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nightgalaxy
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Hello,
I am new here and hoping to get some advice. I am considering bringing my 5th grader home to homeschool as he enters 6th grade (middle school) in the fall. I am already homeschooling a teen with autism who requires much one on one assistance so I would prefer a largely independent curriculum for my soon to be 6th grader that I supervise vs teach. I am looking at Fisher More Academy. Does anyone here have any thoughts or experience with this curriculum? We are Catholic.
The live interactive online classes are attractive and the structure as well. The accountability to another adult besides me is also a bonus.
My 5th grade son is a B student in a rigorous public school. He is not gifted, nor academically advanced nor a particularly motivated student but he gets the work done, albeit begrudgingly sometimes. He needs structure and routine or he will get lost in endless distractions and his imagination. He is an artist and loves to draw, make movies, create, and will likely pursue this as a profession.
Any thoughts on curriculum for him?
Thanks!
Beth
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SeaStar
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Hi, Beth-
It's always great to have a new voice here. I also have a grade 5 son this year, and I am thinking ahead to next year as well. Whenever I plan for him, I have to keep in mind how he learns best.
My son is an auditory learner. Books on tape for him=  .
He also is very visual. Learning by watching dvds is a good fit- he can see and hear what's going on, and he likes that. Interactive classes on line would be something he'd probably enjoy. However, I could see him getting distracted with too much interaction  - that boy can talk!
I don't have any great thoughts to share, other than that working with learning style, especially for my active, imaginative boy, takes first priority at my house. I can't do a curriculum with a lot of workbooks.
Also- my son is an EXTREME extrovert. Even though he can and does work independently, he just likes to be with people, all the time. So I have to take that into account. He can do his own grammar work, but it all goes much more smoothly if there is something alive in the room with him- even one of our cats will do in a pinch .
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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Mom21
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Beth, we are a Seton family but know several who use Fisher More and absolutely love it. I personally know 3 of the teachers (fellow parishioners) and they are top-notch in their fields.
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kbfsc
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We are using Mater Amabilis for the first time this year and it has been a good fit for my 6th grade son. Two things you mentioned made me wonder if it might be worth looking into for your son: you mentioned that your son is artistic and that you need him to work pretty independently. MA has provided a framework for us characterized by both of those.
I have been particularly pleased with how keeping to the MA schedule has made sure that we get those "arts" in: art (drawing this year), music and composer study, picture study and art appreciation. (We hit those things intermittently at best before MA.) That stuff is important! And keeps things well-rounded around here. My son is old enough now that he does most of his MA work independently, too. He will narrate to me (or produce a written narration) after his history reading, for example. Because I have a 4th and 1st grader, too, we choose to do a lot of reading aloud together wherever I can get things to integrate among those ages - but you wouldn't necessarily need to do it that way. I would think an MA 6th grader could work quite independently.
After the initial organizing and purchasing books, producing a weekly schedule (that's how we do it, anyway), etc., I find MA to be pretty low-maintenance. Maybe worth a look! 
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Kiera
happy mama of ds '02, dd '03, ds '06, dd '09 and little ones in heaven
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mom3aut1not
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Beth,
Can I suggest workboxes for both of your kids? I just wish I had heard of it when my big kids (as in adult kids) were still being homeschooled. I use them now for my autistic teen and don't plan to stop. (Btw, two of my big kids were ASD as well.) It helps with organization and independence.
As for curriculum, I strongly suggest that you figure out first *what* you want your 6th grader to learn and then see what fits. Can you use his interests?
Another thing you might want to include in his "normal" schoolwork is Boy Scout merit badge booklets. Whatever you think of the BSA, the booklets are great for learning about all sorts of things. (If he's a scout, you can get a twofer by using them.) When I started homeschooling way, way back when, I heard about families who only used MB booklets and Bible/catechism for their entire curriculum.....
Deborah
who hasn't been on here much recently
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Deborah
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jawgee
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mom3aut1not wrote:
| Another thing you might want to include in his "normal" schoolwork is Boy Scout merit badge booklets. Whatever you think of the BSA, the booklets are great for learning about all sorts of things. (If he's a scout, you can get a twofer by using them.) When I started homeschooling way, way back when, I heard about families who only used MB booklets and Bible/catechism for their entire curriculum..... |
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My son, who is a scout, does 30 minutes of MB work most days. He's so fortunate that the work he does counts as part of his school work and helps him progress in scouts. This week he's finishing up his Computer MB and he's in the middle of his Cooking MB.
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SeaStar
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Thinking of work that could be done very independently:
Spelling Wisdom by Simply Charlotte Mason for spelling.
Student studies the passage on his own. It can also double for copy work and grammar. Mom time= quizzing on words and then dictation, explaining the grammar as needed.
Drawing Lessons by Bruce McIntyre
Love this little book, which I learned about here. One lesson a day, easily done in a few minutes. A 6th grader needs no help with this one!
CHC Language of God grammar:
Not exciting or creative, just good old grammar. The lessons are short and to the point- one page 3-4 times a week. My dc need very little help with this, and when they do need help, it doesn't take long for them to grasp the concept.
Map Skills or other map book-
Yes, this is a workbook, also. But again, short lessons, colorful, easy to understand. Kids can do this on their own. And map skills is one of those things that you just need to do- look at the maps and charts and figure things out.
ETA: MAp skills is a workbook that is only done once or twice a week at my house. We did twice a week last fall and finished up the book for the year before Christmas. Doing it only once a week would stretch it out for the full year.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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mommy4ever
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I just ordered a few things from CHC for the reason that they are independent :) Yes, supervised and mom ready to answer questions and help.
I have started setting up for grade 6.
Catholic Speller
Language of God
Stories of the Saints
Behold and See Science
All of these are pretty independent. I love what I see in Behold and See. Love that it is shorter lessons. Wish it went into grade 7 and 8.
I love CHC. This year, I had old curricula from my dd14's grade 5, and I regret using it. It has not flowed as it has previously. I ordered the grade 5 Speller and Language of God. We started it late, but it's a sigh of relief to be doing it.
I am debating on a few more things from CHC.
For Math, I am using Jump Math. DD was a little resistant to start with, but she is really doing well and enjoying it. http://www.amazon.com/JUMP-Math-6-1-Book-Part/dp/189712077X/ ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1393557516&sr=8-15&keywords=jump+mat h there is a free sample on their website. www.jumpmath.org It's not all that independent, but it's not hugely hands on for mom, and there is help on the website, teaching guides, and answer keys. I've used the guide a few times for different examples, but it's easy to use. We are doing well.
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1 graduated June 2012
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Erica Sanchez
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I second Melinda's suggestion of Spelling Wisdom and the Map Skills workbooks.
I also like Daily Grams and Easy Grammar. Sounds similar to the CHC one mentioned. Short lessons.
For math, you might like Math U See (can be used independently with the dvds) or even Key To Math. I use the Key To Fraction, Decimal, and Percent series for either grades 5 or 6. My 7th grader is actually finishing these before she begins Pre-Algebra. What I like about Key To is that only one concept is presented in the entire series. For example, the fraction series begins with very, very basic problems and moves through and up to more complicated ones. I have felt like my kids have really mastered these concepts before moving into algebra. Depending on where your son is in math, this might be a good and easy transition from school to home.
Kiera, thank you for sharing how you use MA. I need to follow a more formal plan and definitely need to go take another look there. Your reminder of how these plans work in the arts is appreciated and needed here.
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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jawgee
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For Math we use Teaching Textbooks. I'm a big fan of it. It's independent, although occasionally I will sit with one of my kids to help them through a few problems or explain a new concept.
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Monica
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SeaStar
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The Critical THinking Press also has some good options for independent work.
Editor in Chief A-1 might as well have been written by a sixth grade boy . The topics are all soccer, volcanoes, tarantulas, missing snakes, etc.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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ElizLeone
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Fisher More is the old Regina Coeli Academy. From my our experience with Regina Coeli, I can tell you that Fisher More is likely to be academically and spiritually excellent, as was Regina Coeli.
However, for some kids, the all-online environment is not healthy. While we loved Regina Coeli, our daughter's failure to use the internet appropriately despite excellent parental filters made Regina Coeli a poor choice for her. This would be true of any online program, especially one where the child is taking all of his or her classes with the same students in the online environment.
If needed, I can share more specifics on the online class pitfalls as we experienced them.
For a child who is studious and trustworthy and/or has a parent who is able to do a lot of peering over the shoulder, Fisher More would provide a top-notch Catholic education.
I would look at some of the other options suggested above, however, as all-online all the time is not always best for students in my opinion.
Just my two cents.
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Elizabeth in Wisconsin
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SeaStar
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Elizabeth-
I would like to hear more about what to watch out for as far as on-line classes. We currently don't do any, but as my dc get older, it is something I will be looking at in the future.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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SallyT
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I second Elizabeth's concern about a steady diet of online coursework, especially at this level. Thus far, when we've tried an online class for our to-be 6th grader (who could have been 6th grade this year, age-wise, but I count him as a 5th grader for maturity reasons), it has not been a success: he was far more into chat interactions with other kids than anything the teacher was doing. He could tell you every funny thing that anyone said in chat . . . but what went on in class today? Uh . . . (and this was with me sitting right there, btw).
I'll also be teaching some online courses starting next fall, and in the program I'll be teaching for, I know that online behavior problems spike in middle school. A less-than-very-motivated student could find a lot to occupy him besides learning.
With two kids at home full-time -- which is what I have at this time -- it is possible to create a routine in which you're able to give each child the attention he needs, without necessarily needing to have one child occupied online. There's a lot of territory between "Mom teaching" and "child totally independent," and to my mind, for a 6th grader, somewhere in that territory is a good place to be.
For example: In the customized, tweaked, personalized version of Mater Amabilis that we follow, I don't do much actual teaching. Really, none, unless you count explaining a math concept while someone is doing work at the table beside me. Most of the "teaching" goes on in the interaction between a reader and his or her book. Each of my younger children (currently 4th and 5th grades/ages 10 and 11) does a small routine of "table work," which includes copywork and math, then has a schedule of readings for the day. It's taken time, but I have trained them to look at the schedule, see what they have to do, and do it.
We've developed a routine which allows me to stagger the table work, so that I don't have both children needing my attention at the same time. My 11-year-old son likes to read (maybe in much the same way that your son likes to draw!), so I let him start his day by reading -- generally whatever he wants. Essentially it's free time, a slow start to the morning, but with no access to things like video games -- I feel fine letting him do free-choice reading while I work with his younger sister, who's more of an up-and-at-'em person in the morning anyway, on her table work subjects. We get that core of work done, then she goes to do her school reading, and I call her brother in for his table work. By the time he's finishing, she's coming to the end of some reading, and I can talk to her about it. Once all table work is done, and reading is happening, I'm around to talk and answer questions, but I might also be putting dishes in the dishwasher or folding laundry or working at my computer, alongside them but not really directing them.
So if you can work out a gentle rotation, it's quite possible that you could finish with one son, then turn your attention to the other. Maybe your 6th grader is okay spending a happy hour or so doing art, planning out a movie, or some other creative project that he really loves to do -- and I'd totally count that as part of school (I wouldn't tell him so, necessarily, or try to mold his project into some finished school assignment, but there's sure room for that kind of thing in a good education!). OR, maybe you can get a block of work done with your older son, then give him a break or let him do something that can be done independently, while you focus on the younger one, then let him do something independently . . . and so on.
eta: I meant, OR you could start with your younger son and do a block of work with him while the older is occupied with a free-choice kind of activity, then send the younger to have some free-choice time while you work with the older. The way I worded this before, I think it sounded like, "OR you could do the exact same thing I just said in the previous few sentences . . . " :)
We have used Teaching Textbooks, among other things -- some reviewers have raised questions about the relative rigor of TT, but it is a very self-contained, independent program.
Copywork is a very useful thing, even for a middle-schooler, and it has the advantage of being something quietly busy that buys you a little time for something else.
I do know what you mean about getting lost in distractions and an imaginary world -- that sounds very like my 11-year-old! One of the things I love about homeschooling is that we do have the ability to flex with his need for some of that (at least the imagination part!). In school he'd be penalized for being a daydreamer all day long; at home I find that he focuses better on his schoolwork if I've given him some imaginative time at the start of the day. It's never entirely easy to pull out of his book or his imaginings, but getting a little of that out of his system makes him much easier to work with. It does take some time to acclimate a student to habits like consulting a schedule and putting his books away in his box so they'll be there for him to find tomorrow, but at this stage our school program is fairly self-sustaining.
OK, I'm just kind of rambling and ruminating now . . . I have been doing some planning for next year and have knocked some provisional schedules together, if you're interested. "B" is my rising 6th grader, which is Level 3, Year 1, in Mater Amabilis. Our subjects and book selections are somewhat customized, but that program is the template I'm following. I've added to our table-work schedule for next year, to include formal grammar and Latin, so I'm estimating about 45 minutes/hour working one-on-one with each child, then another two hours' worth of independent reading and narration/discussion.
I have been feeling drawn to the 5th and 6th grade Behold and See books . . . I'm glad to see that mommy4ever recommends them! We've never done science with a textbook (before high school, anyway), but these look pretty readable, and having topics laid out in one book has a lot of appeal for me right now!
OK, enough! I have to go bowling! But hopefully all these various plan-brainstorms will help you to begin envisioning what might work for you next year.
Sally
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mommy4ever
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Sally,
We did grade 3 and 4, and it was a success with Behold and See. She did want more experiments, but I messed up, rather than research and incorporate relevant experiments in 4th, but it is about the body, and less experiments to be done. I changed programs. She is enjoying well enough, but preferred Behold and See, so we are going back to it for next year. I have the grade 6 books now, and would love to start them now However, we will wait til July.
I am hoping the rewrite of the grade 7 is better than the old one. Because I really do love CHC, it's a good fit :)
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Mom to 4,
1 graduated June 2012
1 in Catholic school
2 homeschooled(one considering art school!)
ardently praying for a new addition to our family.
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SeaStar
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Head to Toe Science
is a great fit with Behold and See 4.
It has more body-related experiments than you would even want to do, and all of them fun and easy to do at home.
I always look for books like this to go along with our science to add extra oomph and fun factor.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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nightgalaxy
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Thank you all who have posted. You have all given some wonderful ideas. At this point, we are going to try to enroll my younger son, the soon to be 6th grader in a local Catholic school. He really needs the structure, routine and socialization of a school setting and to be accountable to a teacher other than me.
I do have some questions about home school curricula for my older son with autism, who is in 8th grade, but I will post that on another thread.
Thanks so much!
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ElizLeone
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Melinda, you asked about the potential pitfalls online classes ages ago... Life has been a little crazy lately! I apologize for my very tardy response.
Essentially, online classes, great though they may be content-wise (and the Regina Coeli class were excellent in this respect), open up the students to an online world that may not be healthy.
Despite very strict filters, my daughter and her online Regina Coeli friends were able to create a social chat room using the very same chat room service that Regina Coeli used for their online classes. When I would ask my daughter what she was doing on the computer, she would say "school," and when I'd check over her shoulder, sure enough, she'd be in the vyew.com classroom... Little did we know for a very long time, it just wasn't the vyew classroom for RCA classes. Instead, it was a private "classroom" created by the students. Our strict internet filters did not catch this, because vyew.com was one of the allowed sites for class. It took us quite a while to realize this was happening, as we were relying on filter logs and assuming this was school that was occurring on this site. Instead, there were chat rooms with audio and video, boys and girls from across the country... And not all of them were RCA students. Some of them were friends and friend-of-friends who had been invited to this pseudo "classroom" hangout. There were even pages these kids had created with written pacts never to tell parents about the existence of these interactive student pages. We came to find out that the subject matter of the audio and video chats in the kid-created classroom was pretty awful. Much of it was highly s_xual. One of the kids in the RCA classes (and participating in these chat rooms) was a drug dealer, one was a vocal atheist, etc. Despite the strictest of parental filters, one thing that I never considered was putting a time limit on the internet. So the worst of these exchanges were happening while we were sound asleep.
I hasten to emphasize that Regina Coeli was excellent academically and spiritually, in terms of the content of their classes. The kids just found a way to get together outside classes in a setting that looked like they were doing school work. It was the students who did wrong. I can't fault Regina Coeli in any way. I don't know what they could have done differently. I called RCA immediately when we learned all of this. They were horrified and shut down the room, notified parents, etc.
Sorry for the dramatic details, but I think this points out that it's very easy, despite strict parental filters, for a child who is less than trustworthy to use "online classes" as a cover for other online activities. In hindsight, I feel that taking all classes online, even for the most trustworthy of my kids, may not the best route. There is also just something about holding a "real book," rather than being glued to the computer and it's sense of "alternate reality" seemingly round the clock. (I say this as a pretty big computer junkie myself. ;) To use Sally's phrase, a steady diet of online coursework" might not be healthy for many kids. It certainly was not for my oldest.
Based on our experience, I do not envision us ever fully-enrolling a child in online classes again.
Of course, for some families, full enrollment in an online program could work well. For a family that chooses the all-online class route, my advice would be strict parental filters (update and check the filters regularly!), computers only in public areas of the home (not bedrooms), and a filter or router setting that turns off the computers when the adults in the house go to bed at night.
Not everyone will encounter the online pitfalls that we did. We have younger children who I don't think are likely to follow the same path as their older sibling. Even so, I've learned much, and I'm much more cautious now when it comes to online classes and oversight.
Hope this helps.
Elizabeth
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Elizabeth in Wisconsin
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SeaStar
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Thanks for this detailed response, ELizabeth.
I know many kids out there are more computer savvy than I am, and I imagined things like this could happen despite the best intentions of the school and parents.
I can see how my ds might think it's all fun and games and enjoy this interaction with other students. If he ever did take an online class, we would have to monitor heavily in all the ways you suggest.
He's a good kid- but it would all be fun and exciting and so appealing for his extrovert self. I think, just to make life easier overall, we might just stick to courses on DVD.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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CrunchyMom
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mom3aut1not wrote:
As for curriculum, I strongly suggest that you figure out first *what* you want your 6th grader to learn and then see what fits. Can you use his interests?
Another thing you might want to include in his "normal" schoolwork is Boy Scout merit badge booklets. Whatever you think of the BSA, the booklets are great for learning about all sorts of things. (If he's a scout, you can get a twofer by using them.) When I started homeschooling way, way back when, I heard about families who only used MB booklets and Bible/catechism for their entire curriculum.....
Deborah
who hasn't been on here much recently |
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What a great idea! I am definitely filing that one away. My boys love "scouting," but I am not sure that we would join an official group for many reasons. I think they would really enjoy this! It just never occurred to me to do it this way, independently.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
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Topic: Curriculum for 6th grader?
