British Literature, Bird Migration, Beloved Books in Cincinnati
By Heather Idoni
Added Thursday, April 01, 2010
==========================================================Vol. 11 No. 19, April 1, 2010, ISSN: 1536-2035
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© 2010, Heather Idoni - www.FamilyClassroom.net
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Welcome to The Homeschooler's Notebook!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Notes from Heather
-- Cincinnati, Here We Come!
Helpful Tip
-- Migrating Birds to Watch
Resource Review
-- British Literature Studies
Reader Question
-- Single Subject Plan?
Additional Notes
-- Newsletter Archives
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
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Notes from Heather
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Cincinnati, Here We Come! :-)
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If you have plans to attend the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinatti,
I would LOVE to meet you!
Visit Beloved Books at booths 413 & 415 on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, April
8th-10th, and you'll get to meet my 2 oldest sons, Ben and Carman. They will
be assisting me as we hand out hundreds of FREE Sugar Creek Gang audio CDs!
We will be bringing well over a thousand good used books and also our NEW books
at 50% off the retail prices -- all award-winning high quality literature.
You will also get to view our wonderful selection of audio stories!
Hope to meet some of our wonderful readers there! :-)
-- Heather
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Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails to: mailto:heather@familyclassroom.net
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Helpful Tip
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Trace the Migration of Birds Arriving in Your Own Backyard!
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If you live in the continental United States, here is a map linked to patterns
of migrating birds. For each species, they have created spring migration
maps that show the winter range, the migratory path, and the dates when
you might expect to see the first arrivals in your area.
http://www.enature.com/birding/migration_home.asp
---
Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send to: mailto:HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net
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Resource Review
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British Literature - A Study in British Writers
Authors: Elizabeth Hempton and Dana Wilson
Publisher: Epi Kardia Home Education
For more information or to order: www.epikardia.com
The study of British literature is an important part of a well-rounded
language arts program for many High School students. This course from
Epi Kardia is a welcome addition to the curriculum market. Instead of
relying on excerpts and a textbook format, the authors have chosen to
use a “real books” approach, along with thoughtful, challenging writing
assignments to introduce students to a variety of authors and genres.
The authors, both homeschool moms, have done an excellent job of organizing
the curriculum for both the teacher and student. Beginning with suggestions
for group activities and choosing assignments, they then explain how the
course can be used for honors credit. The study of literature and the
writing of essays can seem overwhelming for some families. Fortunately,
there is a section that covers essay styles and presentation, along with
suggestions and rubrics for evaluating your child’s work. There is a heavy
emphasis on essay writing; therefore, the authors recommend your student
complete the Epi Kardia course, Essay Styles for High School, so they will
be equipped to successfully complete their assignments. There is plenty of
guidance for both teacher and student, including a well-organized appendix
where users will find templates, forms, grading rubrics, further study
suggestions, and more.
Students will study a variety of authors and styles, including Shakespeare,
Chaucer, Bronte, Dickens and Lewis. By the end of the course, they will
have read and responded to two plays, several poetry selections, novels, and
short stories. For each unit, the author provides background information,
list of objectives, a list of assignments, and a suggested time frame for
completion. Although there are many suggested assignments for each author
being studied, students are not expected to complete all of them. As they
begin their reading, the student is provided with templates and/or suggestions
for specific activities to be done either prior to reading, as they read, or
following their reading.
I consider this course to be quite thorough and rigorous. As the authors note,
some of the material is considered pretty challenging reading. You're not
expected to study every book in the course, and the assignments can definitely
be adapted for your homeschool methods and goals. This well-written, affordable
course is definitely worthy of your consideration as you make curriculum
choices for the high school years.
Cindy Prechtel, www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com
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Last Issue's Reader Question
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"I homeschool my 2 sons who are 6 years apart in grade levels (and
age). So far we do science and history together, but everything
else is separate and it's very time consuming for me to plan and
execute. A local private school uses what they call the 'single
subject plan'. They rotate through 5 seven week terms in one
school year and teach only one subject at a time (grades 6 - 12).
Subjects are math, science, history, reading and writing. They
base this on brain research of boys and claim that the study of
one subject at a time motivates boys to focus because the end goal
is short term. They argue that it also helps with organizational
skills. I am considering trying this in our homeschool for next
year. It would basically mean completing a typical week's worth
of work in one day. I woud probably do the core subject in the a.m.
followed by something fun in the afternoons. I am wondering if
anyone has tried this before and what results you have gotten??
I would appreciate any opinions on what you think the pros and
cons of a single subject plan would be. Thanks!" -- Michelle in VA
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Our Readers' Responses
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"Hi, Michelle -- I have 4 children (a girl age 15; boys 12, 10 and 6).
I followed the method of doing one subject in the mornings until 11h00
and then we do our KONOS activity until 13h00. My daughter does her
extra subjects in the afternoon. It works very well for us, because
we are busy with the same subject (Maths, English, Afrikaans and Bible
study on their own level). I don't have to switch between different
subjects for 4 children. I did try to have maths, English, and Afrikaans
on the same day and it didn't work for us -- then I went back to one
subject per day. A friend of ours is a CEO and he told me that on the
days that he has to do a lot of different stuff on one day, he felt that
he didn't do anything; but if he can do one thing and finish it, he felt
good and felt that he accomplished something. I think that 80% of jobs
are like this as well -- to do one thing until it is finished before
doing the next. Hope this helps." -- Irene from South Africa
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"I use this approach with my daughter. I noticed that when we did all
subjects simultaneously, divided into daily portions, it seemed she just
barely 'got rolling' with a subject when she needed to stop and go to
the next. I got to thinking about how much I enjoyed the short, intense
sessions that my Christan college offered in the summer. I had found
that it was easier, but also more productive, to focus on one or two
courses at a time, so we decided to try that with her. We MUCH prefer
this method. After all, in the long run, she's going to do it all anyway,
but with the single subject approach, it's more intense but actually
easier because it is focused." -- Kay in WV
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Answer our NEW Question
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"My child will be taking a Dual Enrollment Math course this Fall at our
local community college. He has always had difficulty memorizing the
multiplication facts. However, he understands all math concepts and did
exceptionally well on the college entrance exam... of course using a
calculator to figure out any multiplication.
The syllabus for the Dual Enrollment Math states that NO calculators
will be allowed for the first 8 lessons. Any suggestions on what I can
further do to prepare my student for success in this area? Thanks!"
-- Chris in SC
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Do you have a recommendation for Chris and her son?
Please send your email to: mailto:HN-answers@familyclassroom.net
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Ask YOUR Question
=====================
Do you have a question you would like our readers to answer?
Send it to mailto:HN-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll see
if we can help you out in a future issue!
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