Anonymous wrote:I pulled my son out of public school where he only had a 504 plan and homeschooled him this year. He was in 5th grade and this is what we used. He did the bare minimum at public school and I felt he had so many gaps even though his teacher said he was doing great.
Math: Online Pre-ALgebra course with Derick Owens
https://www.derekowens.com/samples.php?page=PA&page=PA
I decided to just have him take pre-algebra because these classes got good reviews. I sat there while he watched the videos and we discussed what he was seeing and I prompted him to solve the problems in his book.
$58 a month
Reading: Even though he tested above grade level in reading I think he rushed through reading long multisyllabic words, so I bought the Secondary Level of Rewards Reading- a researched based program. It was $120 dollars.
Writing: IEW streaming lessons. I can't recommend this program enough. My son's writing was rambling, off-topic, had run-on sentences, etc. This drastically improved his writing. You watch the videos- about 30 minutes a day and there are specific writing assignments. It is fantastic. We also did the Fix-It-Grammar program $169.
https://iew.com/shop/products/structure-and-style-students-year-1-level-basic-plus-forever-streaming-or-dvd
That is all we concentrated on. Reading, writing, grammar, and math. He took breaks in between doing work.
We did fun science experiments (dissected fish, owl pellets, made slime, etc.)
For history we listened to Story of the World and did some of the activities and watched Liberty Kids.
When we went places we listened to audiobooks or I read to him after lunch.
He took some art Outschool classes. He is active in sports so it was great that we didn't have to worry about homework in the evenings. Everyday I made a checklist on the whiteboard and he would check off the activities. He loved that when he was done, he was really done for the day.
I encouraged him to read at night and told him he could stay up as late as he wanted if he was reading a book. He went to bed at night and for the first time in his life actually read books himself.
It was really the best year of schooling he has ever had. He went from saying he was not smart, he sucked at school, etc. to saying he was good in math, was proud of his IEW writing assignments, etc. He was not longer stressed in school. It really was a good year for him.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Math:
For my 5th grader we're using Math in Focus 5 next year (purchased curriculum, done with me), and Beast Academy 4 and 5 (online).
I pulled my 5th grader out in the middle of 4th grade, about 3 months before covid. His school was using MiF, and it was working well, so we just kept going. I feel like the end of fifth grade is a natural stopping point, so we'll stick with it until then, and then reconsider if he's still at home. I like MiF, and it's a good fit, but I wouldn't start it fresh for a kid in 5th.
Here's the link for Math in Focus. (Note: I'm linking "Christianbook" as the website, because their prices are often good. But everything I suggest is secular unless I say otherwise)
https://www.christianbook.com/focus-singapore-approach-grade-5-student/9780547549347/pd/549347?event=CPOF
Here are some other programs we looked at
Beast Academy https://beastacademy.com/
(can be online or purchased curriculum) -- lots of puzzles, which my kid likes, but it's written for gifted kids, and goes too fast for him. So we do the MiF lessons first, and then follow up with Beast Academy
Math Mammoth 5 https://www.mathmammoth.com/complete-curriculum.php
My 8th grader uses this series and I really like it. I think it would be easier to switch into this than into Math in Focus.
Horizon Math 5 (Christian). https://www.christianbook.com/horizons-math-grade-5-complete/9781580959001/pd/59008?event=ESRCG
Solid program, I decided I didn't want religion in my math book
Saxon Math 65 https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/saxon-math/saxon-math-65?search=saxon%20math%2065&search_term=saxon%20math%2065
Breaks math into tiny steps, which is really helpful for some kids. I think my 5th grader would get bored, and when he's bored he's no fun to teach.
Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/
All online, and can be pretty student directed. I think it wouldn't hold my 5th grader's attention. It's perfect for my 7th grader, because kids are different.
Life of Fred (Christian).
Weird funny curriculum that's written like a novel. Totally different sequence than public schools. My 7th grader loves it, but he'll never go back to public school, so I don't care about the sequence issue. Not enough explanation for some kids, and too weird for other kids. Every so often some weird religious or libertarian thing pops up.
Art of Problem Solving. https://artofproblemsolving.com/
Has books you can do by yourself, and online classes. Doesn't start until preAlgebra so it's not for most 5th graders, and it moves super fast. Another thing that my 7th grader loves.
Math U See (Christian)
https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/math-u-see?search=math%20u%20see&search_term=math%20u%20see
This is really concrete and hands on. I might choose it with a kid who needed significant remediation, or if I knew I was homeschooling K-12. I wouldn't choose it for a learner with solid grade level skills who will go back to public in the future (that's my kid, and I think yours) because it's out of sequence, and doesn't have enough higher level thinking.
Another option would be to continue with what APS uses which is this:
https://www.hmhco.com/programs/math-expressions
You could hire a tutor to do any of those with your kid.
I have to go, but I'll come back and do other subjects, unless you tell me that you only want a certain kind of resources.
Wow, thank you! I would love to learn more about other subjects as well. You are amazing!
Anonymous wrote:Math:
For my 5th grader we're using Math in Focus 5 next year (purchased curriculum, done with me), and Beast Academy 4 and 5 (online).
I pulled my 5th grader out in the middle of 4th grade, about 3 months before covid. His school was using MiF, and it was working well, so we just kept going. I feel like the end of fifth grade is a natural stopping point, so we'll stick with it until then, and then reconsider if he's still at home. I like MiF, and it's a good fit, but I wouldn't start it fresh for a kid in 5th.
Here's the link for Math in Focus. (Note: I'm linking "Christianbook" as the website, because their prices are often good. But everything I suggest is secular unless I say otherwise)
https://www.christianbook.com/focus-singapore-approach-grade-5-student/9780547549347/pd/549347?event=CPOF
Here are some other programs we looked at
Beast Academy https://beastacademy.com/
(can be online or purchased curriculum) -- lots of puzzles, which my kid likes, but it's written for gifted kids, and goes too fast for him. So we do the MiF lessons first, and then follow up with Beast Academy
Math Mammoth 5 https://www.mathmammoth.com/complete-curriculum.php
My 8th grader uses this series and I really like it. I think it would be easier to switch into this than into Math in Focus.
Horizon Math 5 (Christian). https://www.christianbook.com/horizons-math-grade-5-complete/9781580959001/pd/59008?event=ESRCG
Solid program, I decided I didn't want religion in my math book
Saxon Math 65 https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/saxon-math/saxon-math-65?search=saxon%20math%2065&search_term=saxon%20math%2065
Breaks math into tiny steps, which is really helpful for some kids. I think my 5th grader would get bored, and when he's bored he's no fun to teach.
Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/
All online, and can be pretty student directed. I think it wouldn't hold my 5th grader's attention. It's perfect for my 7th grader, because kids are different.
Life of Fred (Christian).
Weird funny curriculum that's written like a novel. Totally different sequence than public schools. My 7th grader loves it, but he'll never go back to public school, so I don't care about the sequence issue. Not enough explanation for some kids, and too weird for other kids. Every so often some weird religious or libertarian thing pops up.
Art of Problem Solving. https://artofproblemsolving.com/
Has books you can do by yourself, and online classes. Doesn't start until preAlgebra so it's not for most 5th graders, and it moves super fast. Another thing that my 7th grader loves.
Math U See (Christian)
https://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/math-u-see?search=math%20u%20see&search_term=math%20u%20see
This is really concrete and hands on. I might choose it with a kid who needed significant remediation, or if I knew I was homeschooling K-12. I wouldn't choose it for a learner with solid grade level skills who will go back to public in the future (that's my kid, and I think yours) because it's out of sequence, and doesn't have enough higher level thinking.
Another option would be to continue with what APS uses which is this:
https://www.hmhco.com/programs/math-expressions
You could hire a tutor to do any of those with your kid.
I have to go, but I'll come back and do other subjects, unless you tell me that you only want a certain kind of resources.
Anonymous wrote:Thank you! We are Christian, but not evangelical, and prefer to keep them separate. Also prefer to avoid political leanings as much as possible. *I want them to learn how to think, not what to think.)
I am a terrible teacher, so I don't see myself putting together a curriculum. Some combination of 1-3 would be best. My child is not very self-directed, and needs engagement.
We do not have experience with #3. I only see that working if I hired tutors to use that curriculum to teach it.
Curious also about foreign language options as well.
Thank you!
Anonymous wrote:Thanks!
My child is in 5th grade and struggles with writing but not diagnosed with dyslexia or dysgraphia (we did a full neuropsych evaluation, which gave us the adhd diagnosis. We have a 504, but individualized help makes a big difference.
I can support but my child does better with another adult who has a lesson plan and who is a trained tutor. I am home and can support but I felt like my skill set wasn’t up to the task in this last quarter. (Not to mention the parent-child dynamic that made it hard since I also have to get my kids to do other things as well...)