Iskra Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) ______________ is to language arts ______________ is to english grammar _____________ is to science _____________ is to latin _____________ is to ancient and koine greek etc etc We're talking 1-4 grade here. Even more specifically, my son will be 2nd grade next year and I'm trying to find things that will challenge him, not bore him, but still age appropriate. So if you would please fill in the blanks and feel free to add more to the list for other subjects that I didn't mention. Don't forget to explain why you wrote what you wrote in those blanks. Thanks! Edited June 4, 2012 by Iskra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnegurochkaL Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 ______________ is to language arts______________ is to english grammar _____________ is to science _____________ is to latin _____________ is to ancient and koine greek etc etc We're talking 1-4 grade here. Even more specifically, my son will be 2nd grade next year and I'm trying to find things that will challenge him, not bore him, but still age appropriate. So if you would please fill in the blanks and feel free to add more to the list for other subjects that I didn't mention. Don't forget to explain why you wrote what you wrote in those blanks. Thanks! Grammar Island by MCT is to English Grammar. My almost 6 years old was really enjoying it listening to the stories and learning about some grammar:):lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 MCT is to Language Arts BFSU is to Science Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 why MCT and BFSU? I need more info, so that I can decide what we are getting:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I bought this and keep meaning to use it! How to Increase Your Child's Verbal Intelligence: The Groundbreaking Language Wise Method by Carmen McGuinness and Geoffrey McGuinness Horrible title, interesting book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 What's BFSU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 What's BFSU? http://www.amazon.com/Building-Foundations-Scientific-Understanding-Curriculum/dp/1432706101 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 I bought this and keep meaning to use it! How to Increase Your Child's Verbal Intelligence: The Groundbreaking Language Wise Method by Carmen McGuinness and Geoffrey McGuinness Horrible title, interesting book. That does look intriguing, but looks more like a book for a parent to read for themselves to help them improve the way they teach comrehension skills to their kids, not a curriculum... or does the book have some specific curriculum recommendations inside?.... My kid btw, does not have comprehension issues, so I don't know if that book is that useful for the purposes of this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 why MCT and BFSU? I need more info, so that I can decide what we are getting:). Sorry! BFSU is Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, a curriculum with 3 volumes, intended for K-2, 3-5, 6-8. Very conceptual, complete science program. MCT is Michael Clay Thomas language arts. Complete LA program intended for gifted kids, which includes grammar, vocabulary, writing and poetics. There is a separate literature component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Honestly, there is not a lot out there for the style of student you are describing, if I have it correct. This is our constant struggle as well. I would say GEMS science units and Intellego Science also allow a student to get into difficult concepts. SOTW for history, because you can go as deep into the content as you have time to go with additional reading and projects. Our best curriculum finds have been those that are "unleveled" because then I can adapt the output/input required to get into really complex concepts, but there is no easy answer to this question unfortunately. Probably not what you wanted to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Ellen McHenry's science programs are challenging but accessible to bright younger students and have a humor component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 My dds like Beast and MCT but I doubt they/we would enjoy BFSU. I have an aversion to pdf curriculum. (Don't ask why.:tongue_smilie:) For science, my hands-on, visual-learners love labs (real labs in a lab environment -- not a kitchen). They take science classes from various venues. At their ps science class they get to touch and experience the concepts the teacher is teaching (stuff I don't have access to here) in a group setting with a PBL flavor. Perfect fit all around. They like building robots and creating Scratch programs. For history, they enjoy picture books and videos. Their grandparents just got back from 2 weeks in Italy and brought back a video on Pompeii which the girls are glued to right now. We also travel as a family to historical places rather than just read about them or watch videos. Dd9 will take World Geo via Athena's next year. It's a hands-on, visual approach w/ MtWBH. Can't help much with Latin. We did PL, parts of LFCA and VL. Mandarin seems to be a better fit. They are obsessed with all-things-China currently so that helps fan the flame. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 That does look intriguing, but looks more like a book for a parent to read for themselves to help them improve the way they teach comrehension skills to their kids, not a curriculum... or does the book have some specific curriculum recommendations inside?.... My kid btw, does not have comprehension issues, so I don't know if that book is that useful for the purposes of this thread. No, that's not quite it -- the first half is a useful reading for parents, and the second half or so is almost 40 different language activities and games. It's not enough on it's own to be considered any sort of a "curriculum," but it builds skills in vocabulary, grammar, logical reasoning, and creativity. It is not aimed at the child who is behind in school. I thought this thread was looking for suggestions for creative approaches to skill building, so I am sorry if this suggestion is out of place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 No, that's not quite it -- the first half is a useful reading for parents, and the second half or so is almost 40 different language activities and games. It's not enough on it's own to be considered any sort of a "curriculum," but it builds skills in vocabulary, grammar, logical reasoning, and creativity. It is not aimed at the child who is behind in school. I thought this thread was looking for suggestions for creative approaches to skill building, so I am sorry if this suggestion is out of place. Oh I see, and no it's not out of place, but I am looking for things for him to do more or less independently, because he prefers it that way. He comes and gets me for help when he needs me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 OK, I will start my own thread then. :) http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3977635 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Something like Beast but for Latin and Greek. Hmmm, maybe LNM or Latin Prep - both advanced enough to provide some challenge, the former being half grammar/half immersion with history and art, and the latter with silly cartoons and some humor. I don't know about other Latin programs for children since we've been happy with GSWL and Henle, and having just looked at samples, Henle works best for us. Oh yes, there's Minimus, which I didn't like until recently after teaching enough grammar to have a full appreciation of the book, could be like Beast. For Greek, I would imagine that's a hard one, but have you looked at Greek Code Cracker? It's not challenging, but we enjoyed learning the Greek alphabet by cracking a secret code. EG is not Beast, and I haven't tried the other children's programs, but Athenaze may fit - there's a story line, grammar, and immersion. Some of these books mentioned may not be for a second grader, but since you are posting here, I'm assuming that you are looking for above grade level work. Overall, it's difficult to find challenging but appropriate materials for young kids; I usually modify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Cambridge Latin has the humor, but not many illustrations (there are little ones at the start of each section), but it's not the all cartoon text the way Minimus is. Athenaze has the storyline, and isn't as funny as CL, but my DD enjoys it. It's pretty tough going, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I think it depends on which specific aspect(s) of BA you are trying to analogize: the style of the instruction (the fact that it is a comic book style or that it is a story), the unique way the topics are organized from a math perspective, the order of the actual instruction (are the beasts "discovering" the lesson?), the types and order of the problems, etc. Are you simply looking for big-picture, VSL-style curricula? (and it doesn't help that math is particularly suited to teaching in such a style, as math concepts may be much more of a strength for some VSLs than other subjects like language arts) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 I think it depends on which specific aspect(s) of BA you are trying to analogize: the style of the instruction (the fact that it is a comic book style or that it is a story), the unique way the topics are organized from a math perspective, the order of the actual instruction (are the beasts "discovering" the lesson?), the types and order of the problems, etc. Are you simply looking for big-picture, VSL-style curricula? (and it doesn't help that math is particularly suited to teaching in such a style, as math concepts may be much more of a strength for some VSLs than other subjects like language arts) That's a good question. I quess I hadn't really analyzed what it is exactly we like so much about it. It's just simply fun. There were some things that we did this last year that were pure drudgery and my son and I hated them. When he does something he really enjoys he just flies through it, when he's doing something because it has to be done, he just wines and complains and work that would have taken him a few minutes without the whining, takes him hours. So I quess I am looking for fun, visual, comic book/graphic novel style, but NOT watered down materials. It needs to be challenging and without (too much) repetition. A bonus is if as part of the work he gets to draw his own pictures of stuff and make little conversation bubbles:) Not too text-booky please and as independent as possible (not requiring the parent to teach it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 That's a good question. I quess I hadn't really analyzed what it is exactly we like so much about it. It's just simply fun. There were some things that we did this last year that were pure drudgery and my son and I hated them. When he does something he really enjoys he just flies through it, when he's doing something because it has to be done, he just wines and complains and work that would have taken him a few minutes without the whining, takes him hours. So I quess I am looking for fun, visual, comic book/graphic novel style, but NOT watered down materials. It needs to be challenging and without (too much) repetition. A bonus is if as part of the work he gets to draw his own pictures of stuff and make little conversation bubbles:) Not too text-booky please and as independent as possible (not requiring the parent to teach it). Max Axiom is a series of science graphic novels that are very accurate. We love them here. BFSU is great and meaty and we love it, but it's NOT visual at all. (You do demonstrations that are visual, but we supplement with lots of picture-filled living science books. Like Max Axiom!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 (edited) So I quess I am looking for fun, visual, comic book/graphic novel style, but NOT watered down materials. It needs to be challenging and without (too much) repetition. These science books fill those requirements The Cartoon Guide to Genetics (there are many in this series) The Way Things Work The Way We Work The Way Life Works All are excellent, in-depth, fun, and challenging. My ds has read them all and really enjoyed them. These are not short reads, you should expect at least a month for some and 3 months for others. Ruth in NZ Edited June 5, 2012 by lewelma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 5, 2012 Author Share Posted June 5, 2012 Thanks for all the responses everyone. I'll be off to check out all that, but just a quick question. Several people mentioned "living science books". I'm not familiar with that concept. When ds was 5 years old he read the Magic tree house series and learned all kinds of interesting facts about history and myths and such. Would those be "living history books"? And if so then can someone tell me where to get started on looking for "living science books" because he would really really enjoy that. If there has been a thread about those already, please forgive my ignorance and just send me a link to that thread. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I gave some suggestions in my post today here http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3979841#post3979841 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Thanks for all the responses everyone. I'll be off to check out all that, but just a quick question. Several people mentioned "living science books". I'm not familiar with that concept. When ds was 5 years old he read the Magic tree house series and learned all kinds of interesting facts about history and myths and such. Would those be "living history books"? And if so then can someone tell me where to get started on looking for "living science books" because he would really really enjoy that. If there has been a thread about those already, please forgive my ignorance and just send me a link to that thread. Thanks! There have been threads. However, we tend to just check out 80% of the library nonfiction books on whatever topic we choose. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Two threads that might be helpful: "Living" books? Science through Living Books And a couple of links: Living Science Yahoo group Suji's Booklists at Funschooling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Two threads that might be helpful:"Living" books? Science through Living Books And a couple of links: Living Science Yahoo group Suji's Booklists at Funschooling Thank you so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 (edited) removed b/c was totally off-topic, sorry! I'd suggested GEMS for science w/o reading carefully the ways in which the curricula should mirror Beast. Edited June 8, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 I just saw these at the library, from World Book Encyclopedia, a series called Building Blocks of Science Each fun science book volume features a whimsical character to guide the reader through a physical science topic, a key part of the science curriculum for elementary students. The cast of characters includes Gravity; Magnetism; Matter; Energy; Light; Sound; Electricity; Force and Motion; and Heat. The topic of matter is broken into two volumes: Matter and How It Changes and Matter and Its Properties. http://www.worldbook.com/all/item/395-building-blocks-of-science?wbredirect=1&Itemid=112 Has a few sample pages Video here: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 (edited) I just saw these at the library, from World Book Encyclopedia, a series called Building Blocks of Science Each fun science book volume features a whimsical character to guide the reader through a physical science topic, a key part of the science curriculum for elementary students. The cast of characters includes Gravity; Magnetism; Matter; Energy; Light; Sound; Electricity; Force and Motion; and Heat. The topic of matter is broken into two volumes: Matter and How It Changes and Matter and Its Properties. http://www.worldbook.com/all/item/395-building-blocks-of-science?wbredirect=1&Itemid=112 Has a few sample pages Video here: That looks great, thank you! Too bad our library doesn't have them. I didn't see it on amazon. I hate borrowing from other counties because a lost book costs $200. Those books remind me of Spectra. There are about 4 free comic books with free teacher manuals for experiments. I haven't tried them yet since I seem to always stop short of successfully gathering materials. Edited June 16, 2012 by crazyforlatin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Oh, oops, I didn't realize they were so hard to find! And I did NOT realize the set costs $269! Gack! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 You can get them for cheap compared to me! Here is a quote from the website: Get the 10-volume Building Blocks of Science for only $9,999.00. Buy today. Supplies limited. :D Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 You can get them for cheap compared to me! They are definitely not worth $9,999 -- however charming it is that my kids are now pretending to be electricity and force. "I'm shrinking! I'm shrinking! I need a positive charge! Bring heat!" Alternatively you could go for this multi-volume set of Golden Treasury of Knowledge. It's "as new." Apparently missing pages and deep scratches are par for the course in new books -- as is the $11,000 price tag. What?! http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=6518561146 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saille Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 (edited) I just saw these at the library, from World Book Encyclopedia, a series called Building Blocks of Science Nevermind. I'd never been to the World Book site before, and it loaded the gateway page instead...weirdly, I couldn't find them by searching, but they came up the second time I clicked the link. Edited June 17, 2012 by Saille Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Yeah, now it's telling me they're $295. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyslexicParent Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Is How to Increase Your Child's Verbal Intelligence worth reading? Is it a good follow-up book after an Orton-Gillingham remediation program or the McGuinness' Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching your Child to Read? I bought this and keep meaning to use it! How to Increase Your Child's Verbal Intelligence: The Groundbreaking Language Wise Method by Carmen McGuinness and Geoffrey McGuinness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 In my son's science reading bin this year - horrible science books; max axiom books; some from this series; this cartoon in-the-body adventure; the way things work. he has to either choose a sentence to copy or tell me about what he read. he also liked Language Smarts pretty well last year, it has a lot of logic puzzles and is a large language arts workbook. but he was delayed in LA and we used it back a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 My dds like Beast and MCT but I doubt they/we would enjoy BFSU. I have an aversion to pdf curriculum. (Don't ask why.:tongue_smilie:) For science, my hands-on, visual-learners love labs (real labs in a lab environment -- not a kitchen). They take science classes from various venues. At their ps science class they get to touch and experience the concepts the teacher is teaching (stuff I don't have access to here) in a group setting with a PBL flavor. Perfect fit all around. They like building robots and creating Scratch programs. For history, they enjoy picture books and videos. Their grandparents just got back from 2 weeks in Italy and brought back a video on Pompeii which the girls are glued to right now. We also travel as a family to historical places rather than just read about them or watch videos. Dd9 will take World Geo via Athena's next year. It's a hands-on, visual approach w/ MtWBH. Can't help much with Latin. We did PL, parts of LFCA and VL. Mandarin seems to be a better fit. They are obsessed with all-things-China currently so that helps fan the flame. HTH! BFSU is available as a book. Do you mind sharing how you found your ps science classes? Max Axiom is a series of science graphic novels that are very accurate. We love them here. BFSU is great and meaty and we love it, but it's NOT visual at all. (You do demonstrations that are visual, but we supplement with lots of picture-filled living science books. Like Max Axiom!) About to google, but does anyone have link for these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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