Switching to a main lesson book format - Waldorf question

[ELITEANDLOVINGIT]

I am consider switching our format for grammar and history to a main lesson book. I haven't quite worked through how this would look for Math, but there is just this huge part of me that wants to scrap most of what we are doing (because it feels like were all over the place) and use only the Story of Science as a guide for all of our lessons. Either way this lesson book interests me. I wonder how long do you utilize this format in Waldorf?

[Deee]

We're nearly finished 6th grade. We still use main lesson books for history and maths, and more or less for science and English. We began as Steiner homeschoolers and still are in many respects, although we no longer do main lesson blocks. For history, all DS11's work goes in the MLB - summaries, drawings, etc. Sometimes he writes the summaries, sometimes he copies them from my writing on the board. Sometimes he draws, sometimes we download pictures form the internet (depends on how we are going for time). We still cover history in time-period/country blocks, so we've just finished Rome and are looking at the Celts, before starting the Middle Ages. His main lesson book is less elaborate than last year (5th) because I am demanding more from him in terms of reading source material, planning the block, writing summaries, drawing maps, etc, so there is less time for pretty borders and illustrating each page.

 

For maths, his MLB, which he started in 4th grade, is his main information source. Each time we cover a new topic (we now use MEP), we write a summary and an example in the MLB. If he needs to refer back to something, the MLB is there. Worksheets are kept in ring binder. English is similar. We're having a year off formal grammar, so we've been a bit eclectic. He's just finished Vocab from the Classical Roots and has done the work in an exercise book. A summary of the root words, prefixes and suffixes has been placed into his English book (presentation book with plastic sheets). This contains his 4th grade summaries of the parts of speech, sentence types, etc from 5th grade and is his reference book. We also used Killgallon, and we did the same thing: work in an exercise book, summary in English book.

 

Science is a bit different this year. We've been working on earth science and have made lots of beautiful MLB-type pages on volcanoes, earthquakes etc, but they are going in a ring binder, along with his science notebook (A4 with punched holes) and his current work on physics (a mix of MLB-style pages, home-mad worksheets and prac reports). Last year science was all MLB, but the change to a binder seems more appropriate this year.

 

Something to keep in mind: pictures of other kids MLB are usually stunning. Remember that the goal is to educate your child, not produce pretty MLB. They do seem to develop a life of their own, and this can be a source of angst for both parent and child (and yes, that is my voice of experience talking!)

HTH

D

Edited October 23, 2012 by Deee
translation from Australian

[ELITEANDLOVINGIT]

 

Something to keep in mind: pictures of other kids MLB are usually stunning. Remember that the goal is to educate your child, not produce pretty MLB. They do seem to develop a life of their own, and this can be a source of angst for both parent and child (and yes, that is my voice of experience talking!)

HTH

D

 

I love that you mention this... I am sure this would so be me..:lol::iagree:

[Pen]

I am consider switching our format for grammar and history to a main lesson book. I haven't quite worked through how this would look for Math, but there is just this huge part of me that wants to scrap most of what we are doing (because it feels like were all over the place) and use only the Story of Science as a guide for all of our lessons. Either way this lesson book interests me. I wonder how long do you utilize this format in Waldorf?

 

 

I think MLB format works very well for at least parts of history...we do more history than we can put into MLBs, since an MLB is a lot of work.

 

At the b&m school, all MLB art was done by student. We use internet pictures of things, unless DS wants to do the art himself (and lately he doesn't).

 

A math main lesson book could be something like on Pythagorean theorem, it would give some history, and show, graphically and beautifully, how squares fit on the sides of a right triangle, and the relationship between the squares. It might have examples of problems, and then have an explanation in words also. It might have a picture that is supposed to be Pythagoras, or other art. The math MLB's I saw were very topical, not an ongoing resource like DEee described, but I think her idea sounds useful.

 

I've seen alphabet main lesson books, but not a grammar one. Early level MLB's might have a fairy tale (simple copywork) illustrated, or something about farming illustrated and so on. The grammar seemed to be in the written work, whether copying what the teacher does, or the child's own best efforts after assistance, not so much its own subject.

[happyWImom]

We use it for grammar, history and science.

 

The MLB for grammar/LA is good for copywork with the rules for parts of speech (dd does them in cursive, so handwriting prac., too), she underlines the nouns in blue, verbs in red, adjectives in green & adverbs in orange. Then, she will draw examples/pics, which she loves to do. Sometimes I will have her make up sentences. I also use it in conjunction with WWE & narration.

 

History, we do the MLB like notebooking. Lots of copywork, facts, narration. The same for science.