curriculum help...please!

[sbartow]

Hi, I recently pulled my 3rd grade son out of an online public school.  It just wasn't working for him but we have tried to make it work thinking he would "catch up."  Long story short...he is lacking confidence in math especially as well as reading to a lesser degree.  I have tentatively chosen my curriculum.  Here are my choices so far are:

 

Math U See - starting in alpha for a few weeks because he does still count on to get some of his math facts but after that he should be able to go straight into gamma

 

FLL3 - Love this so far but I'm wondering if I need WWE as well and if so what level to start?

 

AAS - This one was a hard choice but I do think I prefer him to learn to spell with the rules rather than list style

 

SOTW - I think I want to start in the Ancients.  Do I need the activity book or is it optional?

 

Literature - Reading good books aloud and some discussion

 

Am I missing anything here? Do I need less or more, any supplemental?  MUS vs. TT opinions?  I am very thankful for ANY advice or help!

 

TIA

[MrsRobinson]

The only one I can comment on is SOTW. The activity guide is optional. Many families just read the book together and discuss. Maybe find your own library book selections and Netflix documentaries to supplement.

 

The activity guide includes review questions, narration exercises, maps, instructions for projects, booklists (fiction and non). So basically it comes down to how much extra you'd like to add to the reading of the book.

 

I bought the ag for ancients and I'm glad I did. I needed the hand-holding for my 1st year.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Science?

[AmyontheFarm]

SOTW - I enjoyed the activity books because of the book lists in them.  The kids enjoyed reading the books.  Plus the map work was a great supplement for Geography.

 

You should also check out: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=sotw&term_meta%5B%5D=sotw|autocomplete|0

for a wide variety of ideas.  Make sure you select with Volume you are using to narrow the search down.

 

Literature:  Use the books from the SOTW activity books!  Also, take a look at Ambleside Online.  I don't follow the whole Charlotte Mason thing but the book lists are amazing and my kids haven't found a dud book yet on it.   http://www.amblesideonline.org/03bks.shtml

 

 

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I like the activity guide for SOTW. It plans everything and tells me what to do.

[Farrar]

Hi, I recently pulled my 3rd grade son out of an online public school.  It just wasn't working for him but we have tried to make it work thinking he would "catch up."  Long story short...he is lacking confidence in math especially as well as reading to a lesser degree.  I have tentatively chosen my curriculum.  Here are my choices so far are:

 

Math U See - starting in alpha for a few weeks because he does still count on to get some of his math facts but after that he should be able to go straight into gamma

 

FLL3 - Love this so far but I'm wondering if I need WWE as well and if so what level to start?

 

AAS - This one was a hard choice but I do think I prefer him to learn to spell with the rules rather than list style

 

SOTW - I think I want to start in the Ancients.  Do I need the activity book or is it optional?

 

Literature - Reading good books aloud and some discussion

 

Am I missing anything here? Do I need less or more, any supplemental?  MUS vs. TT opinions?  I am very thankful for ANY advice or help!

 

TIA

 

I don't know MUS that well, but the idea that he would be able to go from Alpha to Gamma seems odd to me. Aren't there levels in between there? Might it make more sense to supplement for the one issue and then start Gamma if that's the right program?

 

FLL is just grammar. You need something for writing. That could be WWE, yes. If he is new to the whole copywork, narration, dictation approach to writing, I'd start with WWE1 probably. But it's the not the curriculum we use, so maybe you'll get other opinions. There are other options. It depends a lot on where he is with writing and how you want to approach writing.

 

SOTW - I agree that the AG is optional. Whether you want it really depends on how you want to use the program. We didn't like the AG. The mapwork is very good. The supplemental book lists are very good. However, just reading SOTW is plenty for some families. Definitely start with the Ancients. That's the whole point of the approach to start at the beginning of history and go forward.

 

Good on you for just reading books for lit. Third graders don't need a lit program, they just need lots of read alouds and reading practice. :)

 

I agree that you're missing science, most glaringly. And possibly the arts (some people fold in some art history with SOTW, which is one good approach). However, that doesn't mean you need to get those right away. I would say start with those subjects, and aim to add science and maybe art in a couple of months once you have a bit of a groove.

[Jyhwkmama]

You might consider Pandia Press History Odyssey. It uses SOTW as a spine with the Usbourne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History (so awesome).

 

We use Nancy Larson science and love it.

 

Reading good books is a perfect choice,

[kiwik]

With MUS isn't it something like alpha = addition, beta sudtraction, gamma multiplication, delta division. Might something cheaper like a 1- 3 package from MM be easier for catch up?

 

For WWE starting level 1 in 2nd is common so I would just start with one (a year behind) unless he can do the end of year test for level one.

[Aurelia]

Instead of Math-U-See to catch up, book 1 of Learn Math Fast (covers math for grades 1-3 at an accelerated pace), Timez Attack (online math fact practice - you can do addition and subtraction) or some other math fact practice should work if that's all he needs. DD likes Timez Attack because it's set up as a game. You could also just do flash cards for awhile until he gets his facts down, then have him take a placement test for the curriculum you like. 

 

You definitely need writing. I like Treasured Conversations because it teaches how to write a paragraph from an outline, on about a 3rd-4th grade level. 

 

As others have said, you don't NEED the AG for SOTW, but a lot of people like to use it. DD liked the projects we did from it. 

 

You are missing science. You can read lots of library books, but lots of people like to use a curriculum. We've used various things, like GEMS guides, or TOPS science. Mr. Q science has a free life science curriculum. 

[desertflower]

You can call peace hill press and see if they have a scratch and dent sell going on for the AG. I have bought lots of good books this way.

[Jasperstone]

Have you considered CLE Math? We started it this year and it's great. My child who had a hard time with MUS has grown leaps and bounds with CLE.

This ↑↑↑↑

 

Same here- mine didn't do well with MUS, so we switch to CLE maths and haven't looked back.

[MotherOfBoys]

The scratch and dent sale thread is still pinned to the top of this board as "cheap books". I got most of my wwe and sotw from that sale.

 

I was thinking last night that I could have used the activity guide with a library card and skipped the sotw spine. We love the spine but the activity guide added writing, art, reading, geography, science, ...the activity guide makes it full. Otherwise sotw would be a summer review read to me. We love sotw.

 

Math Mammoth 1-3 from the homeschool buyers coop is cheap, strong, and easy to fill holes. I would suggest that for the first year to build confidence and strength. Then you can make an expensive math buy with more information. It is a mastery math but with all the suggestions for games online we made it spiral review. Another thing to try is Khan academy. It's an online free math (and other subjects) program that puts the amount to learn and what can be learned in his hands.

 

Good luck!

[lifesadream83]

I think if you do the narrations from SOTW with him you can skip WWE.  There is some dictation in FLL so you are covered there also.  One thing I would add if you could swing it is just the readers with the readers guides from either Sonlight or BookShark if you can swing it.  I got the SL guides for 7$ off of the website and the books at the library for 3rd and then the 4/5 Readers I just purchased outright.  But I noticed that they encouraged my daughter to read.  Each book was choosen so well.  She loves reading now.  Many of them will be suggested in the SOTW guide but I loved how these did not intertwine with history and it was all planned for me.

 

 

Here is a link to the readers schedules/study guides.  There is one for grade 1, 2, 3 or 4/5 we started with 3 in third grade to build confidence and moved up.  http://www.sonlight.com/search.html?search=Readers%20Schedule/Study%20Guide

 

Here is a link to their "placement test for readers" my daughter placed in 4/5 in third grade but reading those books was daunting to her at first so I put her in the 3rd and eventually she sped up at her own pace.  Now she has a hard time not reading ahead so they are her "fun" readers for the year.  

 

http://www.sonlight.com/quick-reading-assessment.html

[sbartow]

Thank you guys so much for all of your input! I should have mentioned our science situation. We have already completed his science with his virtual school for this year however I would love recommendations for next year! :)