HS - Where do I start???

[NORAD]

*teacher nervously enters into HS forum*:fear Hi folks! :wave To keep this short I have been asked to HS a friend's daughter (she is 7 and a bit behind). Time is short so I need some advice as to a good way to start. My friend has a curriculum called Mache; I have not looked it over yet. I would like to start with her this Monday but need some kind of tests to find out where she is at and what she is required to know by this September. :idunno Advice anyone?
Thanks
Nora :hat

[Reason&Hope]

Hi. No need to cower.

I've never heard of Mache, so I googled it. Do you mean a curriculum by Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE)?

From your description, it sounds like you're not homeschooling so much as tutoring this girl over the summer so that she's up to speed for public school by September? Or will you also teach her in September?

Having never heard of the curriculum - and I know a lot of them - I can't give you any advice on that. This seems a bit of a rush; have you had a chance to pray about this?

Regarding what she needs to know by September, that depends on the state, even the school district, more than anything else. On the other hand, if she will be homeschooled all next year, I wouldn't worry about burning the midnight oil during the summer. She will have all year to catch up.

She's only 7. What do you mean by "behind"? Can she read? Can she add and subtract? Here's a simple way to assess her abilities in math: take a math 1 book and have her go through the reviews, or watch her do sample problems from the different chapters. That will show you if you need to start in grade 1 math, or grade 2 - bearing in mind that there's a fair amount of repeating, especially in the first lessons.

For language arts, I found this link:
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_2nd_lang.htm

I've used the Iowa Test for my kids every year for years as a yearly assessment, but that has to be ordered in advance and it takes time to get the results.

I hope this has helped.

[antsinmypants]

How far behind is she, and what subjects? A series of books such as "What your _____ grader needs to know" (for example 2nd Grade (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038531843X/ref=s9_k2as_se_ir01?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=auto-no-results-center-1&pf_rd_r=0Y7MAN9WC5XNWJ9G9C12&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=480051571&pf_rd_i=what%20every%20second%20grader%20needs%20t o%20know)) should help, as well as the McGuffy Readers (if it is literature/language oriented), which are now online for free (http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/author?name=McGuffey%2C%20William%20Holmes%2C%2018 00-1873).

I found by searching google several resources by grade for free worksheets and such..

I'd want to know where she is placing to kind of figure out what you need to suppliment with the curriculum her parents want to use, and also "play around" with the curriculum ahead of time to be sure I understood it before I took it all on.

I remember in 2nd and 3rd grade, I got really messed up with mathematics - and I haven't advanced past 7th-8th grade math. I can't get my head wrapped around algebra, calculus or the other higher maths - but my DH did excellently and is a computer tech./developer.

The good thing about doing this at home is you only need certain structure, but you won't need the same kind of structure as a classroom would call for. :)

[NORAD]

Hi. No need to cower. Thanks I have had comments before....:hat

I've never heard of Mache, so I googled it. Do you mean a curriculum by Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE)? That is the one. Sorry I have not heard of it until recently when my friend asked me to HS her beanie. :lol2

From your description, it sounds like you're not homeschooling so much as tutoring this girl over the summer so that she's up to speed for public school by September? Or will you also teach her in September? I may be working with her beyond September.

Having never heard of the curriculum - and I know a lot of them - I can't give you any advice on that. This seems a bit of a rush; have you had a chance to pray about this? Hmm.. the prayers have been vague; I have not been very specific in regards to our start. Thanks for the reminder. Yes, it all has been a bit rushed.

Regarding what she needs to know by September, that depends on the state, even the school district, more than anything else. On the other hand, if she will be homeschooled all next year, I wouldn't worry about burning the midnight oil during the summer. Thanks guess I was worrying a bit; she will be homeschooled this next year. She will have all year to catch up.

She's only 7. What do you mean by "behind"? Can she read? Her mother, though well intentioned, was trying to HS with a mix of "being very busy and not knowing where to start - what to do." Alyssa cannot read and essentially cannot add/sub.

For language arts, I found this link: Thanks for the link!!:hug
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_2nd_lang.htm

I've used the Iowa Test for my kids every year for years as a yearly assessment, but that has to be ordered in advance and it takes time to get the results. Cool...:thumb

I hope this has helped. Yes dear it has - TY!


A series of books such as "What your _____ grader needs to know" (for example 2nd Grade (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038531843X/ref=s9_k2as_se_ir01?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=auto-no-results-center-1&pf_rd_r=0Y7MAN9WC5XNWJ9G9C12&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_p=480051571&pf_rd_i=what%20every%20second%20grader%20needs%20t o%20know)) should help, as well as the McGuffy Readers (if it is literature/language oriented), which are now online for free (http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/author?name=McGuffey%2C%20William%20Holmes%2C%2018 00-1873). Thank you I just bookmarked these. I am setting up her lesson plan this weekend and testing her Monday to see what she has skill-wise. :hug

I'd want to know where she is placing to kind of figure out what you need to suppliment with the curriculum her parents want to use, and also "play around" with the curriculum ahead of time to be sure I understood it before I took it all on. True I should (after I run her through an assessment) take the rest of the week going through the resources and curriculum.

I remember in 2nd and 3rd grade, I got really messed up with mathematics - and I haven't advanced past 7th-8th grade math. I can't get my head wrapped around algebra, calculus or the other higher maths - but my DH did excellently and is a computer tech./developer. Science, social studies and algebra are my areas (middle school elementary here) but Language arts... :hehee I am worried most about beginning reading and phonics. Taking a child from no ability to read (she somewhat knows her alphabets) - well never tried that one.

The good thing about doing this at home is you only need certain structure, but you won't need the same kind of structure as a classroom would call for. :) Thanks, I'm used to classroom settings (once did an in-home tutoring with a pregnant 12th grader :ohno). Think I may like a one on one. I knew it would never work in Alyssa's house (just... no) so fixed up a classroom in their RV.

Anyway, thank you Reason&Hope and antsinmypants! :hug You have both made me feel a bit more relaxed! I will check out the links, look over the MACHE material and hopefully set up good, workable lesson plans! :thumb
OH YES, and I will continue praying specifically for Alyssa's progress and my curriculum set-up!

[antsinmypants]

Awesome! Glad we could help :hug

[Lucy]

You might consider just starting at the beginning with basic information and in essence start her off right all over again. I think you will find that she will progress very quickly and you will be assured that the information she gets is correct and will build. When she starts to get stuck is where you start. I missed the end of 3rd grade when my ps class was doing long division. It took me years to catch up because no one realized that I had missed those lessons. I pray that she will learn very quickly and that you will know just exactly what to do! Thank you for taking that project on!!!

[NORAD]

You might consider just starting at the beginning with basic information and in essence start her off right all over again. I think you will find that she will progress very quickly and you will be assured that the information she gets is correct and will build. When she starts to get stuck is where you start. I missed the end of 3rd grade when my ps class was doing long division. It took me years to catch up because no one realized that I had missed those lessons. I pray that she will learn very quickly and that you will know just exactly what to do! Thank you for taking that project on!!!

Thanks Lucy! :hug Finished testing her yesterday. :faint Long day - she enjoyed it though! Near clean slate - absolutely nada and she told me yesterday, "We don't agree on this so let's move on!" Alysa is not accustomed to setting and focusing very long at a time. This should be interesting. She is quite advanced in a few things socially, behaviorally but academically - oh boy! So even though Alysa is 7+ years old, we are going through the kinder curriculum so we don't miss anything (like you mentioned). I want to make sure she gets what she needs before progressing to first! :nod

[Reason&Hope]

She doesn't read yet?
I'll tell you in a nutshell how I taught my three kids to read.

1. Romalda Spalding's phonics cards. These are great because they have all the blends, and the vowel combinations - including the 6 sounds for "ou". We played games with them, the best being working with rhymes. Put out the letters "A" and "T" and once the child can sound them out to say "at" add letters in front to form other words: C, B, F, H, S . . . Rhymes are a great way to decode reading.

2. Beginner reading books - I got mine from the library. Make sure they are phonics-based.

Another thing I did was when we read a harder book together, have the child read some of the words.

Godspeed!

[topekaclark]

library is a wonderful resource.....I checked out Leap Frog videos thinking my son was to young and actually he was ready, had not a clue.

Just wanted to point out: Mache, if it doesn't work then don't get frustrated and keep trying to use it.

I started out with Abeka, my struggling learner was overwhelmed, she was a struggling reader, my oldest she did the work but did not retain.

There is plenty of low cost options and the mothers here can give you advice.

Our daughter was 2nd grade and could barely read; I took her back to the beginning of phonics. When we did school work she was responsible to read one page and I the other so she wouldn't get overwhelmed. It was all about building up confidence.

[millky]

for reading: http://www.myread.org/what.htm

it's geared more for older kids but the concepts should be more or less the same

http://teachingtreasures.com.au/homeschool/reading-methods/language-experience-approach.html

Probably the best technique on that website IMO, though there are others

http://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading101

seems like a pretty good resource, check out the strategies page as well