carrierocha
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Posts posted by carrierocha
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We use the entire Michael Clay Thompson language arts series alongside Classical Composition for more structured writing assignments to practice what we're learning in writing and grammar. That said, his vocab is really good, I think. It has several tracks, but isn't confusing.
First: stems. He introduces several latin stems in each lesson with sample words, etc.
Second: nonfiction words: whole words that students are likely to encounter in non-fiction reading. These are purposely at least 1 year above grade level.
Third: literature words. By this I mean that he has made a list of the 1,000 most common words from classical literature (visage, countenance, etc.) and introduces those bit by bit to the students.
The point is for students to be able to decode words through the stems, but then also to equip them to be comfortable reading quality nonfiction like academic journals, etc. and classical literature.
You can use his vocab as a stand alone product without the other LA components.
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My daughter went to a school like this for kindergarten and 1st grade. It is how I was introduced to the classical model of education and WTM. We pulled her and opted to homeschool after thinking about it this way:
A "full load" for an adult is considered a 40-hour work week job. When we realized that our 6 year was in school for 37.5 hours per week, plus 2.5 hours or more of homework each week we decided that was crazy. What works for an adult is not appropriate for a child.
Yes, people trip over themselves to get into the classical charter school we were in. Bonus, it's 3 blocks from our house. But, no way. Insanity.-
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If he simply wants to know each country's name, their locations and neighboring countries then Seterra is a free geography drill website that my kids love.
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RSO Chem 1 is excellent. We are science nerds so when I had a 2nd and 4th grader we added in parts of Ellen McHenry's The Elements and did a few things from the free Middle School Chemistry online curriculum.
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Guest Hollow has a Biology curriculum that is based on the free CK12 book, but includes links to experiements, You Tube videos, etc. Guest Hollow is a Christian blog so that is her frame of reference, but I know she has said that you can just use the secular CK12 book. It might be worth looking at: http://guesthollow.com/biology/
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Have you looked at Exploration Education? It is super hands on and would be an intro to Physical Science - a combo of Chem and Physics - at the 5th and 8th grade levels. Personally, I prefer the text to be deeper, but it is certainly a just fine option. I really did like the hands on stuff and the fact that their kit includes everything you need apart from batteries for the things you build. We have made the race car, electrical circuits and glider plane so far. Next up will be the motor and whatever is solar powered.
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My 6th grader will be doing:
History/literature/church history: Tapestry of Grace Year 1 (Ancients) dialectic level. Shee might join an online Tapestry literature co-op; we are trying it out this week.
Art history: We study art history in our morning time alongside our history chronology. We look at art from a big coffee table book we have and then I ask a couple questions from this list to get a discussion going.
Geography: maps from Tapestry and Draw Africa and Draw Asia books to learn to draw those two continents by heart. Over this next 4 year cycle we are aiming to learn to draw the world.
Math: Finish MEP 5, then move into AoPS Pre-algebra mid-year using textbook and the free videos. I still have her practice math facts with Reflex Math.
Spelling: All About Spelling Finish Level 4, move into 5 (we started spelling late as I pulled her out of school in 2nd grade)
Grammar/Vocab/Poetry: MCT Voyage Level. We regularly read poetry in our morning time.
Writing: Classical Composition whatever comes after Narrative. We use this alongside MCT
Science: RSO Biology 2 at home with microscope labs (I am SO excited for this!). We also do monthly homeschool science classes at our local nature center.
Hands-on Art: I am going to build my own art plan connected to ancient history. We will aim to do 6-7 full art projects throughout the year. Some we will do through videos (You Tube, Craftsy classes, etc.) and some we will outsource. For instance, we will focus on clay for maybe 2 months and do some clay work at home with coil pots, slab vases, etc. and then go to a local pottery studio and use the potter's wheel. If anyone has done this sort of piecemeal art that loosely connects to the history chronology, please speak up as I'd love resources, blog posts, ideas, etc. (We are taking a classical drawing class via Craftsy right now and it is excellent!)
Logic: Undecided, but we read Fallacy Detective this year. Logic has been her favorite subject this year.
Typing: She is using Dance Mat now, but next year will need something beyond that.
Music: Homeschool choir through a local co-op. We regularly listen to Classics for Kids podcasts as part of our morning time which has fostered an enjoyment of classical music in all of us.
Electives: Still deciding, but she is interested in advanced sewing that moves beyond the couple of beginner's classes she's already taken (anybody know of any *great* video courses for intermediate sewing at a kids' level??), Spanish (we used Excelerate Spanish at home this year), Latin (she loves vocab so this might be of interest), she would like to help design costumes for a play if we can find a theater company that would let her help.
STEM Enrichment: Both my kids will participate on a Destination Imagination (used to be called Odyssey of the Mind) team. This year they did as well and they worked on the scientific challenge and likely will do the scientific challenge again next year.
Extracurricular: she is a mother's helper two mornings per month to a toddler and preschooler, she wants to be on the puppet/drama team at church which is a significant commitment and a social homeschool co-op. We were over committed this year and I promised my kids to better protect our schedule next year. We love having flexibility to go on field trips and work at a leisurely pace because we are doing a little bit all the time and not chasing around town from activity to activity.
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This isn't physics or physical science, but chemistry and it uses middle school-level math and is free. Take a look: http://www.middleschoolchemistry.com/
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We did a year of physical science with Exploration Education and I added in bunches and bunches of hands-on experiments and projects. I still have them all bookmarked. I found a lot of stuff at stevespanglerscience.com. If you pull up his youtube demonstrations, you'll get links on the sidebar to many more like it. One of our favorite projects was having each student design a Rube-Goldberg machine. I asked them to use each of the simple machines in any format or in several formats but each one had to be represented. The creativity with household/hardware materials was spectacular. They were so proud to demonstrate them. It really required them to play with the materials and to think backward -- first deciding what they wanted their machine to accomplish and then work backward to get the reaction through the series of machinations.
If you're interested, I can paste all of the links I still have in my bookmarks.
I would love your list of bookmarks
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We did EE Advanced and Conceptual Physics for 8th grade last year, which was perfect for 8th grade and DD loved it and had fun with it. IMO, EE is too simple for high school credit and a math based physics would be a better choice for a sciency student.
I am teaching a group of kids ranging from 3rd grade to 7th who are all bright and love hands on stuff. Any suggestions on how I could use EE for a large age spread of kids from two families - mine and a friend's?
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We did EE Advanced and Conceptual Physics for 8th grade last year, which was perfect for 8th grade and DD loved it and had fun with it. IMO, EE is too simple for high school credit and a math based physics would be a better choice for a sciency student.
I am teaching a group of kids ranging from 3rd grade to 7th who are all bright and love hands on stuff. Any suggestions on how I could use EE for a large age spread of kids from two families - mine and a friend's?
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We loved Bite-size Physics from Science Jim. I bought it from CurrClick eons ago but he has his own website too.
Can you elaborate on what you loved about it? Can you tell me a bit about the labs, if any?
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We are a very science-y family. I've typically purchased at least 2 science curriculums each year, then morphed them into one fairly deep study for my kids and the kids from another family. We do lots of hands on stuff and I'm not afraid of buying special supplies.
Last year with Chemistry I taught based off of Ellen McHenry and Middle School Chemistry free online curriculum, then found labs through the Royal Society of Chemistry out of the UK.
Now we're into Physics and my friend asked for more of a spine or text or something that she could use to reinforce the class lectures at home. In my mind I had hoped to get something that my friend and I could read at home, then just use 75 minutes of class time to do demonstrattions and light labs (we're dealing with 3rd-8th graders). Secretly I had hoped that if we read stuff at home, then I wouldn't have to lecture much at all.
I bought Novare Physical Science. Oh my goodness is it dry. I mean crazy boring dry. I adore science and I cannot even remember anything out of it. I really am spoiled through homeschooling to usually work with engaging resources.
So - now I'm wondering what else might be a good spine for us to use for middle grade - with a couple youngers tagging along - physics? Could be a book, could be a website, but I could use some help.
I'm aware of all the usual suspects: Elemental, NOEO, Real Science 4 Kids, etc. Anything else that would be a strong spine, but I'd gladly supplement with other books, videos, and labs.
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Stack the States too
Seterra is a geography quiz app and website that my kids like-
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What does he write about? I have made a full-time living as a blogger for 8.5 years and I know that in my circle (personal finance) there are always bloggers on the hunt for writers and he could write in his free time on evenings, days off and weekends.
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For the astronomy portion we enjoyed this book which is naked eye astronomy. Super fascinating to us. Tons of field activities that re easy to do at home. http://classicalastronomy.com/
I think this online class uses it as a text: https://experienceastronomy.com/
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I liked this astronomy book and it comes with tons of field activities youc an easily do at home (albeit some are in the middle of the night!) http://classicalastronomy.com/
I think this online course uses it as a text: https://experienceastronomy.com/
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We were a CC family, but have moved in a new direction. I have this resource earmarked as an alternative to CC's mapping in the Challenge program. If cartography is your main draw, then maybe this would work at home and you could build a community another way. http://ellenjmchenry.com/product/mapping-the-world-with-art-hard-copy-cd/
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We used Ellen McHenry's The Elements, some from RSO's Chemistry for grammar stage and the free resources here: middleschoolchemistry.com
I also found a local chemical supply store and bought solid sodium metal and other elements so we could do a variety of things - like put sodium in water where it starts on fire, etc.
I also sifted through the experiments here: http://www.rsc.org/ to find ones we could do at home. -
This is free and of a quality similar to Singapore or Right Start in that it is a conceptual math program that turns out really strong math thinkers. http://www.cimt.org.uk/projects/mep/
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You might like the Novare progression with its middle school Physical Science and Earth Science books (I think Life Science for middle schoolers is coming?), but then its progression into very strong high school level classes in a Physics first progression.
https://www.novarescienceandmath.com/ -
I look at the Scope & Sequence for the curriculum we use (MEP), then look at Khan to see where there is overlap. I use Khan videos when we are about to introduce a new concept. We watch the Khan video together (mainly so I can hear how they talk about it) and then my kids watch a few more and do some practice problems. The next day when we progress with our regular curriculum.
But, my kids don't think the videos are fun. They tolerate them because they have to. But I appreciate having another voice introducing concepts and my kids hearing things explained more than once. -
In our house we consistently talk about two major things we are working in during math. They are 1) math thinking and 2) math calculating. It sounds like you are referencing that distinction. Sometimes we enjoy the math thinking that is required to analyze a situation and turn it into a mathematical equation, but aren't so interested in actually calculating it out. Makes perfect sense to me.
FWIW - as the math teacher in my house I give specific feedback on both aspects of my kid's math work. I have one who prefers the calculating, but tolerates the thinking. My other is just the opposite and the thrill for her is thinking it through. -
This course doesn't start until the fall: http://experienceastronomy.com/, but we watched the free video and it is super engaging. It is from a Christian worldview, if that matters to you one way or the other.
If not that class, then the textbook it uses was really engaging to my kids because they loved understanding how the earth, moon, and stars are all moving (or not) and how to tell days, weeks and months from the sky. http://classicalastronomy.com/products/signs-seasons/ I bought my copy on Amazon to save on shipping.
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Are there any science video curriculums similar to Veritas Press Self-Paced History
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
FWIW - Exploration Education does not have video lessons, I don't think. We used it this year and it was online text. My kids liked to use a plugin for Chrome and have the text read to them in the very robot-y voice of the plugin, but no video instruction that we encountered.