Ignore this thread!

[Renai]

17 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Japanese kanji’s have two readings. The plain one which is used when the kanji is used in isolation and the “on” reading which usually matches or is similar to the Chinese reading which tends to be used when the word is combined with another kanji. 
 

eta:  the “on” reading of “te” is “sho” or “zu”. 
 

https://jisho.org/search/%23kanji 手

Japanese kids cannot read a newspaper until junior high school because of the number (and combinations) of kanji. I am a fluent speaker and studied Japanese readers through sixth grade and I would not call Japanese kanji  easy. Hiragana, katakana and romaji are easy. 

yes, I consider the hiragana and katakana easy. The kanji is fun, at least, I'm finding it fun in Chinese. I like finding meaning in symbols, especially when I know some symbol meanings already. I remember doing that in Japanese 20 years ago. Finding the common symbols and trying to figure out meanings (what word is what) when looking at the translations.

I am nowhere fluent in either Chinese or Japanese. I just find it fascinating, and continue to learn more. I know there is some crossover, but it's not the same when characters are adopted in a language. Interesting that one of the "on" readings of "te" is "sho," as that is the Chinese pronunciation. In Chinese, the hanzi (kanji) gives a clue to its pronunciation when combined with another hanzi. I haven't quite figured that out yet though. Probably because I have very, extremely basic hanzi knowledge. I know about 20 with instant recall. Only 3,480 more to go. 😅

[Jean in Newcastle]

18 minutes ago, Renai said:

yes, I consider the hiragana and katakana easy. The kanji is fun, at least, I'm finding it fun in Chinese. I like finding meaning in symbols, especially when I know some symbol meanings already. I remember doing that in Japanese 20 years ago. Finding the common symbols and trying to figure out meanings (what word is what) when looking at the translations.

I am nowhere fluent in either Chinese or Japanese. I just find it fascinating, and continue to learn more. I know there is some crossover, but it's not the same when characters are adopted in a language. Interesting that one of the "on" readings of "te" is "sho," as that is the Chinese pronunciation. In Chinese, the hanzi (kanji) gives a clue to its pronunciation when combined with another hanzi. I haven't quite figured that out yet though. Probably because I have very, extremely basic hanzi knowledge. I know about 20 with instant recall. Only 3,480 more to go. 😅

I find first and second grade kanji fun. After that, not so much. 😉

Edited April 25, 2022 by Jean in Newcastle
Typo

[Jean in Newcastle]

80 kanji are taught in first grade Japanese. 
 

160 kanji are taught in second grade. 

[Slache]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Japanese kanji’s have two readings. The plain one which is used when the kanji is used in isolation and the “on” reading which usually matches or is similar to the Chinese reading which tends to be used when the word is combined with another kanji. 
 

eta:  the “on” reading of “te” is “sho” or “zu”. 
 

https://jisho.org/search/%23kanji 手

Japanese kids cannot read a newspaper until junior high school because of the number (and combinations) of kanji. I am a fluent speaker and studied Japanese readers through sixth grade and I would not call Japanese kanji  easy. Hiragana, katakana and romaji are easy. 

Quoting for context, because I know you already know this.

This is why I'm so excited about this game that teaches 2,000 kanji. That's a huge hurtle to the language made much more manageable.

[Green Bean]

1 hour ago, Ellie said:

 

DH recognized this from his youth. I have not heard it before.

[Green Bean]

Y’all, I’m sticking with French and English, maybe Latin after we see how French goes! You’re making my head spin!

[Slache]

Just now, Green Bean said:

Y’all, I’m sticking with French and English, maybe Latin after we see how French goes! You’re making my head spin!

At least Latin is spelled logically. French is insane. And I'm dyslexic.

[Slache]

See? Junie knows.

[Junie]

11 minutes ago, Slache said:

See? Junie knows.

Wait. What do I know? That French spelling is insane?

Vraiment! 

[73349]

6 minutes ago, Slache said:

At least Latin is spelled logically. French is insane. And I'm dyslexic.

The logic of French spelling is that you write what you mean, not what you hear. (The same reason people hate English spelling, but French is much more consistent.) It helps to think of the pronunciation as a function of the spelling, not the other way around.

If in French main you were meant to pronounce the a and i separately, there would be an accent to show it, as in naïve. The primary rule, IIRC, for pronouncing a final consonant is "not really" (unless there's a vowel after it), and not at all if it's an s or a t. There aren't really a lot of exceptions to rules in French; you don't get nonsense like English's tough/cough/bough/dough.

I would've taken up Japanese if DS wanted, but Spanish instead is a relief. Other than verb tenses, Spanish and French are practically twins.

[Junie]

I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I'm hoping to be there before dd11 graduates.  Because my Spanish is at a decent level, I am finding it fairly easy to read simple things in French.  I don't know that I'll ever be fluent in French -- my pronunciation is not great and writing (including spelling) is tres dificile.

[Renai]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

80 kanji are taught in first grade Japanese. 
 

160 kanji are taught in second grade. 

In Chinese, 1st grade it's 400 characters/600 words (because characters combine different ways to make different words)

Double that for 2nd.

What I like about Japanese is hiragana is used to give pronunciation to unknown/uncommon words. I was able to read basic Japanese picture books fairly quickly because I knew hiragana. Chinese, not so much. There is either pinyin (Romanized alphabet) for simplified Chinese, or zhuyin (similar to Japanese kana) for traditional. Pinyin is a terrible crutch, but zhuyin is rarely, if ever taught with simplified, which has more learning resources.

7 minutes ago, 73349 said:

The logic of French spelling is that you write what you mean, not what you hear. (The same reason people hate English spelling, but French is much more consistent.) It helps to think of the pronunciation as a function of the spelling, not the other way around.

If in French main you were meant to pronounce the a and i separately, there would be an accent to show it, as in naïve. The primary rule, IIRC, for pronouncing a final consonant is "not really" (unless there's a vowel after it), and not at all if it's an s or a t. There aren't really a lot of exceptions to rules in French; you don't get nonsense like English's tough/cough/bough/dough.

I would've taken up Japanese if DS wanted, but Spanish instead is a relief. Other than verb tenses, Spanish and French are practically twins.

Oooohhhh, ruuuulessss....

[Renai]

6 minutes ago, Junie said:

I'm not fluent in Spanish, but I'm hoping to be there before dd11 graduates.  Because my Spanish is at a decent level, I am finding it fairly easy to read simple things in French.  I don't know that I'll ever be fluent in French -- my pronunciation is not great and writing (including spelling) is tres dificile.

I feel ridiculous because I can get Chinese tones (reasonably), but French pronunciation escapes me. Completely.

I like being able to teach ESL to adults, and understand things they are mumbling under their breath (like, about how to say something, etc.) when it's German, Italian, Portuguese, or Spanish, or any language that shares similar cognates. It's fun.

And on a completely different tangent, you know how I figured out when I'm listening to Korean? It sounds almost like Japanese, but it isn't. 😂 Same with Dutch. Almost like German, but not. I'm so weird...

[Junie]

I have been told many times that my Spanish pronunciation is very, very good.  It's kind of a blessing and a curse, though, because my vocabulary level and my ability to use verb tenses do not measure up.  I feel like it's almost false advertising. 😉

 

[Susan in TN]

3 hours ago, Green Bean said:

Y’all, I’m sticking with French and English, maybe Latin after we see how French goes! You’re making my head spin!

I would love to learn French but I would be ashamed to try to speak it, as I struggle with pronunciation.  German is more comfortable for me since I studied it in 7-12 grades, but I'm sure Germans would not appreciate my pronunciation, either, lol.

[Susan in TN]

Dd19 still loves to speak and listen to Japanese from the recordings Slachey sent years ago.  I can't remember what they were called, but they speak Japanese with calm music in the background and you slowly absorb the language.

[Renai]

10 minutes ago, Susan in TN said:

Dd19 still loves to speak and listen to Japanese from the recordings Slachey sent years ago.  I can't remember what they were called, but they speak Japanese with calm music in the background and you slowly absorb the language.

I didn't know this was a thing. I just looked it up on YouTube...

See how easily I'm distracted?

[Slache]

13 minutes ago, Susan in TN said:

Dd19 still loves to speak and listen to Japanese from the recordings Slachey sent years ago.  I can't remember what they were called, but they speak Japanese with calm music in the background and you slowly absorb the language.

Earworms. We listen to it while making Breakfast.

 

[Green Bean]

Can y’all pray tor my DS 23? Apparently he bombed some quizzes and is very discouraged.

[Jean in Newcastle]

4 hours ago, Susan in TN said:

I would love to learn French but I would be ashamed to try to speak it, as I struggle with pronunciation.  German is more comfortable for me since I studied it in 7-12 grades, but I'm sure Germans would not appreciate my pronunciation, either, lol.

I studied French briefly in college.  My teacher said that I was the only American she knew who spoke French with a Japanese accent.  She thought that it was hilarious. 

[Servant4Christ]

French made sense to me and made me really understand why English is such a difficult language to learn for many. French is all about the verbs. Everything after that just falls into place. Spelling wasn't difficult and writing and speaking weren't either. It was trying to think and have an impromptu conversation in French that was nearly impossible for me.

[Susan in TN]

(((GBSprout23))) 

[Susan in TN]

Good morning!

Pup has had his morning constitutional and I remembered to put out the trash bin, so now it's time to run to Kroger and try to be back before ds needs to leave for his cello lesson.  My Aldi doesn't re-open for another 2 weeks! 😭

Coffee!

[Junie]

Good Morning!

Happy Tuesday!

On Sunday I predicted that it will rain today.  I hope it does.  My knee is very unhappy.

(For me, I usually feel better when it rains.  It's the two days before the rain that are most difficult.)

[Servant4Christ]

EdPo: 

I'm beginning to think these aren't rabbit holes at all, but more like stops along my path while navigating through a labyrinth.

Today's stop: McGuffey Readers. Original vs Eclectic, what kind of content (because I noticed the Elson Readers have stories about both Santa Clause and the Easter Rabbit which are NOT happening here), and how this would look as a curriculum. They look a lot like R&S, but without a teachers manual.

Update: Moving on. I like SWR way better than the previews of McGuffey Readers for early grades and learning to read. Maybe the upper grade readers would be enjoyable as read alouds? Something to ponder another time.

I'm reading more of SWR today. I really like it so far.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Servant4Christ

[Servant4Christ]

I am having the BEST day! I even got a trophy from Slachie and she doesn't exactly hand those out willy nilly!

[Susan in TN]

Well, the day started out badly and has gotten progressively worse, so I think imma call it a day and go back to bed.

[Jean in Newcastle]

The cost of camp has almost doubled.  Sigh.  I hope that we can make this work. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Tuesday -

weed whacking session #1

(I can hardly type this, the muscles in my hands are shaking so hard.)

[Junie]

(((Jean)))

[Servant4Christ]

Gah! I need an intervention! I looked at BJU. No. Just no. Then, I just HAD to go and look at Abeka. I've always said, "I'll never" to both, but I'm seriously gawking at Abeka's pretty readers and simple to use matching TMs and saying, "maaaaybe?!" Heaven, help me.

[Green Bean]

Servie! Put down the curriculum now! Just say NO!

Come have brownies at my house. I’m well-versed in making things allergen free.

[Jean in Newcastle]

3 minutes ago, Servant4Christ said:

Gah! I need an intervention! I looked at BJU. No. Just no. Then, I just HAD to go and look at Abeka. I've always said, "I'll never" to both, but I'm seriously gawking at Abeka's pretty readers and simple to use matching TMs and saying, "maaaaybe?!" Heaven, help me.

OK - catch me up here. . How old are your kids?  Have you used readers/ reading curriculum with some of them before?  Did you like it?  Not like it? 

[Green Bean]

DS 16 and DD have new wires and DD has rubber bands now. She is not thrilled because she will have them for the next 18 months.

Dinner guests tonight. School is flopping today.

[Servant4Christ]

5 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

OK - catch me up here. . How old are your kids?  Have you used readers/ reading curriculum with some of them before?  Did you like it?  Not like it? 

Oldest is 11. I dropped reading as a formal subject and just allowed him to read read read over the last 2 years. I'm thinking I should add a formal reading/lit curriculum back into the mix, though, to cover the types of things he used to learn in CLE that go beyond just straight comprehension. We live in a high reg state. Whatever I choose needs to be low written output, minimal fluff, preferably high interest, Christian or Neutral in content, and easy to implement because Middle starts Pre-K this fall and Youngest will be 2.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Servant4Christ

[Servant4Christ]

Sorry for so much EdPo'ing. My brain just won't stop. Probably because I've had a LOT of coffee today to offset no sleep last night. Middle woke me at 3am and though he got to go back to sleep, I did not. 

[Wheres Toto]

Hello, I evidently never made it to ITT later yesterday or this morning.    It's been a bit crazy.

Last night older dd and I went out to dinner and the movies.  We saw The Lost City with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum (and briefly Brad Pitt).  It was hilarious, IMO.  Some spots were slightly raunchy but it was great.  

Today I met dd at 6:30am to workout, then 3 classes to teach, then working out with family this evening, then I will collapse on my bed which evidently is going to be in the middle of the living room. 

They are redoing my bedroom this week, floor and walls.  Dh mentioned over the weekend that he didn't realize until just then that our bed would need to stay in the living room the whole time and couldn't be put back in each night.  I knew that.  Our bed touches the walls on three sides since our "bedroom" is basically dh built walls around the bed.   The open side has my two dressers stacked on top of each other with about 6 inches of space between those and the bed and a 2x2 foot space at the door.   If the walls are wet (with paint or spackle) no way our bed can go back in.  

[Servant4Christ]

Slachie, since you already use Teaching the Classics, do you also happen to have their Reading Roadmap book? I'm wondering if it's basically a booklist of which books and how many to aim to read by age/grade level? If so, I may just order the DVDs/ workbook combo (and the RR book) and do it over the summer so I can practice implementing it before the actual school year.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Servant4Christ

[Clarita]

Hush y'all! Now I feel like I'm going to be on an uphill battle because the two main languages for my kids will be Chinese and English. At least numbers and grammar are pretty easy for Chinese. At least I totally think it is compared to English and French (learned in HS). 

[Slache]

5 hours ago, Servant4Christ said:

Sorry for so much EdPo'ing. My brain just won't stop. Probably because I've had a LOT of coffee today to offset no sleep last night. Middle woke me at 3am and though he got to go back to sleep, I did not. 

I love Edpos!

3 hours ago, Servant4Christ said:

Slachie, since you already use Teaching the Classics, do you also happen to have their Reading Roadmap book? I'm wondering if it's basically a booklist of which books and how many to aim to read by age/grade level? If so, I may just order the DVDs/ workbook combo (and the RR book) and do it over the summer so I can practice implementing it before the actual school year.

I don't have it. I really, really wanted it in the beginning and regret not buying it.

29 minutes ago, Clarita said:

Hush y'all! Now I feel like I'm going to be on an uphill battle because the two main languages for my kids will be Chinese and English. At least numbers and grammar are pretty easy for Chinese. At least I totally think it is compared to English and French (learned in HS). 

Honey, that is an uphill battle.

[Dianthus]

3 hours ago, Servant4Christ said:

Slachie, since you already use Teaching the Classics, do you also happen to have their Reading Roadmap book? I'm wondering if it's basically a booklist of which books and how many to aim to read by age/grade level? If so, I may just order the DVDs/ workbook combo (and the RR book) and do it over the summer so I can practice implementing it before the actual school year.

Look at last 2 pages of the sample here. I was just looking at a copy of the book. The list is a table that spans 2 pages and identifies the plot, conflict etc. I don't think there are any comprehension questions, just flipped through and saw many tables.

I don't know if I have the energy to watch 8 hrs of seminar. Is it worth it @Slache?

[Clarita]

3 minutes ago, Slache said:

Honey, that is an uphill battle.

Haha don't tell my kids that. I'm approaching like these are just like all the other languages of the world. My only saving grace is I have decent pronunciation in Mandarin and Cantonese. I just suck at vocab and am illiterate.

[Slache]

1 minute ago, Spirea said:

Look at last 2 pages of the sample here. I was just looking at a copy of the book. The list is a table that spans 2 pages and identifies the plot, conflict etc. I don't think there are any comprehension questions, just flipped through and saw many tables.

I don't know if I have the energy to watch 8 hrs of seminar. Is it worth it @Slache?

To me, as someone with no experience in literature and a very poor education, absolutely. It opened the door to conversations regarding literature and writing that I otherwise could not have had. 

[Slache]

1 minute ago, Clarita said:

Haha don't tell my kids that. I'm approaching like these are just like all the other languages of the world. My only saving grace is I have decent pronunciation in Mandarin and Cantonese. I just suck at vocab and am illiterate.

Me too!

[Dianthus]

10 minutes ago, Slache said:

To me, as someone with no experience in literature and a very poor education, absolutely. It opened the door to conversations regarding literature and writing that I otherwise could not have had. 

Did it really teach you how to delve in more or give you more questions to ask? I've watched some of Andrew's introductory talks and it seems basic to me, to identify plot, conflict type and find the climax. Is there more in the seminar? I have a hard time thinking of comprehension type questions, but I think I can identify the elements like in the booklist. I just feel it's another thing that I'll buy and never have time to do.

[Slache]

49 minutes ago, Spirea said:

Did it really teach you how to delve in more or give you more questions to ask? I've watched some of Andrew's introductory talks and it seems basic to me, to identify plot, conflict type and find the climax. Is there more in the seminar? I have a hard time thinking of comprehension type questions, but I think I can identify the elements like in the booklist. I just feel it's another thing that I'll buy and never have time to do.

Yes, it was worth it to me. There were lots of examples and good explanations and things that made you think. These are from the book. I cut most of them off on purpose, but you get the idea.

[Slache]

I put a baby game with a lock on my phone so he could run off with it without me being concerned, but now I'm stuck in the baby game. Pretty birds at least.

[Jean in Newcastle]

8 hours ago, Servant4Christ said:

Gah! I need an intervention! I looked at BJU. No. Just no. Then, I just HAD to go and look at Abeka. I've always said, "I'll never" to both, but I'm seriously gawking at Abeka's pretty readers and simple to use matching TMs and saying, "maaaaybe?!" Heaven, help me.

I never felt the need for graded readers after phonics instruction. I personally like something like Five in a Row in the lower elementary ages. Then good books with a curriculum guide or to for guided literature analysis in the older elementary and middle school ages. 

[Slache]

10 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I never felt the need for graded readers after phonics instruction. I personally like something like Five in a Row in the lower elementary ages. Then good books with a curriculum guide or to for guided literature analysis in the older elementary and middle school ages. 

Loved Five in a Row!

[Green Bean]

27 minutes ago, Slache said:

Loved Five in a Row!

Us, too! We still have DD’s (13) map she made when we Rowed Lentil! My older 3 still remember when we made a floor graph using all the stuffed animals to show Ping’s family.

I’ve tried Ping with Little Man twice now, but he’s still a little too little to get much from it. Course it might help to actually go to the library again after 2 yrs…

We live kinda between two library systems- one I have a card for and the other I keep losing it. Wah, wah, right? I’m so much more busy with the olders now that I feel like I don’t have time. Then I have to remember to make time to return the books. Plus, they never read the books they choose. Tying to chase Little Man down/around etc., while choosing books is not effective.

The adult section is all old boring stuff or too far out of their range. And don’t get me started on the state of the children’s section full of “Sally’s Two Moms” and other such garbage. Even the non-fiction is mostly junk.

So we don’t go.