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Create Your Ritual

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  1. I am trying to ascertain what Home Science Tool kits (or others) would go with CPO Physical Science. Does anyone have a list of things they ordered when they used CPO in the past? Thanks
  2. My dd13 is interested in doing online summer courses in literature, writing, and science. What options would you recommend that are online, go about 6-8 weeks, and offer a teacher/student webinar live class at least once a week.
  3. I haven't been on in a while as my kids are back in PS during the school year and homeschooled in the summer. When I heard what happened I had to get on and reach out to you, Rosie. I am so terribly sorry for your loss. My thoughts, prayers, and all my love go out to your family during this time.
  4. Hello Lewelma! My kids are both back in PS, however we have continued our WWS work among with a few other subjects at home. We typically do WWS 3-4 days a week. I love the idea of having it up on a wall somewhere to review, as I find myself having them turn back to the reference section and review. ds10 has started on WWS2, and we move through the week at about half pace. dd12 is on WWS2 Week 24 I believe. She has LOVED the rewriting sections, as it reminded her of all the Classical Composition work we did with fables years back. So far it is going well. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, especially when compared to what they are doing in PS. dd12 excels in LA, grammar, and vocab primarily due to WWS and MCT. Both kids received advanced scores in the states MSP testing, so something is sticking. ;-) Having looked at so many curriculums over the years, I have found WWS to be the most advanced version of writing instruction that I have ever seen. It has been exactly what we needed, and when I can sit and talk with dd12 about how a particular classical essay, scientific article, etc. was put together, she SEES it. She has definitely gone beyond the standard Intro, 3 things, conclusion type writing of her PS peers. She loves having options with how to form her composition. She sees now that there is not one way to write about a particular subject, but multiple ways depending on what you want to get across to the reader. Would I say she has it ALL figured out at the age of 12 .. no. But I know we will continue down this path, and she can only continue to improve with practice. I loved your ideas Ruth, and it does help to make the lesson all come together when you add those things in. ;-)
  5. So far so good here .. We are enjoying 'The Highwayman' in Week 17/18. ;-)
  6. I think you have a few options here. If she is having problems growing a story out to as long as you would like it, then I would continue to practice with WWE4, although the beginning of WWS2 is a review of WWE4. The idea is that she needs to be able to hold the story in her head and condense it a bit. If this direction isn't working, then I would shift direction for a few months to something like Classical Composition Fable. It would give her a fun fable to retell. She would learn how to write more descriptively, while also retelling the story several times and getting practice with just the general art of writing. You could also have her retell you the WWS story out loud and the two of you discuss it before she begins writing it out. With WWS1 you sort of need to work through it and not be able to see the whole picture. It honestly DOES come together, but feels disjointed and like your kids aren't doing it correctly when you first begin. I felt very similar the first 14 weeks of the program to be honest, but then the light bulb went off! ;-) Hang in there.
  7. She was the first person to friend & welcome me to the WTM boards a few years ago. I have always appreciated her wit & ability to tell it like it is. My thoughts & prayers go out to her & her family at this time, and I hope she feels enveloped by all the love and support. We adore her!!
  8. I would try not to overthink it. Sometimes certain stories are not easy to understand. I don't remember us struggling with The Necklace, but at the same time I find the tools that you are learning in WWS to be pretty valuable even at the 5th grade level. It doesn't all HAVE to come together right now, as long as you are willing to wait to see the big picture. If I were to equate this to a different subject, it would be compared to Math Mammoth or something like that .. you master certain sections of material and then go back the next year and build on to them a little bit more adding to your 'tool belt' with each level. If she didn't really grasp the story right off the bat then I think you did the perfect thing by discussing it with her. Too often worksheets are just handed to kids to fill out and turn in and there isn't that discussion. The issues that she initially had with understanding it might be the very thing that leads to a deeper discussion between the two of you. Obviously if she is having problems understanding every single week then I might rethink it, but if this is a relatively isolated incident then I would do it and move on as long as you see growth in her writing skills. I am always for moving sideways if that is the case. Find something like Classical Composition or perhaps Killgallon sentences to bring in to your day to let loose that more creative side of writing. The Creative Writer by Peace Hill Press is also an option. But academic writing is academic writing, and I have found a lot of value with starting my kids at this age. We are beta testing for WWS2 and happen to be digging into Week 16 - poetry analysis .. so I can see where she is going with it.
  9. Thanks Lewelma! Wonderful post and I appreciate the time to took to write all of your thoughts down. Having seen a few examples of early LToW work, I would hesitate to back up to that and simplify the writing style after having worked through WWS1&2. I can tell that there is a lot of value in the Invention & Elocutions sections of LToW just from the samples, so I see your point about merging the two curriculums on your own to work on some things more deeply than even WWS does. Are you starting with LToW1 or 2? Are you doing the complete LToW program as you work through it, or will you work primarily in the elocution section and add that to what you have already learned with WWS to create WWS style compositions with the practiced elocution of LToW? I guess they don't even write the same type of compositions/essays so I could see doing the whole program, but I just hate the idea of backing up and simplifying in any way after the depth that we have gone into with WWS. I would do LToW if WWS3 doesn't come out in time, but I don't want to feel like we are starting all over. dd11 has a pretty clear idea of how writing works with WWS, and so anything I bring in needs to add to that. I love your thoughts! I am excited for the 11th grader who gets the opportunity to work with you. ;-)
  10. If I remember correctly I was planning to use CWs advanced rhetoric courses. However I also came across this today by SWB back in 2008! I also have the Horner 'Rhetoric' book. But .. aaah .. what I wouldn't give to see the high school course follow WWS! http://www.susanwisebauer.com/blog/the-raving-writer/using-the-exercises-of-classical-rhetoric-in-high-school/
  11. I noted on Weeks 34-36 for the Final Project, SWB writes, "Over the course of this year, you’ve added new topoi to your arsenal of writing tools. You’ve also practiced more advanced note-taking and research skills. You’ve learned to brainstorm for your subject, and you’ve begun to see how different topoi can fit together to create a more interesting and complex composition." So it feels like what we are working on currently with WWS2 Week 15 is the advanced note-taking and research skills that would be required to accurately and meaningfully write about a subject of your choice.
  12. I think what I would like to know is how what is learned in all of the WWS levels then leads to the next Rhetoric level of academic writing. Basically what comes next? ;-) I am excited to keep going through it, and I realize that if a student has just the WWS levels under their belt they are going to be very well prepared, but it would be nice to figure out a game plan for what comes in high school. I plan to practice, practice the skills in WWS until they are second nature to my dc. It's all been very exciting and I has just taken a huge weight off my shoulders with regards to trying to teach them how to write. Sorry! Maybe I should have started a new thread with OhElizabeth's initial question? It's a good one though and one I would love to discuss further with all of you.
  13. lol .. I want to be in on this conversation when Lewelma answers you. ;-) I do have a few thoughts with my current experience with dd11 (6th grade) enrolled in PS and also afterschooling/beforeschooling with me in math & LA. They are NOT writing in PS. Hardly at all at this age. What they are doing is not very meaningful. They don't have a clue how to organize their thoughts beyond come up with 3 things to say and put an intro/conclusion on it that basically repeats what you just said. When we initially started WWS1 last year I had reservations because I couldn't see the big picture, but I am understanding with WWS2 that all those 'parts' are being put together to make up a whole. I feel like the goal is to give the student tools from which they can pick from to organize their composition THEIR way. This of course would depend on the assignment, but there is a lot of freedom that comes from knowing WHAT you want to say, and having options for HOW to say it. I have certainly found a lot of value in it, and we are only on week 15 of WWS2. Each level seems to build on what was learned from the previous ones, so that you are just delving more deeply into how you would go about your research. It gives you a map to follow so to speak for organizing your research and then presenting it. By the time you have done that extensive amount of research you should be well versed in your subject material. It feels like it is training the mind to ask the correct questions in order to fully develop a composition in science, history or a biographical sketch. Recently I noted how they are learning with regards to identifying Genus to include a small compare/contrast section in the composition. This just isn't the way kids are being taught how to write .. at least not in our dcs local school. It just makes sense that when you write about a topic you SHOULD be asking yourself these questions, only this is the first time I have ever been taught to do that! Regardless of whether this type of writing is what is needed/required to write an essay with a strong thesis, I feel like it can only help to 'train' a student to organize their thoughts in this fashion, and be able to have something meaningful to say when they write. What dd11 is learning at school is less organized and more geared towards having a few points and then somehow growing it by fluffing it up until it reaches the specific # of words required. There is nothing there about actually teaching the student to THINK. They aren't asking themselves questions about their subject. It's certainly not been empowering, however we are just starting in her first year of middle school so I can't speak to the future. I would love to hear more of a categorical explanation about exactly where WWS is going once it is fully complete. Will they be writing essays that can support a thesis? I would presume so, at the very least the student will be very adept at organizing their thoughts and having something real to say about the subject they are writing.
  14. Peace Hill Press also has The Creative Writer available that might address exactly what you are talking about. ;-) I also loved CC with my kids, but right now we are working through WWS2 as beta testers and I can eventually see us doing both. There is also The One Year Novel out there if I remember correctly. That may not exactly be what it is called. http://peacehillpress.com/language-arts/writing/creative-writing-middle-grades.html
  15. Can you share with me any literature or reference books that you have found most helpful with WWS2 compositions, or perhaps other curriculum. Oftentimes the topics require a library visit, and because of our location I can't always get there. I am teaching dd11 to use google books online for older material based on what her composition is about, but I am wondering if anyone finds themselves using particular history or science books over and over in the compositions that their dc are writing about. It would be great to make sure and have things on hand that could add to the composition. I have a History Encyclopedia, Science Encyclopedia as well as the Book of Knowledge set. I am not sure if this CAN be done, and likely we will just have to look ahead a few weeks and order library books in for the compositions to come. Share if you have any thoughts though! Thanks!
  16. haha .. too funny! We start Week 14 tomorrow! Can't wait to see how it goes here.
  17. I will say that the first 16 weeks of WWS Level 1 were a difficult transition for us. Now dd11 is beta-testing WWS Level 2 and loves it. I love that you begin by steadily adding 'tools' to your writer's tool belt. Lewelma .. I think you may have used that analogy with me once! It stuck! ;-) So by the time you get to the end of the year with WWS1 you are bringing those individual components together and creating a full composition. WWS Level 2 goes even deeper with various forms for introductions & conclusions along with practicing the art of 'coming up with a topic' and narrowing it down. I actually think for someone who is a good creative writer, this is a completely different direction. My dd11 is also very good with descriptive writing when it's more creative, but the first 16 weeks or so of WWS1 felt like drudgery to her and frankly sounded like it to me when I read it back. She is growing into it now though and starting to see that WWS is actually giving her a lot of freedom as a writer. She can choose the topic and then has a multitude of ways to organize the composition.
  18. This does not relate to your original question at all, but I found a lot of value in E.O Wilson's Life on Earth Series in the Textbooks section of iTunes. In fact I used a shorter version of one of his textbooks about ecosystems. They did a wonderful job of creating an interactive textbook to use on your iPad that had short documentaries built right in. There are starting to be A LOT more of these type of cutting edge instructional media options through iTunes.
  19. Also, there is an entire Early Middle Ages Open Yale Course at ITunes University. It starts with Rome's Greatness and First Crises and moves through Constantine, St. Augustine, Barbarian Kingdoms, Monasticism, St. Benedict, Charlemagne, etc. The videos are about 45 minutes each. There is quite a bit in all subjects that might interest your ds. I saw a National Geographic - Exploring the Past option as well. All FREE!
  20. I was going to say that very thing Capt. - http://topdocumentar...medieval-lives/ http://documentaryst...ry-archaeology/ http://medieval.stor...cumentaries.htm http://www.teachwith...-history-3.html
  21. Since this is an after school writing curriculum for us, we are a bit behind. Just started on Week 11 today. I did want to say that Week 8-9 was by far my favorite thus far. I loved the section about finding a subject and narrowing it down. dd11 ended up with Neal Armstrong - The 60s - Walk on the Moon. Here is her composition. Neil Armstrong’s Trip to the Moon Neil Armstrong walks off the space capsule, he sees the empty vastness of the moon, and he steps into the white dust covering everything around him. His footsteps would be the first ever to scratch its surface. What would it have felt like to be the first man on the moon? On July 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon. He gave them until 1970 to fulfill this. The Soviet Union was trying to beat America to the moon so that they could claim that it was theirs, but the hardy Americans would not let this happen. Missions before had failed, but the Apollo 11 was the best rocket yet. NASA had faced many challenges, including deaths prior to launching Apollo 11. The three astronauts, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins had been quarantined for weeks before, because nobody wanted them to get sick and not be able to do their jobs properly up in space. The day of the space launch was on July 16, 1969. The astronauts got up and ate breakfast just like every other normal day. The walk to the space capsule was a lengthy one because anything near the rocket launch pad would either burn or fall over when it was launched. The people were straining at the ropes to get a good look at the astronauts and their space shuttle before they disappeared into the unfamiliar universe of space. Almost everyone was carrying binoculars because they had to be 3 miles away from the space capsule, or it would be too hot and loud for them. The astronauts were soon in their space capsule and it blasted off, and soon they would be on their way. The first three days of the mission were uneventful, and on the fourth morning in space the space shuttle, Columbia, entered the moons gravity. Michael Collins disconnected the space capsule from the lunar landing module which floated down to the surface of the moon. The space capsule kept orbiting the moon, with Michael Collins still in it. They were about to touch down on the moon when Neil noticed something. The part of the moon on which they were to land on was too rocky to land on, so instead they found a smooth area. Neil took a hold on the steering and flew them to a spot called Tranquility Bay. When they landed, like boys eager to get in the snow, they got on their suits as fast as they could. Neil, being the commander of the ship went outside first. The other astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, went outside 15 minutes later. As Neil put his foot down on the moon he said, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.â€1 They felt like kids in a candy shop. The men gatheredmoon rocks and lunar dust. They took turns loping around the moon and back again.†Neil Armstrong took many pictures of Buzz but not any of himself. They did their work properly but it took them longer than it should have, and soon their 2 1â„2 hours of moon time was over. The moon has only 1/6 of the gravity of Earth, so a fully dressed astronaut that weighs 360 pounds, weighs only 62 pounds on the moon. This enabled them to get around much easier. Neil Armstrong once said, “The surface is fine and when you look out at night you see the black or dark spots on the moon. Those black spots are craters on the moon. There are so many of them because the moon does not have a thick atmosphere like Earth, so meteorites can crash into the moon easily. Twenty- one hours after touchdown on the moon they blasted off again and flew the lunar landing module back into moon orbit in order to dock with Columbia. This was the first time they had ever done this, and it was not a simple task. Four days later, they splashed down in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and were rescued by a boat. When Neil Armstrong came back from the moon, he was celebrated as a hero in many countries. Not only had the crew done what Kennedy had challenged them to do ten years earlier, they had done it correctly and succeeded.
  22. I'm so sorry, I did not get notification in my inbox that anyone had responded. I jumped on today and was so excited to see the responses. Thank you all very much for your input. I am going to go through the suggestions and add them to a list we are compiling that she can choose from. I love McKinley's books and have not read Beauty! The poem suggestions are wonderful as well. I had listed 'The Road Not Taken' and 'If' myself on our list, but hadn't gotten much further than that.
  23. HI everyone, It's been a busy year of 'afterschooling' and 'before' schooling for us with dd11 off to PS Middle School this year. She keeps busy at home with WWS2, CE2, and AoPS Pre-Alg. So far it's going well, but I have been presented with an opportunity from dd11s Language Arts teacher. They are having a 15 book challenge, and I get to help dd pick the titles. Her reading level was tested, and can choose books starting from the 7th grade - up to college level. She is 11, so I have to be mindful of the content, but I would like to challenge her as well while also keeping her interested in the material. Here is how the list breaks down. I would love to hear what book you would choose for your 6th/7th/8th grader to read. She will be doing a short summary or literary paper after finishing each book. She reads fast and has a pretty large vocabulary, so I would love some ideas!! Any thoughts on a couple of good POEMS too? Thanks! 1 - Classical Literature 2 - Mysteries 2 - Poems 2 - Historical Fiction 2 - Science Fiction 1 - Fantasy 1 - Fairy Tale 2- Chapter books of your choice 1 - Biography 1- Autobiography
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