jnaj Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Hi everyone. I have been reading these forums since we have decided to make the leap into homeschooling. So much information out there! Ok, so I *thought* I had everything figured out, but now I am needing to talk to those with some experience to get some opinions, etc. My son will be starting "5th grade" in the fall. He has struggled with school a lot up until this point. He was actually attending a Waldorf school, and we moved and he switched schools, so he has been playing catch up for the past year and a half. He was testing at a 2nd grade level in everything when he first started towards the end of 3rd grade at a wonderful montessori type school- thankfully, they customized things for each individual child in the classes there, and he has been working on his level to get caught up. He just finished his 4th grade year, and we will begin homeschooling him (and his sister will be in kindergarten homeschooling as well, along with a toddler just doing her own thing.) He has come a long way, but he still really struggles with math specifically (along with reading comprehension- he read a TON, but when it comes to answering questions or comprehending the MEANING of what is read, if it wasn't spelled out exactly in the text he struggles with those concepts.) I am having him do Teaching Textbooks 5 math throughout the summer, along with Oak Meadow 5th grade math when we have time (we are going with the Oak Meadow 5th grade curriculum next year for the Language Arts/History, but we will be doing something different for math and science and maybe adding a bit more for grammar and spelling.) He is doing good so far, but obviously those two math programs aren't really up to grade level, which is great for us. I worry about him struggling when it comes to figuring out math outside those programs. My first question is- does anyone have any ideas on how to get him caught up in math in a gentle way? We have started using Khan academy and it's great so far. I want to make sure he gets all his facts down so he won't struggle when getting into the upper grade math programs. He knows multiplication, but he counts it out on his hands a lot, although we have been working on the times tables to get him more confident in KNOWING them. When he does math word problems, he only "gets" it if I am there with him reading them to him and then it will "click." That is where we stand right now in Math. I love the teaching textbooks in general, but I think we definitely need to supplement with something that is a little more hands on with me working with him. I do not like Saxon Math. I looked through it and I think we would both be miserable. For my kindergartener we are going to be using McRuffy, and I was wondering if anything has any experience with the 4th or 5th grade levels in that program? Not sure if we should just go ahead and completely redo 4th grade to make sure he GETS it, or if we could go ahead and do 5th grade, along with continuing working with Khan Academy and possibly Teaching Textbooks on the side (I think that is one we want to stick with) or whenever we have extra time (on school breaks or weekends etc) Ok, thank you if you have read my novel so far. Here are our tentative 5th grade plans for next year- please feel free to give me any tips or ideas. I know we will get into more of a flow after we start. Please keep in mind that I will have a kindergartener and toddler as well. English/LA/Grammar- Oak Meadow, possibly Growing with Grammar and/or Soaring With Spelling. He will also be doing IEW one day a week at a drop off tutorial. History- Built into the Oak Meadow program. Math- we plan on using Teaching Textbooks, and possibly doing that on the side and having Mcruffy 4th or 5th grade math being our "main" curriculum. He loves Life of Fred, but has only read the books, he hasn't done the lessons/work in them. We will continue with the Oak Meadow 5th grade math throughout the summer, but it's not one that we will stick with- I don't think it reviews enough or goes over concepts enough for them to "stick." Also why I think Teaching Textbooks will be better for future or on the side use- it doesn't review things enough for them to stick since he still needs to master basic concepts. Reading- along with books read with the OM curriculum, he will be a part of a book club at the drop off tutorial. He loves reading and I think he will really enjoy discussing the books with other kids, doing little science projects and things that go along with the books, etc. Science- Physics though the tutorial, and also experiments etc with his sister in her Elemental Science curriculum (definitely not at his level, but if he wants to be more involved, read and write more about the experiments, I will let him. If not, the physics through the tutorial is fine for now. We will be doing Elemental Science for him next year. Social Studies- It is integrated into the OM curriculum, but might add something additional- Evan Moor? Something. We will see. Not the main focus, but it is something he enjoys. Extras- He will be doing sports, and he really wants me to order Home Art Studio for him. We will probably end up doing that on the weekends when dad is home. Again, not the main focus but it's something fun. He will be doing Rosetta Stone German 2 times a week. Also, in the tutorial he will be taking music, civics one semester and JA Biztown the next. The tutorial is one day a week, so we will be doing school at home 4 days a week, and anything extra on weekends. I have Typing Instructor as well, but honestly that is mainly for a free time thing. Please any thoughts, suggestions, tips, etc from those experienced (or new- just need some people to bounce ideas off of :) ) would be greatly appreciated! I don't think I'm missing anything, but who knows. Just want to make sure things go well and he gets back that love of learning I know he has when he truly enjoys things. I am definitely looking forward to this, and so far the little we have been doing this summer has been great. Thanks so much everyone! Amber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I'd like to reply more later--my ds also went to a Waldorf and is also doing German now, so I see some overlaps-- but it will have to wait as I am about to turn computer over to my son so he can do some Sumdog --something you might want to look at for math practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Anna Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I don't know much about math programs other than Math U See, but I have my girls work on math facts using Learning Wrap-ups. They're manipulatives where a dc works on just one set of facts at a time (say, the +3s) and can check him/herself at the end. (Note: minimal parental involvment :) ) I've also heard of an electronic math facts reviewer where a dc can race his/her own best time if your ds is somewhat competitive. HTH! Welcome to the wonderful world of homeschooling! Mama Anna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnaj Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 I looked into Math U See (very briefly when we first decided to homeschool), and if I remember correctly I was a bit confused on how it all worked/how to teach it etc. I believe that is the one I am thinking of. I have heard great things about it though, maybe I will look into it again. Pen- Yes, my son has decided he really wants to take German. He has been doing Spanish since he was little, but has not done German since leaving Waldorf. He loves the language, so we will go with that. No point in learning a language you don't WANT to learn. I was hoping he would stick with Spanish (selfish reasons- I know a lot of Spanish, so easier for me), but apparently it's good to let them pick things on their own as well ;) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 He has come a long way, but he still really struggles with math specifically (along with reading comprehension- he read a TON, but when it comes to answering questions or comprehending the MEANING of what is read, if it wasn't spelled out exactly in the text he struggles with those concepts.) This is more of the "inference" skill. My older score much higher on non-fiction than fiction for any reading comprehension test because he tend to choose the 2nd best answer or misinterpret the question. This is the first link I could found about inference that is easy to read, 11 pages. http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/Inferences%20handout%20by%20Deb%20Smith.pdf My boys are doing german at the Saturday school during the school year. Now they are revising with Duolingo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathie in VA Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Here's a simple supplement that I've used for reading comprehension: Reading Detective. You can get this as a workbook or run it on your computer. I got the computer version since I have multiple kids. I also like the instant feedback for the kids and they like the game feel. http://www.criticalthinking.com/series/015/index_c.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnaj Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 Thanks so much for the links! Yes, the "inference" skill is exactly it. Yes, my son is much better with non-fiction as well. He can remember so many random facts and information he has read about individual presidents, people, places etc. If I mistakenly say something and he has read otherwise (even if it was a long time ago) he will remember and tell me specifically where he had read otherwise. I think he would enjoy the Reading Detective. I like the idea of having it on the computer as well. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathie in VA Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Glad to help. What I really liked about Reading Detective on the computer was that my ds had to not only answer the question but also highlight where in the reading he thought it best to get or infer his answer... and this part need to be right also. This forced him to really pay more attention to where he was getting his thoughts from or where he should be getting the answers from. Good luck. Blessings, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I wanted to intersperse my comments with OP quotes, but cannot seem to make that work right now--so now trying to just send my comments and hope you can figure out the context. Sorry, thus, if they seem disjointed. Hi everyone. I have been reading these forums since we have decided to make the leap into homeschooling. So much information out there! Ok, so I *thought* I had everything figured out, but now I am needing to talk to those with some experience to get some opinions, etc. My son will be starting "5th grade" in the fall. He has struggled with school a lot up until this point. He was actually attending a Waldorf school, and we moved and he switched schools, so he has been playing catch up for the past year and a half. He was testing at a 2nd grade level in everything when he first started towards the end of 3rd grade at a wonderful montessori type school- thankfully, they customized things for each individual child in the classes there, and he has been working on his level to get caught up. He just finished his 4th grade year, and we will begin homeschooling him (and his sister will be in kindergarten homeschooling as well, along with a toddler just doing her own thing.) He has come a long way, but he still really struggles with math specifically (along with reading comprehension- he read a TON, but when it comes to answering questions or comprehending the MEANING of what is read, if it wasn't spelled out exactly in the text he struggles with those concepts.) Waldorf does things late, so being behind coming out of Waldorf would be "normal"--but it also is easy for that to cover up learning issues and then make them harder to deal with. Alas I know this from personal experience. So one thing you need to know is what is really going on with his math and reading. Besides "getting caught up" is there anything else underlying that needs to be dealt with. If so, I would put that first since it can affect the choice of programs and so on. I don't know your son and am not an expert, but based on long distance reading and my own experience it sounds like there is more going on than just being behind due to Waldorf lateness. My son was the opposite with reading--excellent on comprehension, but a struggle on decoding. The program we used for decoding does have materials for comprehension. (if link does not work, go to www.highnoonbooks.com and search the comprehension materials.) In general I have liked things from Critical Thinking Company, someone else suggested their Reading Detective program, but it is not the only thing that might help...They have a series called "Inference Jones" (I think) that has to do with thinking about what is not explicitly stated in a reading passage. And other parts of their materials such as the Critical Thinking materials themselves, Math Detective and so on, also have reading comprehension aspects. (My son has the Math Detective on computer, and it too requires highlighting where one gets one's information for answers to some questions as described for the Reading Detective). You can also work on this by discussing all sorts of things you read, and for that matter also things seen in ads, in movies etc. I also like a lot of the Critical Thinking Company math materials and logic and critical thinking materials, for the logic aspects.. I would think with the other young children especially, that TT might work well for you/him, since you would not be needed so much. TT did not work for my ds (because he spent his time playing with the computer aspects and such rather than on the math and would not listen to the TT explanations which are critical to the program), but I know children for whom it is great. (ETA, and I know a 5th grader who used only TT5 and seems to be doing fine with math with just that--not in a STEM math intensive sort of way, but for someone who needs to have math solid in a regular sort of way...and did fine on standardized tests also.) While it has a reputation of being "behind," if it works well for your ds I would not worry about that and would instead just hope to move forward faster, perhaps by working through summers as you seem to be doing. Or even just be on schedule for TT. I was not happy with OM materials, myself. The best word problems for my ds came from Critical Thinking Company, books by Anita Harnadek, because they made him work to understand what process to use with given numbers. He has also been using Critical Thinking Co. materials to keep up on basics in a reasonably fun way while also moving on to algebra. We have also, in past years, liked MUS and MathMammoth at various points. Khan Academy can be a great help. And, as I mentioned, Sumdog is a fun way to work on math facts. Can he read them (word problems) himself? This seems like another reading issue, more than math perhaps. But I would suggest looking at the Harnadek books. [redo 4th grade?] In general math is sequential and each level needs to be in place before the next one is added. However, for some children (such as my ds) with certain learning differences, they need to move on ahead while still continuing to review older material, math facts, etc. These are typically referred to as 2E for twice exceptional, meaning there is a problem or deficit somewhere, but also simultaneous giftedness. It also depends to some degree on the program you use--some programs review past material each year, while others are more "Mastery" based. If the TT5 is working well for him, I would personally work from there onward and supplement it as needed. Possibly consider something like MM4 as a supplement if you need to review older materials. We used MUS when we were getting caught up. We also hated Saxon. Love Life of Fred as a story, but did not find it a great way to get math done. No experience with McRuffy. If I were starting from K, the programs I think I would be looking at would be MathMammoth, Mathematical Reasoning, Math in Focus, MUS depending on the child. [writing] I think IEW is excellent. Alas, my ds did not like it--I hope yours will! We ended up with a Brave Writer and later to some extent a 6 Trait based program --more a way of working than a curriculum--and use those with the history we are doing, or other subjects. I've posted a good bit about our writing and reading if you search past threads. I also have a thread going on with regard to history approach we are now using. [social Studies-] My ds loved Story of the World--we did it all in less than 2 years and used audio books because his reading was not up to its level at the time we were doing it. I highly recommend it. I also, in retrospect, wish I had read Joy Hakim's books on American History aloud to him when he was younger. By the time we tried that last year he felt they were too babyish in style. We also use a lot of documentaries for both history and science, some of which would probably be fine even for your K-er to see, such as Earth the Biography with Iain Stewart. It sounds like you have more than plenty of extras and the non main 3Rs for him to do to keep him occupied and to have fun with. I would be concerned that it may be too much, either for him, or for you, or both. If so, you may need to cut back or look to less parent intensive and less reading intensive ways of doing things, especially in the non core subjects while working hard on the math and reading skills. I want to add that my ds is liking www.duolingo.com for German, and that it is free. We also have some books and audio materials for German. My son does a little bit of German each day because it seems to work better than doing more fewer days. My sense is that is true for languages, math and reading. Typing Instructor, if it is the one we have, has been fun enough to be a reward activity. I only allow quite educational computer games such as Sumdog, and Typing Instructor. []Please any thoughts, suggestions, tips, etc] Really just concern that it is too much--especially with trying to catch up at same time as not wanting to leave anything out-- and that it is not really possible to not miss anything without burning out and thereby hurting the love of learning! Or the love of teaching perhaps. I would be inclined to suggest that you use the summer which is going great as your springboard and then add to what you are doing gradually until you reach the satisfying point of not too much and not too little, with a focus on the basics, but definitely having some other things too for interest and variety and to work with his strengths as well as trying to catch up in the weak areas. I find it better to feel able to add on more than to discover one has to cut a lot out because one bit off more than one could chew. And also I would suggest that both because he is having reading trouble and your other children, that you not be afraid to utilize things like audio books and films, TT, Khan, Duolingo, etc. so that you can put your energies with him to where they will do the most good. I think when we first started to homeschool and with my son "behind" I tried to do too much at first--both a Waldorf based full curriculum and extras where they seemed needed. It was both too much overall, and yet also not enough where the specific remediation was needed, and basically counterproductive. I learned to focus on main things for each year and add in some extras. Now I do less than I tried to do when I first started, and we are actually "ahead" in many areas, while still having time for just being a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 PS Maybe Amelia Bedelia books would be something he could read to your younger child(ren) and that would help with considering non literal ways of understanding things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnaj Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 Pen- Thank you so much for your thought out and detailed response. I actually agree that it isn't the Waldorf necessarily where he "fell behind," but a combination of switching to a completely new learning environment along with there being some learning issues going on that was kind of hidden because of how Waldorf works. He doesn't have trouble with reading, but mainly comprehending certain things that he reads. For example, the math word problems. He reads them and see what they say, but it can make the difference in if he "gets" the problem or not if I read it out loud to him after he has read it. He will tell me he needs help, I will read the problem out loud, and then most of the time he "gets" it then. I hope this makes sense. I don't necessarily think he struggles in math because he doesn't comprehend it (whereas with reading there are the comprehension issues), but because he just doesn't know all the basic facts. The ones we have worked on he catches on quick, and I think he will be "caught up" soon (I am not really concerned with catching up right away- I just don't want him to struggle in the higher grades- so it's not really about catching up because I want him at a certain level, I just don't want him to struggle.) He absolutely LOVE the Life of Fred books, and wants them all! We have not done any of the "work" out of them though, so not sure if that would work with helping him grasp any concepts while continuing with TT for math? I do agree that we have a lot of extras, but I am definitely more concerned with the main stuff and the other things will follow as long as there is time. I just like everything to be available, and we will do it when we do it. I do not want to burn out his love of learning at all! That is kind of why I went with the OM for the History/LA- it looked like a gentle way to break into homeschooling, and he happens to be obsessed with US history, so it is a good year for it (plus we will be moving to a place rich in history and can actually visit many places first hand!) I'm hoping it works for him this year. It is not a program we will continue after this year though. I think I will piece things together more, but it *seems* like it will work for now and hold his interest enough for him to really learn and have fun with it. As far as IEW- I am concerned about him enjoying that one...it will be in a class though, so maybe that will help? We will see..I don't think it is something he would enjoy doing with me at all. Thank you. You have given me a lot to think about. I love the idea of adding in to what we are doing instead of having to take away anything. I think once we move and get settled I will do that and see how things go and take it from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 I edited some things in my post as you replied to it, so maybe look to see if anything extra there of importance? Or maybe it was just silly additions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Pen- Thank you so much for your thought out and detailed response. I actually agree that it isn't the Waldorf necessarily where he "fell behind," but a combination of switching to a completely new learning environment along with there being some learning issues going on that was kind of hidden because of how Waldorf works. He doesn't have trouble with reading, but mainly comprehending certain things that he reads. For example, the math word problems. He reads them and see what they say, but it can make the difference in if he "gets" the problem or not if I read it out loud to him after he has read it. He will tell me he needs help, I will read the problem out loud, and then most of the time he "gets" it then. I hope this makes sense. Yes. But maybe have him read the problems aloud to you and make sure he is actually able to read the whole thing. If he has mess ups on little words like 'not', which some kids with things like dyslexia, for example, do have, it could cause a big problem. My thought was more that he might have trouble with the reading rather than the mathematical conceptual aspects...separate from math facts and computation. Also reading aloud himself as you would read it to him may be a strategy for working through the problems. Another thing to check would be can he set up the problem properly in mathematical terms, even if the math facts are a problem. Would he be able to do the problems easily if he were allowed to use a calculator? ETA: Comprehension is one part of reading, and a very important one. So if he is reading words perfectly, but not getting meaning that is important to work on--and is considered a form of trouble with reading. And he could have similar issues in math word problems as with fiction where inferring what is needed is difficult for him. There are books that are specific to comprehending math word problems, btw. If there are a group of problems and you read one aloud to him, can he then do the rest by himself without you reading them aloud? Can he switch from addition to subtraction to division to multiplication in a group of word problems and know what to do when--that is if it is not a group of all the same sort of problem? I am wondering, if the problem is just math facts, then how does your reading the problem aloud help him? maybe if you ask him, he knows the answer himself. And there may be more than one thing. He may be weak on his math facts and also have something going on when he tries to read a math word problem that has to do with the reading comprehension aspect. I don't necessarily think he struggles in math because he doesn't comprehend it (whereas with reading there are the comprehension issues), but because he just doesn't know all the basic facts. The ones we have worked on he catches on quick, and I think he will be "caught up" soon (I am not really concerned with catching up right away- I just don't want him to struggle in the higher grades- so it's not really about catching up because I want him at a certain level, I just don't want him to struggle.) He absolutely LOVE the Life of Fred books, and wants them all! We have not done any of the "work" out of them though, so not sure if that would work with helping him grasp any concepts while continuing with TT for math? I have no idea. We love LOF also and I decided they were fine just as books for the story and the fun of it, and never mind the math. I am sure it does something helpful at some level. My ds understands sets from it for example. I do agree that we have a lot of extras, but I am definitely more concerned with the main stuff and the other things will follow as long as there is time. I just like everything to be available, and we will do it when we do it. I do not want to burn out his love of learning at all! That is kind of why I went with the OM for the History/LA- it looked like a gentle way to break into homeschooling, and he happens to be obsessed with US history, so it is a good year for it (plus we will be moving to a place rich in history and can actually visit many places first hand!) Lucky! I'm hoping it works for him this year. It is not a program we will continue after this year though. I think I will piece things together more, but it *seems* like it will work for now and hold his interest enough for him to really learn and have fun with it. If it works, great, if not, maybe consider the approach here. http://forums.welltr...ry/page__st__50 As far as IEW- I am concerned about him enjoying that one...it will be in a class though, so maybe that will help? We will see..I don't think it is something he would enjoy doing with me at all. I would think a class would make it a lot more fun. I think it is a super program, but ... not worth a fight with ds every time we tried to get it done. Thank you. You have given me a lot to think about. I love the idea of adding in to what we are doing instead of having to take away anything. I think once we move and get settled I will do that and see how things go and take it from there. Ok.. I have to write something here to make this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnaj Posted June 25, 2013 Author Share Posted June 25, 2013 For some reason it won't let me quote you. To answer the questions about reading aloud etc- He can actually read things great out let. He doesn't have trouble with the words at all that way. I will try having him read the problems to me and see if that helps him at all. When he was younger and we moved from the Waldorf school, he had difficulty reading. I thought it was dyslexia honestly. It ended up being vision related and we did some different exercises/therapy with him and everything improved 100%. Switching from addition/subtraction/multiplication/division in word problems DOES confuse him. That's when I need to read it to him and it clicks better for him. I will look at the history post. Like I said I thought I had things figured out, but with this being our first year, I know it will take a bit to get into the swing of things and figure out what works for each of the kids. I liked how Oak Meadow integrates the Language Arts and History, but haven't really thought of any other LA options outside of that if I were to do history separately.. I saw this one history option that looked really fun, the Time Travelers from Homeschool in the Woods. Then that would involve selling what I have and putting together something new before we even start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted June 25, 2013 Share Posted June 25, 2013 Here is my 2 cents as I've used a number of math curricula with my 3 dc, all of whom are passed this stage. My main suggestion is to borrow or buy The Dominance Factor to see if you can find out his dominance profile before you buy anything for math. This is the Cadillac of learning style books. Why is it so important? I have two dc, both of whom are very kinesthetic learners BUT with key differences. My ds is auditory-kinesthetic & my dd is gestalt-kinesthetic. BIG difference. Not only are there 32 dominiance profiles, but the author (Carla Hannaford, Ph.D.) also gives suggestions to help any limitations this might have on learning new information or while under stress, which side to sit on while teaching them (depends on ear dominance in large part), etc. I have seen TT and yes, it's a great idea to supplement. I've used MUS, and one dd used many levels of it as a supplement to Singapore Math, etc, but would not recommend it to supplement TT as they share some of the same weaknesses, IMO, although MUS has some strengths missing from TT. That said, I haven't seen the latest edition of MUS. I don't like Saxon math, either. My eldest self-taught with it for 3 years, but she is very mathy & it didn't matter what she used prior to high school as long as she'd do it, and being an auditory-visual learner she has the perfect learning style for the traditional classroom (she also hated math until high school, but that's another story). I dropped it as I was using it with my middle dd. This can be done gently for the right type of learner if you go down a level or do a test first. Singapore Math IS hands on if done correctly, and is also very visual (if you have a visual-kinesthetic learner this could be important, for eg). It is also great for teaching dc how to do word problems & you can do many of them with bar diagrams. Also, there are hands on components. Sadly, the great book I have on how to solve word problems is out of print. Something we love that is very hands on is Hands On Equations. I'm not sure if it would address all of your dc's problems, but ds did it and by the end totally understood about balancing equations & it's for younger grades. Ds has had a great deal of trouble with certain word problems as well; not all word problems, but certain ones, especially multi step ones because of his learning style; he does better if we can talk about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 For some reason it won't let me quote you. To answer the questions about reading aloud etc- He can actually read things great out let. He doesn't have trouble with the words at all that way. I will try having him read the problems to me and see if that helps him at all. When he was younger and we moved from the Waldorf school, he had difficulty reading. I thought it was dyslexia honestly. It ended up being vision related and we did some different exercises/therapy with him and everything improved 100%. Switching from addition/subtraction/multiplication/division in word problems DOES confuse him. That's when I need to read it to him and it clicks better for him. I will look at the history post. Like I said I thought I had things figured out, but with this being our first year, I know it will take a bit to get into the swing of things and figure out what works for each of the kids. I liked how Oak Meadow integrates the Language Arts and History, but haven't really thought of any other LA options outside of that if I were to do history separately.. I saw this one history option that looked really fun, the Time Travelers from Homeschool in the Woods. Then that would involve selling what I have and putting together something new before we even start. Dyslexia was on my mind too--there is a so-called "stealth" version that sometimes sneaks up when kids get older-- because they have done fine to a certain point by using context clues to figure out the reading material, but then it gets too complicated to do that anymore. It sometimes shows up more with something like a word problem because it is not long enough to get context clues. Dyslexia also, for some reason, sometimes seems to go along with difficulty with math facts memorization, though conceptual math understanding can be high. Again, having one thing does not preclude having another. My son had amblyopia and at first that seemed to be the source of his troubles with reading, but then it turned out that his troubles were more from dyslexia, as a visual language processing difference. Part of the reason for trying to figure that out is that it would affect the question of whether to repeat 4th grade material or not, and could affect the type of program that might work well for him. Perhaps the book mentioned by Storm Bay would help. It sounds interesting to me and I may check it too. I never thought of the side I was sitting on and ear dominance! With the confusion between the processes in word problems I will again suggest the Anita Harnadek word problem books from Critical Thinking. The first section, some 60 problems of so, use the same numbers so the math facts are not an issue--just what needs to be done for solving the problem. For example, Jon buys 10 suits for $4 each, how much does he spend? Suits normally $40 each are on sale at $10 off, how much is each suit while on sale? etc. We also like their Balance Math, which is a bit like Hands On Equations in workbook form. I am not actually sure that Oak Meadow history and the way my ds and I are now doing it are mutually exclusive. One could use Oak Meadow for the projects and writing it suggests, but use other books and primary sources for the extra reading and historical learning. For example, if studying the Mayflower and Pilgrims as an area to go into in detail, one could look at Bradford's journal, which so far as I know is the only actual written record of the journey--rather than, or in comparison to, what is said in secondary and children's historical fiction sources. One could ask, "How do we know _____?" "And is this presentation historical myth or based on something substantive?" "Are these pictures in the OM lesson book, showing the children with the silver buckles on their shoes accurate--or are they part of our popular myth based on paintings done hundreds of years later? Is the picture labeled The Mayflower accurate to how it probably actually looked? Why or why not?" and so forth. I know that last year (5th here) trying to find both accurate and interesting materials was hard to do, especially since my ds was feeling that Hakim's presentation was condescending. This year so far seems to be going better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 ... I saw this one history option that looked really fun, the Time Travelers from Homeschool in the Woods. Then that would involve selling what I have and putting together something new before we even start. PS I'm not familiar with this program, but doubt there would be an advantage to selling what you have and getting it instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drum1019 Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 I would suggest looking at Math Mammoth and having your son take the placement tests to learn about his strengths and/or challenges, http://www.mathmammoth.com/complete/placement_tests.php. We use math mammoth as a supplement to Singapore and it is a very child and parent friendly curriculum. Maria Miller has a great website with a lot if useful information, worth exploring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnaj Posted June 26, 2013 Author Share Posted June 26, 2013 Storm- Thank you. That sounds like an interesting read! Pen- Oh no, I am not going to sell my OM stuff- we will stick with that and see how it goes for this year. I am not sure about dyslexia, but I do think there is something going on. When we move, I might get him tested. It would be good to know if there is something specific going on. Working one on one will be (and is!) so good for him- he isn't slipping through any cracks and he is actually learning things before we move on. Drum- Yes! I just looked into MM again actually. It looks like the perfect supplement to go with what we already have (TT and LoF)- I love how you can get specific bits and pieces depending on what your child is struggling with or where they are at. I am so glad I posted this thread. Just posting on here has really helped give me some great ideas and things to think about. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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