"Stick in the Dirt Curricula": Your Teaching Breakthroughs and Oldschool Methods

[Hunter]

For those of you who like "stick in the dirt" curricula, what are your methods for making them work?

 

First I learned to color code the TM, when it isn't a friendly format. Sometimes I use symbols. I draw thick dividing lines, and number lessons, to break things up into daily lessons.

 

The second thing I figured out was that I needed to create my OWN student notebook and annote it with teaching notes. If a notebook isn't obvious or suggested, I need to figure out how to create one.

 

Thirdly, I just realized today, that my favorite

will work for individual curricula. I need a separate planner for each curricula I'm struggling to implement, and to go through ALL the big picture steps.

 

Have you made any breakthroughs that took you from a standstill to success? Do you have methods that have worked from day one?

 

What curricula do you consider "stick in the dirt"? Some of mine are:

 

Writing Road to Reading

How to Teach Spelling

How to Tutor

BFSU

Professor B

Grube's Method

Waldorf Block Lessons

[Amy Jo]

How ironic! I was literally just sitting on the front porch listing ideas for worksheet-free curriculum. Mainly because of your old-school Latin thread! (I have so many Latin books - hardcopy & PDF.) I also like to create my own student notebook, but I've never thought of color-coding the TM, with symbols. Great idea.

 

For simple curriculum I think of:

Spell to Write & Read

Practical Arithmetic, Ray's Arithmetic, etc.

Life of Fred

Ruth Beechick's guide books

Many of Charlotte Mason's methods (dictation, copywork, narrations, nature journals)

Donna Young's handwriting lessons in a composition book

Most vintage books: Grammar Land, Nutting's Latin Primer, Latin without Tears

Getting Started with Latin

 

This year I'm trying some curriculum that is laid out, with worksheets. While I like some of it, I'm not sure it's me. I crave simplicity and less paper-clutter. I love the methods of Charlotte Mason, with the simplicity of MP/LCC.

 

Thirdly, I just realized today, that my favorite

will work for individual curricula. I need a separate planner for each curricula I'm struggling to implement, and to go through ALL the big picture steps.

 

Do you mean use 1 sheet of paper for each curriculum (or each subject)? .... That's a good idea. Simple, quick, effective. :thumbup:

[Mrs Twain]

Memory work. That is as old fashioned as it gets.

 

If my curricula doesn't already have built in memory work, I add it to my Memory Work Notebook. For me, this includes history, civics, geography, and Bible verses. We practice our memory work for about 5-10 minutes per school day. It is amazing how much kids can memorize with that small of a time investment.

 

Of course, it is also critical to explain the concepts behind the memory work. I don't agree with rote memorization of information for which the kids have no understanding or context.

[justamouse]

I write out lesson plans for all of them. I do it in gulps, like three chpts of BFSU at a time. Then I split the binder in two, and keep all of the lessons/quesiton s in the first half, and have the kiddo use the second half for the answers/work.

Edited September 9, 2012 by justamouse

[Hunter]

I was almost relieved when my printer broke. In trying to accommodate my seizure related confusion, I'd been moving more and more away from my preferred teaching methods. Also I was dealing with some co-dependent behaviors that were sometimes less present when using materials written directly to the student.

 

The broken printer and the discovery of How to Tutor knocked me into some new methods. Slate-work was usually different from copy-work. Slate-work was like copying latin declensions. HTT uses the same methods for phonics and math, and I love it.

 

Professor B uses a lot of recitation. I'm learning the benefits of recitations rather than narrations.

 

Mrs. Twain, yes, I'm realizing when a model notebook page or slate-work isn't appropriate, planning a recitation and then annoting that, provides the VISUAL I need, to effectively teach the lesson.

 

Copywork and narrations just never worked for me, but the more rigid slate-work and recitations seem to work great.

 

I used some of Professor B today sucessfully, and the student said, "H*ll yes! Now THAT is what I'm talking about!" :lol:

[Caribbean Queen]

I have so many little things I vaguely plan to teach. I planned to teach my kids a Psalm but I never picked which Psalm, and then I forgot about it.

 

So, made a little form for myself that lists all I want to cover. Each term I have to fill in the specifics. My list says something like, patriotic song, memory poem, Psalm, Scripture memory, Bible book, artist, composer, exercise, handicraft project, art projects, ...

Each term I fill in the form and make a weekly schedule. Each day I post the day's lessons on a white board. My children can see the white board and expect me to follow the plan. This stops me from carelessly skipping those little Stick in the Dirt lessons.

[Hunter]

I write out lesson plans for all of them. I do it in gulps, like three chpts of BFSU at a time. Then I split the binder in two, and keep all of the lessons/quesiton s in the first half, and have the kiddo use the second half for the answers/work.

 

I'm realizing that intensive lesson planning isn't going to take more time than all the time I waste looking for the perfect workbook pages, or the student wasting time doing inefficient lessons.

 

The Amish teach me a lot. The Amish teachers often write their own textbooks for their classes, on a typewriter, and then photocopy just enough copies for their class, which is usually no more than 3 students at a time. The Amish that do use prepared workbooks are expected to complete each workbook BEFORE teaching it.

[laughing lioness]

Memory work. That is as old fashioned as it gets.

 

If my curricula doesn't already have built in memory work, I add it to my Memory Work Notebook. For me, this includes history, civics, geography, and Bible verses. We practice our memory work for about 5-10 minutes per school day. It is amazing how much kids can memorize with that small of a time investment.

 

Of course, it is also critical to explain the concepts behind the memory work. I don't agree with rote memorization of information for which the kids have no understanding or context.

:iagree:Yep. And lasagna learning. Layer upon layer. Read the book, watch the video, go on the trip, write the paper, memorize the saying or time-line or poem, show what you know, read more, go deeper.

[FO4UR]

Well, this is still in the "We'll see if this works." stage, but I took my copy of WRTR today, started at the beginning of the Ayers list and put all the words ds9 needs to work on into a doc. We are going to spend from Monday until this baby comes hammering down those words. (Using SWR rule cards, and my homemade phonogram cards.) SWR was a huge flop to get him reading, but now he's really reading...and his spelling is awful. He remembers 95% of the rules and phonograms so this will be the most efficient way to do an unpleasant subject.

 

 

(Yes, if you read my posts you'll see me raving about Apples & Pears for him. It was true for Book A.:tongue_smilie: His sister is using A&P still...:blush:)

[Hunter]

How ironic! I was literally just sitting on the front porch listing ideas for worksheet-free curriculum. Mainly because of your old-school Latin thread! (I have so many Latin books - hardcopy & PDF.) I also like to create my own student notebook, but I've never thought of color-coding the TM, with symbols. Great idea.

 

For simple curriculum I think of:

Spell to Write & Read

Practical Arithmetic, Ray's Arithmetic, etc.

Life of Fred

Ruth Beechick's guide books

Many of Charlotte Mason's methods (dictation, copywork, narrations, nature journals)

Donna Young's handwriting lessons in a composition book

Most vintage books: Grammar Land, Nutting's Latin Primer, Latin without Tears

Getting Started with Latin

 

This year I'm trying some curriculum that is laid out, with worksheets. While I like some of it, I'm not sure it's me. I crave simplicity and less paper-clutter. I love the methods of Charlotte Mason, with the simplicity of MP/LCC.

 

 

 

Do you mean use 1 sheet of paper for each curriculum (or each subject)? .... That's a good idea. Simple, quick, effective. :thumbup:

 

I'm learning a lot of applicable ideas from looking at teaching Latin again, and reading through the old MP latin articles. I need to find my copy of LCC 1st edition buried on my hard drive and read it again.

 

I'm going to look at all of your list. I just bought hardcopy Ray's Primary and Intellectual with the key, and am still figuring out what I want to do with them.

[Hunter]

I have so many little things I vaguely plan to teach...So, made a little form for myself that lists all I want to cover...

Each term I fill in the form and make a weekly schedule. Each day I post the day's lessons on a white board. My children can see the white board and expect me to follow the plan. This stops me from carelessly skipping those little Stick in the Dirt lessons.

 

Good idea. Student expectations are helpful.

 

And lasagna learning. Layer upon layer.

 

Lasagna learning. I like that. It's a catchy phrase worthy of using with students.

 

(Yes, if you read my posts you'll see me raving about Apples & Pears for him. It was true for Book A.:tongue_smilie: His sister is using A&P still...:blush:)

 

SOME students can send us places we thought never to go, or to return. I'm still adjusting and planning my game plan in response to the "Do Penguins Eat Bananas?" episode. We can have our THEORIES and default ways of doing things and favorite curricula, but then a certain student can just force us elsewhere.

[FO4UR]

 

SOME students can send us places we thought never to go, or to return. I'm still adjusting and planning my game plan in response to the "Do Penguins Eat Bananas?" episode. We can have our THEORIES and default ways of doing things and favorite curricula, but then a certain student can just force us elsewhere.

 

 

ds9 is that certain student. I strongly suspect he'd test as 2e if I could afford the testing. ;) He has asynchronous sub-skills in every area. He keeps me on my toes. :tongue_smilie:

[Hunter]

Donna Young's handwriting lessons in a composition book

 

Thanks. This looks good to work towards after finishing some of the initial work in HTT.

 

Splitting the page into 3 parts and copying the short sentences the same number of times each, would work well for us.

 

We still have a ways to go first though. For anyone interested, this is what HTT lessons look like, done with Spalding lowercase cursive and uppercase manuscript. HTT recommends using 3 lines of college ruled notebook paper, for each line of writing.