UmMusa Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I'm not having much success using the search feature, so I'll be asking... How did you decide what materials to use for grades 6-8? My kids have 'flown the coop' around 6th grade and started public school; however I"m considering I'd like to take my 8th grader out of school but we do not want to homeschool the way we used to (following many TWTM rec's and spending a lot of time face to face). She does better with me NOT being the main educator if you know what I mean. Also, a friend is asking me about pulling her 7th grade boy out of public school having never homeschooled... not sure how to advise her. I always always recommend TWTM to everyone who asks me about homeschooling, but for parents who are more interested in public school at home I'm not sure if there's an in between. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mschickie Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Dd is in 7th grade now and I plan on hs'ing her all the way through 12th. In choosing curriculum I go with what best fits dd's needs. There is a lot out there for middle school grades. We use Saxon (Math), Easy Grammar, IEW, Mystery of History, Apologia, Bien Dit!, Wordly Wise 3000, Art of Argument and then lots of historical fiction. If you are looking for something where you are not the main educator then some sort of computer based/distance learning is probably what you want. For dd that would not be a good thing so we do not go that route. I also belong to a strong co-op where dd can get her science labs (science is not my favorite and even though dh would do them with her it is hard on the nights and weekends). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I'm not having much success using the search feature, so I'll be asking... How did you decide what materials to use for grades 6-8? My kids have 'flown the coop' around 6th grade and started public school; however I"m considering I'd like to take my 8th grader out of school but we do not want to homeschool the way we used to (following many TWTM rec's and spending a lot of time face to face). She does better with me NOT being the main educator if you know what I mean. Also, a friend is asking me about pulling her 7th grade boy out of public school having never homeschooled... not sure how to advise her. I always always recommend TWTM to everyone who asks me about homeschooling, but for parents who are more interested in public school at home I'm not sure if there's an in between. Any ideas? The same way I chose materials for my younger children: what's best for them based on their abilities and what I think they need to improve their skills and prepare them for life. That my dc might be "middle school" doesn't really enter into the equation. :-) Your dd could do something like this: Writing Strands, Level 5 (there is some interaction, but you don't actually teach it); Wordly Wise (vocabulary); Analytical Grammar (If you think she still needs grammar); Apologia for science; Saxon for math; a textbook for history (my favorite publisher is BJUP). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 Thanks for sharing ladies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I think there are just too many different options to just summarize in one thread. Absolutely everyone will have different suggestions based on their teaching styles, world view, students' needs and interests. The Logic stage section of the board is replete with suggestions, including non-WTM suggestions. I'd start searching that forum (using Google advanced search) and a specific topic. We have no problem teaching middle school (6th grade now) as eclectic, secular homeschoolers, and I have never followed WTM. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cottonwood Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Moving Beyond the Page curriculum is written to the student and, at least for mine, doesn't need me much at all. But then again, the days when I need to sit beside them and work with them, that's very doable too. And, don't feel the need to get all 10 units for an age level. About 6-7 units will fill a year out nicely. All you need to add is math Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 We don't usually homeschool this way...and I don't know what we'll do next year...but my oldest two are using a lot of textbooks this year. And it has been simpler that way. Lial's Algebra (college textbook) Holt Biology (public high school textbook) Komm Mit 1 (also public hs text) Notgrass America the Beautiful (not secular) History of the Ancient World (not a textbook, but it's still everything in one place) I've found a lot of our textbooks for 5 bucks or so on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 If you're looking for something that will make your child accountable to someone other than "mom," you might look at curricula that have some kind of grading or teacher support, like the virtual academy for your state (mine uses K12, they are enrolled as public school students, just working at home) or Calvert, Oak Meadow or other online classes where you are not the teacher. I know Calvert and Oak Meadow offer accreditation if you "enroll" rather than just buying the curriculum, so putting the child back in PS wouldn't be a problem, if the child decided to go back in the middle of high school or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 I pulled my kids out of public school in 5th and 6th grade. I chose the materials based on what I intended for them to learn, and how I intended for them to learn it. I selected the math curriculum that I considered best in approach and depth (AoPS) I selected literature based on my children's interests and abilities. We don't do any scripted curriculum. I did history loosely inspired by TWTM, science was library books on topics the kids were interested in, and I supplemented with lots of field trips to museums, state parks and live performances. Middle school was my favorite time to homeschool - you have all the freedom and can really enjoy it without having to think about transcripts and accountability. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abba12 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Lots of research, lol. That's about all I can say. I'm sure everyone here has a dozen suggestions of what they like, and it'll all be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 . I know Calvert and Oak Meadow offer accreditation if you "enroll" rather than just buying the curriculum, so putting the child back in PS wouldn't be a problem, if the child decided to go back in the middle of high school or something. Never, ever assume that a public school will happily accept any credits earned at home just because a child was enrolled in an accredited school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 How about these planning threads on the Middle School board: 7th Grade 8th Grade 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I'm not having much success using the search feature, so I'll be asking... How did you decide what materials to use for grades 6-8? My kids have 'flown the coop' around 6th grade and started public school; however I"m considering I'd like to take my 8th grader out of school but we do not want to homeschool the way we used to (following many TWTM rec's and spending a lot of time face to face). She does better with me NOT being the main educator if you know what I mean. Also, a friend is asking me about pulling her 7th grade boy out of public school having never homeschooled... not sure how to advise her. I always always recommend TWTM to everyone who asks me about homeschooling, but for parents who are more interested in public school at home I'm not sure if there's an in between. Any ideas? Oh, yeah. I get it. This year (eighth grade DD) we've outsourced quite a bit to address just that concern. Math: To be outsourced primarily. Right now we're in review mode, so I'm teaching (more like "managing") out of Foerster's Algebra and a PSAT review book. She did AoPS Algebra A online last semester and a Math Counts class over the summer. It's a good fit, so she'll be taking Intro to Counting and Probability this semester. Latin: Outsourced to CLRC. They are wonderful to deal with and I highly recommend them. They offer writing classes, history classes, and other languages, as well. There may be a few math classes (?), and there are religion classes but they're Orthodox, so I'm thinking not your thing. ;) Language Arts: Outsourced much to Brave Writer. Boomerang Book Club and Poetry class this semester. More next semester. Supplemented with materials at home (Editor in Chief, dictation, poetry/Bible memorization.) Science: Outsourced to Derek Owens-Physical Science. History: Me-centered. We're using Hakim History of US as our spine and doing our second year of a two-year American History study. Bible: A combination of Awana and a year-long sermon series at our church. So sort of me. Positive: The stress level is GREATLY reduced in our homeschool this year. :thumbup1: Negative: This is expensive. :thumbdown: Happily, we are the recipients of generous educational grants provided by the Bank of Nana. Fabulous institution, that! :thumbup: "Also, a friend is asking me about pulling her 7th grade boy out of public school having never homeschooled... not sure how to advise her. I always always recommend TWTM to everyone who asks me about homeschooling, but for parents who are more interested in public school at home I'm not sure if there's an in between." As for this one, I would suggest looking at online public school options. It sounds more like a "school at home" need. HTH. Good luck to you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 I would poke around the Logic board, as suggested above. There's a lot of good discussion there. Also, a lot of us aren't doing WTM for the middle grades (and a lot are, of course) - just to say, there are a variety of perspectives there even if you want to move to a different methodology. But remember too that methodology is only a little part of it - even if you had stayed the course, the middle grades just are more independent. So if you want to be WTM inspired, you still can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 I've found the choosing to be fairly simple. The executing... not as much, lol. I've stuck with Saxon math so the book can teach them. I switched to IEW so the discs provide the lecture portion. I went with History Odyssey to keep classical there and to be mostly independent. I joined a far away co-op to cover multiple arts and a taste of outside academics. I try to pick sciences that are near and dear to them. (Last year was a focus on herpetology, this year is food systems and nutrition.) My girls aren't as independent as I had hoped by this point, but that's much more of a parenting issue than academic/teaching one in this house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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