Keeping pace with Sonlight reading

[Juliegmom]

I'm considering having my dd use an older version of core 300 for 20th Century History. I'm new to Sonlight. My concern is the amount of required reading during a transition year. I don't want her other subjects to suffer. Is Sonlight Core 300 a good choice for a student who has pretty much followed a public school path until now? It looks like a student could quicky fall behind. I know a lot of people love Sonlight so I'm looking for some insight. FWIW I was considering using Notgrass until a friend gave me Sonlight. Thank you!

[PentecostalMom]

I think you can do it. Not to mention if you have to, you could read over the summer. Just because it is ps summer break does not mean you have to take the entire summer off. When my olders were in school, we used SL and Notgrass a couple of years because we were overseas and were loaned both packages. They just read longer then their peers. It didn't hurt them at all.

 

After I typed all of that, I see that your dd is in an online charter school. Will that continue or will you be moving away from that?

[Juliegmom]

We will be moving away from the online charter school. When we first moved overseas we took the path of safe and familar since we had never homeschooled before. I am very thankful for the option, but this hasn't been the best fit for my dd. We are taking a step of faith and going independent next year. Still learning to never say never!

[Candid]

Do you have specific concerns about speed of reading and enjoyment of reading? Not every curriculum is for every student. Sonlight is for folks who love to read and learn easily from reading. Others can use it, but there might be easier or better things to look at as well.

[Juliegmom]

My dd enjoys reading and has expressed an interest in using Sonlight because she is looking forward to reading more. My concern revolves around maintaining balance with her academics and not stifling her love of reading because she has to keep pace with the schedule. My dd pointed out that the schedule for the first week lists 7 different titles. This left us both feeling a little intimidated. Getting a head start on the reading during the summer sounds like a great idea!

[Reflections]

Have you looked at samples of the core? I ask because while Sonlight has you reading several different titles at once you don't read all seven that are assigned that week all in that week. You read pages and chapters a week until you complete the book - and there are discussions and reports that need doing as well.

[Lara in Colo]

I have two children doing a middle core (G World history 1) and it is PERFECT for the 7th grader and too much for the 5th grader. I tone it down for the 5th grader and from now on, I will make sure that she falls in the top part of the recommended age range for the core. You might want to check into that. My current catalog shows core 300 age range to be 15-18 and grade to be 10-12. That would be my main concern for her, not her ability to do the AMOUNT of reading, but her level. And it more than the reading level--- my 5th grader CAN read the books, it's just to mature for her, it is like pulling teeth to get her to read the books --- so I hold some stuff back for later years, do more read alouds and find other books on the subject that appeal to her better.

[mumto2]

We normally read SL differently from the schedule. Remember we have not done this core but normally many of the books are pretty high interest. This is how I would envision my dd doing this course. She would do the Apologetics and the History daily. Reading the assignments but some of the historical fiction might be completed early.;) The literature portion would be read in the SL order but dd would be reading them at the start of the sceduled times--normally finishing early. Poetry as assigned.

 

A reasonable number of these books are high interest and should go quickly which normally creates a bit of free time. She might want to read a few over the summer if she is worried.

[Candid]

My dd enjoys reading and has expressed an interest in using Sonlight because she is looking forward to reading more. My concern revolves around maintaining balance with her academics and not stifling her love of reading because she has to keep pace with the schedule. My dd pointed out that the schedule for the first week lists 7 different titles. This left us both feeling a little intimidated. Getting a head start on the reading during the summer sounds like a great idea!

 

If this is the case, she'll be fine. Take a good look at those 7 different titles, does she read any of them completely or just selections?

 

Many strong readers don't challenge themselves and read more difficult forms of writing, she may encounter that (I'm thinking of nonfiction in particular.) Honestly I have my doubts about stifling someone's love of reading. Nothing ever did that to me, and I got forced to read a lot of things I did not enjoy. On the other hand I spent a long time not challenging myself as well. With gain comes some pain. The important thing to remember when reading something that is not enjoyable is that you can read things you like later.

[Juliegmom]

I'm feeling reassured about our decision. Thank you everyone!

[Juliegmom]

I don't know if any of you are still with me, but I'm also wondering how many of you have your child do the time line and mapping activities?

[4wildberrys]

Core 300 content and lit is SO incredibly interesting that even though the reading load is quite heavy in this core, her interest should be kept up enough to get it done. Just be aware, though, that the first year of SL is a transition! Our dd's first year was 6th doing Core 5 and at first the reading amount seemed huge! But she got so used to it and ended up loving reading so much that one program was never enough---I ended up pairing SL with WP until she graduated. Same with ds now. If you are using SL's newer 20th century spine, there is less reading too. We didn't like the newer spine, so I swapped in the older DK 20th Century Day by Day book, which would easily take dd 30+ minutes a day to read---but she loved every second of it.

[Reflections]

I don't know if any of you are still with me, but I'm also wondering how many of you have your child do the time line and mapping activities?

 

 

 

Yes. :)

[mumto2]

I don't know if any of you are still with me, but I'm also wondering how many of you have your child do the time line and mapping activities?

 

 

Mapping yes. Really helpful. I love the SL fold up map. For twentieth century really important in order to keep things straight. We map all sorts of things.;)

 

We were great about the SL book of time whem they were little. Now it happens occasionally. Sort of a rainy day activity. I would make my own. One century on ten pages is going to get crowded.imo

[Jen the RD]

Julie, thanks for starting this thread as I am also looking at Core 300 for my dd who loves to read. I don't mean to hijack, but I'd also like some feedback on other language arts & writing assignments woven into Core 300. How much time is required for those areas and what are some examples of writing assignments? Thanks, Jennifer

[Reflections]

Julie, thanks for starting this thread as I am also looking at Core 300 for my dd who loves to read. I don't mean to hijack, but I'd also like some feedback on other language arts & writing assignments woven into Core 300. How much time is required for those areas and what are some examples of writing assignments? Thanks, Jennifer

 

You may have done this already, but I would try this question as a separate thread.... :)

[Guest Betsy in Izmir]

I think if your daughter is new to Sonlight, it's great to have her do the mapping. My son, 15, has done mapping for years and is very strong in Geography, so I skip mapping with him now because he knows where things are.

 

You can elect to drop a few of the books if you're concerned. We dropped Brave New World, for instance, because I wasn't too comfortable with it and my son hated it. We also dropped the books To Kill You is no Problem and Fallen Angels. After reading All Quiet on the Western Front, which was of such beautiful quality, and after reading so much already about the horrors of the 20th century, it seemed like over-kill to me! But each family would have different criteria for dropping books.

 

This is m y favorite core of all we've done. Fascinating.

[LindaOz]

My dd16 is doing Core 300 and is not having any trouble fitting in all the reading. It is an interesting Core.