Elm in NJ Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I have the entire Oak Meadow 8th grade except maths and I was looking at the civics this weekend, and boy! it looks hard. I am not sure if my son will be ready for this in August. My son can't write essays on controversial issues such as abortion and gay marriages and assisted suicide. He might give you a reason but certainly not even a one page essay. He can't argue for or against the death penalty, not in a cohesive manner, anyway. So, although we are still going to do this together(it is written to the student but there is no way I am just going to hand him the book and let him get on with it), I was wondering if these are typical questions 8th graders should know and be thinking about. Also, is anyone using this that can be my Oak Meadow civics buddy for the year ? Seriously, this looks to be the most difficult course I have encountered in 7 years of homeschooling. BTW, the physical science looks great, I love it. We are also using using Oak Meadow 5 for History , Science and English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I have the entire Oak Meadow 8th grade except maths and I was looking at the civics this weekend, and boy! it looks hard. I am not sure if my son will be ready for this in August. My son can't write essays on controversial issues such as abortion and gay marriages and assisted suicide. He might give you a reason but certainly not even a one page essay. He can't argue for or against the death penalty, not in a cohesive manner, anyway. So, although we are still going to do this together(it is written to the student but there is no way I am just going to hand him the book and let him get on with it), I was wondering if these are typical questions 8th graders should know and be thinking about. Also, is anyone using this that can be my Oak Meadow civics buddy for the year ? Seriously, this looks to be the most difficult course I have encountered in 7 years of homeschooling. BTW, the physical science looks great, I love it. We are also using using Oak Meadow 5 for History , Science and English. Are those the topics for 8th grade?? Gay Marriage, assisted suicide, etc...? I just ordered all 6th grade for my daugther, all but math, and yes, it looks thought provoking. But that is why I like OM...I'm sure she will need my help with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 My son can't write essays on controversial issues such as abortion and gay marriages and assisted suicide. Yikes! :eek: Those topics are covered in the 8th grade program? :scared: Maybe we'll skip 8th grade OM Civics... glad we're not using anything beyond 5th and 6th grade for next year! Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 We used the Calvert 8th grade Civics course and it was excellent. A little dry, but very thorough, and no major controversial issues. My son is almost out of high school and still pulls information out of his hat from that course. Something to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I have a hard time believing those topics would be in OM...I wish the OP would come back and clarify! And if they are, you (I) can always NOT do them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I looked at the samples, but didn't see anything like abortion or gay marriage. Am I missing something? http://www.oakmeadow.com/curriculum/overviews/8ov.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I have the 2004 version of grade 8 Civics and I don't see anything at all like that in there. There are several assignments that ask you to research and write papers on various subjects. 3 that I saw ask you to research a controversial law or topic or event and write on that. Nowhere does it specify or suggest topics like the OP mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 There is 1 one-page essay in lesson 16 that asks the student to write for or against a controversial issue. It gives about six examples of issues that can be chosen or the student can choose a topic on his/her own and those are some of the example issues. I haven't seen anything else in the book that covers controversial issues of that magnitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 There is 1 one-page essay in lesson 16 that asks the student to write for or against a controversial issue. It gives about six examples of issues that can be chosen or the student can choose a topic on his/her own and those are some of the example issues. I haven't seen anything else in the book that covers controversial issues of that magnitude. Well you certainly don't have to write about any of those topics ;) You can choose whatever you want to write about... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Well you certainly don't have to write about any of those topics ;)You can choose whatever you want to write about... Exactly. In fact, there are five other assignments in that chapter that have nothing to do with controversial topics. That assignment could easily be skipped altogether. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 I just placed my order for the entire 6th and 9th grade curriculum! All but math! It looks great and very creative and thought provoking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elm in NJ Posted May 29, 2009 Author Share Posted May 29, 2009 I certainly didn't say that the whole book was about that. I said that it looked to be a difficult course and that there was no way my son would be able to do it on his own. Each of the lessons require thinking skills I am not sure my son has at the moment. Lesson 16- Write a one-page essay in which you argue for or against one of the following controversial issues- The right of every citizen to keep and bear arms, the right to smoke in public places the right of every single person to adopt a child, the right to assisted suicide, the right of homosexual couples to be legally married , or any other issue that is of interest to you. As you consider your argument, keep in mind what you have learned about the constitution, the Bill of Rights and the freedom every American is guaranteed. Lesson 5 The First Amendment gives us freedom of speech, press and assembly. It includes the right to petition the government. This means that an acknowledged racist group such as the KKK has rights under the Constitution to meet publicly, march through city streets, and hold rallies. What do you think of this. Write at least 1 page discussing some pros and cons of freedom of speech, press and assembly. He won't be able to write a page on that. These are the kind of questions I am talking about. My son will certainly need to discuss and work through these questions with me. Since the book is written to the student, he is expected to be able to do most of the work himself. Right? Well, that is certainly not going to happen here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted May 29, 2009 Share Posted May 29, 2009 Since the book is written to the student, he is expected to be able to do most of the work himself. Right? Well, that is certainly not going to happen here. I think this is a misconception about Oak Meadow, primarily because the syllabus is written to the student beginning around 5th grade. The student is expected to be working with a parent(s)/teacher for K-8. I don't know as much about the high school program, so I can't speak to that. OM provides teacher assistance specifically for families that do not feel prepared to step into the role of instructor. It is more of a family-centered curriculum, rather than a student-centered one. :) Copied from the Oak Meadow web-site, discussing their educational philosophy. At the heart of all forms of education is the important role of strong personal relationships. Children are not simply empty vessels needing to be filled — they are intelligent, creative beings eager to express new questions and ideas. The key to encouraging this innate intelligence lies in creating a caring, supportive relationship. In the very structure of our lessons, we encourage the involvement of both the family and the community, encouraging a network of learning relationships to support the young learner. Elm in NJ - Unfortunately we will not be doing OM 8 until the following year. It can be a challenging program and I think a buddy to work with through the year is an excellent idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 I have spoken with OM reps. on the phone. They are so helpful! OM is written to the student..HOWEVER, she told me it is not a curriclum for a child to be left on thier own, even in HS. She said it takes parent involvement and direction. She told me if I worked full time outside the home and expected my girls to do OM on their own, OM would not be for me... Call them and they will answer all of your questions. They even took some Teacher's manuals and read me parts of them. Again, the CS is wonderful and I feel OM will be a wonderful learning experience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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