3browneyedboys4me Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 This is a cross post from the K-8 logic board b/c I wasn't really sure the best board to place my questions. :confused: I am wanting to use OM for next year with my rising 8th grader. However, we all know that 8th grade is a big year as we bridge over into High school. So, I have never used this program before...have no idea how rigorous it is. Can anyone share with me their thoughts. I'm specifically concerned about the sciences and math. Are they as rigorous as Apologia, BJU, etc? My son loves science. I just want to make sure it's engaging and not busy work. If you've used this and have any insight, I would love to hear from you. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirowife Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 :bigear: wondering the same for 7th and 9th... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3browneyedboys4me Posted February 29, 2012 Author Share Posted February 29, 2012 :lurk5::lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txhomemom Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 We are currently using some of the Oak Meadow materials for 7th grade. I really like the science and history. There are a lot of projects and writing prompts, essays, etc. It has a lot of background info on the topics studied so you don't necessarily have to use another spine (although you can add one if you want). It is a great curriculum that has everything included. Other than a few chapter books, you really don't need to add a lot to it. I don't own the math book so I cannot speak to what their math is like. Saying all that, I don't like Oak Meadow's English as much. The spelling and grammar seems a little too easy. My dd struggles with spelling so she needs more instruction in this area. I would also like to see more depth to the literature component. I just tend to favor other materials for language arts. I think we will continue to use their science and history materials for 8th grade. For high school level, we may go with another school (Kolbe), so not sure if we will sign up for any courses through Oak Meadow or not. FYI, Oak Meadow has 20% off curriculum until today, February 29, use code Winter2012 at checkout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkateLeft Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I used OM 8 (English, Civics) last year with my younger dd, who was a 7th grader. I've also used OM physical science and life science. I have *not* used OM math. For what it's worth, my kids are very math and science oriented. OM middle school courses can be great spines for an inquisitive, motivated kid and a parent who's willing to act as facilitator and learning partner. I find that I really needed to be willing to put in the time and energy to facilitate the extra assignments, projects and activities. I agree with what the previous poster said. I think OM English 8 is light, however, my daughter enjoyed it. She participated in a book club with my oldest, which used Lightning Lit's two American literature programs, so that beefed up her literature studies considerably. OM science is experiential, and if a child prefers to just read the text and write out assignments, it's probably not the best program to choose. It's not a traditional textbook, and it's not busy work. :) The projects are where the meat is, and we found that we spent a lot of time consulting additional resources for information we needed to do assignments and complete projects. We also needed a lot of additional resources for OM 8's Civics program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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