grace'smom Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Hey guys, We sent our daughter to school this year so she could try it out while I dealt with some personal things I needed time for, but my husband just got a new job so we will be homeschooling again soon (schools in the new area aren't that great). I think it will be best for Grace, as she's not fitting in at school all that well academically anyway. Can you look at my plans and tell me if you think I have things well covered? I'm scared I will forget something important like reading comprehension, or that I will overdo it and burn out. I want solid but not overwhelming, KWIM? 2ndish Grade- Language Arts: Rod and Staff English Grade 2 - I am interested in this program because it's supposedly fool proof as long as you do it, and supposedly easily adapted to different learning speeds? Rod and Staff Spelling Grade 3 - I used to love doing a Phonics Road/SWR type thing but I don't want to burn out and this is supposed to be the next best thing? Catholic Heritage Curriculum Reading- this is mainly for the Catholic stories- it does not look like it covers things like finding the main idea, author's purpose, etc. that she is learning at school and I'm a little worried about that. Writing With Ease Level 1 - She only finished half of this in first grade so we would go ahead and finish it before moving on to WWE 2. SHOULD WE DO A VOCAB PROGRAM LIKE WORDLY WISE OR SOMETHING OR IS THAT ENOUGH? MATH: Math Mammoth Grade 2 - Is that enough by itself??? She did well with it for first grade and really misses it now that's she's at school doing Saxon. Science: Behold and See Grade 2 from CHC (supposed to be somewhat open and go as well as having hands on activities) History/Social Studies: Either do whatever comes in the Catholic Heritage Curricula package or do Elemental History's Adventures In America... I want LIGHT for this because I don't want to overdo it and burn out. Foreign Language: Song School Latin Religion: Our Life and Faith Handwriting: Catholic Heritage Curriculum Handwriting (this is copywork based that will reinforce the religious lessons and help prep for First Communion) Literature: Don't know... Just let her read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I think that looks good! With literature, we always just let the kids read. Sometimes I'll pick the books, other times I let them pick the books. With my older boys (4th and 7th) I have them summarize the chapter, or I'll make up a list of questions for them to answer. Here's what I'm thinking for next year with DD6 who is first grade this year. I want to try to do it almost free! And with the exception of the math (which technically WAS free for us as someone gave us the next level), I think I've found the free stuff we'll use! This could change between now and then but for now: Guest Hollow American History: http://www.guesthollow.com/homeschool/history/americanhistoryindex.html Mr Q's Life Science: http://www.eequalsmcq.com/ClassicScienceLife.htm KISS Grammar: http://home.pct.edu/~evavra/KISS.htm AAA Spelling/Vocab: http://www.aaaspell.com/ We'll also use spelling city for games and printing spelling sheets. Math-U-See Beta level: http://www.mathusee.com/ Literature: Books we have here, some from the library Phonics(she'll likely still need this): Explode the Code books which we have up through book 6 We don't do a formal handwriting program but DO work on handwriting in other areas of our day. :) Hope that helps some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Hey guys' date=' We sent our daughter to school this year so she could try it out while I dealt with some personal things I needed time for, but my husband just got a new job so we will be homeschooling again soon (schools in the new area aren't that great). I think it will be best for Grace, as she's not fitting in at school all that well academically anyway. Can you look at my plans and tell me if you think I have things well covered? I'm scared I will forget something important like reading comprehension, or that I will overdo it and burn out. I want solid but not overwhelming, KWIM? [i']2ndish Grade- [/i] Language Arts: Rod and Staff English Grade 2 - I am interested in this program because it's supposedly fool proof as long as you do it, and supposedly easily adapted to different learning speeds? Rod and Staff Spelling Grade 3 - I used to love doing a Phonics Road/SWR type thing but I don't want to burn out and this is supposed to be the next best thing? Catholic Heritage Curriculum Reading- this is mainly for the Catholic stories- it does not look like it covers things like finding the main idea, author's purpose, etc. that she is learning at school and I'm a little worried about that. Writing With Ease Level 1 - She only finished half of this in first grade so we would go ahead and finish it before moving on to WWE 2. SHOULD WE DO A VOCAB PROGRAM LIKE WORDLY WISE OR SOMETHING OR IS THAT ENOUGH? MATH: Math Mammoth Grade 2 - Is that enough by itself??? She did well with it for first grade and really misses it now that's she's at school doing Saxon. Science: Behold and See Grade 2 from CHC (supposed to be somewhat open and go as well as having hands on activities) History/Social Studies: Either do whatever comes in the Catholic Heritage Curricula package or do Elemental History's Adventures In America... I want LIGHT for this because I don't want to overdo it and burn out. Foreign Language: Song School Latin Religion: Our Life and Faith Handwriting: Catholic Heritage Curriculum Handwriting (this is copywork based that will reinforce the religious lessons and help prep for First Communion) Literature: Don't know... Just let her read? I am not familiar with Catholic Heritage curriculum, but otherwise it looks solid to me. Math Mammoth is enough on its own. If you find she needs more review, (my dd does) Rigth Start games are a great supplement! I have heard and read great things about R&S, it is a solid program. And I don't think you "need" a vocab program. As long as you are reading to her and she is reading, that is all the vocabulary she needs. Good Luck!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I don't know anything about your math, history, or science, so can't comment. I did want to say on your reading curric, that I wouldn't worry that it isn't covering those things that the school was covering. Most likely your Catholic program is more of a classical program, and doesn't get into that type of thing in the grammar stage. Most of us here do not cover that type of thing in 2nd grade. WTM doesn't suggest any type of literary analysis until 5th grade (WTM logic stage) Honestly, how much of that do you think a 2nd grader really understands and carries over into other readings? It is kind of silly IMO. Just have her read and discuss and narrate to you about what she reads. R&S English will eventually get into writing composition and instruction, so if you stick with it you will cover a lot there. I like R&S spelling too. It is pretty independent, and you can always add other activities or hands on if you need to. I have one that doesn't need it, and one that does. I just have spelling tiles for her to manipulate and have her practice copying the words a couple times a week on top of the workbook. One just does the workbook and gets a 100 every time :) Also, R&S still has them doing phonics in 2nd grade. Have you looked at that? Are you sure she has completely mastered all of that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Also, R&S still has them doing phonics in 2nd grade. Have you looked at that? Are you sure she has completely mastered all of that? I'm not really sure about the phonics, to tell the truth. We did a combination of things to help her learn to read, so I don't know if she's gotten enough of that or not. We started out with Webster's, and once she got two and three letter blends in that we moved on to Blend Phonics and completed that in kindergarten. Then we switched to Phonics Road and completed half of that in first grade before I got REALLY tired of watching videos and just decided to use the spelling lists/rules and word analysis portions but not the videos for the other half of first grade. So I'm not really sure how her phonics is at this point, but she got 98th percentile for reading on the Terra Nova last year and she can read Percy Jackson books. I don't think she has much problem with reading, but I'm not sure if she knows everything about phonics either, KWIM? She can read though... She reads really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 Would R&S spelling sort of cover any leftover phonics she may have missed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Spelling does cover some of the rules, but not like the 2nd grade phonics program. R&S has them doing spelling in 2nd and still doing the phonics program. It is really thorough. The 2nd grade phonics goes way beyond learning to read. To give you an idea, I had one early reader. She was reading novels before the end of K. She started 1st grade age reading around a 4th grade level. And I STILL had her do R&S phonics 2nd grade in 2nd grade. It only took her like 5 min. to start the day off. But I knew it was all coverered and that she understood the whys behind the things she had internalized. Some of the things are covered later like in the 3rd grade english and in the spelling workbooks, but it isn't so concise. It is just kind of review. I don't know what your other programs covered though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 It sounds like it might be a good idea to add the phonics then! Thanks for the tip on that- I wasn't really sure if she'd need more of that or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'm curious why you will start with R&S Spelling 3? (Is she at that level?) ETA: next year we may have kiddos doing similar programs. We'll start Elem. History and R&S language arts (spelling and phonics...I'm holding off on English until 3). :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 I'm curious why you will start with R&S Spelling 3? (Is she at that level?) ETA: next year we may have kiddos doing similar programs. We'll start Elem. History and R&S language arts (spelling and phonics...I'm holding off on English until 3). :) Well, I read somewhere that R&S spelling for second grade isn't really that hard and that you can easily start them in level 3... I just figured I'd go ahead and do that since we will be starting all this in the middle of second grade anyway. We will probably move in January so her second grade year will be half over before we start. I will probably have to figure out where to begin teaching in some of the other books, but at least for spelling I can just begin at the beginning, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 I wouldn't do Writing with Ease and R&S English with a 2nd grader. I would just do R&S. I think both is too much for younger elementary kids. I also wouldn't do vocab, just have her read read read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Well' date=' I read somewhere that R&S spelling for second grade isn't really that hard and that you can easily start them in level 3... I just figured I'd go ahead and do that since we will be starting all this in the middle of second grade anyway. We will probably move in January so her second grade year will be half over before we start. I will probably have to figure out where to begin teaching in some of the other books, but at least for spelling I can just begin at the beginning, LOL.[/quote'] Ah, got it... :) FYI, R&Sbooks will be having a price increase Nov. 1 (5%) so you may wanna order now. :) Not that that increases the price too much -- they're already quite inexpensive! I was going to order our 2nd grade phonics & spelling this week, but DH spent my Paypal cache on some music equipment. :glare: Oh well.... :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my3angels Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 Ah, got it... :)FYI, R&Sbooks will be having a price increase Nov. 1 (5%) so you may wanna order now. :) Not that that increases the price too much -- they're already quite inexpensive! I was going to order our 2nd grade phonics & spelling this week, but DH spent my Paypal cache on some music equipment. :glare: Oh well.... :p The email I received about the increase also stated: (P.S. We do plan to offer the normal annual sales on Rod and Staff storybooks and curriculum in the first half of 2013 and will email you when those savings are available.) This summer was my first year ordering from them, so I missed this sale. Does anyone know, what percentage is saved during the sale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 I am using Memoria Press 2nd grade with R&S English 2. You might look at using their lit guides. Yes, I was VERY tempted by the idea of just buying a box from Memoria Press, but I really wanted some Catholic touches to the year and I was excited about the Behold And See Science from CHC... I still have a little tug toward it though, so I might try a lit guide and let that help me with the decision for third grade. The thing I am going to miss about her being in school is all the wonderful things she is learning about our religion, so I thought if we used a more Catholic based curriculum we could still give her some of that at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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