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September
1 ,
2008
Dear
Oklahoma Homeschool Subscribers,
Hello
everyone. It appears that this is Review Month for me.
I'm back in college, doing an internship for Oklahoma
Magazine, and trying to keep up with my retired husband!
So my time is short. I completed my Associates Degree
in June by CLEPing out of the last three classes. Now,
I have 30 credit hours left to finish my Bachelor's
Degree. I should be done in December 2009. I am SO
looking forward to finishing and getting back to writing!
I have so much to tell you about college!
I
did get time to do quite a few book reviews. I also
included my article, "How to Travel Your Way to a Good
Education."
I
hope you enjoy the book reviews and the article.
Have
a great September!
Cindy
Downes
 Oklahoma
Homeschool Newsletter, September 2008
Index:
Curriculum/Book
Review:
1. Creative
and Crafty Writing by Karine Bauch and Jan May.
Creative
and Crafty Writing is just what you need to
help your visual and kinethetic students
learn to write. The Christian-based program offers
twelve, one-hour lessons that will teach your student
to write a fable, a news story, and a short story.
With each lesson, the student not only learns the
techniques of writing, but he or she also creates
a craft project to supplement the lesson. This is
where the curriculum shines!
For instance, the lessons on Writing a Narrative (short story) begin with learning
about theme and setting. The students learn to describe the time and place for
their story by completing a worksheet that guides them through the process. I
particularly like the way the author incorporates vivid adjectives into the lesson.
After completing this lesson on theme and setting, the student creates a thematic
pencil holder to further emphasize the theme element. Subsequent lessons work
on creating characters, plot (conflict, complications, climax, and conclusion),
dialogue, great beginnings, and title selection, each with additional craft projects
to make them really fun!
Other lessons in the book include creating a newspaper, complete with clip art
to cut out and use for illustrations and writing a fable in a student-created My
Treasure notebook. Each lesson takes about one hour to complete.
This curriculum makes a great summer project, or use it to teach specific writing
skills during the year, such as those found in The Checklist,
page 130-131 (Writing Project Ideas). For more information or to order, check
their Web site.
2. TRISMS
 According
to a report from the National Assessment of Educational
Progress, only 31 percent of eighth graders and 34
percent of twelfth graders meet the National Assessment
of Educational Progress standard of reading 'proficiency'
for their grade level. A report entitled, An Examination
of College Writing Skills: Have They Deteriorated?
describes a study done on writing samples from 1956
to 1993 in which it was shown that "college students'
writing ability has declined." A 2007 Cal State
University system reports that nearly half of their
incoming freshman scored below proficient in English
placement tests. Employers complain that their employees
can't think for themselves or solve simple problems.
These is a serious trend that will affect our country
as well as our families. But, as home schoolers, you
can do something about it and the TRISMS curriculum
is one tool that can help you. They offer several products
for grades 6 - 12. Age of Revolution comes in two volumes.
The first semester covers 1850 through the 1920s. Semester
two covers 1930-2005. This review covers Age of Revolution,
Second Semester.
If
you are looking for college-preparatory curriculum
for high school, look no further. Age of Revolution,
Second Semester is a research-based course that covers
one semester in high school; however, there is enough
material to use for one whole year. When your student
completes both semesters of Age of Revolution, your
student earns 1 high school credit in US History, 1
credit in Modern World History, 1 credit in Political
Science, 1 credit in Modern Humanities, and 1 credit
in Literature as well as partial credit in subjects
such as Economics, Speech, Rhetoric, and Geography.
The teacher's manual includes a sample transcript showing
how to award credits.
The
topics covered in Age of Revolution, Second Semester,
are American presidents, world powers and leaders,
wars and battles, Nobel Prize winners, art, music,
architecture, rhetoric, and logic. You, as the teacher,
can work with your student or the instructions are
simple enough that your self-motivated student can
work his or her own way through the curriculum.
In
the process of working through the curriculum, the
student creates a notebook. All the forms for this
notebook are included in the set price and can be purchased
separately for additional children.
I
LOVE this notebook! The student will research the questions
on their own using books, magazines, and the Internet.
No short answer, T/F, multiple choice on these worksheets!
For instance, each lesson includes an American President
research form. Your student not only has to find out
when he served, what party he belonged to, and who
he ran against, but he must also research the president's
foreign and domestic policies, the leading social issue
of his day, controversies surrounding this president,
and even write his or her own opinion about the president's
term in office. Other notebook pages include map studies,
nobel prize winners, famous people, wars, art, music
and architecture. Also included are Rhetoric worksheets
for classical learners and a worksheet that assesses
the student's overall knowledge of the subject area.
Again, this must be researched. For example, in the
1970-1979 worksheet, the student must research Roe
vs. Wade, existentialism, the social statement of music
in the '70s, Watergate, how Upton Sinclair's book,
The Jungle, brought change in government regulations,
environmental issues, and much more! Students are also
required to create a timeline of events and learn vocabulary
relevant to the period.
Your
student will read books such as My Antonia, Life on
the Mississippi, Out of the Dust, and The Testament.
Movie suggestions are also included such as Gods and
Generals, Rough Riders, Sgt. York, The Inn of Sixth
Happiness, and Apollo 13.
Online
research links are included as well. This list of Internet
links will help your students with their research and
includes links to famous people, art, flags, maps,
timelines, as well as audio and video links that relate
to the course. And because it is set in our time period,
students have an opportunity to interview family members,
veterans of various wars, living authors, artists and
musicians.
As the author says, "One of the primary goals
is to teach students to ask questions, find answers,
and transfer information from reading to thinking,
to writing, and to speaking."
Recommendations: I
heartily recommend all TRISM products for college-prep
students and students who enjoy reading, writing,
and research. Having just completed college
American History and American Government, I can assure
you that this curriculum will prepare your student
for college-level American History!
I
would not recommend this particular unit for students
who have difficulty reading and writing. It will take
too much time that would better be used learning basic
subjects and specific career preparation courses. However,
I would suggest looking into TRISMS: History Makers. This
curriculum is sold as a middle school product, but
it could be used in high school over a period of two
to three years to teach research and writing skills.
It has the same format as other TRISMS product, but
includes easier reading selections such as Detectives
in Togas, Achimedes and the Door of Science, How Did
We Find Out About Germs, and Call of the Wild. It covers
world history from 3500 B.C. to the Present and includes
the same notebook approach as the other TRISMS products. It's
well worth doing - just do it slower! TRISMS: History
Maker also prepares students for the advanced
work given in other TRISMS products, should they decide
to take them.
3. Three
NEW History Pockets!
I
love these resources. They are just perfect for the Read/Write
and Visual learner — kids
who love to cut and paste and color and make little booklets.
They work well with The Checklist (American
Revolution - pages 82-84; American Civil War - pages
93-95; Ancient Rome - pages 48-51.) as
part of a Unit Study or as an enrichment project for
textbooks.
Evan-Moor recently released three new books: The
American Revolution , The
American Civil War,
and Ancient
Rome.
Check them out!
4.
KitBook:
Electric Circuits by
Ed Basconi and David M. Jones
 Calling
all Kinethetic learners! Here's a product that offers
hands-on fun as well as thoughtful instruction. The
kit contains everything you need, including the batteries.
The instruction book is clear and easy to read. It
contains nine different lab experiments that are
completed with the attached "power Page" and
included components.
I had a terrific time building a lamp, a buzzer, and
a simple circuit. I then experimented with conductors,
insulators, switches, circuits in a series, parallel
circuits, and electromagnets. The components were first
class and I loved the way you simply "snapped
in" the components on the "power page." No
wires to cut and no soldering. And, because the components
are snapped in, you can use the kit over and over again!
The
Student Workbook contains eight chapter reviews composed
of multiple choice, fill in the blank, and essay-type
questions. I like the fact that the students have
to actually learn something to complete the reviews.
I can see why this won a Parents' Choice Award!
I
recommend that you use this kit with page 163 of The
Checklist. This kit would also make a wonderful
Christmas or birthday gift.
For
more info, visit their Web
site.
5. Homeschool
Psych: Preparing Christian Homeschool Students for
Psych 101 by Dr. Tim Rice
As
many of you know, I am currently in college and also
have a child in college. What I am learning is not
just academics, but also the effect of college on our
Christian students. I've watched first-hand as MOST
of our own church kids go to college and then begin
to struggle with their faith. Many are leaving it behind
altogether. What I have learned from this is that our
kids not only need to have an excellent academic and
Biblical education, but we must also equip them to
live and work in the secular world, as well. Don't
shelter your child from the theories of the world and
then send them to college (or work) where they hear
them for the first time. Instead, introduce these theories
while they are home with you in the context of your
Christian worldview.
Many
of you already do that with history, science, and literature.
Now, there's a way to do that for Psychology. If your
child is going to college, it is extremely likely that
they will have to take Psychology 101. Thanks to Dr.
Time Rice, there is now a way to prepare them for it,
while they are at home with you.
The
goal of this textbook is to help prepare Christian
homeschool students for college-level, introductory
psychology. The course comprises two parts. Part I
teaches the history and background of psychology and
why it needs to be taught in a Christian worldview.
Dr. Rice also gives examples of how the study of psychology
can be used to serve God in the world of mental health
care, business, child care, marriage counseling, missions,
and more.
Part
II includes an overview of key concepts commonly taught
in an introductory psychology class. This is the fun
part! Your student will learn all about the brain,
the nervous system, personality, and the theories of
many famous psychologists. Part of the lessons include
researching these psychologists to find out about their
worldview and how it affected their theories - a real
eye opener! A workbook is included with excellent,
thought-provoking questions to answer that will lead
the student to an understanding of psychology from
a Christian worldview so that he or she will be prepared
to intelligently discuss psychology in a secular classroom.
Dr.
Rice realizes that Christians have varying views of
psychology and is careful to avoid pushing his opinion
on the student. His goal is only to introduce the student
to what they will learn in a college classroom. Therefore,
he keeps his opinions out and allows the parents to
teach it in the context of their own views. As he says, " It
is not the purpose of this text to settle any arguments
between Christians."
I
highly recommend this textbook for students preparing
for college. Document this course on page 170 of The
Checklist. For more information on Dr. Rice and
Homeschool Psych, visit his Web
site.
Back
to top
Teaching
Without Textbooks -
How to Travel Your Way to a Good Education . . .
“The
world is a book, and those who do not travel read only
a page.” The words of Augustine remind us
that there is no better way to learn than to walk in
the places where history was made, touch the natural
world that God created, and visit the homes and workplaces
of the world’s greatest artists, musicians, writers,
and humanitarians.
As
a homeschooling family, you have the unique opportunity
of being able to take a few weeks off each year to travel,
whether locally or around the world. Why not make the
most of these experiences by creating lesson plans based
on your travels? Not only will you stimulate your child’s
interest in the places you visit, but you’ll also
make learning more enjoyable and productive.
Here
are some tips on how to create simple, multi-level
lesson plans based on your travels:
Step
1. Choose a focus. Research your destination
and answer questions such as: How does this destination
relate to the history of our state, country, or world?
On what person or event does this destination focus
- historically or in current events? What topics
in science, Bible, art, music, literature, PE, health,
business, etc. can be taught that relate to this
destination?
For
example, a field trip to the Oklahoma City National
Memorial in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, will naturally
focus on the events of 9/11. The focus for a trip to
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, however, might be narrowed
down to a particular event such as the Underground
Railroad, a particular person such as Benjamin Franklin,
or even a particular animal in the Philadelphia Zoo.
Step
2: Set a time schedule. Decide how long
you’ll spend on the unit and schedule it to
be completed just before the trip begins. Two to
three weeks is a good time frame for a local field
trip unit whereas a trip to a large city may require
six weeks or more, depending upon how much you wish
to cover.
Read
the rest of this article at: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/HTTravel.html
Back
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Internet
Resources:
1. Canterbury
Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. This old classic
is rather difficult to read in the Old English version.
Here is a side
by side translation that is very helpful
for college-prep students.
2.
Speaking of classics, here is a list
of classics by author. How
many do you have? How many have you read?
Back
to top
Quote:
""You
teach best what you most need to learn." — Richard
David Bach
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Please
feel free to forward this to anyone who may be interested.
Please forward in it's entirety.
If
you'd like to be added to the Oklahoma Homeschool Newsletter
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COPYRIGHT
NOTICE: This newsletter is ©Copyright
2007 by Cindy Downes. All rights reserved.
PRIVACY
POLICY. Your name and email address will always
remain completely confidential. I do not sell, loan, or share
any subscriber or customer information for any reason. Your
information will never be used for any purpose other than
delivery of my e-newsletter and to occasionally inform you
of updates to the Oklahoma
Homeschool website.
If
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Have
a great day!
Cindy
Cindy
Downes
OKLAHOMA HOMESCHOOL
Website: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com
Email: newsletter@oklahomahomeschool.com
Blog: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/EmptyNestMom
Have
you seen The Checklist? It's
an assessment tool, lesson planner and K-12 Recordkeeper created
for Christian Home Educators: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/checklist.html
Oklahoma
History Online is
now available! Check it out at: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/okhist.html
Oklahoma
Scrapbook: A Travel Guide and Memory Book for Exploring
Oklahoma by Cindy Downes.
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