Input on 3A vs 3rd Core

[Catherine S]

So I’m gonna ask for some feedback while I’m thinking about it. I have two in 2nd. My daughter will be 9 in July and my son is 7, turning 8 in February. I started my daughter later just because the poor dear’s attention span has always been a struggle. Best decision ever and I know she’s a stronger student because I didn’t push her until she matured a bit. My son just went along with her. He does very well and is actually more advanced in Mathmatics than she. You can see the age difference in his ability to read fluidly sometimes and cursive isn’t his favorite. But he still has beautiful penmanship.

I say this to ask about 3rd. My plan was to try 3A and get my daughter up to speed age wise because we do deal with a lot of comparing amoung our church family and she’s already being picked on for not doing Abeka (isn’t that sad). I’m just hesitant because I’m wondering if I should do the 3rd grade core for my son. The thought of him getting bogged down with the Accelerated worries me a bit, especially because he is such a smart kid. Then I hesitate to split them because there are benefits to having two in the same grade. I just don’t want to set him up for defeat.

I’m just looking for some input on helping me think through this as they are my oldest. Also, if we start drowning in 3A can you switch to the lesser or does that make it complicated?

[tanya]

Catherine,

You can always switch over from 3A to the slower pace. If you decide to start 3A and find that it isn't working for you, we will send you the regular 3rd grade curriculum manual. Or you may discover that you can move more quickly in some subjects but need to slow down others. If that is the case, we can send you individual lesson plans for the subjects you want to take at a slower pace.

A couple of things I might mention in relation to your daughter getting teased:
1) It's not fair, and we could talk all day long about the cruelness of children to each other, but in the long run, you need to trust what is best for your children, and you have shown that you are doing this by knowing where your daughter should be and keeping her there. So bravo for that!
2) You could consider Fourth Grade for New Users for your main curriculum guide (which is going to include much of what is in 3A: Latina Christiana, Greek Myths, Christian Studies I, and States & Capitals). That would show your daughter that she is doing 4th grade work while keeping her on the same pace that is in 3A. Then, you could get the individual lesson plans for subjects you need to switch out. So if you need 3rd grade math rather than 4th or want to do All Things Fun & Fascinating instead of Classical Composition, that can all be switched out. Or you could get the 3A curriculum manual for your son's work and between the 2 manuals, you would probably have everything you need.

Our CSRs would be glad to put an order together for you when you have made your decision. They are pros at switching stuff in and out of packages!

Tanya

[enbateau]

Homeschooling definitely stiffens the spine. I had to smile through my teeth at a ladies luncheon yesterday as I was asked, "So, do you homeschool because you're afraid of your daughter being around other kids?" Oh my word. And we have quite a few church acquaintances who do Abeka, and the kids also wish my kids did it because then they'd have something to talk about: what they like, what they don't like, what was fun during the week or boring. Kids have to be taught how to relate to others when their interests are so diverse, yet there's no unifying curriculum.

I've quoted this many times before, but more Valedictorians and Salutatorians are older for grade. There is just no research that supports forcing kids who are close to the cut off to start according to public school timeframes. That is the beauty of homeschooling. You get to do what is best for your child. Most of my homeschool friends won't even say what grade their kids are in. It's not my business, anyway. And your daughter can legitimately say she's in an accelerated curriculum that is advanced compared to most public schooling.

In regards to 3A vs MP3, I would absolutely recommend 3A for the oldest and MP2 for the youngest. My eldest turns 9 a few months after the start 3rd grade, and she is perfectly placed in that core. I have read through all of the TMs and prepped my materials for our fall start. It is so great. We have loved MP2, and it's perfect prep for your son to roll into 3A when he is done. I would not personally put a 7 year old in 3A because the types of responses and ease with which writing and reading occur will be so much better once he's already 8. Eventually the math and science catch up with a young child, and the modifications you have to make to stay within a core make it not worth it to most families.

Teaching 2 separate cores is totally possible and highly enjoyable for the student because MP teaches to the ability of the child. It also mitigates a lot of the issues of comparison, inferiority or unfairness when a child who can't keep up with the reading or writing gets assigned less work.

[Colomama]

The 7 year old is already finishing 2nd grade this year. He'll need to move up.

I see you have a younger K child too, plus two wee ones. I totally understand your fear of having multiple cores going, you would have 3.

I wouldn't push your son into 3A. It doesn't really sound like you're sold on 3A for your daughter either.

Have you looked at Simply Classical 5/6? There's a one year and two year pace. Covers very similar content to 3A/3M, but reduces writing requirement. This might be a great fit for both together. Less writing, but advanced material for the younger. You could add lit guides for the daughter in order to increase her writing requirements.

Not to muddy the waters, but food for thought...

[enbateau]

The 7 year old is already finishing 2nd grade this year. He'll need to move up.

I wasn't under the impression she had done MP with any of her kids, just some other second grade.

To the OP, disregard the rec for MP2 if he's already done it.

[KF2000]

Hi Catherine!
Your situation is one I am facing as well. This coming school year two of mine will be exactly as yours are now...turning 8 and 6 in a year in which they are doing 2nd grade. So I have wondered myself what I will do for them when we get to your spot and your question is a really good one.

The way I look at it is this...in the primary years, we really just work on reading, writing, and math. Everything else is supplemental to that - it’s nice if you do it, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t. And if your children have done 2nd, then they are ready for third - at the very least, in those main areas. 3M is a great next step for your 8 year old. You have spent this much time helping to build her confidence and go at her pace - I don’t see a need to rock that boat, you know? Call her grade whatever you want; but the level of work will be great for her, and that’s what is most important. If she is really rocking through something, it’s easy to speed it up. But right now you just don’t know, and you are wanting to make a decision as though you do know. That’s why I would simply trust the next step in the plan.

Now, does 6/7 year old child generally have the stamina to be in a third grade core? Generally speaking, no. I wouldn’t do that. It’s just too much to expect. If you took each subject individually, then yes, your son could probably do each course. But it’s the combination of it all in one year that I think is a lot to expect. Personally, my plan is to keep going with the next step in each of the key areas from 2nd...reading, writing, and math. (I am not planning on having her start Prima until the year she turns 7. If your son already did it, just have him review.). These will be the main things from third grade I will have her do. Then for the remaining things, I will just have her tag along in whatever way seems appropriate. If she wants to listen in, she can. If she wants to run off and play, she can. I want to keep her moving along, doing the next thing, in what she is already doing because she has shown she is capable of it, but I also want to respect her age and maturity. So when she is 8 turning 9, we will start a more full-core-like approach to her curriculum, even though that means she may miss doing some course guides, and it will most likely mean working out of a couple different curriculum guides. In your case though, it also means giving your littles a chance to age up as well while keeping his school day shorter.

Does that make sense?

AMDG,
Sarah