WTMCassandra
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Posts posted by WTMCassandra
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Oh yes, I am definitely the odd one out. Many people here unschool or do textbooks. I am considered WAY over the top doing Latin AND Greek. My boardie friend that I also clicked with IRL moved away a few months ago, so it's back to me, myself, and I. A few friends are starting to move toward a more classical homeschool, but not many.
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Maybe this is cynical, but I think both answers are also motivated by revenue concerns. The university gets no money for credits granted.
If the concern was only and genuinely student readiness, other methods of determining readiness and/or compromises are possible. For example, they could let the student take a test to determine if he/she is really ready for that "3rd semester" course, and/or they could give credit for the first semester but not the second. And/or students with AP credits could test out of each level.
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I too am not Catholic, but I really like what I have heard so far of this Pope. Congrats to the Catholic church!
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They make an (excellent!) workbook to go with Spielvogel that even includes essay prompts that I use in conjunction with the text. I made a course description that does half a book of Spielvogel per year (about 7-8) chapters because it takes my children about a month per chapter. Then I map literature to each chapter and use Invitation to the Classics, WTM, WEM, and Jeff Baldwin guides (www.thegreatbooks.com) for discussion. We use the 6th edition of Spielvogel, the one that covers the four-year history cycle in two books, using half a book per year.
If you want to see a course description, you can PM me.
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For 10th grade, I'd want him to flesh things out a little better. He stays lightly on the surface of all of his points. I'd also want him to include more of a description of the play and how it's style is different than the average technique. That is one of the key features of Everyman and I think should be touched on. Reading his essay, I wouldn't know that Everyman is supposed to represent "every man," and while he mentions them, it's not clear that goods, fellowship, etc., are actual characters. I think he has a good base to build on but he needs more detail.
Ah, yes. This is true. And, thank you for spotting what is lacking--how the play is different than the typical. True confessions: I haven't had a chance to read it myself. Note to self: Rectify that oversight!
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For those who suggest a pulmonologist, do you have a specific reason why? I have good insurance so it will only cost $15 to go, it is just the time involved more than anything....especially if they will just defer to the treatment already in place.
I would say to get established with him before/in case of any complications. And a second opinion about the treatment combo being the best for her.
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The play Everyman, written around 1485, appears to have Death as its primary theme. Death tells Everyman to go on a journey, and this colors the entirety of the play. However, this is not its only theme. It is a play about life, and how it is to be lived. The play mentions various things of this life repeatedly, and how they will affect the titular protagonist in the future.
The primary theme must be about life because it is designed to show a viewer or reader how to live their life. Roughly the first half contains Death's visit, and Everyman finding that his old "Friends", his family and Goods (material goods), that he had relied upon, are unable to help him.
In lines 4 -6, the overt theme is presented by the Messenger:
The Summoning of Everyman called it is,
That of our lives and ending shows
How transitory we be all day.
However, this cannot be all the writer hopes to accomplish. It is designed more as a warning for this life, as evident from lines 338 - 342, spoken by Everyman:
Of all my works I must show
How I have lived and my days spent;
Also of ill deeds, that I have used
In my time, sith (footnote explains that it is Middle English for "this") life was me lent;
And of all virtues that I have refused.
So, we can see by this that Death, while a major theme, is not the only major theme in the play. Death is the stated theme of the play, while life, and what one must do during it is an indirect theme no less important. Because of this, Life and Death must be the two main focuses of this play.
Okay, I don't think this is too bad, but I do see some improvements I would recommend. I don't have too much of a problem with his nuanced thesis, but it could be made more explicit, something like: "While death is typically understood to be the theme of Everyman, it is also equally about life."
However, with the citations, I think the student has fallen into a common error when citing: The citation is not your argument. I like to explain it to students like this: You put forward your argument as if you were a prosecuting attorney. Your citation/source is a key witness, but it, in itself, is not your whole argument. You put forward your argument, then call in your witness (citation), and then you tell the judge/jury the importance of what the witness said.
Currently, the paper reads introduction, citation, citation, citation, conclusion. Instead, it should read like this: introduction; argument 1, citation, how citation proves argument; argument 2, citation, how citation proves argument; argument 3, citation, how citation proves argument. This would make the paper more "full bodied."
Does this help?
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I sort of did this, but I had to pitch it very carefully to my student. Here's what happened:
Son is born in early September in VA. Barely makes cut-off if going to PS (we HSed, but this defines who his "age-mates" are). Child is academically ready, so I go ahead and call him K when he is just turning 5. No problemo.
Fast-forward about seven years.
We have moved to WA. PS cut-off here is in late August (so now, son is one year younger than "age-mates" for corresponding grade, although we are still homeschooling). I realize that this child is engineering-bound, and he will probably also do Running Start. I realize also that this child might possibly be barely turning 16 when starting a very demanding mechanical engineering path in Running Start. Bad idea!
So, my son did two "seventh grade" years. Did this affect the level of work he did? Not one iota. It was purely an administrative change, made before I was required to keep a transcript, so it would not appear on his high school record.
I stressed to my son that it was not because he was stupid, nor was I actually holding him back in any way other than on paper. His level of schoolwork kept on the same path as before. I explained the difference between the two states, and how it would be much to his advantage to start Running Start when turning 17 instead of 16. We had to have several conversations about it before he was okay with it. But I think it was a good decision. I guess we'll find out in a few years! ; )
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Now that we have hit high school math (I am hopeless), the children use a scripted curriculum and he checks their work once a week. I just make sure they do it each day.
He also does the science experiments one night a week.
Math and science are my weak points, so I'm glad he shores them up.
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Well, I was up late monitoring schoolwork (don't ask!), so I tackled the Reader problem. I have used Google Reader FOREVER. Sigghhhhhhh.
I tried several readers last night, and wasn't a fan of any of them, really. And I like a web-based one, not a separate application.
BUT, this morning, I tried Feedly, and it's not too bad. So here's another vote for Feedly, although I'm still stomping my feet and whining because I don't want to change.
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The Chalkdust SAT/ACT prep course is wonderful and easy to go through, I would definitely get it. He gives great suggestions, strategies, and a comprehensive review.
My math-hating daughter really likes this course.
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So, I wanted to let you all know that I am working on trying to get in touch with Kay's husband. When I called today, I just kept getting a busy signal. I know it's so frustrating to want to give the love and have no place for it to go. I will keep trying tomorrow.
Thank you so much!
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Honestly, that would be a deal-breaker for me.
Rates of molestation/violence are so much higher in homes where the man is not the biodad make me cautious in this area. Non-bio-dads can be awesome, but I would set the bar high for tolerated behavior.
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I haven't read the replies, but I wanted to share this:
The placement of the room is MUCH more important than the physical features.
We stumbled on A Good Thing with this house. A tiled area (not enclosed room but open to the rest of the space) off the kitchen is our school room. It is near the kitchen, dining room, laundry room, and a bathroom. It is in the area of the house we live in the most. It totally rocks. There is even a built in "teacher's desk" across from it.
If this room were not so central to the workings of the house, we would probably only use it for storage and do school on the dining room table like we did for years (in other houses). When we had to do that, I did dislike having to have big bookcases crowded into our dining room. It made for cramped and cluttered surroundings when we had someone over for dinner.
But, no more! I bought a separate table for the schoolroom and four large bookshelves with doors on the bottom couple of shelves. When we are not doing school, the table can serve as a "kid's table" when people come over. On weekends it doubles as a rocket-building space. The piano is in the schoolroom, also. We have big windows for lots of natural light, and the back patio is a couple of steps away.
Children who have reading to do for a subject can retreat to the nearby living room (couch) or library (big chair with ottoman) and then come back to the table for seat work. And we have a gas fire place in the living room too. Today, we gathered in the living room to start Dante's Inferno--we put the fireplace on, we each had our books, and we played the audio book and followed along. Then it's back to the table for seat work.
The whole thing really is ideal for homeschooling, down to the long hallway nearby that leads to the bathroom and laundry room where we have our timeline hung. The only thing I don't have is wall space to hang maps or charts, because the area is so open.
I actually can't believe that this house was designed and owned before us by two families who did not homeschool--the setup is that ideal. Those families used the area for a TV room, which I think is a lousy use for it, but hey, their loss is my gain!
So, the moral of this story is, plan your schoolroom for an area central to where you live, and then it will get used!
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Note to self: When leaving, make a plan on coming back. :)
This is a great idea.
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..seems I left it on a beach somewhere...
Sigh, that is the life!
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Perhaps start with just a subject or two for a couple of days, and then add more. My go-to's are math and Latin--the subjects I think are the minimal ones to get done each day.
Congrats on your vacation!
Oh, and I have found that a pretty iron-clad schedule that we are all used to can be helpful to get us on autopilot when one or more of us is not feeling up to par. The drone of the daily routine can help you to continue marching forward. (Today, the one dragged along by the routine is me! I had two nearly sleepless nights in a row and I am a zombie today.)
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Oh nooooooo! Please tell Kay she is in our thoughts. She is a gracious, thoughtful, and talented person who always has something interesting to say. The world is a better place because Kay has been here. She welcomed me into her home a couple of times, and I had a wonderful time each time. Blessings to her, her husband, and her son. They are welcome in our home anytime.
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I like The Lost Tools of Writing for the "blank page syndrome." It excels at teaching you how to come up with topics to write about. However, a shortcut is to consider the following question:
"Should x have done y?"
Should Achilles have pouted in the Iliad?
Should Odysseus have stayed with that mermaid witch lady for umpteen years in the Odyssey?
Should Agamemnon have killed his adulterous wife?
Should the minister have admitted his sin openly in The Scarlet Letter?
etc.
We have also used writing prompts from Teaching the Classics, WEM, WTM, and Invitation to the Classics.
Hope this helps a little!
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Hmmm...I'm more partial to Richard the III. Macbeth with Patrick Stewart is so worth watching that I'd rush through a reading of the play with my kids, if time was of the essence, because Stewart really brings the character to life.
I'm a huge Patrick Stewart fan, so next year when we do Macbeth I will be sure let them watch that version.
Richard the III is really good too, but my schedule is so tight, and I have to be really careful how much I try to jam in there, especially considering time we need for speech and debate.
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That's true about Richard III! I did think about that one, and you're right, with the recent discovery, it would be cool to put those together. But I have to be careful about how much I plan for--speech and debate makes the schedule really tight.
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My kids (especially ds) love Henry V.
Well, I ended up asking my children about this yesterday. I gave them plot summaries from the two plays and asked their opinion. To my utter shock, THEY AGREED! I was so stunned (agreement is SO rare with them) I decided on the spot to go with their preference:
Henry V
But thanks for the input, all!
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True, but because of the time period being studied in history, I'd really like to do one of the English history plays. It is sooooo hard to narrow it down to one, but I only have time for one in the lineup.
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I'm doing a WTM-purist History/Literature Great Books study for high school. We use Spielvogel for history, and I select literature from the period. I'm very choosy as to what I want my students to read. One thing I like to include is a history/tragedy play for each year.
For Ancients, we did Julius Caesar. For Medieval, we did Hamlet. For Modern, I want to do Macbeth, because so many rulers in modern times were totalitarian. But Year 3, Early Modern, is stumping me.
I know I want to do a history or tragedy, but which one? Could you please respond to the poll, and if possible, tell me why you would pick that one?
Edited: I have narrowed it down to either Henry IV, part one, or Henry V. Also, I wanted to bump this topic. I would appreciate input if anyone has time.
Speech, Debate and Forensics
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
That's terrific! We're in NCFCA Region 2, and we have a pretty large group of students from our region who went.