Science and Language Arts

[Lillyfee]

Ok, so I am still not sure if our boy goes to school next school year or stays home but right now I am leaning towards one more year of homeschooling until his ADHD testing is done.

I want to have a plan for homeschooling if he stays home. He will be in 6th grade.

I know that I will get TGTB math level 6 and hope it comes out before the next school year starts. I also think I will figure out history. We have a workbook for American history and will enrich it with books.

Now, language arts. I love The Good and the Beautiful so much and for my girls it's for sure the right fit. Right now I think I will continue using it and just use an additional spelling curriculum (looking at All About Spelling and Phonics Zoo). We also work on phonics in reading to combat his word guessing habit but he is doing good and I hope we are done with that before the next school year starts.

Then I start thinking about it if TGTB is the right fit for him in LA. While the girls and me enjoy the poetry and art and literature my son is not artsy at all. Unfortunately he does not appreciate all this stuff and is a logical/math/science person. I am thinking about switching to a writing and grammar program that is engaging and not too hard but gets the job done. He does best with clear instructions and please not too much busy work. Does anybody know a curriculum with that approach?

Then I am looking into science. He loves hands on science. No long complicated text books that explain complex things with big words. A clear engaging textbook with lots of hand on stuff and experiments would be his thing. He loves engineering. He will also not truly enjoy a literature based curriculum. 

I am happy that we found some books now that he enjoys but he is not an avid reader that enjoys book after book.

I just want him to have fun and still learn a lot. Books that look fun and engaging. Short, on the point lessons and in science a lot of hands on stuff. 

Maybe somebody has some thoughts or suggestions? 

[PeterPan]

How about a straight to the point grammar workbook? http://www.e4thai.com/e4e/images/pdf2/6.pdf  This one is free but there are plenty like it. Don't overthink this. 

Then do IEW for his writing.

 

[Lillyfee]

Thank you so much. 

I looked into IEW and it looks good. 

I also kind of think that Wordsmith Apprentice would be a gentle nice workbook. At least how it is described and the sample pages look like fun and not overwhelming. Did anybody use that book?

[PeterPan]

43 minutes ago, Lillyfee said:

Wordsmith Apprentice

I used Wordsmith Apprentice with my dd when she was maybe 5th grade-ish. She enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I recall it accomplishing much. It doesn't have consistent daily chunks, so it was more just work a bit and see how far you get, which left *me* frustrated. IEW is highly structured, with clear lessons and work chunks, very ADHD-friendly. She liked Wordsmith Apprentice so I'm not saying it's a bad choice. At the time my ds was small and taking a lot of my attention, so I wanted something relatively independent. IEW is good for catching skill holes in kids who don't like to write. Fwiw she didn't have those holes and could use anything with ease. My ds, on the other hand, really benefits from the clear structure of IEW. 

So both good, maybe just for different kids. 🙂

Edited April 20, 2022 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

If you want something that is pleasurable, you could do your IEW work 3-4 days a week and do something more fun (a poetry writing workbook, writing games, story writing prompts, whatever) one day a week. Or do an easier level of IEW at a faster pace and then do another program as well. 

If you're thinking a year from now he's going into school then you'll want to work toward that goal. He should be becoming proficient with typing and be ready to get his thoughts out in a variety of genres. Is typing going well for him? My ds' IEP specifies scribing and use of assistive tech (dictation software etc). The schools are happy for them to use tech at this age, but it's just something to be getting proficient at, whatever method works for them.

Edited April 20, 2022 by PeterPan

[Lillyfee]

He is pretty fast at typing.

IEW really sounds good. Then there is the question of we should jump right into the middle school course....

Is it an advanced program? I think I will ask them. I already exchanged emails with them because of Phonics Zoo and they seems very nice and patient with me 

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, Lillyfee said:

IEW really sounds good. Then there is the question of we should jump right into the middle school course....

Is it an advanced program?

I think just look at your child. No, it's not advanced, just normal, middle of the road. I don't see an advantage to pushing a dc into something they're not ready for. Just do the level that seems like a good fit. Does he need Phonics Zoo? If you're focusing on spelling, that might be a reason to take it easy with writing and just get a right fit, not a crazy hard, push level fit. The brain only has so much energy to give to attention and focus, so pick what you're focusing on.