Julie of KY Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 What have been some of your favorite online courses and why? It might be a great course for learning, highly interactive, unusual topic, or a just get it done in a no-fuss sort of way. Some favorites at my home are: PA Homeschoolers Statistics - great course; well organized PA Homeschoolers Macroeconomics - great course with lots of interaction; this does take a lot of time Bravewriter - love all their writing courses as I think the feedback in incredible Center for Literature (lit only, no writing) - easy way to learning literature analysis 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Ds really values the Landry Video/Film course . I can't remember the exact name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 My older daughter loved Madame S.'s French classes at the Potter's School. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted October 15, 2016 Author Share Posted October 15, 2016 Ds really values the Landry Video/Film course . I can't remember the exact name. I'd love to hear more about this class. Looking at the Landry website, it looks like they have quite a few interesting sounding classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 At the high school level, we are currently loving CLRC Great Books class. I just wanted to add that if you are new to online classes, look very carefully at the drop/refund policy. I've dropped a class after starting and was refunded in full even though I did not think we were entitled to that, and I dropped a class before starting and did not see a dime back. It varies quite a bit. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted October 15, 2016 Author Share Posted October 15, 2016 Thanks for the feedback. I'm looking for more ideas for my next student in which studies come easily so I can add more to his schedule and then for my daughter who is so very different from her brothers and I'll have to go in a new direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesia Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 We are enjoying Homeschool Spanish Academy Attune-up was a hit for writing Lampstand Learning literature class was excellent (Tapestry of Grace) Aim Academy science with Vicki Dincher is excellent. Ds is doing his first PA Homeschooler class AP English Lang and Comp. So far, so good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 At the high school level, we are currently loving CLRC Great Books class. I just wanted to add that if you are new to online classes, look very carefully at the drop/refund policy. I've dropped a class after starting and was refunded in full even though I did not think we were entitled to that, and I dropped a class before starting and did not see a dime back. It varies quite a bit. I have this on my radar for 9th. Dd is currently taking their intro to lit and comp class and she likes it a lot. I've been going back and forth between CLRC, WTMA, and Roman Roads for a great books sequence in high school. If you don't mind telling me more about the class, or how you decided on CLRC vs. others, I'd love to hear about it! As for other favorites, dd is also really enjoying Clover Creek Physics and Lukeion Latin 1. Physics has been a lot of work for her but I am really seeing her grow in her conceptual understanding and ability to problem solve. She loves the competitive atmosphere of the Lukeion classes and all of the games... she's been very motivated to do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 (edited) For high school, some of our favorites so far.... - TPS's Eng 3: Lit Survey w/ Ms. Geno. This was such an excellent lit-based writing class. The reading list was great. They covered different genres, including a solid unit on poetry. (One of my boys was surprised to discover an interest in poetry that has continued.) The lit analysis they did was so far beyond the usual, fairly superficial "analysis." They did a lot of writing and received a lot of instructor feedback on it. - WHA's math classes with Leslie Smith & Anne Stublen: We've used their Alg 1 through Pre-Calc (this year) - WHA's bio class with Marie Owens, using the Miller-Levine text - Lukeion's Latin and Greek classes - PAHS AP Eng Lang and AP Eng Lit with Maya Inspektor (taking this year, but, so far, so good!) - WTMA's US History class - I really appreciated this class & the instructor, Ms. Brian, and the fact that it wasn't one of those rote memorization of dates/events history classes. My boys aren't much into history, so they wouldn't say this was their favorite class. :) - CloverCreek Physics! My dd is taking it this year, and so far, so good! Jetta is such a caring teacher! Edited October 15, 2016 by yvonne 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Dd is loving her Old Western Culture: The Greeks class with Mr. Callihan through Schola Tutorials. Per dd: He's very engaging and approachable, and she likes the format of the recorded lecture preceding the live class discussion. I would say it's been a success so far. She now considers the Iliad and Odyssey two of her favorite books of all time which I really didn't see coming for a 14 year old girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAR Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 We second Clover Creek physics; it's a favorite! We also enjoy: American Sign Language (CurrClick); Mr. D Math; and Sterling Academy. For middle level, we're loving Online Classes for Groovy Kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 Dd is loving her Old Western Culture: The Greeks class with Mr. Callihan through Schola Tutorials. Per dd: He's very engaging and approachable, and she likes the format of the recorded lecture preceding the live class discussion. I would say it's been a success so far. She now considers the Iliad and Odyssey two of her favorite books of all time which I really didn't see coming for a 14 year old girl. Another positive review for Mr. Callihan's class. I love listening in to the discussion. I have been very impressed with the whole curriculum. Other online successes here: CLRC Latin and Russian, most Brave Writer classes (particularly with Susanne Barrett), Derek Owens science, and AoPS classes (a bit love/hate here.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I have this on my radar for 9th. Dd is currently taking their intro to lit and comp class and she likes it a lot. I've been going back and forth between CLRC, WTMA, and Roman Roads for a great books sequence in high school. If you don't mind telling me more about the class, or how you decided on CLRC vs. others, I'd love to hear about it. We are planning the same. What a surprise. 😂 I briefly looked at the reading lists between WTMA and CLRC and decided for the latter. I don't remember exactly why, but I remember liking their choices better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 We second Clover Creek physics; it's a favorite! We also enjoy: American Sign Language (CurrClick); Mr. D Math; and Sterling Academy. For middle level, we're loving Online Classes for Groovy Kids. Which Groovy Kids class are you in? I've been very tempted by their course descriptions! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 (edited) I have this on my radar for 9th. Dd is currently taking their intro to lit and comp class and she likes it a lot. I've been going back and forth between CLRC, WTMA, and Roman Roads for a great books sequence in high school. If you don't mind telling me more about the class, or how you decided on CLRC vs. others, I'd love to hear about it! As for other favorites, dd is also really enjoying Clover Creek Physics and Lukeion Latin 1. Physics has been a lot of work for her but I am really seeing her grow in her conceptual understanding and ability to problem solve. She loves the competitive atmosphere of the Lukeion classes and all of the games... she's been very motivated to do well. I think if she likes her current CLRC class and can handle the rigor of Lukeion (we can't, not yet), then your DD will do just fine with this class.I picked Great Books I because DS has been taking a number of online lit classes but I wanted a heavy workload, writing and feedback from the teacher. Further, for pragmatic reasons, I wanted him to do the classics (he will likely be an English major in college ;)) but is going to a brick and mortar high school. I don't know what they cover there. I want to travel in 8th grade so this was the time for us. In retrospect, probably too soon for him, the Iliad in what, 4 weeks was a bit like drinking from a pressurized hose. There's multiple comprehension questions and other writing each week, and in the beginning, it was so hard for him to even engage with the text never mind reflect and produce content based on it. The teacher insists on not just the content but proper MLA format. She gives heavy, in text feedback. My son is only now, concurrently (in another class) learning to write essays so all this was a bit much for him. He is a natural and great (IMO!) writer but his writing has never been tamed by format/audience. But the amount of growth I've seen these few weeks has been tremendous. He knocked out a "suma" (short essay on an idea based on the week's reading) before breakfast the other day ;) we still struggle with the longer essays which follow the classical model but we will get there. Already he likes the Oddysey better than the Iliad, he says ;) Since I'm doing full disclosure here, I want to confess we read the Iliad together out loud (with me stopping and explaining some of the stranger parts,'like "now Nestor is recalling his youth again" "now the fighters are "presenting their credentials" etc etc. It was a piece of work but the fatalism/determinism was weirdly helpful at this time. So this was a thing we did together :) For the oddysey there is an audiobook, so he reads and listens along. In the car, we have been listening to the respective Great courses lectures and these have been very helpful. Edited October 16, 2016 by madteaparty 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 My dd has used CLRC Literature & Composition courses, Homeschool Spanish Academy, Blue Tent Honor's Biology, MOOC (Music Composition courses), and Coursera (Forensic Science, Animal Behavior). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 We have had good experiences with NDCDE - North Dakota Center for Distance Education. They have a pretty complete high school curriculum online and the instructors have been very responsive for email and chat. www.ndcde.org 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 PAH AP English Lit wth Maya Inspektor. She took my STEM kid (who loved to read but HATED to write) and turned him into a kid who loved to talk and write about litertaure!!! Thus class had so much interaction between the students and Mrs. Inspektor. Fantastic!!!! PAH AP Chemistry with Peter Moskaluk. Very well run class. PAH AP Physics C (Mech and E&M) with Jeff Lanctot PAH AP Calc AB with Jeff Lanctot PAH AP Calc BC with Susan Gilleran Latin with Lukeion. Mrs. Barr is an excellent teacher and both of my kids loved her. Latin with Lukeion is tough. My son took Latin III and AP Latin with Lukeion. My dd took Latin I and II, but she did not want to continue with Latin III because it just took much time for her. But it is an excellent class!! Computer Programming in Java with Rich Yonts at the Potters School. My ds took this class in 8th grade and loved Mr. Yonts. They now have an AP supplement which will cover the material on the AP exam. DS took AP Comp Sci with another provider, and it was fine, but ds really enjoyed Mr. Yonts. This is a great thread! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 By the Onion Sea (Russian lit) is a big hit this year. Looking forward to checking out all these this weekend! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 By the Onion Sea (Russian lit) is a big hit this year. Looking forward to checking out all these this weekend! Those look so good. I wish DS were not going to B&M high school so he could take those, or they were offered at night like AOPS classes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 (edited) My son is really enjoying Wasko Lit's Great Books ancients class this year. DS has been taking online classes for three years now, from various providers often mentioned here, and this one definitely makes the favorites list. (For those who may not know, Brian Wasko is also the founder of WriteAtHome.com.)http://www.waskolit.com/ ETA: Updated link http://www.writeathome.com/wasko-lit/ Edited May 19, 2017 by TarynB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryam Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Great post! Taking notes! [emoji1303] Julie my ds is more STEM oriented. Do you think Center of Literature is would provide gentle improvement in literary analysis? And would it be a good preparation for AP English Lit? Do you get credit for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Great post! Taking notes! [emoji1303] Julie my ds is more STEM oriented. Do you think Center of Literature is would provide gentle improvement in literary analysis? And would it be a good preparation for AP English Lit? Do you get credit for it? My STEM kids did Center for Lit before they included the writing component so I have no opinion of the writing component. I do know that it is still an option to do the discussion only, but you might have to email them specifically. My experience with Center for Lit started with my oldest who is definitely a MATH kid - loves to read, hates to write. He did the classes, read the book, listened to the discussion and never once participated in the discussion (with permission from me to only listen). As he did the first several classes, "I" really couldn't tell if he was learning anything, but as the year went on it amazed me the literary analysis discussions he could have with me just from what he had learned from Center for Lit. The next year he did not do Center for Lit. At the end of that year, he came and requested to do another Center for Lit class saying it changes how he thinks about everything he reads. It makes him THINK about it. That was good enough for me to sign him up for another class. I really have no idea if Center for Lit would be a good prep for AP English. I do know my three of my kids have taken Center for Lit and it has been a gentle, yet effective way for them to learn. Center for LIt says their classes are 1 credit literature and 1 credit writing. I've paired Center for Lit discussion with Brave Writer for writing and called it all one English credit. In the future, I suspect that my younger kids will continue with Center for Lit and I will specifically ask for the option of discussion only (no writing) as I am very happy with Brave Writer for our writing component and I don't want to go down an unknown path when I have already found something that works well for teaching my family writing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 My STEM kids did Center for Lit before they included the writing component so I have no opinion of the writing component. I do know that it is still an option to do the discussion only, but you might have to email them specifically. My dd is doing a Center for Lit class this year using the traditional discussion-only option. At this time, you have to call them to register your kid if you want to do discussion only (with absolutely no writing component). It is slightly cheaper. The added written component for the discussion portion looks pretty minimal, but I didn't want any busy work for the Lit portion of her credit. My kids probably won't be any of the types to take AP English, so I can't talk about that at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryam Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thanks! What grades were your high schoolers in when they took it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thanks! What grades were your high schoolers in when they took it? My oldest did Center for Lit in 9th and 11th. (At the end of 10th, he requested to do it for 11th saying it changes how he thinks about EVERYTHING he reads). I've had a middle schooler do a middle school class. Last year, my 9th grader listened in on some of his older brother's classes. This summer my 10th and 12th graders did the Macbeth class. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thanks! What grades were your high schoolers in when they took it? Mine is in 10th this year taking the American Lit option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 What is CLRC? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineMom Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Classical Learning Resource Centerhttp://clrconline.com/american-literature-high-school/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 Anything by Art of Problem Solving, especially if taught by Dr Jeremy Copeland (DS has had him twice). - Hands down the most challenging classes DS has ever taken. - Excellent problems and feedback. - Witty! - Best if student does well with the text-based chatroom instructional style. For some kids this mode of delivery might be problematic. Honors Physics by Derek Owens. - Clear (and sometimes funny) recorded lectures. - Wonderful, kind-hearted, very roll with the punches type of instructor. - His workbook is very well designed and eased DS into learning how to take notes. - Well designed problem sets. - Excellent letter of recommendation writer. AP Chemistry with Peter Moskaluk from PA Homeschoolers/ChemAdvantage - One of the most rigorous science classes DS has used (even more rigorous than one of his CC physics classes) - Very nice, funny instructor who also answers email/ questions promptly. - Very well organized and designed course materials. - Occasional typos (just a PSA to be aware). 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 (edited) What have been some of your favorite online courses and why? It might be a great course for learning, highly interactive, unusual topic, or a just get it done in a no-fuss sort of way. Some favorites at my home are: PA Homeschoolers Statistics - great course; well organized - Agreed! Excellent, practical course with great instructor. A good score on the AP exam meant ds met his university math requirement (not STEM). PA Homeschoolers Macroeconomics - great course with lots of interaction; this does take a lot of time. Ds enjoyed this one as well and it prompted further interest in economics. End of game play timing can be problematic for those on the west coast. Bravewriter - love all their writing courses as I think the feedback in incredible Center for Literature (lit only, no writing) - easy way to learning literature analysis Other courses Sailor Dude has taken from PA Homeschoolers: 1.) AP English Language - his all-time favorite high school class. Maya Inspektor is an excellent teacher. Ds says that this and the Stats class have been indispensable. 2.) AP English Literature - another outstanding class with Maya Inspektor, just not as practical for my slow-reading social sciences guy. 3.) AP Comparative Government - ds enjoyed this class and felt that it was taught on a higher level than the AP US Government class taught by the same instructor. He felt well prepared for the AP exam and for his required World Politics class at his university. 4.) AP US Government - this would be a fine class for the ultra-conservative student who really isn't interested in balanced viewpoints. The textbook is the "left" viewpoint and nearly all other readings from people like Chuck Colson represent the "right." Please do not even start me on Hillsdale Constitution lecturer Thomas West who holds special vitriol for those welfare mothers who keep their children from their rightful fathers and are causing America's downfall. Ds felt he could have saved himself a lot of grief and just studied on his own. 5.) AP Spanish - with Ray Levin (see below) Spanish - ds took Spanish 1 and 2 at the local high school. Then several posters here directed us to Ray Levin at his Spanish Learning Online site and we couldn't be more pleased. Ds spent a summer in private tutoring with Ray, took Honors 4 Spanish junior year and then AP Spanish through PAHS with Ray, ds's senior year. My caveat here is that Ray actually recommended Honors 5 for ds, but there weren't enough students, so they made AP Spanish work. Ds did not take the exam as he had met his university's credit transfer max and the placement test put him in the same place the AP exam would have. Sailor Dude feels well-prepared for his 300 level Spanish class. He can manage conversations with adults who speak the more formal Spanish in places like Madrid, but still struggles with the "teen speak" in the small town where our exchange student lives. Ray was definitely the right instructor with the right educational philosophy for our family/son. Math - Derek Owens I wish we had used Derek Owens earlier in ds's high school education instead of having him take courses through the public high school. Ds took both Algebra 2 and Precalculus from Derek and found the classes to be straight-forward and well-organized. They are perfect for the student who is comfortable with self-pacing classes. I think Derek provides a tremendous service for the homeschool community and his classes are an excellent value. If I could do it again, we'd cover geometry through calculus with Derek and AP Stats with PAHS and call it a good, solid math education. A dedicated student could easily cover the 5 credits without too much stress. Edited October 24, 2016 by swimmermom3 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 My son is really enjoying Wasko Lit's Great Books ancients class this year. DS has been taking online classes for three years now, from various providers often mentioned here, and this one definitely makes the favorites list. (For those who may not know, Brian Wasko is also the founder of WriteAtHome.com.) http://www.waskolit.com/ This looks fantastic! We already plan to do WriteatHome beginning Spring 9th and full year 10th - this sounds like a great Lit companion course. Thanks for bringing it to our attention! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gratia271 Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Here are our favorites: Lukeion classes, Chem Advantage for AP Chemistry, Derek Owens' Physics and Math, PAH Calculus with Sue Gilleran, Brigid Thompson for AP Lit. What is remarkable about all of these classes is that they combine rigor with support. The teachers establish high standards from the outset AND support the students appropriately (no babysitting, but no abandonment either) throughout their course work. We have used providers for other course work, which were not "great" in our opinion because of either (a)babysitting- no real accountability required of students, or (b)ridiculously rigorous assignments with effectively no instruction. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanley Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 (edited) Favorite Online Classes: Lukeion- Latin: these classes are rigorous, the teachers are thorough and not only teach the student Latin but also good study skills and time management WTMA- US History with Dr. Brian. She was able to get my reluctant writer to write very well from primary sources. Science- We have been pleased with all classes taught by Amy Upperman. She is very well organized and her Biology and Anat & Physiology classes have been demanding, thorough and well taught. Rhetoric: I cannot praise Mr. Hummel enough, the kids really love him and he gets them to write well in a very gentle, cordial way. If you have a kid who is scared of writing classes, I would definitely consider Mr. Hummel AOPS: Ms. Quintero is great, I could NEVER teach AOPS but she does a fine job of it and my son is extremely happy in her classes. PAHomeschoolers: My dd is taking AP Psychology with Mrs. Goodman this year. The class is thorough, well organized and my very type A kid is really enjoying it. This class is much better than the Pysch class I took as a freshman in college. Edited October 29, 2016 by Chanley 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 We love WHA for Math - Geometry with Leslie Smith. Algebra II with Eric Reini (he's really fun). We plan to use WHA through AP Calculus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowbeltmom Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Favorite Online Classes: Rhetoric: I cannot praise Mr. Hummel enough, the kids really love him and he gets them to write well in a very gentle, cordial way. If you have a kid who is scared of writing classes, I would definitely consider Mr. Hummel :iagree: I have one at home who loves to write and has had Tom Hummel for 3 years now. Rhetoric has been, by far, his favorite all-time class. I have another one at home who would rather do anything but write, and was not real thrilled when I told her she was taking an online writing class. She has learned a ton and is really enjoying taking the class with Tom Hummel. Prior to the start of class last week, a couple of the kids were discussing a series on Netflix. Mr. Hummel went out of his way to watch the entire series over the weekend, and then opened the classroom 30 minutes early so he could discuss the series with the kids who were interested. He is a very dedicated instructor, and I also cannot praise him enough! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 We love WHA for Math - Geometry with Leslie Smith. Algebra II with Eric Reini (he's really fun). We plan to use WHA through AP Calculus. Can I ask, what is WHA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Wilson Hill Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirabillis Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 WTMA- US History with Dr. Brian. She was able to get my reluctant writer to write very well from primary sources. PAHomeschoolers: My dd is taking AP Psychology with Mrs. Goodman this year. The class is thorough, well organized and my very type A kid is really enjoying it. This class is much better than the Pysch class I took as a freshman in college. How much workload would you say are in these? We are thinking of both ourselves, but my ds will already have some pretty heavy classes on his plate. I was thinking of just doing self-study for AP Psychology, but how is the week to week workload? Likewise for the WTMA US History... how is that going? We too have Mrs. Upperman for WTMA Biology - and so far, so good. I didn't say yay or nay yet, as it's early going. But my ds seems to be doing well with it. Only time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 We also enjoy: American Sign Language (CurrClick); Can you provide a link for this? I tried looking at their site but couldn't find anything. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historymatters Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 For those who used the CLRC Lit. and Composition 1 class, which instructor(s) did you have and which your child liked? I like the philosophy of teaching that I read there, but I'm still wondering if there is ANY structure for the child to follow. So, for those whose child took the first Lit. Comp class, could you give me some details? My son is finishing Write Shop II, but needs to continue in learning basic outlining and structural, as well as , variety in his writing. He knows what he wants to say, but he's better at doing that orally. He's a deep thinker and enjoys challenging and interesting discussion. THX 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 For those who used the CLRC Lit. and Composition 1 class, which instructor(s) did you have and which your child liked? I like the philosophy of teaching that I read there, but I'm still wondering if there is ANY structure for the child to follow. So, for those whose child took the first Lit. Comp class, could you give me some details? My son is finishing Write Shop II, but needs to continue in learning basic outlining and structural, as well as , variety in his writing. He knows what he wants to say, but he's better at doing that orally. He's a deep thinker and enjoys challenging and interesting discussion. THX Do you mean Great Books 1 or Intro to Lit? My DS is taking Intro to Lit and I would gladly answer questions aboit it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historymatters Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) Do you mean Great Books 1 or Intro to Lit? My DS is taking Intro to Lit and I would gladly answer questions aboit it. Intro to Lit, please! Thx! Edited February 20, 2017 by historymatters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tampamommy Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 FLVS Chinese 1 (Florida Virtual School), taken by ds (now 20) in 9th grade. It changed the course of his life (in a very wonderful and positive way)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Intro to Lit, please! Thx! They start out the first week reading through the Narnia book and right away get started working on the first narrative essay. Since this is the introductory class, the essay is done step by step with extensive feedback. The first week she will assign a thesis and an outline. The following week you get to write half the essay.... the feedback is detailed, thoughtful. We couldn't be happier. They will write three essay and one business letter in this class. The second essay was about Chosen, a much tougher book in my opinion. The reading isn't overwhelming in terms of quantity. The book selection is excellent and the discussions and analysis of the text are equally high quality. They are reading the Tale of Two Cities right now and Ms. Carmen is really working through the text to make sure there is understanding on part of her students. To give you an idea about the reading load, she assigns about 8 chapters per week. This gives us time to read nonfiction in history. In addition to essays, every week they will have to summarize the reading and write a creative response. Those vary. I feel like they did more summary work in the first semester and the class is doing more with creative responses in the second semester. Maybe it's just the wait it seems to me since my DS is starting to enjoy those more. My son has written newspaper articles about the events in the book for example. Those are meant to be at least two paragraphs in length. In addition they steadily cover Strunk and White grammar rules and work on literary terms on a weekly basis. We are so please with his class that we will continue with Intermediate Lit next year and then Wolrd Lit. I don't envision our homeschool without CLRC anymore. If your DS can already write essays, you might also want to consider Intro to British lit or other higher level courses. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historymatters Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) They start out the first week reading through the Narnia book and right away get started working on the first narrative essay. Since this is the introductory class, the essay is done step by step with extensive feedback. The first week she will assign a thesis and an outline. The following week you get to write half the essay.... the feedback is detailed, thoughtful. We couldn't be happier. They will write three essay and one business letter in this class. The second essay was about Chosen, a much tougher book in my opinion. The reading isn't overwhelming in terms of quantity. The book selection is excellent and the discussions and analysis of the text are equally high quality. They are reading the Tale of Two Cities right now and Ms. Carmen is really working through the text to make sure there is understanding on part of her students. To give you an idea about the reading load, she assigns about 8 chapters per week. This gives us time to read nonfiction in history. In addition to essays, every week they will have to summarize the reading and write a creative response. Those vary. I feel like they did more summary work in the first semester and the class is doing more with creative responses in the second semester. Maybe it's just the wait it seems to me since my DS is starting to enjoy those more. My son has written newspaper articles about the events in the book for example. Those are meant to be at least two paragraphs in length. In addition they steadily cover Strunk and White grammar rules and work on literary terms on a weekly basis. We are so please with his class that we will continue with Intermediate Lit next year and then Wolrd Lit. I don't envision our homeschool without CLRC anymore. If your DS can already write essays, you might also want to consider Intro to British lit or other higher level courses. Thank you for the detail. Do they work on initial brainstorming, annotating, and/or note-taking? This past year he went through Elegant Essays ( really struggled, grumbled, but showed improvement); then Writeshop 1 & 2 class (liked the checklist requirements) which we've been very pleased with and his confidence has improved, but still needs continued work on the basics. Edited February 20, 2017 by historymatters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Thank you for the detail. Do they work on initial brainstorming, annotating, and/or note-taking? This past year he went through Elegant Essays ( really struggled, grumbled, but showed improvement); then Writeshop 1 & 2 class (liked the checklist requirements) which we've been very pleased with and his confidence has improved, but still needs continued work on the basics. No note-taking or annotating that I am aware of. She did have a detailed handout as to how to approach writing an essay, which does outline that brainstorming is one of the steps. My DS says that in the class they discuss ideas that help you get started, but they give several prompts for essays to chose from, so they won't brainstorm each one in the class. It's more of a lit class than a writing class, but the pacing of the essay assignments is such that it's not overwhelming. DS has never written a persuasive essay before this class and he struggled with The Chosen essay, but persevered in the end. WTMA Socratic Dialogue class is excellent for annotating. DS took it the first semester and got a lot out of it. DS is also taking WWS2 with WTMA, which all together has been just too much writing for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historymatters Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) No note-taking or annotating that I am aware of. She did have a detailed handout as to how to approach writing an essay, which does outline that brainstorming is one of the steps. My DS says that in the class they discuss ideas that help you get started, but they give several prompts for essays to chose from, so they won't brainstorm each one in the class. It's more of a lit class than a writing class, but the pacing of the essay assignments is such that it's not overwhelming. DS has never written a persuasive essay before this class and he struggled with The Chosen essay, but persevered in the end. WTMA Socratic Dialogue class is excellent for annotating. DS took it the first semester and got a lot out of it. DS is also taking WWS2 with WTMA, which all together has been just too much writing for him. I've been teaching him annotation via LLfLotR class, so that's fine. I'm tempted because he'd love the added philosophical analyzation, plus the benefits to writing about the lit you're reading has always been a goal of mine. I'm tempted by Homeschool Connections: its cost is lower and it is just writing. Still struggling with this decision. We lost a couple of years due to mental illness in the family and his subsequent depression, so I'm trying to catch him up. I don't feel like he has the time (age-wise) for me to make a wrong decision. Edited February 20, 2017 by historymatters 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historymatters Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Excelsior has several former-Landry teachers. Good stuff there. Haven't used; but looking. Didn't see it listed, so here: http://excelsiorclasses.com/instructors/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy Inman Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Another plug for CLRC latin.. my son just finished up Latin 1. It was such a success. The classes were very organized and really taught him how to learn. They have a significant discount if you sign up before the end of may! http://clrconline.com/latin/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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