Parts to whole curriculum ideas?

[robsiew]

I'm not going to go into a huge long story right now, but I'm starting to research "parts to whole" curriculum (in all areas) for grammar stage. I'm also interested in curriculum that can be done verbally.

 

I'm not really clear what "parts to whole" means... I understand the "little picture" to "big picture", but I don't really understand how that looks in a curriculum. (I am VERY much a "whole to parts" teacher/ learner trying to learn to accommodate a VERY "parts to whole" child)

 

Thanks!

[robsiew]

Anyone?

[forty-two]

Have you looked at the WTM rec's? B/c just about all of them are parts-to-whole, iirc - it's a big part of SWB's approach.

 

Also, looking at your sig, I'd say most of what you list is already parts-to-whole. PL/CL certainly is, as is WWE. I'd say AAS is also (most OG programs are, I think). I *think* that MM would be as well - it is described as a more step-by-step, no-conceptual-leaps-required version of Singapore. R&S is generally described as very step-by-step, which is more a parts-to-whole trait (certainly not the reverse!). Not sure about GWG or SWO.

 

So what is it about your current programs that is not working for you, b/c just looking at your list, I'd say it is just about all parts-to-whole already.

[TheAutumnOak]

Have you looked at the WTM rec's? B/c just about all of them are parts-to-whole, iirc - it's a big part of SWB's approach.

 

Also, looking at your sig, I'd say most of what you list is already parts-to-whole.

 

:iagree:The updated version of WTM has a chapter about "whole to parts" and why you should avoid it...I can't see them recommending anything that is whole to parts...It looks like everything you are using is parts to whole...

 

Waldorf is a whole to parts method...It was after I read that chapter of WTM that I made a decision to switch styles...

 

What are you trying to switch up on or stop using?

[robsiew]

Part of it is I'm not sure what "parts to whole" really means. I'm glad to hear most of what I'm using is.

 

The long and short of it is I believe my ds6 (turns 7 next week) has non-verbal learning disorder. I've been trying to figure him out since he was born :001_smile: and a friend gave me a book on NVLD. It fits him to a T.

 

I read he needs a "parts to whole" approach... however... he wants to do everything independently. The guide I read suggested making a lot of his work verbal since writing is torture for him. That's great and I would love to do that, except in order for us to do verbal work he has to be willing to work with me. That hasn't gone so well. (He is strongly oppositional to working with me on anything).

 

So, right now I have him doing everything independent, but it requires a lot of writing. I'm not sure that's the best tactic long run. He struggles greatly with the physical act of writing. I'm struggling with what to do with him.

 

He hates school. He pretty much just wants to get it done with. He'd rather take all his work up to his room, shut his door (less distraction) and get it all done at once and be done. I'm trying to adapt things for him, but I'm not sure if I should fight the fight of him having to do things with me to relieve the writing or just make him write and not fight the fight. I think he'll handle the writing for 1st grade okay, but it's only going to get harder for him as he goes up in grades.

[kalanamak]

Have you looked at the WTM rec's? B/c just about all of them are parts-to-whole, iirc - it's a big part of SWB's approach.

 

Also, looking at your sig, I'd say most of what you list is already parts-to-whole.

 

Part of you (the OP's) curiosity about this might be you've never been gobsmacked by a real whole-to-parts. What you consider common sense or "just they way you have to do it, right" or "step-by-step, duh"-kind of obviousness might be parts-to-whole, and you would be befuddled by the W-to-P. I was. It made me (a child in the 60s, growing up in a town with a huge teacher's college, with many student teachers) think of a bunch of eager beaver education majors finding every topic so over-researched, they try something "new" and "innovative" just to find some place on the professional campground to pitch a tent.

 

I know on certain, very small but interesting ideas, I will occasionally do a W-to-P kind of Socratic discussion with my son (last night we did why we can't divide by 0), it is WORK, and would be massively frustrating to my 8 year old done on any major scale. Plus, as a teacher, I cannot be a facile expert on every topic, in a calm but alert mood every single teaching moment, and have an attentive, cooperative child each and every day. :)

[kalanamak]

:iagree:The updated version of WTM has a chapter about "whole to parts" and why you should avoid it.

 

Even the 1st edition has a very clear two page spread on the topic. The example is giving a 6 year old a tray of bug legs and asking them what each one might be good for (as an example of W to P). SWB advocates for looking at, describing, drawing, discussing the legs in the grammar stage, and in the logic stage, perhaps considering putting out a subject, unsorted and unlabeled, and asking the child to think about the possibilities. I would expect the teacher to then flesh out what the child didn't come up with on their own.

 

The W to P in grammar stage, she argues, is not developmentally appropriate. I agree.

[kalanamak]

I think he'll handle the writing for 1st grade okay, but it's only going to get harder for him as he goes up in grades.

 

:grouphug: I would find dealing with this frustrating. My concern with when my son (rarely) gets a bit kerfluffly and wants to "do it by himself" is that he is just going through the motions and not really being accurate or actually retaining it. YMMV.

 

Your curr looks richly P to W. (Including GWG.). I would worry less about what P to W is or isn't, and more about what to do with your child. I think you can put a check mark next to "Are you using P to W material" in you checklist of What to Do In This Situation.

 

You might try the Special Needs board.

 

Oh, and I don't know that it will necessarily have to get harder. 6 is young. He could mature and develop for the better in this regard. Really.

[robsiew]

Okay... got it! Thanks! :001_smile: I've been concentrating so hard on planning for my Logic stage child next year that I didn't even remember the parts to whole discussion in WTM. I think "whole to parts" is just counter intuitive to me so I don't really need to worry about using something like that because I wouldn't choose it! :D

 

I think I am just overwhelmed right now in trying to make school bearable for my ds. I really just need to get him into see someone so I can have someone guide me in appropriate things to help him. I think I need to seek a diagnosis and employ others' aide. There are many factors to consider and it seems what we already do is probably the best for him.

 

Sorry.... I think I'm so overwhelmed at this point I just need to seek more guidance. I probably just need to hear from someone that what I'm doing is okay, even if my ds doesn't like it. You know... just some encouragement. This type of child is extremely challenging to work with and sometimes I just wonder if I'm doing well by him. He absolutely hates school (but he is SO bright) so a good portion of my interaction with him is on the negative end during the week. I'm trying to figure out the best way to make more positive interactions between us. The issues that this child faces day to day is overwhelming to me to read about... I can't fathom what it is like to be inside his head. I'm just so glad God led us to homeschooling before he entered school. I think PS would be a disaster. Anyway... just ignore me! :D I probably don't need any more input...

[Ravin]

I recommend Word Mastery for phonics. DD found the way other phonics programs we tried (100 Lessons, HOP) kept jumping her into books with stories that built sentences and paragraphs that really intimidated her even though she could sound out the individual words. Word Mastery only uses word lists, so she was able to go through the phonics rules and just practice on one word at a time, as it were, before having to build to reading sentences and paragraphs.

[robsiew]

:grouphug: I would find dealing with this frustrating. My concern with when my son (rarely) gets a bit kerfluffly and wants to "do it by himself" is that he is just going through the motions and not really being accurate or actually retaining it. YMMV.

 

Your curr looks richly P to W. (Including GWG.). I would worry less about what P to W is or isn't, and more about what to do with your child. I think you can put a check mark next to "Are you using P to W material" in you checklist of What to Do In This Situation.

 

You might try the Special Needs board.

 

Oh, and I don't know that it will necessarily have to get harder. 6 is young. He could mature and develop for the better in this regard. Really.

 

Maybe I will post over on the SN board... thanks for that suggestion. I did do some searching over there, but not much came up for NLVD. I bet if I posted those who deal with this would pipe in. This board seems to move faster so I thought maybe I'd catch someone over here easier.

[MerryAtHope]

I'm trying to adapt things for him, but I'm not sure if I should fight the fight of him having to do things with me to relieve the writing or just make him write and not fight the fight. I think he'll handle the writing for 1st grade okay, but it's only going to get harder for him as he goes up in grades.

 

This is the kind of question I would actually pose to my child, while letting them know that if Mom finds one method isn't actually working, we will change to another method. But really--you can say to him, "I know you have a lot of writing. We could have you do less if you'd like to answer orally to me, I'll let you choose on these subjects: _____."

 

It sounds like you are on the right track with reading about NVLD and that your next step is to get an evaluation. That's probably where you will get a lot of help about how to teach him. I find that engaging my kids, yes, even as young as 6, in these kinds of discussions helps both them and me learn how they learn. You mentioned wondering what goes on in his head--I ask these kinds of questions about how they think. They can't always answer, and that's ok. But they will start thinking about it--it's called meta cognition, basically, learning how you learn. These are the kinds of conversations that take place over years, and the kind of learning that takes place over years.

 

Just the other day my son came to me to tell me what style of history he needs to make learning optimal for him next year, and I can't tell you what a help that was to me! He's paying attention to how he learns--that's one of my goals in homeschooling!

 

Your son already has a good dose of understanding of himself going on--he knows he needs quiet and no interruptions, for example. If you do try having him answer orally to you, keep that in mind in the place you choose, and also in allowing him to answer without you asking questions in the middle--wait until he's completely done to ask questions, for example. You might also ask him questions about where and when he'd like to do things (and why he might choose one over another).

 

Another question I've found very useful over the years: "If you could change one thing about school, what would you change?" If they say something like, "Not do it," or "No math" etc... you can say, "well, we can't change that, but is there something about the way we do math or the way we do school that you would change?"

 

I also find time spent really praying through issues and asking God for wisdom & a window into my child's soul very helpful.

 

HTH some, Hang in there! Merry :-)

[robsiew]

This is the kind of question I would actually pose to my child, while letting them know that if Mom finds one method isn't actually working, we will change to another method. But really--you can say to him, "I know you have a lot of writing. We could have you do less if you'd like to answer orally to me, I'll let you choose on these subjects: _____."

 

It sounds like you are on the right track with reading about NVLD and that your next step is to get an evaluation. That's probably where you will get a lot of help about how to teach him. I find that engaging my kids, yes, even as young as 6, in these kinds of discussions helps both them and me learn how they learn. You mentioned wondering what goes on in his head--I ask these kinds of questions about how they think. They can't always answer, and that's ok. But they will start thinking about it--it's called meta cognition, basically, learning how you learn. These are the kinds of conversations that take place over years, and the kind of learning that takes place over years.

 

Just the other day my son came to me to tell me what style of history he needs to make learning optimal for him next year, and I can't tell you what a help that was to me! He's paying attention to how he learns--that's one of my goals in homeschooling!

 

Your son already has a good dose of understanding of himself going on--he knows he needs quiet and no interruptions, for example. If you do try having him answer orally to you, keep that in mind in the place you choose, and also in allowing him to answer without you asking questions in the middle--wait until he's completely done to ask questions, for example. You might also ask him questions about where and when he'd like to do things (and why he might choose one over another).

 

Another question I've found very useful over the years: "If you could change one thing about school, what would you change?" If they say something like, "Not do it," or "No math" etc... you can say, "well, we can't change that, but is there something about the way we do math or the way we do school that you would change?"

 

I also find time spent really praying through issues and asking God for wisdom & a window into my child's soul very helpful.

 

HTH some, Hang in there! Merry :-)

 

Merry,

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Your post is very encouraging and helpful. You know, I kind of did talk to him about what he preferred, I just didn't realize I did.... We were having SO much trouble with FLL 1/2 and AAS that finally one day I said, "Would you just like to do these things on your own?" I told him it would mean more writing and he chose independence over ease of little to no writing. I guess that really told me something! For now, at least, this is what he prefers. He still hates school days, but maybe that will always be the case. He's not an overly cheerful child in his overall disposition anyway....

 

I will continue focusing on dialoging with him also. Sometimes I don't give him enough credit for knowing himself what he needs. His answers would most certainly be "don't do any of it", but no, that is not an option... have to pick the next best! :001_smile: Your example with your son is very encouraging!

 

Thanks for the reminder for prayer. I don't think any of my other children have driven me literally to my knees as this one has. I have a strong suspicion that's one reason I was given him! :D

 

Thanks again for your encouraging words! I value them highly, Merry!

[FairProspects]

I recommend Word Mastery for phonics. DD found the way other phonics programs we tried (100 Lessons, HOP) kept jumping her into books with stories that built sentences and paragraphs that really intimidated her even though she could sound out the individual words. Word Mastery only uses word lists, so she was able to go through the phonics rules and just practice on one word at a time, as it were, before having to build to reading sentences and paragraphs.

 

:iagree:Word Mastery was perfect for ds and really helped his fluency by focusing on one rule at a time.

[StephanieZ]

Rod & Staff English could be good.