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    Joined: Jul 2011
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    Portia that helps tremendously! We are still going to try Beast but there is *something* different about formats for my son and he does prefer the computer generally.

    The *book* effect that sometimes pops up isn't an issue with MCT so far and I am only guessing that it is the open spaces and use of color in the text.

    I had him take the EPGY entrance test some time back. I have had it in my list as a good option to try.


    I really appreciate hearing what works for your son who is just ahead of mine and shares so many of the unusual characteristics mine has.

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    This Michael Clay stuff looks wonderful! Do you think I could order it just as a supplement, after-schooling thing? If so, what do you recommend I order to start on that?

    ETA: My Ds is in 2nd grade and loves language, vocabularly, etc.

    Last edited by Irena; 10/19/13 07:30 AM.
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    Oh yes! It would be fabulous for after-schooling. Mine is first grade (according to birthdate) and also loves words. He has been delighted by it. There is lots of rich depth within the clear and simple explanations of all the types of words.

    We only do about 15 min or so each day and just read together and talk about it. We have started with the Grammar book as they recommend. According to Publisher recommendations: After section one of Grammar Island is done then you begin to add the Vocabulary book (Building Language), Practice Island starts at the end of Grammar Island. You start Sentence Island once four-level analysis is strong as seen in the practice sentences. (Chart is a little unclear here but shows begin Mud Trilogy (literature component) after you get going in Sentence Island.) Poetry (Music of the Hemispheres) begins after you complete Practice Island.

    They break it down into 4 parts like this:
    1. Grammar Island
    2. Building Language
    3. Practice Island and Sentence Island
    4. Mud Trilogy and Music of the Hemispheres

    The characters in the books are introduced in the preceding curriculum pieces. We first see Mud (the fish) in little glimpses in the Grammar book's first few pages. When my son first noticed him and pointed him out, I was able to say "That's Mud, you will get to read his adventures later in our studies."

    In Sentence Island we get formally introduced to Mud and friends as he tries to figure out about sentences.

    The Grammar is not dry. It's very imaginative so it's fun to start with it and begin pondering language. It artfully gets in to all the pieces of language and explores what those pieces tell us and how they work together. My son was familiar with Noun/Verb/Adverb/Adjective and he has not been bored. It has deepened his understanding and feels like a story. He laughs at the humor and enjoys the visuals.


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    Nice! Thank you that was exactly the advice I was looking for! And what I was gleaning I should do from the website. Awesome! Thanks again... ordering now smile

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    Can't wait to hear how it goes! LA time has quickly become a cherished time for my son and I to share. smile

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    Questions:
    How suitable is this for very mathy, very non-humanities type parents?
    How suitable is this for very mathy, very non-humanities type DS8?
    How do you choose a starting level?
    What about for a very verbal-strength DD5 (not sure where she got that from) whose had no schooling yet, but is a self taught reader (since 3)? Does the program start too high? What would you start such DD5 on instead?
    How much parental involvement is needed?
    How much parental skill is needed?
    How much parental enthusiasm is needed?
    Could DS8 work through this fairly independently, given that he's shown various degrees of independent school work at home in the past?

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    Thanks, Portia. That time commitment seems low, though maybe you're going through it slowly.

    For comparison, k12.com ELA expects 2 hours per day, 5 days per week, 36 weeks per year. A smart, focused kid can get through it quicker, and a parent is only needed part of the time, but it's a huge time drain even then.

    So how much time would the child need to spend, and how much time would the parent need to spend, per week, to cover the entire course in a typical 9 month school year? Does the parent need to spend any time on "advance preparation" for using the materials, or can you pretty much just crack open the books and get started?

    Given that DS8 just did a non-gifted 3rd grade ELA course (as a 2nd grader), would it make sense for him to start MCT at Level 1 which is 3rd grade gifted?

    What about reusing the materials for younger siblings in a later year?

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    Thankyou very much. This is great information.

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    We got the Island set and DS8 just started reading it. Any suggestions what our DD5 should do before starting this? She's a fluent reader, but has had essentially no schooling yet. We're homeschooling and have just started DD5. She's been doing EPGY math and has done K and 1, but has rejected EPGY ELA. Actually she doesn't really want to do anything that looks like schoolwork.

    Any ideas for ELA activity for DD5 while we are waiting for DD5 to be more ready for the MCT materials? "Ready for the MCT materials" means 2 things here: (1) Having learnt any prerequisite knowlege/skills one is supposed to have before starting MCT Island and (2) being more willing to participate in the learning process.


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    Just a little "caveat emptor" here. I leafed through Magic Lens 1 (the level 4 grammar book), and found it full of misunderstandings about grammar. The kind of stuff that makes linguists tear their hair and scream.

    I'm not just talking about simplifying a complex academic subject, similar to a physics curriculum for fourth graders. I'm talking about outright failure to understand the topic he is supposed to be teaching.

    (This is sadly typical of grammar instruction in the U.S. and other anglophone countries, so this isn't really to single out these books for criticism. There's probably very little out there that's any better.)

    (For a refreshing, if far too brief, counter-example, check out the new standards for grammar instruction in the U.K., which were written by an actual academic linguist.)

    Last edited by MegMeg; 10/13/14 03:31 PM.
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