Results tagged “Story of the World” from Learn at Every Turn - Creative, Enriched Homeschooling

Ah yes, do you feel that summer heat radiating off of every inch of your body? It must be time to plan next year's curriculum. I  should preface the next three posts with two remarks.

First, starting in mid-August, I will be acting as an editor for Moving Beyond the Page. In return, they will provide free curriculum to the boys.

Second, I am learning to approach curriculum in a more relaxed way. What follows would best be described as a list of resources from which I will draw, rather than a detailed plan for next year. I'm learning that an open-ended approach produces the better results for all.

Landry is nine years old and enrolled in fourth grade, but his curriculum will meet fifth grade standards.

Math: For the past year, Singapore Math has worked well for us. Landry will start with 5A and B in August. However, having seen these materials, I wonder if they will be enough. I suspect we will either have to go on to 6A and B, or find new materials at some point in the year.

As a homeschooling parent, my weakness is information that must be memorized. I just don't enjoy drilling on rote memorization. Landry has an excellent grasp of the concepts of multiplication and division. At the same time, Landry needs to memorize these facts. He will continue with Timez Attack, and I will continue to look for fun ways to accomplish this relatively monotonous task.

Science: Moving Beyond the Page includes a science curriculum, so that will provide a jumping off point. However, science proves challenging for me because the boys are advanced in this subject. I am looking into a private science class taught by a teacher familiar with gifted students. If that fails to prove a good fit for us, I will continue with homeschool classes twice a month at the Lawrence Hall of Science. I think I will also continue to use the Private Eye materials as time permits because the hands-on nature of these materials makes a nice change and because they provide a useful bridge to other subject areas for my science-oriented sons.

I am less concerned about planning science than other subjects because our lives naturally provide many opportunities to learn in this area. I'm more at ease with something akin to child-directed learning on this subject. We have ample resources lying about the house, and Jerry really enjoys watching documentaries and internet videos and them with the boys. 

Foreign Language: Landry will continue with Spanish through Rosetta Stone.

Social Studies/History:  Here again, Moving Beyond the Page provides a social studies curriculum. Still, I feel remiss without attempting to give Landry a sense of world history and also to try to bring history alive for him. We will continue to listen to Story of the World audiobooks in the car on long drives. When we finish that, I would like to take a closer look at Joy Hakim's Story of US. I'm also researching local history tours and living history days to add some variety. I will also be researching games like Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego to strength Landry's geographical knowledge.

Language Arts: I really like the literature units provided by Moving Beyond the Page. The literature he will read is first rate, and the activities are well designed. I don't feel the need to add anything to this aspect of Landry's curriculum. These units will also provide Landry ample opportunity for writing.

While MBtP does include grammar and spelling components, I think Landry needs more. For that reason, I'm returning to Spell Connections and Write Source. I'm not fond of workbooks, but I will say that Landry seemed to have a better grasp of these subjects when we were using these texts. As a side note, Landry does well when left to his own devices with workbooks. I'm hoping that will buy me one-on-one time to spend with the younger boys.

I'm adding something new to Landry's curriculum. Words on the Vine will introduce him to Latin and Greek word roots. I loved this sort of thing when I was in school. Landry seems to have my love of language and writing, so I'm hoping he will enjoy this. 

Art: Landry will get some art through the Moving Beyond the Page materials. However, I have a few more resources I would like to explore. The boys have done various projects listed on the Art Projects for Kids blog this summer, and I've been delighted to see how they are expanding their skills artistically. I would love to continue to incorporate those projects into our curriculum. On my shelf, I also have Discovering Great Artists and How to Teach Art to Children, Grades 1-6. The former gives biographical information about well known artists and art projects related to their style of work. The latter provides a more technical understanding of the elements of art. Finally, I am also curious about a website called Meet the Masters, which provides technical and historical online art instruction for a fee. Because it's online, I think the boys may take a greater interest in it.   

P.E.: Landry has earned his orange/yellow belt and will continue with bok fu in the fall.

Music: Landry will resume piano lessons in mid-September.

This seems like quite a lot. However, if I can, I would also like to find a fun way for Landry to improve his keyboarding skills. He really loves to write stories if he can type. I can't imagine how much he would enjoy it if he did not have to use the hunt-and-peck method.

I am also researching several short educational trips for the family about which I will post when they are definite. However, this is where we will start in August. Where Landry will go remains to be seen.

Spring has arrived, so we are outside every moment possible. I didn't realize how much time has passed since I last posted. Then again, that may be a good thing.

I am starting to organize my thoughts about next year's curriculum. Kipp will be enrolled in 2nd grade and Landry in 4th, so I got a copy of the state requirements for 3rd and 5th grade while at the charter last week.

I skimmed the requirements and found little, if anything, that will be new or challenging for the boys. Landry will need some American history, but that is about it. In particular, the science requirements are pitiful.

From my reading, I drew two conclusions. First, I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to home school my sons and go wherever they are ready to go, academically. What a shame to think that something as amazing as the human mind in its youngest stages may not be given every opportunity to be appropriately challenged and to grow. What a loss to the children, and what a loss to us.

Second, I feel a sense of almost complete freedom in setting up next year's curriculum. I will not look at the requirements a second time, but will be guided by what I think is best for each son. I suppose for those who are completely independent of the state, my feelings are pretty commonplace. However, I think it's a very positive step in our journey that I am able to feel this way.

Looking beyond the statement requirements, I have been thinking about what is working well currently. I'm delighted to write that several things should not change.

(1) Singapore Math - The boys respond well to this series. Singapore does not rely on endless repetition of new concepts. Instead, they move through a broad range of concepts quickly, but thoroughly review often. This suits the boys, and we will definitely continue.

(2) Rosetta Stone - I often use Rosetta Stone as a fill-in activity. If two boys need me at once, I ask one to work on Spanish for 15 to 20 minutes to buy me time to help the other son. And I leave the boys to their own devices with Rosetta Stone. I rarely interfere beyond checking to see that they are moving forward. Despite my lax attitude, I'm often shocked at the sentences the boys can now understand with ease. I took Spanish in elementary school, through all four years of high school, and in college, yet I suspect their comprehension is approaching what I had in high school or college. So, we will definitely continue with Rosetta Stone.

(3) Story of the World - We listen to these stories in the car as we drive to activities, and the boys just love them. More importantly, I hear them using information and ideas gained from the stories in other situations, which tells me that they are making the information their own. So, in one form or another, we will continue with this series.

(4) piano - The boys continue to progress with their piano and like it. I had the most amazing experience recently. Our piano is in the room that opens on to our patio. I was working in the ornamental bed next to the patio, when Landry's music came drifting through the open window. The moment was surreal. Not only was the sound beautiful, but so was the realization that a person that I brought into this world could make something so lovely. Wow! So, piano will remain part of our curriculum.  

(5) bok fu - The boys continue to love their martial arts class and are rapidly approaching their orange/yellow belts. I like that my very energetic sons get a short lesson in discipline each week and are learning to defend themselves. So, we will continue to make our weekly drive for their 45-minute lesson.

(6) Lawrence Hall of Science enrichment classes - The drive to the Bay Area is insanely long, but it is the one source for science classes I've found thus far that actually seem to challenge the boys. As long as they continue to enjoy the classes, I'll be making the twice-a-month trek to Berkeley.  

So, now that I've identified what must be accomplished next year (almost nothing!) and what is currently working, all I need to do is fill in a few gaps and I've got our curriculum planned for next year.

We had a great day today. We started the day by joining our charter's first expeditionary learning field trip of the year. We met in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and went for a short hike near Castle Peak. At one stopping point, the children were given a handout on igneous rocks and asked to collect various specimens from the surroundings. With the aid of some color photographs, the children sorted their collections by type. It was surprising how many of the different forms of igneous rock were present in the area.

From there, we hiked across a beautiful meadow. At the next stopping point, the leaders passed out paper and pencils and asked the children to record what they were sensing through all five of their senses. They were also asked to draw a picture to illustrate what they had seen. These were collected and will be used to make comparisons when we return to the area during the snowy time of the year.

On the hour plus drive up and on the way back, we listened to the Story of the World. The boys remained quiet while I drove because the stories were so interesting. Truth be told, they provided a good review of history for me, as well. We also had an interesting discussion about whether the Bible is historically accurate, and how Bible stories can still be rich with meaning whether they happened exactly as written or not.

By the time we reached home, it was fairly late in the afternoon. We decided to forgo beginning lessons in Moving Beyond the Page today. Instead, I decided to take some time to update my sidebars, which have been annoyingly out of date for some time. I hope they will prove useful once again to others.

My book order for next year is due to the charter by the second week in June. Usually, this deadline produces a crazy flurry of activity from me because I research each part of the boys' curriculum independently. Once I find what I feel is best suited to each boy in each area, I attempt to make cross-curricular connections on my own.

This year, however, I am relaxing. A friend of mine brought Moving Beyond the Page to my attention. According to the website, MBtP is an all-in-one curriculum designed for creative and gifted learners. It meets state and federal standards and is concept based. Honestly, it sounds a bit too good to be true. However, my Education Specialist and I pored over the website and concluded that it deserves a closer look. Relying on the 30-day money-back guarantee, I ordered a 7-9 curriculum pack and a 8-10 curriculum pack this morning. It should arrive in one to three weeks.

I am hopeful that MBtP will provide a solid, well-coordinated core to our curriculum. Still, I suspect that it will not be enough. It is simply too much to expect that one curriculum could provide the boys enough to keep them happily challenged. For that reason, I'm putting together some resources with which to supplement their studies. Here are my thoughts thus far, in no particular order:

(1) math - MBtP does not include mathematics at Kipp's and Landry's levels. This is done to allow students to work at their appropriate level. We have used Math Steps for the past three years. Although both Kipp and Landry have a solid understanding of math, Landry grows tired of the repetitive exercises in his text, and I fear Kipp will follow suit. For that reason, I am taking a closer look at Singapore Math, which reportedly requires less repetition.

(2) world history - MBtP does not appear to emphasize world history. This would make sense since this curriculum meets state and federal standards, neither of which emphasize world history in the grades my sons have completed. I continue to believe that this is a terrible shortcoming. We are increasingly becoming part of a global economy. We need to understand the history and cultures of other countries with which we must interact. Furthermore, I believe the cliche that those who do not understand history are destined to repeat it. For these reasons, I want to continue with Story of the World. While I am not fond of the biblical stories presented occasionally as fact and I suspect it simplifies some history, SotW provides an amazing overview of history. I find the literature suggestions in each chapter especially effective for making history come alive to my six- and seven-year-old boys.

(3) science - While MBtP includes a science component, we cannot get enough science in this house. We will continue with Young Scientist Club kits, GEM unit studies and an Engineering is Elementary unit study .

(4) art - I would like to continue with projects created by my watercolor instructor. I've also got a couple of good art resources I want explore further: Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters and How to Teach Art to Children

(5) foreign language - I would like to see Landry continue learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone and let Kipp experiment with different languages on Rosetta Stone until he finds one he would like to pursue.

(6)  piano - The boys enjoy piano so we will continue lessons when school starts in August.

(7) bok fu - The boys also enjoy their martial arts class and just received their yellow belts, so we will continue when school resumes.

Of course, all of this hinges on Moving Beyond the Page withstanding our scrutiny when it arrives. I have high hopes that it will. However, if it does not, you can assume the blog will be on hiatus for the remaining weeks of school while I scramble madly to cobble my curriculum.

I've had a chance to listen to more of the Story of the World CD's. I was disappointed to find that the audiobook presents Bible stories as fact. For instance, chapter 6, entitled "The Jewish People, presents the story of Abraham and Sarah as historical fact. I need to listen again to the stories about the Egyptian gods and goddesses to see if they are presented in the same way or if they are presented as only what Egyptians believed.

Still, I can't say that I am going to stop with this audiobook just yet. I need to listen more (and when I'm not driving) to see how often Bible stories occur. If it's not frequent, I may just explain to the boys that they are our society's myths to explain things we did not understand. I will definitely skip any workbook activities that reinforce these stories as truth.

It's getting late here so this post wont be long. However, I tried something new today. We had some errands to run so I played the Story of the World: Volume1 audiobook in the car. The boys loved it. As soon as we would get in the car from another stop, they asked enthusiastically to hear more of the story. And I could understand why. Jim Weiss narrates this audiobook, and he is a wonderful storyteller.

I am listening to these CD's along with the boys. I didn't preview them. I have read that they are not completely historically accurate and that they emphasize violence. I'll be listening to see if I agree with these criticisms. However, at least for tonight, I can say that I'm pretty thrilled with any audiobook that gets my 5 and 7 year olds clamoring to hear about Sumatra and Mesopotamia.