Curriculum that was great in the present, but bad in retrospect?

[razorbackmama]

Easy Grammar also fits into this category for me. Sure it's easy! So easy ds could fill up a whole page correctly and not even begin to tell me why. :glare:

Oh yeah, forgot Easy Grammar! Fortunately we only spent a year on it though, so the damage wasn't quite so bad. We spent longer on MUS. My oldest shudders at mere mention of MUS because it has put him so far behind in math. Math is his best subject and he's just finishing up pre-algebra (Lial's) at the end of 9th grade. If I'd not put him in MUS he'd be farther along.

[Mommy22alyns]

What about a logic or word puzzle workbook? My ds really likes the Lollipop Logic series and we also have a set of the Mindware Perplexor puzzles. You could also use that time for copywork, crossword puzzles or coloring pages from one of those really nice Dover books. Draw, Write, Now is another semi-workbookish series that we've enjoyed.

 

 

:iagree: Both girls love their logic books. Rebecca has Logic Safari and Mindware Grid Perplexors level A. She's also done Primarily Logic. Sylvia did a cut & paste logic and is on Lollipop Logic 2.

[FairProspects]

Math Mammoth. A whole lot of computing practice but not nearly enough teaching of concepts.

 

This may be the only time I've ever heard that accusation leveled at MM! :D

[Chrysalis Academy]

(ducking) . . . ;)

 

But FLL4 fit this bill for us. We were cruising along, doing the lessons easy peasy, 5-10 min a day, all seemed well . . . but then! I think I figured it out when we'd get to a grammar thing in Latin, and I'd assume that she knew it -of course- and ask her to define a part of speech, or a basic term like "1st person plural" and she had NO CLUE! Couldn't do it. Was unable to generate definitions for grammatical terms, or parse words in a sentence. It took me awhile to figure out how this was possible, but I finally decided FLL was soooo scripted, fill in the blanky, that she didn't actually think while she was doing it, just pattern matched from the examples.

 

Anyway, we did Grammar Land and now we're doing MCT, and plan to add KISS in after finising GrammarTown. And now she gets it, and retains it, and can apply it to Latin! Or sentences she reads! Or writes even! It's fantastic, and we weren't getting there with FLL.

[mamatohaleybug]

This may be the only time I've ever heard that accusation leveled at MM! :D

 

Imagine my surprise to feel that way! :(

[Joyofsixreboot]

R&S Grammar :leaving: DS got nothing from it. We quickly went back to CLE.

[crazyfordlr]

(ducking) . . . ;)

 

But FLL4 fit this bill for us. We were cruising along, doing the lessons easy peasy, 5-10 min a day, all seemed well . . . but then! I think I figured it out when we'd get to a grammar thing in Latin, and I'd assume that she knew it -of course- and ask her to define a part of speech, or a basic term like "1st person plural" and she had NO CLUE! Couldn't do it. Was unable to generate definitions for grammatical terms, or parse words in a sentence. It took me awhile to figure out how this was possible, but I finally decided FLL was soooo scripted, fill in the blanky, that she didn't actually think while she was doing it, just pattern matched from the examples.

 

Anyway, we did Grammar Land and now we're doing MCT, and plan to add KISS in after finising GrammarTown. And now she gets it, and retains it, and can apply it to Latin! Or sentences she reads! Or writes even! It's fantastic, and we weren't getting there with FLL.

I'm glad you wrote this b/c this is the same problem we're having with our current program (Houghton-Mifflin). We were going to use FLL4 but now I think I may look into KISS.

[Peaceful Isle]

Last year we used BJU distance learning. It was great for last year. I was pregnant, we were moving to a new town, lots of extended family stress...

 

I really can tell, though, that their love of learning went down, and I am re-teaching them things that they should have gotten down pat last year. Also, it messed up our whole History cycle.

But, it was great for then, but not for now :)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm glad you wrote this b/c this is the same problem we're having with our current program (Houghton-Mifflin). We were going to use FLL4 but now I think I may look into KISS.

 

It's definitely worth checking out, and the price is right! :D

 

To me, the best test of whether your grammar program is "working" is, if you give them a basic, interesting, not overly tricky sentence from a book they are reading, and ask them to point out the subject and the predicate, and tell you the part of speech of most of the words, if they can't do it, something ain't right.

 

Also, they probably shouldn't write "ain't" ;)

[Halcyon]

Are you willing to share these? Because I know I do not have the time or energy to figure something out. I've looked at BSFU, and I want to cry. I just need more hand holding. :)

 

Yes! absolutely. I am faaaar from done, however! I am basically doing them one lesson ahead of the kids. PM me if you would like the link to what I've done so far (I am creating them in google docs, and was planning on sharing them publicly when they're about halfway done, but if you'd like to see what I've done, let me know). For me, they definitely help making their learning feel more "concrete." I am also going to be making review quizzes to check retention.

[Halcyon]

This may be the only time I've ever heard that accusation leveled at MM! :D

 

:iagree::iagree: We supplement it with CWP and Alcumus, but I think it teaches concepts pretty well! Maybe too well (lots of 'approaches' LOL)

[serendipitous journey]

AAS didn't go as naturally or well for us as I'd hoped, once we got past the first year. We're doing well with the Modern Speller right now.

 

Honestly, I feel this way about pretty much any science curriculum we have used. A lot of it seems like a major waste of time (especially many of the experiments). I feel like we get more out of just reading a lot of different science books.

:iagree:

Have you tried the GEMS guides, though? They look like good teaching material, but I've been daunted by the up-front work.

 

Also, reading the biography Lunar Men inspired me to have the boys do explosives-based education when they're old enough :). But we do have a biggish (though very tilted -- we're on the side of a hill) yard. At any rate, I'm hoping to start Backyard Ballistics in a couple of years.

 

What books are you using next year? I'm thinking we'll do Dawkins' Magic of Reality as an audiobook in the car ...

 

Also interested to hear the MUS comments ... it showed up on the What Have You Used & Liked for at Least 3 Years thread very often, and it's our spine for Button but we supplement heavily. Hmmm.

[razorbackmama]

Also interested to hear the MUS comments ... it showed up on the What Have You Used & Liked for at Least 3 Years thread very often, and it's our spine for Button but we supplement heavily. Hmmm.

I was merely annoyed with it while we were still using it. It wasn't until AFTER we were done using it that I realized just how much my kids didn't fully understand (or even know at all). Is that thread for people who are still using something after 3 years?

[serendipitous journey]

I was merely annoyed with it while we were still using it. It wasn't until AFTER we were done using it that I realized just how much my kids didn't fully understand (or even know at all). Is that thread for people who are still using something after 3 years?

 

It's "If You've Stuck with a Curriculum for 3+ YEARS". We do supplement/substitute heavily (MEP, LoF, some Singapore, various others) but I'm liking MUS for moving through the operations with an accelerated child. I've also noticed that there are "honors" pages included with the upper-level (beyond Zeta) courses ...

Edited April 6, 2012 by serendipitous journey

[Mrs Twain]

Can you share these?

 

 

 

Can you share these?

 

 

:iagree:

 

Any ideas on how to share documents? All I can think of is creating a blog. I don't have time to make a blog. :tongue_smilie: Maybe this summer...

[sagira]

I don't think this is necessarily true. My son did Beta-Zeta in 2nd-5th grades. Despite all the people who say you have to do MUS pre-algebra to move to something else, he moved without much difficulty from MUS to Chalkdust pre-algebra this year in sixth grade. He was not poorly prepared by MUS nor behind, and he's no math genius. Back when he was little, he was reading real books before he could count to ten.

 

I should have been clearer when I said that we were behind. We were behind not because of MUS (never used it), but with MCP Math. It seemed like a solid, traditional program, but turned out to be boring, no reasons why, no true teaching of concepts, which is what both ds and I needed. We are very happy with MM now.. This is our 3rd level with MM. We're finishing 3A this year.

[delaney]

Phonics did not stick at all with my kids when they were young. They all learned to read first with 100EZ, and then later learned phonics along with our spelling program. It wasn't until they were reading well for a year or two and learning to spell that phonics made any sense to them.

 

IMO one of the reasons kids have trouble learning to read is because so many of the reading programs are purely phonics based. Just my opinion based on my own experience...

Here's the thing about phonics and reading. You can teach all you want but it really is a readiness thing. That is what makes this thread hard. So many kids are ready for things at different times that you can't really compare kid to kid or program to program.

I hated BFSU and was all into it. THe girls hated it. My DS would love it and I wish I never sold it. Maybe one of those rebuy things if OM doesn't have enough meat for him.

[delaney]

Yes! absolutely. I am faaaar from done, however! I am basically doing them one lesson ahead of the kids. PM me if you would like the link to what I've done so far (I am creating them in google docs, and was planning on sharing them publicly when they're about halfway done, but if you'd like to see what I've done, let me know). For me, they definitely help making their learning feel more "concrete." I am also going to be making review quizzes to check retention.

I would pay a fee for something like this!:001_smile:

[alisoncooks]

Any ideas on how to share documents? All I can think of is creating a blog. I don't have time to make a blog. :tongue_smilie: Maybe this summer...

 

Google docs is good for sharing files.

[Haiku]

I think it teaches concepts pretty well! Maybe too well (lots of 'approaches' LOL)

 

I think that right there was ds's downfall with MM. He got confused by all the approaches. He needs a "this is how we do it" (cue Montell Jordan music) style of learning math. I have found, now that he's using TT (which I know everyone loves to hate) that he has a much better understanding of the why. He is making independent connections about math that he never made with MM, where I was spoon feeding him everything!

 

But of course, MM is fantastic for my mathy dd!

 

Tara

Edited April 6, 2012 by TaraTheLiberator

[Kathryn]

No rotten tomatoes, please, but that was my experience with Sonlight. All cuddles and great books, until after 5 years I realized that my kids had poor writing skills and almost no memory of the history we had allegedly covered.

 

I still use most of the literature, but I don't trust it for history and wouldn't go near it for LA.

 

Agree 100%. we've only done through Core A, but I can see the pattern in upcoming years. DS has a lot of fun cudding on the couch and reading together, but the "Sonlight moments" aren't where he's learning. We did their LA through Grade 2 and I HATED it. I had this uneasy feeling about it the whole time, but dismissed it. In hindsight, now that we are SO happy with what we are doing, I see how awful it was.

 

I'm also not a great fan of ETC, GWG, and WWW, but I don't think they're awful and dS insists on doing them.

[Alyeska]

MUS. We used it for almost all of dd's third grade year and it set dd back. There just wasn't enough review and she forgot key concepts that she had already learned.

 

TT. Ugh. Dd was 3 problems from passing on to the next level, so I used the recommendation of TT and placed her in the level she tested for. She got to lesson 80 before she learned anything new.

 

Wow have I made some math mistakes. And we are still trying to get back on grade level. ...almost there...almost there...so close I can taste it. lol! Dd has worked really hard and been patient as I push her through math so she will be ready for pre-algebra next year.

[lindsrae]

Yes! absolutely. I am faaaar from done, however! I am basically doing them one lesson ahead of the kids. PM me if you would like the link to what I've done so far (I am creating them in google docs, and was planning on sharing them publicly when they're about halfway done, but if you'd like to see what I've done, let me know). For me, they definitely help making their learning feel more "concrete." I am also going to be making review quizzes to check retention.

 

Oh THANK YOU! I am completely floundering in science right now...I want to love science and for my girls to love it, but right now it just feels like the thing that never gets done :glare:

 

I hear great things things about BFSU, but if I have to "figure it out," I know that will just frustrate me more. PMing you now!

[lindsrae]

Halcyon,

 

I tried to message you, but your box is full :)