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Former Teacher New to Homeschooling


Bluesage
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Thank you! Would it be better for me to just start researching together the history behind what we are learning, or as was suggested, one item over time? What are you planning to do with your 2e ds?

We are doing this:

 

https://www.bighistoryproject.com/portal

 

The shows are available on Amazon Streaming and there are quizzes and stuff on the website.

 

We will also doing research/writing project units on historical periods of his choice.

 

We've used the History of Us for American history.

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There used to be a guy on the boards (who had gifted kids) whose mantra was, "Grade levels are irrelevant." Teach your kiddo where he is in each subject. That requires finding out where he is, not just from tests but from actual completion of tasks and knowing the skills behind those tasks. I think this is where WWS helps a lot of us who aren't natural writing teachers to define the steps behind writing improvement. This seems to be your area of strength, so for you it might be some other subject where you discover, OH, the kid needs to know how to do 3 other things before he can do what I ask him to. Very humbling realization. Makes me talk to my kid a lot instead of just throw expectations at him because of "grade level." Good for both of us.

 

A checklist of subjects for the day can be very freeing. You should know each has been covered...and something of what a "day's work" is. I tend to pick materials where in at least some subjects we just pick it up and do the next thing, whatever it is rather than having to have a big year-plan.

 

You can stagger starting subjects. Start the hardest subject first, or the most enjoyable. Get the study pattern down for one subject and move on to the next. (That way you'll both know what checking off that subject *means*. 

 

I plan my subjects separately just so we can stagger starting or take an extra week for, say, a writing exercise, without throwing the whole multi-subject weekly schedule out of whack.

 

I have chosen latin as our foreign language because it has a lot of support in the homeschool community and I don't have to be so worried about pronunciation. My kiddos do latin early and thru 8th and then spanish in high school. If I were a native speaker or could afford such a tutor I'd have more suggestions on spanish materials, LOL.

 

I gave my kids a spelling placement test every year and, if they tested above grade level, that was that. We only corrected errors in their writing. However, I will say that one year my son tested out of 12th grade spelling (Spelling Power, words like rheumatism) and the next week, in 4th grade, misspelled the word for rabbit (buny) in his writing. The proof is in the doing.

 

Just a few random thoughts. Don't take on too much this year. Talk a lot. Be willing to ditch something and look for an alternative if it doesn't work. Use your library....sometimes schoolwork gets done much faster there, and then there's free-reading and research fun. Find a park day group of other homeschoolers and talk to the moms and ask lots of questions. Hug your kid a lot because, now that you're home together, you CAN. And take a field trip a month, but let dad in on the fun sometimes, too.

 

Blessings on your journey.

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He used Singapore Math. He already completed the 5th grade curriculum and was moving into pre-algebra when they pulled the plug in the advanced pull-out classes he was in, so he ended up repeating 4th grade math and working as the classroom tutor. :(. I wonder now if I need to review 5th grade math before moving on.

 

Yes! My son is like your dd. He is much more thorough and careful in his writing when he knows it's being published. He also enjoys anything online much more than paper and pencil, but he's already mastered handwriting and cursive, so I think it's fine he goes digital. :)

 

So do you prefer AoPS for math? I haven't heard anything about LoF here. It looked good to me because it was fun and interesting, but he's the one it needs to work for. I think I'm going to have him help me pick out the curriculum that I'll use for my own reference, as it was highly suggested I don't focus heavily on curriculum in and of itself.

My to-be-6th grader is doing a combo of Math-U-See Pre-Algebra, which is a bit light, with Singapore 6A/B. We'll have time to do a more challenging pre-algebra in her 7th grade year. Perhaps something like that would work for you? The MUS tutorials are helpful for me...I was a technical writer, not a STEM gal and math is not my best subject, but MUS makes it go easier and Singapore adds some of the thinking skills I want, too. I, personally, have not found LOF has enough practice for anything but the silly story to stick.

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Welcome to homeschooling! I have a 10 yr old mathy girl who loves LoF and AoPS (Beginning Algebra & Intro to Algebra, respectively). We use both, alternating them every other day. LoF lets her laugh and be a little girl who loves math. AoPS lets her feel like the "real" mathematician that she wants to be someday. I consider AoPS her curriculum and LoF her supplement. (She might look at it the other way around!) LoF has a little bit of mention of religion in it, but usually about values, not scripture. The only one in the LoF series I would suggest to avoid is the Economics book. It is wacky and horrible, but we have liked all of the other books, Fractions - Beginning Algebra.

 

From your descriptions about your grammar and writing philosophies, I think you would enjoy MCT for language arts. We certainly do! Like your son, my daughter also wants to know how much she "has" to write, but verbally can express things in such an articulate, evocative way. It just doesn't translate to paper yet, but I know it will in time. While we love MCT, there are errata in some of the grammar answer guides which may drive you nuts. They do have a separate forum you can access from their website. Listen to MCT talk about grammar, writing, and poetics instruction in his videos. It will explain his approach, which agrees with you completely about how trying to teach grammar in little snippets throughout the year is useless. In MCT Language Arts, grammar gets covered completely in the first month of school and then practiced the rest of the year. He also made me realize how important poetics are. Now my girls love poetry, too.

 

I wouldn't shy away from SOTW just because it is written at an elementary school level. We use it as a read aloud, and both of my girls enjoy it very much. Then you can run with exploring whatever catches his imagination more in depth. Plus, you will have some logic stage history in your Geography, MtWwA.

 

I hope you have a great year!

PS. I saw your siggy - My older daughter LOVES her origami owl locket!

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What do you do in these situations? I don't want to force him, but if he had his way, he'd never write. And I let him write however he wants, too. I let him make a comic strip or write a short story or even create an advertisement or PowerPoint to show me he's understood what he's learned. It's not like I'd assign an essay a day or anything, but if he doesn't want to write in any form, what do you suggest I do? Thank you in advance! :)

Well, you make them do it. You may be homeschooling, but it is education. And your kid needs to learn how to write. Let me just tell you, here on the boards there is the gamut of homeschooling philosophies from very relaxed, interest lead to quite structured and the prevailing rule here is "live and let live". I am more structured. I believe interest lead is good, but finally there are subjects to be covered and you just do it, like it or not. My kids are quite bright, but they are very social and are not academically inclined. They play Legos, they do craft stuff, swim, build bike ramps. They don't read ever, except at night In bed with their headlamps. So if I were an unschooler or a relaxed homeschooler, they would be completely illiterate. Our homeschool is very structured and becoming even more so and they do their schoolwork because they must. Now, I try to make it as pleasant an experience as possible, but that's where we're at. I think you need to decide on the goals you have for your child, and he may not want to achieve them, but you are the parent, and so times you have to compel them, all the while making the process as palatable as possible.

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Regarding grammar, have you looked at Institute for Excellence in Writing (iew.com) Fix It! Grammar?  Based on what you wrote upthread, you may like it, particularly book 2 and above.

 

I use Rod and Staff English (grammar exercises only) as explicit grammar instruction.  I use Fix It as grammar application and editing practice.

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You asked about math.  It's common to have a gap between computation and conceptual with a SN dc.  If he was doing well with Singapore, maybe you want to continue it?  As you say, just give him the placement test and move forward where he's at, ignoring the number on the book.  You might look into Hands-On Equations to give him some pre-algebra.  With that and the LoF stuff, he'd be good to go.  All would be intellectually appropriate to him.  

 

Math is very individual btw.  A year from now you'll be telling us the mix you found that worked for him.  It won't be exactly like anyone else's.  :)

 

If you want some really out of the box thinking on what this could be like, the book you want is "The Right Side of Normal" by Cindy Gaddis.  I'm not perfectly in agreement with everything she says, but I AM a huge fan of reading diverse opinions and then taking from it what works for you.  If you want something really radically different from WTM to balance you out in this adventure, Gaddis is what you want.  Comes as an ebook that you can download and read late at night over tea, or I think there's a print version on amazon.

 

You're going to do great.  We all learn the hard way and make mistakes, but that's ok.  You're teachable and trying to learn and work with him.  As long as you keep talking and flex, you'll figure it out!  :)

 

PS.  Don't forget we have an LC (Learning Challenges) board here as well.  Hippest spot on the whole boards.  :D

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