Has anyone used Layers of Learning?

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

I never thought anyone was weaker than myself when it came to blowing the budget on something shiny and new, thank you Hunter for saving me from being alone in my weakness.  Actually, money is VERY tight for us right now, so I can't afford to buy the year at once.... or I would!  I was really wondering how I could afford to buy a few units now and then 1 or 2 every payday (lately it feels we don't even have $5 in extra cash on payday) when I stumbled on their free units for reviews option.  I can see writing the reviews getting lame.... and I don't want to give too much away, but I have to at least try.  It will at least hold me over until income tax time when I can buy a whole year.

 

I think LoL is a good abbreviation.  LL is Lightning Literature, so we can't take that.... and LoL makes it sound fun, which it seems to be ;)

[Hunter]

You could charge for answers and get your money back.

LOL about your comment about LoL. :lol:

 

Okay, I'm getting silly! :biggrinjester:

[Hunter]

I'm going to be taking clothes into the shower with me to hand-wash them, to pay for this, unless I let people give me quarters, which they do, when they see me wearing stretched out T-shirts. The clothes get clean hand-washed, but they have that tell-tale stretched out look that lets my friends know what I've been doing.

 

My level of shamelessness is pitiful and sometimes selfish. I only let people feed me that feed the squirrels and birds. too. I tell myself they must be getting something out of it. I seem to amuse my friends, if nothing else.

[Hunter]

This curriculum reminds me of the original 1990s What Your Grader Needs to Know series, but updated, on steroids, and in eBook form. At least one of the authors is seriously OCD. I've skimmed all 20 units and have yet to find one big picture issue that I disagree with. I've only got one year, and not 4, but...this appears organized and complete and balanced.

 

It even reminds me of the NtK books in that it is fully secular, but the authors do have some form of a Christian bias that leaks through at times, in VERY subtle ways. Honestly I think LoL is more secular than the 1990s NtK. Some Christians will find this curriculum too secular, again, in VERY subtle ways. The authors have worked hard to make this secular in the right way, along the lines of what the most conservative Amish attempt to do. The more conservative Amish refuse to use Christian texts in their schools.

 

This curriculum feels a bit more blue collar and comfortable than many classical curriculum that can have a more elitist flavor. There is an absence of any CM Victorianism and fluff. There is a huge emphasis on the arts that make up 1/4 of the curriculum providing some serious mind/body/soul balance, but the art is SO much easier for an untrained instructor to teach, than Waldorf.

 

For those that are adding Bible, I'm curious what people will choose to use. I'm pulling out my SOW (Student of the Word) Binders to look at. LoL really doesn't reach language Arts, and SOW's strength is the combination of LA and Bible. So I'm going to give it a fresh looksy.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Great review there Hunter.  You hit the nail on the head.

[fourcatmom]

Here is my first blog post about LoL! :lurk5:

[Hunter]

Nice blog post!

 

I ran out of dishwashing detergent. A friend let me pour some of theirs into my almost empty bottle. Now I have funny looking and funny smelling detergent. But I have year 1 of LoL to make me LOL. LOL.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

LOL  Hunter you crack me up.... but if I didn't have a houseful of kids to feed, I would probably be in your shoes.

 

I'm working on my first review post, but won't finish it until next week.  I'm going to add a page to my blog with links to any online resources I use to go with the units, that way I can share them separate from the reviews (and ahead of them as well).

[Hunter]

There are so many things I miss from my old life, and being a mom, but I do love the ability to just go ahead and buy a book or a device when I want it, and to then just let the chips fall where they may, without having to worry about child neglect.

 

In my looking ahead through at least Year One, this appears to be a curriculum that you can download a unit at a time, and just teach from it. The author appears to have the user's back about big-picture issues.

 

As I pre-read and self-educate though this material at an accelerated rate, I will post any big-picture issues, and even a few quotes, like I did the teaching tip from unit 1.3.

 

I'm really hoping this curriculum stays the course and doesn't switch up in later volumes. It is SO common for authors to grow and change during the writing process, and in the end, produce a choppy curriculum. Because I am such a big-picture person, I am very sensitive to author changes, and I do NOT like them!

 

I am going to try try try to buy year 2 next month. I'm going to pay the minimum on my computer store charge card, which I seldom do. Then September is a bad month for me and I won't be buying anything. I'm hoping in October, Year 3 will be ready and that I can buy it then. And then maybe Year 4 will be ready in the new year. There are a ton of if's there, but that is what I'm hoping for. I'm really anxious to see 3.1 on Fairy Tales.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Yes, I'm hoping they don't change as they finish the curriculum.  I really love what they have done.  

 

I'm not a great blogger, I'm trying to decide how best to share videos, I made a page but then thought about the fact that I can not make separate posts in it for each unit.  Maybe just a regular post for each unit that is just videos and links to online activities??

[fourcatmom]

Yes, I'm hoping they don't change as they finish the curriculum.  I really love what they have done.  

 

I'm not a great blogger, I'm trying to decide how best to share videos, I made a page but then thought about the fact that I can not make separate posts in it for each unit.  Maybe just a regular post for each unit that is just videos and links to online activities??

 

I would love to know what other resources you or Hunter or are using with this. My original plan was to have her read through STOW vol. 1 with the addition of online videos and quizzes and add in living history book per theme. I was also originally going to add History Portfolios to add map work and notebooking in but I am not 100% on that yet since the Charter didn't approve it due to religious content. I feel you on the money issue Hunter! In fact I am in the process of completely changing my plans for my 8th grader due to funds and not being able to afford TOG this year, which I love! I wish their Modern History was ready, I would be very tempted to plug that in for my other dd.

 

So I ended up revamping my schedule that I had planned and plugged in the 20 units to my schedule. I had to delete one (I picked the unit on Japan) and I condensed two other units into one week since we follow a 36 week schedule. I may go back and see if I can condense another one to fit the unit on Japan in. The order of units though does not really follow along with the sequence in STOW so the chapters are going to jump all over the place. I can't decide if it's better to follow the chapters of STOW and plug the units in from LoL as they line up or start with LoL and plug in STOW as it relates. I also have the living books ready and organized by topic of the LoL units. Some will spread out over two units but I am happy with how all those fit into place.

 

Since my dd is older I do feel that I need to add in additional resources to make this meaty enough for 7th grade. I think the content is great but I want her "doing" more and I want a balance between core reading, lit reading, map work, note booking, and hands on projects. I think having a curriculum that adds in Geography and the Arts is going to be a huge bonus and will add to the fullness of the program and really round it out for her.

 

And as far as the quote above, totally not the one I meant to highlight! :D

 

[silver]

How is the science in this? Is it more of a history focus, with science, art, etc thrown in as "extras"? Or does the science seem to get equal footing to the history?

 

Do the weekly units tie smoothly together? Or could they be separated? Right now I'm doing 3 weeks of science followed by 3 weeks of history, and I'm really enjoying it. Since I plan by week and not by day, doing MW Science/TTh History still feels crammed to me. Would it be possible to take something like 6 units and rearrange the content or is the material really entwined within each unit?

[Hunter]

Yes, I'm hoping they don't change as they finish the curriculum.  I really love what they have done.  

 

I'm not a great blogger, I'm trying to decide how best to share videos, I made a page but then thought about the fact that I can not make separate posts in it for each unit.  Maybe just a regular post for each unit that is just videos and links to online activities??

 

What is your goal for your blog? PM me if you want to discuss it, but not here.

 

I wouldn't take the time to add links for such a new curriculum that is still UNFINISHED. I have learned the hard way not to jump on any unfinished bandwagons. I can get dragged somewhere I never would have gone, if I knew the final destination.

 

Also, most authors don't want you to link to extra links that distract from their focus, and they also don't want their links posted. They want people to buy their curriculum and follow THEM. So if you are trying to get free curriculum, all you need to do is say *I* choose this curriculum ABOVE all others and look how much FUN we are having and how much we are LEARNING. Vague gushing is all that is required and often preferred.

 

I purposely did not ask for free curricula. I want to be able to be TOTALLY honest with you ladies, because this MIGHT turn out to be a popular curriculum that I MIGHT stick with for awhile.

 

Every person on this earth has strengths and weakness, and when we are tested and put in the spotlight we are tempted far beyond what others are tempted with. Most authors are being tested. They often fail in some areas to do the right thing. I'm not judging, because I have been tested and…made a real mess out of things in my darkest days. I was the CENTER of a WHOPPING mess that is sometimes referred to as the biggest scandal of the century where I come from, and I didn't always play the part of the heroine. A Morphine/Ativan cocktail I was injected with while having a seizure made sure of that. :lol:

 

I'm kinda waiting to see where these authors fail a bit. Pride, control freak, money hungry, extreme difficulty seeing the difference/separation between their product and themselves–these are common author tests. Again, I'm not judging. But before making a blog in MY name, there are things I would have to consider.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

How is the science in this? Is it more of a history focus, with science, art, etc thrown in as "extras"? Or does the science seem to get equal footing to the history?

 

Do the weekly units tie smoothly together? Or could they be separated? Right now I'm doing 3 weeks of science followed by 3 weeks of history, and I'm really enjoying it. Since I plan by week and not by day, doing MW Science/TTh History still feels crammed to me. Would it be possible to take something like 6 units and rearrange the content or is the material really entwined within each unit?

 

I would highly recommend signing up for the newsletter and getting the free unit to look at.  It's the best explanation of how it all gels together.

 

Yes you could take the units and re-arrange them to fit you, the authors suggest a schedule on their blog, but are also very clear that they intend for each of us to take the units and fit them to us. 

 

The science and history are not intertwined.  You could totally do a few weeks of the history then switch to the science for a few weeks.

[Hunter]

I have a time sensitive errand to run. I'll respond to these other posts later.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Right now I have a playlist on youtube for unit 1-1.  For the science in 1-1, we will be doing the solar system mural on www.learningpage.com  I wanted to do a 3D model but just don't have the supplies on hand and can't find them locally.

 

Hunter, my blog is mostly about homeschooling.  I didn't post at all last year (we had a horrible year of not finding our groove) and just went through and cleaned out a lot of posts that I no longer wanted to share so it looks really sparse. The focus going forward will be our school year.... including what we are using (LoL).  It will have the reviews and I guess posts on how we use it.  

 

They want us posting about LoL, they know that is how they will get their name out there, they will even link to your blog where you show how you use LoL from their site.

[Hunter]

I'm not sure of the specifics of what the authors of LoL are looking for. It's part of my PTSD, to proceed with extreme caution into circumstances that are similar to those I have experienced in the past.

 

I have so much respect for the authors of TWTM, as people. They have handled temptations with such restraint and wisdom and compassion. They continually impress me.

 

I shock people when I praise Art Robinson, too. His lack of concern with copyright infringement is unprecedented.

[Hunter]

When I went to see my social worker today, I helped myself to a free book from the donation pile, and there was money in it. My social worker let me keep the money, and praised me for not only reading, but reading the type of book it was in. What an uproar developed, that I really didn't want to be in the middle of.

 

I just wanted the BOOK. Non public domain "classics" are EXPENSIVE, and priced at what the market will bear prices. I was just clinging to the book and saying I didn't care about the money, which was amusing the social worker and making her want me to have the money even more.

 

I think maybe I should be insulted by some of what was said, but...I have my book and I have some money, so...it's all good I guess.

[Hunter]

I know I still have questions to respond to. I'm looking forward to getting to them later.

[Hunter]

Okay, science. I have only skimmed the 20 units. But, it appears to me that the science is very complementary but not integrated with the other subjects.

 

It appears to me that the science scope and sequence is written to cover rigorous logic or general rhetoric level. I would use this for a junior/Christian college bound high schooler, who will be fulfilling the science requirement for their degree with a course like nutrition or environmental science. For a transfer liberal arts degree to a selective college, the student might need a bit more prep to go right into the more rigorous lab science courses required for that type of degree, and their next school.

 

I really really like what I have seen of the science! It appears to cover exactly what *I* want to cover with MY students. Junior college is not just a lower level of college. It really is an entirely different world. Students need a BROAD science background that FULLY covers the FOUNDATIONAL BASICS–the science students USE on a daily basis. Students are expected to USE more of what they learn at a junior college and move sooner into a career using what they learned. There is less jumping through hoops learning minutiae just to make a paper trail on the way to a career that doesn't use that minutiae. Also, peers are older and more serious and just...different.

 

This science–what I have seen of it–appears to get the job done admirably, for students entering those specific environments. I abhor the standard default practice of "high school" science that neglects cementing foundational concepts in favor of covering the most advanced topics possible. Just because something is harder doesn't make it better, and it certainly doesn't make it more useful.

[Hunter]

Before planning high school science I STRONGLY recommend reading Science Matters.

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Matters-Achieving-Scientific-Literacy/dp/0307454584

 

I would be SHOCKED to find out that the authors have not read this author. They are basically quoting this author.

[Hunter]

I am giving a LOT of thought to what best complements this curriculum. It is secular, so most people are going to want to add some soul work according to their beliefs. The arts and nature do nourish our souls, but they are seldom enough to provide total mind/body/soul balance.

 

I'm looking at SOW, and Stick Figuring through the Bible and some other things. I don't know yet about what I want to add for Bible. If I HAD to pack for the boonies right NOW, tonight, and I had to choose ONE, I'd pack my Stick Figuring TMs levels 1/2. I don't use student workbooks, just the TMs.

 

English, same thing. I need more time to see what is complementary. But if I HAD to pick NOW, I guess I'd throw in Write On by Karen Newell and the Dictation Resource Book.

 

I don't need SOTW with this history, but I'm attached to it. Aren't we all? I'll probably use the audio books with coloring pages. I won't try and line it up chapter by chapter. I'll just let it be an easy passive extra once a week or so.

 

I might add an occasional ESP lab from Mr Q, as my students call those "real" science, and like playing with variables. I might use the texts as a read aloud.

 

I'll be going real light on the activities and following a Robinson type schedule. Reading, reading and more reading; fiction is fine. Drop Everything and READ.

[Slache]

I am giving a LOT of thought to what best complements this curriculum. It is secular, so most people are going to want to add some soul work according to their beliefs. The arts and nature do nourish our souls, but they are seldom enough to provide total mind/body/soul balance.

 

I'm looking at SOW, and Stick Figuring through the Bible and some other things. I don't know yet about what I want to add for Bible. If I HAD to pack for the boonies right NOW, tonight, and I had to choose ONE, I'd pack my Stick Figuring TMs levels 1/2. I don't use student workbooks, just the TMs.

 

English, same thing. I need more time to see what is complementary. But if I HAD to pick NOW, I guess I'd throw in Write On by Karen Newell and the Dictation Resource Book.

 

I don't need SOTW with this history, but I'm attached to it. Aren't we all? I'll probably use the audio books with coloring pages. I won't try and line it up chapter by chapter. I'll just let it be an easy passive extra once a week or so.

 

I might add an occasional ESP lab from Mr Q, as my students call those "real" science, and like playing with variables. I might use the texts as a read aloud.

 

I'll be going real light on the activities and following a Robinson type schedule. Reading, reading and more reading; fiction is fine. Drop Everything and READ.

 

Not that I know what I'm talking about, but I think you're over complicating things. One Science, one History, one Language Arts, one Math. Sound familiar? Hunteeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr?

[Hunter]

The writer of BFSU wrote the 3 texts based on what he wished students knew entering his junior college environmental science course. There has been discussion on this forum that finishing book 2 is more than enough for environment science at their local junior college. Skimming those books to see the topics and level of difficulty might be helpful to instructors planning on using LoL for high school.

[Hunter]

Not that I know what I'm talking about, but I think you're over complicating things. One Science, one History, one Language Arts, one Math. Sound familiar? Hunteeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr?

It is unnecessary. I agree. But I'll be skipping most of the LoL activities and I will not be searching down any of the recommended books. I already have SOTW and Mr Q on my iPad and students are used to using the BITS of them I have mentioned. It's not easier for ME to place holds on living books from the library, when students are as happy with SOTW and Mr Q as read alouds and audio books. We only READ these books and do the SOTW coloring sheets and a VERY few of the ESP labs.

 

The free lab worksheet of LoL isn't as rigorous as the free lab worksheets of Mr Q. I'll post the links later. The ESP labs are ENTIRELY unnecessary, but they are requested by my students. I only agree to a couple a year, because they are unnecessary.

 

The ESP labs are like cursive and algebra. I get roped into doing what they think of as developmental milestones that they missed, before students are ready, because they beg, even though I know it's not the most efficient way, or necessary at all.

[Hunter]

ESP lab forms. The instructions are in the free Life Science TM.

http://www.eequalsmcq.com/sciencewise.htm

 

LoL lab form.

http://www.layers-of-learning.com/a-simple-introduction-to-the-scientific-method/

 

IF and only IF you are totally attached to the idea of labs including variables, then Mr Q's ESP labs are the easiest way to get that TYPE of lab done.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

I agree with Slache.  Hunter you are over thinking this... which is what I am known to do.  I put so much effort into reading, learning, planning, making it perfect, etc, that I end up being burned out myself before I even get around to sharing a great simple find with the kids.  It led us into a HORRIBLE year last year, where we seriously accomplished NOTHING.

 

We are doing LoL, a fairly simple language arts, math, and we will be adding in more art and music because the kids love it.  I'm putting in a tiny bit of effort into looking for videos and online games/activities, but I'm ok if we don't get to them.... and I'm not putting a ton of effort into looking.  Oh and the kiddos are working on projects on DIY.org.

[silver]

If the science is good for a high school student that is aiming for Jr college, is it accessible to elementary aged children? One of the reasons I only use the LA/Bible part of SOW is that the science seems so irrelevant to elementary aged students. For example, some of the diagram suggestions would be way above the heads of my children (who are still in the instructional stage of SOW). I have doubts that science that is enough for high school (regardless of what they want to do after high school) could be understandable to K-3rd grade or so. It seems that science for elementary need to be more everyday, less detailed, and, for the most part, needs most of the math stripped from it.

I'm seeing this a lot lately as I've been looking for a physics books that a 2nd grader can understand. My son is fascinated by the idea that there are laws that govern the universe and knowing those laws let scientist make predictions about things. But many of the physics books aimed at elementary that I've looked at still go into way more depth and way more abstract than I would expect a young child to understand. Yes, a lot of the whys behind physics are very abstract, but there are plenty of physics topics that kids can understand, even if they can't work out the mathematical formulas to use it. Gravity and friction come to mind off the top of my head.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Have you downloaded the first unit?  

 

The science is VERY understandable to my elem level kids.  You read a short intro, the language is clear and concise, and not above their heads, then you pick and choose from the list of activities, which are clearly marked what level they are suitable for.  Some of them are suitable for all 3 levels.. obviously you would expect more output from a high schooler doing that assignment than you would a first grader. I would also say that you would NEED to add some of the suggested books (that are also clearly marked for level) for a high schooler, I don't feel I NEED to add books to my little people.

[Hunter]

Note! SOW is Student of the Word, not SOTW Story of the Word.

 

Silver, I would not read aloud much of the science to K-2. Your comparison to SOW is accurate. There are library book selections for each level that look doable, but I have not looked at each one.

 

No matter what I use as a spine, for K-2 level science, I tend to self-educate myself, and then write a few sentences of copywork, and show a Bill Nye or Magic School Bus video. If I have books, I often just show the student a few carefully chosen pictures, and nothing more.

 

For ME, most of the time, the LoL readings are an instant way to self-educate, whereas SOW is just a list of science topics with a pretty generic list of ideas for student output. With SOW, I have to find an outside resource. One of the reasons I often went back to NtK from SOW, was I always at least has SOMETHING to self-educate with and to use as basis to write a few sentences of copywork.

 

My lessons plans for K-2 often resemble a 5 paragraph essay. A hook and a summary, 3 main points, and a summary and application to student life. I am big on focusing on just THREE points, no matter how big the topic is.

 

Unlike most here, I'm looking at using LoL as an eBook version of an updated and easier to schedule NtK. The readings are for ME. Each lesson topic is the topic of a one hour lesson. I will choose about 3 main points to cover. I'll use LoL, or whatever else I have in eBook or video streaming to get the topic taught. Very occasionally I'll get something from the library, but usually I will rely on my knowledge, LoL, and eBooks and streaming video.

 

Unlike others here, I'm not big on activities. I do a few very carefully chosen activities. ESP labs are one of the few activities I can get talked into just a few times a year. I also have one out of print science experiment workbook that some students are very attached to and have even bought for themselves. I've been using this workbook for over a decade. Mostly they play with that on their own, lately. I don't plan on teaching from it this year. The LoL activities are just as good and they are in eBook form which is easier for me. But is a student asks me to please help with something in it, and I'm not busy, well...I probably will.

 

Many will think I'm not getting my money's worth out of LoL. I'm mostly using it as a checklist and just an overview of the topic to refresh myself. I'm set in my ways of how I present a lesson.

 

I will spend 4 hours a week maximum on LoL and resources that support the 4 scheduled topics. A Bible lesson will be the 5th lesson topic for the week.

 

I have one student who LOVES to listen to SOTW and color while she listens. She does it on her own. I don't need to teach it. I'm not going to go to her apartment and confiscate it, because I have decided to use LoL as my spine.

 

As a whole, I love the science, but occasionally I see a topic that the readings are just not the quick SUMMARY I am looking for. They are great prep for the activities, but not the summary I need to prepare to teach MY way. The curriculum is sometimes relying on the suggested books on the booklist, which I will not have. For that I'll do a quick pre-read of Mr. Q and write my 5 paragraph type lesson plan, or I will read it aloud to the student if it's interesting enough. Some weeks I will say and teach nothing on a topic, but instead will just show 2 videos and be done with the topic. I'm not DOING Mr Q, but I am using it as a BOOK to read as needed. And I will continue to do that occasional ESP lab, because, if it's not broke, why fix it?

 

My LoL plan is a topic a day for one hour. My big plan is to do the Robinson method with an hour of LoL or a Bible lesson in place of the second hour of math.

 

I've only had unit 1 for 2 days, and all of year 1 for a day. I give myself permission to not know what I'm doing yet. And I also give myself permission to use eBook resources not listed in LoL instead of the suggested hardcopy suggestions. Lol can sometimes be a stand alone textbook, but it sometimes requires additional text of some type; I will often use eBooks and mp3 books, whether they are on the official booklist of not.

[silver]

My library is hit or miss for science. There are no books about the attributes/needs of living things, but there are 7 books on the life cycle of a butterfly. I cannot use a program for science that requires lots of extra books. I'll probably take a look at the sample unit available tomorrow to see how workable it would be for us.

 

As an aside, my son loves Magic School Bus so much that he happily started at the beginning once he had watched all the episodes available on Netflix. So I know he's getting some science.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Silver, my kids simply do not love books, they tolerate them, but prefer that they all be burned.... my library also sucks!!!  I buy every book I think we may read and probably now own more books than the town library (no I'm not exaggerating).

 

That is why I fell in love with LoL, we don't NEED the books that are listed.  The authors also list topics for you to search at your library to find books they may have.... those search terms are also turning out to be a great way to search youtube for videos!!  My kids like videos and they learn and retain from them, so that is my plan of attack.

[Hunter]

My library is hit or miss for science. There are no books about the attributes/needs of living things, but there are 7 books on the life cycle of a butterfly. I cannot use a program for science that requires lots of extra books. I'll probably take a look at the sample unit available tomorrow to see how workable it would be for us.

 

As an aside, my son loves Magic School Bus so much that he happily started at the beginning once he had watched all the episodes available on Netflix. So I know he's getting some science.

My goal is to go through a unit a week, so I can get a better feel for when the text in LoL can stand alone, and when supplementary resources are essential. From my skimming it appears that the science will sometimes REQUIRE additional resources. LoL is a HUGE step up from SOW science, but if you have NO access to library books, you will probably want SOMETHING more than Magic school bus to cover the topic, OCCASIONALLY. Nothing but LoL and Magic School Bus would provide a more complete science education than many other programs, but I THINK–I'm still new to this–that an instructor would have occasional periods of frustration while lesson planning with NO access to ANYTHING but those two resources.

 

I have Mr Q already on my iPad. I have some encyclopedias when I am at home. If I have access to wifi, there is wikipedia and so much more online. Mr Q seems like the easiest default way for ME to provide a book for the LoL spine when it's needed, but it really doesn't matter what is used, or if nothing is used.

 

LoL was not written to be the ONLY resource for history, geography, science and art. It was written to use additional resources. I don't think it ever requires a single SPECIFIC resource, but just SOMETHING.

 

LoL is a giant step forward from the issues you and I have experienced in SOW, but we are not totally removed from the issues. LoL is not a TEXTBOOK for science, even though sometimes it is such a well-done spine that it can ACT as one.

[silver]

Well, I took a look at the free unit, and all it did was make me wish that we could choose which unit to get for free. I want to see an art topic that isn't tied to history (like unit 1-12: color & value). I want to see a science topic that could easily get too complex for young kids (bonding, salts, carbon chemistry, etc). I want to see one of the geography units that focuses on a single country to see what kind of information it includes (I think learning about the culture is more interesting/useful than learning facts like the number of square miles a country occupies or the highest elevation). I'd like to see a history unit that could easily take several months (like Egypt) and see how it was condensed to one unit.

 

The whole thing interests me, but I want to see more. I also wish it was in a format that better lended itself to a printed copy. With 50ish pages a unit and the need for color, it would be gigantic to be printed (even if it were affordable) and at 8.5x11, it'll be hard to use off of a smaller sized tablet.

[Hunter]

Silver, I know what you mean. I would have chosen another unit for my free unit, if I could have.

 

I am realizing that planets is actually more complicated that it seems at first. There is a TON of information, if we are going to teach each individual planets. There is not a clean summary of each individual planet, but I did realize later that there is planet info in the linked to free coloring pages. I wanted that in the text, though, at first. But then I backed up and remembered my default format.

 

What three things do I want to focus on about planets? Whoa, once I do that, I don't really care about the details of each planet. I watched an episode of Magic School Bus on outer space and realized that is enough info on the individual planets for beginners. If I'm only doing an hour, after Magic School Bus I need to FOCUS on THREE main points.

 

In the past i have learned that students do NOT know that things in outerspace are ROUND and that they ORBIT. I need to focus on what a planet IS and what planets are like in GENERAL. I need to set the stage, so that when students watch the news or read a book, they have pegs to add the new info onto. The first pegs need to be definitions and GENERAL facts. Individual facts and minutiae need to wait for a second rotation.

 

I will not be printing these units. But I am going to start a notebook and write a lesson plan for each topic that is will look an awful lot like an outline or first draft for a 5 paragraph essay. And then list the resources I will use.

 

Silver, I'll try and post a bit about the individual topics you mentioned when I get a chance.

 

[fourcatmom]

Just in case money is not an issue, they do sell printed copies at Rainbow Resource for $14.99 or the whole set for about $250. Too expensive for me but maybe an option for others. Since I have a laser I could print them (I printed TOG and that's a lot of pages) but I don't think I would like it in black and white. LoL is so visually appealing to me the way it is done and I wouldn't want to loose that. If you sign up to write a review Silver then they will send you two free units and you can choose which units you want. There was a link posted at the beginning of the thread on how to sign up and it doesn't have to be a blog. It can be social media, forums like this, email to a group of parents telling them about your experiences. There were a lot of options. Certainly all the discussion here is bringing attention to the curriculum in a good way.

 

I have decided to use the science as well since my original plans have fallen through. If my dd does this curriculum for two years then I can see that she would have a nice assortment of science topics under her belt and we have already done most of the sciences already so it will be nice to spend a year on lots of different topics. I still have the chemistry lab kit coming so we will mix in some chemistry experiments through out the year since that is an interest of hers.

 

I was playing around with Unit 2 last night and trying to put it all into a schedule and I was thinking about extending the unit out to 3 weeks since Egypt is a big unit. I just don't have enough weeks in the school year to do every unit as it is so we will either need to condense several of the others or leave them out all to together. The problem is that takes the science, geography and the arts away too and some of those topics I would rather not skip. And without having the units in hand, it's hard to make that call right now. I don't think I am going to stress too much about it right now though. I am going to plan through Unit 3 and then wait and see how things work and how much time everything takes. I am adding in STOW reading, video's and quizzes because I think for a 7th grader she needs to be able to expand on what LoL presents.

 

I think I also may pick one project or exploration activity for her to do and let her pick another one. We like hands on projects so I would love to utilize those when we can and with what interests her. The schedule I am setting up is Day 1 would be LoL reading, start project and some lit reading. Day 2 STOW reading, watch video's, work on project. Day 3 Geography and map work, Project and Lit reading. Day 4 The Arts (LoL) and History Portfolio pages or other note booking source, Lit reading. Day 5 finish projects and STOW quiz or writing project.Science would be done as a separate subject from history but the Geography and arts would fall under history. My goal is to have her working for at least 1 hour a day on History or 5 hours for the week. I am not sure yet how long some of this will take her so we will have to wait and see. I think the LoL reading she will go through rather fast but I want her to have time to explore all the other tidbits and tips that LoL offers in their reading. For lit reading I have 12 books plus a few extras to use through the year and organized by unit. Some of the books I am plugging in are A Cry For Egypt, Adam and His Kin, Tales from Africa, Bronze Bow, Middleworld, Wild Orchid, Shadow Spinner, Aesop's Fables, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Gilgamesh the Hero and The Eagle and the Ninth. Many of these suggestions came from CHOLL logic stage ancient history guide and I think they are going to fit into this very nicely. I can always spread those out and reduce the number if it proves to be too much.

 

Oh, and then at the end of each unit she can have time to put the timeline pieces into her timeline book that she started last year.

[Halcyon]

could we start with the 2nd year--we've exhausted the history topics in year 1 to death and ds8 needs to move on. 

[fourcatmom]

Year 2 is complete - you don't have to start with Year 1.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

could we start with the 2nd year--we've exhausted the history topics in year 1 to death and ds8 needs to move on. 

Yes, you could definitely do that!  The units are written to be stand alone, so you don't even have to do them in order.

[Hunter]

Fourcatmom, is STOW Story of the World, or something else?

[Hunter]

could we start with the 2nd year--we've exhausted the history topics in year 1 to death and ds8 needs to move on. 

 

There are some teaching tips, that are spread though the units instead of in an intro of how to use the curriculum, but Halcyon, you already are pretty set in your ways, like I am, so I don't think you need them.

 

The geography does build in previous years. The science does build on previous years. The art does build on previous years. I think YOUR children and YOU should be fine, though.

 

This curriculum is not designed to be jumped into, from another classical curriculum. The history is in rotation, but the other strands often work from foundations to minutiae, rather than always by chronology or artificially divided science divisions.

[fourcatmom]

Fourcatmom, is STOW Story of the World, or something else?

 

Yes, Story of the World. I think that is the right abbreviation? I know it isn't typically isn't meant for middle school but I think it will be a good fit for my dd and we have the books.

 

Also, I think the kids you and FunnyFarm are using this with are younger then my dd. I may end up dropping it, I don't know we have to get in and get working and see how things go. I don't want to push STOW so much that LoL is dropped either so we have to be able to have a balance and there is a lot of other things that are important to me. I might be that with the LoL readings, the Lit readings that I am adding and the hands on project I want her to do that it will be enough.

[silver]

I am realizing that planets is actually more complicated that it seems at first. There is a TON of information, if we are going to teach each individual planets. There is not a clean summary of each individual planet, but I did realize later that there is planet info in the linked to free coloring pages. I wanted that in the text, though, at first. But then I backed up and remembered my default format.

 

What three things do I want to focus on about planets? Whoa, once I do that, I don't really care about the details of each planet. I watched an episode of Magic School Bus on outer space and realized that is enough info on the individual planets for beginners. If I'm only doing an hour, after Magic School Bus I need to FOCUS on THREE main points.

 

In the past i have learned that students do NOT know that things in outerspace are ROUND and that they ORBIT. I need to focus on what a planet IS and what planets are like in GENERAL. I need to set the stage, so that when students watch the news or read a book, they have pegs to add the new info onto. The first pegs need to be definitions and GENERAL facts. Individual facts and minutiae need to wait for a second rotation.

 

I'm such an idea person instead of a fact person that it never would occur to me to teach the facts about each planet (I assume size, length of a year, range of temperatures, etc were what you were thinking about). Partly because those kind of facts aren't interesting to me, so I forget that some people do like them. Partly because, sure, I could tell my kids that Jupiter is 86,881 miles in diameter, but that number is so large, it doesn't really mean anything to a young child. It doesn't even mean that much to me, actually. I can't visualize 86,881 miles. Telling kids that more than 1000 Earths can fit inside Jupiter gets a little closer to interesting. But without understanding that the Earth is pretty big compared to the small bit of the world they've seen, it still doesn't really impress on a child how big Jupiter is. This is when scale models are useful (but very difficult, especially if you want to do a scale model that also shows how far each planet is from the sun). But with that sort of project, you get into time spent vs utility.

 

So, I'm like you in terms of what I want my kids to get out of a study of planets: focus on a few big ideas. I'd say I'd be happy for my kids to: know what a planet is (and I would actually teach that by teaching those facts about Earth: Earth is an extremely large spherical object, Earth revolves around the sun, etc), know that there are eight planets, familiarity with their names. And I'd probably throw in something about how, of the eight planets, only Earth can support life. Learning about planets is the sort of thing that would come after learning about living vs non-living things, after learning about the needs of living things, after learning about Earth being a sphere and mapping, and after day/night and seasons.

 

And, honestly, the most interesting thing about planets for my kids is when I point them out in the night sky. "Hey kids, see that bright dot by the moon? It looks like a star, but that's really Mars. Do you see how it looks a little reddish instead of white? Mars is sometimes called 'the red planet', why do you think it got that name? Mars is actually larger than our moon, but it's so far away that it looks really tiny, doesn't it?"

 

I like your idea of choosing three main ideas to teach about a subject. Simplifying that way makes doing my own thing for science without a great library seem more feasible.

 

And none of this has to do with LoL, really. But it's giving me some good ideas to ponder...

[Hunter]

Yes, Story of the World. I think that is the right abbreviation? I know it isn't typically isn't meant for middle school but I think it will be a good fit for my dd and we have the books.

 

Also, I think the kids you and FunnyFarm are using this with are younger then my dd. I may end up dropping it, I don't know we have to get in and get working and see how things go. I don't want to push STOW so much that LoL is dropped either so we have to be able to have a balance and there is a lot of other things that are important to me. I might be that with the LoL readings, the Lit readings that I am adding and the hands on project I want her to do that it will be enough.

Story of the World is SOTW not STOW. "of the" is OT, not TO. I personally don't care now that I know what you mean. :)

 

All of SOTW that I am using is the audio book and coloring pages, And I'm not using it with anyone who doesn't want it, and I'm not stressing over matching it up lesson for lesson. It's a BOOK for those who LIKE it, not taking it any more seriously than any any other audio book or work of fiction. I have one student in particular who is very attached to the series. It has been working for her and it's it's not broke, I'm not trying to fix it.

 

Many of my students are adults working at a K-3 level. Some of those students are developmentally at the middle school level and others are at an adult level. I have adult students who have heard this from me, "You are acting like a 5 year old right now and I need you to act 12. I'm not asking you to function at the adult level, I'm just asking to stretch to age 12 right now, please!"

[fourcatmom]

I guess I have always had it wrong.  :D I just "assumed" the ST was part of STory and then of the World but I guess that doesn't make much sense! :wacko:

[Hunter]

I guess I have always had it wrong. :D I just "assumed" the ST was part of STory and then of the World but I guess that doesn't make much sense! :wacko:

:grouphug:

 

I've made similar mistakes. There is no right and wrong for initials. I just try and use the ones others are using.

 

And Silver, I, and others have had a terrible time with people thinking SOW is SOTW.

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

Ok, my post is up on my blog with links for the first unit.  I may add more to it later but I'm trying hard to not burn myself out looking for things.... just find a couple things I know my crew will like and then move along.

[Hunter]

I'm such an idea person instead of a fact person that it never would occur to me to teach the facts about each planet (I assume size, length of a year, range of temperatures, etc were what you were thinking about). Partly because those kind of facts aren't interesting to me, so I forget that some people do like them. Partly because, sure, I could tell my kids that Jupiter is 86,881 miles in diameter, but that number is so large, it doesn't really mean anything to a young child. It doesn't even mean that much to me, actually. I can't visualize 86,881 miles. Telling kids that more than 1000 Earths can fit inside Jupiter gets a little closer to interesting. But without understanding that the Earth is pretty big compared to the small bit of the world they've seen, it still doesn't really impress on a child how big Jupiter is. This is when scale models are useful (but very difficult, especially if you want to do a scale model that also shows how far each planet is from the sun). But with that sort of project, you get into time spent vs utility.

 

So, I'm like you in terms of what I want my kids to get out of a study of planets: focus on a few big ideas. I'd say I'd be happy for my kids to: know what a planet is (and I would actually teach that by teaching those facts about Earth: Earth is an extremely large spherical object, Earth revolves around the sun, etc), know that there are eight planets, familiarity with their names. And I'd probably throw in something about how, of the eight planets, only Earth can support life. Learning about planets is the sort of thing that would come after learning about living vs non-living things, after learning about the needs of living things, after learning about Earth being a sphere and mapping, and after day/night and seasons.

 

And, honestly, the most interesting thing about planets for my kids is when I point them out in the night sky. "Hey kids, see that bright dot by the moon? It looks like a star, but that's really Mars. Do you see how it looks a little reddish instead of white? Mars is sometimes called 'the red planet', why do you think it got that name? Mars is actually larger than our moon, but it's so far away that it looks really tiny, doesn't it?"

 

I like your idea of choosing three main ideas to teach about a subject. Simplifying that way makes doing my own thing for science without a great library seem more feasible.

 

And none of this has to do with LoL, really. But it's giving me some good ideas to ponder...

 

I guess I am so used to curricula that focus on details of the planets, without ever covering what a planet is, that it wasn't until I tried to smoosh the LoL information into my default type of plan, that I realized I didn't even need to worry about the individual planets.

 

I just skimmed some encyclopedia articles on planets. I was NEVER taught the BASICS of planets. Sigh!

 

This doing a unit a week, smooshing the topics into my default lesson plan style is going to be enlightening, I think.

[Hunter]

Ok, my post is up on my blog with links for the first unit.  I may add more to it later but I'm trying hard to not burn myself out looking for things.... just find a couple things I know my crew will like and then move along.

 

Nice!

 

I am pre-reading Boy of the Painted Cave. So far I think it's good. The audiobook is 4 hours long, and your kids don't like to read, so they probably are not interested.

http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Painted-Cave-Justin-Denzel-ebook/dp/B002DGKVQC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=

[Halcyon]

There are some teaching tips, that are spread though the units instead of in an intro of how to use the curriculum, but Halcyon, you already are pretty set in your ways, like I am, so I don't think you need them.

 

The geography does build in previous years. The science does build on previous years. The art does build on previous years. I think YOUR children and YOU should be fine, though.

 

This curriculum is not designed to be jumped into, from another classical curriculum. The history is in rotation, but the other strands often work from foundations to minutiae, rather than always by chronology or artificially divided science divisions.

 

 

Moi? Set in my ways? Naaaaaaaawwww. ;)

 

I think we'll be fine starting in year 2. I wish i could see a bigger sample from year 2. I am going to email them.