New HS mom - needs feedback

[annabanana1992]

We have decided to homeschool DD7 this school year (2nd grade). She was previously schooled in a local Classical school for K and 1 and her brothers DS11 and DS8 are continuting there this school year. We are planning to reenroll her in 3rd grade next year. Some of our curriculum choices have been somewhat dictated by what she is already familiar with and because of what she will be returning to in 3rd grade. Soooo, I could really use some feedback..

 

Math - Singapore 2A/2B - need a supplement for math facts - any suggestions?

 

History - Veritas Press (used in her school), but would like to read SOTW 1 along with it

 

Bible - VP

 

Spelling - Spell to Write and Read (used at her school)

Grammar - Shurley (used at her school)

Reading/Writing, etc. - would like to use FLL2 and WWE although I think there will be overlap with STWR and Shurley, which I feel obligated to use so that she will be able to integrate back into her school next year. Any thoughts here would be appreciated!

 

Science - not sure yet. I am waiting to hear what units will be used in her school for second grade and then just read a lot of books on that subject matter. I am a math/science person, but can't get overly excited about science for second grade. I really just want to get reading, writing and math down solid.

 

Thanks!

[muffinmom]

I've only done K so far, but for 1st grade we're doing science with a book called Building Foundations for Scientific Understanding. It's labeled as appropriate for K-2.Here's a detailed review someone did recently on the boards http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41980&highlight=Building+Foundations

 

I bought my copy on Amazon.

 

Welcome, and good luck. I wish I had more experience to offer!

[DeeDeeMarie0]

We have used calculadders' worksheets and a CD game called Quarter Mile Math(QMM). In QMM your child tries to win the race by answering math facts correctly.

[PeterPan]

For the math facts, we're having good success with the Abeka tests and speed drills book as well as the Flashmaster (pricey but worth it!).

 

On your VP history, join the group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vp_elementary Someone may have loaded up a schedule already correlating SOTW1 for you. If not, try Paula's Archives.

 

I bought Shurley2, and honestly there's so little content that it seemed a waste of money to me. Now someone else will come along and say otherwise, but that's just my two cents. If you go ahead and do FLL1/2, she'll be able to go into 3, no problem. Remember every level of Shurley starts over at the very beginning, assuming NOTHING. There's tons of overlap, tons of review. In fact, the review from year to year is so heavy and the amount of new material covered so minimal from year to year that even the author says you can skip and do 2,4,6,7 or 3,5,7.

 

WWE. Now this is new, haven't seen it yet. The theory part is going to be fine. It may be that your dd is a grade ahead on the writing portion if her SWR instruction has been aggressive and if she's done well with it. (Or maybe that's why you're pulling her out, because it was agressive and DIDN'T fit?). In any case, it's something to watch. I used SWR from the beginning with my dd, and between being a girl and the jump that SWR gives them, I've always had to up the WTM writing recommendations a year. (shh!) That means the workbooks won't be out for her. Is your school going to do IEW-style writing starting in 3rd? She could even begin really simple stuff with that, doing rewrites of fairy tales or fables. Logos has some themed books out like that that are simple or you can use the Milo version of Aesop's Fables, which is what I did with my dd at that age. Or she could start Writing Tales 1, which would be terribly fun. But I'm only recommending that if she's advanced. If she's normal or behind, pay no attention.

 

Any plans for handwriting? You definitely want to watch it and be doing something for it.

 

Science, well we did the BJU science3 at that age and really liked it, so that's what I would suggest. Or do My World Science. Or get some sensible topical books (usborne, etc) and read a two-page spread, do the activity, nothing hard but quite effective.

 

Your history tm for the VP history will include some writing, which you'll have to decide how much of you want to do. Obviously she needs to do enough to be prepared to go back into her school doing that same stuff successfully.

 

Just as a final observation, it may be you enjoy this so much, she ends up staying home and not going back to school for 3rd. :)

[annabanana1992]

Thanks OElizabeth - I found the VP/SOTW correlation.

 

Her school begins cursive handwriting in K so she has got that under her belt, I just need to maintain...

 

I had no idea about Shurley being somewhat skippable! Thanks so much...

 

Her indoctrination to SRW was complete at school - her teacher did a fine job and she reads well.

 

I am not sure whether she would be advanced for writing or not. The school does do IEW and Imitation in Writing from Logos, but not until 3rd it seems. Would FFL2 and WWE2 be too easy? Yikes - what to do??

 

Thanks for all of your input!

[PeterPan]

No, FLL2 is going to be right on. You could skim through the 1st gr portion, doing just the lessons where new stuff is introduced, then proceed directly into the 2nd gr portion. My dd didn't need so much review, so we tended to condense things a bit.

 

What is your dd writing now? Sure, get WWE2 and the main book and see what happens, how it fits her. If she breezes through it, then you start reading the recommendations for the 3rd grade section. You might also, for your own trivia, find out what the exact writing expectations would have been for her in 2nd in the school and use those as your minimums. They may have had her writing out in complete sentences the answers to questions in lit guides, etc.

 

I guess the thing I'm hinting at and dancing around is that even an advanced/challenging school isn't necessarily going to challenge students at the top of the curve. I called and talked with VP about this once, and the way they put it was that some kids are fine, some need tutoring to keep up, and others are under-stimulated and need extra classes and enrichments. Good materials, like what your school is using, coupled with personalization and the ability to adjust to the student, will give even better results. Education is not a factory where you can just put them through a set of "great" materials and have them come out well-educated, kwim? That's not to say anything negative about your school, because it sounds like a great situation. I'm just explaining what you might run into.

[Gretchen in NJ]

I am going to agree with Elizabeth here. We love FLL. I would skim through FLL1 and proceed onto FLL2. It is not needed, but I like the CD. It give my vocal cords a well needed rest at times. I like the songs more than the chats for memorizing.

 

Good Luck and enjoy your time spent with your daughter.