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poetic license

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Everything posted by poetic license

  1. That's an interesting question. I'll ask our site director, but even when I tried to get a percentage grade from him on my son's last exam, he had to really hunt it down and stuck more to the color scheme, saying that they didn't really get hung up on the exact percentages. Given that their 70% is considered a good score, I don't even know how that would even translate into letter grades.
  2. Ah, Greek comedy is definitely not my forte at all. For something comedic and Greek inspired and on the Shakespeare theme, Troilus and Cressida is a riot and is rather tongue-in-cheek about the Iliad. That said, it's fairly bawdy, so... These are a few more Shakespeare resources I like: https://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-Ideas-Profile-Paul-Edmondson-ebook/dp/B00QIFK32Q https://www.amazon.com/Globe-Guide-Shakespeare-Plays-Productions/dp/1681772604 Youtube lectures by Ben Crystal on original pronounciation fascinating discussion on "Is Othello Racist?" This is the speech and clip that got my kids hooked on Shakespeare. It's the Royal Shakespeare Company's first all-black cast, and they have set Julius Caesar in Africa. It's an amazing version of the "Friends, Romans, countrymen" speech, and it's pretty much spoiled me on other versions: :laugh:
  3. My kids attend the on-site AOPS Academy, and they consider 70% on their exams to be very good. That said, their exams are a bit harder than the review problems in the text, but not as hard as the challenge problems. When I test at home outside of class, I assign some of the review and some of the challenge problems. I think I'll add Alcumus as my kids haven't been testing very well at the Academy.
  4. Oooh, the Bard. I love Shakespeare and I like to think of myself as a Shakespeare-whisperer, lol. Watching a play is one of the best ways to hook kids on Shakespeare--Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing, Tennant's Hamlet, Branagh's Henry V and the Hollow Crown series are all good places to start. As we are watching, I'll give my kids the background info about what's going on in the scene--a running commentary of sorts, just enough to help them understand what is going on. Also, just offering tasters of the language, such as well-written passages and funny or interesting dialogues really hooks kids in. In my online classes, I show my students clips from the RSC plays. They love those as they are just so well done. I try to pick passages that are particularly dramatic so that they can really get pulled into Shakespeare and so that I can whet their appetite for it. I tell my students to try to enjoy Shakespeare as a whole first, and not to be fussed about understanding every word. Watch the scene (with a bit of background explanation first, perhaps), and just enjoy it. Then, read and discuss it, and then re-watch, seeing how much more you can understand and appreciate it. Sometimes even just listening to his words flow over you like music can be entertaining and instructive. This version of Lear is fantastic, as are others from this same series: Pair it with Ian Pollock's creepy graphic novel version, which contains the unabridged text: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12942.Ian_Pollack_s_Illustrated_King_Lear Peter Saccio has some nice Shakespeare programs from the Great Courses. I love Shakespeare Uncovered as well. Folger Shakespeare Library has some nice podcasts and resources. I love Ben Crystal's work as well: http://springboardshakespeare.com/ Is that enough or should I keep going? :lol:
  5. My daughter is in Heather's A Wrinkle in Time class. She loves it!
  6. I'm looking for some Outschool classes for my kids to take this spring, and I'm hoping for some tried-and-tested recs. I have a few that I love that I've listed below, but right now I'm looking at step-by-step writing instruction and history. I'd appreciate any recommendations you all have! I'd prefer Outschool classes right now as they are reasonably priced, and tend to have smaller class sizes. I've been burned by a few larger online programs before, so I'm looking for small class sizes with ample opportunity for class discussion (orally, not just via chatbox). Thanks! my favorites so far: Lindsey Nelson for science/engineering: https://outschool.com/teachers/Lindsey-Nelson Thomas Jones for law (haven't tried others but the crim. law class was fabulous) https://outschool.com/teachers/Thomas-Jones Maureen Tobin for literature (loved her Poe class) https://outschool.com/teachers/Maureen-Tobin
  7. Just found this list of videos based on Disappearing Spoon: https://teachchemistry.org/classroom-resources/collections/sam-kean-s-disappearing-spoon Also, in the online class the kids watched several of these videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/periodicvideos
  8. For Groovy Kids, the experiments I can remember off the top of my head were: making a spectroscope, extracting DNA from fruit, and copper plating a nail. The kids had to watch several youtube videos during the week going over various topics from the text. They also had virtual labs (unfortunately I can't remember any of them!) Another thing to look into is the You Be the Chemist Challenge: https://www.chemed.org/programs/challenge/
  9. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the classes from Gifted Homeschoolers Forum? I'm specifically looking at the science classes: http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/ghf-online/class-schedule-fall-2017/
  10. Was this the Saxon class or AoPS? My son is enrolled in the AoPS one this fall. Edited to Add: duh, just saw your signature that it was AoPS. Any tips for us as we start this class?
  11. We did Disappearing Spoon through Groovy Kids. It wasn't a comprehensive chem course, but it was more of an entertaining tour of the periodic table. It did touch on many different aspects of chemistry, just not in a textbook-y way. My son learned a ton and really became interested in chemistry and its applications and history. They change course selections each term so I'm not sure if they'll have it next year: http://www.onlineclassesforgroovykids.org/enroll-in-classes.html
  12. Yikes. This is all good to know. I'm hoping this won't be an issue for the younger set. Do the kids talk via chat box or through a mic?
  13. Thanks! I emailed her and she said that some Biblical themes might come up in the class, and that most of the time the discussion is in the chat box although students do occasionally have the opportunity to use the microphone. What type of work was your daughter able to produce as a result of the class? Also, what kind of feedback does the teacher give? Thanks for any insight you have :) With all the options I am having a heck of a time figuring out what to do next year.
  14. I ended up dropping it before the semester began, because I didn't want to rush. I figured we'd take this year to slowly go through BA 5, do some Zaccaro and Alcumus, then hit pre-a the next year. I did email AOPS and they said that he would have been fine doing the class after BA 5B and they gave me some suggested topics to cover to bridge the gap. For now I have registered him for next year.
  15. Do the Literature classes (or the Elem. Language arts) from CLRC teach from a Christian POV or are they acceptable for other faiths/secular homeschoolers? I'm thinking about putting my daughter in the Elementary LA class.
  16. I'm also thinking about the Intro to Essay Writing for next year. The discussion part sounds right up our alley because in the other online classes my son took, there was not much discussion. Do they discuss by typing or talking? Also, how Christian is the class? Would it be acceptable for a secular homeschooler?
  17. I remember someone posting about a website that had art lessons online for drawing, watercolor, acrylic, etc. I believe there was a monthly fee or a pay-per-class structure. Does anyone know what this site might be? I'm sure there are tons of sites like this and I wish I could remember other identifying details, but the original poster was really enthusiastic about the quality of the lessons at this site and her daughter used it for painting lessons.
  18. Does anyone have experience with Groovy Kids Online classes? I have registered my son for this one and was wondering if anyone had any feedback about their classes: http://www.onlineclassesforgroovykids.org/the-disappearing-spoon.html
  19. This is all very helpful; thank you! I think I will make sure to look at those listed topics above to go over this summer as well as some of SM 5A and 5B (the WTMA class uses the SM6 CWP I believe).
  20. I've registered my son for AOPS prealgebra with WTMA for next year. By then he will have covered Beast Academy 4 and 5A (5B if it comes out soon enough). Do you all think this will be sufficient prep for pre-A? Otherwise, what kind of prep should I do this summer? I have all of Zaccarro's books at home as well as Jousting Armadillos.
  21. So was the teacher just reading the book in class? In my son's Ancients class through WTMA the teacher teaches a lesson, with additional info that is not in the books. My son has read through SOTW, much of K12's History Odyssey, and Usborne/Kingfisher but he still likes the class. The teacher mentions things that are not in the assigned reading and he gets a chance to answer questions in class (he seems to be one of the few in his class that likes to speak instead of type). Besides the research papers (which are 300-500 words, with a longer one at year's end), there is not too much writing. You answer a very short discussion question a week, and do a few outlines and respond to original source readings (very short Q and A). We use supplementary readings outside of class, and we also like to save and go over the ancient maps that the teacher uses in the presentation.
  22. I've signed my son up for the second semester of the WTMA logic-stage Ancient History class. This will be his first time in a formal class with writing assignments and quizzes. He's on the young side, and I was wondering if anyone who has done the class has input on how to prepare him for the work. In particular, I'm thinking that we should practice more formal essay writing--would that be necessary? Stuff like basic outlining, etc. He can put out a lot of info when he needs to write on a historical topic, but he needs more work on organizing thoughts. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!
  23. For each of the stems, we did these three activities: 1. Create a diagram of words using that stem, with the stem & meaning in the middle, and lines pointing out to words that use the stem. First I would have my son use the words in the book as well as any he could think of off the top of his head. Then, he would go to a dictionary. We would look up words online by typing "define _____________" into Google. It gives you an entry which shows the origin of the word, so you can see how the stem works with other stems to give the meaning of the word in question. We used other sites like this one, which is pretty neat: http://membean.com/wrotds/pre-before 2. I have him do the similies as MCT suggests. The challenge with these is for the student to make them thought provoking and not too straightforward. 3. MCT asks the student to write a poem using words with the stem; my son would sometimes do this, but other times write a lyrical prose paragraph trying to use as many words with the stem.
  24. Ooh, I love books like this. I will definitely check out the suggestions above. I liked this book a lot. An adult book, but the language is not too difficult: Deadly Outbreaks: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/20/2/13-1476_article http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Outbreaks-Detectives-Threatened-Drug-Resistant/dp/1634502663 This one tells the stories of how famous people died: http://www.amazon.com/How-They-Croaked-Awfully-Famous/dp/0802727948 Just found this list of books about epidemics, etc. https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/personal-family-professional-emergency-preparedness/children-s-prep-issues-incl-homeschooling/homeschooling/38063-childrens-books-about-epidemics-pandemics-plagues-and-diseases
  25. I have a great opportunity to start a gifted pull-out program at a local private school, and my 2 homeschooled kids will be able to join in the classes. I will be doing a once a week literature group using a novel as a spine and supplementing with poetry, Shakespeare, and excerpts from books or short stories. If anyone has any suggestions for how to conduct the discussion or activities we could do, I would appreciate it. I've put "Deconstructing Penguins" on hold at the library. These are some of the books I suggested to the principal--we will finalize our first selection later: 1st-3rd Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder) Charlotte's Web (E.B. White) Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan) The Reluctant Dragon (Kenneth Grahame) 4th-5th Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Robert C. O'Brien) The Book of Three (Lloyd Alexander) The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) Where the Red Fern Grows (Rawls) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Mildred Taylor) Eight Cousins (Louisa May Alcott) 6th-8th A Wrinkle in Time (Madeline L'Engle) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart)
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