Remediation help

[ByGrace3]

Please do not quote as I will delete this eventually.

 

I posted a few weeks ago on the gen Ed board, and now that we are a little more settled, I have some more questions.

 

Due to several factors, my 15 yo nephew has come to live with us. He has not been in school since public school 5th grade. He has done hardly anything since that point. He was "homeschooled," not homeschooled. He reads pretty well, but has some phonics gaps. Spelling is rough-- he does not know basic spelling rules. Math- serious remediation needed.

 

We have hired a tutor-- 20 hours a week, 4 hours a day.

 

I will be ordering Lials BCM. Do I need more than the text? Answer key? Best place to purchase?

 

Spelling. Need suggestions. I have AAS levels 1-4, but is there something better-- more "remedial" in nature to help move quickly?

 

Phonics-- just let this be covered by phonics based spelling...logic of English? Something else?

 

Writing/grammar. Little bit of a loss here. Something that starts at the beginning but doesn't seem babyish.

 

I plan to order an Apologia book for him to work through to break up the long days of math/LA and give him something to practice his skills with. Probably General science? higher level books are out since they require math skills. However, his math and LA wiill need to stay the focus.

 

He has a positive attitude, is working well with the tutor. Average kid who basically has just been neglected educationally. That's what it appears at this point. If we hit a wall at any point we will look into LD's but at this point we are moving forward.

 

Basic math and reading assessments have been done. Think basic...very basic. He is learning multiplication with the tutor this week...

 

Phonics, spelling, and writing are my main needs at this point.

 

He talked over goals with his tutor this week. He would like to go to college. At this point GED followed by community college seem like the best beginning route...right now we just need to get him up to grade level.

 

 

Thank you!

[basketcase]

This happened in our extended family. I wasn't providing the home and remediation, but I bless the one who did. That's a gift that can't be measured.

 

Would the daily grammar review or daily paragraph editing books by Evan-Moor help? They only take a few minutes and the selections for paragraph editing aren't childish at all, at least in the grade 6 book we're using right now. We use the paragraph editing books as a self-correcting exercise, since the answers are on the back of the previous page. (Tear-out pages in case they're tempted to peek.) I use them to teach capitalization, punctuation and other basic rules, since our grammar curriculum is focused just on grammar, not mechanics.

[MomOfABunch]

I don't have any advice about programs, but I wanted to say *hugs* and what a good thing you are doing for your nephew!

[kiana]

Personally I think General Science sounds great. It'll give him an overview of everything and not be excessively difficult since you said he reads well. Breaking up long days is good too.

 

I think BCM is a great idea.

 

Does he enjoy watching documentaries? I would consider having some basic history documentaries on during lunchtime, again, to break up the day and provide background knowledge. I wouldn't try and be truly systematic about it and I'd start with something he found interesting.

[speed.cleaner]

For spelling you might try How to Teach Spelling
 

From the product description:

 

"This is an excellent program for remedial spelling. It is one of the few programs that teaches and reviews all phonograms and spelling rules at upper grades."

[ByGrace3]

For spelling you might try How to Teach Spelling

 

From the product description:

 

"This is an excellent program for remedial spelling. It is one of the few programs that teaches and reviews all phonograms and spelling rules at upper grades."

I had forgotten about that. I just ordered it. Thanks!

[ElizabethB]

My online phonics lessons and my how to tutor page both teach phonics to a 12th grade level and include spelling rules.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/howtotutor.html

 

My students typically gain 1 - 4 reading grade levels after working through them. Then, you figure out the areas where they need more work and keep working that until they are reading at the 12th grade level. Webster's Speller is a great free resource for the last bit.

[Jaybee]

I would use Easy Grammar and Writing Skills (Diana Hanbury King) for grammar and writing. As for the correct level, peruse the samples online and see what seems to match up best. I am currently using the Writing Skills series books for both my dyslexic younger son and my about-to-enter-high-school son--one who needs very step-by-step, and one who just needs a few small gaps filled in by a quick and efficient method. I am very pleased with it. In my opinion, both of these series cover basics well and are efficient.

[ElizabethB]

My online video lessons or the written lessons or a combination of the two can also be worked through several times, there is a lot of information in them. I had one student who watched through my online lessons 3 times until he was reading at grade level.

[Mom22ns]

With Lial's you don't need a teacher's edition. There is a student solutions manual that you might want. It will give complete solutions to every odd problem, every review problem, and every test problem, so he can see all the steps, not just the answers (which his book gives). I linked to it in the 8th edition, but you'll want to search for it in whatever edition you bought of the student text.

 

No suggestions on spelling. I would probably teach him to use a spell check and let spelling come from reading. It is pretty late to actually attempt a spelling program.

 

For grammar, I'd use Analytical Grammar. It assumes no prior knowledge. It can be done in one year or spread out more - it is designed to be used for 1-3 years based on the age of the student. My kids found it self teaching, but it is supposed to require a teacher, so with his lack of background, you may need to help with the explanations. 

 

For writing... what about something like Jump In or Wordsmith? They are pretty gentle, targeted toward Junior high/early high school. I don't know though, can he write a sentence? A paragraph? You may have to go farther back still.

 

I think the Apologia General Science book is a good idea as long as you keep it light. Don't overemphasize the note-booking, or lab reports at this point. He isn't ready for that.

[TechWife]

For writing, what about IEW Student Writing Intensive? You could start at Level B or C, in this situation I'd recommend B, I think. 

[mom2jjka]

PAC/Pacworks might be something to consider if he is okay using workbooks.  It is actually designed for kids who struggle.  

They are now offering many of their materials as audiobooks or in digital format, and as online courses.  

 

Otherwise I agree that IEW-SWI A or B would be really good.    

Or perhaps the Growing With Grammar/Soaring with Spelling series using a lower level.  Those lessons are nice and short, so that if he does start to understand, he could do several lessons per day, and catch up quickly.

[Lori D.]

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray: Absolutely awesome of your family! And way to go for this young man! If appropriate, share with him that he has a lot of people in this online homeschool community cheering him on!  :hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:

 

Others are giving you some good curriculum ideas. I would like to share about the GED:

 

Be very careful about the GED: it is NOT necessarily the easier or better path for a student trying to catch up. There is no reason why this young man can't take what time he needs and graduate high school with a diploma at age 19yo or even 20yo. There are remedial students who do this all the time.

 

That would give this young man 3.5 years (this spring/summer, and the next 3 years) to catch up and complete enough credits to graduate from homeschool high school and have the diploma for entering the community college (CC) -- and not need a GED. He would even be able to take dual enrollment classes at the CC in his last year (or two years, if he is caught up enough in math and writing), which counts as credit both for high school AND for college, and works as a really nice gentle transition from part time to full time college.

 

Esp. because he is motivated, it is not as difficult for a teen to move through a large amount of elementary/middle school material at a rapid pace and catch up in about 2 years. You can still count that work at high school credit -- the writing towards the English credits, and the Math as two credits of remedial math, with the course title of your choice: "Foundations in Math: I and II"; "Topics in Math: I and II"; Fundamentals in Math: I and II"...

 

Why I advise caution about the GED:

 

- it still carries the stigma of "drop-out" -- and I would NOT want to do that to a young man who is clearly very interested in NOT dropping out, but instead working hard to catch up, graduate, and move on to college

- it kills your chances to enter the military (drops you to tier 3, and virtually no one is being accepted at tier 3 anymore)

- it requires advance study -- most people take a class to prep for the GED

- a completely re-vamped version of the GED was released in Jan. 2014, and it is now a harder test to pass

- the new GED additionally measures career and college-readiness, and those results could conceivably be used to "pigeonhole" students who may later on be ready to attempt college, BUT a low new GED test score might limit their college admission ability

 

Here's a recent NPR story on the new GED test: "A Sizable Decrease in Those Passing the GED", which raises concerns that the GED could be a viable alternative to a diploma for a high school student:

- a much lower percent of test-takers were able to pass the new (electronic) version of the GED

- a number of states have dropped the GED, so it is no longer a universal test, or universally accepted

- more states plan to offer alternatives to the GED, making the GED even less of a universally accepted standard

 

And from this survey on wages 5 years after high school from the GED Testing Service: those with a GED fall above high school dropouts but BELOW those with high school diplomas; it takes getting some post-high school education or training/certification for the average GED holder to completely catch up with those holding a high school diploma.

 

JMO: If at all possible, go for the high school diploma -- which, as a homeschooler, you can award yourself after he completes YOUR list of specified credits (as long as you are not in a state which requires homeschool high school to complete certain credits -- then you would have a few extra hoops to jump). It has no negatives, and a diploma opens more doors to this young man than a GED, which has some sizable "cons" to consider carefully. I have only seen just a very few times when the GED was needed to help a student reach their goal .

 

BEST of luck in this new exciting adventure for you all! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[OneStepAtATime]

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray: Absolutely awesome of your family! And way to go for this young man! If appropriate, share with him that he has a lot of people in this online homeschool community cheering him on!  :hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:

 

Others are giving you some good curriculum ideas. I would like to share about the GED:

 

Be very careful about the GED: it is NOT necessarily the easier or better path for a student trying to catch up. There is no reason why this young man can't take what time he needs and graduate high school at age 19yo or even 20yo. There are remedial students who do this all the time.

 

That would give this young man 3.5 years (this spring/summer, and the next 3 years) to catch up and complete enough credits to graduate from homeschool high school and have the diploma for entering the community college (CC) (and not need a GED). He would even be able to take dual enrollment classes at the CC in his last year (or two years, if he is caught up enough in math and writing), which counts as credit both for high school AND for college, and works as a really nice gentle transition from part time to full time college.

 

Esp. because he is motivated, it is not as difficult for a teen to move through a large amount of elementary/middle school material at a rapid pace and catch up in about 2 years. You can still count that work at high school credit -- the writing towards the English credits, and the Math as two credits of remedial math, with the course title of your choice: "Foundations in Math: I and II"; "Topics in Math: I and II"; Fundamentals in Math: I and II"...

 

Why I advise caution about the GED:

 

- it still carries the stigma of "drop-out" -- and I would NOT want to do that to a young man who is clearly very interested in NOT dropping out, but instead working hard to catch up, graduate, and move on to college

- it kills your chances to enter the military (drops you to tier 3, and virtually no one is being accepted at tier 3 anymore)

- it requires advance study -- most people take a class to prep for the GED

- a completely re-vamped version of the GED was released in Jan. 2014, and it is now a harder test to pass

- the new GED additionally measures career and college-readiness, and those results could conceivably be used to "pigeonhole" students who may later on be ready to attempt college, BUT a low new GED test score might limit their college admission ability

 

Here's a recent NPR story on the new GED test: "A Sizable Decrease in Those Passing the GED", which raises concerns that the GED could be a viable alternative to a diploma for a high school student:

- a much lower percent of test-takers were able to pass the new (electronic) version of the GED

- a number of states have dropped the GED, so it is no longer a universal test, or universally accepted

- more states plan to offer alternatives to the GED, making the GED even less of a universally accepted standard

 

And from this survey on wages 5 years after high school from the GED Testing Service: those with a GED fall above high school dropouts but BELOW those with high school diplomas; it takes getting some post-high school education or training/certification for the average GED holder to completely catch up with those holding a high school diploma.

 

JMO: If at all possible, go for the high school diploma -- which, as a homeschooler, you can award yourself after he completes YOUR list of specified credits (as long as you are not in a state which requires homeschool high school to complete certain credits). It has no negatives, and a diploma opens more doors to this young man than a GED, which has some sizable "cons" to consider carefully. I have only seen just a very few times when the GED was needed to help a student reach their goal .

 

BEST of luck in this new exciting adventure for you all! Warmest regards, Lori D.

:iagree: