Need Help/ Ideas - Resurrection- Reformation

[kidsforHim]

We are using RtR with 16yr. old son. This was the guide we felt led to do after much thought and prayer and God provided it for us. We are using a different math and beefed up the science. He is doing everything else pretty much as is, adding the optional writing assignments, extension pkg, and using a spine from another curriculum to add upper level to the history. It is all taking him plenty long to get done, even seeming to be getting bogged down the further we go, tho he says he likes it and is enjoying it. But, I have been sensing there is 'something' the matter. He says he likes it, even thanked me for getting it at the beginning. But it's like he has no motivation to get at it and get it done, tho eventually it does get done. After trying to talk with him, he mentioned that seeing 'all those boxes he has to do' bothers him. Also, he rather misses answering questions, which was totally a surprise to me!! REALLY? That's what he hated about what he used last year. The books don't seem too young for him tho understandably some of the storytime books could feel that way. He seems to be enjoying the storytime box activities- he has never done that type of thing before, so I have let him just go ahead and do them figuring it would be good for him. He mentioned he would like more of a textual type book to read to go along with history. He has been trying to read the Companion from Biblioplan. He does this on day5, Oh, and also doing Pilgrims Progress from answers in Genesis on that day. I don't really want to add more to what already makes a full day but do you have any thoughts or ideas for helping him? ANything we could add to history? A different way to approaching " all thoses boxes" that stare at him making him feel bogged down before he's even begun? I did print off how long the boxes should take to try and help that way and he wanted it placed where he could see it everyday.
Any suggestions or thought would be appreciated!

[Gwenny]

Just answering questions is a lot easier in some ways than doing things the CM way. Doing the activities and narrations, etc, requires more out them, requires them to really think about and interact and decide things on their own. It's easier to read the question and search the text for it if you don't already remember.

I can't think of anything on being discouraged by the boxes, I'm curious about ideas for that also.

[kidsforHim]

That's the suprising thing about him saying that. He has had a hard time answering questions in the past. He seemed to do best with CM type of learning. But I have become a bit uncertain that we've made the right choice, I mean like maybe he could've done the world history guide after all, it would be geared more toward his age but there are some things that I know he would have had trouble with and I would not know how to help him, like ' bulleted notes' and such. I guess I'm just worried that maybe RtR isn't "enough", does it feel too young for him. As for the work load of RtR it doesn't seem too light.

[Hope]

Does he know the intended age range of RTR? Does it bother him? It sounds like you made a prayerful decision, and had good reasons for picking it. My oldest, who actually has always been quite advanced for his age, needed CTC for work load reasons. We also made a prayerful decision. Sometimes though his motivation isn't there and him 'thinking' he should be higher plays into it. I am planning on re-evaluating him at the end of CTC on the placement chart since his grammar, math, reading, & science will be, or already are, Rev2Rev level. He likes CTC, but could handle more age wise so I know what you are talking about. The extensions help. The work load, for now though, is just right.

I hope something I said helps.

[kidsforHim]

Yes, he knows it is for a younger age, but I have always kept the positive attitude that it can be used for high school by beefing it up. When he has days that go longer he is incredulous that it is for younger and gets thoughtful but hasn't said it bothers him. If he would, I would be quick to reassure him on the matter. He really would like to just have a book of higher level reading of same time period, something like companion in Biblioplan but that flows better and keeping the work load the same - per my son.
I really shouldn't question we did the right thing since after much prayer and thought, God provided it in such a way there was no doubt it was His will. I need to keep reminding myself of that.( I lack confidence in myself, What If I didn't 'hear' right and just did what 'I" thought was best.)
He is enjoying the Pilgrims Progress and the commentary they have after the chapters. I did have to change from the digging deeper questions to the truths to ponder but it is still making him think. He is also doing a study guide for the Lord of the RIngs book. Just need something to up the history a bit and maybe satisfy that desire to know more.

[Jennymommy]

With all you have added, he is actually doing more work than he would with the high school guides. I'm wondering if you might drop the extra curriculum, or even move him up to the world history guide which does include pilgrims progress. He may appreciate the 4 day schedule and higher level books. We are currently enjoying the WH program

[Jennymommy]

This post may give more food for thought...viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16788#p117633

[kidsforHim]

He didn't place into the high school guides in Lit, writing, and english according to placement chart. He was rather all over the place. Overall best placement was going to be in the younger guide to get everything planned out for him which is what he was wanting. We had also already done biology.
I'm rather puzzled and confused! I thought these younger guides needed some beefing up for high school credit. I just went by what I read in the beefing up thread. We do the day 5 just because he could never get it all done in 4 days. He rather likes the 5th day, it's lighter and makes a good catch-up day.
He is enjoying the books just wants a bit more in a textual form, not necessarily more fiction. The boxes... any ideas how to help with the feeling of bogged down with seeing all he has to do for the day? Its just a physcological thing I'm sure.

[Candice]

About the boxes and feeling overwhelmed by them visually...I've heard of others strategically using post-it notes to cover the additional boxes while working on one individually. Not sure if that was the type of help you were looking for : )

[Jennymommy]

Happy Thanksgiving So I see that lit and writing were not strong areas for your ds. That explains why he would want a text book/question and answer format. Also, with the added resources and extensions, I'm guessing he is doing about 2 hours more per day than the regular curriculum would take. The idea of covering boxes is a good one. I use a notebook to make an agenda for each day- I just write the subject, any special "mommy" instructions, and they check each item off as they complete it. This gives them a sense of getting things done rather than seeing tons of words on the guide. In other words, they only have to focus on one box in the guide at a time....the one their agenda says to do next.
How is the science going? Have you altered that for him? Also, are you doing medieval writing? How is that going? Is he overwhelmed by the number of written narrations, or just the number of different activities each day? Perhaps combining two days left side of the guide and two days right side of the guide with a fifth day catch up would be easier on him since there would be fewer subjects to jump around in each day? Hope something here helps

[kidsforHim]

I just wrote a post and completely lost it and I don't feel like trying to remember it all. So..... I am going to try covering the boxes. He compared thanksgiving dinner to school..all this food to choose from and where do you start... just pick some a little here and a little there and pretty soon it is all gone - per my son.
He has never had formal LIT or Writing. Medieval writing is going great considering that it is the first one we have been able to use with success. He is doing the extension activities for older child.
He is doing great in the narrations and hasn't minded them at all. He does better with this approach vs. answering questions. He just mentioned that he kind of misses answering questions( his history last year he had questions but he had trouble answering them. He does best with multiple choice and the like. short answer not so much and essay type questions were rough) but he didn't say he wanted to do school that way. I really was suprised he even mentioned it. We have NOT done school like that for years, exception of last year.
Science so far has been fine and something he looks forward to. I switched out Exploring Astronomy for another. He will finish it and then just follow the plans in the guide for the rest of the scheduled science books.
He needed some LIT credit so just recently he started the study guide for Lord of the rings which he enjoys. This he does everyday, just one page in the study guide a day.
He just reads the extension books. I started him out this way to give him time to get used to doing HOD. I did not think these would count toward lit credit.
I gave him the option to not do the storytime box or books but he enjoys the activities they do and so is doing those. I am ok with it as he has not had a formal lit/reading and I think the activities are good for him.
Pilgrims progress is only done on the 5th day as is reading from the extra text type book.( He just expressed a desire to have something more factual rather than all story type books. THe Biblioplan companion is that but it doesn't have a good flow to the reading)
Ok, I think that was the basics of what I had written the first time.
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

[Nealewill]

I do like the idea of the post-it notes.

I have personally gone to setting my oldest's schedule for her when she gets like this. She goes through phases of doing well and being on task and then go through phases where she struggles with moving from box to box. I would usually dictate when she did which box and when she met with me. I do still dictate the part of when she meets with me. And I do semi dictate her schedule. I like when she does the right side of the guide at one time and the left side at one time. I will pull out math, writing, grammar, and art/girls devo/poem box to do with her at my schedule times. Usually she does the history reading, project, independent history box, and rotating history box all at the same time. She may do storytime at that time too. And then she does DITHOR, science, Bible at the same time. I try to save writing for the time that she does science stuff. She usually does the second set of stuff before lunch so writing is usually before lunch. I save math for one of the last things I teach her in the AM. And grammar and the art (rotating) box are usually first thing after lunch. But in general, it has helped having me set her schedule. Her day goes much more smoothly and she seems to be fairly happy with it.

[Little Women]

It seems to me that he must be looking at all the boxes at once, and that's why it seems like a lot. Some people don't have good executive skills to mentally separate what needs done now from what doesn't need to be worried about until tomorrow. Perhaps if you used the post it notes to block off all but the current day's boxes, he would find it more manageable. There are only 1-3 boxes per day, and the guide book tells you exactly which ones to do when, so they shouldn't be confusing. He must be unable to block out the rest of the page.

[Jennymommy]

I'm a bit confused about the 3 boxes a day? I see @ 10 per day?

[Little Women]

Oh, I see what you are saying. I was thinking of the student notebook. You mean the guide book. I'm sorry, I misunderstood his point.

Does he do all the boxes in the guide book?

My dd is younger than your ds, so I don't know if this would apply to him. We have several boxes where we do different things, like math, where we use our own program, and science, which she does with a co-op. She was doing some and missing some, and when she looked at things like the language one, where there might be two different resources and then "or use your own program," she couldn't keep it straight.

I finally got a student planner and started rewriting the assignments in there. For things where there are instructions in the guide book, I put the title of the box and then "see guide book," so she knows to look there for instructions. If we are skipping a section, I simply don't put it at all, and if we are doing something else, she doesn't have to look at that section. If the instructions are very simple, like "read pages 18-25," then I just write that and don't make her reference the guide book at all for that subject.

I'm finding that it makes a cleaner sheet and one she can go down more sequentially. She can also write a check mark, so she can see what she hasn't managed.

I don't know if her problem is exactly the same as your son's, so I don't know if this would help him, but I thought it was worth mentioning in case you can use or adapt it.