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LaurieM

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Posts posted by LaurieM

    Sherlock Holmes on DVD...

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Has he read all of the Holmes stories? He'll enjoy Jeremy Brett, but if he hasn't read them all, he should; Dr. Watson is an important part of them, and this doesn't come through on film.

     

    No, ds hasn't read them all. He has read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. We will certainly look into the rest of the short stories/novels. He wouldn't want to watch the DVD before reading the story, it would just ruin the effect of a good story!

     

    Thank you for the reminder!

     

    Laurie

    Trying to keep up with what my oldest is/will be learning ~ encouragement needed. : )

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I (and others) have likely posted along these lines before; bear with me, please, as I'm a tad overwhelmed. When I consider the subjects my oldest is now tackling, my heart beats a bit faster and I turn my thoughts to the simplicity of schooling my little people: So basic, so easy! And what's more, it's repeat territory. Not so, of course, in the case of my oldest. I've forgotten the vast majority of algebra I learned oh so many years ago. Physical sciences were not my forte. I didn't study Latin or logic...How on earth do you stay one step ahead of your older students?!

     

    I know some folks rely on their spouse to help with a given subject or two; that's not happening here. Others outsource at this stage; I'd prefer not to do that quite yet. And still others turn it all over their older student and don't involve themselves a great deal. While I certainly encourage independent learning ~ and my oldest does very well in that respect ~ I want to be aware of what he's learning. I feel it's my responsibility to be able to help him work through trouble spots he may encounter in his studies.

     

    I'm as eager to self-educate, read, familiarize (or re-familiarize) as the next gal, but how realistic is this when one is raising and schooling several children and helping run a business? Someone toss me a lifeline here, please!:D

     

    I don't have littles, just high schoolers now, and I'm not running a home business, but I certainly have days when I long for those elementary years! I knew the basics and still managed to effortlessly learn more alongside the kids. What a fun time!

     

    My spouse helps by cheering us all on, he's my sounding board when I'm stressed and overwhelmed, he's the taxi cab for sports and field trips, and now he's helping with driving instruction, but he does not teach the regular courses. We also don't outsource such as co-ops, ect. but we have used German Online and private Japanese lessons.

     

    As for staying one step ahead... I'm not! I really wish I could but some (most?) of the material is very progressive and not something that one can just jump into in the middle. Mostly I have my students "teach" me to bring me up to speed a bit and then we can puzzle through together. Not perfect, but doable.

     

    This post doesn't offer you any helpful advice, I just want you to know that you are not alone. Like you, I find there are only so many hours in my day and I can only wear one hat at a time!

    Info, please, on syllabi to accompany Gombrich's Story of Art

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Good to hear from someone who can compare the two syllabi. What grade(s) were you guys in while using the Hewitt guide alongside Gombrich? Did you cover it in one school year or spread it out over a longer time frame? And (last question, I promise!), how long do you think was devoted to art history each week? Thanks so much for your help!

     

    My sons were grades 10 & 12. We completed the study in one school year. Reading/study time approximately 1-2 hours per week depending on the reader. Time for work on projects, reports, etc. varies depending on what the student chooses.

     

    IMHO not an overwhelming study, but certainly a high school level - full 1 year course. Completely adaptable with the list of various activities to choose from.

     

    If you have more questions, ask away and I'll try to answer them for you.

     

    HTH!

    Info, please, on syllabi to accompany Gombrich's Story of Art

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I looked at the Oak Meadow link, but I'm not seeing what info in the high school study of art section is directly pertinent to Gombrich's work. Am I missing something? Thanks!:)

     

    Under the Quick Download section click on "High School" for the samples. It will bring you into a pdf file over 200 pages long. The sample pages for Gombrich would be pp. 175-179 -- Table of Contents for the syllabus and a sample lesson.

    Info, please, on syllabi to accompany Gombrich's Story of Art

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I've enjoyed Gombrich's Story of Art and would like to incorporate it in our upper-level art history studies. I know of two syllabi that are available for use with the book ~ one from Hewitt, the other from Oak Meadow (I think?). I can't get a clear picture as to what either contains, though. Can anyone help me out? Just wondering whether either of these are particularly helpful.

     

    Also, I've considered using the Annotated Mona Lisa in place of or alongside Gombrich, but the book seems so choppy. Any thoughts on that?

     

    I have both syllabi. Last year I ended up using Hewitt's. I preferred Hewitt's because it was more of a guideline; seemed more flexible or adaptable. Hewitt breaks The Story of Art into four sections/one section per quarter, and offers lists of projects/activities, writing assignments, reports, etc. for the student to choose from. Also there are quarterly tests. No answers for the tests, but there are quarterly goals listed that are helpful for reviewing the material.

     

    Oak Meadow is broken down into 36 lessons - lessons 35 & 36 being a final exam. The lessons are more specific as in: Read chapter xx and complete the following assignments. The assignment content may include: fill-in the blank, vocabulary, questions, sketching assignments, etc. No answers are provided as the syllabus was written for the student to mail in their work every two weeks to an Oak Meadow teacher. There is a sample lesson on Oak Meadow's web site.

     

    I haven't had the pleasure of seeing The Annotated Mona Lisa, so I can't comment. I can tell you that my sons really enjoyed Gombrich's The Story of Art.

     

    HTH!

    Too many choices---I feel like my head will explode

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

     

    Good to know! Thanks for your reply, Laurie.

     

    Colleen,

     

    I don't post often so bear with me as I'm feeling a little out of my element!

     

    One thing that I have really appreciated with SL's LA is that the some of the assignments may seem simple, informal even at times, but they really get the kids thinking. For my students it's these simple, informal assignments thrown in-between the essays and research reports that really make a difference.

     

    In the past we have had assignments asking simple questions such as: Why did the author started the story at this particular point? Would it have mattered if he/she chose another time or event to start the story with?

     

    Even though we did the above type of assignment long ago, just yesterday my ds came to me to discuss the current book he is reading and why he figures the author chose particular people and events for the starting point of the book.

     

    Not sure if this is the best example for what I'm trying to say, but when my son brought this up yesterday I thought of this post. I guess my point is, the assignments are interesting to my students so they internalize the methods to use later on their own. This type of thinking/evaluating just becomes a natural process. To me that's a bonus!

     

    I'll stop rambling now and go back to my lurkdom!

     

    Laurie

    Too many choices---I feel like my head will explode

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

     

    Just above, King's Kids posed a question to me regarding the literature studies in the upper cores. Since I don't yet have firsthand experience with those levels, I thought perhaps you migh chime in. She asked:

     

     

     

    What's your thought, Laurie? Have you felt the need to supplement the upper level cores? Thanks for your input!

     

     

    SL's LA has been adequate for my family. I have done some tweaking depending on my students needs at the time. But I feel I would do that with any LA curriculum.

     

    Since the LA is included in the upper level Cores, I would suggest allowing a little extra time to look over the LA material. Then you can evaluate whether or not it will meet your family's LA needs.

    Too many choices---I feel like my head will explode

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I've done this curriculum dance also! This is our 11th year of homeschooling and I have used SL for nine of them. When we first started high school I also started looking at the many, many wonderful choices. After driving myself and my family crazy with curriculum information overload, I asked my high school students what they thought. Their choice -- stay with SL! My youngest is now in 11th grade and I can say in hindsight that it was the best choice for our family.

     

    So... have you asked your children what they would like to do?

    Transcript software - any recommendations?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    Thank you, Laurie - this looks great! Have you had a chance to use it yet? How do you like it?

     

    Lynn

     

    Lynn,

     

    I've just started inputting information for my students. What I like most is the ease of use. This program meets my needs/wants - a program that I could plug in the basic information and easily print out a professional looking transcript.

     

    I also have Homeschool Tracker Plus but found that my method of recordkeeping required playing with the program in order to produce an appropriate transcript. I do, however, love HST+ for keeping track of other info.

     

    HTH!

     

    Laurie

    THe Story of Art ?

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    We used this last year with my sons in 10th and 12th grade. They loved this book! Very informative and an overall great read. You may be able to get a feel for the book by checking it out on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. The ISBN# is 9780714833552.

     

    The Hewitt syllabus included quarterly tests and various suggestions for projects, writing, etc. Definitely a year-long course.

     

    HTH!

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