Possibly Beefing up Bigger....

[Lynnw]

I am considering putting my oldest ds in Bigger with his brother for sake of togetherness that I think we need. My oldest turns 12 in October and I consider him 6th grade. Our past pattern in homeschooling has been to do some fairly challenging reading and letting our writing skills lag a bit. I think he'll enjoy the notebooking in Bigger. He'll have no problem some additional written narrations (still need to figure out pacing/volume for that - I need to re-read the extension suggestions in Bigger and Preparing which I also have!), and I have a writing program I can use since we will stop IEW's Middle AGes Writing in the RTR guide. Finally to a couple of questions.... if I want to save Exploring Planet Earth for RTR, are there any other ideas for beefing up science? Also, I'm pasting Carrie's previous advice here on reading suggestions for those who are a year or two beyond the extension reading list.... but I'm trying to come up with a longer list of books. I also find myself tempted to pull in some books related to world history at the time, but don't want to accidentally use something that might make it's way into the next guide (Explorers and Inventors!). I know it's way too early for a sneak peak into that guide, but if anyone can help me extend this list of suggestions I'd would appreciate it!

Carrie on Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:20 pm

coconuts,

Welcome to the board! We're glad to have you here!

I will have a 7th grader next year too. You could have your 7th grader ride along with the same one-year overview American history focus you are using in "Bigger...." next year with your youngers, and beef it up by adding several more difficult spines like "George Washington's World" by Foster (for early American History) "The Story of the Great Republic" by Guerber, and "Short Lessons in U.S. History" (for a general overview).

You could also add additional advanced reader books to the Extension Pack (like "Poor Richard" by Daugherty, "Abigail Adams" by Bober, "Of Courage Undaunted" by Daugherty, "American Tall Tales" by Stoutenburg, and "Carry a Big Stick" by George Grant).

These titles would require a strong 6th-7th grade reader/literature lover to read on his/her own. If your kiddo is not wired that way, you could just use the Extension Package in "Bigger..." for additional history literature and add a single spine such as "This Country of Ours" by H.E. Marshall to "beef up" the history.

Anyway, you get the idea. For literature you could add "Drawn into the Heart of Reading" Level 6/7/8. My oldest son has used "Drawn into the Heart..." for years, and we have found it has provided him with a very strong background in literature study.

I'm not sure if you are also looking for recommendations for language arts and math, but this will get you started.

Blessings,
CarrieCarrie
Site Admin