Mid-Year Comprehensive Review: Oak Meadow 8-English
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- ✨Today is the first of many midyear overviews, full reviews, and updates per subject. First up, @OakMeadowLearning 8 English! #oakmeadow #secularhomeschool #8thgrade
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Hey there! I’m Arlene, your neighborhood bibliophile and self proclaimed planner nerd. Giving you a peek into the inner workings of my ADHD mama brain.
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𝓶𝓮: Momma of two (a teen & a tween), a RN turned WAHM (like 27 jobs, maybe not that many) that tackles homeschooling said children…at the same time. It’s possible and also insane. (Refer back to planner addiction).
I have a PhD in sarcasm and not afraid to use it. I’ve been known to break out in my mother tongue (Spanglish) when I get excited (Dominicana soy!).
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This is super helpful thank you!
@@Susie617 happy to hear it
I REALLY REALLY want to be a Waldorf family, but I just cannot get my brain to shiftfrom a more academic focused mindset (so silly because I wholeheartedly know there is SOOOO much more to education than just the academics). Your love of OM has really made me consider it for my twins but I'm worried it just isn't the best fit for them at this time (they are in K and are already reading early chapter books and are in a second grade math program). It seem like 4th is maybe where OM gets a little more "academic"/rigorous?? Any thoughts of jumping in at a certain point or using parts of OM? I really love the idea, I'm just struggling a bit (I don't want to have to add a TON of stuff to it).
You’re right in your reservations if you do not want to add to it in lower grades. It’s gentle and not the same scope you’re use to in the lower grades. I would say grade 2 is where i see the biggest difference from a traditional Waldorf curricula (a purist one), it shifts a bit more traditional, while remaining whole child centered, really picks up in grade 3 and grade 4 is more recognizable to those that are use to a more rigorous approach. That is while still remaining project based and holistic. We used the lower grades, but I’m not a purist by any means. Which means I added some traditional elements to teach areas I wanted to teach in that level. Worked out well for us, but you have to be willing to supplement if you go that route. I would say, if you’re homeschooling for the long run and decide OM is right for you, by upper middle school, they are in the same spot as a child in a traditional setting and then some. They will end up in the same place in the end. If you plan to transition back to traditional school, I would personally recommend to supplement in lower grades, that will help with a smooth transition while taking advantage of a whole child approach. Don’t feel bad for wanting to lean more traditional, this community has a habit of making folks feel guilty for that. If that’s what’s right for you and yours, no one should tell you differently. Waldorf approach is not for everyone, I would recommend reading more on the philosophy behind it and know you can go off script too. See it still feels right and then try some lessons from the samples and see if it feels right. Keeping in mind that OM now is only loosely Waldorf inspired, not a purist curricula. There’s a lot of flexibility with that. But if you need to follow an exact script, day by day instructions, this may be outside of your comfort zone. Hope that helps!
Wow. Thank you for the awesome!! Really helpful!! You such just a gem…so fortunate to have you while on this “journey”!! ❤️
@@inquisitivemindsacademyit’s my pleasure and thank you for being here 😊
Arlene I cannot thank you enough for your analysis of various curricula and the reasons behind your choices. Absolutely on point and fantastic. I’m considering Oak Meadow science for my 7th grader. He loves science and I think the layout of the books would be perfect for him. I looked at the labs though and they seem quite basic. The 8th grade scope is not of interest to him however and 9th grade seems too advanced. The 7th grade language arts looks perfect as well as the social studies. Question for your kind consideration: do we take the 8th grade science anyway as a way to learn the scientific method, research etc as preparation for 9th? What an exhausting way to get to my point, sorry 😅 Any thoughts appreciated! x
Thank you for your kind words! While some labs may appear simple at first glance, it's important to note that OM science offers diverse options for deeper exploration and demonstrations. There's a strong emphasis on scientific writing, which is progressively developed and supported throughout middle school. If foundational skills aren't well-established, the transition to high school sciences might be challenging. From my experience, even though my daughter excelled in science, high school with OM presented several significant steps up in difficulty. If you're considering the high school level, it's possible to adjust expectations downward if needed. However, high school courses offer a more in-depth exploration of the same subjects. My advice is to only move to the high school level if you're confident that the middle school level won't suffice. Remember, labs are just one aspect of the science curriculum.
@@Arleneandcompany I’m definitely considering OM for high school. Even if that changes, establishing a good grounding in baseline skills would be very beneficial for any HS course. It’s so good to get your input. Thanks so much 🥰
Would love to hear more how you “mesh” other programs along with Oak Meadow. We are using OM4 this year but we’re also adding in other curricula.
In my pick videos and updates, per grade, I discuss how I mesh them per subject. With this grade level, we are not blending English with anything else. It’s a very full year and I don’t want to pick and choose this year. But the grade videos explains what areas I drop if I’m blending. For example, I would skip grammar in OM if I’m adding a different grammar program. I add a writing assignment from another program, I would omit that area in OM. Just not for this grade level, I prefer to let this one be.
Make sense, thank you! I think I wasn't sure how this year would work since it's our first year with OM. I've added on Fix it grammar and Lightning lit (not every week, but interspersed). I'll go back and check your old videos! @@Arleneandcompany
@@heidig8739 the key with us on the younger years, if I added other programs, I had to be willing to eliminate things from both. That way it’s not overwhelming and you get the best of both worlds.
Your videos are incredibly helpful. Such detail while also giving the big picture. I’m interested in your old curriculum reviews and planning videos on IGTV but cannot locate them in your IG page.
Thank you so much, so glad it’s helpful. IG removed the page guides which made it easy to share by curricula categories, unfortunately. But if you hit the video icon on my profile, you’ll see on the left hand side , series, scroll down till you see the category, flip through and reviews. There you’ll find all the older curricula reviews. If you are looking for a specific one and still can’t see it, shoot me a dm and I’ll find the one for you.
I just recently saw a recommendation to listen to Echo on audiobook. I think the reason was the inclusion of harmonica and violin that brought the story to life. Might also halp since it is so MASSIVE!!!!!😂
Oh that sounds awesome, thank you for sharing!
Looking into homeschooling my soon to be 8th and 4th graders. My oldest really struggles with reading/comprehension/grammar/spelling. Do you have any curriculum suggestions for him? He prefers workbooks, really dislikes learning via screens(which is all his current school uses)
Oak Meadow looks wonderful, but im worried it would be too rigorous for him.
Hi! Actually Oak meadow is very flexible . Yes, it’s writing intensive and college preparatory for sure. However, it easy to make your own and adjust expectations. That being said, this will not look what he’s accustomed to. It will not be workbook style, but he will have several options to complete assignments. Reach out to me on my instagram page via DM (@arleneandcompany). It’s easier to chat back and forth there. I’m happy to help.
@@Arleneandcompany Will do! Thank you❤️
You might look into Critical Thinking company for their Reading Detective workbooks for comprehension. I used Spelling Power for spelling when my daughter was in 6th, but then the thing that helped her spelling the most was reading more. She really got into reading a fiction series in 7th, and her spelling improved dramatically. She read a fair bit before that, too, but something happened after she reached a certain point of exposure that solved the spelling problem for the most part. We use fix-it grammar in combination with whatever other Language arts we are doing so we hit grammatical concepts from multiple angles. I started my daughter late with fix it (8th grade) but went with book 1 so it wouldn't feel overwhelming. She has done great with it.
@@elonas9487 I'll look into those! He reads 30-60 minutes a day for pleasure (he's found a few series he really enjoys) but so far it hasn't helped with spelling or grammar. We're going to use a combination of EIW&EIL, Fix It Grammar, Word Roots and Spelling Zoo next year.
Now that we're a few months into our homeschooling journey I really regret not going with Oak Meadow😭 we will be switching to Oak Meadow for next year, I'll just bump my kiddo who struggles down a grade. And I'll have to figure out how to weave Curiosity Chronicles in because they enjoy it and don't want to give it up!
1. Thank you for the review.
2. Has anyone ever told you that you sound like Amanda Bynes?
I have to say, I’ve never head that one before. Now I have to go listen to her 😂
Have you done any reviews on OM for 9th grade? I'm looking at the whole program but don't see many reviews. I have IG too if you've reviewed it there.
High school courses with OM are by subject . So when searching , you search the actual subject your are interested in by course. For example, below I’ll link environmental science course that I reviewed that’s recommended for 9th or 10th grade. Also reviewed the high school art, will have several more high school ones for my upcoming 9th grader. But she did some early credits. But instead of looking by grade, with high school, you want to search the actual course name. DM me over on IG if you want to chat further. Happy to help!
ruclips.net/video/t5y2fMG-72o/видео.htmlsi=CrPJsAB5Lo0eJMx7
@@Arleneandcompany oh! That makes sense, thank you! High school is soon upon us and I'm in research mode lol.
@@bethanypetersen7005 anytime ☺️