See, many homeschoolers enjoy "group projects" because it gives their child(ren) a chance to work with other students cooperatively.
However, this has two drawback for our family:
1. Coordinating out-of-school "work time" is difficult with the busy schedules the kids enjoy. So the projects are often rushed or incomplete. The "lesson" is lost in the hustle and bustle. And the "cooperative time" is time wasted because the kids don't actually learn anything but what their project covers, whereas...
If the kids just read on their own, with follow-up discussion (and when possible, take trips), more information can be entered into their brains in the same amount of time.
I guess, it primarily comes down to time, and how your student learns. Haley likes to work on independent projects in the company of other people. 2. Working WITH someone becomes a hurdle to overcome because middle school-aged girls are typically at their most vulnerable and tend to lash out. Studies demonstrate that their confidence drops and their ability to engage in higher cognitive functioning is still immature. This is a "set-up" for negative peer pressure derailing even the most competent students.
So we decided to have her do study hall instead of the classroom history. We ordered the above (highly rated) books for her to read during the study hall time. And we will discuss (and watch movies) along the way. Of course she's starting a bit "behind" since we are already on school week 10. The plan is to double up over breaks since the reading is "only 6th grade" level and the information is not complicated.
http://www.amazon.com/A-History-US-Ten-Volume-Set/dp/0195327268
