What curriculum do you use for your right brain or VS learners?

[thundersweet]

Just curious what curriculum is working in your house. What do you use for each subject? I believe my dd to have a strong visual spatial bent so I am curious what is out there for these types of learners. I actually think she is right up the middle in terms of left and right brained learners. Our only problem area is math. She is strongly right brained in math. At least I think she is from the reading I have done. Please tell me what you use in your home for these kids. Not only math, but all subjects.

 

Thanks,

Sandy

[LizzyBee]

Math - Singapore, Teaching Textbooks, Life of Fred (She loves Fred!!), Times Tales and triangle flash cards for math facts

 

Grammar - Rod & Staff (If I tell her she can do the worksheet for the lesson instead of the written exercise, she'll ask if she can do both.)

 

Vocabulary - Vocabulary Cartoons

 

Spelling - Calvert Spelling on CD (This was like a miracle cure for her spelling woes!)

 

Writing - Classical Writing

 

Latin - Latin Primer with DVD

 

Science - Abeka last year, PH Science Explorer next year

 

History - We're just finishing up the SOTW series. I'm not sure what we're going to use next year.

[Jill in Maine]

For my ds7 who is very visual/spacial...I use Abeka Arithmetic WITH the blocks from MathUSee. (Couldn't do it without the blocks.)

Also, I used 100 Easy Lessons to teach her to read. For most subjects involving reading she processes better if she reads to me instead of vice versa.

Jill

[siloam]

LA: Dictation (via SL)

Spelling: SWR

Writing: Narration

Math: Right Start & Singapore

Science: Apologia, she does better with Winter Promise Science, but I don't have the time for it right now.

History: Tapestry of Grace, again I incorporate Winter Promise books/hands on because they work so well for her. I don't use WP because her sister is the exact opposite and TOG allows me to customize for each of them.

 

Heather

[Trivium Academy]

Curriculum that is cleanly laid out is crucial for me, otherwise I can't use it. It doesn't matter what it says or how fabulous it is, if it's not visually appealing- I can't use it.

 

Bible- Explorer's Bible Study

Math- Horizons (I picked it b/c of the color and spiral incremental approach)

Latin- Prima Latina by Memoria Press

French- Écoutez, Parlez (maybe this is another reason I didn't like The Easy French, hmm)

History- was using SOTW, switched to Tapestry of Grace

Science- choose my own but can't stand comic book stuff in the books

Music- THemes to Remember

Art- Artistic Pursuits

English/Composition: Primary Language Lessons, cannot stand Language Lessons by Queen Homeschool due mostly to format

 

We have posters or we make them, we use paper crafts in history, watch DVDs or Discovery Education online for supplements. I try to make sure we have something visually stimulating for everything we study, even if it's a game. I think that's why Right Start Math Games didn't work for us either- it looks boring.

 

Hope this helps.

[Robin Hood]

Kate (9.5) is not only right brained, but a top down learner. I have yet to find any curriculum that would be top down in it's approach to teaching. It is by and large, bottom up, as are most things in the real world. In math, concepts are easy, details are hard. I have tried Saxon and MUS with little results. Patience, patience, patience. Keep searching. I will be looking at Math Made Meaningful at the next conference I go to, because I realized that for dd numbers mean nothing. They are just symbols. She does well with word problems, but she needs a reason to manipulate numbers for the only reason to learn. Hates, hates, hates, drill and kill. It ruins our day and I am not willing to have our days ruined any more. Soooo, we go slow. No big deal as I interview successful women and men as to their academic abilities in school and how they function in the real world. More and more women I meet who have highly mathamatical jobs or are even scientists, didn't get math until college level. It is so refreshing to listen to their school days struggles and helps me to ease up on Kate. So I guess I'd advise you to get perspective as you go. It will keep you sane.

 

All other subjects are the same but much easier to get accomplished. It's the top down learning that makes it hard for Kate in all things so I continually have to give her the big picture in the process of educating her to keep her focused on the bottom up details.

 

If you get your dd reading well, she'll get more. Reading well and often helps in all subjects. I think that is the most important thing. Kate can do well in grammar but doens't always. But when she writes a paragraph, she does so well that there is no doubt she gets it. I think this is due to my reading to her from infancy to even currently and her own reading.

 

Soooo, no help with curriculum from me, just experience with a gifted, right brained, visual seer, random thinking, top down learner who thinks she is the boss. I have started to just teach her how to get the tools she needs to figure it out for herself and she is doing wonderfully and I have no doubts anymore for her future. I still have to check my temper at the door and remember that a word spoken kindly goes farther than drill and kill.

[thundersweet]

Robin, at 6, she is reading on a strong 5-6th grade level. Maybe even higher for all I know. She amazes me with the words she knows. Reading came very easy for her. She is pretty good with spelling too. She does extremely well on comprehension as well. Usually scoring 5th-6th grade level using the Mcall Crabs books. It wasn't until we came upon math that I realized we may have some problems.... that she may need something other than a standard curriculum. She gets the concept, just not the small details. I learned here that it actually has a name. Right brain learner! Now I am searching for more information and doing lots of reading in hopes of finding ways to help her. I think this could help her across the board. She is most definitely a kinesthetic learner as well. This year, I will be adding lots of hands on to our Sonlight core 1 to help cement. Something I am dreading!

 

I agree about the reading being so important. I am most proud of her. She teaches herself so much just by reading to herself. Can't beat that! Right now, she knows more about animals than I ever will. lol Its so good to hear that just because she is struggling in math doesn't always mean she will struggle. Right now, we have settled on MUS and adding in the Addition the Fun Way to help her remember the facts. So far so good!

 

Oh, and at 6, my dd thinks she is the boss as well. I thought that was only happening in our household. :001_smile:

 

Thanks everyone for the curriculum. Keep em' comin!

 

Thanks,

Sandy

[Robin Hood]

Well, Thundersweet, it sounds like you're on the right track. A math teacher wisely gave me this visual lesson. Teeth only come out when they are ready. You can't force them out. Math is the same way. Little by little gets the job done. She'll get it when her brain wires itself to get it. It sounds like your dd strengths are literary right now. There is tons of math in any reading book. As you read to her, notice the math and ask her how the "whoever" might solve his problem.

 

One time when I was reading a Little House book, Ma kept having to serve meals all day as people passed through on their way to claim land. As we read how many were served breakfast, and that another group came by shortly after, I asked my girls, "So how many breakfasts did Ma cook?" Then more people kept coming for breakfast so we kept track together. Then the lunches started, then the dinners. Ma was harried in the end, day after day, fixing meals. The girls were amazed at how many added up in what seemed like a real life situation. That's math. They saw it and felt it in the story. Poor Ma!

If you do that a bunch of times, you can probably skip a page of math facts.

 

You can find questions about distance, measuring, and so forth, in any book you read to your dd. Make it apply to everything. That's thinking, something your dd sounds strong in.

 

Btw, my girls were about 6 or 7 when I read that story to them.

[Rosie_0801]

Well for languages, the most visual/spacial you can get is a signed language... If you choose to take that path, don't buy any resources that doesn't have the word "grammar" on the blurb. Preferably, it will also have the word "classifier" included too.

:)

Rosie

[Lori D.]

Here have been the main subjects we've had to find a way to work with our VSL son who is now 14yo. and just finishing 8th grade. Hope something here is of help to others! Warmly, Lori D.

 

 

MATH

Math facts and abstract/non-visual math concepts the stumbling blocks here. What has helped:

- Math Facts -- combination of skip count songs; Schoolhouse Rock:Math; but ESP. helpful: triangle flashcards which visually show 3 numbers as a "family" -- and they drastically cut back on the number of facts to learn

- Math-U-See (spine) -- mostly easily grasps the concepts/instruction through MUS

- Singapore (supplement) -- harder for him (and it didn't work as a spine!) We use Singapore workbooks at about a grade below his MUS grade level, so it's more of a review so he can benefit from the fabulous Singapore word problems and develop more of a "math thinking".

 

 

WRITING

An area of struggle -- both in organizing his thoughts, and in the physical act of hand holding a pencil and writing. We did tiny chunks of writing -- maybe only 1-3 sentences at a time, but did it several times a day.

- Wordsmith Apprentice -- very gentle intro intro writing

- Jump In -- also very gentle, incremental intro into writing

- from IEW: keyword outline idea; really helps him figure out how to structure a sentence and organize his thoughts

- Ready, Set, Revise: nice 1 sentence a day "warm up" into writing

- daily journal prompts (I googled and printed lists of topics from online) start small -- no more than 1-3 sentences and over time work your way up; this "free writing" (which you do not grade or correct) is very important in helping to practice simultaneous thinking/writing

 

 

GRAMMAR

- Winston Basic, Wordworks, Advanced -- discussed, then did 4 sentences with colored markers on the whiteboard; now he just does it orally

 

 

SPELLING

Another area of real struggle. Things that helped:

- Stevenson Blue Spelling Manual -- gave him visual pictures to help visualize vowel patterns for spelling

- Megawords!!! Massively helpful in teaching vowel patterns and rules of syllabication, to give him a strategy for breaking down longer words to spell them correctly

- practice spelling outloud (I spell the word to him, he then spells it back to me) -- forces his global brain to hear the spelling sequentially

- practice words and word changes/homophones, etc. on the whiteboard together each week to really VISUALIZE words (visually helps him see "dropping the "e" and adding "ing", or see the little picture in his head of "feet" -- we have 2 feet, and the word has 2 "e"s vs. "feat" -- draw the "a" like a heart and say "I LOVE feats of strength!"; write vowel patterns or syllables in different ink colors; etc.)

- practice simultaneous writing/thinking/spelling -- dictate 5 short sentences, each with 2-3 spelling words

- online posting / gaming / blogging -- he focuses himself on the spelling, and uses spell check, because he doesn't want to look "stupid" from many misspellings

 

 

LITERATURE

Elementary grades: reading aloud and having "fidget toys" (koosh balls; a big exercise ball to sit/balance/lay across; Legos; clay; coloring; pipe cleaners; etc.) helps keep his hands busy so he can listen.

In middle school and heading into high school what is working: Read aloud / discuss aloud together; specific programs that have worked very well:

- Figuratively Speaking (teaches you 40 different literary elements, to aid you in literary analysis)

- Lightning Literature & Composition 7

- Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings

- Well Trained Mind style of reading/discussing Great Books

(we did some of the ancients this year, along with Spark Notes free online lit. guides, and the great lit. guide on The Odyssey from Garlic Press Publishers)

 

 

CRITICAL THINKING

We've done a WIDE range of puzzle types from 1st grade on to help his brain make connections and strengthed his thinking in his weak areas, and to allow him to SHINE in his strong, out-of-the-box/intuitive thinking areas! The following are things we found especially helpful:

- workbooks: Gifted and Talented series

- fun books: Puzzlemania series; Hidden Picture Puzzle books from Highlights

- books: Critical Thinking Activities in Pattern, Image, Logic (Seymour) -- by grade level; Dr. Funster Think-A-Minutes; Word Winks; Plexors

- solo activities: mazes; word searches; Where's Waldo and other search & find books; sudoku puzzles; crossword puzzles;

games: Set; Duo; Blink; Mastermind; Amazing Labrynth; Risk; Scan (old Parker Brothers game, usually available on ebay)

 

 

LOGIC

Logic has really been good to help develop that sequential/abstract thinking that is harder/less natural for him. We've read / discuss together:

- Critical Thinking Press and other specifical logic puzzles

- Dandylion Logic series

- Fallacy Detective, Thinking Toolbox

 

 

SCIENCE

Real books, lots of hands-on experiments, kits, and videos from the library (including lots of NOVA, Mythbusters, etc.). Next year, in 9th grade, we'll finally have to use a textbook, and I'm not sure how that's going to go over...

 

 

GEOGRAPHY

For memorizing states/capitals - Yo Sacramento

For learning where states or nations and capitals are - FREE online geography games at http://www.sheppardsoftware.com

[Closeacademy]

Math--Singapore

 

Science--Singapore or notebooking/lapbooking (she picks a topic, we read books, look on the internet and I put together all that she has learned and add it to her science binder.)

 

Latin--Minimus

 

Phonics--Spell to Read and Write (but I took the phonograms, used key words that made the sounds, wrote silly sentences and drew pictures to go with it. We worked through the phonograms again and again over time.), graphic novels, sight reading games, Leap Pad Letter Factory DVD.

 

For her to learn on her own--CDRom games, Videos and catchy tunes work well.

 

For us to do together--making things fun and visual. I am thinking that the Galore Park materials will work well for her and after we finish Minimus we may move there. I have also looked hard at their English materials.

 

This year though I am going to use Ruth Heller's grammar picture books to work on the parts of speech.

 

:001_smile:

[thundersweet]

Lori, how do you supplemnt MUS with Singapore? Do you do a couple pages a week? 1 page a day?

 

Thanks everyone! This is a great list!

 

Sandy

[Lori D.]

Hi Sandy! My son usually finishes MUS about 8 weeks before the end of the schoolyear, so at that point we switch over and do pages out of the Singapore. I have the teacher books, and we'll look over 1-3 lessons, and then I have him do selected problems from the practice page in the teacher book that go with those lessons we looked at. We get through 2-3 Singapore workbooks and sometimes part of a 4th workbook in that 8 weeks. I know others on this board supplement with Singapore by substituting for the spine 1 day a week; or they just use the challenging word problems book from Singapore, and do some of those problems later in the day from doing the spine math page. Hope that helps! Warmly, Lori D.

[Pongo]

LA: Dictation, Spelling, Reading SWR ( We drew pictures right on the phonograms, worked wonders)

Writing: GD Handwriting, IEW (outline & narrations)

Math: Singapore

Science: Apologia Zoology 3

History: Tapestry of Grace

Art: Atelier

[...................]

Math: So far Horizons worked but brought him to tears of boredom. He loves Miquon but because he is a global learner he really needs lots of drill and a mastery approach. So I believe MCP is going to be the good middle ground for *my* ADD and his V-S learning styles. I hope to add Miquon to it as much as possible.

 

LA:

Gotta have lots of reading practice and allow some sight words. I could drill phonics until the cows come home. He just cannot process it. He must understand the big picture and work down and phonics is completely the opposite of that. I still do drill phonics because I'm a good old fashioned WTM'er. BUT- this year we also have a stack of sight word cards ready to go and we're using Pathway for reading, English, and Reading comprehension, and they all incorporate sight reading. So there. I said it. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Handwriting- is covered in my LA but again all those letter reversals can really try one's patience. BUT- he doesn't usually do it in the context of a whole word. So practicing more words in all the LA is better than in K when you do a lot of single letters. He's also starting modern cursive on his own but I'm not sure we'll be able to keep up with it and all the other schoolwork.

 

And I agree with the PP's that puzzles are big for these kids. My guy loves critical thinking, mazes, dot to dots, jigsaw puzzles, logic puzzles, and anything in Miquon Math.