Linda, I just remembered, you were thinking of using EX1850 this year with 4th and 3rd grader. I'm glad you went with ECC instead.Linda in Mo wrote:I am planning to use Ex1850 next year for my will be 4th and 5th graders. Do you feel like it will be too challenging for those ages? Do you find it more suitable for the oldest child to be in 6th-8th grade range?
I would also just like to hear how you like it as well? Thanks,
Linda
We just finished week 9.
My 5th grader is doing fine with EX1850. She has done ECC, CTG, RTR. My 2nd grader is "in ex1850" as a 2nd grader. We started with ECC before Adventures was released. So --- there are plenty of us who will have 5th graders in EX1850 as the oldest child.
You have to be willing to treat them as 5th and 4th graders. If it says "optional" reading, then skip it for younger set, or just browse the section. That would be with the book called Building a City on a Hill. It is designed for much older students, but really is designed for a teaching tool, not a give to the student and let them read it on their own. It will spark valuable discussion, as the teacher's manual puts it. :)
I found it harder on me because I was learning how to teach 2 levels from the same curriculum. I was used to having the younger student in a separate program and anything else that she got from older sister's program was icing on the cake. So, that's been the biggest problem for us. I spent a few phone calls to MFW office getting any and all advice --- time well spent. Even my 2nd grader is doing fine.
EX1850 is designed for 4th-8th grade with a supplement for 2nd/3rd graders.
There is more writing involved than in CTG/RTR--- but you adjust for that based on student's ability.
Some of it depends on what all your students are doing this year and what their levels are. Some of it depends on mom's willingness to adjust the amount of history reading. I found it most helpful to read the history sections the night before (instead of 5 minutes ahead of time like I had done with CTG and RTR ahem.) Then it was easy to give SOTW to my 5th grader. And teach from Exploring American History to both student. And then --- any additional material from Buildling a City on a Hill, only went to the 5th grader. For example, this week --- we didn't do the full chapter on William Penn from this book because I felt like my 5th grader covered enough from the other books and a Schelessinger video from book basket for it to work. And of course, this book will be finished next week for us when we do week 10. So, I'll have different experiences with different books in about a few more weeks. :)
Another factor to consider is that there is a lot more information to cover during this time frame. Historians have more written records to go on. So -- the pace is a little faster than other years of the program. There is just more to cover. But, this is going to be an issue no matter what american history/world history program you use.
The Bible memory work is the book of James. We are doing surprisingly way better than I anticipated. The pace is quicker.
I described my first week in EX1850 to someone in this way. It's a lot like jumping into a swimming pool instead of walking down the stairs into that same pool. When you jump in, it is a different experience. EX1850 is jumping in. RTR -- you walk in using the sloping stairs.
Honestly, I'm enjoying the year.
--crystal