Rigor thread for laundrycrisis :D

[Colleen in NS]

But I will say I am truly inspired by reading about some of the things some kids can accomplish and love. Even if my own never do those things.

 

it really helps to connect with others who do the schoolwork, at whatever level their child can handle, who think it's important, and who care about academic progress.

 

When I state that my son studied this or read that, I am not stating that every child in the universe needs to subscribe to our program. And yet inevitably we see people raise objections that Calculus is Not for Every Student (a true statement) or that their teen gave up on Moby Dick. Fine. But by stating that my son pronounced Moby Dick to be one of the best books he has ever read am I condemning those homeschoolers who choose not to read Melville? I don't think so and yet somehow insecurities rear their ugly heads.

 

...These discussions shed light and offer rabbit trails. I found them to be helpful...

 

In light of what I quoted of Jane above, can we tell laundrycrisis some stories about our own families? If you consider a particular study in your own home to be "rigorous," please tell us about it. (and could we please keep conversation about needing to define "rigour" out of this particular thread - you can define it or re-label the concept any way you want in your own mind, as you tell your story) Let's inspire each other and help laundrycrisis.

 

For my own family, I try to incorporate rigourous study in math, grammar, spelling, how-to-read, writing, and Latin. My kids read history/science/literature, and we do things here and there with art skill and music skill; but I don't consider our studies of those things rigourous. I expect to step-up the rigour of history/science/literature for high school, but for now, my kids read LOTS in those areas, discuss, and pick one topic out of those three subjects to write about each Friday (but when they were doing WWE or before WWS came out for logic stage, they were incorporating their content reading into their daily writing skills assignment).

 

Math: I drilled my kids in math facts, and I made sure we stayed on track with completing one math level per year in a particular math series (even though I didn't start ds in a formal program until gr. 3 - I wish I'd started him earlier, but I was still figuring out how math programs worked - I'm thankful that he caught on quickly). If something needed to be reviewed, it got reviewed - but I tried really hard to be diligent with the lessons - mainly because I did not know how to teach arithmetic on my own.

 

Grammar: I started off with one really great grammar program for grades 1 and 2, then switched to another solid program and continued on (FLL, which we used for gr. 1 and 2, was not available yet for the later levels at that time). I aim to complete one level per year with each child, reviewing where needed. Again, it's top priority for me to make time each week to do X amount of lessons from the books.

 

Spelling/How-to-Read: I used a program that my teacher-mother taught me how to use. It was excellent, thorough, and efficient. One kid learned quickly how to read and spell; the other kid took longer but still learned. They both know how to sound out new words. This is more than I ever learned in my childhood, "natural speller" though I was.

 

Writing: After reading WTM for the second time when ds was 6, I became a huge fan of how writing skills were taught in this book. Since then, I've incorporated teaching those skills; first via WTM instruction, then via SWB's audio lectures, then via WWE and WWS. I've seen my kids slowly but surely build their abilities to express their thoughts well so that others can understand what they are expressing.

 

Latin: I basically became convinced of why Latin would be good to add to our studies, bought some recommended programs, and implemented them - complete with lots of flashcard memory work - most days of the week, on most school weeks.

 

Content reading: There are long periods of every day devoted to reading here. I try to find library books that correspond with history/science/literature-that-goes-with-history lists, and lately I've been trying to teach my kids how to use my system of locating books to go along with their "spines."

 

And that's pretty much how I "rigourize" our schooling - doing all of the above, on most days of most scheduled-school weeks.

 

How about you - what's your story of how you rigourize? :D

Edited February 2, 2012 by Colleen in NS

[Colleen in NS]

bump

[Embassy]

:lurk5:

[Colleen in NS]

:bigear:

[HappyGrace]

Thank you for posting this thread-I hope a lot of people respond because this is kind of what I was hoping the other thread would be like (I should have known better after 10 yrs on these boards. :))

 

I will come back later to post ours.

 

And I agree-no definitions, etc., of rigor needed in this particular thread!

[HappyGrace]

Ok, I have a second. :)

 

Older dd (6th grade-advanced-warning: this one was reading at early 4, etc-so she has been easy to throw rigor at!):

 

Math: not her strong subject. We do CLE, which is her preference because it's formulaic like she likes. BUT then we also do LOF to stretch her a bit, and MM to develop mental math strategies and make her think outside the box (word probs, etc.) I think, and she will admit, that approaching it from a few different angles has forced her mind to grow mathematically. If I had just allowed her to do the CLE only (which is a good program), I may have cut her short for the further growth that pushing her outside her comfort zone has done.

 

History/Lit-We have so far always worked above level in this.

 

Grammar: We have purposely used different grammar programs throughout. I wholeheartedly believe that this approach has helped her "breathe" grammar rather than just learn it. Did FLL 1-2 in K and 1, Shurley 3 in 2nd grade, skipped 3rd grade (she was doing LFC A which had plenty), MCT Town in 4th, R+S 5 in 5th and R+S7 in 6th. The variety of parsing, 4-level analysis and diagramming has been wonderful for truly understanding grammar.

 

Latin: She did Minimus in 1st grade, Lively Latin in 2nd, LFC A-C after that.

 

Writing: Always IEW, now adding in Elegant Essay, LTOW.

 

So that is basically curriculum---but within the curriculum, we also telescope-skip or combine lessons that are redundant or she already knows.

 

I wish we were more rigorous in sci-that is one of my goals. She is doing an extremely rigorous 8th grade sci co-op class this yr to help reach that goal.

 

As she gets older, I want to outsource more. I don't feel I can keep up pace w/ her needs.

 

Now for younger ds (age 9), I am failing with rigor in some areas!!! I don't know why but I back off when he is having trouble. He is more "average" and I'm not as sure how to handle it. I am trying to establish some goals for this problem.

 

His strength is math and we do a ton there: all of CLE, and then cherry pick and telescope our way through portions of Singapore (mainly the IP and CWP), MM, MEP. He is currently doing all of Primary Challenge Math too.

 

I have him doing both FLL3 and GWG3 for grammar-I think they hit different strengths and the FLL3 was not enough practice.

 

He is not a kid you can throw a lot of content at and have it stick quickly. We have to be a bit more methodical. He thinks in a more global way and also a deep way. I am still figuring out how to work with this type of thinker because it is NOT the way I think. I would love suggestions for increasing rigor for this type of child!

 

So I guess in a nutshell---I am pretty adept at cherry picking from different curricula to keep them advancing quickly and seeing things from different angles. It is a LOT of work to do this-I keep bookmarks in several different books at a time, combine lessons, cross-reference things, etc. But it is the way that I've been able to increase rigor.

 

We also do not do "fluff". I skip over anything that even smells like busywork. I also try to teach highlighting, notetaking, outlining, etc. as early as possible so they can learn to skip over redundancy and pick out the meat.

 

I am not confident at ALL about high school rigor and I applaud those of you who do such a great job! I have no idea what I will do for that and severe panic is setting in-lol.

Edited February 3, 2012 by HappyGrace

[chepyl]

Math comes very easy to my son. He completed first and second grade math work in kindergarten. I need math to challenge him and reinforce without being too repetitious. I did not want him completing two levels a year and having nowhere to go but algebra in 3rd or 4th grade. I wanted to be sure he had a thourough understanding of the topics, I don't feel that can happen by rushing into higher math, I also want to be sure he has matured enough to get what he needs from higher math.

 

We do SM with IP and CWP on level. This pushes him. The text and wkbk are easy, we finish all that in 6-8 weeks. Then we spend the rest of the semester working through the other books a few pages a day. I follow the Charlotte Mason idea of short lessons, so we generally spend 20-30 minutes a day, but have had a few more challenging days go as long as an hour (generally challenging because DS is not focused!)

 

For spelling I am slowly accelerating. I want to be sure he knows spelling rules, we have worked through K, first, and now the second grade lists in Spelling Plus. We will stop there for the year and pick up with third grade lists next year. We will also do the writing Road to Reading spelling notebook pages over the next few years. I want him to have what I never got, a solid u.understanding of the rules so he can spell anything. Eventually we will add Spelling from the Roots Up, it is sitting on my shelf but as with math, I am more interested in a strong base and understanding before moving on, when we know the riles from English, we will move to words rooted in other languages.

 

For history we do the very minimum of SOTW, listen to the audios, do the maps and color pages. We are doing the CC history timeline as well. Memorizing the timeline is a lot for a 6 year old, the ancients are easier because w are are studying that, the timeline is helping him recall what we have atudied better because of the daily review of topics.

 

He is working on R&S grammar, level 2. I think the program is rigorous without doing any extra.

 

Science is our only non-rigorous study, we are doing biology and the first five labs were well below his ability level, just sorting and classifying house hold objects. The next five are much better, but we are taking and extra month off and will finish in the summer.

 

I want a challenge because we are thorough, not because we are moving at a super accelerated pace.

[Halcyon]

We have certain areas in our home that we consider to be rigorous. I imagine this will change as my children reach different milestones. For now, here's what it looks like:

 

9 year old:

Areas of focus right now include Math, Latin and Writing. Science is a close runner-up.

Math: when we started off homeschooling, we used K12 independent for 2 years (1st and 2nd). He was using Saldlier-Oxford and it was fine-nothing exciting but did the job. By the middle of the 2nd year, I had decided to move to a more WTM approach and began to integrate Singapore Math. My son learned concepts quickly, but it has taken a lot of attention, diligent, focused, almost daily attention, to get him to learn his facts. I realized at some point fairly recently that it didn't matter WHAT we used to get him to learn his facts; the trick was to stick with it, no matter the complaints, no matter my own worries or reservations. For my son, consistency and daily practice was the key. We started using xtramath last year, and he uses it pretty much daily. Initially, he abhorred being timed, but has improved quite a bit and no longer complains. I like that it's a simple, just the facts sort of program. We work about an hour a day on Math Mammoth now, having recently switched from Singapore. I require him to do every other problem on the section we are working on; for every question he gets wrong, or hesitates on, he must do two of a similar sort, usually on the same page. I make a note of the problem, and he is tested on Friday on any math weaknesses. We use a variety of math sources: Math On Call, Speed Mathematics and purplemath.com to find new approaches to problems. Incorporated into his daily memory work are many mathematical terms: commutative law, etc, measurements (miles to feet, ounces to pounds, etc), area, volume, definitions for lowest common denominator, lowest common multiple, etc. I expect to begin using AoPS this fall, perhaps earlier. Right now, my thinking is that we will approach the text using a whiteboard, allowing my son to mull over individual problems, which we will then talk through. I have not fully clarified my thinking yet, but I will likely use either MM6, Lial's or Dolciani Pre-A as a supplementary text to AoPS to confirm the underpinnings are firm. I like to use multiple math texts here, to confirm that his understanding is not based on how a particular text approaches a problem.

 

Latin: We began Latin in 3rd grade for older, using GSWL. It was gentle and straightforward, but it really allowed us to get a sense for how the language works without feeling overwhelmed. After much consideration, we moved to Henle 1 last year, and it has been a great success. We both work together, usually 45 minutes to an hour a day, following Cheryl Lowe's guide. We spend a lot of time reviewing declensions, exceptions and vocabulary (my son's weakness). If the use of a particular case is not clear, we review the underlying grammar: "Why is the nominative used here in the case of a predicate noun? Why not accusative?" "What words are translated in the plural but show up in Latin in the singular?" and so on. It's a lot of work, and only getting more so as we progress. However, we both feel inordinate pride when we translate a sentence like "Propter metum autem Chrïstï Rëgis et propter nömen Deï Chrïstiänörum Römänï Chrïstiänös occïdërunt." :tongue_smilie:

 

Writing: We began WWE in 2nd grade, using WWE2 and have recently finished WWE3 and begun WWS1. We also do a Bogart-inspired freewrite weekly. Revision is a big part of our writing approach. My son is of course required to "check" his writing once he's written, and then when he feels confident, I review it for errors. I tell him how many, if any, errors I found in grammar or spelling or sentence structure, and he has a chance to review and find them. If he cannot find them, I make a note to review that component and will test him on it during our weekly Friday test. If he can find them, we will put the paper aside. At a later day, usually a couple days later, we will pick up the paper and revise it--this usually means me sitting at the computer while he reads the sentences off; we discuss each sentence, its structure, whether elements are superfluous or need expanding, what's missing in the overall narrative....if he is unclear about why a certain sentence doesn't "work", he can diagram it, which often helps point out its flaws. We might do this process 1 time, or 3 times, depending on the length and difficulty of the narration.

 

Younger has a whole different approach: more gentle, of course...For Math, he is using Singapore 2 right now, and will do 2-3 pages a day, plus math games, discussion and whiteboard problems that I make up for him based on any perceived weaknesses. He has a fondness for word problems, so he will often work in CWP for a bit. Right now, we are focusing on firming up number bonds, and lessening his reliance on counting on his fingers. With writing, he is working in WWE3. His weakness is capitalization--which is to me an odd weakness, considering he completely understands quotation marks, colons, commas and more difficult topics. He has told me he just "doesn't like to capitalize". :glare: He also works on Evan Moor Daily Editing, which I think is a great supplement. (his older brother does too). He also participates in free writing with his older brother. Latin is Lively Latin, daily for 20-30 minutes. Again, review, new information using the videos, discussion...his grammar is strong so he can handle the concepts, for the most part. Obviously, his attention span is not as great as his older brother's, but he is still required to review old material and learn new material almost daily.

 

This was longer than intended!

 

I hope it helps others.

[Halcyon]

I killed the thread, didn't I. :glare:

[Colleen in NS]

So glad to see some stories starting to appear here! Thank you for sharing.

[HappyGrace]

No, not killed, it's just that the rigorous people are all homeschooling during the day and can't answer yet. :lol:

 

Anyway, thought I'd give it a bump for the "after school" crowd.

[MSNative]

Content reading and writing: We have each child pick a company or an industry to follow for the year. When they were little, they picked companies like Hershey and Mattel, now they are following nuclear and steel. We read any news stories that come up related to their chosen field. Then they write a summary about the article. Back when we started, I read the articles with them and helped them come up with a paragraph about it. Now they read the articles on their own and write full papers. This year they have started reading the same story in different papers so they can start being more aware of bias.

 

Math and science- I try to engage them in advanced math thought even if their math skills aren't there yet. For example, when learning about pi, we drifted into a quick basics of calculus discussion. I try to keep it natural with lots of visuals. Usually they catch on quickly and enjoy it. Plus it helps them see why they are bothering to learn some of the more boring bits of arithmetic. We do the same in science.

 

Where I have failed utterly - foreign language. Back in the day, I was fluent in French and German. Still have a decent grasp of both. Of course, I thought that neither was useful to teach my kids. We started with Latin then switched to Spanish. Both have been duds. If something has to go each day, foreign lang. is the first thing to be pitched. I have tried different curricula but nothing seems to click with us. The teacher of the local Spanish class I found has a worse accent than I do. Open to all suggestions.

[chepyl]

Content reading and writing: We have each child pick a company or an industry to follow for the year. When they were little, they picked companies like Hershey and Mattel, now they are following nuclear and steel. We read any news stories that come up related to their chosen field. Then they write a summary about the article. Back when we started, I read the articles with them and helped them come up with a paragraph about it. Now they read the articles on their own and write full papers. This year they have started reading the same story in different papers so they can start being more aware of bias.

 

Math and science- I try to engage them in advanced math thought even if their math skills aren't there yet. For example, when learning about pi, we drifted into a quick basics of calculus discussion. I try to keep it natural with lots of visuals. Usually they catch on quickly and enjoy it. Plus it helps them see why they are bothering to learn some of the more boring bits of arithmetic. We do the same in science.

 

Where I have failed utterly - foreign language. Back in the day, I was fluent in French and German. Still have a decent grasp of both. Of course, I thought that neither was useful to teach my kids. We started with Latin then switched to Spanish. Both have been duds. If something has to go each day, foreign lang. is the first thing to be pitched. I have tried different curricula but nothing seems to click with us. The teacher of the local Spanish class I found has a worse accent than I do. Open to all suggestions.

 

I love your business current events study. I want to add some current events to our study, I may start with that this summer with everything leading up to the elections.

 

I am bad at languages too! I took 3 years of French and 3 of Spanish, I can read and pronounce, I can interpret some, but I have no conversation skills. I think that 3 years of high school Spanish should have taken me farther, but I had awful teachers. It gives me no confidence to teach my kids. I like the CC Latin memory work because it is pronounced and repetitive. I plan to start actual Spanish next year along with the Cc Latin. I just need a good program.

[Embassy]

I don't know if our days would be considered rigorous, but some have thought so. I think these areas are the ones that others have mentioned at some point in time:

 

• In Kindergarten my kids have full-days. I combine school work and play by having lots of hands-on activities as well as things that might be considered more dull. As the child grows I keep the full days and replace some of the more time consuming hands-on activities with more focused study. My oldest is only in 4th grade and now most of his school day is spent in focused study (7.5 hours if you include PE).
   
  
• We are currently learning 3 languages.
   
  
• We use many different resources for one subject. The variety works well with my kids.
  

Now, these are the areas where I think we may be more rigorous:

 

• PE. I MAKE my kids get a full hour of sweat-producing exercise. They tend to have sedentary interests so requiring daily heart-pumping exercise is important for them.
   
  
• Science - My oldest loves science so we do spend a lot of time on science. I've mostly pulled my own things together and we look at different topics in depth. We have dual-track science this year with my oldest using a challenging curriculum for one track.
   
  
• Geography - We spend focused time each school year studying 2-3 countries and their cultures.
  

[MSNative]

I love your business current events study. I want to add some current events to our study, I may start with that this summer with everything leading up to the elections.

 

I am bad at languages too! I took 3 years of French and 3 of Spanish, I can read and pronounce, I can interpret some, but I have no conversation skills. I think that 3 years of high school Spanish should have taken me farther, but I had awful teachers. It gives me no confidence to teach my kids. I like the CC Latin memory work because it is pronounced and repetitive. I plan to start actual Spanish next year along with the Cc Latin. I just need a good program.

 

Thanks! Glad to know I'm not alone with the language thing. I beat you though. ;) I had fantastic teachers and lived overseas. I have no excuses. When you find the good program, though, let me know.

 

We homeschool just clowned me! ;) I checked your blog - Arabic, Chinese and Greek? Gonna go crawl into a small, very American only speaking one language hole. :leaving: ;)

[Colleen in NS]

I'm really enjoying reading these stories!

[justamouse]

A few things I've worked out in my own house.

 

Read the book. I don't care that you don't like it, read it anyway. There is no pass, if you tell me it's slow and you hate it I'll tell you that it will help you learn to be patient. ;) if you take over a week to read it, then that must just means that you really love it and want to spend time with it. Procrastinating doesn't make the pain go away. Finishing it does. ;)

 

We read the old books. I know, new shiny good books are coming out, and they are historically accurate and all, but we don't read them. They DO read them for fun, but not for school. Just reading isn't the only thing I want them to get out of it, I want them to develop an ear for the language, and for that ear to get progressively more fine tuned so that they can pick up the hard stuff and slip right into it without having to overcome the language hurdle. Because language is beautiful, and the more words you know, the better you express yourself.

 

Latin. Period.

 

There is no getting away from narration, dictation and outlining. They will make the rest of your life easier, yes it's hard now, get over yourself.

 

Cursive first. Always. I am SO PROUD of how gorgeous my 6 yos cursive, it's beautiful. Yes it takes me time, yes it's the 5th time teaching it and I'm sick of it, but it's been worth it.

 

Sloppy cursive is sloppy thinking.

 

When I don't take the time to teach it right, though it may SEEM to be OK, it falls apart later.

 

I just started all over again with spelling because I never taught them the RULES, I just taught them the phonograms and let them go from there because they were reading right away. BAD MOM. One of my biggest mistakes. Because they got to the big words, and now they can't spell them and stumble when they read. So every day we're at the table learning the rules. Even me (which, my laziness in not wanting to learn them myself is what got us here!).

 

Most of the problems that have come up in homeschooling have been the result of MY laziness.

Edited February 3, 2012 by justamouse

[Ester Maria]

Literature / languages: I make my kids paraphrase all linguistically complex things, in writing. One of THE best skills I have acquired throughout my own education, because it assures one understands, on a primary linguistic level, what one reads. It is excellent for old texts and syntactically complex texts. So, I make them paraphrase whenever I see their understanding is lacking, and I want that paraphrase in writing, with the syntax "normalized" and every word possible replaced with a synonymous one. It does wonders for one's linguistic development and I have always wondered why is this practice so absent in many academic traditions (but very present in the one I come from).

 

I do it in all languages and I want it in writing and sometimes orally right there in front of me. :D

 

General stuff: I accept only *concrete questions*. If they do not understand something, they have to be able to reconstruct the thought process and point what exactly they struggle with. Making them to do that alone typically makes them understand things. I have always emphasized the ability to form concrete questions, rather than general "I don't get it". I do not work with generalties, and whenever I get them, it is a sign they did not even attempt to seriously get it. I work with concrete stuff only.

 

Math: Never did anything which resembled fuzzy elementary math. Standard algorithms all the way. Later one continued on that path, one switched to AoPS.

 

Handwriting: If I cannot read it with a reasonable effort, you rewrite it - no matter what the length. Cursive first, and cursive only for written assignments, until they start typing.

 

Writing: Extremely detailed feedback for what we are working on and no-nonsensish. Not allowing "ambitious" writing if they are incapable of doing it, having them to small digestible chunks and then focus on concrete things that must be done to improve it.

[laundrycrisis]

Colleen, big smooches, thank you !!!!! And thank you to everyone who contributes :) I don't want to compare in a competitive way - I really do appreciate and feel inspired by being able to learn about what others do. Before I came to this board, it never would have occurred to me that young kids could study Latin ! I get so many great ideas from reading about other homeschools.

[Meriwether]

I have the hardest time replying on this thing, but I agree with that last bit that Justamouse wrote and wanted to ask a question. If you teach cursive first, how does that work when learning to read? It seems like that would make it more difficult.

 

I have a bit of a reputation in my own little corner of the world, but most people here would probably consider us slackers. I do insist on strong reading skills. Dd8 will read many books for me this year. Some are just for fun like Ella Enchanted (her book for yesterday and today). Others are chosen to stretch her. Ds7 will read fewer books, but he will be challenged with his reading, also.

[Colleen in NS]

...but most people here would probably consider us slackers.

 

Please don't worry about that, and please post your story here? :D

[justamouse]

I have the hardest time replying on this thing, but I agree with that last bit that Justamouse wrote and wanted to ask a question. If you teach cursive first, how does that work when learning to read? It seems like that would make it more difficult.

 

It doesn't phase them in the least. Not even a blip on the screen.

 

If you use The Writing Road to Reading flash cards (with the phenomes on the back that you read to them) they are in manuscript and they'll understand them just fine.

 

but most people here would probably consider us slackers

 

 

Pfft. I'm a slacker. Why do you think I'm having to go back and teach spelling rules? I get lazy. I have so many kids I'm teaching at once I get overwhelmed and have a pity party all the time. Part of life. ;-)

Edited February 3, 2012 by justamouse

[Jane in NC]

I have the hardest time replying on this thing, but I agree with that last bit that Justamouse wrote and wanted to ask a question. If you teach cursive first, how does that work when learning to read? It seems like that would make it more difficult.

 

 

My son attended a Montessori school from age 3 through 6th grade. Normally Montessori students learn cursive first but because so many students transferred from the Montessori to traditional public school, he first learned d'Nealian script. It was so much easier for him to write when they moved to cursive! And no problem with decoding.

[swellmomma]

We are rigorous for the kids particular special needs. I do not let them off the hook just because they have struggles etc. I expect focus and attention to be put into their assignments, lazy/sloppy work will be garbaged and they begin again. Other examples of rigor in our homeschool include

 

History: Particularily this year and next, not only are we working through SOTW3 (to be followed by SOTW4) but we are doing a focus on North American history, both Canadian and American. Learning how the 2 are interconnected/related and how the events occuring around the world during that time frame impacted the events in North America. According to other homeschoolers I speak to around here, apparently it is over kill and unnecessary to teach all of that in Junior High.

 

Math: They may be delayed in math but there is no slacking going on. They are each working at their ability level, using 2 different full curric. and suppl with LoF, games, activity pages etc.

 

Science: I expect my kids to really study bio, chem, and physics not just nature study. WHile I think nature study in elementary is the way to go, but junior high I feel that "real" sciences need to be taught and not jsut superficially scanned. In addition though we are Christians I want my kids to study science from both a creationist and evolutionary stand point.

 

At this point we have dropped foreign languages to leave room for more focus on composition which is another area they struggle deeply.

 

In the early elementary years I am not very rigorous, I subscribe more to a better late than early phil. but as they hit the teen years/logic stage I definitely ramp things up and increase my expectations quite a bit.

[myfunnybunch]

In our homeschool rigor isn't necessarily connected to a particular curriculum or grade level. It has to do with high expectations.

 

I expect them every day to put in their best effort.

 

I don't allow "I don't know" for an answer. That doesn't mean they are not allowed to say those words, it means "I don't know" doesn't get them off the hook. I will walk them through to the answer if need be, and prompt a complete and correct answer. I also do not allow "easy" answers to complex questions. I expect them to express themselves thoughtfully and completely.

 

I expect complete sentences, proper grammar, and correct spelling, always.

 

I choose my curricula carefully and intentionally. I do not dumb things down because they are children. I do not believe in busy work. I value my children's time and respect their intelligence too much to give them work that is not going to advance or enhance their learning.

 

If I can't teach it properly, I don't. I find someone who can. We have dropped our foreign language studies for the time being until I can find (and afford) a tutor in the languages my children want to learn. My long-term plan includes outsourcing math instruction above Algebra II and all high-school level science. Not because I don't understand it myself, but because I don't think I understand it well enough to *teach* it.

 

I listen to their ideas and encourage them to talk to me. About books, about things they want to invent, about time travel, about art, about the lint between their toes. I ask them "Why?" and "What do you think?" often.

 

Cat

[Meriwether]

My son attended a Montessori school from age 3 through 6th grade. Normally Montessori students learn cursive first but because so many students transferred from the Montessori to traditional public school, he first learned d'Nealian script. It was so much easier for him to write when they moved to cursive! And no problem with decoding.

 

We do use d'Nealian. Dd8 struggled with handwriting and is just learning cursive. I wonder if I should have started her on it much earlier.

 

It doesn't phase them in the least. Not even a blip on the screen. I'll have to seriously consider this with the baby. Ds5 is already writing, but I may move him into cursive soon.

 

If you use The Writing Road to Reading flash cards (with the phenomes on the back that you read to them) they are in manuscript and they'll understand them just fine.

 

 

Pfft. I'm a slacker. Why do you think I'm having to go back and teach spelling rules? I get lazy. I have so many kids I'm teaching at once I get overwhelmed and have a pity party all the time. Part of life. ;-)

I've read your blog. The term slacker doesn't come to mind.

Please don't worry about that, and please post your story here? :D

 

Well, I'm at the computer this time so I'll try.:tongue_smilie:

Dd is 8 so people around here think I am some kind of homeschool nazi. BUT she is in 4th grade. I have subjects that I completely let slide. I have subjects that we do fairly well on.

 

On a typical day, Dd8 will do a lesson in Saxon 6/5. Every problem. If she misses more than 3 the first time (she has to correct mistakes), she has to do an extra math assignment from another book. I had to do that because she was rushing through her work. She'd work a long division problem correctly but forget to put in the decimal point. Or, perhaps, she'd forget to do the second half of a two-part problem. She will read a chapter from her literature book and answer the questions orally. Last year, I had her write out the answers in complete sentences, but I didn't want to copy/look over/keep all those papers this year. Next, she will watch a video from Latin for Children B, do some exercises or some chants or some translations. She'll spend about 1/2 hour on Latin. She'll do part of a lesson from Shurley 4. We always get behind in English, but we do finish it over the summer. Three or four days per week she'll work on her Bible lesson. She'll do a few minutes of handwriting practice and a spelling lesson. We do the VP history but add in SOTW for the activites. We spend many hours on history each week. We are weak on science, spelling, art, music, and writing. Dd is a natural speller so I was really lax. Her handwriting was atrocious and difficult (I think because of her age) for her, so we got a late start on writing. It is hard because she is behind grade level in a few things but not really behind age level.

Ds7 will do a lesson from Saxon 3 each day. He will read one chapter from his literature book and answer the questions orally. He also reads one or two chapters from an additional book each day. If I have picture books or easy readers that correspond with history, he will read those as well. He does a video or exercises from Prima Latina and a few exercises from Shurley English 2. He does as much (or as little) in the other subjects as Dd8 does.

Ds5 does 3-5 lessons in Phonics Museum (first in K, now in 1st), a page in Turbo Reader, a Bible story, and a lesson in Saxon 1 most days. He does some history/art/science/music with the older kids but mostly just because he is around.

All the kids do some geography songs. They have a good general knowledge of countries and continents, but we haven't done a formal study yet. They all do an extra math curric. during the summer.

Some days I feel like we do too much and others I feel like we don't do enough. Mostly, I feel like a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. We do Latin but not Spanish - which I taught prior to having kids! - so language isn't really our thing. We do math every day and the kids are competant, but math really isn't my thing. There is nothing in our day that I would hold up as an example to anyone else to achieve "rigor".

[Colleen in NS]

I really appreciate all who've shared stories here so far - thank you! I have also gleaned quite a few very valuable gems on some of the "how-to's" of teaching - thank you, again!

 

Does anyone else have rigour/teaching stories to share?

 

:bigear:

[Sahamamama]

Can we tell laundrycrisis some stories about our own families? If you consider a particular study in your own home to be "rigorous," please tell us about it. What's your story of how you rigourize?

 

At this point, because my children are so young, "rigor" is something which I apply more to myself than to them, though my perspective certainly molds and shapes their daily lives. To me, rigor in any endeavor means setting high expectations, holding to these ideals despite obstacles and opposition, finding great joy in what is excellent, and committing oneself to ongoing personal challenge. Applied to academics, the goal of rigor (in my mind) is to grow in (a) magnanimity, through intentional saturation with what is noble; and (b) the ability to deal with abstraction, ambiguity, and complexity, through direct instruction and diligent practice. That, for now, is my working definition of "rigor."

 

What it currently looks like in our home is that I study! ;) But on some level, I think the determination to do well and work hard does "trickle down" a bit, even at this point. Here's the rigor that probably impacts the children:

 

Bible & Christian Faith: The girls must memorize Scripture passages, hymns, Bible facts, and basics of doctrine. We sing most of it, actually. We tell Bible stories with felts, and the girls must retell the stories themselves later in the week. One of my twins was at first so reluctant to do this. Was she shy at home with just us? :001_huh: Here, I will sit behind you and hold your hand. I will tell you what to say, line by line. Last week, after her wonderful (and independent) retelling of "Isaac the Peacemaker," she took her bow with a flourish! Later that night, she told me, "Mommy, I want to be a storyteller when I grow up."

 

Literature & Poetry: We read only well-written literature and poetry. If something is poorly written, I explicitly state this, as in, "This is an example of terrible writing, because...." If something is beautifully written, we point out what is excellent about it. We explain and define what we read. We read expressively, we allow ourselves to become absorbed in the story. All three girls read independently on a daily basis. Poetry is read aloud every day. They listen to audiobooks nearly every night at bedtime.

 

English: I don't allow sloppy penmanship. For some reason, I'm not subtle about this. "That work is sloppy. You did better last year in Kindergarten. Erase it and do it again." Gentle like a dove, right? :glare: For the record, I hardly ever have to say this. When the girls answer questions and give narrations, I insist on complete sentences. I also insist on clear, articulate speech whenever the girls read aloud, give a narration, answer questions, ask questions, recite a poem, retell a story, or sing a song. I do not allow an extra-grammatical "um" or "like." This has become an ongoing joke in our family. "Hey, what's with the extra-grammatical like in that sentence, Daddy?" We use AAS for spelling. What this means in terms of rigor is that when my student misses something (rarely), I never tell her what is correct. Instead, I make her review her rules until she works it out for herself. She has internalized so much with this program, and all the while, the twins are listening in... ;)

 

Math: We drill math facts daily (school days). We've decided to put the rest of Horizons Math in the trash can :banghead: and move onto Singapore. IMO, Horizons Math wins the Anti-Rigor, Busy-Work Award for 2011-2012.

 

Latin: This starts next year (July 2012) with Prima Latina for the 2nd grader.

 

French: We've learned some basic vocabulary, but French will ramp up a bit next year, using Ecoutez, Parlez; audio files on the web; a French-English picture dictionary; and a French Bible.

 

Geography, History, Science: This year we have read aloud in Geography and Science. We will add in History next year. For young children, the girls have a good grasp on what we've studied.

 

Overall Lifestyle: We have no television. We have no video games. We have very few toys with "buttons." :tongue_smilie: We do watch DVDs on our computer from time to time, and obviously I spend time here. ;) But, in general, the girls must be creative in their play, and they play with real things -- plenty of good, real things. No virtual worlds for children in this household. Sigh....

 

The girls have daily chores, quite a few of them. They do not balk at doing work, either school work, yard work, or household chores. Because of my husband's work and travel schedule, we often do school work on Saturday. We sometimes do work in the evenings, if there is something that fits into the time and energy we have available. We don't take many days "off." At this point, we don't feel the need for them. We have no definite daily schedule, only target times to guide us. We always get neatly dressed for school time. I can't wrap my head around the "classically homeschooling in our pajamas" thing, but that's me. :D

Edited February 9, 2012 by Sahamamama

[theguptas]

On my blog, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote up a "Mid-Year Report Card." My blog is private or else I would just share a link. Below is the key information about what we are doing this year.

 

I agree that I find it hard to have a conversation about academics and "rigor." Our girls went to school for awhile and most of our social circle started homeschooling from the beginning. I feel a divide or somewhat like an outsider as a result. The forums have helped in that regard, especially this forum. I like having an outlet; just wish it wasn't on the computer.

 

Anyway, here is the skinny of what we are doing this year and I hope I hit the target of what this thread is supposed to be about:

 

DD, age 10

 

 

• Math in Focus, Grade 4 (3 times a week) I recently implemented a "No Help and 80% correct" rule on all tests. She has a tendency to write "Help" on problems which is fine except for on a test. She's not happy about this but I see laziness. When I ask her to try again on a "Help" problem, she can do it. She just hates taking the time and hates showing her work. I'm trying to teach her how to study but I need her to meet me halfway and put forth some effort!!
  
• Singapore Math/Evan-Moor Daily Word word problem practice (5 to 6 problems, once a week)
  
• Spelling Workout, Level D (test on Monday, exercises on Wednesday, final test on Friday as needed)
  
• First Language Lessons, Level 4 (3 times a week)
  
• Writing with Ease, Level 3 (4 times a week)
  
• Typing practice (goal starting this week will be 15 minutes of practice each day. She has her own email address now so I'm guessing this is going to become easier.)
  
• Maps and Geography (3 times a week)
  
• Logic (3 to 5 times a week)
  
• Flute (practice 5 to 7 times a week, she's also messing around on the piano almost every day)
  

 

DD, age 7

 

 

 

• Math in Focus, Grade 3 (3 times a week)
  
• Evan-Moor Daily Word/Daily Math practice (alternating between the two, once a week)
  
• Spelling Workout, Level C (test on Monday, exercises on Wednesday, final test on Friday as needed)
  
• First Language Lessons, Level 2 (3 times a week)
  
• Writing with Ease, Level 1 (4 times a week)
  
• Pictures in Cursive (practices every day, her cursive is looking WONDERFUL! All those worries about her handwriting went out the window this year.)
  
• Maps and Geography (3 times a week)
  
• Logic (3 to 5 times a week)
  
• Piano (practice 5 to 7 times a week)
  

 

Activities done together:

 

 

 

• Story of the World history reading, Volume II (2 chapters a week, DH is starting to do more of this since it is mainly reading and discussing. It is easily done in the evenings.)
  
• Early American History (using an Intellego unit study as an outline, 2 times a week - working on Explorers now that Native Americans is complete.)
  
• Science (2 times a week - on a really, really, really good week but we started an Intro to Chemistry for which I spent a ton of time preparing and we are on a better track. DH is doing experiments on the weekends.)
  
• Artistic Pursuits K-3 Book 2 (1 to 2 lessons a week, 1 or 2 times a week depending on the lessons)
  

 

A Word about Reading...

Our girls LOVE to read. This has never been a problem. They can't fall asleep at night without reading. They frequently try to sneak away from the table to the bathroom, snatching a book along the way. You can often hear me yell, "DD1, are you reading in there?" DD2 recently responded with "She's totally reading in there." They read during breakfast. They read during lunch. They read during dinner. They read in the car. Get the general idea?

 

DD2 loves fairies and princesses, Junie B. I've turned her onto Judy Blume and Fudge recently. She likes Beverly Cleary and Ramona. Hmmm....mischievous characters. No surprise there. DD10 loves mysteries and historical fiction.

 

I've recently started introducing the concept of "assigned reading" and we are off to a slow start.

 

* * *

 

I prepare a document in Word each week. It's a table with everything mapped out, including our field trips. They have little boxes next to everything that they can mark things off when they are completed. I lay out several months at a time and am working on giving them goals.

 

In addition to all of this academic work, we do chores, the girls help with cooking and baking, household cleaning, etc.

Edited February 9, 2012 by theguptas

[Colleen in NS]

I am so sorry; I missed seeing these last two posts! Thank you for sharing with us as well!