Catholic Readers

Brand new - Old books!

Folks, it has come to my attention that I have been disappointing my audiences with a lack of good CATHOLIC material.  I intend to correct that situation immediately!

I have been pouring over the free books at books.google.com and have found a wealth of Catholic school books!  I think one of the most exciting finds is that there are ENTIRE series of readers available from Primer level to Fifth level (middle school).  They are FREE.  They are Catholic.  What more could you ask?  Because they are public domain, you can download them and then print them (have you ever seen FinePrint?) OR read them on your tablet or PC. 

The three I recommend are:
Young Catholic's Illustrated Readers by the Catholic Publication Society
The Ideal Catholic Readers by Sister Mary Domitilla
Standard Catholic Readers by Mary E. Doyle

They are filled with virtue stories, biographies of Bishops, Saints and Martyrs, science and history.  Enjoy!

Dysgraphia and Creative Writing

Dysgraphia is a learning disability in which writing is difficult.  This is more than just the inability too legibly create letters and words.  It extends to the inability to spell and properly organize thoughts on paper. A child that is dysgraphic gets hung up so much on how to form the letters, that their brain often loses track of what they were trying to spell or write. 

Here's a picture of the process for the visual learners...

When my son was diagnosed with dysgraphia in December, it came as no surprise to me.   I have spent much more time on handwriting, spelling and sentence building with him than with any of my other children.  When he practices a lot, his cursive is nice and legible, but it requires so much work and effort on his part, he is unable to write spontaneously.  He can do copy work very well.  He can't easily write what he thinks. 

I have always encouraged my son to type assignments.  He has had his own laptop since he was 10 because of the difficulties he has always had with writing.  He is not a proficient writer, but he types faster than he writes.  He has also learned to rely on the spelling and grammar checking, and I am okay with that.

Obviously because of his difficulties, I will not give up on teaching him the elements of writing (five paragraph essays, in particular), formatting (MLA mostly), and grammar (via intense Latin study and an extremely rigorous grammar program).  We've also come up with an editing process that I found out is used often...just didn't know it already existed.  It's called the power method and it uses an acronym which makes the process easy to remember:

P-lan
O-utline
W-rite
E-dit
R-evise

Now, that may seem obvious, but it is not to an ADHD kid, especially one who hates the writing process.  I have always tried to get my kids to plan out what they are doing BEFORE they write.  They have begrudgingly done it, sort of...however, it wasn't until we were working through Essay Voyages by Michael Clay Thompson last year that they saw the power of the outline.  I gave the four kids I was working with an assignment.  Within the book, there was an outline of an essay.  Their job was to write their own essay, using all the things they had learned thus far from that outline.  They were all astounded at how easy it was when they had a good outline!  From there, the editing and revising was actually easy.  Handwriting aside, the process seemed easier.

However, I had never spent much time on story writing.  I didn't feel I needed to because my kids have always been good, not only at narration, but at making up their own imaginative stories.
One babysitter told us, after watching my children play, that my eldest son would make a good scriptwriter and director.  He would orchestrate elaborate stories into their play sessions.  Not only would he tell everyone what to do, but also what to say.  All the kids would follow his instructions because his stories, created on the fly, were fantastic.  Somehow, it occurred to me last year that my son needed to work and further develop that skill. 

One thing I have learned (listen up curriculum developers) is that the assignments need to be engaging  The premise behind TJeD is to let kids follow their interests and they will learn what they need to learn.  Inside my kid is a story teller without a way to get it out.  I decided that I needed to take things into my own hands and figure out a way to get him writing creatively.  So, given his interests - Star Wars, weapons, adventure stories, games and role playing (although he'd never played an official RPG), I took a lesson from Joseph Campbell and great ideas from George Lucas, a student of Campbell, and put them all together.

Last year, the idea started niggling and I bought some Star Wars books to thumb through.  Of course, my son thought that was divine.   Then, I had to take some time and learn what RPG was all about.  I guess I hadn't realized that Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) is a role playing game.  I never played it, but my friends in high school (yes, almost 30 years ago) did play it.  So I did have exposure, just not experience.

What I ended up with was a writing class for reluctant writers based on the Star Wars universe using role playing games as a way to a create the story.  While I wrote the class for my son, I knew he would not be interested in doing it by himself.  That is where the RPG comes into play.  I knew that if he had to share the story with others and that others would be involved in the story with him, he would work hard.  What an incentive!  So, we invited 11 of his friends to join us.  I used Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces to teach the boys what makes a good myth.   One young man dropped out, but the older brother of another participant requested to join when he saw how much fun it could be.  These young men, aged 11-14 voluntarily joined us six weeks over the summer to write five 8-10 page stories.  And yes, my son came up with five 10 page stories.  I typed much of it for him because his ideas came so fast, he couldn't capture them all.  We're now working on using Dragon Dictation so he can hand it by himself.

Here is what I found.  The boys loved the themes, character development and structure.  But I think I was the big winners because I learned so much in those six weeks about boys, the writing process, RPG, Star Wars (did I really need to know more???) but most importantly  I also got to know these 11 young men much better.  It was especially funny to see how they would include each other or me in their stories, either by killing them off (not me) or buttering them up (most often me) so that others would include them in their stories.

My daughters, age 9 and 12 at the time, sat in hiding close to our school room enraptured as they listened in as the boys told their stories.  I am now working on the same process for girls, but the story lines will be much different.  In fact, we're toying with either a time travel element or putting the entire story in a particular period of time...not sure yet about that one.  Perhaps...



So, I'm curious.  Would it make sense to run the Star Wars class again?  Would there be interest?  I know the boys that took it enjoyed it, but I don't know if they will join us again.  By the way, I only charge for the cost of materials for these classes.  I am not interested in making money on it.  Last year, the boys paid $30, which covered all the class costs as well as snacks, materials, books, etc.  Let me know if you have someone interested.  My son would be...

Classically Catholic Memory - Memory work worth doing

 

A friend recently emailed me asking what I thought of doing CCM (Classically Catholic Memory) in terms of Anthony Esolen's most excellent book Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child that I reviewed a few years ago.  I love Esolen's work for many reasons, but mostly because he was able to articulate many things I thought and felt, but could not properly put down on paper.  That's why I read books like his.  I knew I would agree.  His book gave me the words and arguments to support my opinions.

Now, one must remember that Esolen's book is ironic, like Screwtape writing letters to his nephew, Wormwood, in the Screwtape letters.  So, it requires you to look at his advice as contrary to your desired goal.  In the first chapter, he talks about Mr. Gradgrind in Hard Times.  Mr. Gradgrind asks Cissy (who is a horse breaker's daughter) what a horse is.  She is unable to answer him.  Mr. Gradgrind declares she knows no facts about horses.  Esolen warns about the danger of facts :-).  In fact on page 8 he asks,"of what use to us now are Facts? Surely in the case of homeschooled boys, we have seen Facts run amok."  He spends the entire chapter bemoaning anyone learning facts, because once you learn a fact you might actually learn more about the subject!  Oh no!  So the danger he is really pointing out is memorizing the facts only.
If you have a right brain kid, memorizing is hard work.  The way you get it to work is to explain the big picture and drill down to the fact they are memorizing, which not only helps them (whole->parts learning) but also give them the context about why they are memorizing this information.
CCM is not focused on just memorizing the facts.  It's learning the why's and what's about the facts. So, our CCM classes are not simply rote memorization.  They are not just about reciting the facts.  Our class time each week is spent explaining why we are memorizing these things and in what context the facts exist.  We are not just chanting and reciting...
This week, in fact, WEEK 7, if you are wondering, we were able to make many connections about things the kids have learn within the context of Religion, Timeline, Geography and History.  The Science class, the most interesting so far, keeps building on fact they have already learned, broadening their horizons in areas I've never approached with my kids on my own.  How many homeschoolers do you know have dissected an earthworm and lived to tell about it?  We have.  And, really looking at the earthworm hearts wasn't nearly as interesting as the looks on all the kids' faces.  The kids really will remember that forever.
So, is CCM just about facts?  No.  It could be, but with the right teachers and kids with the right attitude, it is not.

"A fact may not be much, by itself, but it points toward what is true, and even the humblest truth may in time lead a mind to contemplate the beautiful and the good..."

Our Little One Room School House Experiment

This summer a dear friend posted to our homeschool support group a request to find a Catholic version of Classical Conversations to which she could bring her kids.  Seems the nearest thing was about 45 minutes away and they were taking a hiatus this year.  I sent her some suggestions of Catholic memory programs, my favorite of which is Classically Catholic Memory.  I sheepishly called her and asked her if she was up for putting together a small group to do it together.  She was.

I put my money where my mouth was, ordered the curriculum, and we all got together at our church's family camp in August and pow-wowed about how we could pull it off.  I offered to do ANYTHING but find space.  I knew that was a tough job.  I also knew I couldn't open my house up for yet another thing.  I already run four book clubs out of my house each month.


We started with seven interested families.  Only five were able to make it work.  We all bought our own copy of the curriculum so that if we miss, we can all keep up with each other.  We're splitting up the teaching, too.

Well, after lots of calls and contacts, we ended up meeting at a home.  One of our families' grandmother graciously offered her basement to us.  We now, 13 pupils, 5 mentors, 4 teachers, 7 toddlers and 2 nursery teachers, all meet three times a month in her very large basement to do Classically Catholic Memory.  We are only one week in but can I just say, "Wow!"  My 5 year old, along with all the rest, has memorized 8 subjects worth of material this week.  I can't wait to see how it goes.

We are doing this as a one-room-school-house experiment.  All kids 12 and under are pupils and kids over 12 are mentors.  The mentors are required to know the material right along with the pupils.  We go through each subject starting with recitation (all the kids stand and say what they memorized) for each subject.  The teachers go over the new material.  Then, the mentors break off into teams, which one boy came up with creative, Catholic names for and they all get busy practicing.  Then, in about 20 minutes a day, the kids practice the material for the rest of the week.

I'll keep you posted on how it's going.

Review of The Poetry of William Blake: An iBook from Providence eLearning

 

This was the second book I reviewed for Providence eLearning as a consulting project, but the first I will review here.

I had no idea what to expect in reviewing this book as I didn't know much about William Blake other than one poem, The Tyger.  That was quickly remedied as the instructor spent time in the Preface giving information on him (Authorship and Context) that was extremely helpful in understanding how to approach his poetry and art.  Blake was not just a poet.  Blake was a particularly precocious child who was educated at home by his loving mother.  His artistic temperaments and interested were fostered by his parents.  He actually was trained in a trade as an engraver at a young age, which paid off in his later work when he would not only write poetry but illustrate it as well.  He would create prints, writing the poetry backward on the plate.  Then he and his wife would come back after printing with the engravings and hand paint each page with water colors.

Blake's poetry is beautiful and many poems touched me deeply, especially after the instructor's skillful interpretation.  This book also included other artwork by Blake.  The book is a beautiful balance of poetry, interpretation and appreciation of Blake's work.  I highly recommend this iBook.  Currently, it is on sale on iTunes for $6.99!

The Next Generation in Digital Learning...iBooks From Providence eLearning

First of all, I apologize for my absence.  I've been busy with health things, family activities and a short-term job!

I feel blessed to have fallen into a consulting gig that seems too good to be true.  This consulting gig involves critiquing several great works of literature via an iBook format.  It's no secret I love using the iPad and iPod in our classroom, so this was a great opportunity for me. 

DISCLAMIER:  My employment with Providence eLearning was not contingent on marketing their books here on my blog.  I did ask permission to talk about their products after I review them and was given their go-ahead. My compensation is not dependent on a favorable review.

As you all know I love literature and base much of my homeschooling curriculum on Great Books and Good Books as well as Classics.  I run book clubs because I feel that children get the most out of reading great literature from discussing it and as a result learn more.  Socratic circles allow children an opportunity to not just discuss the book, but to explore other people's opinions and develop critical thinking skills.

Here are the titles I've reviewed so far and here is a link to what is available:

The company producing the iBooks is Providence eLearning.  This group is taking classical literature and enhancing it; making it accessible to all learners, regardless of whether they are in a classroom or not.  They will be tackling other subjects in the future.  So far, I am extremely impressed.  This is a boon for home educators as this makes difficult literature approachable to all and at a really, really reasonable price.  What is that price?  Only $9.99.  Amazing low price and there is so much content!

First, let me tell you about the advantages of using an iBook format.  The iBook format allows the publisher to include audio narration, audio foot notes, video, photo galleries, hyperlinks, the ability to take notes and mark up the book with highlighting.  So what happens when technology meets Classical Lit?  Amazing things!

The books offer features that our homeschooled kids might miss not going to a traditional school, to whom lecture and discussion are not readily available. Providence eLearning has done a great job providing a self-led approach for great literature.

• They get a video lecture from a professor of Literature, specifically, William Lasseter, the English Chair at Providence Academy, a Roman Catholic K-12 College Prep school here in the Twin Cities.  He's not just a Lit Prof.  He also has experience as a Shakespearean actor, which means he's a dream to hear.  
• There are many questions to "Check Your Understanding" along the way.  
• They get audio narrations.  Can I just say hurray?  I have a kid with some visual difficulties.  One of the reason he loves the Kindle is that he can resize the text and/or turn on the Text-to-speech function.  However the nasty computer voice drives me up a tree, so he uses ear buds.  Now, the iBooks do not allow for easy text resizing.  That is an issue with the iBook format, not the Providence materials.  However, I would trade that for being able to listen to a Shakespearean actor read classical literature any time.
• They have the ability to look words up on the fly by touching the word.  A definition pops up automatically, allowing the student to not lose their train of thought while in the text.  This is one of my favorite parts of all e-reading devices.
• They get a hyperlinked table of contents that allows them to easily go to any section.
• They get a glossary that is not only text based definition, but often a "Wikipedia-like" entry for each term.
• They get photo galleries.  Providence eLearning does a nice job of using the photo galleries to show pictures of the authors, and classic works of art pertaining to the material.
• They get introductory material that prepares the students for what they will learn before the learn it.
• They can highlight text in a variety colors and make notes that can be translated to flash cards.  That's a feature available through iBooks.

I heartily recommend these for advanced middle school, high school, college and adult learners.  I picked up many things and was reminded that "Great Books" and great literature are timeless.  I hope they continue on this project.  The books are a wonderful value.

Being a picky homeschool mom, the only thing I wished they had was more questions.  Providence eLearning has informed me they have a Moodle site they are considering making available to iBook users for a fee.  Considering the cost of the iBooks from Providence, I have no beef with the smaller volume of questions than I would like.  There are questions often throughout the text.  I would just like to see more end-of-section questions.  However, to get those things, I would pay more.  The amount is more than adequate for the price.

On a personal  note,  when I had a free moment here or there, I was drawn back to working on my reviews of these books, not because of a time constraint, but rather because I enjoyed it so much.

Check back soon as I will give a review of each of the four books I've read so far.  My current read is Macbeth.  I will do that review last.  But in the mean time, check out Providence eLearning's web page for the books I'm reviewing and if you have an iPad, go download a sample of the iBooks.  They are available for free.  Just put Providence eLearning into the search tool in iBooks.

Long ago in a galaxy far, far away...

I started to write a post about my Star Wars-themed writing program in January.  However, I'm finally just posting it now.  This project has been in the works for six months and I just finished my second weekly class (of six) with a group of ten middle-school aged young men.  We'll finish the pilot of this class mid-July.

Those who have read my other posts here and at my other blog know we're a geeky lot at my house.  I have my stepfather and husband to thank for that.  I grew up watching Star Trek re-runs.  My stepfather hauled us all to Star Wars when it came to our local theater in a tiny town in central Wisconsin.  My husband and I have spent "quality time" watching all generations of Star Trek since our dating days.  We even stream episodes of Next Generation from our early married years and fondly recall snuggling on the couch together.

And it was my husband who introduced me to Joseph Campbell.  When we first met, we talked and talked about what we liked.  Before we even started dating, we met for lunch during a work day (no, it was not a date) and he handed me the book The Power of Myth.   I loved it.  And we talked more about Star Wars and how Campbell greatly influenced George Lucas.  And, Campbell held a place at our wedding.  A poem from The Power of Myth was on the back of our wedding program.

As we had kids and have homeschooled them, the Star Wars and Star Trek sagas have played out in our lives in different ways. For example, we have no less than sixteen reference guides to the Star Wars world, not including the Star Wars Lego guide books.  We have Star Wars Risk.  We, of course, own the movies, but at our house it is a rite of passage when you turn eight years old that you get to watch Episode 4.  The month after you turn eight, you get to watch Episode 5 (Dad's favorite) and then a month later, Episode 6.  This goes on for two more months.  We've determined that Episode 3 is just too dark for kids.  My husband considers the new Star Trek movie one of the best he's seen and the kids have seen snippets of that, too.  We inherited about thirty Star Trek novels from my stepfather.  Like I said, we're geeks.

So, I'm running a writing class for boys.  Here are the rules. They write six pages of story a week.  No grammar or spelling grades.  It's volume.  Have you ever heard boys play "Star Wars?"  This process is all about getting what they play together out of their head and down onto paper.  No interrupting to ask, "Are you sure you spelled that correctly?" or "Are you sure that's the right tense?"  This is about letting the creative process work and to let these boys see they ARE capable of quality writing, and volumes of it.  They are creating their own stories and producing up to ten pages per story a week.  These are boys who don't like to write.  And the stories are good!  The other boys are cheering, laughing, groaning and faking pain while listening to their comrade's stories.  While they are listening, they are getting ideas about what to do with their stories. 

The boys' stories use Joseph Campbell's model for myth in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, also know as the "monomyth".  If you haven't read the book, I suggest you do because in it you will find the archetypes and model of every good story ever told.  Once you have read it, you will be able to find the holes in bad stories and realize what it was in the stories you loved that worked for you.  The book is often the text for college mythology classes, but I have found it to be a valuable resource for those who want to write a good story.  And the class follows many of the exercises of the"progymnasmata" protocol, but don't tell the boys that.

Brainology: Getting Kids Past the Fixed Mindset

I read Mindset by Carol Dweck last spring and have been trying to figure out how to afford this program for my two fixed mindset middle school aged kids.  I reviewed the book here.  Here's what Brainology is about, from the Brainology website:

Brainology^® is a research-based, blended learning curriculum that increases student motivation and engagement and instills a positive view of effort.  It teaches students about the brain, how to strengthen it, and how to apply brain-friendly study skills.  It helps them cultivate a growth mindset, which leads to learning-oriented behavior and higher student achievement.

Right now, homeschoolbuyersco-op.org, a free membership buying group, is offering 20-50% off the program.  If you have kids that get hung up on new challenges or collapse (figuratively) when they fail, check out Brainology.  This may be our "Christmas break" curriculum this year.

Challenge Based Learning

My husband, an Eagle Scout, and I were talking last night how much the Challenge Based Learning is like an Eagle Scout Project.

Eagle Scout rank is earned after completing a series of merit badges, various other ranks and completion of a project.  The project is community service based.  They have no other guidance than it needs to be community service.

They have to pick a project, research how to do it, plan its execution, manage the execution, document what was done and then present the project to a board of review.  That, in a nut shell, is what challenge based learning is all about.

So, the next question is - what can my child do as a challenge based learning project?  Well, there are a variety of community service projects that would qualify, and there are religion/social justice projects galore.  The beautiful part is getting your child started and letting them go after something that is of interest to them.  When they are personally invested, they take ownership and want to succeed.

We're going to start some challenge based learning here.  Their first attempt will be small scale.  It must be something they can accomplish on their own.  After trying it solo, I will be having the kids work with others (either through BSA, AHG or other homeschoolers) to develop their collaboration skills.

What could you have your kids do?

I've started a list which is based on the Corporal Works of Mercy.  This would also be a great confirmation service hour project.

Corporal Works of Mercy

1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Clothe the naked
4. Shelter the homeless
5. Visit the sick
6. Visit those in prison
7. Bury the dead

Do You Moodle?

I'm curious if anyone in the home education community uses Moodle?  Moodle is a social learning tool that is FREE and akin to using Lego blocks for building.  Moodle is a platform with many different "blocks" that allow the teacher to design a learning environment that is engaging and on-line.  My mind reels with the possibility.

You see, I'm all about sharing.  Really, I am.  That is why I do many, many book clubs and invite others into my house for classes or co-schooling.  What I'm curious about is if I created classes using Moodle, would others be interested in using it.  For free.  If I build it, will they come?

I am not a fan of social networking unless its controlled.  By controlled, I mean you join a group of like-minded individuals, passwords and authentication is required.  Not just everyone can browse your profile or "ask to be your friend,"  Participants must be invited or if they ask to join, must be approved.  I'm not an elitist.  I'm just careful.

I'm really curious.  Please leave a note in the combox about how you feel about social, interactive learning.   I would like to know whether Catholic Home Education content I created would be of interest to others...

A Must-Read For Anyone Involved In Teaching Literacy

I read this book in two days!  Having two children with dyslexic tendencies, I am always interested in reading books that claim to have "the solution".  I finally get why traditional spelling programs fail our children and what to do about it.

The book Uncovering the Logic of English by Denise Eide is the most concise appraisal and explanation of the English language I have ever read.  It clearly lays out the foundation of our language, the phonogram, along with the 30 spelling rules used to assemble those sound pictures (what a phonogram really is) into words.  English is NOT an illogical language and her book proves it.

Really, I have tried many programs, including Orton-Gillingham and methods based on Romalda Spaldings' Writing Road to Reading.  While we landed on Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri and have seen much progress, there are still too many "exceptions" for my logical, science minded kids.  Logical kids like to know the rules and possibilities up front instead of constantly being faced with "exceptions" or more new rules at every turn.

I'm going to go out on a limb and link two books together.  The last book I recommended, "10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child," the author distills for the reader where rote memorization is necessary and not in the chapter titled, "Why Truth Is Your Enemy, and the Benefits of the Vague or Gradgrind, without the Facts."  Rote memorization has its place.  And, when used in it's place leads to developing a logical, efficient, yet imaginitive thinker.  Our schools have dropped rote memorization for the important things like math facts, poetry, music and phonograms, in place of rote memorization of words (sight or whole word reading), spelling lists, as well as facts on history and science.  Eide is not shy in saying we MUST, MUST, MUST have our children memorize those phonograms and associated spelling rules in order for them to truly understand the logic of English.  Once they have those phonograms and rules memorized, they can logically spell AND decode words, thus improving their literacy.

I don't know about you, but I would rather give my child the tools to figure out how to spell and read rather than fill their brain with only a few of the words they need to survive, as whole word reading does.  And, memorizing spelling words doesn't work for anyone but the visual learner.  Visual learners can memorize the "shape" of the word, not the way the word is constructed with a roots and affixes.  Most kids that learn by this method run out of "capacity" and stop advancing in their reading and spelling skills past the fourth grade.

The author mentions she will have a curriculum available in the Fall of 2011.  I look forward to seeing it.  If it follows the logic in the book, it will be a "logical" next step for my family.

2010-2011 Book Club for 5th - 8th Grade Boys

Medieval Book Club

 UPDATE:  We replaced The Mabinogion with Men of Iron by Howard Pyle.  The version of The Mabinogion we were going to use was to advanced (in more than one way) for this age group.  Men of Iron is an excellent replacement, or you could use Tales of the Mabinogion instead.










Join us as we immerse ourselves in medieval European legend with the stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood.  We will meet once a month.  We will use the Socratic method of literary analysis to discuss each book.  We welcome young men in 5^th – 8^th grade. 

Here is our reading schedule.  Please have the reading done BEFORE the meeting date:

Oct. - Read Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

Nov. - Read the Introduction, Translators Note and Chapters 1-5 of The Mabinogion by  Sioned Davies Oxford University Press

Dec. – Read Chapters 6-11 of The Mabinogion by  Sioned Davies Oxford University Press (Click to see the link on Amazon.com)

Jan. - Read the author’s note, Book 1 and Book 2 of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green

Feb. - Read Book 3 and Book 4 and the epilogue of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green

Mar. - Read the prologue and Chapters 1-15 of The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green

April - Read Chapters 16-24, plus the epilogue of The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green

2010-2011 Book Club for 9-12 year old girls

Little Women Book Club

Join us in reading the Little Women Trilogy by Louisa May Alcott.  We will meet once a month to discuss approximately 200 pages worth of reading.  We’ve included the schedule below.  Each book discussion will include a Socratic style literary analysis along with some stitching and snacking. 

Here’s our schedule:

Oct.  Preface and Chapters 1-15 of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Nov. Chapters 16-32 of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Dec. Chapters 33-47 and the Afterword of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Jan. Read the beginning through the chapter called Naughty Nan of Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

Feb. Read from Pranks and Plays through the chapter called Goldilocks Nan of Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

March Read from Damon and Pythias to the end of the book of Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

April Read Chapters 1-10 of Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott

May Read Chapters 11-22 of Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott

Multisensory Math Facts

The gist of my talk, "How to Get Your Kids to See the Light!" is really multi-sensory learning. It's unlikely a homeschool with more than two children will be made up of learners that all use the same primary learning modality. Besides, using a multi-sensory technique to teach increases the chance of retention.

Learning Math facts can be tedious. But, I assure you that if you can find a way to hit on that primary modality, it will stick. My favorite multi-sensory Math weapon is the Math Machine.  My dear friend Julie gifted us with the Multiplication Math machine and Division Math machine that her girls were done using.  They are the most pleasing tactile Math manipulative I have ever used.  All of my children love them.  Each of the buttons are spring loaded and release with an almost pleasing ping when depressed.  My little boys make car tracks with them or patterns, even though they are too young to understand them.  More importantly, the kids that needed them love them and have gotten good results using them.

For your auditory learners, you might consider Audio Memory Systems' math songs.  There are the Wrap Ups which come with Wrap Up Raps.  My visual learner finds both of the audio selections horrible, so you might want to consider that if you have a visual learner.  There is School House Rock which has several Math Fact songs that are more pleasing than the Raps or AMS options.  Just remember to check in with your child to make sure that it is working.

Lastly, I want to put in a plug for Finger Math.  I am a tactile learner.  Math facts never came easy for me until I learned the Korean method of finger math called Chisenbop.  I swear, without it, I would have never excelled as far as I did in Math and Science.  I have the book (on the left).  I have used Finger Math, to some degree, with my older kids.  My daughter, the visual learner, did not need it.  My son, wasn't terribly interested, but my middle daughter is interested, so we'll be taking some more "secret finger Math lessons" over the summer to see how it sets with her.

Ultimately, you need to find something that works because life without memorizing these facts, or finding some way to quickly do the operations will be slow and tedious.  One of my children dragged their feet on learning those facts and now understands, when Math takes a painful amount of time, that  had those facts been memorized Math would be done sooooo much more quickly!

By the way, for a truly multi-sensory Math program, check out Math-U-See.  My kids did not like it but not because it was multi-sensory.  They still used the MUS blocks.  One child is overwhelmed by big pages full of Math problems.  Teach Textbooks is a good choice for that child because each question is presented separately.  The other child found it BORING.  That child needs more challenge and has returned to Singapore Math.

What is a Classical Education?

According to the "Circe Institute", a Classical Education:

is the cultivation of wisdom and virtue by nourishing the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty by means of the seven liberal arts and the four sciences.

Historically, classical education has followed two streams that frequently flow together:

• 
  
  the Rhetorical, in which teachers guide their students to contemplate great texts and works of art, believing that such contemplation will enable them to grow in wisdom and virtue and
  
• 
  
  the Philosophical, in which teachers guide their students through an analysis of ideas through a Socratic dialogue, believing that insight into the heart of things will enable students to grow in wisdom and virtue.

These two emphases, which have often been in conflict historically but are not mutually exclusive, gave rise to two modes of instruction: the Mimetic (Didactic) and the Socratic. 

Another way to define classical education might be as follows: "Classical education is the logocentric, idealistic quest to cultivate virtue in the souls of the student."

 My current read is _Climbing Parnassus:  A New Apologia for Greek and Latin_.  At present I am in the Introduction, which is about 30 pages long.  To say that Tracy Lee Simmons is eloquent would be an understatement.  I am enjoying every word, sentence and paragraph.   However, one thing the Circe Institute and Tracy Lee Simmons do NOT agree about is what makes a Classical Education.  Simmons asserts that one MUST fully embrace both ancient languages, declensions, and all, to have a truly Classical education.  It must not just be a "Great Books" program, or logic and rhetoric, but it all starts with those two language.  He has convinced me.  I now need to work on learning them both myself so I can better teach my children, since it is not in our budget this year for them to take an on-line class or class in a group setting.


I have to be careful.  Reading this book makes me want to start school NOW.  I am not a patient person.  This year we take Latin seriously.  We've done Prima Latina, but I felt it was a little too easy for the older kids.  We'll do Latina Christiana I.  We'll start Latina Christiana II as soon as they finish and move on to Greek.  We don't start Logic until we start Greek.  I'm also excited about the program I have for my youngest two.  They are using Song School Latin before they get to Prima Latina.  The younger students in my home school LOVE to sing.  I hope this will be a great addition to their curriculum. 

If you have experience with Latin, could you please let me know what programs you use and how you like them?

Thanks in advance!

Sample of using the Internet for Free Homeschooling - Kindergarten

One of my commenter had said they were interested in free homeschooling. She has a child who will be in Kindergarten next year.  I did a google search on Kindergarten academic goals (this was for my own benefit, as well as hers because I have a Kindergarten student starting next year).  They are very basic.  It's important to remember that it is better to start off softly, gently and slowly, following the child's lead the first year.  I practically squashed my oldest child's natural love of learning by overzealous teaching in the Kindergarten year.

So, this may seem simplistic, but the academic goals for a kindergarten student are some beginning reading skills, counting and number recognition and beginning writing.  Because we are Catholic, there will always be a component of Religion included, at our house.  I've added that to the basic list of goals I found online.  I also found web-sites that meet the goals for the Kindergarten student.  You need a printer to make worksheets.  I'm also including some good read aloud books, just for good measure.  Reading aloud to your child everyday is important for their language, grammar, character, virtue and self regulation development.  Lastly, work on cutting, pasting and coloring skills to develop fine motor skills for writing later.

I'd like to add the disclaimer that this does not follow any specific "approach".  This is only an example of how you could accomplish doing school without purchasing curriculum.  There are so many websites out on the Internet that will help you educate your child at home following a specific approach, that I did not take a specific "approach" to creating this list.  You can find those by googling things like "free kindergarten charlotte mason".  For example, www.materamabilis.org/ has FREE Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculum.  You can go there and need not do anything else but visit the library.  

Remember, when choosing a curriculum, to look at the needs of the child and their learning style.

Academic Goals for a Kindergartener

Reading Objectives -  http://www.starfall.com/
Identify likes and differences in word forms.
Recognizes rhyming words.
Name upper and lower case letters of the alphabet
Name the beginning consonant sounds in spoken words.
Indicate where a sentence starts and ends and use left to right motion when reading.
Make predictions and use picture clues to read.
Sequence a story with beginning middle and end.

Math Objectives - http://www.kidzone.ws/math/kindergarten.htm
Count to 100 by 1’s , 5’s, and 10’s.
Count to 10 by 2’s.
Recognize numbers to 20.
Show sequencing to 20.
Show one to one correspondence to 20.
Correctly write numerals 0—20.
Make patterns and graphs.
Sort and measure simple objects.
Do simple addition and subtraction problems to 20.

Writing Expectations - http://www.first-school.ws/theme/handwriting.htm
Correctly form the capital and lower case letters of the alphabet.
Correctly write first and last name.
Apply letter/sounds as emergent writers.
Write simple sentences.

Catholic Religion Goals -  Beginning Catechism, Catholic Read Alouds and Bible Stories
Catechism - http://www.catholiccatechist.org/freeFile_Category.php
Great Catholic Book List -    www.hillsideeducation.com/mosaicbooklist.pdf
Bible stories, Saints and Catholic activities - http://www.catholicmom.com/catholic_kids.htm


Unit Study Ideas - http://ebeth.typepad.com/serendipity/2008/08/a-tutorial-for.html

Games and fun activities, thrown in for good measure - http://www.softschools.com/grades/kindergarten.jsp

Nature Study and Music Appreciation

Most of my children's Science career has been literature based. We take field trips, of course. We've occasionally attended Nature Center classes. Next year will be very different.

Using Anna Comstock's book along with free curriculum from the Minnesota DNR, Audobon Association and membership to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, we will approach Nature Study next year with journals, binoculars, colored pencils and digital cameras.

I'll be posting the curriculum for the Nature Study the first week in June.

I'm preplanning now, as I can't focus as much as I'd like to on it with the Minnesota Catholic Home Educator's Conference looming. I need to get my handouts done and ready to print. I also need to practice. Anyone want to come over for a free seminar? I'd love to do the Beginning Homeschool seminar for anyone who will listen. No takers? Darn. I guess I'll bore my husband with that one...

I have finished my Music Appreciation curriculum. It's a full year (38 weeks) program based on Aaron Copeland's What to Listen for in Music. It uses the Leonard Bernstein Young People's Concerts, both Disney Fantasia DVD's and Music Masters CD's as supplements. As a curriculum, it would be pretty expensive to purchase, but these are resources I have already, so it is no cost to me. I'll also post that in June.

Stay tuned...