"Afterschooling" or summer schooling a 13 year old in math & language arts

[mrsfrenchy]

This isn't for my own children (who will eventually be homeschooled), but for my sister who is in public school.

She's not doing well in math.  My understanding is that they're working on pre-algebra and simple algebra stuff as well as probablility, etc.  She's currently in 7th grade but I think they're working out of the 8th grade text book.  She also has problems in language arts.  She's not a strong reader at all.  I'm not sure about other specifics of her issues in language arts.  Part of it is a lack of motivation.  But one of her teachers has told my mom that she thinks she has test anxiety because when the teacher talks to her one-on-one, my sister can tell her the answers, yet she does very badly on tests.  My mom has been told to take her to Kumon by multiple teachers, but my mom got laid off of her job earlier this year and they are really tight on money.  She has asked me to help her out once a week after school and over the summer (my sister cooperates with me and actually listens to me more than she does my parents when it comes to schoolwork).

I'm not really sure where to start though.  I'd have more of an idea of where to start if she were being pulled out of school (because we'd deschool first and not really worry about what the school system thinks she needs to know when, but rather re-hab her entire education experience, slowly building her confidence and making sure she's grounded solidly in the basics before moving on)

But I'm not sure that approach is possible just over the summer.  So does anyone have any advice?  Any free or cheap curriculum resources?

[Rebecca2009]

Hi,

I found this the other day....you can download a placement test to help tell where a child is in their math abilities.

http://saxonhomeschool.hmhco.com/en/resources/result.htm?title=Placement 

My 12 year old daughter is going to be homeschooling for 7th grade next year and she's really been struggling with math.  I was so glad to find this test before I try to buy any materials.  Hope this helps you!

[limette]

http://www.khanacademy.org/

[AAK]

For math, I would use a combination of khan academy (mentioned above) and the free worksheets provided by Homeschool Math website.  http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets/  Scroll all the way down.  They have things organized both by grade level and by topic.  If something is missing, I would look at math mammoth.  The downloadable books are usually about $5 each.  Sign up for her newsletter as well.  Maria is a great help and her newsletter is nice. 

For English, I would go for Easy Grammar.  It really only requires 10-15 min/day when you use it through the school year.  So, in your case, you might combine some lessons to shorten the duration.  I linked you to the level that I would expect to work for you. http://www.easygrammar.com/egp.html

Amy

[mrsfrenchy]

Thanks for the suggestions every one.  I'm going to talk to my mom a bit more about what her specific issues are with language arts.

I have a couple more specific questions though:

any ideas on reducing test anxiety?  sometimes she seems to know the material but forgets it when its time to test.  (though, i guess this doesn't apply to many homeschoolers, depending upon the type of stuff you do at home. I may ask in the school forum as well).

also, how would you go about strengthening reading skills, like looking at context clues, etc.?

[umsami]

For text anxiety, she could try some sort of meditation or mindfulness training. There are lots of books out there for teens.

I too recommend Khan Academy and Math Mammoth.

I haven't used these, but they're something to look at re: Reading Comprehension
http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Comprehension-Success-Minutes-Builders/dp/1576854949/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

http://www.amazon.com/Comprehension-Cliffhanger-Stories-Grades-4-8/dp/0439159784/ref=pd_sim_b_1