Are you using MCT...

[Elfknitter.#]

...with an average or accelerated learner?

[Chrysalis Academy]

I would say dd is accelerated in writing/language. But, we didn't start homeschooling till 4th grade, and I didn't discover MCT till the spring of that year, so we didn't start it "early". We did Sentence Island and Grammar Town at the end of 4th grade, and we have just finished the rest of the Town level now, halfway through 5th grade. We're diving straight into Voyage, and will finish that in fall of 6th grade.

 

The benefit of starting "late" is that we can go straight through, without needing to spend a year on something else waiting for writing ability to mature. Even with an accelerated learner, it seems that with most kids the writing is above their ability level if they do it at much younger ages/grades.

[dbmamaz]

i used it very late. i bought paragraph town for my 8th grader who could not write a paragraph, and we loved it. i bought the full voyage set, and we loved it at first but did grow tired of it by the end. i have www and . . . idk, one other book . . from the fourth level and i'm honestly thinking i might use it with him Sr. year. He is 2E .. . he is gifted but also has serious processing and emotional issues. My understanding is the upper level books just get really dry really fast, so its not fun any more. and it seemed to me that the upper level books get you further than most public high schools do

[bodiesmom]

Accelerated-

:-)

D

[FairProspects]

Accelerated

[stephg]

Average

[acablue]

Slightly accelerated, I guess. His strength is definitely in language arts.

[Mandylubug]

average 9 and 10 year old boys!

[Five More Minutes]

Accelerated (in reading).

 

ETA: She's 7 and we're using Island Level. Although accelerated in reading, I would say that until halfway through this year she was absolutely average in her writing output -- that has only recently just leaped forward. The writing exercises have been a challenge for her, and I may revisit them later on. Otherwise she has loved every bit of the program.

[Julie of KY]

Using it with two kids that are dyslexic/dysgraphic and "behind" in language skills though very bright. Also, using it with an average/above average kid.

We are using lower levels than recommended for their ages and we are learning lots.

[ccolopy]

I've just started using Sentence Island with my accelerated 3rd grader.

[3Blessings]

I use it with ds9 and dd7. They are both accelerated in some way. Ds has retained more, but dd has been the most creative with it. It has been interesting to see the differences.

[StephanieZ]

+1 for Accelerated Learners (x3)

 

I think it could work well for non-accelerated learners, but I'd just slow it down and use it for a bit later grades.

 

Say, Sentence for Gr 2-3 accelerated, or Gr 3-4 typical

Town for gr 3-5 accelerated, or Gr 5-7 typical

Voygae for gr 4-7 accelerated, or Gr 6-8 regular.

 

Now, you COULD use it at earlier or later grades in most cases, I just think it'd be rather inappropriate, as if you pushed it too early for any particular child, it'll just take way more time and trouble than needed when more developmentally appropriate.

 

My 10yo (4th gr) is doing Voyage this year, which she is breezing through with hardly any time, and getting maximum benefit from all the lessons, with little time or trouble. BUT, she is very precocious, has been through both the earlier levels in the past two years (similarly easily), AND she also has benefited from being my third MCT student, so I am pretty efficient about how to teach it. And, she loves it. My similarly talented, but less birth-order-blessed older kids did Voyage in 6th/8th grade and benefited from the materials greatly. The reason they did it later just happened that I hadn't discovered MCT until the year prior. :)

 

That said, I will not be doing Level 4 with my dd10 next year in her 5th grade year. I just can't see the benefit of it. I will do other LA next year with her, taking a year or two off before moving onto level 4. I believe that there is a big leap in both the vocab (quantity!!) and the writing (complexity, little direction) moving on to level 4, and I will be holding off on that level. I am guessing that even for my super-precocious language girl, I'll try to wait until 6th or 7th grade for level 4.

 

Just my 2c.

[LMD]

I'm using it with my slightly accelerated 7.5 year old. She's working at mostly mid-third grade in most subjects.

[Chrysalis Academy]

oops, answered the wrong thread!