In THIS POST I explained that I have been considering making some changes to our program for this year. I've now made those changes and I feel SO MUCH BETTER about what we're doing!! I promised to explain what I'd decided, so I'll do that now.
Our major change is that I've decided to put aside A World of Adventure for a few years until both of my boys fall into the age range that is intended for which is 4th through 8th grade. I was having a hard time with the difficulty of the literature selections even for my oldest son. And it was also really hard for me to keep my youngest son involved. The publisher does offer a companion curriculum for adapting it for younger students. Still, I feel sure that the direction we have chosen to take is best for us this year. I want to restate that I do think AWOA is a really great curriculum. We were not unhappy with it; it just wasn't a good fit for us at this time.
For my oldest son's literature I am going to let him choose which chapter books we'll read. Now we are working on The Cricket in Time Square. I'll write a whole post on our work with that book once we've finished. I love this book so much and am so glad he chose it. George Seldin's writing and characters remind me a lot of E.B. White who I also love as an author.
For language arts we are adding in Easy Grammar (4th and 5th grade level). We've just barely started this. I had managed to get a copy for a great price at a used curriculum sale this summer. I am also considering Winning with Writing for a writing curriculum for him. It is very reasonably priced and looks really good.
For history we are going to use The Story of the World. I already had Volume 1 and the Activity Guide and was originally planning to use it before I chose AWOA instead. We have done the first chapter this week and are LOVING it!!! I will be posting more about it soon. With all the references in the AG I'm easily able to add extra reading and writing for my 4th grader to amp up the challenge for him. I'm SO excited about this!
Another change I'm really excited about is that this week (tomorrow) we'll be starting a new science curriculum. Again, I had originally wanted to use Real Science Odyssey from Pandia Press for science. Then I chose AWOA and decided not to order. Through the end of September Pandia Press is offering a discount on their ebooks and I jumped on it and ordered the Chemistry curriculum. It is intended for Grades 2-5, but the labs are hands-on and the text is written just right for children so I think my first grader will do fine with a bit of help on some of the lab sheets. My husband (who has a PhD in science) teaches science to the boys on Thursday mornings while I teach Kindermusik in our home studio. He'll do one lab with them a week and I'll do one. I have to admit that I'm so excited about this curriculum that I'm a bit disappointed I don't get to do it all. Admittedly, he's way more qualified than me to answer their questions!!
I can't tell you how much better I feel now. When I made my curriculum decisions last spring as a new homeschooler I really wanted something I could open to tell me what to do each day, especially for my oldest. Even though I'm a certified, licensed teacher and have taught for 20 years, this made me feel better. What I should have know is that even when I taught in public and private school settings, I ALWAYS had to tweak everything and add in lots of my own activities and ideas. It's just the way I love to teach. The changes I've made much better reflect how I love to plan and teach. So it's all good. Can't wait to post more soon!
Showing posts with label A World of Adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A World of Adventure. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Taking a little detour
We are now about 4 weeks into our homeschool journey. Overall, things are going very well. However, after reflecting a bit about the curriculum I've chosen and how it's working/not working for us, we are making a few changes.
As you may know if you've read my curriculum page, I chose A World of Adventure from Learning Adventures as my main curriculum for my oldest son who is in fourth grade. In hindsight, I admit that I chose it because it reflects the kind of education that I wanted to give him and I liked the fact that Dorian (the author) had done all the work for me so I could just open to "today's" lesson and be good to go. I should have known myself and my child better than that, but I'm sure that many a homeschool-newbie has followed this same path or something similar. Before I go on to explain some of the changes we're making, please know that I think this is an excellent curriculum and as of now we are not abandoning it entirely. It's good stuff.
So............here's what's going on. First of all, I really wanted a curriculum that presented history in a chronological manner and I really, really wanted the literature we read to correlate with the history period we were focusing on. AWOA completely fit the bill in this department and that's largely why I chose it. The first six-week unit in AWOA is Ancient Egypt, and the main literature selection is The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. The literature selection is recommended to be read aloud and then there are comprehension questions for discussion in addition to vocabulary and written language assignments. Although my son was not complaining (bless his heart!), I soon realized that this particular text is pretty advanced for a fourth grader to easily comprehend, even when it's being read aloud. Keep in mind that my fourth grader is a gifted learner. And still, I found that it was really hard for him to keep track of the characters and all the details of the plot. So I asked my mom for advice. She taught reading and language arts in the upper elementary grades for MANY years and is truly the voice of experience. She basically confirmed to me what I already knew.........my son would not make gains in reading comprehension from a text that was too difficult nor would he grow to love literature (remember, he's a non-fiction kid) if only presented with texts that are either a.) too difficult or b.) not interesting to him or c.) both a and b. Essentially, she gave me permission to abandon the book entirely and try to find something that my son was more interested in and that was better suited for him. And I had to get over my need to have our literature align with our history study. Which was a bit hard, but I'm over it now. :-)
Luckily, my mom (the veteran retired teacher and lover of books) had a whole stash of great upper elementary chapter books in her basement. I hauled about 12 to 15 home and the next day I allowed my son to (gasp!) read the cover blurbs and choose which book he would read next. (Sidenote: The Book Whisperer author would be so proud of me. I actually heard her voice whispering in my ear as we made this transition. I'm totally serious.)
So now we are happily reading The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldin. I LOVED this book as a child. Fortunately there are a ton of free resources for this book online. For example, Lesson Pathways has a really comprehensive list of very cool activities and links to enhance a child's experience with this book. THIS LINK has been invaluable as it has an online quiz for each chapter as well as activities, vocabulary and English lessons. I've been having my son take the online quiz after reading each chapter. In a future post I'll share what we're doing with the vocabulary lists. I haven't used much yet from THIS link, but it looks like a bunch of good stuff. And of course there is a great bunch of resources at Homeschoolshare. Many of them are for making a lapbook. I'm not yet sure if we'll be doing a lapbook. If so, I'll be sure to post about it.
I feel much better about our literature now that we've made this switch. I think The Golden Goblet is a really wonderful book. In fact, I may finish it myself to see what happens. We may just hold off a few years and try it again. As of now, I'm not sure how we'll be using AWOA. After abandoning the literature component, my plan was to continue using it for our study of history as well as for some of the science units it includes. However, the further I go into this journey, the more I find myself wanting to tap into my children's interests and to build learning experiences around those topics. I'm realizing that by randomly (although it was far from random..........weeks and weeks of research went into my curricular choices!) choosing curriculum without considering their interests and needs, what I am offering them is really not a whole lot different than what they'd get in public school. So I'm taking some time to reflect on this realization and to think about what it means for us and what direction I want to go next in our exciting journey. I'll be sure to post more on what transpires very soon!!
I'd love to hear from you if you've had similar issues. I am 100% positive that I'm not the only one!!
As you may know if you've read my curriculum page, I chose A World of Adventure from Learning Adventures as my main curriculum for my oldest son who is in fourth grade. In hindsight, I admit that I chose it because it reflects the kind of education that I wanted to give him and I liked the fact that Dorian (the author) had done all the work for me so I could just open to "today's" lesson and be good to go. I should have known myself and my child better than that, but I'm sure that many a homeschool-newbie has followed this same path or something similar. Before I go on to explain some of the changes we're making, please know that I think this is an excellent curriculum and as of now we are not abandoning it entirely. It's good stuff.
So............here's what's going on. First of all, I really wanted a curriculum that presented history in a chronological manner and I really, really wanted the literature we read to correlate with the history period we were focusing on. AWOA completely fit the bill in this department and that's largely why I chose it. The first six-week unit in AWOA is Ancient Egypt, and the main literature selection is The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. The literature selection is recommended to be read aloud and then there are comprehension questions for discussion in addition to vocabulary and written language assignments. Although my son was not complaining (bless his heart!), I soon realized that this particular text is pretty advanced for a fourth grader to easily comprehend, even when it's being read aloud. Keep in mind that my fourth grader is a gifted learner. And still, I found that it was really hard for him to keep track of the characters and all the details of the plot. So I asked my mom for advice. She taught reading and language arts in the upper elementary grades for MANY years and is truly the voice of experience. She basically confirmed to me what I already knew.........my son would not make gains in reading comprehension from a text that was too difficult nor would he grow to love literature (remember, he's a non-fiction kid) if only presented with texts that are either a.) too difficult or b.) not interesting to him or c.) both a and b. Essentially, she gave me permission to abandon the book entirely and try to find something that my son was more interested in and that was better suited for him. And I had to get over my need to have our literature align with our history study. Which was a bit hard, but I'm over it now. :-)
Luckily, my mom (the veteran retired teacher and lover of books) had a whole stash of great upper elementary chapter books in her basement. I hauled about 12 to 15 home and the next day I allowed my son to (gasp!) read the cover blurbs and choose which book he would read next. (Sidenote: The Book Whisperer author would be so proud of me. I actually heard her voice whispering in my ear as we made this transition. I'm totally serious.)
So now we are happily reading The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldin. I LOVED this book as a child. Fortunately there are a ton of free resources for this book online. For example, Lesson Pathways has a really comprehensive list of very cool activities and links to enhance a child's experience with this book. THIS LINK has been invaluable as it has an online quiz for each chapter as well as activities, vocabulary and English lessons. I've been having my son take the online quiz after reading each chapter. In a future post I'll share what we're doing with the vocabulary lists. I haven't used much yet from THIS link, but it looks like a bunch of good stuff. And of course there is a great bunch of resources at Homeschoolshare. Many of them are for making a lapbook. I'm not yet sure if we'll be doing a lapbook. If so, I'll be sure to post about it.
I feel much better about our literature now that we've made this switch. I think The Golden Goblet is a really wonderful book. In fact, I may finish it myself to see what happens. We may just hold off a few years and try it again. As of now, I'm not sure how we'll be using AWOA. After abandoning the literature component, my plan was to continue using it for our study of history as well as for some of the science units it includes. However, the further I go into this journey, the more I find myself wanting to tap into my children's interests and to build learning experiences around those topics. I'm realizing that by randomly (although it was far from random..........weeks and weeks of research went into my curricular choices!) choosing curriculum without considering their interests and needs, what I am offering them is really not a whole lot different than what they'd get in public school. So I'm taking some time to reflect on this realization and to think about what it means for us and what direction I want to go next in our exciting journey. I'll be sure to post more on what transpires very soon!!
I'd love to hear from you if you've had similar issues. I am 100% positive that I'm not the only one!!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
About Montessori
A few of you have asked why I haven't set up a Montessori curriculum for my sons this year as I started homeschooling them. While I understand why you're curious, it surprised me a bit because I honestly hadn't thought about the fact that I wasn't using a Montessori curriculum for them. After it was brought to my attention, I was forced to reflect on why I hadn't set up our homeschool environment in a "Montessori" way. So I'll do my best to put my thoughts about that into writing here. Please don't hesitate to email me or leave a comment if you'd like. I love getting comments!
OK, first of all, my Montessori training is for 3-6 year olds and that is the curriculum I'm most comfortable with in regard to Montessori education. I can assure you that if I'd started homeschooling back when they were in preschool or younger, our "schoolroom" would have had a definite Montessori vibe with open shelves and materials from which they could self-select. That said, I don't have the training in Montessori Elementary education. I have thought about getting it in the past, but it just hasn't been feasible from either a financial or time-commitment standpoint.
Next, my oldest son (who is turning 10 soon) attended a private Montessori elementary for first and second grade. It was a wonderful school and I feel he got a great introduction and exposure to the key elements of a Montessori elementary education. If he were attending a Montessori school this fall, he'd be in the 9-12 year old class.......and that is definitely out of my realm of expertise when it comes to Montessori training. I think Montessori is a wonderful model, even at the older age levels. I just don't feel that I could replicate it in a homeschool setting. As I researched homeschool curricula almost obsessively last winter, I wasn't able to come up with a resource for "doing" Montessori with upper elementary children in a home setting. If any of you have any suggestions or references for something like this, I'd be thrilled to take a look!
From the little I know about Montessori education at the elementary level, I know that there is a great deal of emphasis placed on non-fiction reading and reading for research purposes. While I believe these to be very valid and necessary goals for children, my oldest son excels in this area and would spend all his time reading non-fiction or for research if given the choice. Reading and understanding fiction at a higher reading level is an area that I felt I needed to focus on with him this year. So when I chose our main curriculum (A World of Adventure by Learning Adventures), I was looking for something that had literature at its core and which tied in the history and science with the literature components. In many ways, I can see that the structure of AWOA actually closely matches what I can imagine would be emphasized in an upper-elementary Montessori setting: lots of content reading from "real books", learning history in chronological order, and hands-on projects to reinforce concepts.
Finally, I think one of the basic tenets that characterizes Montessori education is to "follow the child". This, more than any material or exercise, is what I believe to be the essential message of Maria Montessori. Given that, I will definitely be implementing a "follow the child" philosophy in our homeschool setting as I try to build on my children's interests and strengths while simultaneously matching my support and encouragement to their areas of need or struggle.
I truly appreciate being asked this question. It has been very thought-provoking and reflective for me to ponder. And I hope I've adequately explained my reasoning for choosing the path I've chosen. If any of you are using a Montessori approach with your older children, I would really love to hear about it!! I love how blogging connects people of similar interests and allows us to learn from each other.
OK, first of all, my Montessori training is for 3-6 year olds and that is the curriculum I'm most comfortable with in regard to Montessori education. I can assure you that if I'd started homeschooling back when they were in preschool or younger, our "schoolroom" would have had a definite Montessori vibe with open shelves and materials from which they could self-select. That said, I don't have the training in Montessori Elementary education. I have thought about getting it in the past, but it just hasn't been feasible from either a financial or time-commitment standpoint.
Next, my oldest son (who is turning 10 soon) attended a private Montessori elementary for first and second grade. It was a wonderful school and I feel he got a great introduction and exposure to the key elements of a Montessori elementary education. If he were attending a Montessori school this fall, he'd be in the 9-12 year old class.......and that is definitely out of my realm of expertise when it comes to Montessori training. I think Montessori is a wonderful model, even at the older age levels. I just don't feel that I could replicate it in a homeschool setting. As I researched homeschool curricula almost obsessively last winter, I wasn't able to come up with a resource for "doing" Montessori with upper elementary children in a home setting. If any of you have any suggestions or references for something like this, I'd be thrilled to take a look!
From the little I know about Montessori education at the elementary level, I know that there is a great deal of emphasis placed on non-fiction reading and reading for research purposes. While I believe these to be very valid and necessary goals for children, my oldest son excels in this area and would spend all his time reading non-fiction or for research if given the choice. Reading and understanding fiction at a higher reading level is an area that I felt I needed to focus on with him this year. So when I chose our main curriculum (A World of Adventure by Learning Adventures), I was looking for something that had literature at its core and which tied in the history and science with the literature components. In many ways, I can see that the structure of AWOA actually closely matches what I can imagine would be emphasized in an upper-elementary Montessori setting: lots of content reading from "real books", learning history in chronological order, and hands-on projects to reinforce concepts.
Finally, I think one of the basic tenets that characterizes Montessori education is to "follow the child". This, more than any material or exercise, is what I believe to be the essential message of Maria Montessori. Given that, I will definitely be implementing a "follow the child" philosophy in our homeschool setting as I try to build on my children's interests and strengths while simultaneously matching my support and encouragement to their areas of need or struggle.
I truly appreciate being asked this question. It has been very thought-provoking and reflective for me to ponder. And I hope I've adequately explained my reasoning for choosing the path I've chosen. If any of you are using a Montessori approach with your older children, I would really love to hear about it!! I love how blogging connects people of similar interests and allows us to learn from each other.
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