Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

Bula Mama

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    432

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Bula Mama

    Teaching helps for Apologia Biology?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Is this something that you can email? I'd love to have it! I tried PM'ing you but couldn't.

     

    I'm happy to send along my syllabus for Apologia biology, 2nd ed. It's based on a Donna Young schedule. I've broken each module into 2 weeks/3 days per week and it has very detail for completing vocab, On Your Own questions, study guide and the experiments.

     

    Also, do you have a microscope available? If so, the prepared slide kit is excellent and do most of the work for you. I love the dissections, but if you feel weary about doing them at home, you could always opt for the on-line version OR pray for and elist the help of a science-minded friend. Perhaps even a retired teacher in your church. I've seen over and over that God can provide what we lack!

     

    HTH,

    Lisa

    Teaching helps for Apologia Biology?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I'm happy to send along my syllabus for Apologia biology, 2nd ed. It's based on a Donna Young schedule. I've broken each module into 2 weeks/3 days per week and it has very detail for completing vocab, On Your Own questions, study guide and the experiments.

     

    Also, do you have a microscope available? If so, the prepared slide kit is excellent and do most of the work for you. I love the dissections, but if you feel weary about doing them at home, you could always opt for the on-line version OR pray for and elist the help of a science-minded friend. Perhaps even a retired teacher in your church. I've seen over and over that God can provide what we lack!

     

    HTH,

    Lisa

     

    Ok, the slides sound really good. You mentioned an online option for the dissections? It this through the Apologia site???

     

    It's not that I don't want to do them, I've just seen on a couple of sites that New Zealand customs won't allow them in.

     

    Thanks!

    IEW Poetry - is it worth it?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I just use the book and think it's great! My dc prefer saying it with me instead of the CD. The selection of poems is quite good. With work I could have probably come up with something like it but IEW has done the research already and has put together a really nice selection.

     

    I haven't studied it enough to give you an intelligent answer as to why it works (although I'm sure that there are good explanations in Classical Ed. or Charlotte Mason books!) but I believe that reading poetry regularly really does unlock something in a dc's head as far as literacy and the appreciation of language and literature. And memorizing poetry takes it a step further.

     

    For example, I had one dc who stuttered until he started memorizing and saying poems out loud with FLL!

     

    I wish I had utilized poetry memorization more with my older dc when they were little. Oh well, live and learn!

     

    HTH,

    Advice please from music teachers and/or those trained in music . . .

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I'm not as experienced as the ladies above but I did take classical piano for years and years and always wished that I could play more by ear. But I'm also so glad that I can play Beethoven!

     

    I then had a friend who played tons 'by ear' professionally. I actually took a few lessons from her but didn't have time to pursue it further at the time with lots of little ones at home.

     

    But I did learn that it WAS something that could be taught with an understanding of chord progressions, etc. There are those very few who natually play amazingly well by ear with no instruction but spending time with this lady taught me that most people do better with music theory to draw from. Since then I've talked to numerous people who appear to play 'by ear' but actually know what they're doing because they understand the music. I have no doubt that given time and practice that I could develop this area as well.

     

    So I'm saying this to say that if your dd is interested I think lessons would be a good for her. She's at a great age to get started on reading music, too, and I bet would pick it up quite quickly. Neat to hear of the obvious joy that she's getting out of music!

    Teaching helps for Apologia Biology?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    If your son has used Apologia before without any teaching helps, I would think he could do the same with biology. The text is written directly to the student and the author writes in an explanatory way, assuming that there isn't a science teacher nearby. My ds did it without any problems. My dd did have a few areas in certain chapters that she didn't "get". It wasn't very often. So, she asked me to explain them. I just read through enough of the chapter to get an understanding and then explained it.

     

    ETA-- I have NOT learned the material along with my children. I basically give them their assignments and am available if there are questions (which there generally aren't). They've enjoyed the Apologia science and have done well on their tests (both average in high 90's on their tests) without instruction from me. And DS has taken a CLEP exam for science. So, I think Dr. Wile has done a good job of making the texts very user friendly for the student.

     

    Lisa

     

    This was very good to read! I've been wondering how much they're actually getting from Physical which they're doing now.

     

    Glad to hear that you've had success with the program even without much involvement from you. Thanks so much! Made me feel a lot better! I've never been stressed about the progress of my dc in school but this High School thing is a little more scary!!!

    Teaching helps for Apologia Biology?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    What kind of "teaching helps" are you looking for? Disection?

     

     

    T

     

    I've seen the kits for disection and Customs in New Zealand won't allow them through. :-( I'm actually thinking just of something that would help to actually teach the course to make up for my lack of experience in Science without spending lots of time that I don't have being involved in the process myself. Guess I'm just aware that courses like this really matter now as they head toward college in a few years and want to make SURE that they're done right!

    Teaching helps for Apologia Biology?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Is there anything that helps in teaching Apologia Biology besides The Potter School? I had planned for my dd's to start Bio. in Jan. so that's not an option. There is a co-op that teaches it here but we're moving to New Zealand in Jan.!

     

    I'm wondering how the D.I.V.E. cd would work with this but, of course, no one's used it yet since it just came out.

     

    Are there other options out there that I don't know about?

     

    Thanks for any info.!

    Algebra... more confused than ever!

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    My dd is doing well using MUS Algebra I which teaches the lesson by video but then the student masters the material before moving one.

     

    I don't want to confuse you more (!) but my other dd loves Teaching Textbooks which are kind of like a video on the computer where you are talked through the lessons without seeing a teachers face.

     

    These are by far my 2 favorite programs for upper level math.

    So what is the benefit of ordering from PHP

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Usually, I am a bargain shopper, but I always buy anything I can directly from Peacehill Press. They do make more money when we buy directly from them. I look at it as my small payment for these boards here. I am so thankful to PHP for giving us this place that I will happily pay a little more as a way of saying Thanks to them. Granted, it may be small, but I want to support them any way I can!!

     

    Good point! I think on those grounds I'll cancel my Amazon order and go through PHP. Plus, we've already started school and I need the materials asap!

    Help! Lively Latin download?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I just purchased Lively Latin but my Internet did something funny after I paid Paypal and I don't know how to actually get the book. Do I wait for an email that will give me a link to download it? Or have I missed something vital and will have to call the company tomorrow? I do have my Paypal receipt in my inbox so I know that the payment went through.

     

    I'm just looking forward to seeing the book so am slightly impatient, can you tell? :D

    What is it about TOG that makes it "reformed"?....

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    First, please I must respond, if only a little, to the first reply - just to clarify.

    Those of us who hold to reformed tradition and faith do NOT in any way shape or form believe that we cannot know we are God's until heaven.:001_huh:

    That is simply not part of reformed theology or belief. Rather, it is by his grace alone, and nothing of our own doing, that we are adopted into his family, and are assured that he holds us in his hands forever.

     

    Sorry if I spoke out of turn here. My brother is reformed and I've had a very specific conversation with him and his wife where I found that they don't believe that they can know for SURE that they are chosen until Heaven. They THINK that they are but they don't express assurance of salvation like other denominations do. I guess this is not universal among reformed churches then.

     

    I don't think I stressed works as the doorway. Of course, it's by grace but the stress for them is more on His Divine choosing rather than by free-will choice as a more Arminian theology would stress.

     

    Like I said, it's not my particular theological bent but I do have great respect for those who are reformed that I know and think that different perspectives in the Church have a lot that can be learned from each other.

    What is it about TOG that makes it "reformed"?....

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I'll take a stab at this since no one else has yet for you! I've never used TOG so I can't answer those questions specifically but what it probably means is a heavily Calvinistic perspective. Just like other theological perspectives there can be a bit of flux from person to person but 'reformed' generally means a strong emphasis on predestination (as opposed to God giving us a choice in free-will and grace and the belief that you can't be SURE that you're chosen by God until Heaven), studying the Catacism (spelling????), and they believe in infant baptism to name a few things.

     

    I'm not reformed but I do appreciate how some of the theology balances out some possible weaknesses in my own. For example, I think it's good to remember thet God is Soverign and that we need to serve Him in reverance and holy fear (a focus of a reformed church) alongside of accepting His grace. I wouldn't have a problem using TOG materials but I would have to be prepared to discuss any differences in beliefs that my family may have.

    Rate your curriculum purchasing anxiety on a scale of 1 to 4

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I LOVE choosing curriculum since I've been able to do it online! When I first started out I was overseas and was flying blind with very limited options in what I'd heard about. Now that I can ask the advice of people like you all here, see online samples, read reviews, etc, plus have my own philosophy of education figured out, I really enjoy the process.

     

    We live in an age when there's so much available that it's a pleasure to me and I'm almost always satisfied with the results. No anxiety, just fun!

×
×
  • Create New...