What I do with Fix it!

I love Fix it!  At first sight, it looks like a simplistic curriculum, but it is actually very in depth.  I like the flexibility that a cumulative repetition gives in grammar, and this program lends itself well to an individualized approach, where the assignment can be tailored

The approach with Fix it! is that if your child is getting most things right, you are not on the right level for that child.  Learning from mistakes is the method.  So, each week there is a set of assignments for four days of the week in which the student becomes the editor of a story which lasts the entire year.  He or she slowly makes the corrections on a couple of sentences each day.    On the fifth day, it is copywork of corrected sentences for that week.  

One week's work

 I use different colored pens/highlighters to indicate different mistakes for that day, then I write a question or an additional assignment related to that grammatical error, color-coordinated on the left page.

In the beginning, I used to check and correct each day's assignment, but I've found that correcting at the end of the week gives a larger picture, where my children can see how that mistake would change the meaning of the story.

So, that's the scoop.  Fix it! has been a great addition to our English curriculum.  My college aged student is acing his essays.  He is a history major, so his classes are writing intensive.  

Thanks IEW!

Curriculum Switch

Every year, almost without fail, after a few months of school, I discover that at least one of the curricula I chose doesn't work for a certain child.  This year, it was Shurley Grammar.  I used Shurley for the two oldest, but Emily and Michelle just didn't catch on to the system and kept on dragging their feet.  So, I had to do the dreaded switch.  We are going with BJU English.  It is much more of a worksheet type curriculum.  I like it better than others I've used or seen.  I am familiar with BJU because I have their Spanish program for high school, and I love it.  BJU is nicely structured, following a logical incremental sequence.  I received the materials yesterday, and am hitting the ground running this morning, we are starting today!  I spent some time last night familiarizing myself with the program, and I will continue to learn as we go. 

There is always at least one subject that we carry through the summer for one reason or another - usually because the original curriculum didn't work, like this time.  I remember last year it was Singapore Math for Emily - a good match for Michelle though. 

The flexibility we have as homeschoolers makes this possible, a one-size-fits-all approach would be more affordable, I am sure; but it wouldn't necessarily be beneficial.  I am thankful we can afford to make these changes midstream.  I think this is one of the reasons why my children don't have a subject that they particularly dislike - they learn that it isn't necessarily a problem with not liking the subject; but rather, it is likely the way it is being presented.