Pros & Cons of an SC 5/6 and 7/8 mash-up

[jen1134]

C will finish SC4 sometime in late June. His reading and comprehension is very good and his writing stamina is almost equal to his sister who is currently in 3A. We're still doing the discuss/write/copy method due to his spelling struggles. We went ahead and started Greek Myths (orally) and he went on to read ahead in the book all by himself. He's doing very well in Prima Latina; but I'm not sure if he will need one year or two for Latina Christiana. He definitely needs to continue to SC 5/6 for math, writing, spelling, and grammar, but we feel he's reached the point where he can transition for literature and classical studies.

So the question is: do I use SC 7/8 for literature and classical studies or do I place him in MP5 for those? Since 7/8 is being finalized, I'm not sure of the differences in pace/presentation. What would the pros/cons be? For reference, he'll be turning 12 this October but would be entering 6 grade according to our state.

[jen1134]

Didn't want to get stuck in edit-limbo, but wanted to add: Christian Studies and Science would be CS II and Insects (read/discuss) with his siblings.

[Colomama]

Personally, I would be wary of going from SC4 to either grade 5 lit or SC 7/8 lit. That seems a big jump.

My son did SC5/6 lit last year before it was released. He did very well with it. This year we did something else because I didn't think he was quite ready for grade 4 lit. Now, SC 7/8 does a combo of grade 4 and grade 5 lit guides. I know he can handle the grade 4 lit, but I'm not so sure about grade 5 selections like CS Lewis.

I think if you're really set on jumping a grade in lit, he would need to complete atleast two grade 3 selections before next fall.

Personally, I'm leaning towards doing classical core 4 lit with my son next year. He will be in 7th grade.

I would caution you to check your inner voice. Are you starting to worry about 'catching up' before high school? Or that he's falling behind? Or has his reading and comprehension truly jumped several grade levels in a year?

[jen1134]

Personally, I would be wary of going from SC4 to either grade 5 lit or SC 7/8 lit. That seems a big jump.

My son did SC5/6 lit last year before it was released. He did very well with it. This year we did something else because I didn't think he was quite ready for grade 4 lit. Now, SC 7/8 does a combo of grade 4 and grade 5 lit guides. I know he can handle the grade 4 lit, but I'm not so sure about grade 5 selections like CS Lewis.

I think if you're really set on jumping a grade in lit, he would need to complete atleast two grade 3 selections before next fall.

Personally, I'm leaning towards doing classical core 4 lit with my son next year. He will be in 7th grade.

I would caution you to check your inner voice. Are you starting to worry about 'catching up' before high school? Or that he's falling behind? Or has his reading and comprehension truly jumped several grade levels in a year?

There is a level of "high school is coming," but that's more so with math. I don't know how he'll ever get to Algebra, but I also know that it is what it is and we just have to take one year at a time.

His comprehension and observational abilities are a different story. They're far above his skills in other areas. He's a deep, yet vocal thinker who is always making connections, and sharing insights; and it's feeling more and more like he's being held back in those areas due to where his skills are. That's why I was hoping he could make the jump to 7/8 for literature and classical studies.

I just had him try reading the intro paragraph of My Side of the Mountain and he definitely stumbled. He said it was harder but then he said, "It was that way when I started reading Greek Myths (for fun) and then it got better."

We haven't reached Little House yet, but he read some of it last year with his sister and did well so I don't foresee it being a problem. I'm really at a loss here.

[cherylswope]

Jennifer, you might wait until SC 7&8 is released to view samples, as the release may occur before you need to decide.

If you needed to decide sooner, this might be one of those years in which a variety of customizations is needed. That is perfectly fine, especially in these upper levels.

[jen1134]

Thanks, Cheryl. I don’t think I’ll be lining things up until June. I have kids finishing and starting at different times this year so I was trying to get a handle on what is coming up. Do you think samples for 7/8 will be available by June?

[jen1134]

Update:

Cheryl, I was finally able to talk about this with J. I pulled out my teacher manuals from 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade literature and, as we looked through them, he said we should place C in 5/6 for literature. There's a lot of meat in the Enrichment that he needs. He said we can accelerate if appropriate, but otherwise we'll just work through at the normal pace.

[cherylswope]

Excellent. Good to hear!