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brendafromtenn

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Posts posted by brendafromtenn

    So, if this is an option, why are we killing ourselves doing something harder?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Here is what I tell the ladies in my support group....Sometimes we just get the cart before the horse....

     

    FIRST, I tell them to make GOALS for their student for the year....What do you want to accomplish with that student that year.....In each subject.....This takes time, thought, and prayer...And I even suggest that spend time discussing this with their husbands..... So, what are your GOALS for your student this year in History???

     

    SECOND, Curriculum should be chosen to FIT your goals......So, if you have very heavy goals in math and science with your child that year, you might NOT want a heavy history too.....There has to be a balance.

     

    I think a lot of times we start picking curriculum "around the boards" because "everybody's doing it". But it doesn't fit our child at all.....We have to FIRST look at that child and their needs....And pick curriclum based on them, not what others are doing.....

     

    Every child has his/her own "bent". God made them that way. Look at that very carefully, and pick your curriculum around that.

     

    Just my two cents this morning,

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda

    Easy Grammar College Prep?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Ya'll, this is for one of the ladies in my support group. I have used Rod and Staff and Analytical Grammar so I don't have any experience with Easy Grammar.

     

    But here is her question.....She had been using Rod and Staff grammar with her son with success, and he got to 6th grade Rod and Staff last year and hit a wall....Started getting D's on most assignments....(Can anyone relate???)

     

    So, she switched over to Winston Grammar to give him a change for this year and he has done very well with this program...All A's.....

     

    But what to do next year.....Does she go back to Rod and Staff 6th and try it again, now that the son is older and has matured.....OR....Does she go with something like Easy Grammar Plus........

     

    And if she does go with Easy Grammar, is it strong enough to call it "college prep"? Anyone here have good success with Easy Grammar?

     

     

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda:001_smile:

    Any regrets using WTM method....Reading...

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Tom Sawyer and Call of the Wild would be unabridged, along with Roll of Thunder....

     

    20,000 Leagues would be a retelling. It is a DK Eyewitness Classic book. It is re-told by Ron Miller...with lots of technical drawings...very cool...

    Such a boy book! Bear loved it! All of these I used with Bear when he was this age.

     

    I do have an abridged version of Tom Sawyer that I will use with our "queen".

     

    (Can ya'll tell that Jetta and I know each other? I can vouch for her. She is a REAL person!:))

     

    Jetta, you are welcome to see these books any time you like.

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda

    Any regrets using WTM method....Reading...

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    You words are very encouraging! I penciled out a "rough plan" yesterday for next year for this ds. I would alternate the chapter books with the CLE units.....Looks like I would have time to work on 7 or 8 chapter books with him and still do the CLE units.....

     

    We will be in year 4 of the history cycle and I pulled out our "favs" for this time period.....For a very active 10yo ds......

     

    Tom Sawyer

     

    20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea

     

    Call of the Wild

     

    Little Britches

     

    Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry

     

    Number the Stars

     

    My Side of the Mountain

     

    Still need one more book, but this looks good. I am happy with the list......

     

    Thanks again for your encouragement!

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda

    Any regrets using WTM method....Reading...

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    O.K.....This may sound crazy this morning.....Especially coming from me......Someone who is really sold on the WTM method in reading.....

     

    But here is my question......Did you EVER have a student that you thought MIGHT have benefited from a "reader/workbook" approach to reading? Maybe even a mixed approach....with half great books and half readers?

     

    I have four children....and they all LOVE the WTM approach to reading....but my rising 5th grader....Well, he is just different......If I had to put a label on him(and I hate labels....former sp.ed. teacher here), then I would say he is LD in reading......It took us 3 YEARS to learn to read....But we just kept plugging away at it, and now he is on grade level in reading....

     

    But every year as we plan for him, I think....Should we be doing more??? Should he have a different approach??

     

    So with all that said....Has there EVER been a student where you said, "I really should have used a different approach with THIS child?

     

    Just thinking this cold February morning.....Planning....And praying.....

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda:)

    Visitor from K-8 forum-If you could do it over, what would you change

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I think a lot of moms put off writing with their kids. The kids complain so much about doing it, that we just put it off. But if I had it to do over again, I would just say, "tough", and get that writing done. I actually DO have a chance to do it over as there is a big span between my first two and my older two. I have a 10th/8th and then a 4th/1st.

     

    I was hit and miss at best with the first two. But with the other two we are writing all the time. I can already tell a BIG difference.

     

    I HIGHLY recommend what SWB says about writing in the Writing With Ease series. FUNDAMENTALS of writing are SO important!

     

    That's what we would do....

     

    Hope that helps!

     

    Brenda:)

    Tell me about your traditional lit/history high school courses?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    This classical approach is MUCH easier if your high schoolers are familiar with the story line. We have been using the WTM method for many years. So when my high schooler was to read Beowulf....It was no big deal because he was familiar with the story. His dad had read it to him when he was in the grammar stage....A fun read aloud.....Good memories....But he KNEW the story....LOVED the story....Even acted out the story with his siblings.....

     

    My younger kids will get to read these stories TWO times before they reach the Rhetoric level.....We didn't start homeschooling with oldest ds until 3rd grade, so he is only going through some of these time periods two times. But that is o.k!

     

    I have even used an easy abridged version of a classic FIRST with a high schooler if they don't know the story.....For instance last year my high schooler was 9th grade and we were about to read Canterbury Tales...So, first we read McCaughrean's Version...Took him just a few days....But well worth our time.....He knew the story first.....

     

    Hope this helps!

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda:)

    Tell me about your traditional lit/history high school courses?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Here is what we do for Lit at the High school level....May sound a little strange, but it works for us....We have taken the WTM approach and "Tweaked it" a little.....

     

    First, WE pick a list of 8 to 12 pieces for the year....I say WE, as the high schoolers "help" me make decisions about what they want to read....

    We use the list in the WTM book as a guide....

     

    Second, When we start a piece, we read the Intro and Information about the author in "Invitation to the Classics" or WEM.....

     

    Thirdly, before we start reading a piece, I give the kids a "guiding question" to think about from Stobaugh's Lit guides. For instance, right now we are reading Pride and Prejudice...The guiding question is "How does Austen use the social party to develop characters and to advance action?"

     

    Fourth, according to what we have going in the family, we decide how long it will take to read the book and break it down into days...The kids mostly do this, as I want them having experience planning their days before they go off to college....

     

    Fifth: As they read I ask them to come up with 5 new vocabulary words a week that they did not know...Put the definition on cards and make a new sentence with the new word.....(This is working....they are using these words in their writing and speech....Hmmm....)

     

    Sixth: When they finish the book.....We will sit down and make a "story map" from Teaching the Classics.... and discuss how the plot advances and what they think the overall theme of the book is....I LOVE this part...Discussions are VERY rich.....If there is not much discussion I might pull some questions out of the back of Sparknotes.....I use Sparknotes for ME as a guide, and I also let my younger rising 9th grader read the chapter summaries. This is her first time in Rhetoric level pieces.

     

    Lastly, After we have read the book, and talked about the book, and maybe even seen the movie....I let the kids pick one of the essay topics out of the Stobaugh's guides and write an essay.

     

    That's about it.....It works for us.....I try to pair up what we are doing in Lit with our history study.

     

    I have used TOG and Omnibus in the past. These are wonderful guides for Lit discussion....But I keep coming back to this way....Read the book and discuss it....

     

    There used to be "fear" on my part....thinking I was going to "mess them up" by leaving something out......But I have set aside that "fear" (letting the Lord have that) and now we are just enjoying literature....As it should be....

     

    Hope this helps.....As you go on this journey, you must find what works for you and your family.

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda:001_smile:

    Essays.....

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Cynthia,

     

    I SO can relate to what you said about editing....For WEEKS now, every Wednesday or Thursday we sit down to edit and the question is ALWAYS the same....."I have to write this AGAIN???" As if something is going to change from last week. My kids just crack me up sometime.....

     

    Thanks for the information on Jensen's Format Writing. We have used IEW too, and it just is not our favorite either. There is even an IEW writing class in our area, but it costs over $400 for the year.....However, with Fed/Ex budget cuts.....that just WON'T be possible this year.....

     

    But Jensen's Format writing looks great and fits the 'ol Dave Ramsey budget too!! WooHoo! (Can anyone here relate????)

     

    I also have a good friend who was an English Major at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta.....Many moons ago.....Think I might ask her to read some of ds's essays.....Her weakness is chocolate.....:001_smile:

     

    Thanks bunches!

     

    Brenda:)

    Essays.....

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    O.K. planning 11th and 12th grade for DS.....What are your FAVS for teaching essay writing......

     

    We are presently working through Wordsmith Craftsman....And I like that step by step approach....This is one area that I need extra help in.....Can write them myself....but having trouble giving instruction......This is for my concrete learner.....my math guy.....

     

    We have been writing essays this year with TOG....About one a week.....but the style is just not there.....So that is why we are using Wordsmith Craftsman this spring.....

     

    Here are some ideas that I have thought of for next year....

     

    Upper levels of Writing Strands....

    The Lively Art of Writing.....

    Write Shop......

     

    Any more......Or comments on these......

     

    Would love to enroll ds in a dual enrollment course for 12th(Writing Comp class....) Trying to prepare him for that.

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda:)

    Apologia/The Teaching Company Combo

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I got a schedule right here on the good ol' WTM board. "Tina in Ouray" posted this. I think she may have gotten it from "Susie-Knits"....Or the other way around, but either way, I printed it out and it has worked great.

     

    Here is what we used:

     

    Module 1/ TC Lectures 1-6

     

    Module 2

     

    Module 3

     

    Module 4

     

    Module 5

     

    Module 6/TC Lectures 7-16

     

    Module 7

     

    Module 8

     

    Module 9

     

    Module 10/TC Lectures 27-29 And TC Lectures 17-19

     

    Module 11/TC Lecture 30

     

    Module 12

     

    Module 13

     

    Module 14

     

    Module 15/TC Lectures 20-26

     

    Module 16

     

    Blessings,

     

    Brenda:)

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