August Homeschool Update II Rough Start to Language Arts

Welcome to my first monthly update for 2022 ... my August Homeschool Update! I update you on Sonlight, Abeka, Saxon, and so much more!
Amazon Shop: www.amazon.com/shop/sciencemama
My Book Channel (Angie Henderson): / @bookmama26
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:28 Life Update
02:32 Family Subjects
14:52 3rd Grade
22:54 2nd Grade
24:46 Preschoolers
Equipment used:
Camera: amzn.to/3uCA4gd
Editing Software: Adobe Premiere Pro
Small tripod: amzn.to/3wIVSYX
Ring light: amzn.to/3fw7vga
Music: KZbin Free Library
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Hi! I’m Angie, my kids ages are 8, 7, 4, and 4. On this channel I enjoy sharing my serious love for all things homeschool! You can expect videos on homeschool curriculum (flip-throughs, and reviews), book hauls, and any tips and tricks I have picked up over the past 4 years. Excited to have you following along!!
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Where to find me!
EMAIL [e-mail]
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INSTAGRAM / angiesciencemama

[@MrsPerdueArt]

Solidarity!! My 8yo son really struggles with spelling and it’s so hard!! We just started Logic of English Essentials level A and I’m actually really loving it for him. The spelling words are simple and phonetic, but there’s LOTS of practice. They do dictation with the spelling words, use them in sentences, write the plural/past tense, etc. All the practice is really getting my son comfortable with writing/spelling. Curious to see what you guys do!! It’s so impressive to me that your so thoughtful about each area and how to help your kids succeed!! ❤️

[@EducationalRoots]

I’ve had my eye on that Tuesdays at the Castle. I saw it on Sonlight’s website. I go through their website a lot for book recs. Most of the time we like them but not always.

[@sciencemama]

I really liked it and so did my kids!!

[@EjKep]

This is cracking me up with the naked people!! But, I get it - the distraction might be too much for focusing!! LOL And, yes I would do the same thing! Have totally colored in clothes before!!

[@sciencemama]

Glad I’m not the only one!!

[@nicoleram8347]

I'm loving Julie Bogart and The Brave Writer for support and inspiration actually overall homeschool, but especially when approaching ELA! She's written two books which are also lovely: The Brave Learner and Raising Critical Thinkers

[@roseylove1543]

I was watching a review on the Good and the Beautifuls new language arts and the reviewer was saying how the new version is like AAR and Abeka combined. And I’ve heard the spelling is much improved. I personally like that it’s Charlotte Mason inspired and writing is introduced gently. If you haven’t already looked into that or found something else. That’s a good one to look into 😊

[@jerilyn-ourhomeschooltable]

As Charlotte Mason suggested, I think oral narration and you writing it down is perfect at your kids ages. 😊

[@sciencemama]

Agreed! I'm thinking of going more that direction!

[@Tamara-fz4wm]

We much preferred the audio for CHOW. Made it much easier :)

[@sciencemama]

Good to know, thanks!

[@makeitcount4427]

We used A Childs History of the world last year with Sonlight. My daughter hated it. 😒 I thought it had a lot of interesting information. But when it got to a point where she started shutting down everytime I grabbed the book, I had no choice but to shelve it.

[@mmv10]

Look into Writing with Ease for his writing. It is a great approach to kids that struggle with this subject. A plus is there is reading comprehension included

[@emmyanne03]

I just stopped Abeka language 3 last week for the same reasons you stated in the video as well. I switched to Christian light education language 3 and also using all about spelling starting at level 1 and it seems to be going great!

[@kayegenin123]

I’d definitely recommend Dart from Brave Writer for grammar, literature, and writing. Her approach sounds perfect for your son.

[@lindseydsimon]

Maybe look into The Good and The Beautiful’s newest level 2 for your son. I’m using it for my daughter and it is a really big improvement from their old level. The spelling is much better, the pacing/review of things are much better, all around we are really enjoying it and it has been perfect for us!

[@lucerolondono]

Hi Angie, I did sonlight second grade LA with my daughter last year, I wanted to give you an idea with the spelling list, I decided to do it in the traditional way ( since my brain works better that way) I got her a notebook and each week I would write the rule when there was a new one or just write review last week…then the spelling list and I did like a little check list where I ask her to do the activities they suggest like alphabetize the words or sometimes we did pyramid style, or write a sentence using two words you know nothing crazy, then on Thursdays we did a spelling test, and practice the wrong ones using a sentence. Last I write the optional copy work so she can practice. For me It worked beautifully, It helped me because then each Sunday when I planned my week I just write in her notebook and she knew what to do by herself during the week and we would go over it on Thursday before the quick spelling test. After that, we did the copy work application which I always told her it was more like brainstorming and then I would explain her creative expression so she could do it on Fridays.

[@sciencemama]

That is a great idea - thanks!

[@cassafrasstoofly]

My daughter is in third grade and is required to take standardized testing. We’re doing our typical curriculum (Lightning Lit) until Christmas, and then we’ll add in some test prep/workbooks once a week to prepare her for testing. Not teaching to the test, but preparing her for the test.

[@sciencemama]

Great idea!!

[@LearningPlantingGrowing]

What we did when my son was your sons age and faltering with writing and spelling is had him focus on one book of interest to him. We chose a DK kids explorer encyclopedia and he just copied chunks every day. It was so simple but one year of doing that built up his spelling and writing fatigue coping. It worked out really well.

[@mmv10]

Last year was our first year of homeschooling in a state that requires testing. My kids did great throughout the year with their curriculum, but I was also nervous about our testing. What I ended up doing was, the last two weeks of our school, they took a pre test. From there I was able to see what were some of the things that we should prepare for and go over things that they did not learn in our curriculum but would be included in the test. They did amazing on their test and I am going to continue doing this for now on. Hope that helps!

[@sciencemama]

Thank you!

[@AlwaysBooked]

💜💜💜

[@kristin3191]

Oral narration really helps my son to organize his thoughts for writing assignments. I have him dictate into the notes app on his iPad and then I print it so we can go over how to organize it together and correct any spelling or grammatical errors.

[@sciencemama]

Love that idea!

[@jlbryarly]

Hi! Our kiddos sound very similar. This year we are trying Spelling Power. Its 15 mins a day max. This program fits all learning needs. Kinesthetic, visual, and auditory. Both kids, 3rd and 5th grades, are doing very well. For language arts we mix TG&TB with Fix It Grammer and Easy Grammer. It seems like a lot, but the kids truly enjoy Fix It and Easy Grammer. If I had to pick one of the 3, I would choose Easy Grammer and add reading units. Hope this helps

[@orelsa82]

I second Spelling Power. My son started in 2nd grade several years ago. My daughter is in 2nd now and I'm keeping her in Explode the Code until next year.

[@Olgaleigh]

I’m going to be doing Gather Rounds ancient cultivations along with this program to make it more exciting.

[@MatthewsAdventures156]

For Creative Expression we only do it every other week. And use the Julie Bogart method of Jot it Down. Celebrate his words! The mechanics will come later. Sounds like you're on the right track.

[@meganrose22]

We are using Bookshark for history this year! We’re LOVING it. Using it for science as well and having the same issues as you are. The books can totally be over their heads with the intense facts (ages7&10). They love the science experiments as well. I was told that their LA had some inconsistencies, so we chose Learning Language Arts Through Literature. It’s been amazing even for my 7 yr old who is slow but eager to read. We sprinkle in AAR and AAS a couple times a week and they are blending so well with the LLATL. Thanks for the update!

[@rebeccaerinne]

Realizing that oldest kids don't have a model is definitely something I need to remember. I'm going to try to model narration to my oldest because she is just not able to do it yet. And I think that's because she's never heard someone narrate like in asking her to.

[@bwebbs28]

Maybe spelling you see. Some people love it. Some people are confused by it. There are no spelling list so it’s worth a try

[@reneerodan725]

Great update. Absolutely not too long. SO funny, liking the sharpie/history book, I agree keeps distractions minimal, lol. I have Henry Huggins pulled for a read-a-louds this year, too. I enjoyed the review of the girls' read-a-louds, Tuesdays at the Castle and Snazzy Cat Capers. I will check them out for my 9 year old girl! You are definitely reminding me to dig out my Magic School Bus books for a more easy going science. I can relate with your language arts tweaking considerations! I agree and think your intuitions are spot on. I'm also seeking, and am seriously looking at Horizons Second Grade Reading and Phonics as well as Horizons Second Grade Spelling. I think the concrete workbook daily reinforcement of the phonics visual component will work well for my kiddo. Also, both of those subjects will progress in tandem. As for Language Arts, the dictation method is a struggle for my student, so, I'm looking at either BJU English 2 , for grammar and writing OR The Nose Tree, by IEW for just Grammar in conjunction with Matthew Stevens' 2nd Grade Essentials in writing, for just the writing component. Great job reading each of your individual students so we'll. Like that you are flexible with how to utilize your curriculum to make it work for you and not vice versa. Looking forward for your next update!

[@sciencemama]

Ahh, thank you for your support!

[@jengillespie5114]

So I just started my school year, but I am using Jack Kris Publishing for writing, spelling, and grammar. It is to the point without fluff. But I am ok with that. I still use All About Spelling and I am using Bookshark readers. Thank you for sharing. I love your updates and videos.

[@leahkuqo]

we are using a child’s history of the world and I couldn’t agree more - I think it’s an older book written possibly by someone in Europe and that may be why it doesn’t seem as clever

[@meghanshaffer229]

I do the science sheets verbally with both my kids and I fill in the blanks (unless they request to write themselves which they do sometimes). Works for us! And, yes, that DK Earth book was not great. The 2 books after that one are fun!

[@fitmesslife]

A child's History of the World was first published in the 1920's so it may be a bit antiquated. Mine are a bit inquisitive and I have a history buff, but he had the same questions about how do we know what is being taught is factual. Which is a great conversation in reasoning and inference. Language arts, so writing is doing two things at once. Thinking about what you want to write, and writing it. But it's a challenge to put it together. I did do the oral narration with mine, and then the next day would dictate back to them. Then I taught them to do an outline or a mind map.

[@monicamoskovics8686]

I had a similar reaction to Hilyer. We have recently started reading George Washington's World and Abraham Lincoln's World and I believe they have some ancient history period works in the series. That and Before Columbus (the kid version) have been really helpful and kept the attention of my kiddos. :)

[@aze1506]

We are LOVING Writeshop primary! It is definitely teacher heavy but it has been a great hit with my twins need a little nudge in the right direction with creative writing. Their "guided writing" has been a game changer! It's basically what you've been doing, they have a great video here on youtube going into detail as to how that works!

[@StaceyYoder]

Enjoyed your video. My twins in third grade doing Sonlight LA C, for the creative writing I'm having them speak to text on ipads. They enjoy it and it took away the tears. They still have to correct some words, spelling, punctuation etc.

[@sciencemama]

Thank you - that’s a good idea!

[@crystaltaylor6129]

I’ve working through The Critical Thinking Co. “Thinking Skills for Test” Grades PreK-2 book with both my kindergartner and 2nd grader for getting use to taking standardized test.

[@sciencemama]

That is what I am leaning towards using - Thanks!

[@lorriel9629]

We used History Quest last year and it was good. This year we switched to Book Shark, big mistake. We both love books but this was too much. When you have an avid reader and she finds having assigned reading from different books every night too much stress. It’s time to change things. So we are back to History Quest and doing good. I hope I can keep myself from changing things that are working for next year. I love your monthly updates. It’s nice to see how others are doing. 😊

[@jerilyn-ourhomeschooltable]

I live in a state with standardized testing in certain grades. I use Evan Moor Reading Skill Sharpener to help my daughter be prepared to take the reading test at the end of this year. It’s very similar to or more work than ABeka’s reading comprehension pages. I’d stick with them if I were you. Just so he gets comfortable with the types of questions, but you could do them verbally I think. On standardized tests they aren’t writing answers. They’re multiple choice.🤷🏻‍♀️

[@Marie-uu7rw]

Have you looked into Rooted in Language for Language Arts? I personally think it is amazing!

[@Townsendhouse1]

We also aren't huge fans of CHOW. When Emma was in level B many years ago now, we used CHOW for about a month, and then I switched to Story of the World, and so we use SOTW volume 1 for B, volume 2 for C, volume 3 for D and volume 4 for E. Then we cycle through volume 1&2 for G and volume 3&4 for H. I have read them so many times at this point! Then, when I started over with volume 1 last year for Lucy, both Emma and Jack would listen in and say "oh, i loved that story!" So it is fun to see 🙂 We also don't really do the worksheets for the early levels of science. We mainly do a lot of reading, and then experiments 😊

[@sciencemama]

We have pretty much ditched the science worksheets and I might have to try SOTW!

[@HomeschoolingwithHeart223]

It sounds like you got this! 😉 Does he do Mad Libs? This May help with seeing the writing structure, and with creativity. My grandson is an auditory learner, which means I constantly have to think out of the box 😄 He is starting 3rd this week. We should have an interesting month because I changed pretty much everything 😅 Up until now He has done mostly oral narration and discussions. Last year He did natural spelling on his white board. He reads above his level but writing is totally different. He can look at words and put the correct sentence in order, but has difficulty with writing down an original idea. This year we are learning the writing process in chunks, if that makes sense? 😁 I have more Phonics entering our Homeschool, in order to make sure he is getting those blends, and to give extra help with his spelling. I'm only bringing in minimal writing. I am pulling back and just teaching sentence structure, parts of speech and starting a spelling program for this semester. We will do copy work but probably just weekly. Copy work is nice because he becomes familiar visualizing sentence and paragraph structure. Best wishes!

[@oliviam1807]

My daughter is in 3rd grade and really has been struggling with spelling and writing. For spelling she does list style and it’s 15 words. She was getting almost half wrong every week. We also take about 1.5 weeks to do a list instead of just a week. This week I tried something new that seems to really be helping her. On my iPad I recorded the corresponding phonics rule with the lesson and then I read the words aloud. I separated the recordings in half so words 1-8 and 9-15. She listens to me saying the word and uses letter tiles. She loved doing it that way. It made her think bc she didn’t have the list in front of her where she’s just copying. She really had to recall the phonics rule. For writing, our curriculum teaches just the standard 5 sentence paragraph and making a web for ideas. It’s not my favorite and doesn’t inspire creativity but does show how to write a standard sentence. So, for more practice I make her write at least 4 sentences of whatever chapter she just read for literature. The quality of her sentences have gotten so much better that way because she’s not coming up with any ideas of her own just retelling in her own words. I figured I can worry about creative writing later. I do like Night Zoo Keeper for supplementing her writing. It will provide half of a sentence and then she has to finish it. So she sees what a more creative form of writing looks like.

[@irenescotti4687]

A reason for spelling looks hands on and fun and they do phonics mixed in. We use rod and staff and it's short and sweet and phonics based, but we only do one column per day. Write shop looks fun for writing. Also have you seen the critical thinking company's books for test prep? That could take the place of logic for now. I think it's called building thinking skills.

[@michiganmom2977]

My thoughts about testing might be a little different- why teach to the test at all if it is not ready your plan? What would happen if your kids did poorly on the test? I’m not sure what state you are in but do they have repercussions for poor results? My kids were in a l private school before we decided to homeschool and we had one who always tested poorly. I think it was nerves. Either way, nothing came of it and the school never mentioned it again. Results were only discussed at the parent/teacher conference and it was very brief. We live in Michigan so we are not required to test in homeschool and no one reviews the results if we do decide to test. Would your right to homeschool be revoked because of poor testing? Do the results matter in the long run? As homeschool moms we know where our children struggle. Just food for thought. :) I am thoroughly enjoying your videos! I also LOVE your long hair. I did a double take looking at older videos with your shorter hair. It is so cute!

[@sciencemama]

I really appreciate your thoughts on this and I'm starting to lean more that way as well!

[@strangementalitypaperYT]

Haha. I always use masking tape to "block" R-rated material from my classroom library. It's more of a problem with comics and graphic novels. I've made it clear to my students that we don't ban books, but we will keep it PG-13 in order to cover my you-know-what.

[@NJDeXdance]

Spelling is just hard. We are returning to AAS this fall after a year long break from AAR. My 3rd grader ended up liking journaling & has a pen pal so the constant “How do you spell…” questions are really getting to her. She actually asked to start spelling lessons again, so we’ll see how it goes! I like that AAS is based on rules rather than just lists so maybe that approach can help you? Good luck!

[@kerieubank7400]

In VA, we have to standardize test every year (including k!). We have used Logic of English and there was quite a bit of comprehension questions built into every reader. It was great for preparing my daughter, but she was also reading above grade level. I did do some extra traditional workbooks (like brain quest or summer bridge type stuff) just so she could get used to the type of format. I will say the first grade test(she's in second) was very intense in the reading comprehension. There are quite a few passages with questions. We use Iowa. I think asking questions as he reads, starting with pausing after a short passage, and gradually moving to longer passages to eventually a whole small book will really help. He's probably working hard at decoding and the comprehension will follow. One thing I have my daughter do that helps with testing too (and future studying) is to read back to find the answer if she doesn't know. Even something like reading something, then reading the questions, then rereading can help with comprehension.

[@sciencemama]

Thank you!

[@crystalmanteuffel8858]

When we get to a short answer/definition question, I have my 9 year old just copy the sentence directly out of the book rather than trying to have her make up a sentence on her own.

[@CalmintheChaosHomeschool]

We are still struggling with getting my 5th grade boy to get his thoughts on paper.

[@cindycleveland8625]

Do you have to do a specific test where you live? We don’t have to here in Florida however I do….. now the with that we have a lady that administers the test with the knowledge that not all kids test the same and she will meet the child where there are to get it done in there own way. Some kids need auditory testing or a combo.

[@Olgaleigh]

Sounds like IEW would be a good fit for him. We did bookshark LA last year and had to ditch it for thies same reasons. Going to try bookshark LA again this year after doing IEWs Bible heroes

[@sciencemama]

I’m thinking the same thing!!

[@OneMamaToAnother]

Are you able to do the LA the way you want for the first part of the year and then work toward what he is missing or needing for the test later on? Check out the book Melissa Forney's Picture Speller for Young Writers. My kids found it super helpful to write ideas down without worrying about the spelling as much.

[@sciencemama]

That’s a good idea!!

[@crystalmanteuffel8858]

LA 3 will help with organizing thoughts. I spell any difficult words for my daughter and write them on our large dry erase board. I'm wondering if LA 3 would be better than LA 2 for that aspect. We go over the spelling, but I don't do the "test." Our main spelling is Spelling You See which relies more on copywork than spelling lists.

[@sciencemama]

That is a really good thought, I have LA 3 so maybe I will try that!!

[@MatthewsAdventures156]

Are you using Explode the Code with sonlight spelling? That's reinforces the spelling words and makes it more cohesive. Example if the words that week are -ED endings, the recommended ETC pages are the same words with -ED endings. And ETC makes things a little more "fun" .

[@sciencemama]

I didn’t realize that ETC and the spelling are somewhat connected 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@lukamarbledesigns9899]

Love your videos! Do you read one book at a time instead of following the schedule?

[@daisyrios6463]

List form might not work for them what about trying spelling you see?

[@BustlingHome]

What are you using for art again? Is there any consequence based on testing results in your state?

[@sciencemama]

We are using Artistic Pursuits and still loving it! No, there aren't any consequences and realizing that has help me calm down a bit :)

[@lesliefilart3586]

I think copywork MAY help with the spelling, as they get to familiarize themselves with words by copying it. Just a thought :)

[@sciencemama]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@numbersandstars]

Hey girl! I enjoy your update videos a lot since your boy and mine are about the same age. I think I would drop Sonlight Spelling for both kids and for your daughter definitely drop Spelling all together and stick to Phonics/Handwriting and copywork, no writing either. Maybe for your boy stick with Phonics for now. And maybe later you can focus on Spelling. I will suggest Logic of English Essentials. I know it is very teacher intensive but Level A goes very fast. Our son just finished Foundations Level D and we will start Essentials A because that is where the placement test said. It was a little sad to see that he did not make it to Level B because his Spelling was pretty bad but we trust that those problems will resolve in Essentials. We have seen so many testimonies and I have a friend that is going through B with her daughter and she says Essentials is super effective. So… maybe you should consider it. I think at this stage Phonics is so much more important than Spelling and Writing. It really think we should focus on Phonics the most, along with Math. And later on Spelling and Grammar. As for the Earth DK books, I highly recommend the Focus On Geology from Real Science 4 Kids!! I adore that curriculum because it is written so kids can understand Scientific concepts in a way that is very age appropriate. I really love how systematic it is and how much better we are understanding Science.

[@sciencemama]

Thank you! Yep we have ditched Sonlight spelling 🤣

[@laurapinkham3488]

Have you thought about reading story of the world instead? Curious what you decide to do for LA. Wish I could help, but I only have a seven year old in first grade.

[@sciencemama]

Yes I’m thinking about that 😊

[@laurapinkham3488]

@@sciencemama my son is really loving it and is retaining it so far.

[@Townsendhouse1]

Do they use the scores from the standardized test for any purpose? Or is it just that the test needs to be done and scores submitted? Standardized testing is an option for our end of year assessment, but the scores don't matter, and wouldn't matter regardless because they aren't comparing an entire grade to the sample standard, it is just one student. Another thing to keep in mind is that in the public school setting, when a student does poorly on a standardized test it doesn't actually have any bearing on their grade or place in the school. There are kids that excel at standardized tests, and there are kids that aren't great at standardized tests (but still great students!). I wouldn't necessarily put much stock into it. And, honestly, I think you will be pleasantly surprised how your child does when they do the standardized test. We never did any testing with Emma until she was going into 7th grade, and then I had her take a standardized test because I was curious. She knocked it out of the park even though we have been really unconventional when it comes to writing. I wouldn't stress about it.

[@sciencemama]

Thank you for the support - I needed to hear that and just let it go!!

[@CharlotteMasonTT]

Keep Practicing the reading and spelling …. I find copywork is not worth the time. Creative writing is better and just correct the spelling by revisiting the spelling hints

[@Dymphna06]

I like this advice!!!! Creative writing in third grade was so fun for me as a kid and taught me soooo much about writing. I’m so grateful my third grade teacher did this with us!

[@xiixiixo]

Last year , my 3rd grade niece was struggling with reading comprehension (She tested 1.17 at the end of second grade). I did reading comprehension from Evan Moor, starting with 1st grade. She was able to do a week's worth of lessons each day. Once she made it to the second grade workbook she slowed down to one a day for a couple of months. She was able to pick up the pace to two lessons a day for the remainder of the year and through the summer. Her comprehension score skyrocketed.

[@amandab.6815]

It sounds like you might benefit from taking a more segmented approach to LA for your son, since he is at different proficiency levels for different skills. We don't want one skill to prevent progression in another skill. Spelling seems to be a recurring theme as a sore spot. We still love AAS. I know you have tried it in the past. I personally don't find it as teacher intensive as many people say. Yes, it takes my direct attention, but very little brain power since its scripted and laid out so well. I just do a small portion of the step each time, maybe 5 minutes of it. And since there are only 20 something steps, you can get through a whole level, or even 2, every year with only a few minutes a day. And I really like Writing With Ease for the writing issues you are talking about. First its just copy work, then it moves to they narrate and you write it down, then at some point they start copying what you wrote down when they dictated to you. So it breaks the "idea generation" from the physical writing of it, into 2 steps. And you are the middle man, writing down their ideas, which they then copy. And it builds from there, slowly removing the teacher from the process. My explanation might be poor, but the program moves very slow and incrementally and hold you hand completely. Many kids might not need the super slow and incremental approach, but it you are hitting a wall, then maybe it would help.

[@sciencemama]

That’s what I was thinking too!