sweetpea3829 Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 I am trying to wrap my head around the idea that my oldest two are even CLOSE to middle school but....they are. Both are very different and I would so appreciate some guidance/advice on what to plan, what they must take, etc. So... DD11...I'm not so concerned about her course progression. She has some math-based LDs and her poor reasoning/critical thinking skills mean her education path is pretty remedial. As of right now, I'm planning: Math (Singapore Grade 3) Process Skills in Problem Solving (Grade 2 first half, 3 second half) Critical Thinking (using various programs I have around here) Latin or Vocabulary (I'm not sure how she'll do with Latin) Writing (EIW Grade 5) Grammar (EIW Grade 5, should I add something else to this?) Literature History Science Bible/Character Health Anything I'm missing? How about in the next two years? What else should she cover? DS10...this kiddo is accelerated, but I have held him back somewhat to avoid maturity issues. His birthday is right after the grade level cutoff and so, he'd be in 4th grade in PS, but I have him at a 5th grade in most areas. He will likely follow an advanced college prep course as he moves on to high school. He *may* enroll in public high school when he is old enough. For next year I'm thinking... Pre-Algebra with AoPS and/or Elements of Math (would doing both be too much?) Process Skills in Problem Solving, Grade 5 (I always do this book a year behind the grade level) Finish off Beast 5 (should be done by fall) AoPS Alcumus (again...is this too much?) Latin Health Science (topical or general?) History Writing/Grammar (EIW Grade 5) Literature Bible/Character Again, anything I'm missing? Aside from the Arts...I still need to figure out how to provide art and music. I am highly unskilled in both. Typing? Computer science? Anything else I need to know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlily Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Looks good. Spelling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted February 26, 2017 Author Share Posted February 26, 2017 We'll have completed through level 6 of AAS at the end of this school year. I'm going to look over AAS7, but unless there's material in there that seems really necessary, I think we're about ready to move on from spelling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 SWB has a really good presentation on what goals for the middle grades should be in preparation for high school. I bought it maybe 5 years ago? I remember it being very helpful and it did change some things we did in middle school. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 My dd has pretty severe LD issues as well. My topics for her for her middle school years, in addition to remedial math & ELA are: Internet safety computer skills health including mental health/ & psychology (her request) sex Ed (my dd is doing the UU church's OWL program this year, it's incredible!) nutrition Life skills childcare careers global studies/ world religions consumer math current events art, music, dance literature At this point, I consider the additional topics way more important than the math & ELA as she's not going to be college bound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 There's really no need to supplement AoPS prealgebra. When DD took the class it was a lot of work just to get done with the problems in the book and alcumus. Learning to type was useful to us because DD started online classes in 3rd grade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 I think middle school is more about shifting to helping guide kids toward organizing and executing work on their own (like study skills and being able to do things like take notes or organize an outline or follow multiple steps to do a science project) and toward asking and answering bigger, more complex questions. In elementary school, who did this? What year did this happen? Where did that happen? That's the sort of questions. But in middle school, it becomes, why did it happen, what were the effects, who was most responsible, what will happen next... More open ended, bigger questions. Basically, I think you can list we'll study science, health, history, literature... but that doesn't say much. It's more about how the approach to the material changes. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaluv+2more Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 I think middle school is more about shifting to helping guide kids toward organizing and executing work on their own (like study skills and being able to do things like take notes or organize an outline or follow multiple steps to do a science project) and toward asking and answering bigger, more complex questions. In elementary school, who did this? What year did this happen? Where did that happen? That's the sort of questions. But in middle school, it becomes, why did it happen, what were the effects, who was most responsible, what will happen next... More open ended, bigger questions. Basically, I think you can list we'll study science, health, history, literature... but that doesn't say much. It's more about how the approach to the material changes. To the bolded, YES! And boy is my 6th grader struggling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaluv+2more Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 SWB has a really good presentation on what goals for the middle grades should be in preparation for high school. I bought it maybe 5 years ago? I remember it being very helpful and it did change some things we did in middle school. Link? It's Sunday and I'm feeling too lazy to search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 To the bolded, YES! And boy is my 6th grader struggling. My kids are finishing 7th... it's definitely a work in progress here. But I've been surprised too by how much they seem to be growing these sorts of skills without a ton of pushing from me. I think a great deal of it - at least for neurotypical kids - is developmental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaluv+2more Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 My kids are finishing 7th... it's definitely a work in progress here. But I've been surprised too by how much they seem to be growing these sorts of skills without a ton of pushing from me. I think a great deal of it - at least for neurotypical kids - is developmental. Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on with my daughter. She's becoming very disorganized, lacks accountability and follow through, just seems to not care about schoolwork in general. She's always been fairly laid back, but lately she just seems to not be paying attention maybe? I don't know, but it's driving me bananas. I've been chalking it up to impending teenagerhood, but who knows. Maybe I'm being too hard on her. She's my oldest and I think they forgot to give me the manual before discharging us from the hospital 12 years ago! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted February 26, 2017 Author Share Posted February 26, 2017 I think middle school is more about shifting to helping guide kids toward organizing and executing work on their own (like study skills and being able to do things like take notes or organize an outline or follow multiple steps to do a science project) and toward asking and answering bigger, more complex questions. In elementary school, who did this? What year did this happen? Where did that happen? That's the sort of questions. But in middle school, it becomes, why did it happen, what were the effects, who was most responsible, what will happen next... More open ended, bigger questions. Basically, I think you can list we'll study science, health, history, literature... but that doesn't say much. It's more about how the approach to the material changes. I've been slowly moving them towards this over the past year. DS is fine, catching on just grand. He always was the kind of kid who asked open-ended questions, even as a toddler. DD, on the other hand...man alive, I'm not sure she'll EVER get to that point. But then again, I wasn't sure she'd ever get to a point where she could count backwards over a threshold and she has so...we'll see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on with my daughter. She's becoming very disorganized, lacks accountability and follow through, just seems to not care about schoolwork in general. She's always been fairly laid back, but lately she just seems to not be paying attention maybe? I don't know, but it's driving me bananas. I've been chalking it up to impending teenagerhood, but who knows. Maybe I'm being too hard on her. She's my oldest and I think they forgot to give me the manual before discharging us from the hospital 12 years ago! Well, there's these two competing things happening, right? They're growing up and getting to be better thinkers and more mature. And they're going through the brain growth/hormone surge of puberty that makes them grouchy, absent minded, and generally spacey. Sigh. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Link? It's Sunday and I'm feeling too lazy to search. This *might* be it? https://welltrainedmind.com/p/the-well-prepared-student-how-to-get-ready-for-the-high-school-years-mp3/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 (edited) For once, I'm posting without reading the above responses, so forgive me if I'm repeating... ;) JMO, and, not answering you so much about specific courses to accomplish, BUT... I see middle school (gr. 7-8) as mostly being about: - getting solid in foundational skills: * Math through Pre-Algebra * Writing - solid sentences, single paragraphs, starting to structure multi-paragraph essays, etc. - introduction to beginning deeper thinking/analysis - moving ahead into higher levels of study where ready - opportunity to explore bunny trails and/or develop personal interests And if at all possible (because high school time is so limited, it's nice to do these before high school): - Typing - keyboard proficiency for touch typing - basic Computer literacy - introduce beginning study skills - some sort of logic/critical thinking to help with analysis and developing structured arguments (used in writing papers and in discussion/analysis) And, in case you're interested here are great past threads on related topics: "How best to prepare for high school" To all you people with 8th graders (or there abouts) If you knew then what you know now (what would you do differently for Logic stage years) High school parents: looking back what would be your ideal for 7th/8th grades Looking back (what you would do differently to prepare for high school work) Hypothetical question: What to do for the 4 years before public high school? What do "seventh grade" and "ninth grade" look like to you? Enjoy! Warmest regards, Lori D. ETA: P.S. Totally an aside here, BUT... when DSs were 7th/8th grades, we took a year off of the History cycle and did a focused in-depth study of Cultural World Geography & Comparative World Religions, esp. focusing on Eastern Hemisphere nations -- it was a fantastic study, and they were just at the right age for the comparative religions, which is SO key to really understanding the culture, and hence, the HISTORY of foreign nations. That year-long study absolutely laid terrific groundwork for the following year for moving into high school History studies. I also think that because high school Social Studies is SO focused on American History and Western Civilizations, that it's critical to get some Eastern Civilizations studies in there -- nearly 4/5 of the world's population lives in Eastern Hemisphere nations, and are of different religions/cultures than US/Europe. And with the way technology and travel have "shrunk" the world, it's SO important to have an understanding of our global neighbors now. :) So, I always encourage people, if at all possible, to take a year in middle school to do a Cultural World Geography & Comparative Religions study in place of History, both for a break, but also as one of the last opportunities to be exposed to a huge part of our world that is not much covered in high school. :) Edited February 27, 2017 by Lori D. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 (edited) What about an interest led hobby? Something they can spend some time honing a skill in? DD did so much better across the board when she found hobbies that interested her and I got her the resources and sometimes the outside instruction to hone those hobbies. The skills she is gaining have carries over into areas that are weaker for her academically, such as math. Because she already had some solid training under belt in her hobbies by the time she hit High School she could just pick up and do in her down time, too. Gave her a fun focus that kept her learning from a different perspective and fairly independent of me. It has also given her valuable areaas for potential career options. Edited February 27, 2017 by OneStepAtATime 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 (edited) Oh, my oldest did the great courses Superstar Student series in prep for high school too. And we chose to do World cultures/ comp religion then for the same reasons as Lori plus they are so important for understanding current events too. Edited February 27, 2017 by Hilltopmom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Definitely typing. Especially if you are thinking of enrolling one in school later. My son's high school is paperless so they must be able to type well to take notes, do assignments, etc. We used Type to Learn 4, which we usually get from Homeschool Buyers Co-op for a reasonable price for the year long subscription. I would also look for a study skills class. We did the one through WTMA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 And, in case you're interested here are great past threads on related topics: "How best to prepare for high school" To all you people with 8th graders (or there abouts) If you knew then what you know now (what would you do differently for Logic stage years) High school parents: looking back what would be your ideal for 7th/8th grades Looking back (what you would do differently to prepare for high school work) Hypothetical question: What to do for the 4 years before public high school? What do "seventh grade" and "ninth grade" look like to you? Enjoy! Warmest regards, Lori D. So grateful for your advice and google-fu in coming up with all these links! Thanks Lori! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
importswim Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 So grateful for your advice and google-fu in coming up with all these links! Thanks Lori! I agree with you! Looks like I have lots of reading ahead of me. Thanks Lori! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 So grateful for your advice and google-fu in coming up with all these links! "google-fu" -- :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Oh, my oldest did the great courses Superstar Student series in prep for high school too. And we chose to do World cultures/ comp religion then for the same reasons as Lori plus they are so important for understanding current events too. Curious what resources you (and Lori) used for world cultures/comparative religion that was right for middle school level? I really like the idea of this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Curious what resources you (and Lori) used for world cultures/comparative religion that was right for middle school level? I really like the idea of this! I made our own. I pulled together the list of countries I thought we should cover, and then the summer before, searched our library's online catalog and listed resources we could use from there, and then filled in with materials from homeschool catalogs and Amazon. Here's the overview of types of resources we used for each country: - non-fiction books (children and teen section of the library) - fiction books -- some cultural or historical fiction works - picture books of myths (you get the art style and the cultural myth all in one) - DVDs of documentaries, travelogue shows, and feature films set in different countries - explored games, recipes, music, art from different cultures - made a big chart to compare key ideas of the religions - made an "atlas page" for each country to sum up key cultural, religious ideas, plus physical geographical features and a printout of an outline map - online geography games (nations and capitals; locations of countries) Possible resources for you: - MCP Maps Charts and Graphs F: Eastern Hemisphere - MCP Maps Charts and Graphs G: World - Carson-Dellosa: Daily Skill Builders: World Geography, middle school and up - Discovering the World of Geography: Eastern Hemisphere (gr. 7-8) -- Myrl Shireman, Mark Twain Media/Carson-Dellosa - The Kid's Fun-Filled Search and Find Geography Book (Tallarico) - Seabird (Holling) -- and map that goes with it - Where On Earth Geogra-funny Guide to the Globe (Rosenthal) - Mapping the World With Art - Oak Meadow: Religions of the World, 1 semester high school course - Oak Meadow: World Geography Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetpea3829 Posted February 28, 2017 Author Share Posted February 28, 2017 Thanks for all of the suggestions! I especially like the suggestion to take a break and study World Cultures. My kiddos are a bit off sequence in the history cycle. The oldest two have done all four years of SoTW, the third oldest has done three years, and the youngest has only done two. So I want the younger two to "finish" the series by starting over with Ancients and Middle Ages, but I don't want the older two to repeat the steps with the same book. I was thinking Tapestry of Grace, which I own a portion of the Ancients year...but it's such a time suck, I just don't know. It's one of the things I need to research over the next few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 Curious what resources you (and Lori) used for world cultures/comparative religion that was right for middle school level? I really like the idea of this! Lori had great suggestions, but I thought I'd point out that BYL's 7th and 8th grade years are focused on this so that's an option. Or just stealing their booklist. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 (edited) I had a bunch of the Sonlight eastern hemisphere books left from ds to read. usborne book of world religions for a spine, plus a few others I can't remember. Documentaries... Umm, Lori's list is much better than mine, off the top of my head ;) Edited March 1, 2017 by Hilltopmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaluv+2more Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Lori had great suggestions, but I thought I'd point out that BYL's 7th and 8th grade years are focused on this so that's an option. Or just stealing their booklist. Did you actually use BYL 7? Would it be worth it if all I'd be interested in is the Geography portion? I've been creating my own world geog/cultures study for next year and would MUCH rather find a secular, already-made one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Did you actually use BYL 7? Would it be worth it if all I'd be interested in is the Geography portion? I've been creating my own world geog/cultures study for next year and would MUCH rather find a secular, already-made one! I did not. I DIY'ed but I used many of their book choices. A lot of people have liked them though. The book choices are incredibly good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmstranger Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Did you actually use BYL 7? Would it be worth it if all I'd be interested in is the Geography portion? I've been creating my own world geog/cultures study for next year and would MUCH rather find a secular, already-made one! My 7th grader is using BYL7 this year. The curriculum itself is not a lot of $$. I bought it on sale, too. We love the spine books and the map drills. DS will sit and read Hungry Planet or Material World on his own, and that is really not his thing, but he enjoys it. We are using BYL for the geography and culture info and not for the science and language arts stuff. We have been reading the read aloud and literature suggestions, but we are finding that it is just too much on our schedule. Overall, we've enjoyed the year, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Lori had great suggestions, but I thought I'd point out that BYL's 7th and 8th grade years are focused on this so that's an option. Or just stealing their booklist. What is BYL? Please post the link. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 IDK about courses. My middle school kids just need more food and more sleep. What is BYL? Please post the link. http://buildyourlibrary.com 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopmom Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 IDK about courses. My middle school kids just need more food and more sleep. http://buildyourlibrary.com SO much sleep!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 This *might* be it? https://welltrainedmind.com/p/the-well-prepared-student-how-to-get-ready-for-the-high-school-years-mp3/ That's it. I found it super helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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