mathnmusic Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 What materials do you need to implement this as a full-blown curriculum at home? I've had these books from K-6th on my bookshelves for 2 years, and love the idea of using them to provide a well-rounded education for my kids. However, with a 3 year old and 1 year old in the house and general life busyness, lesson planning hasn't happened! I want to make Core Knowledge (CK) happen as a curriculum in our house and am finally ready to buy the materials necessary to do it. My friend sends her child to a CK school and I'd love to provide that kind of broad education in our home. The CK website lists several resources I've never seen in person or heard much about: Day-By-Day planner, Art and Text Resources, Teacher Handbook, and the all-inclusive Starter Kit. Which ones are really helpful and would you buy again? Thanks so much in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Here I just used library books, internet resources, and free online lesson plans to implement CK. Baltimore Curriculum Projecthas free lesson plans in all the subjects organized by grade level. I'm linking to those as you need something easy to implement and you can't get easier than their program. There are other free Core Knowledge plans online as well. I have links to some plans, particularly what I had not used pretty much "as is" from the BCP site, on my blog. I can say with confidence that you really don't need other materials but I haven't used them--hopefully someone who has used them will chime in. The NTK books are nice in that you have the literature and similar resources right there. I did 1st and 2nd without and purchased the 3rd grade book just for ease. So even it isn't a must. Though I really don't think other resources are necessary, I would expect having the artwork and music would be convenient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 What materials do you need to implement this as a full-blown curriculum at home? I've had these books from K-6th on my bookshelves for 2 years, and love the idea of using them to provide a well-rounded education for my kids. However, with a 3 year old and 1 year old in the house and general life busyness, lesson planning hasn't happened! I want to make Core Knowledge (CK) happen as a curriculum in our house and am finally ready to buy the materials necessary to do it. My friend sends her child to a CK school and I'd love to provide that kind of broad education in our home. The CK website lists several resources I've never seen in person or heard much about: Day-By-Day planner, Art and Text Resources, Teacher Handbook, and the all-inclusive Starter Kit. Which ones are really helpful and would you buy again? Thanks so much in advance! Well, here is my experience. But keep in mind, your family has little dc and my dc are similar age. Also, I live for buying books, lol, you may not. Teacher Handbook -- an absolute must, IMO. It ties everything together. It helps focus on the big ideas, has useful vocabulary, review questions, etc. Day by Day Planner. I got this (the print version) one or two years and it was sort of helpful in that it gave me an idea of how much time real teachers were spending on each unit. (Without it, I would have over planned, lol.) However, I didn't get it in subsequent years. It could be useful for the first year or so. Art and Text Resources. I have never got these. The Art reproductions sound pretty nice & convenient. I always relied on the internet, but if I'd had the $$, I would have got these. Text resources -- my personal decision was not to get these, because I enjoyed getting actual books, preferably illustrated, to read from. Resources you didn't mention: Books to Build On -- invaluable resource. The little poetry books, about $5 each. I got one for each child, so that they could mark up the poems for rhyme, assonance, personification, etc (at dc's ages, not all in the same poem!!). Before I got these I was typing all the poems.... The CK history packages, from Pearson, I think. My opinion (YMMV) was that they were overpriced and somewhat dull. Also, the teacher guide did not have as much background info as I had expected. However, I only got one set, at the first grade level, so take my opinion with that in mind. I have heard that the Pearson books for older levels are quite good. Also, since you have a 3 year old and a one year old, these could be a godsend! Sorry to sound so contradictory -- your situation and mine are different. There is also the CK Sequence, available in book form and on the internet (free). HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I have used the NTK books as the guide for our art and music studies and for history one year. I used them, the BCP plans, and the library and internet to make full years. I did really enjoy those years, and found that was enough for the once a week class I was doing on the topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnmusic Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Well, here is my experience. But keep in mind, your family has little dc and my dc are similar age. Also, I live for buying books, lol, you may not. Teacher Handbook -- an absolute must, IMO. It ties everything together. It helps focus on the big ideas, has useful vocabulary, review questions, etc. Day by Day Planner. I got this (the print version) one or two years and it was sort of helpful in that it gave me an idea of how much time real teachers were spending on each unit. (Without it, I would have over planned, lol.) However, I didn't get it in subsequent years. It could be useful for the first year or so. Art and Text Resources. I have never got these. The Art reproductions sound pretty nice & convenient. I always relied on the internet, but if I'd had the $$, I would have got these. Text resources -- my personal decision was not to get these, because I enjoyed getting actual books, preferably illustrated, to read from. Resources you didn't mention: Books to Build On -- invaluable resource. The little poetry books, about $5 each. I got one for each child, so that they could mark up the poems for rhyme, assonance, personification, etc (at dc's ages, not all in the same poem!!). Before I got these I was typing all the poems.... The CK history packages, from Pearson, I think. My opinion (YMMV) was that they were overpriced and somewhat dull. Also, the teacher guide did not have as much background info as I had expected. However, I only got one set, at the first grade level, so take my opinion with that in mind. I have heard that the Pearson books for older levels are quite good. Also, since you have a 3 year old and a one year old, these could be a godsend! Sorry to sound so contradictory -- your situation and mine are different. There is also the CK Sequence, available in book form and on the internet (free). HTH This is extremely helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your detailed impressions of these resources, and for thinking of what might be helpful with our kids' current ages. Thank you thank you! I've tried using Baltimore curriculum project's lesson plans, and also tried doing my own thing with fleshing out the Need To Know books with library books and internet searches, but after 2 years and no progress, I had to face reality: it just isn't gonna happen! Not while the kids are at these ages at least. I feel like the only way it's going to get done is if it's easy peasy open and go. So I'm gonna go for it and finally get these resources that will hopefully, finally, get us going. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 This is extremely helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your detailed impressions of these resources, and for thinking of what might be helpful with our kids' current ages. Thank you thank you! I've tried using Baltimore curriculum project's lesson plans, and also tried doing my own thing with fleshing out the Need To Know books with library books and internet searches, but after 2 years and no progress, I had to face reality: it just isn't gonna happen! Not while the kids are at these ages at least. I feel like the only way it's going to get done is if it's easy peasy open and go. So I'm gonna go for it and finally get these resources that will hopefully, finally, get us going. =) I tried CK lesson plans for a while and found that it was much more time consuming than I expected to adapt a plan for a class to a plan for 2 dc. But I wouldn't say that CK is open and go. I don't want to give you the wrong idea about the Teacher Handbooks. They give a remarkable amount of structure to a lesson that you have planned; the books do not contain actual lesson plans. The site has one or two samples, and you can request more detail; I think they still have a sales rep for parent sales -- I found the rep (years ago) extremely helpful. With your kids' ages, maybe you need a truly open and go program????? Or get the texts, Pearson history, the planner and so on -- that would make it much easier -- maybe the rep has some ideas.... I found that planning CK was such fun that I would hate to give it up; but not everybody is me, lol!!! You do realize that CK does not include full LA (as in phonics, grammar) or math, and you would need separate programs for those? ETA The planner might be perfect for you. I just looked at my planner from years ago, and I used it much more than I had remembered -- it's covered with pencilled notations about what I had done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnmusic Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 I tried CK lesson plans for a while and found that it was much more time consuming than I expected to adapt a plan for a class to a plan for 2 dc. But I wouldn't say that CK is open and go. I don't want to give you the wrong idea about the Teacher Handbooks. They give a remarkable amount of structure to a lesson that you have planned; the books do not contain actual lesson plans. The site has one or two samples, and you can request more detail; I think they still have a sales rep for parent sales -- I found the rep (years ago) extremely helpful. With your kids' ages, maybe you need a truly open and go program????? Or get the texts, Pearson history, the planner and so on -- that would make it much easier -- maybe the rep has some ideas.... I found that planning CK was such fun that I would hate to give it up; but not everybody is me, lol!!! You do realize that CK does not include full LA (as in phonics, grammar) or math, and you would need separate programs for those? ETA The planner might be perfect for you. I just looked at my planner from years ago, and I used it much more than I had remembered -- it's covered with pencilled notations about what I had done. When you say that you tried the CK lesson plans for awhile but it was time consuming, do you mean the Teacher Handbook? I'll go ahead and try contacting the CK people for more detailed samples, that's a good idea, I think it'll give me a better idea of what to expect. Also, when you say the planner might work well for me, do you mean the Day By Day Planner? Sorry to be kinda dense, I just want to make sure I understand which resource you mean. Are you still using Core Knowledge with your kids at their ages? How do you do it now? Do you combine the kids? Is it mostly done doing read-alouds, or do you print out the stories and each kid reads silently and narrates back to you, or something like that? Do you still purchase the Teacher Handbook and all the resources, or can you get by with less now? Sorry for bursting with questions, no one that I know in real life does CK and the yahoo group is pretty quiet. Feel free to just reply to only what you wish to. I so appreciate your feedback! I was looking through our Need To Know books last night, and was reminded how AWESOME these books are - my kids would LOVE to learn this stuff, it's so interesting and well thought out! We'd continue our own math and LA, but have been spotty when it comes to the other subjects, history/geography/science/fine arts...I am so excited about doing CK with my kids, I just have to figure out how to make this work around here since I don't have much time for creative lesson planning (ie. can't do late night google searches anymore for videos/pictures/stories - it made for a tired and grumpy mommy the next day!). Thank you so much for your input! As a seasoned CKer, any hints or suggestions you have are extremely valuable! Seriously, could listen to you, er, read your comments, all day. Please feel free to share more. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 When you say that you tried the CK lesson plans for awhile but it was time consuming, do you mean the Teacher Handbook? I'll go ahead and try contacting the CK people for more detailed samples, that's a good idea, I think it'll give me a better idea of what to expect. Actually, I meant the lesson plans that have been developed by CK teachers for use in a classroom. Many, many WTM people like these. *I* just had problems translating class to hs. I printed out a LOT of stuff that I never used. Here are some links: http://www.coreknowl...rg/lesson-plans http://www.ckcolorado.org/units.asp http://www.cstone.ne...BCPIntro2.htm��[i googled 'Baltimore Curriculum Project' but the page wouldn't load.)[/color] These resources were not around when I was starting, but they are helpful, IMO. The Teacher Handbook are similar (although the TH don't have Standards info). http://www.coreknowl...3&record_id=334 http://www.coreknowl.../curriculummaps Also, when you say the planner might work well for me, do you mean the Day By Day Planner? Sorry to be kinda dense, I just want to make sure I understand which resource you mean. Yes, I meant the Day to Day Planner. It has been 5-6 years since I used it and I had forgotten how helpful it was when I was starting out. Are you still using Core Knowledge with your kids at their ages? How do you do it now? Do you combine the kids? Is it mostly done doing read-alouds, or do you print out the stories and each kid reads silently and narrates back to you, or something like that? Do you still purchase the Teacher Handbook and all the resources, or can you get by with less now? Sorry for bursting with questions, no one that I know in real life does CK and the yahoo group is pretty quiet. Feel free to just reply to only what you wish to. I so appreciate your feedback! Yes, we have always used CK. When dc were in early elementary (both in ps), I did most of the CK literature, history, and science. I did not do music or art. Then, as they got to upper elementary (homework/activities = time constraints)., I did what I could. Now I am hs one dd, and I am actually going over some of the earlier material, but with different resources/books. I have always done a combination of read-alouds, age-appropriate reading (Books to Build On has a number of early reader suggestions), videos, audios (thank you, Jim Weiss), activities (model pilgrim villages and so on), filed trips, etc. Making things 'fun' is a function of after schooling, not an integral part of CK. I was looking through our Need To Know books last night, and was reminded how AWESOME these books are - my kids would LOVE to learn this stuff, it's so interesting and well thought out! We'd continue our own math and LA, but have been spotty when it comes to the other subjects, history/geography/science/fine arts...I am so excited about doing CK with my kids, I just have to figure out how to make this work around here since I don't have much time for creative lesson planning (ie. can't do late night google searches anymore for videos/pictures/stories - it made for a tired and grumpy mommy the next day!). Well, you could do a lot worse than getting a hold of a copy of Books to Build On. The selections are excellent, so you will avoid sifting through a lot of second rate books. Another criterion for inclusion in BtBO is that the resources be widely available -- so your library is likely to have most of the books. Then you can do read alouds -- make life easy and read some books more than once -- dc can benefit. If possible, get some books, not just the tCK text resources. Both my dc AND I love beautifully illustrated books, or even just the feel of a real book, whether or not it has pix. Use audio tapes -- Jim Weiss/Greathall books has a lot of history css, and his SOTW recordings fit in to CK nicely (very different approach, but still great). Thank you so much for your input! As a seasoned CKer, any hints or suggestions you have are extremely valuable! Seriously, could listen to you, er, read your comments, all day. Please feel free to share more. =) I posted recently on some thread or other about how I chose materials to suit dc. I remember Oceanography unit. DC had books like Olivia the Octopus & Chester the Crab -- she is an emotive learner (if that's a type?). Ds was all science & math -- charts and graphs of ocean depths, VanCleave experiments with currents and salinity. I did get some good book ideas from the teacher lesson plan, but it took some sifting. And I usually did an easy project or two. I remember Mesopotamia: a full size sheet cake pan + mud gathered by ds + river in aluminum foil + Playmobile Noah's Ark people, buckets, etc + a home made mini shadoof. Presto -- irrigation. I always kept the projects linked to one of the main points of the CK unit -- so we did irrigation, not the lovely Mesopotamian jewelry or food I found in various activity books. I kept projects VERY simple -- Mesopotamian laws were just a rolled up piece of poster board (with a pix of the stele of Hammurabi) that the dc wrote 'laws' of our house on. Now, we tend to use more videos and iPad apps to enrich. But, honestly, whatever works for your family. The TH will keep you focusses on the key points -- you can tie these in to your books, audios, videos, etc. The planner -- I am looking at my old one. Ex: Thursday/Hist/Geog -- "locate equator...." I pencilled in Hug a Globe (a stuffed globe we had. Very simple. For Oceans unit, I pencilled in some books, experiments. And so on, but I have to run now! ETA This is new to me http://books.corekno...ome.php?cat=365 Useful link http://books.coreknowledge.org/home.php?cat=304 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnmusic Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 ETA This is new to me http://books.corekno...ome.php?cat=365 Useful link http://books.corekno...ome.php?cat=304 Wow Alessandra, you provided a wealth of information, and interesting links to check out. Core Knowledge is so much more than just the What your __ Grader Need To Know books! I'm going to take some time to look through the links and do some research. I think we're going to start at the Kindergarten level, with mainly history, science and geography, hopefully progressing pretty quickly until we get to their level. I'll definitely get the Teacher Handbook (and will check out the Planner more). Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience, and pointing the way to go from here. I appreciate it so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Wow Alessandra, you provided a wealth of information, and interesting links to check out. Core Knowledge is so much more than just the What your __ Grader Need To Know books! I'm going to take some time to look through the links and do some research. I think we're going to start at the Kindergarten level, with mainly history, science and geography, hopefully progressing pretty quickly until we get to their level. I'll definitely get the Teacher Handbook (and will check out the Planner more). Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience, and pointing the way to go from here. I appreciate it so much! I am so glad to see the bolded comment! A lot of people just don't get that.... Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Isn't K12 based on CK? I have read math and music are terrible, though. I have never heard of a connection -- in any case, Core Knowledge only goes through grade 8. ck-12 is an another, unrelated program, an excellent one. It is very confusing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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