Help with placing 6th & 8th graders

[laurieincarmel]

I am planning to switch from IEW to CW this fall and would appreciate your comments on placement for my two kids.

My daughter, will start in the fall half way through R&S English 6. We have done IEW the past two years, although not rigorously. She loves to read and write, but struggles with organizing her ideas. She would rather just sit and write out a story, without bothering to punctuate or make paragraphs.

I also have a 8th grade son, who completed R&S 7 last year. We have done IEW the past few years, and he participated in a speech club last year.

I plan to begin my son with the Older Beginners series. My questions concern my daughter. I'm wondering if I should begin her with Homer B, or start with the Older Beginner series also. She does well in English, but struggles some with the diagramming. She doesn't particularly like having to be specific and detailed.

Thanks for your ideas.
Laurie

[greengables]

Hi Laurie,

Although we generally recommend Older Beginners to 7th grade and up, I would probably start them both in Older Beginners because they are close in age/skills and it will be much easier for you. You may find you need to allow your daughter more time, especially on the grammar work, but at least for the first few weeks, you can probably keep them together.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Kathy

[Laurie]

Hi Kathy,

Thank you for your comments, and I will take your advice and start with the Older Beginners series for both.

I am curious about why the Older Beginners is not recommended until 7th grade. If Aesop is for 3/4 and Homer 5/6, why wouldn't the combined Aesop/Homer for Older Beginners be recommended for 6th and above? If Homer can be completed by a 6th grader, why not the combined course.

Also, I think I read elsewhere on this board that in the Older Beginners course, Aesop is only covered for 2 weeks. If that is so, for cost purposes, would I be okay to purchase the Homer book only?

Thanks again for your comments.

Laurie

[greengables]

Laurie, the recommendation for 7th grade has to do with the pace and workload of Older Beginners. But our grade level recommendations are just that - recommendations, and the individual situations are usually the larger consideration. Some of us would probably prefer not to even use grade level designations, but we know it is helpful to give a general idea of a proper placement. Also, in homeschooling, what is meant by '6th grade' can vary widely! I know 6th graders who are 10, and I know some who are 13.

Yes, you can probably get by without Aesop, although it might be of benefit to see if you can borrow a copy from someone who lives nearby. The Yahoo Classical Writing group might be a good place to ask.

Kathy