FloridaLisa Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 I need to shift our homeschool next year and have my then 4th and 6th graders do more of their work independently. Ds11 will eat that up. He's always chomping at the bit to get to his schoolwork first thing in the morning and doesn't like to wait for me to have to teach the lesson. He's an early riser and many mornings starts off with his VP self-paced history before the rest of us are up. Not sure how much will need to be independent, but more than I ever did with my others. I'm looking for top-quality, kid-tested and approved books, classes, etc. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Next year I will also have 4th and 6th graders. Much of what they will do is independent. What we are using now that we will continue: VP Self paced history Reading and Reasoning Middlebury Interactive Spanish Phonetic Zoo (for ds) Rod and Staff Spelling (for dd) New for next year: Planning an online writing course for the 6th grader-- probably WTMA Analytical Grammar (using the dvd's) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) There are different math curriculum that have teacher support dvds like Teaching textbooks, Math u see and Saxon. Grammar and writing could be taken care of by using Essentials in writing with the teacher dvd. Analytical grammar also has dvds to go with its course. What I like about these different curriculum is that they are reusable for the most part, so it is less money for the other child when they reach that grade. Reading / literature could be taken care of by reading good classic books and having literature guides to with them, that are pretty self explanatory. Some that come to mind are memoria press, glencoe, even BJU booklinks. Science is a tough one. I still haven't found a science that I like that has a dvd portion to it. You could always get BJU distance learning science course, say do 5th grade, and have them both do it together. It is a bit pricey. That is why my suggestion is to do a middle grade together. Edited January 17, 2016 by Peacefulisle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Ooo, ditto the suggestion on a BJU online course! I think for January they're $99 again. That would be through Dec. 2016 access, no printed materials, just the digital. My dd liked the VP online self-paced history a lot, and she also liked the Beautiful Feet Geography that I got for her the year my ds was born. It's pretty independent and can be writing, whatever you want it to be. Kits can be good for that age too. My dd went through a lot of the Snap Circuits exercises then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 CLE, Essentials in Writing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Duolingo for foreign language. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 DS does online G3 classes indipendently. I expect the WTMA classes we are taking this semester (geography and Socratic discussion) will also be indipendent. I haven't found a way to make math or foreign language entirely indipendent, but for the later, an excellent tutor does help. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnMyOwn Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 CLE math and Saxon grammar were mostly done independently here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 My 4th and 6th graders are completely independent. CLE math, R&S grammar, ELTL, Classical composition, elementary apologia with notebook journals, MP's workbooks (famous men, 13 colonies), and various other books I assign written or oral narrations from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 I still haven't found a science that I like that has a dvd portion to it. Yes, I'm thinking about keeping *formal* science in the summer. I do have a science loving kid though so he needs lots and lots of informal, discovery-based science activities and I'm finding I don't have the massive amounts of time and brain space to do some bang-up projects like we did with his olders. Just a few other important projects right now. My wheels are turning though and I wonder if I could put together some science boxes that could be done independently. We have the Knex wheels, axles, pulley kit and bridges kit unused that I'd dearly love to let him take and run with them. He'd eat it up by spoonfuls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Connect the thoughts Kumon (for extra math practice) Almost any workbook though, right? Spectrum, etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 My 5th and 8th graders do the following mostly or completely independently; I check it and answer questions as needed. -Literature -- independent reading from books that I choose (or that they choose from a list I've chosen) -Science -- up to them whether they read from books (and if I wanted to assign it, I'd assign Kingfisher), do SnapCircuits projects, watch Bill Nye videos (well, not so much for the 8th grader), or do programming on Khan Academy. -Math Mammoth -- I've used the clock one as an independent review. -Singapore Intensive Practice and Challenging Word Problems -- 5th grader can start on this by himself. -Saxon Algebra -- If I wanted my 8th grader to do this in the morning independently, I'd take a few minutes the night before to go over it with her, and then she could do the practice problems on her own. I teach her to leave space for any where she has questions to ask me later. -Typing -- typing.com. -History -- We use History Odyssey, which is very independent, and I review it with them afterward. -Bible -- Sometimes. 8th grader uses the study guide from SimplyCharlotteMason.com, Life in the Word, and 5th grader uses an Explorer study. -5th grader does geography and math drills on a tablet sometimes. -Writing -- WWS2 is largely independent for my 8th grader, although I correct, suggest, advise as needed. But she starts by reading the info herself; SWB is good about writing to the student but also provides good help for the teacher as needed. -I can assign logic reading for the 8th grader to discuss with me later too; I read faster than she does, so I can read the lesson in about five minutes. -DuoLingo -- 8th grader does Spanish and other languages on there, independent of me. -NLE and SAT practice -- 8th grader does those independently of me as well. -Music history -- 8th grader has a book from DK which has the history of music, and I took the time to find youtube videos to go with it, so she reads the page or two and watches the video. It was a fair amount of work in the beginning to find good videos, but now it's independent. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 Connect the thoughts Kumon (for extra math practice) Almost any workbook though, right? Spectrum, etc I'd forgotten about Kumon for more math fun. Is Connect the Thoughts a workbook or something online? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 I'd forgotten about Kumon for more math fun. Is Connect the Thoughts a workbook or something online? Ctt is a collection of pdf downloads. After age 7 or 8 it is written to the student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamahammer Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Most of the work for my older two (5th and 7th). Life of Fred math Rainbow Science (7th) Science (5th) - scigirls (PBS STEM show) and books about female scientists/discoveries Writing - Unjournaling (they do share their writing with all of us) History (7th) - History Channel's America: the Story of US, readings Joy Hakim's series and Howard Zinn's A Young People's History of the World History (5th) - book list that she made about important women in history Language (7th) - Mango Typing - Dance Mat Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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