Another Lynn Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Yes, this goes along with my request for suggestions of courses on DVD. Partly because of my own weaknesses and partly because my 13yo 7th grade ds thinks he knows everything (:D), I would like to seek other ways of teaching a couple subjects that move me to co-participator, facilitator, and grader rather than teacher. It's too late to change our co-op situation locally and our internet connection can't handle online classes. I'm considering Math Relief Algebra for math - partly because it can be bought and used one-third at a time, and could be considered more pre-algebra or the beginning of his Algebra I year depending on how it goes. I like the idea of the new AG dvd for grammar. We could complete season one before the end of this school year. Then, my biggest weaknesses are literature and writing. I can write, but I can't teach it. We've dabbled in Jump In and WWS. He requested not to continue with WWS before Christmas - I think he is tired of the narrative approach and of its incremental nature. I am not a huge fan of IEW, but I'm considering SWI B or C just to take myself further out of the picture. But he might not like it any better than WWS - though I'm not sure I care whether he likes it or not. I think he prefers to "just write" and not go through all the steps, but then sometimes when I take that approach his follow through is poor (probably because he doesn't know how to break it down into steps, LOL?) Literature - I like the structure of LL7, but nervous about changing so many things at once, and don't want to waste money. It has also crossed my mind to keep one subject looser, so he feels like he has a "say" somewhere. I.e. Here's your literature shelf - pick a book and write a summary when you're done. Problem is, in the past that has resulted in lots of reading and little writing (totally MY fault for not staying firmer!) I guess if I can't see a clear path for implementation I have a harder time holding his feet to the fire. (I'm not talented at multi-tasking or adjusting on the fly, and there are 4 other children here - 3 school age and 1 wannabe, LOL). Literature seems to be the most difficult one to solve - I don't want to watch something that will teach me, something that I have to digest and figure out how to implement. Implementation is already my problem :). History and science are getting done per HOD's early modern guide. We've tweaked history a bit, but he is writing a decent narration every week (content is decent, mechanics are a little sloppy - plan to address that as well). Okay, sorry this is long and possibly difficult to prescribe a rememdy because so much relies on my own fickle ability to enforce which you can't outguess. But, I would still be grateful for any thoughts, comments, or experiences you can share. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marla Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 (edited) I'm a great "planner" but I have trouble consistently carrying out those plans so I'm also looking to outsource some subjects especially writing. On 1-24, my 7th grade dd will start IEW SWI-B as an online class taught by Pamela White, the author of Fix-It Grammar. My dd has received permission to join the class mid-term even though it started in the fall. They have a new class starting up this week that uses SWI-B. I know you said you aren't a fan of IEW, but you mentioned the possibility of using SWI-B so thought I'd throw that option out. I already own SWI-B and was dabbling in it, but decided my dd needed to be accountable to an outside teacher so I'm excited that IEW is offering online classes this year. Pamela has been awesome about responding to my questions via email. I noticed you use CLE. Have you considered using CLE Reading for your literature component? There may be better options out there, but what I like about their Reading program is that it is open and go so it gets done. The stories they read are short, but by doing the LU's my dd is learning a lot about various literary elements, etc... Edited January 23, 2012 by Marla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 On 1-24, my 7th grade dd will start IEW SWI-B as an online class taught by Pamela White, the author of Fix-It Grammar. My dd has received permission to join the class mid-term even though it started in the fall. they have a new class starting up this week that uses SWI-B. . Marla, do you have a link for the SWI B class?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marla Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Marla, do you have a link for the SWI B class?! http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/online Hopefully, I linked it correctly. If not go to IEW website and on the right side of the page it says "Online Classes". They start this week. I have no idea if they still have openings or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marla Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Thank you! Even if they say they are full, perhaps if you contact the instructor, they might take one more student. It's worth a try. I'm assuming they'll offer classes again in the fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 This time last year (that was 7th for us), I was at my wits end with writing. I asked here and found WriteGuide. It has been a godsend. You can start any time - just call them and you have a tutor within a day or two. They will do anything you want - work with your student with feedback on things you're already doing, or just tell them what kind of writing you'd like them to work on, and they'll take over completely. It's $70-$75/month, and if you like, you can enroll multiple students for the same price, as long as they take turns submitting things. (You get one submission/day and then feedback daily as well). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Marla, Thank you for responding. Both ideas are very good. I read the information about the online SWI class and our internet connection is not good enough for it. bummer. Matroyshka, Thanks for sharing the information about WriteGuide. It's probably one of the few online helps that we could use (since it's email). Definitely bookmarking this one and thinking about it some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.