Skipping Rev to Rev to be on track for High School Guides

[Homeschooln2qts]

Carrie, Julie, or anyone else able to help me make this decision,

We discovered and fell in love with HOD when my ds was in the 5th grade and started with Preparing. He has done each of the following guides since then, up to completing RtR and is due to start Rev to Rev in August. I'm really starting to stress over the coming High School years, though. On the current path he's on, he will start MTMM in the 9th grade and will miss the last High School guide. Over the years, I have been at relative peace with this, but lately, I've been searching the message board for posts on how to beef up MTMM for 9th and I. am. feeling. overwhelmed. with all of the "adding to" I'll have to do; borrowing from the next guide to get the credit he needs for that year, and tweaking this and that. I am a real "in the box" thinker and it, frankly, scares the bejeebers out of me to think I can't just do a guide "as is". What I'd really like to do is possibly skip Rev to Rev, so that all of the guess work is taken out and we can just do the High School guides "as is" with little to no tweaking. I've looked over the placement chart and I really feel that he could handle the work load and jump in skill level. My main concern is about him skipping the Science in Rev to Rev. I was looking forward to him using the Advanced Exploration Education curriculum and so was he! Would it hurt him in MTMM and in the later guides if he skips this Science? For Math, he is using VideoText Algebra - Module C (just started Mod. C), which I'm guessing is probably about the equivalent of Algebra 1, though I'm not completely sure. I know VideoText is slightly different from other Algebra programs as it doesn't clearly specify what portions of the program are equal to what in a typical Algebra program. I just wanted to mention what he was doing in Math if it helps with my Science question. Thanks for any help that anyone can give me on this!

[LynnH]

I'm not Carrie or Julie, but I do understand where you are coming from. I am not one who would enjoy beefing up a guide either. The science in Rev to Rev is good, but I don't feel it is critical to have before the other sciences. The IPC in the World Geography guide will cover a lot of the same things and just go more in depth. If you look at the placement chart with fresh eyes and he places in MTMM then I think you could have him do that without issue. How are his writing skills?

[mamanlait]

I'll just add that if you choose to skip (which I don't think would be a huge problem as long as MMtM isn't an overwhelming jump for your child), you might want to spend a few months reading through George Washington's World (assigned in Rev) and Abe Lincoln's World to avoid major gaps in history content. Personally, I'd also encourage you to spend that same few months reading through some of the StoryTime books that really helped give my dd a love for this time period like: Amos Fortune, Songbird, The Reb and The Redcoats, Marie's Home, Florence Nightingale (or maybe assign them to be read). The Les Mis CD was a fairly short production and also a HUGE hit here and really helped dd to understand the French Revolution. I'd hate for you to miss any of the ones I listed!

[LynnH]

The Les Mis audio book is used in the new World History guide for literature so you don't have to squeeze that one in.

[Homeschooln2qts]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my post, Lynn. I'm so glad you asked about his writing skills too because I was also wondering about whether it would be okay or not okay to skip the writing program in Rev to Rev, "The Exciting World of Creative Writing" and go straight to "Write With the Best Vol. 2". I was thinking if he shouldn't skip it, I could possibly purchase that book now and try to quickly cover it over the summer?? He completed Medieval Writing Lessons in RtR with ease and really has developed a love for writing because of that book. He enjoyed it MUCH more than Write With the Best Vol. 1 in CtC and was able to work on it mostly independent, with me checking his work every day. I'm not sure it was ok to do that, but it just seemed to work better that way for us. He writes great narrations and has no trouble meeting the required number of sentences. It's hard for me to gauge his writing skills, though, because while "I" think his writing skills are fairly solid, I don't have anyone his age or grade level to compare it to. However, looking over the placement chart with fresh eyes again, he seems to fall in both Rev to Rev and MTMM. I think MTMM might be more challenging for him in workload then Rev to Rev, but as far as it's content and his comprehension of it, I think it would suit him to a "T". Each guide he's completed up until now has not been particularly challenging, though he's enjoyed each and every one of them! I think he's in kind of that in between place with placement in the guides and always has been.

Woops! Edited to add: I wrote the above response before seeing mamanlait's response. I'll read that now!

[Homeschooln2qts]

Mamanlait, thank you so much for recommending those books from Rev to Rev, as the American History gap is another reservation I have about skipping the guide. Really, everything in Rev to Rev looks so wonderful! Sigh... Not an easy decision in the least. I need to do some praying. Thank you both so much for your help!

[my3sons]

I think high school is a time to revisit the placement chart and place accordingly. I am wondering if some of the thoughts shared in this thread may help as you ponder what to do?...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13690&p=97830#p97830

Maybe some of the thoughts will help as you ponder what to do? What do you think?

In Christ,
Julie

[Homeschooln2qts]

Thank you, Julie. That thread was helpful. So if he does skip Rev to Rev, my two biggest concerns at this point are (a.) Him missing out on so much rich American History. He came to HOD at Preparing and has never had a good, solid American History course and I think American History is sooo important. (b.) Although he may be able to eke out the coming years in a higher level, I worry it may suck all the joy of learning out for him. I want these remaining school years at home for him to be challenging, but I don't want to burn him out and have him stressed. He'll have enough of that in college, I'm sure!

So I guess my next question would be, if we did decide to continue on the path he's on, how can I practically and clearly beef up MTMM and the next 3 guides after for high school? I'm fairly certain he's college bound and he has expressed a desire to go into Engineering. Though I know a LOT can change in 5 years, I want to set him up for that path. We're in AL which has no legal requirements for High School Graduation, so my state requirements aren't as important, but one of the colleges we are looking into close to home has an Engineering program and these are the Core High School Course Requirements for that program:

English- 4

Mathematics- 3 - Must include Algebra I, Algebra II,and one unit of either Geometry,
Trigonometry or Calculus. (I know this will be covered)

Science- 3 -At least two of the sciences must include labs.

Social Science- 3

Advanced Electives- 3 - Courses chosen from any of the four core areas
above and may include foreign language

Total Core Units- 16

Thanks again for any help you can offer me in this, Julie or anyone else. I know it's very time-consuming answering these types of questions for each individual situation.

[Nealewill]

Honestly, look at the requirements, you could skip the last guide entirely and you would be totally fine to meet those requirements.

You would just do MTMM with harder level books and do DITHOR for the literature portion. Plus you are completing a year of R&S and you are completing a writing curriculum. This would give you the year of english.

For science, in MTMM you many want to add in the Chemistry 101 DVDs to along with the science. So then instead of doing Chemistry in the 12th grade, you could do the last guides science. I would definitely do the Advanced kit for Rev to Rev because that could count for a high school science class. Biology would have lab too. So I guess after that, you would already plenty of sciences and at least two would have labs.

Social Studies would easily be met by completing the extension pack in MTMM and you would have a year of social studies in the WG, WH and the 2nd to last guide.

For your advanced electives, if you follow the foreign language for the last 3 years you would have 2.5 credits, you could earn 1 credit of fine arts WH, and you would have logic in WG for .5 credits. That is more than enough for your advanced electives. I am sure there will be another few great electives in the 2nd to last guide.

I think honestly, if it were me, I would just skip the last guide and not even worry about.

Ohio has a lot more regulation so you are very lucky

[Homeschooling6]

Hi, Miranda,

I just wanted to pipe in and mention that my 8th grade daughter (she turned 14 back in Sept. so she might be on the older side) skipped Rev to Rev. Last year for 7th grade she completed Res. to Ref. and because I wanted her to be on track for high school without supplementing or beefing up I skipped Rev. to Rev.

She is using a different LA program. She liked Essentials in Writing so we've kept that and since she completed Analytical Grammar twice she is now using Easy Grammar Plus along with practicing diagramming. That and math is the only area that we changed from the guide. My dd doesn't like R&S unfortunately

She has done really well with all the written work. Other than missing out on some super great books it has worked out. I recently purchased Rev to Rev for her younger brother so now she'll get to read all the books too. She's a reader and can spend too much time reading, yes, there is such a thing, especially when no one can find white socks because she hasn't washed (she's in charge of laundry ).

She is looking forward to the high school guide. She keeps sneaking it from her older brother

[Homeschooling6]

And I forgot to add that she completed DITHOR the first month of her 8th grade year so she is no longer using that either. She started the oldest DITHOR level in 7th grade. I didn't see any reason to have her do it over. I figured she has enough reading already (which she loves)

[Homeschooln2qts]

Nealewill and Homeschooling6, thank you so much for your advice. I very much appreciate the different perspectives I've gained from it and suggestions you've both given me for both possible roads. It has given me a clearer picture to help me make a more informed decision. I'm going to continue to pray about this, but I think I feel the most peace about skipping Rev to Rev and also doing what LynnH suggested... getting George Washington's World, Abraham Lincoln's World, and some of the History Read-Alouds for him to read over the summer. Hopefully, that will help fill in the American History Gap a little. I take comfort in knowing he will have American History in High School.

When we first came to HOD, I think the biggest reason he needed to be placed in the extension range of Preparing instead of CtC was simply because of him being new to the style of learning that comes with the more Charlotte Mason approach in HOD; the incorporating of narration, learning to really listen the first time, copy-work, critical thinking, etc. Now that he's gotten the hang of it, I think, like Julie said earlier, it's probably time to re-visit the placement chart and adjust the plan. You have all been SO helpful! Wow, I love this board and all of you experienced mamas with such wisdom. Such a blessing. I really appreciate it.

[Nealewill]

I think that sounds like a great plan! I am all for minimal modification myself. So I would have probably skipped either Rev to Rev or MTMM myself if my child seemed like they could jump a guide to get on track for the High School program as well.

[Homeschooling6]

Skipping the Rev to Rev guide was a hard decision for both me and my daughter as well. We were drooling over all the books but in the end we decided that MTMM was what we wanted her to study before going into high school.

Thankfully this summer she'll be able to read some of them for fun and I've been reading some of the books too .

Whichever way you go, you can't go wrong with HOD

[my3sons]

...I'm going to continue to pray about this, but I think I feel the most peace about skipping Rev to Rev and also doing what LynnH suggested... getting George Washington's World, Abraham Lincoln's World, and some of the History Read-Alouds for him to read over the summer. Hopefully, that will help fill in the American History Gap a little. I take comfort in knowing he will have American History in High School.

When we first came to HOD, I think the biggest reason he needed to be placed in the extension range of Preparing instead of CtC was simply because of him being new to the style of learning that comes with the more Charlotte Mason approach in HOD; the incorporating of narration, learning to really listen the first time, copy-work, critical thinking, etc. Now that he's gotten the hang of it, I think, like Julie said earlier, it's probably time to re-visit the placement chart and adjust the plan...

I think you have come to a great decision here. It sounds like he is ready for MTMM, and he can enjoy some summer reading of GW World, AL World, etc. American history is coming for high school, and when Carrie writes it, I know it will be wonderful - worth the wait!

In Christ,
Julie