Anita in IN
03-15-2008, 04:48 PM
Hi everyone! I am the Mom of two wonderful DC's. One DD-14 and one DS-11. We had truly amazing lead up to our decision to home school this school year. We had contemplated doing this years ago when DD was younger, more then one time, but I thought that we would clash too much and or other things weren't right at the time. This year God straightened our path to home school in an amazing way. The kids, both asked frequently over the summer, and with a schedule change at my work I was no longer employed. My husband and I made the final decision 3 days before registration for public school. I talked with my girlfriend and also had an idea where to start, having done research a few years ago. We took letters to schools to withdraw the kids and started with a curriculum that I thought would work. We have changed a few things up and did that fairly quickly in the school year. It is okay, but could be better. They are learning, but I want history and lit to be more exciting and grab their interest more.
Here is some other background for my questions.
DD-14(DOB Aug)wants to be an atourney. Very sure of this decision. Was in the gifted program at public school and reads at a college level according to the Star Reading testing. She is also ahead in Math. I feel that her grammar and writting are not up with the rest of her levels, however, she has improved a lot this year. She choose to do 7th grade grammar with Abeka in order to learn things she hadn't had at school.
DS-age 11(DOB Jan)wanted to do CIA as a spy, until he was thinking it through the other day and came in and said he was no longer sure because he realized that he could get killed doing that job. http://tapestryofgrace.groupee.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I told him he had plenty of time to decide. When he helped look a books, he thought and I thought that he was on the 6th grade level even though this year at public school would be 5th. He has done well with grades, except we switched spelling back to a 5th grade level after a placement test with Spelling Power. He was also in the gifted program at school and reads as of the end of 4th grade at a 6th-late 7th grade level. He hates to write, but has done very well on his book reports that I have had him do. He, like his sister loves to read.
My delima is this. I don't want to switch around the curriculum, especially since we are starting high school next year. I want to teach them together as much as possible. I want them to be independent learners and to be able to think for themselves.(This would have been so much easier if I would have just started at kindergarten-I know I can't look back.) http://tapestryofgrace.groupee.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif
1. What level would you start the kids on? I am starting with Year 1. I think DD could handle R, but not sure DS at UG or D.
2. Does each level also do the work of the previous level for the questions, vocab, spelling or only their level?
3. We are looking at Easy Grammar for next year and continuing in Spelling Power for DS-DD will do an SAT Vocab Book as her Spelling tested at late 11th grade. Science is going to continue to be Apologia-we all love it. Spanish will be added next year as well. Should we do a Latin study too?
4. Any other help out there for new homeschoolers starting high school?
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this long posting. I really appreciate any advice you can give. I am the first one in our group to do high school and only have this year under my belt http://tapestryofgrace.groupee.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif, so hopefully I will be able to help the rest when they get there. My girlfriend is a year behind me.
Here is some other background for my questions.
DD-14(DOB Aug)wants to be an atourney. Very sure of this decision. Was in the gifted program at public school and reads at a college level according to the Star Reading testing. She is also ahead in Math. I feel that her grammar and writting are not up with the rest of her levels, however, she has improved a lot this year. She choose to do 7th grade grammar with Abeka in order to learn things she hadn't had at school.
DS-age 11(DOB Jan)wanted to do CIA as a spy, until he was thinking it through the other day and came in and said he was no longer sure because he realized that he could get killed doing that job. http://tapestryofgrace.groupee.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif I told him he had plenty of time to decide. When he helped look a books, he thought and I thought that he was on the 6th grade level even though this year at public school would be 5th. He has done well with grades, except we switched spelling back to a 5th grade level after a placement test with Spelling Power. He was also in the gifted program at school and reads as of the end of 4th grade at a 6th-late 7th grade level. He hates to write, but has done very well on his book reports that I have had him do. He, like his sister loves to read.
My delima is this. I don't want to switch around the curriculum, especially since we are starting high school next year. I want to teach them together as much as possible. I want them to be independent learners and to be able to think for themselves.(This would have been so much easier if I would have just started at kindergarten-I know I can't look back.) http://tapestryofgrace.groupee.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif
1. What level would you start the kids on? I am starting with Year 1. I think DD could handle R, but not sure DS at UG or D.
2. Does each level also do the work of the previous level for the questions, vocab, spelling or only their level?
3. We are looking at Easy Grammar for next year and continuing in Spelling Power for DS-DD will do an SAT Vocab Book as her Spelling tested at late 11th grade. Science is going to continue to be Apologia-we all love it. Spanish will be added next year as well. Should we do a Latin study too?
4. Any other help out there for new homeschoolers starting high school?
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this long posting. I really appreciate any advice you can give. I am the first one in our group to do high school and only have this year under my belt http://tapestryofgrace.groupee.net/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif, so hopefully I will be able to help the rest when they get there. My girlfriend is a year behind me.