(on) The Road (to becoming a) Scholar: July 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Links for This Old Schoolhouse

In This Old Schoolhouse, I talk about how the old School Marms (and Masters) provided kids in grades K-8 with an excellent education. One of the contributing factors was the curriculum. Here's what I presented in the handout about FREE, OLD curriculum.

Free “Old” Curriculum Resources:

· Books.google.com

· Archive.org (Download the ePub reader or Kindle Reader if using your PC)

· www.gutenberg.org (Download the ePub reader or Kindle Reader if using your PC)

· openlibrary.org (Download the ePub reader or Kindle Reader if using your PC)

· manybooks.net (Download the ePub reader or Kindle Reader if using your PC)

Catholic Books List with links to their locations for free or small fee:

· http://www.thinveil.net/2011/06/building-catholic-ebook-library-on.html

Ambleside – Free Charlotte Mason Curriculum:

· http://www.amblesideonline.org/index.shtml

Free Catholic Books:

· http://books.google.com/books?lr=&uid=14945307001783253416&as_coll=1001&sa=N&start=0

For-fee “Old” Curriculum Resources (Collections of old curriculum put together for you and available on CD):

· Accelerated Achievement (A2) – A K-12 curriculum based on Classical model

· Dollar Homeschool - Old curriculum, available by subject on CD (i.e. Ray’s Arithmetic, McGuffey Readers, etc.)

Linky List of Book Clubs

I just went through and made a list of all the book clubs I've posted. I owe a link for one more. I will add that when its finished.

Book Club for 6-8 year old girls

Book Club for 6-9 year old girls

Book Club for 8-12 year old girls

Book Club for 9-12 year old girls

Book Club for 7-12 year old boys

Book Club for 8-13 year old boys

Book Club for 10- 13 year old boys

Great Big List of Book Clubs (Group of 4)

A Sneak Peak at Socrates Meets Homeschool Mom

I did a talk about using the Socratic Method for literary analysis at RMCHEC this month. For those that attended, I had a book list available on the handouts. I didn't expect to run out of handouts. So, I'm posting some of the information here. The handouts will end up on the RMCHEC site.

First, the book list includes links to either FREE resources, the vendor link or the amazon.com entry for the resource:

Apology by Plato

Teaching the Classics by Adam and Missy Andrews

The Gift of Fire by Richard Mitchell

Deconstructing Penguins by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

Trivium Mastery by Diane B. Lockman

The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar and Rhetoricby Sister Miriam Joseph, C.S.C.,Ph.D.

Paideia Program by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren

How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren

Classics in the Classroom by Michael C. Thompson

A Beginner’s Guide to the Socratic Seminar by Jerry Chris,Ed. D.

Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia by Bruce Murphy

Don’t forget! You can use Cliff Notes or Sparknotes AFTER you have read the book yourself.

Things to remember:

Literature Analysis:

1 Goal:

1. Teach children to understand Literature and uncover the message the Author has hidden for them. By learning more about the human condition, we grow closer to God.

2 Rules:

1. YOU must read the book.

2. Be sure YOU can answer the questions you are prepared to ask first!

3 Step Lesson Plan:

1. Read the book.

2. Discuss the book and fill in the analysis form.*

3. Write a report or paper.

Poetry:

· Take Poetry one line at a time.

· Context and Authorship is still important.

· Great opportunity to learn and start identifying Literary Style like alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, and poetry form.

Beginning Homeschooling Link List

I will be adding pieces of my talk handouts, parsed and easier to understand with some context.

I mention many books and links in my Beginning Homeschooling talk. Here's the list of links:

Homeschool LegalDefense for Home Educators

CatholicHome Education resources

Literature resources

Messageboard for Catholic Charlotte Mason

FREE Catholic Charlotte Mason

Another FREE Charlotte Mason

Keepingit Catholic Links

Links toCatholic Resources

PlanningSoftware for scheduling, record keeping, etc. - FREE

Freeplanning forms for all aspects of home education

New and used homeschool materials, announcements for homeschool groups, activities, and events

Top 100 Educational Websites and tools

A greatway to keep the toddlers happy

Read aloud lists for all grades

I'll add my Socrates Meets Homeschool Mom book list next.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Back from RMCHEC with a to-do list!

First of all, I wanted to thank all the attendees of my talks at RMCHEC. I brought 50 copies of hand-outs to each talk and ran out at all four! You can go to the conference site to pick up a new copy if you missed one in a few days.

I did come home with a few to-dos. I hope to catch up and have them posted this week. The list includes:

iPad apps that are actually "good"
Review of a couple of books on Learning Styles/Learning Modalities
Create a list of links for each of the talks I did (so you don't have to enter the links yourself)

An annotated list of book clubs I've run in the past, including age/grade levels
A by-learning-modality post of tips and suggestions for home educators
A by-curriculum check list for learning modalities
A short discussion of the Tactile Learner and 2e giftedness

Here's one I didn't promise, but I can save you the work of digging through the Google Books for textbooks discussed in the This Old School House talk. Check out my Google Bookshelf. Scroll down on the left side to see the book organized by subject. Once I move them to the subject shelf, I move them off my main bookshelf. I will be organizing the bookshelf this week by subject.

This will probably take more than a week to get the to-do's done, and given I've been gone for days, I have to catch up on the home front first. Laundry does NOT do it self, it appears.

Again, I want to thank all the folks in Colorado for the absolutely warm and wonderful treatment. I hope I have the opportunity to visit you all again!

p.s. If I've missed something or you would like to add something to my list from the talks this weekend, please feel free to add them to the com-box.

Friday, July 15, 2011

RMCHEC - Day 1

It was a beautiful day in Denver! The Rocky Mountains are stunning and I just couldn't do them justice with my cell phone camera. So, no pictures. Sorry.

My first talk went great and I had the great pleasure of spending time with Maureen Wittmann and her lovely daughter, Laura. I also got to hear Dr. Ted Sri give a presentation on his book The Biblical Walk Through the Mass. Our parish offered a study of the book using Ascension Press' Study Guide and our host was Jeff Cavins. He's no slouch. However, hearing Dr. Sri's words about the book were very powerful. He's an animated speaker and totally in love with our Catholic Faith. What a blessing. He and his wife also homeschool their six children. Our venue was the location at which he video recorded the DVD Study Program. I'm tempted to purchase it since it's $25 less here than on Amazon!

Speaking of spending money. I found some great finds at the used curriculum table. I found the Teaching Company's Great Course on the Iliad for $4. That's right $4. I also picked up a couple of presents for my kids. Kids, if you are reading this, you will have to wait until I get home! Oh, I could spend more money, but I will be so busy tomorrow doing three talks, I will not have time to cruise the vendor floor.

The talks tomorrow are: This Old School House, Socrates Meets Homeschool Mom and How to Get Your Kid To See the Light! I can't wait and must sign off now to get a good nights sleep.

Good night from Denver!

The Road Scholar

Cathie and her husband are blessed with six children and have home educated them since 2003. Before children, Cathie developed curricula and taught classes for adults around the world on a variety of topics in the computer industry at the corporate and technical school level. She loves to develop curricula, teach homeschool co-op classes and organize book clubs. For five years, she held board positions on a large homeschool support group such as general coordinator, membership coordinator and advisory member.

Workshops, Presentations and Seminars

To arrange a presentation for your homeschool group or convention contact me here.

Topics:

Beginning Homeschooling - Beyond the Basics

Are you new to homeschooling? Where do you start? How do you ensure a very good (not just adequate) homeschooling experience, especially in that important first year? This practical how-to session will help you determine the appropriate first steps on your homeschooling adventure. We'll talk about picking a curriculum, scheduling and strategies for developing an independent child as well as strengthening your family and social relationships.

Get Your Game On!
Using EASY, Almost No-Fuss Games to Help Keep Learning Fun

Kids love games and so much is gained by playing games: learning to taking turns, good sportsmanship, patience and development of relationships. By using games, we can tailor to the needs of the child - not just academically, but socially, too. Come join in the fun yourself and learn how easy it is to put together games for your children—and you don't have to be creative to do it, either! Besides learning how, you will walk away with instructions, tips and resources to make your own games at home.

How to Get Your Kids to See the Light (or Feel it or Hear it)!

Teaching different learning modalities requires different tactics. Learn how to determine which modality your child uses and find ways to present material so that it sticks the first time, especially if it is different than your own learning modality.

This Old Schoolhouse

The school marms and school masters of yesteryear taught several children at different levels and formed many of our favorite American heroes. We will look back at how those school marms ran their one room schools and take some tips on making our school days more successful. We’ll talk about schedules, curriculum, discipline, independence, character development and motivation for the one room school in your home.

Socrates Meets Homeschool Mom

If Socrates could teach you one thing, it would be to use his method (the Socratic Method) for literary analysis. This presentation addresses the fundamentals of literary interpretation from within the accessible world of children’s literature, so even young students can easily identify the language of literary analysis. As they mature they will readily spot these fundamentals in more difficult works, enriching both their understanding of the literature and their appreciation for the author’s handiwork. Learn the aspects of literary analysis and how to help kids appreciate and find the meaning in all the great books they read.

The Motivation Myth

What do sticker charts, time-outs and spelling bees have in common? They are examples of “Carrots and Sticks.” Over the last 40 years, study after study has shown that "Carrots and Sticks" don't work for long term motivation, especially when thought is required in the process. How are you motivating and inspiring your kids to study, do chores and reach goals? Learn about what truly motivates kids, how to mentor them and help them become successful in their endeavors. I will dispel the myths and reveal truths about human motivation and mindset. And here’s a hint. It’s you, not them. I hope you will join me to find out what that means.