need curriculum help

[septemberbaby]

hi, I'm new here and very new to hs. we aren't even hsing yet, just seriously considering it for my 5th gr dd who basically hasn't learned much in the last 3 years of traditional school. partly due to her anxiety/learning issues and partly due to the schools giving her bogus hundreds to 'boost self esteem' but don't get me started on that. anyway.

I want to start educating her myself. I dont' think she would respond well to lots of drills and worksheets. from my quick glance, I think something like shiller math is more likely to work for her. especially because it seems as though you can really fill in gaps with that one. trouble is, its a three year kit (read: expensive!). any other math curriculum similar to that one?

and can anyone recommend a reading curriculum that will help me figure out where her gaps are and fill them in? she's probably at a 3rd gr reading level, but again, her skills are very spotty.

thanks for any tips or adviceor other input you may have

[ChristaN]

I'm not familiar with Shiller math, but when I googled it, it appears to be a Montessori based math curriculum. Could you do a different Montessori math program that doesn't come in such a large "kit?" I know that you can find discount Montessori supplies online. You also might want to try one of the homeschool curriculum swap sites online to see if anyone is selling used Montessori math supplies or a used homeschool supply store if you have one locally.

As far as reading, by 3rd grade reading many schools aren't teaching "how to read" per se anymore, but how to derive content from your reading and how to write. What do you mean by spotty in terms of her reading? Does she read slowly, lack comprehension, or have fluency difficulties?

eta: Hooked on Phonics has reading kits for grades 4 and 5 that use Sylan Learning Center materials for reading comprehension. That might be a possibility to fill in gaps. I believe that those higher grade level kits also offer a coupon for a free reading assessment at Sylvan.

[AAK]

Just a handful of potential tip:
You mention anxiety/learning issues and that she may not respond well to worksheets. I would visit the living math and the living science yahoo groups for ideas. You can teach many areas of math with hand on "real" life type activities. You may want to make an outline of skills that she has and that she needs to work on and go from there.

Reading levels are tricky, in that they mean several things. When you say 3rd grade level, you need to figure out if that is in regards to decoding or if it is with comprehension, or both. I like the reading detective stuff from www.criticalthinking.com for comprehension. It is a worksheet though--but short. The passage is one page and then there are a few questions about it--multiple choice. I think they might have a software version though. I do like the chart at the beginning of the book that shows which skills are reinforced with which passages.

You may want to take a little "deschooling" time though since school has caused anxiety in the past.

Science & history can be done through exploring your community resources and library. Movies can tie it in too. If there is any topic that she is passionate about--RUN with it! Let her find out that learning CAN be fun.

Good luck!

Amy

[septemberbaby]

thank you both for your responses
I will look for other montessori based math programs, good idea
I really don't know much about how reading is taught, or what the building blocks are (as opposed to math, which I get), so I guess I have alot of reading to do myself.
as far as my dd's spotty skills, she reads slowly when she reads (she avoids reading whenever possible) and makes lots of mistakes decoding. comprehension is below grade level, but better when I read to her than when she reads herself.
writing is much better. although her spelling is poor, she can put her thoughts in order and is pretty ok in terms of basic grammar.