Singapore Math & WWS/CC with new-to-homeschooling 6th grader?

[yvonne]

We may have an 11 yo/6th grader working with my boys this coming year, at least until Dec. The family is planning to move out of state, possibly in Dec. He's coming out of public school. The mom will continue to home school him through the end of 6th grade, if they move mid-year. She thinks he will probably return to public school in 7th. The mom does have a couple of friends who homeschool, so it's not a completely foreign concept to her. She would be completely supportive of whatever I decided to do.

 

Would you use Singapore Math and/or WWS/Classical Composition with a child in this situation? (I'm planning to use these with my boys, so I need to fold my friend's son in with us or do something different for him.)

 

If I were adopting him, I would definitely use SM, although I would have to start back with level 3 where they begin introducing the model method. Math is math. From using it with my own boys, I know SM is giving them a great foundation, a great facility with numbers and mathematical thinking that I certainly never had. I would want this other child to have a similarly strong foundation going into algebra later. This child has not had a particularly strong math background, but I think he will prove to be bright and capable (if he can get over the passive, spoon-fed learning he probably became accustomed to in public school). The mom has looked at the Singapore materials and would like him to use them, hoping that the SM might be the one that "clicks" with him. Also, we're talking 6th grade, a good year for solidifying those basic math skills. I don't think that he'd be losing ground by spending a year using SM (and Horizons 6.)

 

On the other hand, most kids don't use Singapore Math and many do just fine. Is it worth the additional effort it is going to take?

 

What about writing? I'm thinking that WWS would make sense because that would help him develop concrete writing skills that he can use no matter what writing approach the ps/public high schools use.

 

I want to try Classical Composition (online class!) with my boys bec. I can see us using that for 6th-8th if the class goes well. I don't know enough about the progym stages to know if doing only one year of CC would make sense for my friend's son. Any thoughts?

 

Any other thoughts on home schooling in general in this situation?

 

Thanks!

yvonne

Edited August 8, 2011 by yvonne

[Create Your Ritual]

The online class for CC moves through the first four levels I think. You can look at samples of the first four levels at http://www.classicalcomposition.com I am with you in wondering if one year would give you a good base, but my gut feeling is yes it would. You might want to interject a curriculum that would teach him to write the standard 5 paragraph essay as well?? I was thinking only of the time constraint you are under with only having a year to work with him. I think CC and even WWS work with organizational skills and the beauty of the language, but I am not really sure if within the first year they teach to organize an essay style paper.

[yvonne]

SaDonna,

 

Thank you so much for your thoughts. I've been following some of your threads on logic stage writing, and I know you've been investigating many of the options. I've found your posts useful as I plot our course.

 

Is there any one program or resource you would suggest for teaching a 5 paragraph essay?

 

I've looked at Shurley which my niece and nephew used at a private school. I know it's not well-regarded here and I can understand why. Shurley's very formulaic writing pales in comparison to some of the beautiful approaches out there. However, it might be the most direct route to a 5 paragraph essay. Any other, better options?

 

Thanks, again!

yvonne

[Create Your Ritual]

Knowing you are putting your kids in the online CC class, I would personally find a lot of value in that type of writing methodology, even if it was only for one year. It would not be something that the other student would ever get in public school (at least not any I know). But I can definitely understand having to 'teach to a test' or a more public school writing format.

 

As far as resources, I know there are simple workbooks like Paragraph Writing Made Easy, or curriculums like PBW (Pattern Based Writing) that could be done in a short course that would most likely have them all understanding a 5 paragraph style essay. (Not sure if PWME does that or not by the end of the book... hopefully someone else can chime in for you). It would be hard though if you were wanting to go the route of CC and the progym. to try to go a completely different route with another student at the same time. So then it has to become about what you are doing with your kids and fitting him into it.

 

I can't say right now about whether I will be using WWS primarily and bringing in aspects of CC or the other way around. I haven't seen all of CC yet to know the answers. I feel like the time is coming for me to make a decision though, however I find that there is value in having more than one handy. It just helps me personally to see how more than one person teaches the same thing. I noticed by Wk 13 or 15 of WWS she is doing a lot of the copia exercises I was seeing in CC Fable & Narrative. But I do like how WWS helps the student summarize and create longer, more well thought out sentences, out of a bunch of short ones.

 

I would think if I was to have a student, I would be working on vocabulary and building beautiful sentence structure, then at some point in the year I would bring in a short course of essay (or pattern type) writing just to make sure he is understanding the terminology and how to form one.

 

I say all of this with a grain of salt though. ha I am still learning myself.