FairProspects Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 I love the concept of homeschooling this way and the descriptions of your process are very clear, so thank you. It is informative to get a look inside your brain. Of course, reading any homeschooling philosophy or how-to or how-we books always bring up more questions for me. 1. It seems to me like this works best for students who have mastered basic skills, such as older logic stage students. Is it possible to do this kind of a study with students who need major remediation of basic skills individually or who are younger and still learning basic skills? Is the unit study portion smaller in scale (maybe incorporating just the book and science topics, for example) to make time for the work on those skills? When I am spending most of my day working with one of the boys on the basics like spelling, reading fluency, math concepts, etc. I have a hard time seeing how we would incorporate something like this into our day. How has this worked for your younger or struggling students? 2. How much independence are you expecting for your students once the plan is established? How do you handle attentional issues? If I assign 30 pages of reading and leave ds to it, for example, 50%+ of the time it will not be done by dinner time, despite checking in, reminders, consequences or anything else. Do you have any children who have struggled with the independence requirements in this kind of plan? If so, what modifications (if any) have you made? 3. What if you have a child who is just uninterested in studying anything, such as a child who doesn't read for pleasure because it is hard and not fun for them? (This is an extreme example, but there are times I've asked my kids what they would like to learn and they just have no ideas or interest in much of anything at all.) Do you make lists of topics and have them choose? How would you get them motivated or started on a topic if they don't come to you first? Thanks for your time and thoughts! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 28, 2015 Share Posted June 28, 2015 1. It seems to me like this works best for students who have mastered basic skills, such as older logic stage students. Is it possible to do this kind of a study with students who need major remediation of basic skills individually or who are younger and still learning basic skills? Is the unit study portion smaller in scale (maybe incorporating just the book and science topics, for example) to make time for the work on those skills? When I am spending most of my day working with one of the boys on the basics like spelling, reading fluency, math concepts, etc. I have a hard time seeing how we would incorporate something like this into our day. How has this worked for your younger or struggling students? It depends on the child and what approach we are taking. For example, when my severe dyslexic was in 2nd or 3rd grade, he was really into bees and ants. We checked out every book on bees and ants that we could find and I read them to him. We had an ant colony. He made a little book on ants and bees with all kinds of illustrations and simple copywork selections. (I would create them for him.) With my rising 4th grader, she is not anywhere as impacted as her older brother. We are going to do a Narnia study and it will sort of resemble what I describe in the book, but I will be doing a lot of reading out loud to her. My rising Ker is incredibly precocious and she is always asking me to read to her. I will be incorporating her into my time with the 4th grader b/c they will both enjoy everything that we have picked out. It will be more of a unit study where only math and working with my Ker on reading and my 4th grader on reading and spelling are separate. 2. How much independence are you expecting for your students once the plan is established? How do you handle attentional issues? If I assign 30 pages of reading and leave ds to it, for example, 50%+ of the time it will not be done by dinner time, despite checking in, reminders, consequences or anything else. Do you have any children who have struggled with the independence requirements in this kind of plan? If so, what modifications (if any) have you made? This is so child dependent. I have had kids who could not manage 30 pages of assigned reading. Surprisingly, my ADHD Aspie would sit and read 200 pages without blinking. This is where YOU decide what what is appropriate for your particular child. If reading 6 pages is his max before he fades, assign 6 pages. If he could manage 12 pages broken into 2 different daily segments of 6, you could do that as well. It is also very age dependent. For example, my rising 4th grader does no assigned independent reading. We co-read. She might read me 2-3 pages and then I might 2 pages. For science and history last year I did all of the reading. For free reading time, I get her high interest books at a lower reading level. (she has read a lot of Kathleen Duey books b/c she loves her writing style. The Unicorn's Secret is one series she really enjoyed.) At the same time, I do start to shift them slowly to some independence. This yr I will expect her to shift toward more independent writing. For my dyslexic kids, spelling is a non-issue in their writing assignments. I do not make a big deal of misspelled words (otherwise they would never write anything on their own.) They write double or triple spaced so that we make corrections together between their lines. 3. What if you have a child who is just uninterested in studying anything, such as a child who doesn't read for pleasure because it is hard and not fun for them? (This is an extreme example, but there are times I've asked my kids what they would like to learn and they just have no ideas or interest in much of anything at all.) Do you make lists of topics and have them choose? How would you get them motivated or started on a topic if they don't come to you first? Thanks for your time and thoughts! I definitely create lists of ideas for them to choose from. I might take them on a special "date" where we go to the book store and library and spend time just the 2 of us looking through books followed by a trip to get ice cream to talk about all of our ideas. I do try to get my kids jazzed about ideas. If I am enthusiastic about things that I know they like (like Legos or Star Wars), I can usually find something that they really do want to learn about. I just need to try to think like them! ETA: There are a lot of distractions around me. If those answers aren't helpful, ask more and later tonight I will try to answer them. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 Thanks, very helpfu! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Where is this coming from? Is her new book out? I just googled it and got nothing. Eta: Never mind. Found it. Please ignore the blonde in the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wshyangmur Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I just googled it and got nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 It's coming from here. Totally worth the $6 and more. Timely as I'm trying to figure out next year. Thanks 8! :grouphug: You're the homeschooler I want to be when I grow up. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 It's in 8Fills signature. I have downloaded and printed it, but haven't found the time to read it yet. It's in my bag so it will go to the pool bleachers with me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 It's in 8Fills signature. I have downloaded and printed it, but haven't found the time to read it yet. It's in my bag so it will go to the pool bleachers with me. How many pages? I can't order until tomorrow, can't wait to read it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I have a question even though this isn't my thread. I love the book, but I'm curious how much you try to incorporate into a study. In the example in the book, you covered literature, history, and science. I'm working on a fairy tale literature study for my rising 6th grader. Right now it's basically just a literature course (very in depth but still just lit). I feel like I should and could add more disciplines to it, but I'm not sure how without it feeling forced. For reference, we are supposed to be studying the Middle Ages/Renaissance in history next year and I thought fairy tales would go well with that since most were orignited during that time and were orally passed on until Anderson and the Grimm brothers wrote them down. I guess what I'm asking is, "I've got a great fairy tale lit study going, but where do I go if I want it to be more or should I worry about it at all?" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I have a question even though this isn't my thread. I love the book, but I'm curious how much you try to incorporate into a study. In the example in the book, you covered literature, history, and science. I'm working on a fairy tale literature study for my rising 6th grader. Right now it's basically just a literature course (very in depth but still just lit). I feel like I should and could add more disciplines to it, but I'm not sure how without it feeling forced. For reference, we are supposed to be studying the Middle Ages/Renaissance in history next year and I thought fairy tales would go well with that since most were orignited during that time and were orally passed on until Anderson and the Grimm brothers wrote them down. I guess what I'm asking is, "I've got a great fairy tale lit study going, but where do I go if I want it to be more or should I worry about it at all?" First and foremost, there is no right or wrong answer. You incorporate what your family wants to incorporate. My kids and I have created plenty of "single subject" courses, for example philosophy of science and religion, dark matter/black holes, etc. Others have incorporated multiple disciplines like the example in the book. That really is the entire point. You make things work for you vs. making you and your children wrap around what someone else has planned. FWIW, my next project is to create a fairy tale study for my 11th grader for this school yr. I tried to create one for her in 8th grade, and I decided that the themes were too mature for her at that point. The Grimm's tales include a lot of s*xual themes that she wasn't ready for at that point. I will be incorporating history into the study, but it will not be her history course. The history will really just be the cultural history connected to the fairy tales. She will be reading Perrault's fairy tales in French as part of her French course and the French cultural/history associated with those will be part of French. (So for a 6th grader, it might be wiser to follow the path you are currently on. ;) ) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 How many pages? I can't order until tomorrow, can't wait to read it!! around 50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 around 50 Thank You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Can I order it if I'm international (aus)? I'm super keen to have a read! My oldest son has been doing most of his LA based on your old post, that I have printed, this year... I'm having a mid year re-plan this week so I'd love it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Can I order it if I'm international (aus)? I'm super keen to have a read! My oldest son has been doing most of his LA based on your old post, that I have printed, this year... I'm having a mid year re-plan this week so I'd love it! I think that it's US only , unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 8, Does the book address developing high school courses? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 8, Does the book address developing high school courses? Thanks! I hope someone who has read the book will share their opinion, but my goal was to present my methodology vs. targeting any particular grade level. The only thing I do differently for high school vs. the way I develop the course in the book is that I spend time looking at college websites and what resources they are using, as well as looking at the resources recommended by the professors for TC lectures and coursera/opencourseware courses. HTH 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 8, was so excited about the book that I forgot to ask how your D was feeling? I'm hoping that she's feeling better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I hope someone who has read the book will share their opinion, but my goal was to present my methodology vs. targeting any particular grade level. The only thing I do differently for high school vs. the way I develop the course in the book is that I spend time looking at college websites and what resources they are using, as well as looking at the resources recommended by the professors for TC lectures and coursera/opencourseware courses. HTH Yes, absolutely, the technique seems as relevant to high school courses as to middle school courses. Easier as they get older, in a way, I'd think, because you are less focused on building basic skills and have more time to explore interests and interesting content. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 8, was so excited about the book that I forgot to ask how your D was feeling? I'm hoping that she's feeling better. Thanks for asking. She was diagnosed with Lupus and at present we do not have all of her symptoms managed. She is still incredibly tired. But, my oldest ds also has Lupus, so at least it is a "wolf" we are familiar with. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Yes, absolutely, the technique seems as relevant to high school courses as to middle school courses. Easier as they get older, in a way, I'd think, because you are less focused on building basic skills and have more time to explore interests and interesting content. Thank you so much for responding. I am so glad to hear affirmation that it came across the way I was hoping! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickles Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I love your book. I have followed and read your posts here and used them as inspiration for following my kiddos' interests but the book lays it out so clearly. What a help. Thanks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickles Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Also I was wondering if you do separate spelling with your kids or do you incorporate it in with the writing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abreakfromlife Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I just finished reading the book last night and it is helping me revamp some of what I wanted to do for 9th grade. My daughter really likes unsolved mysteries - bermuda triangle type of stuff, and so we're working on incorporating that into a logic class, which I never would have thought about doing, and we're going to tie it into her geography class by studying mysteries from each country she studies. I'm so excited to think through this will my other kids. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 I've read it once. I don't have high school age kids, so please take this with a grain of salt, but I think the principles can be applied to any age. I have a first grader and I came away with a lot of ideas that I can put into practice in my own home and make work for my kid(s), our life and circumstances, and me as the facilitator. I ended up skimming a book I thought I might want to read to my DS just to see if I actually did right after I read Homeschooling at the helm and, luckily, I think DS will love it and I know have some ideas about planning a month or two of studies around the.book. It's The Water Horse and my DS loves sea monster stories and Scotland. Anyway, my plan will not be anywhere near the scope detailed in the book-but the inspiration and principles all came directly from it. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 Yes, absolutely, the technique seems as relevant to high school courses as to middle school courses. Easier as they get older, in a way, I'd think, because you are less focused on building basic skills and have more time to explore interests and interesting content. I agree. This is how I envision homeschooling but with LDs we are working on basic skills a lot longer than I had anticipated. I think it is absolutely ideal for middle and high school students. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Just bought it, and can't wait to read it! Thanks 8! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Also I was wondering if you do separate spelling with your kids or do you incorporate it in with the writing? LOL! If you could see my kids spelling, you wouldn't even ask! Yes, my kids do a separate spelling program every single day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 My daughter really likes unsolved mysteries - bermuda triangle type of stuff, and so we're working on incorporating that into a logic class, which I never would have thought about doing, and we're going to tie it into her geography class by studying mysteries from each country she studies. Those are awesome ideas! I love it! I think DS will love it and I know have some ideas about planning a month or two of studies around the.book. It's The Water Horse and my DS loves sea monster stories and Scotland. Anyway, my plan will not be anywhere near the scope detailed in the book-but the inspiration and principles all came directly from it. :) But, oh so fun! It is the way we start and they grow into the process. I hope you have a great experience and that he really enjoys it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 8Fills - Thank you!! :wub: I've worked on a few books this summer, for myself before starting next year's detailed plans. Which I've thus far been successful at avoiding. Our super busy dance season is winding down and I just finished Helm yesterday. (In the back of a swing dance club. LOL) Those 50-some pages set me in a better place to start that list of plans than anything else did. I'm looking forward to getting started this week. :001_smile: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 8Fills - Thank you!! :wub: I've worked on a few books this summer, for myself before starting next year's detailed plans. Which I've thus far been successful at avoiding. Our super busy dance season is winding down and I just finished Helm yesterday. (In the back of a swing dance club. LOL) Those 50-some pages set me in a better place to start that list of plans than anything else did. I'm looking forward to getting started this week. :001_smile: Thank you for such a wonderful compliment. It always makes me happy to know that I have been able to help someone feel more empowered in their homeschooling. :001_smile: What a great start to my day! (which also needs to be spent planning) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Please, oh please may we have an international edition? I'll be your best friend:) D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 8Filltheheart: Question about ordering- I live abroad, but I do maintain a US credit card with a US boiling address. Can I order through your site? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 8, thank you for this book!! It has opened wide a door that I was just beginning to crack. I am looking forward to developing courses with and for my kids! We have done just a bit of this in our homeschool journey and I expect to do lots more. Your description of the process will give me a great foundation. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Just bumping this thread. I read it and its really excellent, thank you 8fth! I read it on my kindle and ended up printing it too to mark up. I found it so inspiring! I do have a couple of questions, if that's ok? 1. Do you follow this kind of a process for all the subjects (except maths etc.), for example in the book you had history/literature/science and said they only did math, Latin and religion as well that year. Is that typical? If you only encompassed say science/literature would you repeat the process again (same year same child) for history if they wanted something that wouldn't work to combine? 2. How much time (and when?! Summer?) Do you set aside to actually do all this planning? Would you estimate for example 15 hours over a 2 week period, per unit/child? I knowthis will be so dependent but if you were thinking you need to start planning, how much time would you generally block out? 3. What do you do with tour kids while you're planning? 4. How much of the works do you pre read? 5. I'd love some more info on the setting up notebooks thing. I'd totally understand if you put the answers in a faq in a new edition, I'd buy it again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Eta, for #2, do you plan more than one unit at a time? Like at the store/library would you be looking for 8th grade cartography & 5th grade volcanos? Or just focus on one at a time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleGreen Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I am about 3/4 through and really enjoying it. I will be honest and say I am not sure I feel intelligent enough to pull this off! The connections you make in your sample are pretty impressive. I don't feel like I am versed enough in the breadth of topics you are to even begin to link together those topics. That said, it is inspiring me to plan a conversation with my rising 6th grader to see if we can generate some ideas to explore. I really think this particular child would love this. I did something similar on a much smaller scale last year with decent results, but I totally missed the strong student input piece that i think is paramount to this concept. Reading this book has ignited a desire to put this type of education back in the forefront of our school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleGreen Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Coming back to say my child and I just had a quick discussion about topics of interest to pursue, and said child had some immediate responses. Fever 1793 was a very enjoyed book from last year, so this child said learning more about plagues would be of interest. The other potential topic that my child wanted to explore was disasters (Titanic, Hindenburg) were what came to mind because of some independent reading from last year. I think these are both pretty macabre, but I am willing to do some investigating and see if I can get the wheels turning. They both seem both narrow and broad at the same time! Hmm, off to ponder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Coming back to say my child and I just had a quick discussion about topics of interest to pursue, and said child had some immediate responses. Fever 1793 was a very enjoyed book from last year, so this child said learning more about plagues would be of interest. The other potential topic that my child wanted to explore was disasters (Titanic, Hindenburg) were what came to mind because of some independent reading from last year. I think these are both pretty macabre, but I am willing to do some investigating and see if I can get the wheels turning. They both seem both narrow and broad at the same time! Hmm, off to ponder. Apple, I loved those topics at that age! Your child is so fortunate to get to do this with you. Has anybody who has already read this also read Engaging Ideas? I would love to hear thoughts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Apple, I loved those topics at that age! Your child is so fortunate to get to do this with you. Has anybody who has already read this also read Engaging Ideas? I would love to hear thoughts. Me! Engaging Ideas transformed the way I think about teaching writing, how to incorporate writing tasks into all subjects, and ideas for writing across the curriculum. Homeschooling at the Helm helped me really see how to pull together an integrated study and write lesson plans for it. They cover different topics, but in a complementary spirit. Engaging Ideas is written to college profs, but it is relevant at the middle school and especially high school levels as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleGreen Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Apple, I loved those topics at that age! Your child is so fortunate to get to do this with you. Has anybody who has already read this also read Engaging Ideas? I would love to hear thoughts. Engaging Ideas is on my night stand! I started at the end of last year, then put it aside when our then 8th grader gave school a try. I am pulling it back to the top of the pile (oh, the pile!) to try and get through before the beginning of the year. Based on what I remember from first chapter, it will go along with Helm quite nicely. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Bump! Ouch, engaging ideas isn't cheap! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaChicken Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 This is timely. I am working on planning a unit study for the first time. Would this help me plan, say, a unit study on baseball that focuses on science, math, and geography? So far I have a list of resources and projects.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 This is timely. I am working on planning a unit study for the first time. Would this help me plan, say, a unit study on baseball that focuses on science, math, and geography? So far I have a list of resources and projects.... Yep, it would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Bump! Ouch, engaging ideas isn't cheap! Yes, but think of all the money you would save on writing programs if you could really embrace the idea of writing across the curriculum! Not that it's saved me much $$, I must confess. ;) :D 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Waaaay too late Chrysalis Academy... :D 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Just bumping this thread. I read it and its really excellent, thank you 8fth! I read it on my kindle and ended up printing it too to mark up. I found it so inspiring! I do have a couple of questions, if that's ok? 1. Do you follow this kind of a process for all the subjects (except maths etc.), for example in the book you had history/literature/science and said they only did math, Latin and religion as well that year. Is that typical? If you only encompassed say science/literature would you repeat the process again (same year same child) for history if they wanted something that wouldn't work to combine? 2. How much time (and when?! Summer?) Do you set aside to actually do all this planning? Would you estimate for example 15 hours over a 2 week period, per unit/child? I knowthis will be so dependent but if you were thinking you need to start planning, how much time would you generally block out? 3. What do you do with tour kids while you're planning? 4. How much of the works do you pre read? 5. I'd love some more info on the setting up notebooks thing. I'd totally understand if you put the answers in a faq in a new edition, I'd buy it again! Sorry I haven't had a chance to reply before now. I have been crazy busy trying to get ready for our new school year which starts in a little over a week. 1. Do you follow this kind of a process for all the subjects (except maths etc.), for example in the book you had history/literature/science and said they only did math, Latin and religion as well that year. Is that typical? If you only encompassed say science/literature would you repeat the process again (same year same child) for history if they wanted something that wouldn't work to combine? It really depends on the child, their age, and their interests. For example, for my 11th grader this year, the answer is yes. One of the reasons I am scrambling is because she just decided she wants to take an anthropology course this year instead of American history (which I had already planned.) So for her alone, this year I will have created a fairy tale study for literature, a linguistics course, and now an anthropology course. Her other classes, French, Russian, math, and a book study built around City of God are all either through tutors or provider/curriculum. (In case anyone is interested, the anthropology course grew out of investigating possible careers/majors. She is now wondering if she might like to pursue linguistic anthropology. So this is a year of exploration before college apps next year.) For my 8th grader, we are doing a LOTR study. She decided she wanted to do all three Plato courses this year for science (life/earth/physical), so her course design is limited to history and literature. Her other subjects are math, Latin, and religion. My 4th grader and I also did a major U-turn. I had planned on doing a Chronicles of Narnia study with her. She decided she wanted to study American history, so we are going to Narnia next year and do Little House on the Prairie instead. Her cross studies will be mostly history and literature with some of her science topics interwoven. Since science is completely flexible from our perspective at this age, it is easy to adapt and add in whatever topics we want, when we want. For all of them, writing assignments are across curriculum. 2. How much time (and when?! Summer?) Do you set aside to actually do all this planning? Would you estimate for example 15 hours over a 2 week period, per unit/child? I know this will be so dependent but if you were thinking you need to start planning, how much time would you generally block out?Eta, for #2, do you plan more than one unit at a time? Like at the store/library would you be looking for 8th grade cartography & 5th grade volcanos? Or just focus on one at a time? I do plan during the summer. When I first started doing it, it did take me longer than it does now. I would block out a couple of weeks to create one major unit. Now I can typically do it over a couple weeks just a couple of hours per day. But that is really just an average. The fairy tale study I am putting together for my dd has actually taken me a huge amount of time. I actually stopped working on it so I could finish my other kids' plans before I go back to it. I have finished the younger 2 kids, so now I am back to planning hers. Finding appropriate resources for the fairy tale study has been my biggest challenge. "Trust your sources" is a key component to how I design my courses. For the linguistics and anthropology courses, for example, we are using TC lectures to wrap her readings around. That helps significantly. For the fairy tale study, I am pre-reading a large number for books on the subject and some are pathetic and not worth our time. It is also a subject I know absolutely nothing about. The more I read, the more rabbit trails I am discovering and I am trying to decide which direction we should take. On the flip side, I have taught some sort of LOTR study to 3 of my older children. Building that course around a child's particular interests has become rather easy. I absolutely keep all of my kids in mind when I am searching for materials. I might concentrate more on one at a time (typically oldest down), but when I am standing in the science section of a bookstore, yes, I am going to browse multiple topics at a time. 3. What do you do with tour kids while you're planning? I do not start this process until they are at least in 3rd grade. By that age, they are old enough to help with littler ones. When I had a lot of younger kids, I often did planning on during nap time, after dinner, and on weekends when dh was home. Now that I don't have any really little ones, they are on autopilot and entertain themselves. 4. How much of the works do you pre read? It depends on the subject. Using a Homeschooling at the Helm example, I would not have pre-read all of A World Undone before the school year. Reading a few of chpts was enough to determine if it was on the appropriate level and if I thought we could just plan it as we went along. But, WWI is a subject that I am familiar with and easier for me to quantify where I want to go. The fairy tale study I am creating, I am going in completely blind. I know nothing about them. I am having to create my own framework and systematic breakdown of how we are going to approach the topic. Those books I am pre-reading almost entirely. 5. I'd love some more info on the setting up notebooks thing. This is nothing extraordinary. They like to decorate their notebooks with themes, either drawing or printing up images. They divide them into sections (for example, vocab, timeline, historical figures, literary elements, personal notes, etc.) I am sorry. I am out of time and have to leave the house in 5 mins. (I am not exaggerating about how crazy my life has been the past several days.) I dont' have time to proofread. I hope my response makes sense. If you have more questions, feel free to ask some more and I will try to find more time to respond. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 8Filltheheart- thank you so much, you're a real gem! I very much appreciate you taking the time to answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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