I need help with my 9 year old.  We are using Horizon's Math which is working well for her. We started using LLATL but she is NOT a reader.  She was force fed reading so long in school that she really despises it.  I thought she was getting over it after most of this year off, but when we started LLATL this spring she went right back to hating it.  It took us three weeks to finish Boxcar children and she didn't enjoy it.  I started with her reading to me, but finally switched to me reading to her just so we could finish the book.

She knows how to read, though she needs help sounding out the occasional word.  She just HATES it!  So I need a language arts program that covers the basics without requiring tons of reading.  We are using the big workbooks from Sam's right now that cover spelling, grammer, short reading comprehension assignments (like two paragraphs of reading - not a whole book) etc.  I'd like a more involved curriculum that is NOT Charlotte Mason style.  I LOVE this style, but it is absolutely not a good fit with my DD.  Worksheets and workbooks are ok, basically because she likes to know exactly how many pages she must do.  But she's not a fan. 

Most other topics are covered in less structured ways.... but we MUST cover the three R's at least! 

So any idea where to find a curriculum like this?  Also any ideas on sites that give recommendations for curriculum?

Thanks!

Edie

Edie,

There are some great links in Sherry's thread for curriculum reviews.

For a child that hates reading I would just have her read to herself, read to you and then you read out loud to her.  I wouldn't have her *do* anything with her reading books.  There will be time for that later.   

For writing you can choose a spelling program workbook/online/or hands-on, a handwriting workbook, and just have her journal.  I think that would be pretty low-key while she focuses on her reading.  That is really key!    If you want more in the way of a writing program Wordsmith Apprentice is a neat worktext with tons of variety.  Students pretend they are editors of a newspaper.  It's a lot of fun.  I started using IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing) this year with a 9 & 10 yo.  It's a very systematic, logical way to teach & evaluate writing.  It's rather expensive.  I had the good fortune of borrowing the videos.  What about grammar?  After I watched the video about Analytical Grammar I threw all my grammar books away!! Oh the bliss!!  We do have a CD that we listen to with grammar songs on it.  I think that is plenty for elementary students.  Of course, we do not have to take standardized tests which have students edit incorrect passages.  But if you do you can add in one of those type books.  IEW has one called Fix-It.  And one of these days we're going to try it.  But I don't know if that will be this year or not.

My son hated reading and I went back to first grade reading with the Bob Jones Books and after a year, he loved it and now he is devouring the Boxcar Children.

But our favorite was using Hewett Researchs My Favorite Reports, We did the states and I would read to him about a state each week and then give him 3 or 4 vocabulary words to write about and he would have to scan the information to find sentences to write. I also got him a 2007 World Almanac for Kids and he is excited about learnig all the facts.

Of course it may be different for girls, I don't know if they would go for facts.

I found that unit studies was easier for us and Hands of a child might be a web site you'd like to check out.

She doesnt like being read to? I would try reading her good books like Ann of Green Gables or Treasure Island.  Box Car children did not impress my kids either.  But to answer you question Ann is the best at the link below...

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/materials/CurriculumReviews.htm

I'm not sure about a specific curriculum, but I do have one suggestion.  I have a 15-20 minute reading time with each of my children.  We alternate pages.  So I read page one, child page two, me page 3, child page 4 etc.  It allows us to read each selection more quickly but the child still gets practice and I can evaluate where they struggle.  For the younger ones, we may read the same book several days in a row with this system.