Homeschool Chat Part III

[sparks19]

also could someone direct me to the first homeschool chat thread? I can't seem to find it

NEVERMIND lol reading is fundamental

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

also could someone direct me to the first homeschool chat thread? I can't seem to find it

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1787845

This is the second one and in the first post is a link to the first one.

Hope that helps

 

[bellebud]

Also Have any of you done a second language?

we're doing Rosetta Stone Spanish. The kids are doing very well w/ it. I bought the 'homeschool' version.

 

[TBGOES2DISNEY]

Hello, everyone! I'll introduce myself a little bit. I've been homeschooling from the beginning. We're about to finish our 6th year. Two of my kids are in school right now. We've used K12 every year so far.

I'm seriously thinking of leaving K12 for a variety of reasons. I've been researching all the curricula out there for months now, and my head is spinning! I've had no real free time lately. I've got things narrowed down now and when I make my final selections I will price things out. I'm trying to get this all finished before the K12 spring sale is over (just in case).

I'm having a hard time finding a literature program. I want to use real books and I need some guidance when it comes to including all genres and questions for comprehension, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'll list all my subject choices when I'm done b/c I'd love to hear your opinions.

Thanks!

 

[Jessica14]

I don't homeschool but, did teach writing in second and fourth grades in Plano, Texas for 11 years. Hopefully, I'm not stepping on toes here..

Journaling is the very best thing you can do. Remember that writing is a process. When your kiddo sits down to write anything the ideas are the ONLY thing that matter. Spelling, punctuation, capitalization do not matter. That's what the process is for-to go back in steps to revise the writing.

After your child gets his/her ideas down then, they could go back during the next lesson and circle the misspelled words. On a another day they could use a variety of resources to help them spell the words correctly. Asking you how to spell during the revision writing phase is absolutely a valid way of finding out spelling but, I always made them look at lease two other sources prior to asking me. : ) On another day they may want to look up or find more rich vocabulary for ordinary words and on another pick four or five sentences to make into compound sentences to make use of varying sentence structure which, makes your writing more interesting.

Also, along these lines, I had my kiddos use a highlighter marker to highlight every other line of a piece of notebook paper. When they were writing their first copy they wrote on the white lines. The highlighted lines were used in the revision process only. They use the highlighted lines for their corrections. This really solidified the idea of writing as a process.

Again, I hope I didn't step on any toes. I really enjoyed teaching writing and actually learned so much while teaching it. GL to all of you lovely ladies!

ETA-Not everything your child writes has to be an edited piece of work. That's just not real life. When you want to teach vocabulary, verbs, nouns, sentence structure, punctuation, ect have your child pull a piece of writing from their writing folder (their choice, something that they are particularly fond of or had fun writing) and teach your concept from that writing. That is how the writing process works!

This sounds a lot like the Columbia University Writing Workshop. I taught it years ago and continue to do so when I sub. My kids use it too and when we start HS come the fall, I'm goig to continue with it. It's so much more useful than workbooks for things like grammar and the like. I love teaching writing as well!
Jessica

 

[Jessica14]

Hello, everyone! I'll introduce myself a little bit. I've been homeschooling from the beginning. We're about to finish our 6th year. Two of my kids are in school right now. We've used K12 every year so far.

I'm seriously thinking of leaving K12 for a variety of reasons. I've been researching all the curricula out there for months now, and my head is spinning! I've had no real free time lately. I've got things narrowed down now and when I make my final selections I will price things out. I'm trying to get this all finished before the K12 spring sale is over (just in case).

I'm having a hard time finding a literature program. I want to use real books and I need some guidance when it comes to including all genres and questions for comprehension, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I'll list all my subject choices when I'm done b/c I'd love to hear your opinions.

Thanks!

We are pulling the kids and my head had been spinning as well! Just when I thought I had settled on something, I change my mind. As of yesterday, I switched both kids from Math Mammoth to my DD taking on Singapore and keeping DS in MM for 1st even though he would have been going into 2nd. Waaay too many decisions!

I am planning on doing a lot of literature and essentially, I'm going to incorporate it into all areas. I'm looking at Moving Beyond the Page because their social studies, science, and lang. arts all go together. I'm not buying the LA curriculum but will be using their book list hand and hand with the soc. st. and science.(Christian based Sonlight is similar in their approach). Also, I will be looking at the following genres and introducing them to the kids by letting them select the books for each: (these were "stolen" from my school district-I sub there-and like what they offer in this area)Nonfiction; book series; mysteries; social issues; folktales, fairytales and fables; content area reading; realistic fiction.

I don't have a curriculum for it. I'm sure you can find characteristics of each and then form questions around that. think I'm going to do that although I haven't really researched it yet.

Good luck to you! Jessica

 

[jacksmomma]

I have poked my head into this thread a bit here and there, but just wanted to post that we are now officially homeschoolers. DH and I bought our curriculum over the weekend! I am thrilled to bits and scared to death! DS will begin KG in September.

My next task is to find a co-op in my area. I am having a terrible time searching the internet. I guess I might have to get a facebook page to find the most current information. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[bellebud]

I have poked my head into this thread a bit here and there, but just wanted to post that we are now officially homeschoolers. DH and I bought our curriculum over the weekend! I am thrilled to bits and scared to death! DS will begin KG in September.

My next task is to find a co-op in my area. I am having a terrible time searching the internet. I guess I might have to get a facebook page to find the most current information. Anyone have any suggestions?

I'd also suggest going to all the libraries in your area and ask them. Also, yahoo groups... that's where many of the homeschooling groups in my area have their info. And simply ask around - go to local parks during the school days - homeschool groups often meet at parks in the middle of the week.

 

[mariezp]

I have poked my head into this thread a bit here and there, but just wanted to post that we are now officially homeschoolers. DH and I bought our curriculum over the weekend! I am thrilled to bits and scared to death! DS will begin KG in September.

My next task is to find a co-op in my area. I am having a terrible time searching the internet. I guess I might have to get a facebook page to find the most current information. Anyone have any suggestions?

Might I ask what area you are in? With some luck maybe you could bump into someone in your area right here on the DIS. Wouldn't that be cool?!!! Otherwise, keep a watch in your local newspaper. You may even call them to see if they know of any groups that have advertised in the past. Perhaps your Chamber of Commerce or city hall?

 

[The6ofUs]

We were talking on another thread about the homeschool trip to Disney this year (November 12-19) with the Carolina Homeschooler group (doing the Disney educational classes). Is anyone else going?

Has anyone signed up for their Space Camp trip? I want to do that one, too.

 

[alliesmommy]

Hi everyone. Can I join ya'll?

DH and I have decided to homeschool our DD. We are still in research mode and are currently shopping around for curriculum. I'm so excited!

Now, time to go back to the beginning and catch up.

 

[lshaw6]

Hi all! We are a homeschooling family in NC and will most likely be relocating to FL before the end of the year. I have read the homeschooling laws for FL, the school system/superintendent seems involved down there and they aren't here. Has anyone relocated to FL and had any difficulties homeschooling there as opposed to the state they moved from? Has anyone tried FL Virtual school and if so, how do you/your children like it? My oldest is going to be a senior this year and was thinking about going back to public school for that. Any idea what that would entail? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TIA!

 

[bellebud]

Hi everyone. Can I join ya'll?

DH and I have decided to homeschool our DD. We are still in research mode and are currently shopping around for curriculum. I'm so excited!

Now, time to go back to the beginning and catch up.

welcome!! it's a very exciting journey to homeschool your children, and this thread is a great resource for info as well as support. I've been hsing for 2 years now (mine are 11yo and 9yo), and I've never gotten out of 'research mode'... it's too much fun finding new things for our kids to learn from.

 

[alliesmommy]

There's so much information available. It's a bit overwhelming!

DH and I are going to a conference in August. I think we've pretty much settled on the curriculum that we're going to try out for DD's first year, but we want to see what else is out there before we commit to purchasing it.

I'm looking into a group that's in our county. They have Mom's Night Out once a month and field trips pretty frequently as well.

We are converting our spare room into a classroom for DD. She's currently in preschool. There's going to be a lot of transitioning for DD and we thought that if we had a dedicated place for school that it might make the transition a little easier.

 

[mom2att]

Hi all! We are a homeschooling family in NC and will most likely be relocating to FL before the end of the year. I have read the homeschooling laws for FL, the school system/superintendent seems involved down there and they aren't here. Has anyone relocated to FL and had any difficulties homeschooling there as opposed to the state they moved from? Has anyone tried FL Virtual school and if so, how do you/your children like it? My oldest is going to be a senior this year and was thinking about going back to public school for that. Any idea what that would entail? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Really the only way the school system is involved is that you are required to send them a letter of intent when you begin homeschooling, and annually a form signed by a state certified teacher that states that your child has made "progress commensurate with their ability." Said teacher can make this recommendation based on an evaluation of a portfolio of your child's work, or by viewing your child's scores on a nationally-normed state standardized test. You also have the option of having your child take the FCAT with the public schools, and a couple of other less-used options. Basically you just send in your paperwork to the school board and never hear from them, that's how involved they are.

My oldest has taken several FLVS classes and we have been pleased. There are a couple of options with FLVS--the state-run organization and the district franchise operations. With the state-run portion, you can sign up at any time, you can pick and choose whatever classes you want to take, you have an entire year from your start date to complete your course (and they are not too picky on completion dates), and there is no standardized testing required. For most of the district franchises, you are considered a public school student and have to play by their rules. They run on the school year calendar, you take a full course load, and you are supposed to take the FCAT. As far as I know the actual courses are the same.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

There's so much information available. It's a bit overwhelming!

DH and I are going to a conference in August. I think we've pretty much settled on the curriculum that we're going to try out for DD's first year, but we want to see what else is out there before we commit to purchasing it.

I'm looking into a group that's in our county. They have Mom's Night Out once a month and field trips pretty frequently as well.

We are converting our spare room into a classroom for DD. She's currently in preschool. There's going to be a lot of transitioning for DD and we thought that if we had a dedicated place for school that it might make the transition a little easier.

If you think you're overwhelmed now, wait until the homeschool conference. A friend & I went to the one in Arlington last month & it was crazy! Fun, but information overload. Are you guys going to the big one in Houston? I would love to go, but I think we've almost got everything purchased. I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy TEACHING TEXTBOOKS (5) for my DD10. I might do MATH U SEE (2) for my DS8. What curriculum did you choose?

That's wonderful that you'll have a designated classroom! I wish we did. We have a teeny-tiny office & we'll probably just let the kids use it (one at a time) to do math or something. For the most part, we'll probably just sit at the kitchen table to do most of our curriculum. I will let them read in their bedrooms where it's comfy. I wish you the best

 

[the5coops]

There's so much information available. It's a bit overwhelming!

DH and I are going to a conference in August. I think we've pretty much settled on the curriculum that we're going to try out for DD's first year, but we want to see what else is out there before we commit to purchasing it.

I'm looking into a group that's in our county. They have Mom's Night Out once a month and field trips pretty frequently as well.

We are converting our spare room into a classroom for DD. She's currently in preschool. There's going to be a lot of transitioning for DD and we thought that if we had a dedicated place for school that it might make the transition a little easier.

Jumping in here...but wanted to let you know about HEAR in Rockwall. They are a support group and have around 275 families in Rockwall and the surrounding areas. I have been homeschooling since the beginning (my oldest is 13) and we have done tons of activities with this group.

Shelley

 

[graygables]

15yo is really struggling with reading/comprehension/analysis. She hates to read as it is. Got a late start due to vision tracking problems, has Asperger's and selective mutism, so the whole process was torture for her. I have been unsuccessful in finding a single genre or author that interests her (and believe me, we've tried). I've considered buying her a Nook (she's not a fan of my Kindle, prefers the color/shiny/backlit), but I don't want to spend the money if it isn't going to help her move forward.

We are using Life With Fred for math and she seems to be OK with that, although struggling here and there (she's a math-phobe, too). I kinda lost it with her the other day and told her to research it and choose 4 books that she wants to read for school, the only requirement is that they come from a 9th grade book list. She's still not found anything. I can't just hand her Huckleberry Finn and have her get through it, much less understand. I had Hound of the Baskervilles on my Kindle and had her read the first bit, but when we went to talk about it, she had no idea the Holmes had insulted Watson even though she could give me a general gist of the story so far. Things like plot, characterization, climax are all foreign to her.

I used to be an English teacher for a short time. I should be a trained professional, but to be honest, I NEVER had a student who could not comprehend and re-interpret what he'd read. None of my coursework prepared me for this. I'm simply at a loss.

Does anyone have any suggestions for reading comprehension exercises that won't make a high schooler feel "stupid"?

ETA: she writes just fine, but cannot create fiction. It has to be fact-based, research type stuff. She struggles somewhat, but can do it.

 

[bellebud]

15yo is really struggling with reading/comprehension/analysis. She hates to read as it is. Got a late start due to vision tracking problems, has Asperger's and selective mutism, so the whole process was torture for her.

I honestly don't have any suggestions for you, but wanted to give you a big

Sounds like a difficult situation... my nephew is on the spectrum, and he's very literal (he's only 4yo), but I can see where he'll be like this too in the future.

My first thought is, are you asking her to do something she literally cannot do? I'm not sure, I'm just throwing that out there, being she's on the spectrum. Is it a 'must' that she reads and understands plots, symbolism, etc... something that just doesn't register in her brain? I just googled reading fiction for aspergers and lots of things came up. Have you tried that?

 

[The6ofUs]

I used to be an English teacher for a short time. I should be a trained professional, but to be honest, I NEVER had a student who could not comprehend and re-interpret what he'd read. None of my coursework prepared me for this. I'm simply at a loss.

Have you tried audiobooks instead of print books? Literature is literature, whether it's via the written page, e-ink (ebooks), or audio files. Many libraries have great books you can download via their websites. I suggest trying that before purchasing another ereader. Let us know how it goes.