the transcript. It’s not an extra-curricular if it went on the transcript.) At the bottom of this page from Donna Young’s site, you’ll find some forms for tracking “Extracurricular Records.â€

 

http://donnayoung.org/forms/planners/hischl.htm

 

MORE BELOW

[Janice in NJ]

Part # 2….

 

It’s a good idea to start tracking this stuff starting with the summer BEFORE 9th grade. That’s when the clock starts ticking. When it comes time to fill out that college app, you’ll be glad that you have this. Each of my kids has a homemade planner for each year of high school. There are forms in the back for tracking EC activities. (We ended up just printing blank monthly schedules from Donna’s site. The kids mark down events and rehearsals each month. At the end of the year, we summarize their participation into a “resume” type list. I have the format that I like; yours may vary.) But you do need to start thinking about what your son does outside the “classroom” that will make him stand out.

 

So the first thing I’m going to suggest is that you move violin from the transcript to an extra-curricular. I would also just track his PE activities on a form too. Check with your state to see how many PE credits he should earn. Look online with your local high schools. How many credits do they give for PE? I would align your son’s transcript to match what’s normal unless he’s an amazing athlete or something. At the end of the year you can decide if you want to give him a credit in PE. Or – based on your final decisions about credits – see below – you might give him ½ credit this year.

 

More help from Donna with forms to help you plan high school:

http://donnayoung.org/forms/help/high-school-list.htm

 

Your history and English credits: You mentioned that your son isn’t a confident writer. I would make that your focus for 9th grade. I would set a firm goal with a strong commitment and then hold yourself accountable to change that as soon as you can. I CAN SO FEEL your pain! KNOW that you are not alone. My oldest was a reluctant writer. It caused me SO much anxiety. I just cannot tell you how much. And the worse part was that we fought whenever I tried to teach it. Yelling! Yuck! So I avoided it. NOT a good plan. Because we weren’t making progress in the area where I was most anxious, I kept trying to generate “fig leaves” that would make me feel better. I tried to make up for it by doing lots of “other” humanities type activities. For some weird reason, I thought he would become a better writer if we focused on other language arts activities. Nope! Not true. Kids learn how to write by writing: especially 9th grade boys. Reading is great. Discussions are great. But you have to actually learn how to put pen to paper if you’re going to know how to put pen to paper.

 

So first of all, if you want your son to make progress as a writer, I would suggest that your humanities program needs to put writing at the center. If you are using curriculum that doesn’t force him to write something every week in English, Literature, and History then you probably need to re-think your plan. I’ve read elsewhere about your beautiful HOD CTC bookshelf. I KNOW that allure of a beautiful row of books. I know WELL how comforting it feels to know that all of your kids are all going to be studying the same era of history. I know how it feels to FEEL such completeness. Really. I do! But I would encourage you to look deeply at the programs you have chosen: HOD CTC, Mapping the World, and IEW Ancients. Take a look and ask yourself this question, “Are these programs focused on moving a struggling 9th grade boy toward becoming a proficient 10th grade writer? These are great programs. But are they designed to target my son’s weakness? Or are they designed to give my son a lot of work to do so I won’t feel bad about the fact that he’s not writing every week?” ouch. sorry. A friend here - really. A BTDT friend.

 

The programs you picked look like fun. And a lot of creative work. But it’s a ton of hours to be spending on content: ancient history and geography. Most kids don’t earn two credits in history in 9th grade. And it’s probably NOT a good idea to earn one of those credits in a program that targeted toward 7th-8th graders – especially when you could easily tweak one of those courses to target his weakness. You can actually use part of that history time to work on writing. You won’t regret it. I know you mentioned that your son will be adding extra reading to HOD CTC, but more reading isn’t the same as more-challenging reading. (My kids thought they knew how to read when they reached high school. Two months spent with me and they were each a quivering mass of flesh. LOL They found out that they didn’t know how to “read.” High school reading is a three-legged stool. They still need to read books below their comprehension level in order to gain information. (Psst. They use that information so they have something to say when it comes time to write.) And they need to launch into reading content that means MORE than it says; they have to learn to interpret the author’s intention. Tough to teach. The best resource I have found to help me understand the goal here is an Allitt Teaching Company Course. See if your library has it. It outlines end goals. Final targets.

 

http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=2044

 

 

MORE BELOW….

Edited May 20, 2011 by Janice in NJ

[Janice in NJ]

Part # 3

 

Anyway: the third leg is speed. They need to master leg two so they can do it ultra-fast: on the fly for that SAT/ACT test. IF your son is working on an ancient history credit with books chosen for 7th-8th grade, he isn’t going to be making progress toward mastering legs 2 & 3. Adding more reading may just consume his time; it might not grow his skill set. I’m not saying you can’t DO ancient history with him, but I would look for a high school level spine – or use your library to push him toward some more advanced reading material: longer sentence patterns, more complex vocabulary, and arguments that develop over more than a page or even a chapter.

 

And you could use the ancient history program as a launch pad for more advanced writing assignments. For 9th grade, you really need to move past narration. More later….

 

OR you can do geography. Looks like you have a terrific program chosen. LOVE it when a kid’s day involves different kinds of curricula: some book work, some hands-on. I am not intimate with Mapping the World, but it looks like a great hands-on program. Instead of trying to tack it onto ancient history, you might consider just doing the geography program. Instead of doing history in 9th grade, plenty of schools offer a credit in 9th grade World Geography. You could have him start writing reports about countries, etc. Geography offers a TON of writing opportunities.

 

Have you seen this video program by PBS?

http://www.learner.org/resources/series180.html

 

Everything is free online. A used copy of the textbook can be picked up for under $10. The program covers case studies that use geography as a springboard to discuss issues. Argumentation. Why is this the way it is? What can be done to change it? A higher level of thinking.

 

I’m not saying that you have to use these resources, but I would chose either ancient history OR geography for a credit and then USE the time spent earning that credit to make sure that your son is reading some high-school level materials, grappling with issues through discussion, and then WRITING every week. Something. A paragraph. A short three-paragraph report; moving toward the essay. Something- every week. More below…. You can use the programs you have: Mapping or HOD CTC, but I would make sure that you dip into reading high-school level reading material, discussing topics that pose problems (They don’t have right and wrong answers – these are issues.), and writing about either the reading or the issues on a regular basis.

 

For his English credit, I would seriously look into IEW’s Student Writing Intensive Level C. You could check with the IEW folks to get their advice: they might suggest level B, but I would try for C. In either case, IEW has a money-back guarantee. If the program flops, you can return it. If it doesn’t you can sell it used at the end of the year and re-coop 70%+ of the cost. Any IEW videos I have sold have consistently sold with the first 2-3 hours of offering them for sale. The program seems expensive, but in the end, it won’t cost you if it doesn’t work. And if it does work, it will cost you about $30 bucks if you resell it for 70% of what you paid. The package comes with the DVD’s and handouts and checklists. There is also a Yahoo group for IEW where I originally found detailed lesson plans for each and every week. Everything is scheduled; I THINK they even have day-by-day plans. The whole program is just print and go. You could join the Yahoo group or you could call IEW to see if they have integrated the lesson plans. They may offer them as a free download when you purchase the program. They were VERY helpful. That made the program easy to use which meant it got done! Anytime someone else has handled the paperwork for me and made it easy for me to see the big picture AND the day-to-day, we tend to be successful. Anytime I’m supposed to “pull things together?†That’s when the program sits on the shelf collecting dust and guilt.

 

The year that we used this, I had my son watch the DVD lesson on Friday. Then he worked through the assignment as listed from Monday-Thursday. He submitted his work to me on Friday and did the next video lesson. The program is very gentle. But he made progress. He started to see writing as a juggling proposition. You have to figure out content. You have to choose a form. And then you have to say what you need to say in a way that’s interesting. I have more to say about IEW, but I’ve said it elsewhere. The program worked WELL here.

 

And I would strongly recommend it over the IEW Ancient’s level. Especially if you have tried IEW but didn’t find the time to “do it†with your little guy. Schedule the video lesson and schedule the work. Use your face-time to make sure to CHECK that he is getting the assignments done. Do that well, and you will experience success. Sometimes you just have to scale back your planned interaction with a kid in order to actually move things towards a reasonably expectations. I’ve BTDT big time! I don’t make grand plans any more. I try to schedule a life that we can live. Not one that we hope to live. ☺

 

More below…

[Janice in NJ]

Part # 4

 

WOW. This is getting long winded…you mentioned that Honors Earth Science and a technology class at the high school. You are going to want to make SURE that he has the time in his schedule to do well in those classes. You have to give grades for his work in 9th grade. If his grades at school are C’s, all of the momma-generated A's won’t carry much weight with colleges. You want his outside grades to be rock solid. So make sure that he has the time in his schedule to do well.

 

SMARR. Another good choice. A solid high-school level reading program. As with his history/geography program I would make sure that he is writing about what he is reading. USE this credit to strengthen his writing skills, but also put this credit to work to make sure he is strengthening his reading skills.

 

When kids get to college they will be hampered if they are missing skills. They can acquire content. But they will constantly be limited if they can’t read and write at a college level.

 

Summary: I would shoot for the following credits.

 

Introduction to Literature – 1 Credit: SMARR

English Composition I – ½ Credit: IEW SWI C – Use the 15 -week plan to complete in one semester. See Note Below*

Ancient History OR Geography: - 1 Credit

Math – 1 Credit

Honors Earth Science – 1 Credit

Foreign Language – Latin – 1 Credit

Introduction to Technology – 1 Credit

 

That’s 6.5 Credits. Respectable. Very. You could add ½ credit for PE to make seven: a competitive transcript. I would NOT try to add in an entire credit of logic. Save it for 10th grade after you get the writing under control. Really. You need to focus on paragraphs, short reports, longer reports, and then the essay – narrative, expository, persuasive, and then the literary essay. You won’t make it to the end of the list in 9th grade, but you will be so psyched if you get going in a good direction. IEW SWI C with the DVD’s may just be the ticket to get you going. (IEW Ancients offers a long list of writing lessons, but it’s geared toward younger kids. It’s slower. I’m guessing that the lack of progress may frustrate your son. He’s a high schooler – the SWI C will speak to him at his level; it won’t talk down to him. The pace suits older kids. Yet it is a gentle start.) Their new catalog offers a 9-12 plan for writing. A GREAT launch pad for a reluctant writer. Make sure to check it out.

 

Once you decide how many credits you want your son to earn, I would commit to the last step. You need to sit down with him and plan out a schedule. NOTHING helps me see that I’ve scheduled toooooo much school as seeing it all on paper. When there are not enough blocks on the page, then I have piled too much onto this kids plate. Make sure to schedule drive time and breaks and _____. When you see if all, somehow things come into perspective. And then look at the schedule. Is your son sitting for hours at a time? Move things around. I try to schedule sitting activities opposite hands-on stuff. Then when his schedule is planned, start looking at yours. (sorry. It’s frustrating but it’s important.) You need to think about when your son will need YOU and when he will be able to work solo. Will his schedule jive with the rest of the family? Are the kids all going to need you at the same time? Really. It’s something to think about. Sometimes a kid is limited on the subjects he can take (or the curricula he can use) because I can’t do it – not because of his schedule. Sometimes I have to choose curriculum based on MY schedule, not what’s best for the child. But in the end, that’s actually what’s best for the kid: they learn with regular ole’ programs that get used, not with amazing programs that sit on the shelf.

 

In the end, Wendy, I would gently and heartily encourage you to make a serious, heartfelt commitment to work on writing. (I SO feel your pain. Really. I do!) You need to see high school through the lens of earning credits. And then you need to see the opportunities to work on weaknesses WITHIN those credits. You can earn those credits in ways that will serve your kids in the long run.

 

PLEASE resist the urge to use high school as a way to cover everything content-wise that you might have missed. Kids will spend too much time working and not enough time growing. They need targeted work. Not just work.

 

And then – don’t forget to have some fun. Really. You can still do that. Even in high school.

 

Hope I haven’t been too harsh. Or confusing. If you want to PM me, I might be able to carve out some time to chat on the phone later today or maybe tomorrow if you need clarity on something. For now I have to stop typing and get to tackling my to-do list……

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

 

* Note: You could bump his English up to a full credit if you add in a grammar program. I would make sure I have something in writing though to support the credit. You could do the R&S book orally and just add the worksheets or just require some exercises in writing every week or just do the tests. If you add a grammar program, you could call the course English Grammar & Composition I and give it a full credit. But be careful. You said that his language skills were strong. You might want to stick with the IEW for a ½ credit and make SURE that he is spending his time writing in his literature and history programs for the entire YEAR. You don’t want to fill his schedule with busy work. You can always add a grammar program in the second half of 9th grade or even in 10th grade. Make sure you are focusing on writing when you launch in September. ☺ Remember the goal is to spend his time working on earning credits and shoring up skills. THAT pays the biggest year-end dividends. And THAT is important if you want to avoid discouragement and burn out. You need to feel like you are getting somewhere. ☺

Edited May 20, 2011 by Janice in NJ

[Wendy in ME]

Janice, I will PM you later today or tomorrow. We are off to pick up a new puppy this afternoon. You are like my fairy godmother. Thank you for taking so much of your time for me. :001_smile:

 

Wendy

[blessed2five]

Part # 4

 

WOW. This is getting long winded…you mentioned that Honors Earth Science and a technology class at the high school. You are going to want to make SURE that he has the time in his schedule to do well in those classes. You have to give grades for his work in 9th grade. If his grades at school are C’s, all of the momma-generated A's won’t carry much weight with colleges. You want his outside grades to be rock solid. So make sure that he has the time in his schedule to do well.

 

SMARR. Another good choice. A solid high-school level reading program. As with his history/geography program I would make sure that he is writing about what he is reading. USE this credit to strengthen his writing skills, but also put this credit to work to make sure he is strengthening his reading skills.

 

When kids get to college they will be hampered if they are missing skills. They can acquire content. But they will constantly be limited if they can’t read and write at a college level.

 

Summary: I would shoot for the following credits.

 

Introduction to Literature – 1 Credit: SMARR

English Composition I – ½ Credit: IEW SWI C – Use the 15 -week plan to complete in one semester. See Note Below*

Ancient History OR Geography: - 1 Credit

Math – 1 Credit

Honors Earth Science – 1 Credit

Foreign Language – Latin – 1 Credit

Introduction to Technology – 1 Credit

 

That’s 6.5 Credits. Respectable. Very. You could add ½ credit for PE to make seven: a competitive transcript. I would NOT try to add in an entire credit of logic. Save it for 10th grade after you get the writing under control. Really. You need to focus on paragraphs, short reports, longer reports, and then the essay – narrative, expository, persuasive, and then the literary essay. You won’t make it to the end of the list in 9th grade, but you will be so psyched if you get going in a good direction. IEW SWI C with the DVD’s may just be the ticket to get you going. (IEW Ancients offers a long list of writing lessons, but it’s geared toward younger kids. It’s slower. I’m guessing that the lack of progress may frustrate your son. He’s a high schooler – the SWI C will speak to him at his level; it won’t talk down to him. The pace suits older kids. Yet it is a gentle start.) Their new catalog offers a 9-12 plan for writing. A GREAT launch pad for a reluctant writer. Make sure to check it out.

 

Once you decide how many credits you want your son to earn, I would commit to the last step. You need to sit down with him and plan out a schedule. NOTHING helps me see that I’ve scheduled toooooo much school as seeing it all on paper. When there are not enough blocks on the page, then I have piled too much onto this kids plate. Make sure to schedule drive time and breaks and _____. When you see if all, somehow things come into perspective. And then look at the schedule. Is your son sitting for hours at a time? Move things around. I try to schedule sitting activities opposite hands-on stuff. Then when his schedule is planned, start looking at yours. (sorry. It’s frustrating but it’s important.) You need to think about when your son will need YOU and when he will be able to work solo. Will his schedule jive with the rest of the family? Are the kids all going to need you at the same time? Really. It’s something to think about. Sometimes a kid is limited on the subjects he can take (or the curricula he can use) because I can’t do it – not because of his schedule. Sometimes I have to choose curriculum based on MY schedule, not what’s best for the child. But in the end, that’s actually what’s best for the kid: they learn with regular ole’ programs that get used, not with amazing programs that sit on the shelf.

 

In the end, Wendy, I would gently and heartily encourage you to make a serious, heartfelt commitment to work on writing. (I SO feel your pain. Really. I do!) You need to see high school through the lens of earning credits. And then you need to see the opportunities to work on weaknesses WITHIN those credits. You can earn those credits in ways that will serve your kids in the long run.

 

PLEASE resist the urge to use high school as a way to cover everything content-wise that you might have missed. Kids will spend too much time working and not enough time growing. They need targeted work. Not just work.

 

And then – don’t forget to have some fun. Really. You can still do that. Even in high school.

 

Hope I haven’t been too harsh. Or confusing. If you want to PM me, I might be able to carve out some time to chat on the phone later today or maybe tomorrow if you need clarity on something. For now I have to stop typing and get to tackling my to-do list……

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

 

* Note: You could bump his English up to a full credit if you add in a grammar program. I would make sure I have something in writing though to support the credit. You could do the R&S book orally and just add the worksheets or just require some exercises in writing every week or just do the tests. If you add a grammar program, you could call the course English Grammar & Composition I and give it a full credit. But be careful. You said that his language skills were strong. You might want to stick with the IEW for a ½ credit and make SURE that he is spending his time writing in his literature and history programs for the entire YEAR. You don’t want to fill his schedule with busy work. You can always add a grammar program in the second half of 9th grade or even in 10th grade. Make sure you are focusing on writing when you launch in September. ☺ Remember the goal is to spend his time working on earning credits and shoring up skills. THAT pays the biggest year-end dividends. And THAT is important if you want to avoid discouragement and burn out. You need to feel like you are getting somewhere. ☺

 

Janice,

 

I just wanted to bump this up to say thank you!!! I came across this post just at the right time and it is speaking volumes to me....even though it wasn't written for me. I think many of us new to homeschooling HS would benefit from these words of wisdom!!

 

You have given me a lot to think about and I now have a better idea where we are headed next year thanks to these words.

 

I wish I had someone in my life that would encourage and direct me like this!!

 

Now off to plan and pray for my first year teaching of HS!!

 

Blessings!! :001_smile:

[ks-sunflower]

I want to thank Janice for this very helpful thread & bump it up for others who might be struggling with a reluctant writer. It was a tremendous relief to have a plan so clearly laid out from someone who has BTDT. I was feeling so discouraged about this particular aspect of our home school that I was considering sending ds back to ps. With nothing to lose except money (and with the money-back guarantee not much at that), I immediately ordered and received the IEW Student Intensive C as well as the Teaching Writing course. The results so far have been spectacular and have increased my confidence that home schooling high school will be possible for us. The techniques and writing structures are clear and specific enough that there is little ambiguity and as a result, no arguing and frustration. The DVD student lectures make the program sooooo easy to use. Even though I have the Teaching Writing course, we both watch the SWI-C and take notes. I see how to apply this to history and literature. We will be doing the Elegant Essay next. Anyway, thanks!

[Mom2boys]

Thanks to Janice for the incredibly helpful advice. And thanks to ks-sunflower for bumping this thread. Otherwise I never would have seen it. And I REALLY needed to read this. My son's 9th grade year will definitely be the better for it.

[Kim in SouthGa]

I have not read all the posts, but we have used both SMARR and IEW Ancients. I would STRONGLY advise you to use something that really teaches how to write the lit analysis paper first before using SMARR. My son used this in 9th grade in a coop with a teacher who is a college prof, and still had a hard time. He had never written anything about literature except the basic summaries/book reports. We are going back this year and trying to fill in those gaps with Windows to the World and Lively Art of Writing and Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings (yes we are ODing on English this year! probably gonna throw in High School Essay Intensive too-writing and lit are our focus so he can do AP class in 11th or 12th).

Have you looked at the scope and sequence chart on the IEW site? That really helped me. It shows what you should start with if you are beginning in each grade http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/start

I do like SMARR literature and we will probably return to it, but I really think you need some knowledge of writing a lit analysis paper first. Maybe you could still do the literature portion and not require papers until you get through Windows? I think it is a one semester course. Also, you can download the writing instruction from the SMARR courses for free at their website. You can do that and compare. http://smarrpublishers.com/smarrbooks.php

I will also agree that IEW Ancients is a little young-my 6th grade dd did it this year practically in her sleep (she is a strong writer though). I think either SWI C or Elegant Essay would be more age appropriate. My son did IEW SWI B in a coop for 8th and did the SMARR writing for 9th. He much prefers IEW for writing instruction, but we both really like the SMARR literature instruction. I think it would be very easy to combine the two.