Long time no post!
Last spring we eliminated the internet problem by eliminating the internet!
Here is a quick run down of what we will be doing this year.
Christian will be away at college. While we will miss him bunches, we are excited at the opportunities before him.
Grayson will be studying:
Language Arts 3(Mother Tongue, IEW Character-based Writing, Queen’s Language Lessons for the High School Student, EMC World Lit)
Precalculus (Sullivan text)
European History (late middle ages- 1900)
Chemistry (PH- Connections to Our Changing World)
Economics (A Beka)
Art History (TC Art of the Northern Renaissance)
Spanish (argh! I have no idea and he needs to start in 2 weeks!)
Duncan will be studying:
Language Arts (MCT Island Level, Sonlight Adv2 LA and Readers)
Math (Saxon 76, Kumon, Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics)
World History (built around Gombrich’s A Little History)
Science (GSA Space- 1st trimester, GSA Human Body- 2nd trimester, Inventions- 3rd trimester)
Art (Art in Story and other things lined up with his history)
Foreign Language (Barron’s Spanish Every Day, BYKI Farsi, Song School Latin)
Memory Work (culled from LA, Math, History, and Science)
My friend’s daughter Mei will be joining us about 2 days each week. Yay! At our house she is studying:
Language Arts (Winston Grammar, Super Sentences and Paragraphs, MCT Music of the Hemispheres)
Math (Saxon, MMM, Creative Problem Solving in School Mathematics)
World History (built around Gombrich’s A Little History)
Science (GSA Space- 1st trimester, GSA Human Body- 2nd trimester, Inventions- 3rd trimester)
Art (Art in Story and other things lined up with his history)
Foreign Language (Barron’s Spanish Every Day)
Memory Work (culled from LA, Math, History, and Science)
Other (As I don’t have a daughter for whom to plan cool, crafty school things, my friend has blessed me with the opportunity to share Above and Beyond Five in a Row with hers. If used alone, ABFIAR may could be finished in a trimester. I, however, plan to do it lightly on the side and take many rabbit trails. This way the fun may last the whole year.)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Friday- Homeschool 2 Weeks in Review for Duncan
Language Arts
We finished looking at Rossetti and Duncan is now studying the poetry of Carl Sandburg. He participated in Teatime Tuesday Poetry where we read A Valentine by Laura Elizabeth Richards on Tuesday, 2/9 and Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll on Tuesday, 2/16.
I read aloud pp. 47-51 from Milo Winter’s Aesop for Children. For read-aloud Thursday we read Barbara Cooney's Chanticleer and the Fox on Thursday, 2/11 and Saint George and the Dragon by Geraldine McCaughrean on Thursday, 2/18.
Duncan has just started No Dogs Allowed by Jane Cutler and finished chapter 1.
Duncan played some in his beginning cursive book, did Wordly Wise Book 2 Lesson 14 and Plaid Phonics C pp.98-104. This week he started Spectrum Writing Grade 2 and completed pp.5-7
We totally dropped Easy Grammar the week of 2/8-2/12. I tried this years ago with my older two and it didn’t work for them. I had thought it might be a good fit for Duncan, but I just don’t like it. Anyway, I have been writing my own language arts material that is part PLL/ CM, but also part Living Memory/ LCC. It has been time consuming, but I am pleased with where it is going. This week we completed the first week of my material.
Math
Duncan completed pp.1-16 in Key to Decimals Book 1. We have been doing Saxon 65 about every other day and he completed lessons 70-77. In poor neglected MEP 3A he only did pp. 13-19. Duncan has been to the Kumon Center twice in these two week, but he hasn’t made it to the math tutor at all.
Science
This week Duncan continued learning about water. He finished The Wonder in Water. For the 2/8-2/12 he memorized the Great Lakes and 2/15-2/19 he memorized the world oceans- both as listed in Living Memory.
I read aloud chapters 8-10 from The Story Book of Science.
He also watched some science videos from the library and on TV.
History and Geography
Duncan again played with The Seven Continents of the World Jigsaw Book. We spent some time reviewing.
2/8-2/12, we read pp.232-239 in the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History. We looked through Cathedral by Macaulay and made clay gargoyle heads. We learned the during the Middle Ages the popes of Rome who were the head of the Western Church wanted power over the rulers of Europe.
2/15-2/19, we read pp.240 in the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History and SOTW2 chapter 18. We learned that the crusades began in 1095 when Pope Urban II urged Christians to go on a crusade to drive the Muslims out of the Holy Land.
Foreign Language
I keep forgetting to report foreign language! Duncan hasn’t been doing much RS Farsi, but we have been working through Passport’s Spanish for Children chapter 2.
Arts
Duncan has not been practicing violin like he should. He did have a lesson Monday 2/8.
We went to a Nashville symphony children’s program the week of 2/8-2/12.
We finished looking at the sculptures of Donatello and listening to Gregorian chants the week of 2/8-2/12. This week we began looking at the work of Botticelli.
We finished looking at Rossetti and Duncan is now studying the poetry of Carl Sandburg. He participated in Teatime Tuesday Poetry where we read A Valentine by Laura Elizabeth Richards on Tuesday, 2/9 and Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll on Tuesday, 2/16.
I read aloud pp. 47-51 from Milo Winter’s Aesop for Children. For read-aloud Thursday we read Barbara Cooney's Chanticleer and the Fox on Thursday, 2/11 and Saint George and the Dragon by Geraldine McCaughrean on Thursday, 2/18.
Duncan has just started No Dogs Allowed by Jane Cutler and finished chapter 1.
Duncan played some in his beginning cursive book, did Wordly Wise Book 2 Lesson 14 and Plaid Phonics C pp.98-104. This week he started Spectrum Writing Grade 2 and completed pp.5-7
We totally dropped Easy Grammar the week of 2/8-2/12. I tried this years ago with my older two and it didn’t work for them. I had thought it might be a good fit for Duncan, but I just don’t like it. Anyway, I have been writing my own language arts material that is part PLL/ CM, but also part Living Memory/ LCC. It has been time consuming, but I am pleased with where it is going. This week we completed the first week of my material.
Math
Duncan completed pp.1-16 in Key to Decimals Book 1. We have been doing Saxon 65 about every other day and he completed lessons 70-77. In poor neglected MEP 3A he only did pp. 13-19. Duncan has been to the Kumon Center twice in these two week, but he hasn’t made it to the math tutor at all.
Science
This week Duncan continued learning about water. He finished The Wonder in Water. For the 2/8-2/12 he memorized the Great Lakes and 2/15-2/19 he memorized the world oceans- both as listed in Living Memory.
I read aloud chapters 8-10 from The Story Book of Science.
He also watched some science videos from the library and on TV.
History and Geography
Duncan again played with The Seven Continents of the World Jigsaw Book. We spent some time reviewing.
2/8-2/12, we read pp.232-239 in the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History. We looked through Cathedral by Macaulay and made clay gargoyle heads. We learned the during the Middle Ages the popes of Rome who were the head of the Western Church wanted power over the rulers of Europe.
2/15-2/19, we read pp.240 in the Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History and SOTW2 chapter 18. We learned that the crusades began in 1095 when Pope Urban II urged Christians to go on a crusade to drive the Muslims out of the Holy Land.
Foreign Language
I keep forgetting to report foreign language! Duncan hasn’t been doing much RS Farsi, but we have been working through Passport’s Spanish for Children chapter 2.
Arts
Duncan has not been practicing violin like he should
We went to a Nashville symphony children’s program the week of 2/8-2/12.
We finished looking at the sculptures of Donatello and listening to Gregorian chants the week of 2/8-2/12. This week we began looking at the work of Botticelli.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Read-Aloud Thursday
This week we read Saint George and the Dragon by Geraldine McCaughrean. I have had this version for years. My oldest had it when he was little. He wanted it, because he liked the illustration of the dragon. Margaret Hodges version seems to be the popular one these days. The illustrations in the McCaughrean version are less cutesy/ pretty than the illustrations in the Hodges book. By this I mean that, although the illustrations in the McCaughrean version are still stylized, they are more graphic art than cartoon-like. As a visual for this particular story, I prefer the graphic art look.
As for the story, it is not an ambitious attempt at simplifying Spenser like Hodges. It is just a simple version of the story of St. George. Omitting religious detail, it basically reads like a standard knight saves the princess story.
I admit this isn't a stellar review, but the dragon illustrated by Nicki Palin in the McCaughrean story is unique and IMHO more visually interesting in the context of the story of St. George than the dragon illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman in the Hodges version. I really do enjoy Hyman's work, but in this one instance I just prefer the other dragon.
Well, this is a rambling post, so I'll stop now.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Duncan and I studied the Christian Church in the Middle Ages last week, so we made gargoyles. This activity is in How to Teach Art to Children. I love to play with clay!
Duncan's gargoyle
Mandy's gargoyle
Duncan's gargoyle
Mandy's gargoyle
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Teatime Tuesday Poetry
Is anyone else having cabin fever? I think it is time to be silly!
Jabberwocky
by Lewis Carroll
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!'
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
long time the manzome foe he sought--
so rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
he went galumphing back.
'And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Was that silly enough? Gotta love nonsense poems.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Aargh! Homeschooling Vent
I know that I should be typing out my week in review, but...
I try not to talk to strangers about homeschooling. Stories like this are exactly why.
It does make me want to say something along the lines of-
Glad that worked out well for your family, because it doesn't for the vast majority of public school graduates.
Yeah, I know that there are slacker homeschoolers, but there are also brick-and-mortar schools that provide less than stellar educations.
In the state of TN realistically about 70% of the high school freshmen can be expected to graduate.
Of those that graduate about 60-65% of them go on directly to college. Let's just say about 45% of the kids who begin high school in TN go to college. (I would say that this is inaccurately high.)
However, this doesn't mean that 45 of 100 TN high school freshmen will be prepared for college.
To receive the basic TN Hope/Lottery scholarship a student needs have an ACT 21 composite (this is about the national average) and weighted minimum GPA of 3.0. However 50% of the students awarded lottery scholarships lose them their freshman year of college.
Of the students who enter the TN public colleges only 45% have graduated by the time they are 26. (Obviously, not all of the students are in-state high school graduates and certainly some of them are private school and homeschool graduates, but the statistic is still startling.)
Of course, statistics can be manipulated as stated in the first article. Also, some schools, some ethnic groups, and some economic groups will have better odds than others. Anyway- bottom line- it doesn’t seem to me that the public high schools in TN are doing a bang up job. It then follows that I have more faith in our ability as a family than I do in the government schools to do what is best for our children.
I know others have worked within the public school system and have been able to acquire the education they want for their kids. The thing is I want more for my children than the filling of a state-dictated bucket. While I don’t doubt my ability to build a bucket and find things to put in it, I want to have time to teach how to be part of a family and to share the things that I think are culturally important. I also want them to have the time to develop passionate interests of their own. Oh, and I want to be able to do all of this and still have time to stare at the clouds.
This fall my oldest will begin college at Berea. Berea College has a less than 20% acceptance rate and every freshman is given a 4-year full tuition scholarship. Based on what I’ve read, this means that, educationally speaking, he is already doing better than at least 55% of the students who began public high school in TN.
I try not to talk to strangers about homeschooling. Stories like this are exactly why.
It does make me want to say something along the lines of-
Glad that worked out well for your family, because it doesn't for the vast majority of public school graduates.
Yeah, I know that there are slacker homeschoolers, but there are also brick-and-mortar schools that provide less than stellar educations.
In the state of TN realistically about 70% of the high school freshmen can be expected to graduate.
Of those that graduate about 60-65% of them go on directly to college. Let's just say about 45% of the kids who begin high school in TN go to college. (I would say that this is inaccurately high.)
However, this doesn't mean that 45 of 100 TN high school freshmen will be prepared for college.
To receive the basic TN Hope/Lottery scholarship a student needs have an ACT 21 composite (this is about the national average) and weighted minimum GPA of 3.0. However 50% of the students awarded lottery scholarships lose them their freshman year of college.
Of the students who enter the TN public colleges only 45% have graduated by the time they are 26. (Obviously, not all of the students are in-state high school graduates and certainly some of them are private school and homeschool graduates, but the statistic is still startling.)
Of course, statistics can be manipulated as stated in the first article. Also, some schools, some ethnic groups, and some economic groups will have better odds than others. Anyway- bottom line- it doesn’t seem to me that the public high schools in TN are doing a bang up job. It then follows that I have more faith in our ability as a family than I do in the government schools to do what is best for our children.
I know others have worked within the public school system and have been able to acquire the education they want for their kids. The thing is I want more for my children than the filling of a state-dictated bucket. While I don’t doubt my ability to build a bucket and find things to put in it, I want to have time to teach how to be part of a family and to share the things that I think are culturally important. I also want them to have the time to develop passionate interests of their own. Oh, and I want to be able to do all of this and still have time to stare at the clouds.
This fall my oldest will begin college at Berea. Berea College has a less than 20% acceptance rate and every freshman is given a 4-year full tuition scholarship. Based on what I’ve read, this means that, educationally speaking, he is already doing better than at least 55% of the students who began public high school in TN.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Read-Aloud Thursday
Since The Canterbury Tales were mentioned in our history reading, today we read Chanticleer and the Fox. This is an adaption of the "Nun's Priest's Tale." I think I like Geraldine McCaughrean's adaption better, but Barbara Cooney's illustrations more than make up for it. They tell the story so clearly that you hardly need the words. It is a lovely introduction to Chaucer for very young children!
(As a side note- This doesn't bother me, but I hear it often and thought I should mention it here. The rooster has 7 wives. I mean really- have you ever been to a farm that only had 1 chicken? Also, how else would Brother John, the priest who is telling the story, refer to the rooster's hens?)
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