Classical Conversations Challenge A when you've never done CC?

[ktwensel]

In your opinion would a child be able to enter CC at the Challenge A level when they haven't done CC before? My DD is behind in Saxon Math (we are completing 6/5 this year) and she is not very motivated. She struggles with completing assignments and complains about everything. I was hoping CC would give her more accountability and she would be in the class with 2 of her friends. I was thinking for next year when she would be in 7th grade.

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Thank you.

 

Karen

[momee]

I don't think not being in CC previously is the biggest issue to consider.

 

Challenge A here had a schedule the children had to adhere to each and every week. Think of plotting your whole math year out day by day, week by week. Then do that for each and every subject Challenge A covers.

 

We opted to keep my daughter out because I could see her quickly drowning in the lack of flex in that schedule. She is doing well with the accountability of a few outside classes but if we were being tied to that schedule for every single subject - yikes.

Edited February 20, 2012 by momee

[G5052]

Depending on what she's doing now, there may be quite a bit more involved with grammar, writing, and reading. I'm the Essentials tutor at our campus, and I have a number of older students who needed another year to mature in language arts. They will do best if they are ready to begin really cranking out the work independently. I held back my youngest this year because I felt like another year of maturing was in order, and I have no regrets.

 

On the positive side, Challenge A does teach them a level of independence, but it will be an adjustment and your week will be centered around getting everything ready for class day.

[Kim in SouthGa]

My 12dd jumped into Challege B in January with no previous CC experience. She is doing fine. She is still struggling a bit to pace out her work. We weren't given a day by day schedule (would love to have one!); it just has two columns per page, one with what they did in class and one with what homework is due the next week. She has to figure out how much to do each day on her own. The accountability may help her-my kids are much more motivated to get homework done for other people than for me. The "competition" might be good also, as they read a lot of what they have done out loud so it would be obvious to everyone if she didn't do the work.

[Brenda in FL]

The only concern would be writing instruction. Are you and she already familiar with IEW? She will learn it in the exposition strand in Challenge A, but most likely the tutor will also use the methodology for her science papers, so it will help if she's already familiar with the IEW styles and techniques. This is easily done over the summer. And as a parent you should view the TWSS dvds if you aren't familiar with it.

 

She can remain at her own level of math. She'll be able to glean information from sitting in the math seminar even if its above her level.

 

The first semseter is a crazy learning curve!! But thinks settle into place the second semester. Challenge A will mostly likely be your entire homeschool curriculum.

 

My son seems to thrive with the accountablility and competition.

 

Seventh grade and 12 years old is the usual starting point for Challenge A. Mine started at age 13, 8th grade. Have you visited the community you plan to join? Try to sit in with the tutor who will be teaching next year.

[angela in ohio]

Absolutely. I taught a class of 12 Challenge A students and only 3 had been in Foundations. I saw no difference whatsoever. Those who did the best were those who could read and write comfortably, just like in any other class.

 

It's really a 50/50 shot that the structure will improve her motivation, from what I have seen of students that age. Some are motivated by the class pressure, others aren't at all. It will have a bit to do with the Tutor and how he or she handles expectations.

 

I do think the most important consideration in general is the Tutor, though. You want to make sure they know the material and can teach it (CC offers just three half days of training, so Tutors really have to be motivated to make their plans and should already know how to teach a group of adolescents and at least the Latin, writing, and math, imho.)