FO4UR Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 I am pulling 2 of my kids home at least through the end of Christmas. If I can financially manage to keep them home longer, I will. As of now, I've got 2 months and I want to make the most of them. 1st grader needs intensive reading & handwriting work. I'm using what I wrote for that. She has also missed out on the Miquon style work for the 4-6 yo years. I'm backing her up and doing Miquon. My 7th grader is so used to coasting through with easy A's at school. I want him to experience a good ole fashioned gobsmacking of math problems. Throw him to the wolves & let him fight. 😂 in math, so to speak... What am I looking for? 2 months. Not a full year curric. Writing for him? Can I make up for lost years of copywork, dictation, & narration in 2 months? No. I know. He's academically gifted though. I want to give him something just beyond what he's capable of right now. I want to give him what he won't get at b&m school. Can sarcasm be a course? He mocks his teacher's assignments via his writing quite well. His poems...well, I'm just glad he edits out the cuss words I know he intended. I could push dictation & narration and keep it simple. Is there anything for writing that's fun and freaky challenging for a 7th grader? I'm focusing on math & writing, but any other recommendations for captivating work is welcome. No holiday stuff. That would go over like a lead balloon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bocky Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 There is no more gob-smacking math than Art of Problem Solving. What about Introduction to Counting and Probability https://artofproblemsolving.com/store/item/intro-counting or Introduction to Number Theory? Both are shorter courses. For writing, what about asking him to write a novel? Check out Nanowrimo - he could write through November then edit in December. Here's the page with the free middle school workbook to get him started https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/pages/learning-resources . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_Bear Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 I think I would suggest Jacob's Mathematics: A Human Endeavor. It covers math topics outside of the traditional scope and sequence. It perfectly fine and challenging for someone at that level. I am just finishing this up with my son right now to go wider in math without rushing on toward calculus. https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Endeavor-Harold-R-Jacobs/dp/071672426X Or possibly Hard Math for Middle School by Glen Ellison which is for gifted kids. https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Math-Middle-School-IMLEM/dp/1453814450 Instead of C&P and Number Theory, I might suggest the AOPS Problem Solving series. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Problem-Solving-Vol-Basics/dp/0977304566/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L79PYGOT072T&keywords=art+of+problem+solving+volume+1&qid=1572588216&s=books&sprefix=art+of+problem+sol%2Cstripbooks%2C210&sr=1-1 Look at Kilgallon for Middle School. Google Kilgallon and Well Trained Minds forums to read about this. You can totally do one worktext in 2 months. http://sentencecomposing.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 For two months I would do a unit study, or two side by side ones. I'd look at Moving Beyond The Page, AIMS, and Build Your Library to see what's available that my kid would enjoy. I'd consider Life Of Fred for math as well, since one book has about 35 chapters, which would stretch to two months on a 5x/week schedule, or I'd look at CLE math if you want a volume of math problems to complement an AIMS study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted November 1, 2019 Share Posted November 1, 2019 Another option for math for the older kid would be to print out old AMC 8 tests and have him work them. If he were taking the test itself, they would be expected to be timed to 40 minutes. You can find the answers online, and somewhere on the AOPS website are full solutions so he can see how they should be worked. Those tests are taken by top middle school math students, and perfect scores are extremely rare. The AOPS Volume 1 book mentioned above would be the book that teaches the math most often found on such competition tests. You did not mention what his math level currently is, other than coasting. AOPS Volume 1, Counting and Probability, and Number Theory all asume the student has had Algebra 1. I know that in the Volume 1 book, even some of the full solutions do not walk the student through portions of the problems that are straightforward Algebra, like systems of equations. That could be a barrier if he isn’t that far. One more option would be to set the kid up with the free videos for AOPS Prealgebra or Algebra (whichever is appropriate), and Alcumus (also free), with the settings changed to give problems at the “insanely hard” level. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 I agree with @Jackie. You can maybe complete the Intro CP or Intro NT in 2 months, but your student will be working fairly hard. The AMC 8's will be good review and consolidation of what he's already learned, plus an introduction to new material. He can do 2-3 a week and learn a lot of math that way. If it starts to get too easy, he can bump it up to AMC 10, and as a bonus, he he will be preparing for the real thing scheduled for February 2020. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) Google "sarcasm literature" http://www.isitironic.com/sarcasm-in-literature.htm Edited November 2, 2019 by Hunter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 One of my libraries gives me 10 movies to stream through Kanopy, which isn't much, but I am also allowed to view UNLIMITED Great Course videos, and nowhere is this mentioned until AFTER I signed up and borrowed my first movie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 The Jacobs book mentioned above includes some introductory statistics. Udemy often has sales and they have some great statistics courses. You could put together a mini unit on statistics. Does he have a graphing calculator? He could master learning how to use a graphing calculator. I especially recommend learning how to use a graphing calculator for basic statistics. My precalculus courses liked to throw out random statistics word problems that needed to be solved with a graphing calculator, and I did not even know what topics to google to teach myself what I had missed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) google "satire curriculum" https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/key-learning-areas/creative-arts/nested-content/drama/kascastage4and5resources/comedy-satire Google "political cartoons curriculum" https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/drawing-for-change-analyzing-and-making-political-cartoons/ AP literature teachers tend to post a lot of lessons online. You can find bits on satire on their sites https://www.cliffsnotes.com/test-prep/high-school/ap-exams/articles/ap-essay-writing-satire-as-a-subject Edited November 2, 2019 by Hunter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 This college professor uses a Triola statistics book. You can follow along with a used older edition purchased for dirt cheap. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) These ti-84 stats videos are really good and supplement the Triola videos I posted above. https://mathandstatshelp.com/ti-84/ Edited November 2, 2019 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Another topic that goes well with mastering the graphing calculator is really really really understand what a function is. I am still looking for a cartoon video series that is great. In the meantime: Your son will like this video. Mother Function graphing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 (edited) Here we go. I really like these videos to cover topics often glossed over in other curricula. A mini unit could be crafted around this video series. http://whyu.org/ Functions video http://whyu.org/mobile/whyuplayer.php?youtubeid=Imn_Qi3dlns&chapterhead=15. Functions&sequence=15&bookname=Algebra&prefix=AL¤tbook=4 Edited November 2, 2019 by Hunter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted November 2, 2019 Share Posted November 2, 2019 Just wanted to say hi, OP, and good to see you back. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted November 2, 2019 Author Share Posted November 2, 2019 7 hours ago, Zoo Keeper said: Just wanted to say hi, OP, and good to see you back. 🙂 HI!!! Funny how it can be sooo good to get back in touch w online friends!😊 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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