9th grade plans -- feedback needed please....

[Beth in SW WA]

I want to fit more Spanish into our schedule. Ds would rather do Spanish than Latin (all his friends take spanish at ps & our church does missions to Nicaragua). Somehow he has it in is head that he gets to pick which foreign language he wants to learn. I'm willing to meet him half-way w/ adding Spanish to Latin so he can converse eventually. After researching the Latin SAT II test (needed for UW), I'm wondering if the Spanish SAT II test might be easier to get a better grade.

 

Should I ditch logic to make room for Spanish? Is Latin & Spanish overkill?

 

9th:

 

TT Geometry (w/ Alg review thrown in for good measure)

Lingua Latina via The Potters School

Classical Writing Chreia/Poetry online class

Ancient History w/ Spielvogel HO

Ancient Lit w/ Omni 1 selections

PH Bio Exploring Life

Intermediate Logic

Spanish at local school district or local tutor or Potters School (not sure yet)

 

Thanks gang!! Just when I thought I had next year planned, ds is throwing me for a loop w/ this spanish issue. ANY feedback appreciated!!

[SonshineLearner]

Don't dish the Latin:-) He's just starting to get to the point where it'll be fun, right? Hmmmm....

Where could he learn from a native speaker? That's where I'd have him take:-) I had fun the year I took Spanish, working at a grocery store where my friend and I were the only ones who spoke English as our mother tongue. So, while it didn't pay great, it let us practice Spanish with customers...Sorry to the ones behind the one I was speaking with...

Horrible accent...but learned quite a bit.... And now, forgot it!

Carrie:-)

[Colleen]

My two cents isn't experienced, of course, but I'd not make a decision based primarily on which SAT II test you think is easier. Rather, I'd consider his goals and how these courses relate to those goals. If he's had a good foundation in Latin and prefers now to segue into another language, let him do so. Spanish may not prove to be too much in combination with Latin, but I'd seriously consider why you want him to continue the latter language at this point. As far as logic is concerned, I'd keep that in the rotation as it really does have such broad applicability.

[Jane in NC]

Hi Beth,

 

Your 9th grade content is similar in spirit to what we attempted. As things went, however, we ditched a formal Logic curriculum for A Rulebook for Arguments. The curriculum was not working for us, whereas Rulebook did.

 

My son has been studying both French and Latin throughout high school, earning a full credit in Latin and three quarters of one in French that freshman year. There have been times when two languages on the plate (with minimal opportunity for conversational French) has been challenging for us, but somehow we keep inching forward. Given time constraints, we made Latin the priority, although this year I think that French is getting more attention than Latin. (Maybe everything balances out eventually and we can all stop worrying...)

 

What I might propose is a partial Spanish elective if you feel that Latin is important (as we do). This could be a conversational Spanish opportunity or a more formal study taken at a slower pace if you feel that there is too much going on with the rest of his program.

 

Best,

Jane

[Grace]

Hi Beth,

 

I noticed you will be using TT Geometry next year. I remember reading how much you like CD algebra? What made you change to Teaching Textbooks instead of Chalkdust for Geometry?

 

Also, how do you plan on reviewing Algebra during the geometry year?

 

I have no experience with either of these programs so I am not judging or questioning you.... I have a 7th grader and am trying to gather info and learn from those-who-go-before-me.:bigear:

 

And forgive me for the thread-jack.... No experience with Spanish.

[Chris in VA]

My son is probably the equivalent of dyslexic when it comes to foreign languages, so we searched for something to help. He ended up with a semester of Latin, two years of French (actually 3, but he barely made French 2) and a year of Spanish. What a mishmash! Not his strength, for sure.

 

The good thing about your son's Latin backround is that it will prove helpful in learning Spanish vocab--90% of Spanish vocab (and all Romance languages, actually) comes from Latin. 90%!!! So, if he's had some Latin already, he's in great shape to go to Spanish.

 

I'd definitely keep up with Latin, at least in some sort of root program (for SAT prep), but go ahead and let him run with Spanish. Get a native tutor, or do it at a co-op, CC, or community rec class so he gets conversation experience.

 

As far as logic goes, has he had two years already? If he's gleaned what you feel is enough from it, he could go into some sort of rhetoric instead.

 

Anyway, bottom line is, you want at least 4 years of one lang to show up on his transcript. 4 years of one and two of another is very strong--so, if he's taken Latin in 8th grade, you could bust out one more year of Latin, taken concurrently with Spanish, for 9th, then continue just with Spanish for the rest of high school (adding in some SAT prep vocab root work maybe twice a week, as I said), to have an impressive transcript. Getting that second year of Latin in now, as opposed to when he'll have higher level classes to think about, would be smart, imo.

[Beth in SW WA]

Lots of great advice. Thank you!

 

We have a school for homeschoolers through our local district. I talked to the Spanish teacher last year and again recently. She offers 3 90-minute Spanish classes plus 3-5 hours homework per week. With driving, that is a big commitment in our schedule. I can't imagine putting in the 6-8 hours per week my dc already commit to Lingua Latina -- AND doing Spanish.

 

I've got some serious planning/thinking to do.

 

Latin is tough but both dc are doing well. Ds (13) works twice as hard as dd (11) to get the same grade from Mr. Spotts.

 

Chris, your plan sounds reasonable. Finish Latin II in 9th w/ 4 years of Spanish on transcript. No SAT II test for UW admission because ds would have taken it for credit through the school district and will have a formal "grade" rather than a mommy grade to validate.

 

I will keep the mantra going here at home that Latin will be continuing and that Spanish will be an extra (rather than the other way around). I believe in classical and/or neo-classical education. I don't want to give that up to meet the requirements for a "traditional" school-type education. I might have to bend a bit since I've got hoops to jump through. Maybe a neo-classical focus was our journey for middle school. High school might be more traditionally-focused. Who knows....

 

Rambling to self now. Thanks for indulging.

 

Grace,

TT Geo is cheaper and has many proofs. CD Geo gets mixed reviews here. We will do CD for the algebra series. Pre-Calc might be done at cc.

[Grace]

Grace,

TT Geo is cheaper and has many proofs. CD Geo gets mixed reviews here. We will do CD for the algebra series. Pre-Calc might be done at cc.

 

Thanks Beth,

 

I will file that info away in my "highschool" folder.

 

Do you know what you are going to use to review algebra during your geometry year?

 

Thanks so much for sharing your plans.

 

Grace

[CAMom]

Grace,

TT Geo is cheaper and has many proofs. CD Geo gets mixed reviews here. We will do CD for the algebra series. Pre-Calc might be done at cc.

 

Hey, Beth! Just wanted to say that we're doing CD pre-calc right now and are very happy with it! My son is in 10th grade.:)

[laughing lioness]

Agreeing with Colleen to keep Logic.

[Colleen]

Anyway, bottom line is, you want at least 4 years of one lang to show up on his transcript.

 

As a foreign language advocate, I almost hate to say this, but for the sake of others who may be reading this discussion...Four years of one foreign language aren't a given. Beth (and her son, presumably?) is looking at University of Washington in Seattle, where two years of one foreign language is the admissions requirement. Sad, but true.

[Beth in SW WA]

Do you know what you are going to use to review algebra during your geometry year?

 

 

Grace,

We'll do CD Alg 2 randomly so he won't forget anything.

[lllll]

Agreeing with Colleen to keep Logic.

 

 

Also agreeing with them to keep the logic. It really does seem to pop up in the most unexpected subjects. However, I noticed that it was only after they had done quite a few logic books that it really began to 'stick' and become useful in the other subjects. So I wouldn't give up on the logic quite yet ... if it was my dc. Which they aren't. :)

[Chris in VA]

Yes, but the her son is only in 9th grade--things (and college choices) could change radically, so imo it's best to be equipped for the possibilities. OTOH (there's always one of those, isn't there! lol), there's only so much time in the day, too. Ds only needed 3 years of one language, or two years of one and two years of another one, at VCU.

[Colleen]

Yes, but the her son is only in 9th grade--things (and college choices) could change radically, so imo it's best to be equipped for the possibilities.

 

I don't disagree. I merely wanted to point that out, as I said, for anyone who might read the thread and mistakenly think four years of one language are standard for university admission. Any-hoo, in my ideal world, people would study foreign language purely for the sake of studying foreign language, not with an eye on box checking, kwim?;)