November
1, 2004
Dear
Oklahoma Homeschool Subscribers,
I'm
sending this a few days early because of Thanksgiving coming
up. Hope you find it helpful. Last month I 've spent catching
up on some old projects. Most homeschoolers like a break from
their usual routine during the holidays, so I wrote a Christmas
Unit and added it to my website. I'll be adding more to it
as we get closer to the holidays so check back again. Let
me know what you think of it and if you would like more holiday-type
units. I'm considering a Easter unit - let me know if that
is something you would like.
I
hope you enjoy this issue and have a great Thanksgiving!
Cindy
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Oklahoma
Homeschool Newsletter, November 2004 (Oklahoma Edition)
Index:
What's New on the Oklahoma Homeschool Website?
Oklahoma History Resources
Teaching Tips
Free Forms
Teaching Teens
Internet Resources for Multi-Level Teaching and Unit Studies
What's
New on the Oklahoma Homeschool Website?
Christmas
Unit. A four-week unit for PreK-6th. Learn about
Jesus, God's grace, John Newton, hymn writers, and Christmas
celebrations using arts, crafts, recipes, literature, Bible
reading, and the internet. (http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/christmasunit.html).
While
you are on the Christmas topic, check out the following activities
to add music and drama to your homeschool portfolio:
1.
The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. "The Night
Before Christmas" from November 16th - December 30th.
For more info: http://www.thecoterie.com/season.html
2.
Tulsa PAC in December (Check http://www.tulsapac.com/events_list.asp
for more information. Get tickets early!)
• Brown
Bag It: Tulsa Festival Ringers. FREE! December 1 at 11:30
a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Bring your lunch and relax in the Performing
Arts Center's Westby Pavilion, in Tulsa, while you enjoy the
talents of Oklahoma's finest musicians. 40-minute concert.
(This is wonderful! Get there early or you'll won't get a
seat.)
• A
Christmas Carol at the John H. Williams Theater in Tulsa.
Various dates. (I haven't seen this but I'm going to try to
go this year.)
• The
Nutcracker. Chapman Music Hall in Tulsa. Various dates. (We
loved this one!)
3.
OKC, Civic Center Music Hall (Check http://www.okcciviccenter.com/calendar/calendar.asp
for more info)
• Very
Merry Pops - OKC Philharmonic. Friday, Dec 03 - Sat, December
04. 8:30. Join the orchestra as we put a brand new treat in
your holiday season. Music takes center stage for an all new
Christmas concert.
• A
CHRISTMAS CAROL. December 3 - 19, 2004. Freede Little Theatre.
This traditional version of Dickens’ classic brings
to life the famous story of Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim,
helping us all to remember the value of compassion, giving
and family during the most joyous of seasons.
• ChristmaSing
- Canterbury Choral Society. 8 p.m. Sunday, December 5, 2004.
Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre. Come in from the cold
winds of December for Canterbury’s Christmas celebration,
with hand bells ringing, audience singing, carols and holiday
favorites.
Oklahoma
History Resources:
1.
Statehood Day Re-enactment. Sixteenth annual student
reenactment of the inauguration of Governor Charles N. Haskell
and the symbolic wedding of Ms. Indian Territory and Mr. Oklahoma
Territory. Date/Time: Tue, Nov 16, 2004: 10:00am - 2:00pm.
Location: Historic Carnegie Library, Guthrie OK., 402 E. Oklahoma,
Guthrie, OK. Contact: Nathan Turner. Email: nturner@ok-history.mus.ok.us.
Phone: 405/282-1889
2.
OKC: Oklahoma Firefighters Museum. WHERE: 2716 NE
50th; (405)424-3440. ADMISSION: $3.00 Adults, $1.50 Children,
$2.00 Senior Citizens. HOURS: Seven days a week, 10am - 4:30pm.
This museum features extraordinary turn-of-the-century fire
engines that were once used in Oklahoma communities. Oklahoma's
first fire station is displayed along with the finest specimens
of firefighting equipment anywhere.
3.
Bartlesville: Price Tower
WHEN:
Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm. Sunday 12:30 pm - 5 pm. WHERE:
510 Dewey Avenue, Bartlesville, OK. AGES: All. Partially handicap
accessible. COST: Donations Requested: $5 Adults, $3 Students,
CONTACT: 918-336-6943. WHAT: Tower tours conducted Tues-Sat
at 11 am and 2 pm. Sunday at 2pm. Reservations are encouraged.
Tour the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, Bruce Goff Apartment
and the Price Company Executive Office and Apartment. Reservations
are required for groups over 6 and tours will usually be scheduled
at times other than the regularly scheduled tours. Frank Lloyd
Wright called this masterpiece the "tree that escaped
the crowded forest" when he completed it in 1956. The
Price Tower is Frank Lloyd Wright's tallest built skyscraper.
For
more information on field trips and a free, printable Field
Trip Planning Guide, check out my webpage at: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/fieldtrip.html.
4.
Some books to check out:
For
the Prehistory/Native American Indian portion
of Oklahoma History, check out some of the following (I found
these at the library.):
a.
The Choctaw by Emilie Lepthien and others in this
series. "A True Book" series has a book about each
of the Native American tribes. I recommend these for reading
to K-6th.
b.
The Seminole, the First People of Florida by Mary
Englar and others in this series. "American Indian Nations"
series has a book on the Iroquois, Apache, Creek, Blackfeet,
Cherokee, Pueblo, Seminole, and Sioux. This is a colorful
book that includes recipes and maps. I recommend reading it
to 4th+
c.
The Cherokee by Petra Press. "First Reports"
series is colorful and easy to read. I recommend reading it
to K-6th. Other titles in series: The Blackfeet, Apache, Iroquois,
Maya, Pueblo, Seminole, Sioux.
Dust
Bowl book: Driven
From the Land, The Story of the Dust Bowl by
Milton Meltzer. 112 pgs. Illustrated throughout with photographs.
I recommend reading this to 5th+
Teaching
Tips
1.
Teaching History to Preschool & Kindergarten
You
don't have to leave your PreK and Kindergarten children out
of your multilevel history unit. Here are some tips to help
you incorporate these younger children:
1.
While you are reading your family reading selection, give
your little ones a coloring page to color or let them play
quietly with a toy (especially if you can find one related
to the topic such a pilgrim doll during a pilgrim unit). Even
though it appears they are not listening, they will learn
something.
2.
Involve your little one in the hands-on activities as much
as possible. Have some items precut for your little ones to
color and/or paste. Let them add glitter, string beads, count,
measure ingredients, stir, etc. as they are able.
3.
Read a book just for them that is at their level. Look for
a picture book or easy reader that relates to the topic. For
example, when teaching about the Pilgrims, read P
is for Pilgrim, A Thanksgiving Alphabet by Carol
Crane. ISBN 1585361348. While you are reading to your little
ones, your older children can either listen or work on a school
project of their own.
4.
When it's time for some one-on-one teaching with the older
ones, try to do that during nap times, quiet play times, when
an older child can watch the younger, or when the other parent
is home.
For
more information on teaching Preschool & Kindergarten,
check out: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/PreS&K.html
FREE
Forms:
These
forms are available free to Oklahoma Homeschool subscribers
only until November 15th. To access these forms, click on
http://oklahomahomeschool.com/subscribers (or copy and paste
it into your browser bar). When the password protect input
form pops up, enter the following (omitted):
After
you have entered the user ID and password correctly, Index
of/subscribers will pop up. Click on subscribers.html which
will open the web page where these forms can accessed. You
must have the free Acrobat Reader software (available at www.adobe.com)
installed to print these forms.
1.
Early Settlement Checklist - Excerpt from The Checklist.
Use this form to keep track of your Early
Settlement/Pilgrim Unit for Thanksgiving.
2.
Composition Form - Famous Person Report form. Use
this form to help your beginning writer to write a biography
about a person related to Thanksgiving or Christmas. Available
first to Oklahoma Homeschool subscribers. Later it will be
added to my Homeschool Forms Page: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/forms.html
Teaching
Teens: History Curriculum Recommendations
It's
been my experience that most homeschooled teenagers like to
learn on their own. The best curriculum for these children
is a good textbook adapted to a homeschool approach. My favorite
textbooks for teaching history are the Heritage Studies series
from Bob Jones University Press. I like the Christian content
and find it more enjoyable reading than other curriculums.
I recommend having your teen read the units on his/her own.
You can then evaluate their learning in one or more of the
following ways:
1.
Have them answer the unit questions either orally or written
out (have them type them on computer if they don't like to
write by hand).
2.
Have them write a report on one topic in the lesson.
3.
Have them create a project to illustrate what they have learned.
For example: a Powerpoint presentation, a map, a brochure,
an art project, a poem, a song). Take a photo of (or record)
the finished project and keep in your child's portfolio.
4.
Have them research some particular point in the lesson (example,
research the Mayflower Compact during the unit on Early Settlements)
on the Internet, through books and magazines, and tell you
what he/she learned. Have them write a brief outline of what
they learned and their sources of information or once a year,
have them write a research paper.
5.
Give them the quizzes and tests available through Bob Jones
(or other curriculum publishers). For teenagers who like to
work with the family, you can still continue with your family
unit studies. Add textbook reading (or literature on the high
school level) for "homework" along with compositions
and other projects that are strictly for the teens.
Other
resources you could use along with unit studies (instead of
a textbook) are: Barron's
World History the Easy Way, Volume One & Two
(or U.S. History the Easy Way) and/or The
Handy History Answer Book by Rebecca Ferguson.
These two resources cover all the history topics normally
covered in high school. Barron's is a "read the lesson
and take a quiz" approach. Handy History is a Q&A
book written in prose that is quite interesting. You will
not get a Christian perspective in these resources, but they
are still worth checking out. For
more information on history curriculum, check out my webpage:
http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/History.html
Internet
Resources for Multi-Level Teaching and Unit Studies:
For
general information on multi-level teaching and unit studies,
check out: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/MultiLevel.html
1.
From Revolution to Reconstruction: This resource contains
biographies, original documents, and essays of famous Americans.
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/index.htm
2.
Online Computer Lessons: http://www.kidsdomain.com/brain/computer/lesson.html
3.
Thanksgiving/Pilgrim Unit Resources:
a.
Colonial Times in America: http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/colonialtimes.htm
b.
What do we Know About the People on the Mayflower: http://www.umkc.edu/imc/mayflow.htm
c.
Mayflower History Page: http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/
d.
Virtual tour of Plimoth Plantation (photos): http://pilgrims.net/plimothplantation/vtour/index.htm
e.
Crafts: http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/thanksgiving.html
f.
Coloring Pages: http://www.quiknet.com/~moseley/colorbook2/colorindex.html
g.
Worksheets, etc: http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/books/holiday/thanksgiving/
h.
Turkey File Folder Game (PreK/K): http://www.preschoolprintables.com/filefolder/turkey/filefolderturkey.shtml
4.
Preschool Paper Crafts: http://www.makingfriends.com/precrafts.htm
5.
Museum Stuff. Find museums related to your unit of study.
Did you know there are 147 museums in Oklahoma alone! List
is by state, topic, and artist. http://www.museumstuff.com/
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Have a great day!
Cindy
Downes
OKLAHOMA HOMESCHOOL
Website: http:www.oklahomahomeschool.com
Email:
cindy@oklahomahomeschool.com
Have
you seen The Checklist? It's a record keeper, a planning guide,
and a K-12 Scope and Sequence created for Christian Home Educators:
http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/checklist.html
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