|
February
1 ,
2008
Dear
Oklahoma Homeschool Subscribers,
 Do
you sometimes wonder, "Why
am I homeschooling? Am I really making a difference?
Or am I just ruining my kids?"
I remember thinking like this many times during my homeschooling
years. As a veteran of homeschooling who educated my children
from K-12th grade, let me give you three words of encouragement.
KEEP ON GOING!
As
many of you know, I've been back in college at a public
institution. At age 58, I wonder sometimes
why I am doing this. But I think one of the reasons I
am back in college is to be reminded how broken the public
system is. Yes, I've had some good teachers and they
do make the system better.
But
I also had WAY too many bad ones. It's not that they didn't
care - it's just that some had no ability to teach; others
were limited by the system in how they teach.
The only way I learned in these classes was by "homeschooling" myself
through the curriculum and by using alternative resources
that I found on the Internet and in bookstores. In some
cases, I learned more than was taught because what was
expected of the students was so little. (That was really
frustrating when I am paying my own money to learn from
them!)
Don't
ever think you're not qualified to teach your children.
If you love your kids and put their education as a priority
in your life, you will teach as well or even better than
many of those who have "credentials." Having
a "credential" does
not make one a good teacher.
What
does make a good teacher? I'll give you an example of
one from a class I had a OSU. My logic teacher, Mary
Gwin, was what I call a good teacher. She wasn't what
you would call a motivational speaker,
but you could tell that she loved teaching. She came
to class excited and energetic. You knew she
put effort into her lesson plans. Her lectures were organized
and her assignments were planned ahead.
Most importantly, she cared about the students in
her class. Because we lost class time for various reasons,
she was forced to go faster through the curriculum than
normal, and this left us behind. But instead of lowering
the standards, she went out of her way to help us catch
up. She lent me extra resources to study. She emailed
me extra practice problems and the answers. She stayed
after class to explain difficult concepts. There was
no excuse for me to not make a A, and I did!
That's
what you do as a homeschool parent - every day! You love
your students because they're your kids. You seek out
other resources if the ones you are using don't work. You
sacrifice your free time in order to make sure your kids
learn. That's what makes YOU A GOOD TEACHER! Not a credential.
This
month, I've added a new unit study on Immigration; printable,
immigration-theme writing paper; and some fun internet
resources I've recently discovered. I
hope you enjoy this issue of the OKHS Newsletter.
Have
a great February!
Cindy
Downes
Oklahoma
Homeschool Newsletter, February 2008
Index:
Curriculum/Book
Review:
 1.
Books no homeschool library should be without - Primary
Sources:
The
World's Great Speeches
edited by Lewis Copeland, Lawrence W. Lamm and Stephen
J. McKenna. Compiled into one resources are all the
great speeches of the ages - from Pericles and Socrates
to Winston Churchill.
Great
American Speeches
edited by Gregory Suriano. A more complete representation
of American speeches.
Words
That Built a Nation, A Young Person's Collection
of Historic American Documents
by Marilyn Miller. This easy-to-read book helps students
understand some of the great documents of our country.
Including in the book are The Mayflower Compact, Poor
Richard's Almanack, Common Sense, Declaration
of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights,
The Star-Spangled Banner, The Monroe Doctrine, Uncle
Tom's Cabin, The
Emancipation Proclamation, The Gettysburg Address,
The Fourteenth Amendment, I Will Fight No More Forever,
Chief Joseph, Twenty Years at Hull-House, James Addams,
and many more - 37 in
all. Each entry includes a brief history of the document,
information about who wrote the document, the response
to the document, photos and illustrations related to
the document, and the complete text of the document
(excerpts from the text of books).
1.
Book Review: "What Really Happened in . . ." compiled by
Terri Johnson.
 Terri
Johnson has collected a variety of historical biographies
written by various authors and compiled them into books
according to time periods.
"What Really Happened in Ancient Times" includes biographies on Eve, Noah,
Gilgamesh, Imhotep, Daniel, Cyrus the Great, Eratosthenes,
and Constantine.
"What Really Happened During the Middle Ages" includes biographies on St.
Patrick, Theodora, Alcuin, Good King Wenseslas, Eleanor
of Aquitaine, Joan of Arc, Johann Gutenberg, and Martin
Luther.
What Really Happened
in Colonial Times includes
biographies of Pocahontas, Lady Alicia Lisle, James Cook,
Rachel Walker Revere (Paul Revere's wife), Admiral Lord
Nelson, Catherine Ferguson, Lucretia Mott, and Narcissa
Whitman.
The books are easy to read and written to interest students
of all ages, whether as a read-aloud or read alone
(recommended for ages 8+). These books are guaranteed
to get your children interested in history! The
biographies are written by current authors and even
some homeschoolers! Highly recommended. I'm looking forward
to reading "What Really Happened in Modern Times" coming
out in Spring 2008.
Back
to top
Teaching
Without Textbooks - Immigration
Immigration:
1.
Research
 Immigration
Timeline (all ages)
Ellis
Island History. (4th+)
Statue
of Liberty Facts (all ages)
On
the Trail of the Immigrant - photos
and text that tell the story of immigration. (gr 4-12)
Tour
of Ellis Island Watch videos, listen to interviews,
view photos as you take an interactive adventure at Ellis
Island. (all ages)
First
Immigrant Landed on Ellis Island -
15-year-old Annie Moore in 1892. (all ages)
Great
photos from Ellis Island. View slideshow. (gr. 4-12)
More photos
about Immigration. (all ages)
Read about the Statue
of Liberty. and Statue
of Liberty Handbook (gr 6-12)
Poem about the Statue of Liberty (all ages)
Read about the Gilded
Age. (all ages)
2.
Books to Read
Annushka's
Voyage by Edith Tarbescu tells the story of the
journey of two immigrant Jewish girls' trip to America.
32 pgs. (K-4)
 Ellis
Island (Cornerstones
of Freedom) By R. Conrad Stein (K-6+)
Ellis
Island by Carol Highsmith. Words,
photos, and descriptions of Ellis Island. (5-8+)
If
Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island by
Ellen Levine. (K-6+)
Life
at Ellis Island by Sally Isaacs. See
what it was like to be an immigrant disembarking, and
what you would do if you could go on to America, of if
you were kept behind. (K-6+)
Recreating
American Immigration by Dana Wilbanks. Explores
U.S. immigration and refugee policy from a Christian
perspective. (gr 6-12)
3.
Activities to Do:
 Complete
this Ellis
Island Junior Ranger Booklet (gr. 4-6)
Statue
of Liberty Cutout Activity. (gr. 4+)
Statue
of Liberty Color Page and Color
Page 2 (K-4)
Port
of Entry: Immigration - Online Activity (gr. 4-12)
Interpreting
Statistics. (gr. 5-8+)
Use Teaching with Document Analysis
Worksheets to analyze the primary documents viewed in this unit.
(gr. 4-12)
For
fun: watch The
Immigrant (silent
movie with Charlie Chaplin). All ages.
Movie:
Moscow on the Hudson with Robin Williams, 1984. Rent.
Cut
& Assemble New York Harbor. (gr. 4-12)
Create
a family tree. Include immigrant information, if available.
(gr. 4-12)
 Read
the poem written by Emma Lazarus.
Listen
to and sing along with "Give
Me Your Tired, Your Poor"
Other
poems
and songs about the Statue of Liberty.
Take
the INS
test for Immigrants and see if you can pass!
Clip
art and photos of the Statue of Liberty.
More
Activities to Do:
Everyday
Life: Immigration. Includes reproducible activity
pages for math, vocabulary, reading comprehension,
critical thinking, geography, writing, drama, and arts
and crafts. Grades 4-8.
2.
And don't forget! When you're done, be sure to add what
your children did for the Immigration unit to pgs. 98
- 100 in your copy of The
Checklist!
Back
to top
FREE
Forms:
Immigration
Thematic Paper. Use
this immigration-theme
writing paper to write
about the Statue of Liberty or Immigration. Here are some
ideas to get you started:
Write
a biographical report on Frederic-Auguste
Barthold or Emma
Lazarus.
Write a poem about the Statue of Liberty or immigration.
Write
a letter to someone "back home" about your immigration
to America.
Write a diary entry about landing at Ellis Island.
Back
to top
Oklahoma
Resources:
 1. Oklahoma
Homeschool Moms Information Network. Ellen
Latimer edits an excellent Homeschool Mail List. On this
list, you can learn about events happening in Oklahoma
that homeschoolers would be interested in, there are files
chock full of information about homeschooling, contests,
book reviews, classes, articles of interest, health & wellness,
encouragement, homeschool resources, and MUCH MORE!
2.
OCHEC is
a statewide organization providing encouragement and
support to those who endeavor to faithfully train and
educate their children at home. Check out its Web page
for information about Capitol Day on February 12, the
BIG homeschool convention on May 2-3, and the Leader's
Retreat in July. It also maintains an extensive list
of homeschool
support
groups located throughout the state. Sign up
for the Informer
Magazine and
the OCHEC e-newsletter, too!
2.
Tulsa
achieves: Applications for the 2008 Tulsa
Achieves class will be accepted beginning January 2008.
3.
Oklahoma History Online by
Cindy Downes. An online, multi-level curriculum for
teaching Oklahoma History.
5.
Oklahoma Scrapbook: A Travel Guide and Memory Book for
Exploring Oklahoma by
Cindy Downes.
6.
For more info and learning materials about Oklahoma
history, check my website at: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/teachOKH.html
Back
to top
Internet
Resources:
 1. Interactive
Timeline. Create your own timeline with
this handy tool!
2.
Math
Mammoth. Free worktexts and worksheets for
math!
3. Free audio books:
Frederick
Douglass - Free audio download of the
life of Frederick Douglass.
Red
Badge of Courage - Free audio download
of the book, Red Badge of Courage.
4. Free
Bible Courses - I am taking the "Know Why You Believe"
course myself. Highly recommended!
Back
to top
Quote:
"The
main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition
of facts but learning how to make facts live." —
Oliver
Wendell Holmes
Back
to top
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
mailing list, please email back with "Subscribe"
in the subject line, along with your city and state or country
and how long you have homechooled.
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
you want to be removed from this mailing list, please
send a blank email with the word "unsubscribe" in
the subject line.
Have
a great day!
Cindy
Cindy
Downes
OKLAHOMA HOMESCHOOL
Web site: http:www.oklahomahomeschool.com
Email: cindy@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
Back
to top
. |
|
