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"Less is More" curricula


Tracy
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I have been following the "Less is More" thread on the other board, and I am realizing that this is really where I need to focus my efforts. I am wondering if we can come up with a list of curricula that you would recommend that gets more done with less work.  (I realize that this may not work for every student.)

 

There, they mention Bravewriter, which I totally need to check out now.  

 

I think I would add FIAR (for students who don't need a lot of hands-on) and MCT Grammar.  

 

I would especially like to see lists for math and science.  

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Many curricula can be stripped down to Less is More. Some more easily than others. Just because a program offers text book, work book, Instructor's guide, printable worksheets, specialized notebooks, manipulatives and extra practice doesn't mean you have to use all of it. 
 

We were able to strip down Singapore Math, HWT, ETC. I didn't even know we were doing it. All we had was workbooks. I didn't find out there were 50 pieces until we were well under way. I don't think my kids missed out on anything. SOTW, too. My worst mistake with history was trying to use the Activity Guide. We were doing fine without it. With it, we did..nothing. 

 

LOF is intentionally minimalistic. One book, 10 questions per chapter, done and done. It's made to move as fast or as slow as you need to go. 

 

I like to put together my own science. We chose a subject, read library books, watch documentaries, call it good. This year, we are using Pronto Lessons. It's aimed at younger kids, but we are enjoying it. http://www.prontolessons.com/anatomy.html

 

The internet is full of simple goodies. We are using Progressive Phonics for my 8yo. I didn't print anything. We just read the lessons. http://progressivephonics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=32&Itemid=11

 

 

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I didn't read the other thread, but multum non multa is a philosophy which influences how education is approached at its core.

 

It is understanding that the *how* children learn is the fundamental driving principle toward methodology vs a long list of subjects. For example, reading trade books on science topics over textbooks creates a completely different learning environment. Whole books require children to process the whole and determine key information. Textbooks pre-digest the info and expect students to accept the defined key points. So if education is viewed as mastering a massive amt of knowlegde, textbooks come out on top as a good. If the goal is having children learn to process information and evaluate key info from less important info and synthesize that info into their own words, whole books play a role separate from textbooks.

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For less is more, at your kids ages you could skip science and history and just have them read a couple non-fiction library books each week on any science/history topic of their interest, or watch documentaries.  This allows more time and energy to put toward the 3Rs that are so important at those ages.  FIAR will also cover enough science/history that you are fine there.  Bravewriter is very gentle language arts...and you could skip grammar for now if you needed to (though I wish I had done oral grammar with my boys...its a stumbling point, now.)  Of course, I totally failed at less is more with my boys who really needed it...so I don't speak from experience, but from what I wish I had done!  I pushed and stressed and got nowhere until they reached about 12yo.  It sounds to me like you are on the right track!   For math, MUS works well here, and would be my recommendation for gentle math.

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Definitely Brave Writer is the curriculum that seems to express that philosophy most clearly to me.

 

I feel like it's different than something that's easy to get done, like Math Mammoth.  The MM pages are full of examples, it's sort of a crowded program that emphasizes practice with different methods, which isn't very less is more to me.  Something like Miquon Math, which is just a few problems would be more.  Or, possibly better yet, a program like Kitchen Table Math (which totally didn't work for us, but I think it might be more in line with "less is more"), where the basis is really sitting down to demonstrate to the child and really assess learning as you go.

 

Other things that come to mind for me...

 

Handwriting Without Tears...  there are a lot of bits and pieces because of the sensory focus, but there's a strong emphasis on improving with each single letter practiced and not just writing for pages and pages.

 

The Nature Connection... because it makes nature studies simple and more open and go and focuses on just being outside and noticing as the central piece.

 

Grammarland...  because it's so simple - a story and just a few short exercises to teach (similar to MCT in certain ways - a whimsical text with deep analysis of just a few things following, but the writing assignment parts of MCT were so not simple and so bizarre for us that they felt like the opposite of less is more - so MCT without the writing assignments would be on my list as well).

 

Spelling Plus...  it didn't work at all for us, but the idea of taking the 1,000 most common words, arranging them by rule, then teaching them by focusing on memory, was really less is more to me.  Not fancy, just nice and simple.

 

BFSU...  maybe?  Another one that didn't work for me, but I feel like with the K-2 book, which was the one that I read, the focus was on introducing these science concepts by asking questions and starting a conversation with the child and observing simple things around you.  That strikes me as a very less is more approach to science - no long text, no vocab to memorize, no worksheets, no complex experiments.

 

I think curricula can emphasize or lead to less is more, but I do agree that often the best way to achieve that is by doing it yourself.  Like, a full CM approach to me would be very less is more.  Reading books, being out in nature, copywork, narration as retelling, dictation, memorizing poetry...  Very less is more to me.  And very mindful.

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Less is more seems like trying to grasp the wind sometimes. And too often the best stuff is OOP, and when things get too hard to find and expensive I stop talking about them. But...

 

Ruth Beechick's The Three R's.

http://www.amazon.com/Three-Rs-Ruth-Beechick/dp/0880620749/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408759502&sr=8-1&keywords=the+three+r%27s

 

Alpha-Phonics REVISED.

http://www.exodusbooks.com/details.aspx?id=54721

 

Spelling Plus. The 1000 word list is free here.

http://www.susancanthony.com/ws/_pdf/splhnd.pdf

 

Write On!

http://www.learn4yourlife.com/homeschool-writing-curriculum.html

 

LLATL. I just use the TM. You can get the ebooks here.

http://www.commonsensepress.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CSP&Category_Code=LAEB

 

How to Tutor Part 3 Arithmetic

http://www.amazon.com/How-Tutor-Samuel-L-Blumenfeld/dp/0941995011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408759675&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+tutor

 

Arithmetic Made Simple

http://www.amazon.com/Arithmetic-Made-Simple-Robert-Belge/dp/0385239386/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408759763&sr=8-1&keywords=arithmetic+made+simple

 

Ray's Arithmetic

http://www.amazon.com/Rays-Arithmetic-Set-Joseph-Ray/dp/0880620501/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408759786&sr=8-2&keywords=ray%27s+arithmetic

 

Science Matters

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Matters-Achieving-Scientific-Literacy/dp/0307454584/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408759831&sr=8-1&keywords=science+matters

 

Great Empires

http://homeschoolinthewoods.com/greatempires.html

 

Drawing Textbook

http://www.exodusbooks.com/details.aspx?id=10901

 

Bible

 

And piles and piles of paperback novels, gathered from yard sales and thrift shops and library discards. Read, read, read and read some more. Anything. Everything.

 

 

 

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Hmmm, I think for me Less is More curricula are things where you get a lot of bang for the buck - where you can satisfy both content and skill areas using one tool.  I want everything to do more than one thing!   So it's not specific curricula, maybe, but certain things at certain ages?

 

So for my 7th grader -  we are doing The Big History Project.  This is a huge thing - hardly less - but it is so very worthwhile, because it is so much MORE than just history! It's history, and science, and critical thinking, and writing, and close reading, and project-based learning, and investigation, and claims testing, and . . . a lot wrapped up in that one package!

 

For my 3rd grader, a Less is More thing we are doing is Write From History.  It's a supplement to history, but it includes narration, copywork, and dictation.  And the copywork also includes grammar - review of parts of speech and parts of the sentence.  We get a lot out of the small amount of time we spend on this each day.

 

For math, I guess Less is More is something like AoPS, maybe? or Beast Academy, or Zaccaro? Or even LOF.  Where instead of pages of problems, you do a few hard problems that really require deep understanding.

 

Writing across the curriculum is Less is More . . . covering both skill and content at the same time.

 

For science?  I got nothing.  I have never found a science curriculum that I like.  I guess something like Science Matters or Joy of Science is less is more?  Something very big picture, that is all about making connections?  I guess BFSU qualifies, it is less for the student, but definitely not less for the teacher!  :lol:

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I am amazed that I am already using a lot of the suggestions here.

 

 

CSMP is currently fitting the bill with my dd. 

 

I love CSMP for my dd.  This is our 5th year with it.  But I have a hard time seeing it as a "less is more" program.  It is so teacher-intensive.  And I have to actually omit lessons just to get through it in a school year.  

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I love CSMP for my dd.  This is our 5th year with it.  But I have a hard time seeing it as a "less is more" program.  It is so teacher-intensive.  And I have to actually omit lessons just to get through it in a school year.  

 

I'm only using K and those tiny little lessons are giving us more benefits than we are putting in effort. I probably won't have the same opinion when dd is grade 5 :p

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The Sentence Family.  It's simple and works amazingly.

 

I know of several grammar programs that are complete overkill, in my opinion (some that are very popular on this board, in fact).  I don't see why it needs to be so complex and/or analyzed to death. I haven't used this next one lone enough to really know yet...but the idea of it is very simple yet effective...and it's only 15 minutes a day, 1 sentence a day: Fix It Grammar.

 

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Someone above already mentioned this, but it is worth a repeat.  Many curricula can be trimmed down to a multum non multa or less is more approach, and likewise they can be supplemented and embellished to a "way too much" extent. 

 

We have a nice flow right now with Logic of English  (Essentials), math (Singapore, BA, AoPS), and reading, both aloud to them and they on their own, from quality books.  Oldest dd will start a year long Shakespeare class shortly, where they will spend a semester focused on one play, and the second semester preparing for and performing a second play. They examine the plays from so many aspects (vocabulary, history, literary devices, social commentary, etc), and write weekly persuasive papers, and are challenged to read some ten odd additional plays on their own through the year.  All of this English Language Arts is a single class/curriculum, instead of disparate vocab, grammar, writing, literary analysis, and poetics curricula.  

 

We also started a morning basket, which might seem antithetical to 'less is more,' but I am realizing it is not.  We spend less TIME and do less OUTPUT on the things we cover in morning basket and we therefor are ENJOYING it more, and 'tasting' more of the true, the good, and the beautiful out there. 

 

 

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I was thinking about the Less is More thing as I woke up this morning.  It's a . . . fluid concept, right?  Using 3-4 things at once for writing certainly seems the opposite of less!  But at the same time, if improving writing is your goal, doing repeated practed spaced out through the day, using material that also covers history, grammar, spelling,etc.  is a very effective way to meet that goal.  Anyway, I don't think the curriculum matters as much as the intent behind choosing it, and how you use it - flexibly, and to meet the needs of the child you have, rather than feeling like you have to do the whole thing as written.

 

Just some pre-coffee musing . . .  :)

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 Anyway, I don't think the curriculum matters as much as the intent behind choosing it, and how you use it - flexibly, and to meet the needs of the child you have, rather than feeling like you have to do the whole thing as written.

 

 

:iagree:

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I do think that the curriculum matters to some extent.  When you start with a curriculum that is based on a "less is more" philosophy, there is less tweaking to do.  Some people are naturally good tweakers  :001_rolleyes:, but others (like myself) are less experienced or continue to struggle with tweaking even if they have some experience. I am certainly more comfortable with it now than I was when we started homeschooling, but I always have this nagging doubt in the back of my head every time I decide to skip something in a curriculum.  So I would rather start with a program that has less to start out with.

 

I think we can add WWE to this mix.  It really helped me to have a 10-minute/day program and see that my dd was really learning how to write.   

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I do think that the curriculum matters to some extent.  When you start with a curriculum that is based on a "less is more" philosophy, there is less tweaking to do.  Some people are naturally good tweakers  :001_rolleyes:, but others (like myself) are less experienced or continue to struggle with tweaking even if they have some experience. I am certainly more comfortable with it now than I was when we started homeschooling, but I always have this nagging doubt in the back of my head every time I decide to skip something in a curriculum.  So I would rather start with a program that has less to start out with.

 

I think we can add WWE to this mix.  It really helped me to have a 10-minute/day program and see that my dd was really learning how to write.   

 

Fair enough.  Not all curricula lend themselves to tweaking, for sure.  I guess I tend to choose things that do, but I have certainly tried and quickly rejected things that don't, especially when I first started!  I think if a curriculum makes you feel pressured, stressed, or anxious, it doesn't fit into the Less is More philosophy and will be probably not worth it if that's really the direction you want to go.

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I have often wished there was a "less is more" option for FLL. I envision something like a pretest booklet for each lesson - if you can remember x and diagram y, lesson over., if you stumble here is a pleasant review.

 

Also, I struggle with "lim" for math. I need more day-to-day direction than Kitchen Table Math provides, but MEP and MM (both of which I'm teaching this year) are difficult for me to pare down to that sweet spot.

 

I think it can be tricky to find a "less" that still ensures retention.

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I agree that some curricula lead more to this approach than others.  But I think a lot of it is how you use it too.  I think you could use all curricula that could more easily be "less is more" (I want a better word for this...) and yet implement them in a way that feels overwhelming or stressful or forced.

 

Definitely a fluid concept.  I can see that people approach what makes a program less is more in different ways...

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I do think that the curriculum matters to some extent.  When you start with a curriculum that is based on a "less is more" philosophy, there is less tweaking to do.  Some people are naturally good tweakers  :001_rolleyes:, but others (like myself) are less experienced or continue to struggle with tweaking even if they have some experience. I am certainly more comfortable with it now than I was when we started homeschooling, but I always have this nagging doubt in the back of my head every time I decide to skip something in a curriculum.  So I would rather start with a program that has less to start out with.

 

I think we can add WWE to this mix.  It really helped me to have a 10-minute/day program and see that my dd was really learning how to write.   

 

Tracy,

 

I think more than simply thinking about curriculum, it might be valuable to consider the larger context of what and why.

 

What are your goals for your children?   Are the goals defined in terms of knowledge or are the goals defined in terms of skills?   Why did you select those goals?   

 

If you know where you want to end up, it is easier to create a map.   Starting with a box of curricula then defining them as "less for more" is really not the equivalent of knowing specific goals and plugging in options which allow you to meet your objectives.

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Perhaps I'm feeling jaded and grumpy, very well could be with my crazed hormones tbh. But the less is more discussion annoys me a bit in a way it has been difficult to pinpoint. Sometimes less is just less. Also, as 8 so aptly puts it our goals and focus are a lot more indicative of our simplicity than our exact curriculum. We use a lot of resources and real books but our schooling feels pretty focused to me. I use various things but I pick and choose what aspects of each thing we are doing to keep the focus on our particular goals and needs, unfortunately I cannot always pull that off with *one* book or curriculum. Also, sometimes paring it down to the bare bones leads to rather shallow schooling, if one doesn't really delve into what you are using. 

 

So, I'm all for less busy work, fewer more concrete goals but I'm also for more discussion, and more interaction. Goodness knows I can do very well at prioritizing and keeping our focus on only our topmost goals but sometimes what your school needs is more and not less, at least that is where we are at right now. So, I don't want to add things that are not enriching to our our school and family but one of the reasons we are schooling at home is our ability to go on those rabbit trails, explore our interests, go deep and wide when we feel like it, explore the world, sometimes just because we want to and it sounds like fun.

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It's meant to be classical ? Not in my house :)

 

We were 2000's style!

 

CM emphasizes habit training and literature and uses the classical trio of copywork, dictation, and narration.  Those seem classical-ish to me.  Sitting around in nature and telling stories less so...  I'm not sure why Hunter needs to go willy nilly about it though. :)

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There is a developing new definition of CM, that includes a dizzying amount of quotes from notes used in the schools, rather than quotes from the homeschooling books for young children applied to all ages. The new emphasis on written documentation and French and the arts. It's all rather like a Bible study where the canon keeps getting longer and everything has to keep being reinterpreted by the newest "discoveries" that must be immediately obeyed.

 

Last year it was "Narration is enough." This year, "Narration is not enough, and here are quotes why, and here is a link the book you must buy to teach you how to do it right."

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Sadie, it sounds like a lovely learning experience.

 

I guess perhaps I wasn't clear. I understand the statement less is more. I guess I'm throwing a little caution out there that just cutting back isn't good and virtuous in itself. Picking programs with an eye towards picking the simplest isn't the best criterion. As 8 said we need to think about our goals for our children and vision for our family and homeschool before cutting, sometimes what is cut is good when the philosophy of,  "less is more" is put too highly. 

 

I've been there, where I needed to cut and cut some more, especially in the last 2 years between thyroid problems, pregnancy and a new baby. I think I did a pretty fair job considering all of that, well it depends on how you look at it. I put my focus and limited energy on our relationships and progressing them forward in the primary skills they needed to practice. We were able to progress in our academic skills and grow our relationships as well, quite imperfectly mind you but overall we did the best with what we had.

 

Anyway, now that I'm feeling better and have more energy we're able to do some more, more of the things that are the heart of schooling for our family, things that I missed. So, no I'm not adding in lapbooks and projects for ds, he would hate those and they wouldn't be beneficial for him but I will be striving to add some of these to my dd's year as she thrives on such things. We will be doing some field trips related to our schooling, field trips related to American History and science topics because I enjoy learning through experience and I just find it to be wonderful family time. It is something I want to cultivate within our family culture, same with walks(nature) and current events (+ geography). All of those things are extras I suppose, more, but more added with purpose. YMMV. 

 

As with life and schooling my philosophy on adding in things (as I thrive on organization and minimalism) is looking at adding one thing at a time and then determining if it is worthwhile to continue. Does it add to our school and family? Is the time, effort and/or money worth the benefits?

 

Fwiw I'm finally reading The Writer's Jungle today as I've been thinking on how to progress dd on to the next step with her writing. I used WWE for ds at this stage, which was well and good and got us where we need to be. I'm hoping to tweak it a bit this time around and hopefully integrate it into our day a little more fluidly. I think either approach though could be a less is more however. For what I'm wanting for us I think TWJ will fill the bill as a bit of a teacher's primer for me before we jump in. 

 

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Perhaps none of that is helpful at all. I guess my question for the OP is what do you feel that you are doing that is extraneous and not adding to your day? What if anything do you feel is missing? I think you need to ask that before determining what you want. 

 

IRT science and history I think simplicity could look any number of ways; you can do a textbook and workbook combo, if you have a large home library or visit the library often you could do interest led- child is required to read x number of pages/books per week- output could be just reading and discussion- could be journaling- copywork- periodic reports or projects. Depends on your goals.

 

My primary goal for the ages of my children is exposure, developing interest and curiosity and progressing forward in non-fiction reading skills (for my oldest). I like the idea of just using a library and following trails however, reality is that I do not go to the library often and consistently enough to pull that off in the way that I want. So, this spring I sat down and thought about areas I wanted to study based on what we'd already studied and what I thought they and I would find interesting. I then researched books and decided what I wanted to hit within those topics and bought lots of books. Books to read aloud, books to be read independently. At this point we are just reading and discussing, depending on how writing goes we might be writing some subject related reports by the end of the year. We have related movies to watch and a few local field trips planned for the year. There is no elaborate schedule here (although some would find that helpful and comforting) just a time set aside to delve into such things and progressing along.

 

re: math- I will be no help here :) I've yet to find any one thing that works on its own for mine. Ds is doing BA as his primary math but using Horizons a grade behind as review 10 min a day. He needs spiral and practice but he doesn't like spiral. He thrives with the concepts but we have to have the fluency down to move forward, so this is what we have arrived at for him. For dd, oh my she has been so hard to figure out. I've been using MiF but I believe we'll be switching to Horizons, I've thought about this for awhile but haven't had the guts to do so, well we're going for it now. I think this will work well for her and I'm hoping I'm finally finding something that we can settle on.

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Soror has expressed some of my thoughts.

 

Multum non multa does not necessarily mean shorter time or even less.   It is focusing on what matters and utilizing that focus for a more purposeful education.   I don't really relate to the idea of "relaxed" academics if the idea behind relaxed is less.   My views toward education are actually very "academically demanding." Where I completely separate myself from most "academically demanding" modern educators is how academically demanding is defined.

 

My young kids are not taking long lists of subjects.  We focus on basic skills.   My older kids are not spending hours on busywork.   My educational objectives are not necessarily aligned with traditional school objectives. It does not make them less rigorous.   They are simply meeting a different definition.

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I often find that less is more leads me into deeply integrated curricula, which happens to be a lot more work up front for me! Fun work and good, because it forces me to think about what I am teaching and why I am teaching it, but it would suck the living life out of me if everything in my world was integrated. That's one huge reason I don't try it for everything.

 

Like a previous poster, I'm finding that morning time is helping me integrate without trying because of the discussion aspect. But this would exhaust me if I did it for more than an hour a day, and frankly, thirty minutes is about where I'm at right now. Not everybody learns and retains with discussion, there needs to be time to work with things on your own, to sit and think, to write and even to play with what you have learned. (As an aside, does anyone else note that when you've really hit a chord in history, science or literature, you find your children naming a stuffed animal after a character or taking the story lines and incorporating them into imaginative play?) So maybe some of the less is more philosophy for me is learning when to stop teaching and let the boys work with the material on their own?

 

Clearly I need more caffeine this morning...

 

On a positive, I get to move into fall schedule soon, so I get to play with my signature again....right now it sure looks like a lot of stuff, doesn't it? Really wasn't, but fall should look much more peaceful because I've got some of my books on the way now!

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. (As an aside, does anyone else note that when you've really hit a chord in history, science or literature, you find your children naming a stuffed animal after a character or taking the story lines and incorporating them into imaginative play?) So maybe some of the less is more philosophy for me is learning when to stop teaching and let the boys work with the material on their own?

!

There is actually research demonstrating that young children who are engaged in processing what they are learning do what you describe. The research I read surrounding dramatic play in young children showed that there could be up to a 2 week delay between when the child was exposed to the ideas and when it was expressed in play.

 

And I love it when I witness it in my own children. It affirms the sweet spot has been found. :)

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I often find that less is more leads me into deeply integrated curricula, which happens to be a lot more work up front for me! Fun work and good, because it forces me to think about what I am teaching and why I am teaching it, but it would suck the living life out of me if everything in my world was integrated. That's one huge reason I don't try it for everything.

 

Like a previous poster, I'm finding that morning time is helping me integrate without trying because of the discussion aspect. But this would exhaust me if I did it for more than an hour a day, and frankly, thirty minutes is about where I'm at right now. Not everybody learns and retains with discussion, there needs to be time to work with things on your own, to sit and think, to write and even to play with what you have learned. (As an aside, does anyone else note that when you've really hit a chord in history, science or literature, you find your children naming a stuffed animal after a character or taking the story lines and incorporating them into imaginative play?) So maybe some of the less is more philosophy for me is learning when to stop teaching and let the boys work with the material on their own?

 

Clearly I need more caffeine this morning...

 

On a positive, I get to move into fall schedule soon, so I get to play with my signature again....right now it sure looks like a lot of stuff, doesn't it? Really wasn't, but fall should look much more peaceful because I've got some of my books on the way now!

 

Absolutely!  Often it's hard to find deeply integrated curricula, so I also end up creating it myself.  It's helpful to find something to build off of, though.

 

I agree that Less is More generally doesn't mean "Less" for me as the teacher - it actually means a lot more effort on my part to create integrated and coherent plans.

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I think it is very interesting how much philosophy ended up being discussed in this thread.  I realize that "less is more" may mean different things to different people.  I also understand that I have to examine my own educational goals and philosophies and and not jump on a program purely for its "less is more" philosophy.  (Believe me, I have done that ad nauseum for many years.)  Nevertheless, I still maintain that using the right curriculum can help a HS mom to learn how to accomplish the "less is more" purpose.  I have used some of these curricula to that very end.  It was my hope that we could discuss how various programs can help (keeping in mind, of course, that this is not the only reason to use a curriculum).  

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Yes, I understand that was what you meant and I totally agree. I also agree with many of the sentiments in the philosophy discussion... I just didn't necessarily think they were at odds with what you asked so I wasn't sure where they fit in fully.

 

 

I was trying to address those that specifically addressed me and suggested that I wasn't sufficiently considering other factors.  I was trying to be tactful but I see that I ended up being vague and confusing. :huh:  Sorry about that.  

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I was trying to address those that specifically addressed me and suggested that I wasn't sufficiently considering other factors. I was trying to be tactful but I see that I ended up being vague and confusing. :huh: Sorry about that.

I apologize. I wasn't actually addressing you specifically. I just like philosophical discussions in general and was more just chiming in on the idea of "less is more."

 

Sorry if I took your thread off track.

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I apologize. I wasn't actually addressing you specifically. I just like philosophical discussions in general and was more just chiming in on the idea of "less is more."

 

Sorry if I took your thread off track.

 

 

No problem.  I like philosophical discussions, too.  But it was this discussion that led me to look at Bravewriter as a possibility, so the utilitarian Me was hoping to come up with a list of other programs that I might want to look at.   ;)

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I have often wished there was a "less is more" option for FLL. I envision something like a pretest booklet for each lesson - if you can remember x and diagram y, lesson over., if you stumble here is a pleasant review.

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Less is More for grammar is don't do it until they are older and get it faster.
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Less is More for grammar is don't do it until they are older and get it faster.

 

Well, here I am devlolving into a philosophical discussion again . . . but I agree completely!!!  Not specifically about grammar, but about watching for the moments of readiness and "striking" then.  Sometimes when something is a difficult slog, it's just too soon, and if you put it away for a few months and pull it back out later, Voila! They suddenly get it.  Whether it's because they are more developmentally ready later, or whether it's because their brain has been working on it unconsciously in the interim, I find this happening over and over again with my kids.

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Excuse my philosophical ramblings, my head has been in the clouds I guess, as I'm thinking about my own school. It is hard for me to untwine the whys from the what when thinking about such things. I did try to be somewhat practical as well but I guess that was lost.

 

I was actually thinking about this weekend and on the subject of science I was thinking how Ellen McHenry's materials fit the bill as simple but good. I do agree with the idea that co-mingling of subjects is one great way to simplify(I'm sure there is a more precise term but my brain isn't working). The problem of course is that it often does take more work and a knowledge base, so it isn't always more accessible for us busy moms who aren't trained teachers. I know I haven't felt up to tackling integrated writing as of yet and we've enjoyed the programs we've done.

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OP, thanks for starting this thread. I had been thinking about this as well, but didn't know how to express it.

 

I think quality curriculum really is key. It's funny to read some of the "rigor" threads because to me rigor just means thoroughness. It means it doesn't dumb down or leave gaps. And "less is more" to me means that you don't waste time doing things you don't need to.

 

Now, P.S. curriculum is usually written to cover the same topics every year in increasing complexity. They don't presume to know what the kids have been taught before or what they will learn in the future. This creates a great deal of redundancy, and using this curriculum at home can be inefficient.

 

Another issue is doing something just because it looks neat. I love free pdf downloads! But just because I have something on my Hd doesn't means I need to or have to use it. And, usually, these downloads are "get what you pay for" and don't have a lot of depth.

 

In contrast, a few very high quality curricula can cover multiple areas of knowledge, negating the need for redundancy or a bunch of little free extras. For example, I was looking at LfC-A recently and it covers derivatives, grammar, vocabulary, and classical history besides Latin. If one uses all the parts of that program, then it is possible to lighten any separate LA, otherwise you could just get more more. Likewise, a good math program should build basic logical thinking skills, so putting lots of separate "critical thinking" on top may not achieve more.

 

But I want to make sure I cover everything! :lol:  I found that it has helped me to make a long range yearly plan. So, yes, at some point we'll do in-depth geography or Logic for a year (or semester) so I don't have to do EVERYTHING right now. And what I am doing now should actually achieve something or work into those long range plans, otherwise it may just be a waste of time. At least, that's what I'm trying to keep in mind...

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I'm in the midst of a Monday, but today I think that often this "less is more" idea in practice means about 15 minutes of me conveying new or review information and then the flexibility to spend whatever time is needed to cement the topic. For foreign languages that time is about 30 minutes, for spelling and grammar it is about 15 (although I'm going to have to rethink grammar altogether. Math is longer, writing I haven't figured out.

 

Obviously these are just rough figures that I've found for us, with what we have been using these last few weeks.

 

Math and Latin are topics I can hold up as negative examples. When I push my dd to "just finish the page" even when her wires are blazing, over exceeded less and headed into more. Same with Latin and my ds.

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Okay, now we are at a break, I'm feeling calmer, and I'm thinking that my putting numbers on subjects is really just a way to measure their attention spans for different subjects.

 

I also harbour guilt that if I could do a better job of Socratic questioning things would look different.

 

Tracy - maybe there are too many variables for a list of curricula. So much depends on teacher presentation and student personality. But I will throw a few out any way! I think BFSU works that way, it includes a lot of prompts for letting students think about questions on their own and fixing them to answers. We have been using FLL for years, but that program is not keeping up with the maturity of my students, and some here have posited that grammar need not be taught at all in the early years, so I don't think it makes the cut. We are using GSWL and seem to be doing well with 15 minutes a day of either review or a new lesson.

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, and some here have posited that grammar need not be taught at all in the early years, so I don't think it makes the cut.

It is all a matter of perspective. I, for one, am clueless as to how one teaches writing without grammar. ;)

 

The simplest way I can think of selecting curriculum meeting "less is more" would be based mental engagement. I don't use pre-planned curriculum, so I cannot really contribute to a non-philosophical discussion. :) But, seeking resources that move students beyond simple replication/recitation to higher levels of critical thinking provides the "more." I seek the less by simply limiting how I structure our days.

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For my older, less is more meant fewer subjects done for longer. There was a very clear correlation between higher engagement when he was not spread so thin.  So at age 11 we dropped spelling and grammar and incorporated them into his writing. And we dropped logic and poetry.  I felt that this was all very sad and worrying.  But with less to focus on, he became more focused. He has only 4 academic subjects to do during the day - physics, composition, math, and mandarin.  Violin he does whenever and history has continued at night with his dad.  So although I could tell you the books that he uses to achieve this less is more approach, it is really the less aspect rather than the books.  I will say however, that he has 1 book for each subject, just one; and each one is a text that *he* engages with.  If he was working with a book that was not a good fit for him, he would probably need more resources to fill in the gaps or clarify the material.  So I do think that the less-is-more resources idea really depends on your student. For my younger, for example, Cambridge Latin is less-is-more even though it has cultural videos, and history, and soundtracks, and stories.  It is less and more for *my* student because he *engages* with it and thus works very efficiently.

 

So I think that this is a philosophical question.  I think it is about efficient learning by engaged students.  And which resources help to achieve that depends on your particular student.

 

Ruth in NZ

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