Need to change direction

[Bluegoat]

My girls, 11 and 8, are currently in grade 5 and 2.  My plan had been, for the elder, to finish grade 6 at home, and in grae 7 have her joina ps French immersion program.  I expected dd8 would stay home at least through grade 6 as well.

 

Well, now it looks like I might be sending at least the older girl to ps next year, and I think very possibly dd8 as well, as I believe we will be welcoming a new baby.  I'm just not sure I can manage that and my son who will be starting K/1, and the baby I llook after who will be not quite 2.  

 

I am trying to figure out how this changes my plans for this year - it is still possible the pregnancy won't continue as I'm getting on to be a new mum, but I suddenly have realized I will need to have things in hand this year if it does.  I had intended next year to really concentrate on basis - math as always, and of course French, but mainly do a more intensive writing year.  I was going to use Analytical Grammar and something else as well for actually writing.

 

So now I am thinking, I have the rest of this year and the summer to get her ready to start in ps.  Math is straightforward and I may see if her dad can help out there.  She hasn't been as used to doing as much writing as they do in ps though.  She's capable, but not yet confident.  I would still like to spend a little time on some grammar instruction, because she won't get any of it at ps and I think it will help with the French in grade 7.

 

I am still a little on the fence about sending dd8 at all.  On the one hand, she has really been difficult lately about school work, which doesn't endear me to the idea, but then she will only be starting grade 3 which is still very young.  I think it may seem much more doable without an older child to work with as well.

 

I'm also feeling rather badly about the whole thing, like dd11 will be getting a bad education.  (Mind you if she goes she will be thrilled.)

[Bluegoat]

I've realized I actually haven't created a question!

 

What I am trying to figure out is what I could use/do to try and accomplish some of what I had planned for the second half of this year, particularly around writing?  It would have to be something without to much lead time as we are getting on.  I would still like to do some grammar but more significant I think is making sure she will be comfortable with the writing they will want her to do.

[Chris in VA]

Can you ask a teacher in that level of ps what exactly she feels would be good prep?

When dd went to school in 3rd grade, she was doing very well, but the teacher said she needed to extend her writing--basically, write more in her journal prompts, and write more when asked a written question.

I don't know, of course, if that is relevant to your situation.

IME with public school elementary writing, there's a lot of journal-keeping (responding to prompts) and just a bit of actual essay writing at that age (6th grade). They often have to read a short, informative set of paragraphs and form an opinion and then give evidence for their answer.

 

IIWY, and not knowing what is coming for her, I'd go thru a basic grammar book, like Rod and Staff 5. I'd do some of it orally. I'd cover parts of speech, punctuation/clauses, agreement, that sort of thing. I'd teach her some techniques for making sentences more interesting and more complex. I'd show her how to compare and contrast, give an opinion and back it up with evidence from a written text, and how to write a basic paragraph with a topic sentence and relevant points.

 

 

[EmseB]

I just wanted to say congrats!

 

My pregnancies are tough and we had a rocky first year of homeschooling when I was pg with my 4th.

 

I don't have any advice as my kids were in k and 2nd at the time (with the toddler), so we just kind of muddled through as putting them in ps or any school wasn't really an option.  Just to say, I know it's daunting from that side of it, but it can be done and from my perspective in the "long run" it really set my then 2nd grader up for learning how to do his school work without mom standing over his shoulder.  This year in 3rd I'm amazed at what he will attempt independently.  Still of course requiring a lot of checking and after-the-fact supervision, but I like having him feel like he can tackle a subject and read instructions without me to tell him what to do.

[Bluegoat]

JodiSue - THanks for the encouradgement!  I am somewhat less sure than I was that this is going to be an issue, but we shall see.

 

Chris - Talking to a teacher or looking at the curriculum outcomes is a good idea, and I think we will try some writing from journal prompts anyway.  I think she might enjoy it.

[KathyBC]

You could look at Jump In.

[Bluegoat]

You could look at Jump In.

 

It describes itself as including "judgements about Greek godesses and gods."  What does it mean by that?

[KathyBC]

DD and I started Jump In with the plan to do it over two years in preparation for school. She ended up going to school a year earlier than planned so we only made it about halfway through. (We're pretty pokey.) While it wasn't her favourite program ever, I think it was a great preparation for school-type writing.

 

It describes itself as including "judgements about Greek godesses and gods."  What does it mean by that?

 

I had to dig it out to check. From a quick scan there is a one page exercise on Exposition: the main idea. The topic is narrowed down from Greece to Greek mythology. Sample thesis statements given are:

• It is surprising how many of our words come from Greek mythology.
• Those selfish, jealous, mean gods and goddesses of ancient Greece were not at all like the one true God.

Jump In is put out by Apologia. While that background Christian assumption is just frequent enough to notice, I found it easy to emphasize what I thought was important, and didn't find it to detract from solid instruction. I would like to say it could be used secularly, but as a Christian those infrequent references weren't that annoying to me, more eye-rolling if anything.

[freesia]

I was just going to post Jump In. We are really liking it. I think Write Source 5 would work, too.

http://www.amazon.com/Write-Source-Student-Hardcover-Grade/dp/0669507040/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1455551563&sr=1-1&keywords=write+source+6

[wintermom]

Congratulations on the pregnancy!!  My question would be why push for earlier entry to PS?  Is it because you don't think you'll have the time to homeschool with a baby?  Don't you think the stress of trying to meet some unspecified level in your mind while you're pregnant would be worse than just relaxing and following your original plan?  The dc are not entering med school. Relax.  Think things through really carefully and don't feel you have to make sudden changes. ((hugs))  It is possible to homeschool well with a baby around. 

[Bluegoat]

Congratulations on the pregnancy!!  My question would be why push for earlier entry to PS?  Is it because you don't think you'll have the time to homeschool with a baby?  Don't you think the stress of trying to meet some unspecified level in your mind while you're pregnant would be worse than just relaxing and following your original plan?  The dc are not entering med school. Relax.  Think things through really carefully and don't feel you have to make sudden changes. ((hugs))  It is possible to homeschool well with a baby around. 

 

I'm finding that I am having a hard time this year giving my dd11 the help she needs for grade 5 work, and getting dd8 to do anything at all.  Dd8 needs me to sit with her the whole time and she will have mre work next year.  Dd11 is fairly independant except for math but I have to be right on her for that.

 

Then I have ds6 who I will be adding.

 

Plus, a 1.5 year old and possible a five year old though her parents may put her in school.

 

I am having a hard time seeing how I can have them do the work I need them too, and not just take my distraction as an opportunity to mutiny.