Hadassah
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Posts posted by Hadassah
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I didn't mean that you are being nasty, I mean that we are heading towards that point and I'd rather not go there.
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Ok, I don't want this to turn into a dissection of every word I've ever typed. People have told me IRL that I'm speak in a confusing manner, and I guess that carries over into my typing and writing. I can definitely assure you that I do not lie or make things up. Please let's just discuss the original question in this post and not veer off into all sorts of nastiness. Thank you kindly.
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Just out of curiousity: unschoolers, how do you handle math, especially upper level math (algebra, geometry, calculus, etc.)?
If you ever needed to write transcripts - how did you title/describe the "math courses" for the high school level?
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I'll answer concerning dd(5).
Dh and I aren't terribly strict when it comes to bedtimes and wake up times. Dd is usually down around 7:15ish and up around 5:45ish (she has dh wake her up in the morning so she can get in bed with me for a few minutes).
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Calvert, WiloStar 3D, Time4Learning (though I do think T4L has to be supplemented)
Those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. I've never used an online progrsm such as the ones above so I can't really offer any advice.
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For example, "What up dog?" First of all, "What's up?" doesn't really make sense. When we say that are we really referring to anything being up? What's happening? How are you? We mean those things. We are not actually asking about what is up. What's up? The sky. Clouds. The sun. What does that have to do with what the question really means? Nothing.
Then there is "dog". Why would we want to call someone a dog? :lol:
So funny and so true!
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I curious how your dd at college Latin training was accomplished at homeschool when earlier this year you stated you know very little about Latin?
Here's the thread so you won't have to recall:
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3487430#post3487430
And in this thread you stated (post 14) that ds had studied classical Latin for four years. That was only a few days after you stated you didn't even know the difference classical and ecclesiastical Latin. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3498823#post3498823
Just curious, because it is fascinating that your ds could self-study a language that you know so little about. :bigear:
I apologize for confusion. Good questions :001_smile:.
First thing to note is I part-time homeschool some kids that are not my own, so in some cases I may talk about dd(15) in two posts, and they are two separate people, if that makes any sense.
In this case, it is the same person. When she was starting out, I asked around and it turned out that a neighbor was a Latin teacher. My dd studied Latin under her and I was completely uninvolved. I knew nothing, really, about Latin, except that dh wanted the kids to learn it.
I want to to be more involved with the rest of my kids' Latin studies, and so I am trying to learn as much about Latin as I can.
HTH,
Hadassah
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Foreign language, definitely.
We also do math, Bible, reading/writing, and musical instrument practice every day, but these don't seem to be the focus.
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We "do school" five days a weeks and have one co-op/errands day.
How many times a week do you do:
Science: Twice a week for dd(5) and thrice a week for ds(13), plus weekly nature study for both
History/Social Studies: 2x per week for both, plus daily AO readings for ds(13)
Math: 4x a week for dd, 5x a week for ds, plus one fact drill/math activity day for both.
Phonics/Language Arts: Reading 7 days a week for both (with incidental phonics for dd, as she's already a strong reader), plus language arts/writing 5x a week for ds.
Geography: 2x per week
Spelling: Incidental
Critical Thinking/Logic: 3x per week
Handwriting: 4x a week for dd and 1x a week for ds (calligraphy)
Music: Piano 4x a week for dd and Mommy and Me-style music class 1x a week; piano 1x a week for ds and guitar 5x a week for ds, plus weekly composer study for both
PE: Playing, walking, running every day, plus structured exercise 3x a week for ds and 2x a week for dd
Foreign language: 5x a week for both
Art: Composer study done weekly, plus co-op art 1x a week for ds
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Whenever the old one ends. We school year-round/continuously. Usually we do a six weeks on, one week off schedule, with longer breaks thrown in sporadically. Our kids simply finish one program and begin the next, without grade distinctions.
We live in a non-reporting state, thankfully.
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I am absolutely in awe that you can get so much foreign language accomplished. Do you teach all of these languages yourself or do you outsource? Are you learning along with your children or are you already fluent in some of these languages?
I recently chucked our foreign language program. :001_smile:
I teach Hebrew and some ASL, dh and I teach Spanish together, we sort of do our own thing with Greek, and everything else is either outsourced or we use an independent curriculum. I am definitely learning Latin and Mandarin along with the kids - I am already fluent in Hebrew, Spanish, and, to a moderate degree, ASL. We just use library books and other eclectic resources for Greek.
When dh and I first got married, we agreed that we would emphasize multilingualism for all of our kids. We didn't plan for our kids to learn so many, though. It just kind of happened. Foreign language is their favorite subject. Dd is majoring in linguistics at college.
I feel blessed by my kids, and blessed by their intense interest in languages (not that
they're perfect little darlings :lol:).
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Has anyone used the Classical Writing series? With the Homer level and such?
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Don't use WriteShop for a natural writer. Just my two cents.
Why?
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Interesting to hear all of your responses. I'll share mine too, if anyone's interested:
What are your expectations?
To be fluent in Modern Hebrew, Spanish, and one "hard" foreign language - either Mandarin or Arabic or something similar
To know very good Latin and good-ish ASL.
To know basic Greek.
What are your kids' actual accomplishments?
Dd, now at college, accomplished the Latin, Hebrew, and Spanish requirements in homeschool, and she's studying Arabic at college. She knows barely any Greek, though, and only knows very basic ASL. I didn't get much time with her, because she left for college at age 14.
Ds (13) has accomplished the Latin, ASL, and Hebrew goals, and is almost fluent in
Spanish. He will start Mandarin at ps next year and plans to study an additional language in college. I am working with him and dd (5) on Greek at a very leisurely pace.
Dd (5) has almost accomplished the ASL goal, is currently studying Latin, and is doing very leisurely Greek with ds.
What do you think is the bare minimum for foreign language study?
Some Latin or Greek, and fluency in a modern foreign language.
What are your thoughts on when to begin foreign language study?
As young as possible! In utero! :D
How important do you think foreign language studies are?
Essential. Foreign language is one of our three core daily subjects, along with language
arts and math.
How do you select which foreign languages your children will learn?
Latin, because I really think it helps you understand the concept of languages as a whole.
Spanish, because we live in a very Spanish-speaking area and country.
ASL, because we have several deaf cousins, and because my kids are kinesthetic learners.
Greek, for the same reasons as Latin - but I require lesser proficiency because I personally prefer Latin.
Hebrew, because we're Jewish
Mandarin or Arabic (or comparable), to stretch their minds and offer them a little choice
Both of my oldest children also plan to, at some point, study Italian to fluency, and they have this little plan worked out where dd will study Arabic, and then tutor and teach ds, and ds will do the same for her for Mandarin
What do degree of fluency do you expect?
Obviously, total fluency is the greatest goal, but I'm satisfied with basic proficiency for
some languages.
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Thank you so much for your support and suggestions. After talking with Eliza several times, and a lot more praying, dh and I have decided to keep Eliza home for now. As several of you said, if we were able to keep her in her old school, that would have changed things.
Thanks again,
Hadassah
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A bit about HUFI vs. AO...
It is important to note that HUFI only goes up to year 6. It is assumed that you will switch to AO for years 7+.
I have found that there are three main differences between AO and HUFI:
1. HUFI does a four-year history cycle, then a year off to study non-European nations, then moves into a six-year history cycle as prescribed by AO. (You may have noticed that this only carries the student up through Year 11.As of yet, there is no AO Year 12. Once one is written, it is anticipated that it will be an Ancient History repeat). AO does not have a specific Year for studying non-European nations.
2. In the early years of HUFI, American history is studied alongside British and world history. HUFI starts out focusing on American history, with just a few British/world selections, and gradually shifts over. AO certainly does a satisfactory job of covering American history, but it really focuses on British from the start.
3. Apparently, in HUFI, the Bible readings are more integrated with the history readings. I can't personally speak for this because I secular-ize both AO and HUFI.
For my family, I've found so far that the best system is a hybrid of the two programs. I prefer the HUFI history cycling, and a few of the other HUFI selections, but I really just
love the AO program. Do what works for you and your own family. HYOH.
HTH,
Hadassah
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I highly recommend going to http://www.thoughtsaftergod.blogspot.com, clicking on the "Ambleside Specific" tag (scroll down a bit to find the tag cloud in the sidebar), and reading all the posts under that label. And no, that's not my blog :D. Seriously, though. Not my blog.
Plus everything Jay3fer said. Plus - if you have a Yahoo account, try and join an Ambleside group. Two main, great ones are Ambleside Online and AmbleRamble.
Don't try to do everything at once. Start with the bare minimums -don't even worry about artist/composer study, Shakespeare, etc. Add those once you feel confident and comfortable. Just go for it. You can do this! It really is simpler than it seems, once you get going.
Please feel free to PM me with any questions - even "stupid" ones :001_smile:! I've used Ambleside since the start, and also have a lot of experience with Higher Up and Further In.
You go, girl! :lol:
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What are your expectations for your kids, concerning foreign languages? What are your kids' actual accomplishments/skills? What do you think is the bare minimum for foreign language studies? What are your thoughts on when to start foreign language study? How important do you think foreign language studies are? How do you select which language(s) your kid(s) will study? What degree of fluency do you expect/aim for?
I think you get the idea :D.
Thanks,
Hadassah
ETA: Please don't feel obligated to answer every single question. I'm just interested in hearing your thoughts. Thanks!
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I was planning on using IEW with my 13 y/o for our next school year (which begins April 1), but lately he has been telling me that he despises IEW. Honestly I have seen his assignments and they do seem far below his level. He is a strong and natural writer, even though he didn't begin a formal writing curriculum until 6th grade. I don't just want to put him in a really high IEW level, because IMO IEW really is designed for struggling/non-natural writers. Are there any good middle/high school writing curriculum that you think would be a good fit for my son? I want a program with enough levels to carry him through 12th grade. We need a curriculum that is either secular or easily adaptable to be secular.
Thanks so much,
Hadassah
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My 13 y/o wears monthlies, but we are switching to the two-week kind next month.
He is good enough about caring for his contacts that we don't need dailies, but it's hard for him to keep one pair in great condition for an entire month.
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What were your sister's wishes on the subject? Since her illness was so extended, did she have the opportunity to plan ahead for her child? And is the father completely out of the picture?
In the time that I've been on the WTM, there have been a surprising number of posters dealing with the death of a sister, adoption of nieces and nephews, and subsequent homeschooling decisions. A forum search might provide some helpful thoughts.
Eliza was sent to ps mainly because my sister's health was simply too frail for her to handle the extra stress and responsibilities of hs'ing. Sister purposely did not make explicit instructions for Eliza's future. Just before her death, sister told dh and I to "follow G-d and you cannot go wrong". She wanted us to make decisions for Eliza as if she were our own biological daughter. (That's not to say that sister completely neglected Eliza's future... she left almost all of her savings to Eliza's care, and wrote several letters to Eliza, as well as videotapes of herself and Eliza, so Eliza could remember her.)
Yes, the father is out of the picture.
Thank you all for your prayers and guidance in this difficult period. You all are amazing.
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A very light day. In the morning, we just did our Bible lesson, some stuff from "Family Math", and silent reading. Then we learned a bit about MLK - reading about him and Rosa Parks, watching a little documentary, listening to the I Have a Dream Speech, and talking about his impact, and the types of human rights problems we have today... very interesting to hear a 2 y/o's perspective versus a 13 y/o's perspective.
Dh had the afternoon off, so we headed off to DC (we live quite close) to go to the MLK memorial, and then went to a special MLK program at the American history museum.
For dinner, I tried to make something close to what MLK would've eaten... though that didn't quite work out :D.
It was a fun day.
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My sister recently died of cancer. She lived far beyond her doctors' predictions and had a great quality of life to the very end. Despite being told that she would die by age 15, she lived long enough to have a daughter, who is now almost 9. My family's faith has guided and supported us through my sister's battle, and I am so grateful for that.
My biggest concerns are with her daughter, Eliza. Under my sister's will, I am now Eliza's legal guardian. Dh and I love Eliza just as much as we love our biological children and our other adopted child, and we have no problem with accepting her into our family. She seems to be handling her mother's death quite well and attends weekly grief counseling. However, we are unsure how to handle her education. Up to this point she has been in public school since kindergarten. She is in third grade this year. If we put her in public school, she would be in an environment that she is used to and enjoys. I don't want her entire life to be upended, and going to ps would help her to retain a sense of normalcy. Though she would be in a new school since we live too far from her old school for that to be an option.
However, I feel that Eliza would really thrive in our homeschool environment. For the past couple of weeks she has been informally participating in our homeschool and she seems to enjoy it. Our new school year begins April 1, so I would just have her do "third grade", since she seems a little behind. I feel like being in our homeschool would really help Eliza bond with our other children too. I have spoken to Eliza about this and she seems to have no preference.
However - there has been/will be a LOT of additions to our family in recent times. Dh and I adopted a two y/o last year, I'm pregnant and due this summer, and now Eliza. Of
course all of the additions and fully welcomed and loved, but it's just stressful and I really don't know what to do. Dh and I have prayed, spoken with our rabbi, spoken with Eliza's therapist, and we're really at a loss.
Please advise. Thanks,
Hadassah
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Does the police have a non-emergency number? If so, I'd call. That's a bizarre text!
:iagree:
May change my mind! If you delay Formal grammar.....
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Literature, handwriting, copywork, composition/narration, spelling, dictation, reading skills and poetry.