This is the time of year I love. We relax the schedule and look back on the year to evaluate our progress. We look forward to next school year to see where we want to go. And, we finish out our current year with lots of fun hands-on learning. This year we will wrap up our year 1 studies with the Americas and botany. We will visit local Native American sites and (hopefully!) grow things if my black thumb doesn't get in our way. I am also working on planning some fun field trips for next year related to our year 2 studies-geology, astronomy, and the middle ages.
I think my favorite part, though, is to look back at what we have accomplished this past year. I stop and evaluate where each of my little students is at currently, how far we have come, and where we hope to go, and I make a list of goals to focus on during our relaxed time over the summer.
For us this summer, we will be working on reading fluency with 2 kiddos, and early reading with a 3rd. My current 3rd grader (almost 4th grader!) was just diagnosed dyslexic. His summer goals involve improving his reading and spelling skills with some new materials which will hopefully appeal to his awesome dyslexic brain. We will be using some of the materials provided by the Scottish Rite, along with Apples and Pears. My 5th (soon to be 6th grader) hopes to spend lots of time reading this summer. We don't school all summer, but we do try to keep our activities sensory-rich and learning-rich. School isn't separate from our life, rather it is our lifestyle and we tend to be all in when we are studying a particular topic.
My oldest (soon to be 11th grader) is actually beginning his junior year early this year. He will be in France in January as an exchange student, so we are starting schoolwork in June. He will be taking a dual enrollment class, as well as starting his history and lit, math, and thesis work for the year over the summer.
When I look back at what we have accomplished, and set new goals for the summer and future school year, I try to be careful to look not just at academic goals, but also at character issues and study skill related issues in each child. I want my children to be self-motivated and independent learners. We use tools through the year to try to encourage them along that path. For example, beginning in 6th grade, my kids set their own schedule using a planner. They decide which work they will accomplish which day and week. They set their own goals and schedule. I come behind them to make sure they are accomplishing the work at a pace they need to meet, but they are responsible for deciding how to break the work down by day and week.
Even for my younger children, I try to give them time management skills and independence by using work plans beginning in 1st grade. All the work they need to accomplish in a week is written onto their work plan, and it is their decision how and when to accomplish each task over the week.
Other issues we look for and encourage include note-taking, study skills, and listening skills. Oftentimes, if you are self-teaching mostly by reading, you lose the opportunity to develop your listening and oral note-taking skills. To attempt to teach these skills to my children, we watch videos and documentaries, use Khan academy and Coursera lectures, and take advantage of open courses available free online, such as those offered by Yale and MIT. We also require oral presentations from the kids over the year in a variety of environments, as well as their regular written work such as research projects beginning in middle school, and shorter projects in the elementary grades.
I love watching them grow and learn each year. In the midst of the daily grind of the school year, it is easy to miss the progress. Taking time to look back and reflect allows me a chance to see how far they have come. And laying out specific goals allows us to stay focused on where we are headed. And always I try to stay focused on the fact that they don't have to learn everything in one year, or even when they are young. They will repeat so much of the same information in high school. If we are struggling in an area, we work on that area over the summer more intensely, but always recognizing that those character issues and study skills issues are the most important in the younger grades to prepare them for high school.
Showing posts with label high school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high school. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
High School History and Literature
For high school, we combine history and literature WTM style into a great books course which covers the full 4 year cycle. I start with the basic reading list given in the WTM for each year. I then modify this list somewhat to include more world books instead of solely western literature, as well as adding in a few books that I think are valuable. I think anyone could stick strictly to her list and do very well. My son is also a very quick and strong reader, and typically reads a work each week. If your student is a slower reader, you might want to drop some books to allow more time with each piece.
Our typical week looks something like this: Monday-he reads the background reading relating to the time period and culture we are studying. We use a variety of college textbooks for this purpose and chose from them if the subject is US, World, or European focused. My son will write an outline about the chapter he is reading, read further regarding the rest of the world during that period in the Timetables of History, and enter any important dates on his timeline book. He will also read some biographical reading about the author we are reading for the week. He then uses this background reading, as well as the biographical reading, to write a 1-2 page summary about the full background to the piece we are studying. Then he will jump into reading the text.
Tuesday: He will read some relevant primary source material from the time period we are studying. There are great sourcebooks out there and available, as well as easily accessible sourcebooks online, such as this one. He also continues reading the text for the week.
Wednesday: Mostly just reading the text, taking notes.
Thursday: We have a set discussion time on Thursday. We have been blessed to have a close friend follow our reading list along with us and come and discuss the text together with us. We discuss the context, as well as literary aspects of the text including theme, tone, characterization, style, etc. If you want to follow a similar approach, but need help preparing this discussion, I personally love the Stobaugh books which will provide you with discussion questions, etc, for a range of books. You can also find Great Books summaries and commentaries in print and online to do your research and make sure all important aspects are covered in the discussion. Ideally you will have read the text as well, but even if you haven't been able to, it is very possible to lead a solid discussion with some preparation. It is important to let the discussion be Socratic and organic, rather than lecture based. I really enjoy hearing the thoughts these two teenagers have about what they are reading, and our discussion of the literature naturally leads into good historical discussion, as well as interesting comparison and contrasts. At this time, I will typically assign him some kind of relevant essay. Often I draw from AP World History or AP English Literature essay questions to give him good solid practice in those types of essays. I try to sprinkle in AP multiple choice throughout the year as well.
Friday: Friday is spent finishing and polishing his writing and giving feedback on his weekly essay, as well as getting a jump start on the next week's text if it is longer.
That's our basic process. If you would like copies of my plans for high school history and literature years 1, 2, or 3, contact me. I am available to share my plans or to write personalized plans for you for any grade with reading and writing assignments for a donation to my son's exchange student fund. ;)
Our typical week looks something like this: Monday-he reads the background reading relating to the time period and culture we are studying. We use a variety of college textbooks for this purpose and chose from them if the subject is US, World, or European focused. My son will write an outline about the chapter he is reading, read further regarding the rest of the world during that period in the Timetables of History, and enter any important dates on his timeline book. He will also read some biographical reading about the author we are reading for the week. He then uses this background reading, as well as the biographical reading, to write a 1-2 page summary about the full background to the piece we are studying. Then he will jump into reading the text.
Tuesday: He will read some relevant primary source material from the time period we are studying. There are great sourcebooks out there and available, as well as easily accessible sourcebooks online, such as this one. He also continues reading the text for the week.
Wednesday: Mostly just reading the text, taking notes.
Thursday: We have a set discussion time on Thursday. We have been blessed to have a close friend follow our reading list along with us and come and discuss the text together with us. We discuss the context, as well as literary aspects of the text including theme, tone, characterization, style, etc. If you want to follow a similar approach, but need help preparing this discussion, I personally love the Stobaugh books which will provide you with discussion questions, etc, for a range of books. You can also find Great Books summaries and commentaries in print and online to do your research and make sure all important aspects are covered in the discussion. Ideally you will have read the text as well, but even if you haven't been able to, it is very possible to lead a solid discussion with some preparation. It is important to let the discussion be Socratic and organic, rather than lecture based. I really enjoy hearing the thoughts these two teenagers have about what they are reading, and our discussion of the literature naturally leads into good historical discussion, as well as interesting comparison and contrasts. At this time, I will typically assign him some kind of relevant essay. Often I draw from AP World History or AP English Literature essay questions to give him good solid practice in those types of essays. I try to sprinkle in AP multiple choice throughout the year as well.
Friday: Friday is spent finishing and polishing his writing and giving feedback on his weekly essay, as well as getting a jump start on the next week's text if it is longer.
That's our basic process. If you would like copies of my plans for high school history and literature years 1, 2, or 3, contact me. I am available to share my plans or to write personalized plans for you for any grade with reading and writing assignments for a donation to my son's exchange student fund. ;)
11th grade
Our plans for 11th grade are somewhat modified because my oldest will be in France for part of the year as an exchange student. I'm thrilled he will have the opportunity to really establish his language skills while attending a high school in France and living with a French family for 3 months. If you are interested in a similar experience for your high schooler, or if you are willing to host a student from another country, read more here and contact me!
History and Lit: continuing our great books approach. We will be in year 3 and using a modified version of the well-trained mind reading list for year 3. He will also study for and take the AP US History exam.
Thesis: He will complete an extended junior thesis this year. In 9th and 10th, he completed a standard research paper. His project this year will be longer and more involved. Details of how to do a junior and senior thesis can be found in the WTM.
Math: Math U See
Science: dual enrollment Biology
He will also work through Astronomy a Self-teaching guide so as to not skip the astronomy year altogether, but I won't include this work on his transcript
Language: Stewart English books 1 and 2
IEW's Succeed on the AP Lit Exam (testing at the end of the year)
Electives: French 3 (credit from 3 months in France)
Latin 4-online with Henle
Russian--with Pimsleur and Russian in 10 minutes a day
Apologetics through NCFCA Speech and Debate
Art-continue with the Annotated Mona Lisa and the Story of Painting for art from year 3, as well as studying sculpting
Music-Classical Music 101 (1st half)
American Government-dual enrollment
History and Lit: continuing our great books approach. We will be in year 3 and using a modified version of the well-trained mind reading list for year 3. He will also study for and take the AP US History exam.
Thesis: He will complete an extended junior thesis this year. In 9th and 10th, he completed a standard research paper. His project this year will be longer and more involved. Details of how to do a junior and senior thesis can be found in the WTM.
Math: Math U See
Science: dual enrollment Biology
He will also work through Astronomy a Self-teaching guide so as to not skip the astronomy year altogether, but I won't include this work on his transcript
Language: Stewart English books 1 and 2
IEW's Succeed on the AP Lit Exam (testing at the end of the year)
Electives: French 3 (credit from 3 months in France)
Latin 4-online with Henle
Russian--with Pimsleur and Russian in 10 minutes a day
Apologetics through NCFCA Speech and Debate
Art-continue with the Annotated Mona Lisa and the Story of Painting for art from year 3, as well as studying sculpting
Music-Classical Music 101 (1st half)
American Government-dual enrollment
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
"Transcripts, credits, and grades, oh my!"
"Transcripts, Credits, and Grades, oh my!" This was the intro to a talk at my local homeschool convention recently. The speaker's point was a very valid one. Many homeschoolers I speak to are very concerned with how to record-keep and track their student in the high school years to be able to get that student into college. There are so many good planning tools available out there. I am going to offer some suggestions here, but please let me know if you have questions beyond what I cover here.
My first recommendation, is plan high school in 8th grade. This plan might change as you go through the high school years, but take an evening during your student's 8th grade year and discuss with him his goals for the future. What subjects draw his attention the most? What fields is he interested in pursuing? What are your goals for him as parents? Use that information and a list of your state's requirements to put together a plan for high school credits. If he knows what schools he might be interested in, go to those websites and look at the requirements they set for incoming students. Here is a chart of the requirements for my state.
As you are planning out your plan of study, think of ways you can incorporate your students activities and interests as credits. I have heard of families using eagle scout projects for a project management course, flying lessons paired with book work for an aeronautical engineering course, speech or debate club as a variety of credits, ballet as a fine arts credit, and so on. Your goal is to both educate your child to be well-rounded and with depth in his fields of interest, but also to present that information in a simplified form that college admission officers need. Near the end of the Well-Trained Mind is a section that converts WTM types of courses like the chronological study of the Great Books into a more typical list of courses for your transcript. It's a great resource.
As you go through the high school years, write for yourself course descriptions for each course your student will take. This will save time and scrambling when your student applies for college and the college asks to see that information. A course description basically gives the details of the course--what is taught, what resources are used, and how it is evaluated.
The transcript itself can be set up either by year (ex. all work in 9th grade grouped together), or by subject (all history grouped together). The way you compile it is your preference. The basic information you need is the title of the course, how much credit it is worth, and the credit earned. There are so many templates and help available for writing course descriptions and transcripts. I personally love the planning materials available for free at Donna Young Printables.
And finally, my most favorite record keeping tool for high school is found here. This free download allows you to keep up with your grades and will calculate final grades and gpa for you. It also has places for booklists, activities, and any thing else you might want to keep up with during those high school years. When you get to college applications, you will need to know volunteer hours, leadership and club experiences, and awards, as well as traditional schoolwork. Those areas allow homeschoolers to shine, so keep track of them well.
My first recommendation, is plan high school in 8th grade. This plan might change as you go through the high school years, but take an evening during your student's 8th grade year and discuss with him his goals for the future. What subjects draw his attention the most? What fields is he interested in pursuing? What are your goals for him as parents? Use that information and a list of your state's requirements to put together a plan for high school credits. If he knows what schools he might be interested in, go to those websites and look at the requirements they set for incoming students. Here is a chart of the requirements for my state.
As you are planning out your plan of study, think of ways you can incorporate your students activities and interests as credits. I have heard of families using eagle scout projects for a project management course, flying lessons paired with book work for an aeronautical engineering course, speech or debate club as a variety of credits, ballet as a fine arts credit, and so on. Your goal is to both educate your child to be well-rounded and with depth in his fields of interest, but also to present that information in a simplified form that college admission officers need. Near the end of the Well-Trained Mind is a section that converts WTM types of courses like the chronological study of the Great Books into a more typical list of courses for your transcript. It's a great resource.
As you go through the high school years, write for yourself course descriptions for each course your student will take. This will save time and scrambling when your student applies for college and the college asks to see that information. A course description basically gives the details of the course--what is taught, what resources are used, and how it is evaluated.
The transcript itself can be set up either by year (ex. all work in 9th grade grouped together), or by subject (all history grouped together). The way you compile it is your preference. The basic information you need is the title of the course, how much credit it is worth, and the credit earned. There are so many templates and help available for writing course descriptions and transcripts. I personally love the planning materials available for free at Donna Young Printables.
And finally, my most favorite record keeping tool for high school is found here. This free download allows you to keep up with your grades and will calculate final grades and gpa for you. It also has places for booklists, activities, and any thing else you might want to keep up with during those high school years. When you get to college applications, you will need to know volunteer hours, leadership and club experiences, and awards, as well as traditional schoolwork. Those areas allow homeschoolers to shine, so keep track of them well.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Analytical Grammar
As my oldest entered high school, I went researching for a solid grammar curriculum he could use to finish out his grammar studies. I was looking for something that wasn't too involved, since he had already been exposed to these concepts. He mostly needed some review and reinforcement during his high school years. He needed something straightforward and not terribly time consuming. He had already learned the rules of grammar, and now needed to focus most of his time on his great book studies. We finally landed on Analytical Grammar and it was a perfect fit.
The philosophy of the writers of Analytical Grammar is "that they don't need to be "doing" a grammar worksheet every day, all year long, for years and years and years! If grammar is taught sequentially and logically, there is no need for so much repetition." They argue that grammar instruction isn't even needed until middle school ages. I know, I know. That's hard for us parents to hear--especially those of us who are Classically minded. While I am not ready to drop grammar from my elementary students' work plans, the idea of not having to struggle through busy work is very appealing. I had noticed that my oldest and his 6 years younger sister were doing basically the same grammar work year after year, and really that much repetition wasn't necessary to achieve our goals.
The program of Analytical Grammar is set up in 3 seasons. You purchase 1 set and that set includes all you need for those 3 years of grammar. You can modify the seasons and complete them sooner than 3 years, but we stuck to the 3 year plan. The first 10-12 weeks of the year consist of new lessons with new material, as well as some practice pages. The curriculum teaches parsing and diagramming as it goes, using real literature such as Twain and the Gettysburg Address. If you aren't comfortable teaching, they sell dvds that cover the material for you. I found that my student was able to read the lesson and understand it himself without my instruction. After those initial weeks, the student will complete a page of practice every other week for the rest of the year. I hear your skepticism. The reality is, it works. My oldest was never a good diagrammer, and I wondered how much he would retain with only this much practice. I was blown away by both the depth he learned and the ease at which he can now diagram complicated sentences, but also the depth of retention from one season to the next. He just didn't need the drill when the lessons were taught with an emphasis on patterns.
The 3 seasons can be completed anytime from 6th grade onward. Once those seasons are complete, your student can move on to the high school reinforcement books which allow for practice using real literature from American authors, British authors, World authors, or Shakespeare. If you can't wait to start until 6th, they also have Jr. Analytical grammar, which my oldest daughter used and loved this past year.
The program is no-frills and uses real literature. It teaches grammar in a logical progression, without excessive repetition and busy work. It fits our goals and priorities well, while teaching solid grammar rules and constructions. We have been very pleased and look forward to trying out their new writing curriculum as well.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Speech and debate
One of our favorite parts of homeschooling last year was participating in our local speech and debate club. This club competes through the NCFCA. I was blown away by the level of competition and the quality of performances of these students.
My oldest participated in the LD debate, but there were others involved in TP and many categories of speech. Participants are 12-18 years old. The experience was excellent for him to learn about how to structure an argument, how to present himself, what evidence is important and useful, and even how to go through the formal process of a debate. He learned a ton about the year's resolution, and it provided us great opportunity to discuss current events and history with a depth we don't usually get to experience. The whole family was in on letting him know of any relevant quotes or fact they encountered.
I think my favorite part of the experience was the excitement and enthusiasm I saw in him for research. In NCFCA debate, there is one resolution over the course of the year. Each student has to write and prepare both an affirmative case (supporting the resolution) and a negative case (against the resolution). In a tournament, each student will be required to debate both sides. This requirement forces them to dig deeper and build strong cases, but also to look from both sides of the argument. Instead of just picking a side, they have to be able to see the other side's point of view and understand it enough to even argue for it. It's an incredible exercise in argumentation and research.
Parents attend tournaments and help judge which was a lot of fun. I loved watching other debaters and speakers. Again and again I was blown away by the quality and level at which they were competing. To watch high school students be able to stand up and speak eloquently and deeply about real subjects and issues in an educated and passionate way--well, I just can't say enough good about the organization or our club. It was a great experience in oral presenation that fit perfectly with our goals in the rhetoric stage.
My oldest participated in the LD debate, but there were others involved in TP and many categories of speech. Participants are 12-18 years old. The experience was excellent for him to learn about how to structure an argument, how to present himself, what evidence is important and useful, and even how to go through the formal process of a debate. He learned a ton about the year's resolution, and it provided us great opportunity to discuss current events and history with a depth we don't usually get to experience. The whole family was in on letting him know of any relevant quotes or fact they encountered.
I think my favorite part of the experience was the excitement and enthusiasm I saw in him for research. In NCFCA debate, there is one resolution over the course of the year. Each student has to write and prepare both an affirmative case (supporting the resolution) and a negative case (against the resolution). In a tournament, each student will be required to debate both sides. This requirement forces them to dig deeper and build strong cases, but also to look from both sides of the argument. Instead of just picking a side, they have to be able to see the other side's point of view and understand it enough to even argue for it. It's an incredible exercise in argumentation and research.
Parents attend tournaments and help judge which was a lot of fun. I loved watching other debaters and speakers. Again and again I was blown away by the quality and level at which they were competing. To watch high school students be able to stand up and speak eloquently and deeply about real subjects and issues in an educated and passionate way--well, I just can't say enough good about the organization or our club. It was a great experience in oral presenation that fit perfectly with our goals in the rhetoric stage.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
9th grade
So high school--Most my student's day at this point should be focused on his great books study for history and literature. The details of that are coming in another post. At this point, we are working on building skills like note taking, essay writing--timed and note, time management, test taking skills, reading skills, and oral presentation skills. We study the ancients and biology using Science for High School.
Math: Math U See
Language: Analytical Grammar High school reinforcement books
Writing Exposition
Vocabulary from Classical Roots
Other: Rhetoric--A Rulebook for Arguments as described in the WTM
Art--The Annotated Mona Lisa, The Story of Painting, and a drawing instruction book
Music
Bible
Russian-Pimsleur and Russian in 10 minutes a day
French-online with BJU French
Latin-online with Henle
We also joined a speech and debate club this year. More on that experience in another post.
Math: Math U See
Language: Analytical Grammar High school reinforcement books
Writing Exposition
Vocabulary from Classical Roots
Other: Rhetoric--A Rulebook for Arguments as described in the WTM
Art--The Annotated Mona Lisa, The Story of Painting, and a drawing instruction book
Music
Bible
Russian-Pimsleur and Russian in 10 minutes a day
French-online with BJU French
Latin-online with Henle
We also joined a speech and debate club this year. More on that experience in another post.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Online Options
There are so many options out there for online classes. We have loved doing high school foreign language online, because it allows my student the opportunity to interact and speak with other students learning the same language. There are things I look for in an online program--is it a real time class? Is there a teacher available to ask questions and grade? What level of work is required and how is that work evaluated?
The 2 programs we have used are Memoria Press Online Academy for Latin and The Potter's School for French. Memoria Press is a very straightforward, easy to use online class. The student attends a real time class taught by a live teacher. She will lecture, and the students participate via a headset. They can see her, her board, and notes she pins to the screen, and they speak and interact by typing and voice. They occasionally have individual and group work during class time as well. If your student is very independent, Memoria Press is great. Homework is assigned but not graded. Quizzes are graded weekly relating to the work you complete. Teachers are readily available to answer questions.
The Potter's School was a wonderful experience this year. I was blown away by the wide range in variety and level classes they offer. They have a lot of AP-approved level classes. My oldest took French through the Potter's School this year, and it was similar to Memoria Press in that it was a live class, interactive, and used text and headset. The major difference I saw was that homework was turned in and graded weekly for The Potter's School. The teacher gave feedback on all work, not just quizzes. He was also required to turn in monthly project. I loved the thoroughness and feedback of the program. He also took the optional conversation class that went along with French, and I was super impressed by how much his skills progressed in the combination of the two classes--writing, speaking, reading, etc. We were very pleased with our experience.
Other online, live class programs I know of include Landry Academy and Currclick.com. Landry also offers science lab intensives that will travel to your area for a day or 2 of hands-on labs, which are a great supplement to science programs. Math-U-See also offers a co-op program with live classes through their website. Online classes tend to be pricey, but are a great option especially with foreign language classes or classes that are harder to find resources and support for such as calculus. If you know of other programs, please feel free to tell me about them in the comments.
The 2 programs we have used are Memoria Press Online Academy for Latin and The Potter's School for French. Memoria Press is a very straightforward, easy to use online class. The student attends a real time class taught by a live teacher. She will lecture, and the students participate via a headset. They can see her, her board, and notes she pins to the screen, and they speak and interact by typing and voice. They occasionally have individual and group work during class time as well. If your student is very independent, Memoria Press is great. Homework is assigned but not graded. Quizzes are graded weekly relating to the work you complete. Teachers are readily available to answer questions.
The Potter's School was a wonderful experience this year. I was blown away by the wide range in variety and level classes they offer. They have a lot of AP-approved level classes. My oldest took French through the Potter's School this year, and it was similar to Memoria Press in that it was a live class, interactive, and used text and headset. The major difference I saw was that homework was turned in and graded weekly for The Potter's School. The teacher gave feedback on all work, not just quizzes. He was also required to turn in monthly project. I loved the thoroughness and feedback of the program. He also took the optional conversation class that went along with French, and I was super impressed by how much his skills progressed in the combination of the two classes--writing, speaking, reading, etc. We were very pleased with our experience.
Other online, live class programs I know of include Landry Academy and Currclick.com. Landry also offers science lab intensives that will travel to your area for a day or 2 of hands-on labs, which are a great supplement to science programs. Math-U-See also offers a co-op program with live classes through their website. Online classes tend to be pricey, but are a great option especially with foreign language classes or classes that are harder to find resources and support for such as calculus. If you know of other programs, please feel free to tell me about them in the comments.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Foreign languages??!!
I know one area that tends to scare a lot of homeschoolers is teaching a foreign language. To be fair, with some programs, it isn't easy if you don't know the language, and a person will never develop fluency without total immersion (see my post later on exchange students ;) ), but I still think foreign language exposure is very important.
Learning a foreign language helps you understand grammar and syntax in a way you won't appreciate until you are working through translations. Learning a language helps you learn about other cultures and people groups, and gets you outside of your own preconceived world view. And learning a language can be fun.
Around here, we start learning French very young. Why French? Why young? We do French because I know French. It's just that simple. If I knew Spanish, we would start there, or German, or Russian, or any other language. If you know even a little of a language, that's a good place to start. If you know none, that's ok too. I think it is very important to start kids hearing and being exposed to language young because our ears and specifically designed to process language and sound at young ages. Those skills are harder as we get older. Even my preschoolers are exposed to French vocabulary and voices through games and cd's.
By 2nd grade, we start the curriculum The Easy French to increase their exposure (there is also The Easy Spanish). This curriculum is a gentle way to start a language and make it fun. It uses an immersion technique where the student will listen to a conversation with French words sprinkled throughout. They will understand the words in context. Then you are given a variety of activities you can complete throughout the week to build up those skills. We use The Easy French from 2nd-6th grade. It is great for vocabularly and building pronounciation skills. It isn't super formal or grammatically-base. At that point, we branch out and use the French curriculum from Memoria Press. This curriculum allows my student to learn French a little more formally with grammar instruction to go along with vocabulary learning. For high school, we have been using BJU French materials in an online class, and have found this combination to be working very well. I put my oldest in an online class at this point, so that he has the opportunity to hear a variety of French speakers and not just my voice. The class is live and he participates with a headseat through the computer. More on online classes later.
In 5th grade, we add in Latin instruction. Most traditional, classical schoolers will start Latin first. There are many arguments for why to teach Latin. However, Latin is not a spoken language and we lose our ear for hearing the nuances of language as we get older. For my family, I would rather focus on a modern, spoken language when they are younger to take advantage of their natural abilities, and add in a more formal Latin education in the logic stage. Once you've worked on learning one foreign language, a 2nd...or 3rd...is an easier process. We stick with Memoria Press curriculum for Latin--Latina Christiana and First Form, Second Form, etc. There are lots of other good programs out there, and Memoria Press isn't exciting, but I find it to be straightforward and easy to use, and they have a DVD set that you can buy to go with them. Since I don't know Latin myself, this is a big plus for me. In 8th grade, my oldest began online study of high school level Latin with Memoria Press online academy using the Henle materials.
And to round out our language study, my children will be allowed to select a 3rd language for their high school years--continuing Latin and French as well. My oldest has chosen Russian, after experiencing that language first hand while we were in Ukraine adopting. He is using a Pimsleur program paired with Russian in 10 Minutes a Day. I have been very impressed with how much he has learned through those programs.
If you are reading this thinking, wow, 3 languages is crazy, keep in mind that for the rest of the world, 2-3 foreign languages is the norm. Students around the world start learning other languages young and add more languages through their educational career. And they do it well. Not only can our students handle this level of learning, they need it to be competitive in this world.
If teaching a foreign language thoroughly intimdates you, be encouraged that there are so many choices and resources out there from free online resources, to online classes, to video and audio programs. Do your research and you will find something that fits your family.
Learning a foreign language helps you understand grammar and syntax in a way you won't appreciate until you are working through translations. Learning a language helps you learn about other cultures and people groups, and gets you outside of your own preconceived world view. And learning a language can be fun.
Around here, we start learning French very young. Why French? Why young? We do French because I know French. It's just that simple. If I knew Spanish, we would start there, or German, or Russian, or any other language. If you know even a little of a language, that's a good place to start. If you know none, that's ok too. I think it is very important to start kids hearing and being exposed to language young because our ears and specifically designed to process language and sound at young ages. Those skills are harder as we get older. Even my preschoolers are exposed to French vocabulary and voices through games and cd's.
By 2nd grade, we start the curriculum The Easy French to increase their exposure (there is also The Easy Spanish). This curriculum is a gentle way to start a language and make it fun. It uses an immersion technique where the student will listen to a conversation with French words sprinkled throughout. They will understand the words in context. Then you are given a variety of activities you can complete throughout the week to build up those skills. We use The Easy French from 2nd-6th grade. It is great for vocabularly and building pronounciation skills. It isn't super formal or grammatically-base. At that point, we branch out and use the French curriculum from Memoria Press. This curriculum allows my student to learn French a little more formally with grammar instruction to go along with vocabulary learning. For high school, we have been using BJU French materials in an online class, and have found this combination to be working very well. I put my oldest in an online class at this point, so that he has the opportunity to hear a variety of French speakers and not just my voice. The class is live and he participates with a headseat through the computer. More on online classes later.
In 5th grade, we add in Latin instruction. Most traditional, classical schoolers will start Latin first. There are many arguments for why to teach Latin. However, Latin is not a spoken language and we lose our ear for hearing the nuances of language as we get older. For my family, I would rather focus on a modern, spoken language when they are younger to take advantage of their natural abilities, and add in a more formal Latin education in the logic stage. Once you've worked on learning one foreign language, a 2nd...or 3rd...is an easier process. We stick with Memoria Press curriculum for Latin--Latina Christiana and First Form, Second Form, etc. There are lots of other good programs out there, and Memoria Press isn't exciting, but I find it to be straightforward and easy to use, and they have a DVD set that you can buy to go with them. Since I don't know Latin myself, this is a big plus for me. In 8th grade, my oldest began online study of high school level Latin with Memoria Press online academy using the Henle materials.
And to round out our language study, my children will be allowed to select a 3rd language for their high school years--continuing Latin and French as well. My oldest has chosen Russian, after experiencing that language first hand while we were in Ukraine adopting. He is using a Pimsleur program paired with Russian in 10 Minutes a Day. I have been very impressed with how much he has learned through those programs.
If you are reading this thinking, wow, 3 languages is crazy, keep in mind that for the rest of the world, 2-3 foreign languages is the norm. Students around the world start learning other languages young and add more languages through their educational career. And they do it well. Not only can our students handle this level of learning, they need it to be competitive in this world.
If teaching a foreign language thoroughly intimdates you, be encouraged that there are so many choices and resources out there from free online resources, to online classes, to video and audio programs. Do your research and you will find something that fits your family.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
High School Science
When my oldest was starting high school, I started my research again. High School science. I had great ideas about what I wanted for him. I wanted hands-on, research-based learning. I didn't want him reading a textbook and regurgetating the facts he had just read on a test. I also don't want my kids to suffer with lab sciences and lack of materials because we home school. I want to see microscope work, dissection, and true experiments that use the scientific method.
Most everyone uses Apologia, so I looked at it. But, as you know by now, I am massively stubborn and can't just use what other people are using. Apologia seemed thorough and well-organized to me. It included labs and activities. It just felt too textbooky to me. I didn't want to just hand him the information. I wanted him to have to work for it.
I searched and I searched and I just could not find what I was seeking. I read review after review of all the typical curriculum choices, until I stumbled on a review for the Science for High School series. This was what I was looking for all this time. This series is research based. Each week, your student will be given a series of questions which they need to research answers. I bought my son a few standard textbooks he could use to do his research, but this research could be done on the internet or at a library, or a combination. Each week, the text included a relevant lab, as well as a quiz.
Our approach was basically background reading on Monday. Research on Tuesday and Wednesday. Discussion and lab on Thursday. Quiz on Friday. I also had him watch any relevant Khan videos, and write lab reports each week. For background reading, he read from Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide, as recommended in WTM.
We loved the approach to learning Biology. Active learning kept his interest and made him work for his knowledge and understanding. It was a good, basic first biology course and the labs were interesting and relevant. They included dissection and microscope work. You will definitely need a good microscope if you choose this curriculum. I had no difficulties finding the specimen and equipment we needed (Home Science Tools), and the author was easy to contact when I had questions. I did find a few errors in the teacher's book, and had to be careful grading because the numbering was different on a couple of quizzes, but overall, we were very pleased and plan to use the curriculum for chemistry next year. At this point, she has written physical science, biology, and chemistry. Physics is due out soon. Yes--that makes me very excited.
Our high school plan is Biology 1 in 9th, Chemistry in 10th, Advanced Biology with the intent of seeking AP credit and AP testing in 11th, and Physics in 12th. That plan might alter depending on the child and their interest/future plans, but that is the rough plan at this point.
Most everyone uses Apologia, so I looked at it. But, as you know by now, I am massively stubborn and can't just use what other people are using. Apologia seemed thorough and well-organized to me. It included labs and activities. It just felt too textbooky to me. I didn't want to just hand him the information. I wanted him to have to work for it.
I searched and I searched and I just could not find what I was seeking. I read review after review of all the typical curriculum choices, until I stumbled on a review for the Science for High School series. This was what I was looking for all this time. This series is research based. Each week, your student will be given a series of questions which they need to research answers. I bought my son a few standard textbooks he could use to do his research, but this research could be done on the internet or at a library, or a combination. Each week, the text included a relevant lab, as well as a quiz.
Our approach was basically background reading on Monday. Research on Tuesday and Wednesday. Discussion and lab on Thursday. Quiz on Friday. I also had him watch any relevant Khan videos, and write lab reports each week. For background reading, he read from Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide, as recommended in WTM.
We loved the approach to learning Biology. Active learning kept his interest and made him work for his knowledge and understanding. It was a good, basic first biology course and the labs were interesting and relevant. They included dissection and microscope work. You will definitely need a good microscope if you choose this curriculum. I had no difficulties finding the specimen and equipment we needed (Home Science Tools), and the author was easy to contact when I had questions. I did find a few errors in the teacher's book, and had to be careful grading because the numbering was different on a couple of quizzes, but overall, we were very pleased and plan to use the curriculum for chemistry next year. At this point, she has written physical science, biology, and chemistry. Physics is due out soon. Yes--that makes me very excited.
Our high school plan is Biology 1 in 9th, Chemistry in 10th, Advanced Biology with the intent of seeking AP credit and AP testing in 11th, and Physics in 12th. That plan might alter depending on the child and their interest/future plans, but that is the rough plan at this point.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Yes-I've been singing that song all day, and my MOST favorite thing
When I thought about how I would approach this blog, the song popped into my head and it stuck. So there you go. I think it fits.
I am going to start this blog off right and talk about my most favorite homeschool thing ever. The book that completely changed my world. The book that took me from I don't know if I can do this God, to I can not wait to do this God!!
A little background, we moved a ton when my oldest was little. I hauled him to England, Nashville, and back to Birmingham through his preschool and kindergarten years. The one constant in those years was Montessori. I love Montessori. It is a hands-on, logical approach to education, and it worked for him. He could go as fast or as slow (in his case fast, fast, fast), as you were ready for. It kept him challenged and motivated, and out of trouble...mostly. Anway, in his kindergarten year, child #2 was born, and we started contemplating private school tuition for 2 kids. And then 10 months after she rocked our world, we found out that baby #3 would be coming. 3 kids in private school was just not going to happen. My Montessori education, hyper-active, constantly needing a challenge son was just not going to make it sitting in a desk in public school. But how to do you send 1 to private and not the others. This is how God put homeschooling in our world. I thought homeschoolers were insane before I was slapped in the face with it and started doing what I always do, researching. I spent the next 2 years researching. Yes, 2. Years. That's how I do things. I planned out his entire 1st grade year, and then sent him to Montessori school. I then re-planned when I found new things. I have a bad habit of finding new things, and just adding them onto the old, instead of replacing. Anyway, I continued this process for 2 years while he was in 1st and 2nd grade.
It was about January of his 2nd grade year when God took over my insanity, and finally got through my thick, planning-obsessed skull. I was looking at needing 3k for child #2 for the next year, and I had no idea how to swing it. At this point, I finally listened to one of the many, many recommendations to read the Well-Trained Mind (if you haven't read it, this is your recommendation--pay attention). I picked it up at the library, and that book rocked my world. If you are a planner, read the whole thing. If you are easily overwhelmed, only read the part relevant to your child at this time. This book encouraged me that not only could I teach them at home, but that I could do it well.
Basically, the WTM is a book that lays out an approach to schooling, a scope and sequence that is typically referred to as classical. You teach in a 4 year cycle, and that cycle repeats 3 full times throughout 1st-12th grade. As a historian, it was so appealing to me that history was taught chronologically, and that literature, science, and real books were all tied in to the approach. This was not only an education, but an excellent education, and that is what I desired for my kids.
With this approach, in year 1, you teach the ancient world and biology. If you think about the Greeks and the Romans--biology was what they knew. They were dissecting and studying the human body and nature. Your literature selections feed into that. You read fiction and non-fiction based in that time period. Year 2 is the middle ages and earth/space science. In the beginning of the middle ages, people only knew what was in front of them--earth science, and then the great space discoveries, such as Galileo, occurred during this time. Year 3 is the early modern world and chemistry, since the early modern world is the age of chemistry. And year 4 is the modern world and physics, since the modern world is the age of physics. It just makes so much beautiful, logical sense. American history is studied in context, and not isolated from the rest of world history, and students learn what happens and how those event relate to others before them in the timeline.
That same cycle will repeat again in 5th-8th, and again in 9th-12th. In the 2nd round, you add in logic, so that your student isn't only learning the subjects, but they can go deeper and start to ask why questions that developmentally are happening anyway. In high school, the student will take the facts and the logic they have learned, and will add in study of argument, called rhetoric. They will learn how to present their own unique ideas in writing and in speech.
Your first assignment then, if you are new to homeschooling. Read the Well-Trained Mind. It completely changed my focus and structure of our homeschooling and gave me the courage and plan I needed to take that first step.
I am going to start this blog off right and talk about my most favorite homeschool thing ever. The book that completely changed my world. The book that took me from I don't know if I can do this God, to I can not wait to do this God!!
A little background, we moved a ton when my oldest was little. I hauled him to England, Nashville, and back to Birmingham through his preschool and kindergarten years. The one constant in those years was Montessori. I love Montessori. It is a hands-on, logical approach to education, and it worked for him. He could go as fast or as slow (in his case fast, fast, fast), as you were ready for. It kept him challenged and motivated, and out of trouble...mostly. Anway, in his kindergarten year, child #2 was born, and we started contemplating private school tuition for 2 kids. And then 10 months after she rocked our world, we found out that baby #3 would be coming. 3 kids in private school was just not going to happen. My Montessori education, hyper-active, constantly needing a challenge son was just not going to make it sitting in a desk in public school. But how to do you send 1 to private and not the others. This is how God put homeschooling in our world. I thought homeschoolers were insane before I was slapped in the face with it and started doing what I always do, researching. I spent the next 2 years researching. Yes, 2. Years. That's how I do things. I planned out his entire 1st grade year, and then sent him to Montessori school. I then re-planned when I found new things. I have a bad habit of finding new things, and just adding them onto the old, instead of replacing. Anyway, I continued this process for 2 years while he was in 1st and 2nd grade.
It was about January of his 2nd grade year when God took over my insanity, and finally got through my thick, planning-obsessed skull. I was looking at needing 3k for child #2 for the next year, and I had no idea how to swing it. At this point, I finally listened to one of the many, many recommendations to read the Well-Trained Mind (if you haven't read it, this is your recommendation--pay attention). I picked it up at the library, and that book rocked my world. If you are a planner, read the whole thing. If you are easily overwhelmed, only read the part relevant to your child at this time. This book encouraged me that not only could I teach them at home, but that I could do it well.
Basically, the WTM is a book that lays out an approach to schooling, a scope and sequence that is typically referred to as classical. You teach in a 4 year cycle, and that cycle repeats 3 full times throughout 1st-12th grade. As a historian, it was so appealing to me that history was taught chronologically, and that literature, science, and real books were all tied in to the approach. This was not only an education, but an excellent education, and that is what I desired for my kids.
With this approach, in year 1, you teach the ancient world and biology. If you think about the Greeks and the Romans--biology was what they knew. They were dissecting and studying the human body and nature. Your literature selections feed into that. You read fiction and non-fiction based in that time period. Year 2 is the middle ages and earth/space science. In the beginning of the middle ages, people only knew what was in front of them--earth science, and then the great space discoveries, such as Galileo, occurred during this time. Year 3 is the early modern world and chemistry, since the early modern world is the age of chemistry. And year 4 is the modern world and physics, since the modern world is the age of physics. It just makes so much beautiful, logical sense. American history is studied in context, and not isolated from the rest of world history, and students learn what happens and how those event relate to others before them in the timeline.
That same cycle will repeat again in 5th-8th, and again in 9th-12th. In the 2nd round, you add in logic, so that your student isn't only learning the subjects, but they can go deeper and start to ask why questions that developmentally are happening anyway. In high school, the student will take the facts and the logic they have learned, and will add in study of argument, called rhetoric. They will learn how to present their own unique ideas in writing and in speech.
Your first assignment then, if you are new to homeschooling. Read the Well-Trained Mind. It completely changed my focus and structure of our homeschooling and gave me the courage and plan I needed to take that first step.
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