MamaSprout Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Just for Fun.... What worked: Math: working on skills instead of curriculum, using Beast Academy and Singapore placement tests for spines. We use Math Mammoth and Singapore pieces and parts. We're closing in on Pre-A, so not sure how to handle that, yet. Science: TOPScience, 4H projects and Ellen McHenry History: Biographies and a really good 6000 years of human history timeline book. Did unit studies, which was mostly successful French: again, working on skills and not curriculum. First Start French (spine) and Rosetta Stone (lately added for days I work) plus a shelf of children's books in French plus videos and French BrainPop. Language Arts: Logic of English and Mensa Reading Challenge Lists. Dd can spell most of the words already, but the program is very appealing to her because it is logical and covers enough grammar and writing that we don't need more of either in addition to French. I see her apply the rules she learns in this program. A Plain Teachers Planner. Switching to a simple, large planner where she can see what's next and check things off works really well for us. Music: We switched from a Suzuki-trained (rigid) teacher to a musician who teaches, and switched to taking lessons every two weeks. He really pushes her, and she's doing great. Didn't work: Any pre-planned curriculum. Ambleside (yikes), Sonlight (even though dd is a serious box checker)... Math: MEP. It's Saxon with better logic puzzles. Did the placement test for Saxon, too. I bought the book used to keep on the shelf as a reminder of what she doesn't have to do (our local school uses Saxon) Science. Anything text booky, although she'd read the textbook for fun if I left it out. History. Anything too pre-planned. We listened to Story of the World, but doing anything with it just didn't stick. We tried the sample from Pandia press. French. Learnables. On the shelf as an old HBC purchase. Language Arts. The Emma Serl Book didn't fly, even though she likes memorizing poetry. Any sort or regular spelling program doesn't fly either. Sadly, MCT Grammar Island didn't really work either. I used parts of it to teach French, actually, and she likes the art. Planners: anything in a binder just didn't work. Too bulky or something. Bean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 For our 3rd grade year, everything we did worked well. Yay! :D It was our 3rd year homeschooling though, and that made a huge difference. Math: Singapore went very well - finished 5B and will attempt AoPS Pre-algebra in July. We also did some Life of Fred here and there, and since Singapore is done for the school year, he finished LoF Fractions and started Decimals & Percents for the last few weeks of school. Science: We did nothing but library books until the last few months, then we did Ellen McHenry's "The Brain", which has been a huge hit. History: Sonlight Core D with Advanced Readers has been a huge hit (though I ignore any notes by John Holzmann :lol:). The readers were incredibly easy, but I'm not concerned with challenging reading level at this time. Latin: Getting Started With Latin was a huge hit. One of his favorite subjects! We'll be moving into Lively Latin next school year, and I think he'll like that too. Language Arts: R&S English 4 and R&S Spelling 3/4 have been hits. Boring? Sometimes. Effective? You bet. Easy to get done? Absolutely. Pentime 2/3 for cursive instruction has also been a big hit. He loves it! We used IEW SWI-A the first half of the year for writing, and had great success with that - finally getting him to be able to write a paragraph without freaking out. Then we hit a snag for ME, and at the same time, I realized my son had lost his narration skills, so we switched back over to WWE2 to finish that out the remainder of the year. We finished it and now are just writing short narrations and such. Next school year, we'll do WWE3 and finish up IEW SWI-A. Planning: I continued to use and love HST+. In the didn't work category, I think the only thing that I tried and didn't work was planning - A Well Planned Day. It looked nice and pretty, but it couldn't hold everything all my kids were doing, and I found myself not really wanting to use it anyway, after their software supposed "beta" fiasco (releasing alpha software, calling it beta, and charging people for it). I wasn't involved in that, but just seeing it made me not want to support the company. Plus I just wasn't really liking the paper planner. I sold it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaChicken Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 What worked: Math - Beast academy and khan academy LA - mct island Science - snap circuits, make magazine, make electronics, seasons of the moon, lots of books History - audiobooks of history of us and sotw 4, cobblestone magazines Coursera - intro to music production! He loved this! Now history of rock! June 1st music electronics starts Cigar box diddley bow business. Made and sold 60 plus amps Mapping the world with art, although we're pretty far from actually finishing it Violin, fiddle, guitar, piano, cigar box guitar... Homeschool library book club following deconstructing penguins model - if I ask those questions I get eye rolls, but the discussions she got going in book club were awesome, and it got him reading some fiction What didn't work: Math - MEP, not sure why, but I've tried 3 times and its not going to do it for us AAS - spelling is our nemesis Science curriculum - structured science just isn't working for him. Loves the idea but not the linearity Time travelers civil war - lets face it, we don't like to cut and glue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 For DD (young for grade 3rd, radically accelerated) What worked Life of Fred (and a jump to pre-algebra/light algebra in general) Contests, contests, contests-really, DD drove herself MORE for contest prep and the challenge of it than anything else, and given that she's creating a stack of things to send to the county fair, I don't think she's slowing down any. Mango languages online Athena's Academy Literature (not challenging, but she's loved the discussions and come to life with the group format). MCT town "Applied" Zoology-IE, DD's pet snake and her research on reptiles, which included attending herpetological society meetings, online forums, sitting in on a college class online and e-mailing the professor, and lots and lots of books. Piano, with a teacher who let DD focus on theory and composition more than performance. What didn't work SL core 6 ("There's too much kissing and getting married and stuff!")-Cores 1-4 were great, but 6 kind of lost it. Earth Science (I think I've come to the conclusion that neither DD nor I like it much). Co-op (although now she says she wants to do it next year again, and points out that next year she'll be in the older group (and away from annoying mom's daughter-hence away from annoying mom). I think, after a few weeks away, she's forgotten the frustration and mostly sees that she's missing that regular group of kids-still looking for a better fit replacement). Dance class (well, tap anyway. DD did well with her ballet teacher, but he's leaving, but she HATED tap with a passion this year) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantheia Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Bean, Which human history timeline book are you referring to? I'm looking for one and would love a rec. Thanks, Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSprout Posted May 20, 2013 Author Share Posted May 20, 2013 Bean, Which human history timeline book are you referring to? I'm looking for one and would love a rec. Thanks, Jean Here: http://www.isbns.fm/isbn/9780883949726 I think it's camera shy, I've never been able to find a picture online. We got ours at Half Price Books for around $10, I think. Bean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 My 7 o did mostly 3rd grade work, so I am posting here. Here is what worked What worked: math mammoth 3, mostly. As long as we didnt do all the problems and threw in a lot of CWP and games. Story of the world: he read and then wrote narrations. Easy and he retained. Science: Evan moor daily science plus experiments Latin: lively latin book one. He liked it, was independent and finished quickly. What didnt work. Almost any writing curriculum besides Bravewriter. We tried writing tales and started wwe4 but he had had enough with wwe3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 What worked for my 3rd grade VSL: Individualized Spelling from AVKO Visualizing and Verbalizing Reading - learning to visualize stories changed a kid who couldn't do dictation to a kid who can relate almost every detail Math - Compacting and accelerating Singapore Project-based history and science An hour of school each day devoted to learning about what interests him the most. He has spent almost all the time furthering his skills in computers using Scratch. His game-making skills have improved immensely. Also, he is spending whatever time allowed (outside of school time) to continue to increase his skills. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackermom Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 DD is in 3rd grade in public school, and we after-school. What worked: Spending lots of time at the library. Bringing home bags full of books. DD read a bunch of biographies. She also read Moby Dick on her own, which was a surprise to us. She said she read it because she was out of books and it was on the Kindle. (Note to self: Load more literature onto the Kindle) DD had a really good violin teacher. DD only had about 10 lessons this year, but now she can play new pieces from reading sheet music, as opposed to repeating what the teacher does. Step dancing went well. DD learned to do hard shoe dances this year. She was excited when she won medals in her competitions, but didn't get down on herself when she didn't place. And practicing at home was a great outlet for her when she needed to blow off steam, both mentally and physically. Math: DD loved the Beast Academy guides, but was not as interested in the practice books. She did parts of TT Math 6 & 7, and wants to do more of that this summer. We are also focusing on individual math topics rather than following any particular curriculum. Planner: DD has been keeping her own planner this year. Other than the month when she lost it, that has been working really well for her. She has to keep track of math circle, science club meetings, dance practice, student council meetings, etc. It has helped her budget her time, and she feels more in control of the choices she makes. What didn't: Pretty much everything at school. DD's second grade teacher made a good effort to meet DD's academic needs, but her third grade teacher really chopped her off at the knees, to the point where DD didn't want to go to school any more. At least DD is assigned to a different school next year, in a full-time "advanced work" class. Shortly before the entrance exam for that program was administered, DD's teacher told me she didn't think DD had the comprehension skills for the program. DD scored in the 99th percentile on each section. Fortunately for DD, admission is by test scores only, and not by teacher recommendation. We managed to switch to the other third grade classroom in late February, but I basically look at this year as a lost year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dharmacat Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Hits for my bright but attention-challenged VSL after HS year one: MCT Language Arts program, Island Level (high marks for its passion and presentation) Life of Fred series...out of the ballpark! We *LOVE* Fred!!!! Story of the World series Daily D.E.A.R. time (If for nothing more than the sheer volume of reading time it enables, HS rules!) Roald Dahl, William Steig, and yes, Harry Potter, were favorites. Poetry for Young People series (quality selections with very helpful annotations and background info. (and nice artwork) help my sci. guy appreciate the power of poetry Jim Weiss audio CDs (Completely captivating. They're good for much more than just getting him to stop talking when introvert mom needs quiet time in the car.) the birdfeeder (watching them actually gets him to slow down) chess with a physical board and pieces (my insistence; no electronic chess unless he lacks a partner) tour of our community sewage and wastewater treatment facility ;) Misses: First Language Lessons. Memory work, repetition and other aspects of the classical style just don't jive with him. Critical Thinking Co. workbooks (too focused on convergent thinking for a divergent thinker) literature discussion was a no go...even in a very relaxed, casual way; we'll try again next year formal writing; he likes to write his own (largely illegible) stories, so that's something. He'll probably be a "computer writer", as his handwriting is a bad as mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennynd Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 DS is a 3rd grader Afterschooler What worked AOPS - Algebra ch1-14, NEM1 and should finish NEM 2 some time soon Wordlywise.- We just started working on vocabulary, so far so good. After wordly wise, we also plan CE 1/2 Mr.Q Physics.. half working. I supplement heavily with RS4K, BrainPop and stuff I made up, But DS really enjoy physics this year Not Working. LOF- the boy not interested at all. literature basically is a standstill in general this year. I realized that his vocabulary need a boost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Love hearing what works or doesn't work for others! What worked: Ellen McHenry science (Now we've done them all! :( ) IEW (Finally! Progress in writing! No complaining!) Bible Bee TQ American history (all the flexibility and living books I was seeking without all the work falling on me to make it happen) Combining lapbooking and notebooking elements in a binder--gradually increasing narrations and notebooking aspects What didn't work: LOF Fractions--He loved the book but didn't learn/retain much GWG -- lacked the depth I prefer so we're switching back to FLL DIY American history based on living books (worked for ds, too time-consuming for me) Just OK: Classical Conversations has been amazing for my hard-to-fit kid in previous years. This was our third year, and interest waned a lot. I think he's ready for a new co-op experience next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 This is some a great conversation! This is helping me with next year's plans! Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Math: Saxon. We jumped around a lot with MM, BA, LoF, SCM, but with Saxon, I could teach her best. We compact a lot and should finish 7/6 over the summer. Decisions on pre-Algebra will be difficult. I have Saxon 1/2 with Reed's dvds. Again, it's what I can teach, but I feel like I'm doing her a disservice. Quit WWE4, the sentences were crazy long. Like Paragraph Town, not so thrilled with Island level. I like WW for vocabulary. History: SoTW and HO. Science: Tried a lot, but with Plato it's finally getting done every day with her older sister. LCI: Not too exciting, but we're progressing. She loved I Speak Latin, but we didn't get it done consistently. Right now, she's not a fan of Minimus. Reading. She'd read every waking moment if I let her. Right now she's hooked on the Warrior series, which I wouldn't have thought would appeal to her, but one of her friends got her started and now she's obsessed. Still sneaking quality literature in there hasn't been a problem. Classical Conversations. She learns a lot, retains a lot, but next year we're doing it on our own with friends. We're also doing SoTW next year with our co-op and a Shakespeare study. Requiring her to write a paragraph every day on something she studies--usually biographies. She loves this and is very creative with it b/c she's in control. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 What worked: CLE math - she doesn't do so well with mastery stuff, needs variety. WWE3 - accelerated pace, mostly more of the same, but she has gained a lot of confidence in her ability. I don't plan to do WWE4, though, and am still looking for a good program for next year. I want to save WWS for the year after next. personal reading/literature list - she has made huge strides in her ability this year, especially recently. I liked tailoring the choices to my child. Apples & Pears - spelling is not an area where DD excels. This has been a good fit for her. I like that there's just the TM and workbook. WP Equine science - for a horse-crazy child, it's excellent. She likes the recommended literature, too. Meet the Masters - DD liked it, had fun, and actually applied her knowledge of art history in the real world. (I thought the lessons were kind of annoying, but she is not me.) Classical Conversations - did it as a co-op with another family. I don't think we would have done it otherwise, but she learned a lot. She even managed to impress DH on a couple of occasions. Minimus - DD loves the book, though we didn't get very far. I plan to keep plugging away over the summer. What didn't: AAS - too many rules, too many pieces Serl's ILL - it's...ok. Some of the assignments were good. Others, not so much. Math Mammoth - I love the way the concepts are presented. I hated the blank looks and/or eye-rolling. Connect the Thoughts Creative Writing 1 - kind of up and down. Didn't develop DD's writing skill the way I had hoped. Just OK: SOTW - a little simplistic. I had to beef it up, but still using the next volume next year, with additional resources GSWL - solid info, but not much fun Pictures in Cursive - pretty, but not a lot of practice for the price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Hits for my bright but attention-challenged VSL after HS year one: MCT Language Arts program, Island Level (high marks for its passion and presentation) Life of Fred series...out of the ballpark! We *LOVE* Fred!!!! Story of the World series Daily D.E.A.R. time (If for nothing more than the sheer volume of reading time it enables, HS rules!) Roald Dahl, William Steig, and yes, Harry Potter, were favorites. Poetry for Young People series (quality selections with very helpful annotations and background info. (and nice artwork) help my sci. guy appreciate the power of poetry Jim Weiss audio CDs (Completely captivating. They're good for much more than just getting him to stop talking when introvert mom needs quiet time in the car.) the birdfeeder (watching them actually gets him to slow down) chess with a physical board and pieces (my insistence; no electronic chess unless he lacks a partner) tour of our community sewage and wastewater treatment facility ;) Misses: First Language Lessons. Memory work, repetition and other aspects of the classical style just don't jive with him. Critical Thinking Co. workbooks (too focused on convergent thinking for a divergent thinker) literature discussion was a no go...even in a very relaxed, casual way; we'll try again next year formal writing; he likes to write his own (largely illegible) stories, so that's something. He'll probably be a "computer writer", as his handwriting is a bad as mine. What does D.E.A.R. Stand for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 What does D.E.A.R. Stand for? Drop Everything And Read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Thanks for the acronym translation Aurelia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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