We wrapped up our study on Japan and started on Korea. For her Choose Your Own Adventure she decided to make an origami crane. It came out pretty good. She also made a really nice collage about Japanese art forms but I didn’t get a picture of it.
In science this week we finished up our unit on the respiratory system. We ended the unit by making a model of the diaphragm and it was co-ol!
Our snag this week, came in the form of language arts. As you may recall, we have been using Advanced Language Lessons for grammar and Writing With Skill. In both cases, we were working off of rough drafts of the books, as neither had been published, as Susan Wise Bauer was gracious enough to share the first 15 weeks of both while folks while they were waiting for them to be published. Recently, WWS was released and I have still been waiting on ALL.
I received an email from UPS early this week stating I had a package being delivered. A package? What did I order? I couldn’t remember. Then I remembered the ALL that I had preordered. Maybe?? I checked with Amazon and it wasn’t ALL. Boo… So I decided to check on the status of publication over at the Well Trained Mind forum.
And that’s where I found the horribly, terrible, no good, bad news. Due to some snags with ALL, one of the biggest being the mammoth size of it if SWB included everything she felt need to be covered, it was being put on a permanent hold. Wahhhhhh!!! Wahhhhh!!! Wahhhh!!!!
Sure a 1400 page LA book might seem like a lot for a fifth grade curriculum but wahhh!! We loved First Language Lesson and Advanced Language Lessons was proving to be just as good. And we have been through A LOT of LA curriculums before we found what worked for us. The thought of having to find something else…Ugh!
I did find something else to use for grammar, Growing With Grammar. A friend of mine uses it and likes and, from what I could gather from the samples, it was the closest I could find that covers what I like about ALL. Sort of.
And I have to give the GWG publishers mad props on their shipping and customer service. I ordered on Tuesday and it arrived today. It didn’t take 5 months like some companies. ::cough, cough, Winter
And in case you were wondering what was in the “mystery package”…It was a review item and it is AWESOME. It’s from a company that starts with an “A” and ends with an “pologia.” Woot!
In other news, cheer and basketball started back up. I’m back to chanting our lessons in the form of a cheer. lol
And that was our fun-filled week. Check out other Wrap-Ups over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
9 comments:
Sorry about your snag! I think we have a very similar issue, language. I can't seem to find anything that I like and would enjoy teaching in that subject for my kids. I'm going to check out what you have been using. I have looked at Language Lessons recently someone else had talked to me about them. Also love the science!! XOXO Visiting from WUH...
That is a bummer about your language arts curriculum. I know how hard it is to find something that really clicks with your family. We are trying Total Language Plus this year and so far are really enjoying it.
Btw, I love your daughters origami!
You totally had me LOL-ing! In fact, the hubs just asked what I was laughing at. :)
I had the hardest time finding a grammar program for my fifth grader. I'm tempted now to try GWG...but then he's doing SO great with ACE. For the first time, he's really understanding the difference between subjects and predicates and adjectives. Why would I mess with that?! And yet...I'm always wondering if there's something "better" out there! **rolling eyes at myself**
And we got our mystery "A" package this week too. I LOVE it! In fact, the kids begged me to get started the night we opened the package!
Hope you're staying warm this weekend. Instead of getting buried in snow like me. Bleh. At least the kids and the mutt enjoy it.
...danielle
Oh, no! Its been a tough curriculum year, huh? I've heard good things about GWG, but never tried it. We're using Saxon Grammar and Writing. *I* like it because it's thorough, but I'll admit that it's not the most, um, exciting/interesting stuff. LOL
LOVE the new blog look!
Love your photos!! My girls have really gotten into origami too:) We're learning about the human body too, so I'll show them your experiment. I bet they'll want to try it! Thanks for sharing.
We are using Growing with Grammar with our fifth grader, too. It's ok. I don't live it but it does the job. We use First Lamguage Lesdons with our second grader SMS I much prefer the gentle approach. I wish that Advanced Lamguage Lessons had worked out!
Sorry you hit a snag! Your science lesson looks very cool though!
We were so bummed about ALL too! I understand their reasons, but what about those of us who need it! Hope GWG is the answer you looking for :).
That stinks that it is being put on hold. :( And I got that same exciting package!! Can't wait to get into it!
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