MBTP for second grade?

[JessieC]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on MBTP if you've used it. Next year dd will be moving away from FIAR, and I'm interested in exploring my options for (secular) curriculum for her second grade year. I understand it is a complete curriculum other than math and phonics. I would probably do Level 7-9. I love the idea of a literature-based, project-based curriculum.

 

So if I don't do MBTP, I will likely do a more patchwork curriculum--REAL Science Odyssey, SOTW, continue with unit studies, work our way through a literature list. I don't have a ton of time to plan because I work pt, but I do enjoy the planning.

 

If you've used MBTP, are you happy with the program? I've seen sample pages and they look very strong. Thanks!

 

Jessica

[LittleIzumi]

I liked the look of the samples, but when I printed them out and tried them, ugh. Not for us. They seemed very busywork-ish, like you'd use in a regular classroom, and it was too easy for dd. I would actually work through the samples with your child to see if it will fit you well.

[abbeyej]

...very busywork-ish, like you'd use in a regular classroom...

 

This was my impression as well. Lots of "let's write a poem in this turtle shape" sort of thing. I find my kids are much more creative when our work is focused and they have lots of time and materials to be creative in their own time. Stuff like MBTP tends to feel ... manipulative and condescending.

[Aurelia]

We're just finishing up the first literature unit for 7-9 (Tornado) and Ariel seems to enjoy it. It's really stretched her in some ways, she's always had trouble defining the "whys" behind her choices, and it's encouraged her to write a lot more than she has been used to. (We used OM2 last year and it was basically "copy this sentence and draw a picture about the story" with little independent work.) Some of the activities do feel "busy" - we completely skipped the "Best Pet" activity because, although she probably would have liked it, it felt unnecessary. However, my creative kiddo flourishes with stuff like this, she's bored to death with textbooks and workbooks.

 

My plan is to at least complete the other literature units in the concept (Sarah, Plain and Tall and Who Was Helen Keller?) and probably all the books in the third concept, as well. I was less enamored of some of the choices in the other two concepts, but are rounding out LA by using Galore Park's Junior English program and supplemental books. I'm one of those incorrigible tweakers, however.

[Just Robyn]

First of all, I read a lot of negative reviews of MBtP on here written by people who have never used it.

 

While there are activities in MBtP that include workbook pages, going to the park and making a map of it after learning about the parts of a map is hardly busywork.

 

Reading a myth about turtles, researching turtles and recording your findings (Whether you choose to record info on a turtle shaped graphic organizer or a plain sheet of paper, it's research.), discussing myths and writing your own isn't busywork either.

 

IMO, many homeschoolers are hypersensitive to workbooks. Graphic organizers are not bad. Not all the activities in MBtP use a workbook page at all.

 

Some positives about MBtP:

 

There are some good creative, hands-on activites

There are some good writing activities that lay out the makings of a paragraph or report to help a child along in writing one.

Use of living books, not a text book

Makes some interesting connections (like learning about a balanced diet after spending time using a balance to balance different materials)

 

Some negatives about MBtP:

 

Spelling words are based on content, not spelling rules

Grammar is random and sporadic; I'm sure most here would supplement.

Writing is not at all like WWE or CM - much more like public school.

Every recipe we've made from MBtP has been mediocre to bad (not that that's a huge part of MBtP, but still)

 

We have used some MBtP literature units and they were neither all bad nor all good. Some of the graphic organizers and activities to go with them really help pull the story together. Some of the activities were the sporadic, random grammar I mentioned, which does end up being busywork since it's not regular enough for a child to really learn from it. I wouldn't buy any more, and I wouldn't use one in entirety again, but there are individual pages/activities I would use again since I already have them.

 

We did one science unit last year (6-8 level) and it was great. My ds learned a LOT (way more than trying to use Noeo with him, even though Noeo worked well for his older brother. - different kids, different learning needs). My more hands-on ds is using MBtP (7-9) this year for science/s.s. (but is still doing h.o. because I couldn't not do ancients). So far so good.

[JessieC]

Thanks, all, for sharing your thoughts. DD likes worksheets just fine and I like the idea of a balance of both hands-on projects and work on paper. I'm still really attracted to this program. I'd love to hear more thoughts and experiences.

[PhotoGal]

We did not buy the whole program, but just a couple literature units. We are almost done with "Tornado." I really liked the curriculum. The book was great for ds. I liked the writing assignments and discussions - there were things I wouldn't have necessarily thought to teach on my own (such as plot with rising action, climax, resolution). We did skip the daily written summaries and just did them orally.

 

I will probably buy a few more lit units for this year and think about the whole program for next year. I'm not sure how it will work balancing two kids (to do the whole program for each). Right now we are using other things for Science, Social Studies, etc. so we can combine for those. If I had just one child, I would definitely go with the full mbtp program for next year and just add Math and a few extras.