Where to start in classical education for a middle schooler

[Guest Thermos]

I'm thinking about classical education for my daughter who is in a charter school right now. I know I want to home school her for her middle school years, but I am not sure what curriculum to use. She is used to a lot of worksheets and writing, however she hasn't gotten much of an education in classical history or literature.

 

Any ideas about where to start?

Edited May 11, 2009 by Thermos

[HSMom2One]

When you start in "the middle", you go back to the beginning of history and move up. Add literature, math, science, etc. to that and perhaps beginning level Latin. Buying the WTM book, or at least checking it out from the library first, would be my best suggestion.

 

You might consider Tapestry of Grace curriculum for the backbone of your studies, or there are many other wonderful suggestions in SWB's book I've mentioned. It depends on how involved you want to be as the teacher.

 

Blessings to you as you begin a very exciting adventure with your child!

 

Lucinda

[JennW in SoCal]

First of all you should get your hands on a copy of the Well Trained Mind, which you can likely find at your local library.

 

I would start at the beginning for history. Read Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology, read some retellings of the Odyssey or a good translation of it (Fagle, for instance). Read some good historical fiction. Find a Kingfisher or other history encyclopedia to find the context of the period you are reading about. Make a timeline of the period, study the geography. You should have your dd do some simple narrations, and work your way to outlines, and do some short research projects on people or places or events. Your dd may enjoy the Story of the World series, though it is fairly simple reading. I found it made for perfect reading for narration exercises at this stage.

 

Study grammar and logic. You can start with the earlier Rod and Staff books for grammar. If she likes workbooks she would probably fly through the Dandylion series of 3 books: Countdown, Lift-off and Orbiting with Logic. Fallacy Detective and Thinking Toolbox are good introductions to identifying fallacies in arguments. If you want purely secular materials, you may not want either Rod and Staff or Fallacy Detective -- just giving you a heads up.

 

You could also do a chronological study of science with Joy Hakim's Joy of Science series (I think that is the title.) Many people have had liked Rainbow Science for the middle school years -- I think it easily can be a two year program. I myself continued to follow the interests of my kids through middle school and put off formal science until high school.

 

Most of all try to make it a warm and fun time for you both. This is a tough age for many families as young teens go through puberty. I found that reading aloud was a nice way to connect with my kids during middle school -- they sometimes groaned at the prospect, but they always wound up enjoying it. There are some nice threads on the high school board about the middle school years -- try searching for them to get some encouragement.

[Guest Thermos]

Thanks for your help, everyone. I plan to research your suggestions and think over all this new info (there's so much to consider).

[amtmcm]

Your daughter has probably mostly covered American History. We came out of a private school and it was amazing to find the gaps in my daughter's education, especially in science & history. Her school focussed on the 3 R's (reading, writing & arithmetic) so she was way ahead in those areas and has allowed me to focus on filling the gaps in history & science.

 

Here's what I would recommend, depending on your time frame:

 

World History:

If your DD likes to read, use Sonlight 6 & 7 or Alt 7:

http://www.sonlight.com/core-6.html

 

Or read 2 volumes of Story of the World each year (Vol 1 & 2 for 7th grade, Vol 3 & 4 for 8th grade). These are recommended for elementary students for reading aloud and are perfectly acceptable for a middle schooler to read to themselves. Add Diana Waring CD's to listen to for Biblical context and making connections in the logic stage.

 

Or use a standard workbook approach like Bob Jones World History or Christian Light Education:

http://www.clp.org/store/by_course/79

 

Your DD may find it helpful to have a good grasp of geography before jumping into World History. You could spend 7th grade doing geography and then 8th grade doing World History, but I'd recommend spending a few weeks this summer familiarizing your DD with Geography and then do 2 years of World History. I can recommend a crash course in Geography if you're interested?

 

Science:

Rainbow - Covers Intro to Physics, Chemistry, Life Science and Applications (Earth/Space) in 2 years. It can be easily completed in 1 year for a diligent student. I recommend doing the quizzes available on the website to reinforce the material. http://www.beginningspublishing.com/version2/rainbow.htm

 

Beautiful Feet History of Science - Love it! "Kill" two birds with one stone - reinforce both history and science lessons together. http://www.bfbooks.com/s.nl/it.A/id.285/.f?sc=1&category=671

 

I agree with getting a copy of the Well Trained Mind and also Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks: http://cathyduffyreviews.com/

[Lovedtodeath]

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/starting.php

[HSMom2One]

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/starting.php

 

:iagree: What she said! Perfect!!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda