Friday, July 29, 2011

Cultural History of the Holy Land

Homeschooling has taught me many lessons.  One of them is that there is no one "perfect" curriculum--a curriculum that is perfect for every family.  Many families will love a curriculum, but others won't.  We are different and so are our children!  We have different goals for our children and different information we want them to learn.  There are often different skills we want them to learn as well.  Today I had a friend visit who's niece at 4 years old can name the spices in her food.  Her siblings can too!  Her family happens to love food deeply.  Two friends of mine purchased or were given ponies for their daughters this year.  Horses are a deep love and passion for these two young girls.  That time and devotion to the ponies means that their time is divided differently than many children their ages.

I have been reading through a curriculum that I have found interesting.  But...  I've had this reoccurring thought that this is not the right curriculum for my family.  I do believe, though, that many families will enjoy it and be encouraged by it.  I will explain in the course of this review why it's a great curriculum.  At the end, I'll try and explain why it's just not the right fit for my family.

The curriculum I'm speaking of is A Child's Geography, Volume II :  Explore The Holy Land by Ann Voskamp and Tonia Peckover.  Back in June, I reviewed Volume I and enjoyed it.  The first book was essentially an earth science curriculum.  This second book explores the Middle East from both a historical and current cultural perspective.  It blends history and cultural studies.  The book explores the countries of Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.  For each lesson, there is a reading lesson, a section for field notes (students are asked to speak into a recorder about their observations as they imagine traveling through the land), lists of locations to record on maps, art/cooking/music activities, and suggested prayer lists. My favorite part of the lessons were the prayer sections.  I thought the authors did a wonderful job of making suggestions for how we can pray with our children for the people who live in this region of the world.  

An example from the Israel lesson is "Lord, may the people who live within her borders live at peace with their neighbors.  May they learn to love each other as You patiently love us.  We pray for godly wisdom for the world's governments as decisions are made regarding this region of the world and may Your will be accomplished," p. 71

I enjoyed the reading lessons as well as the activities.  There are pictures, both color and black and white, scattered through the lessons.  If you choose to use this curriculum, I would highly suggest collecting other resources via your library or by purchasing a good Bible Atlas to help your children better picture this land.  Though the authors do a good job describing the areas and helping children to use their imaginations, I know my children would want a Bible Atlas.  Included in the book is a CD-Rom with reproducible maps for use with the curriculum.  I think you may find you want some larger maps, though. I have seen several such resources available via CBD.

If you are interested in acquainting your children with this area of the world, this is a great curriculum.  But, let me explain why I'm not sure it's the best fit for my family.  The authors talk about many people groups who live in the area, including the Kurds in Turkey.  I appreciated the efforts on the part of the authors to include all people groups and their suggestions of how to pray for the people who live in this region, because God has called us to pray for all people.  But, there is one people group missing from this book.  In the section on Israel, the Palestinians were not mentioned.  There were no pictures from the Gaza Strip or the areas where the Palestinians live.  There are Palestinian Christians.  If I used this curriculum, I would add to the section on Israel and explaining a bit more to my children about the land and the people who live there.  

The other reason I likely will not use this curriculum is that it does not fit in a traditional scope and sequence for what children learn in school.  I tend to follow the general scope and sequence of subject matter as taught by the public schools for social studies and history.  As a homeschooler, I do have the flexibility to veer away from that when I want to.  I could use this curriculum in a condensed form one quarter of the school year.  With all curriculums we use, we take what works for our families and modify when we need to.  I could expand on some of the sections and still condense the study overall.  

In the book, there are 16 lessons, which would cover about a half a year if you taught one lesson a week.  It is very appropriate to use with multiple ages at one time.  I'd recommend it for grades 1-6.  You can see a preview of the book on this website: http://www.achildsgeography.com/  It is a pretty affordable curriculum at $35 for the book and included CD.  I looked up several Bible Atlases on Amazon and they ran between $20 and $30.  Other pictorial resources could easily be found at your local library.  

If you are looking for a study on the Holy Land, this is a great place to start.  If there are areas you would like to focus more heavily on, the curriculum would be easy to adapt.  It isn't the right curriculum for my family, but I can see how it might be a good fit for many others.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Filling in the Gaps

A month ago, we went out to lunch after church with some friends.  The husband, who knows many homeschooling families, observed that to be a good homeschooling teacher you have to have knowledge about and interest in a wide variety of subjects.  I remarked back that, "or you need to have a friend who can help fill in the gaps where you fall short".  

I grew up in LA.  There wasn't much nature around.  I lived in a suburb surrounded by suburbs.  I had no interest in science.  Science is a subject area where I have gaps.  

God gave me a dear friend to help me fill in this gap.  She has opened my children's eyes up to nature and blessed our family.  Last year, she gave us several caterpillars and a cocoon, which we got to watch as they went through the  life cycle of the butterfly.  This year my friend was heading out on vacation, so she bestowed on us the gift of a cocoon to watch over.  

I have checked each morning on the cocoon to see if anything had changed.  Yesterday morning nothing had changed.  Then, halfway through the morning, Autumn remarked that the butterfly had hatched.  Here are a few pictures from our butterfly release.


Butterflies need to be released and then placed on a leaf so that their wings won't dry stuck together.  


This large butterfly had a hard time getting out.  
But, once he did, he quickly flew to a nearby branch on the cherry tree.


Homeschooling is not as much of a solo effort as you might expect.  When we try to do it alone, it can be discouraging.  Fellowship is good for our hearts and our children's.  It is a blessing for them to learn from other adults that you trust.  I am very thankful for my friend who helps fill in a few of my gaps.  I am thankful that my children are learning to love nature in a way that I have not.  I am growing in this love as I teach them and walk with them.  

Assessments

A gal I met this week asked me about what test I use to assess my daughters reading levels.  I use a test called the QRI (2nd ed.).  I was taught how to use this test and interpret it in my classes for my master's degree in education.  It tests reading (phonics and sight words), reading comprehension, and background knowledge.  I wouldn't recommend this test to homeschooling parents.  I was taught how to use this test.  I had instructors walk me through it and show me how to use it.  I am very thankful for this instruction.


This morning I set out to see if I could find a test online that is available to homeschoolers.  I found that Sonlight has a page listing several academic assessments for students.  Here is the page:  http://www.sonlight.com/placement-tests.html   
On this page, there are reading vocabulary and comprehension assessments.  I took a look at the Let's Go Learn test and it covers all of the language arts areas that I test my girls for.  It costs $20 for 1 test, but that seems reasonable to me for what it covers.


What would you use this testing for?


These are assessment tests.  They are different than standardized tests.


I use assessment tests to make sure my kids are on track with their reading skills.  Because I use a math curriculum that is for public schools, I feel comfortable that my children are on grade level if they are getting 85% plus right.  In these early grades, I'm not concerned that they get 100% or that I give them an "A" on their papers.  But, they do love writing 100% on their papers when they get everything right!  When I was considering using Horizons, I used the Horizons assessment to help me place Autumn.  It was helpful.  I didn't go with Horizons as my choice, but I'm glad to have used the test.


In my opinion, grades PK-3 are all about helping our children learning reading, writing, and arithmetic.  They need strong foundations.  Reading and writing include phonics, reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, writing and handwriting.  The other goal I have for my kids during elementary school is to help them build their background knowledge.  In order to remember new information, we connect it to other information we have in our brains.  Disconnected knowledge doesn't stick for very long.  So, as teachers we help give our students building blocks and help them learn how to make connections.  We teach them to think about how what they are learning relates to what they've learned before.  They make connections to their own thoughts and feelings, to what they've read about, and to what they already know about the world.


But, I think the important thing to ask what your purpose is in giving assessements.  When my children are in 8th grade and then again in 12th, I want to know that my children are on an equal footing with children who have gone to school.  My hope is that my children will go to college.  My oldest daughter is pretty academic--leaning towards creative and language arts.  My second daughter is more math oriented.  She is on grade level with her reading.


But, the primary reason I assess my children is to show my husband that our children are on track.  You see, I'm a bit informal with our daily schedule.  Not casual, but informal.  I don't abandon self discipline, but we tend to get started, well, when we get started.  Sometimes that's 8:30 a.m. and sometimes it's 9 a.m. and sometimes even 9:30 a.m.  My husband has his concerns about this.  So, I show him our assessments as an indication that the kids and me are on track.  I do realize that God is easing me into more and more discipline about our days when it comes to homeschooling and the work load increases--for the kids and for me.


Standardized testing is different than assessments for reading, writing, and math.  They are more specific and cover different subjects.  There are two common tests that Homeschoolers take.  The ITBS (Iowa tests) and the Stanford 10 (formerly 9).  Bob Jones offers a program so that parents can apply to become proctors.  They also will sell you the tests, which you return to them for scoring.  http://www.bjupress.com/testing/forms.php


I found this website with a general description and comparison of the tests available:
http://www.thetestinglady.com/comparetests.html 
Here's another page with some helpful information:  
http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-phoenix/standardized-testing-for-homeschoolers-comparison-of-iowa-and-stanford-tests


In our state, we are not required to administer standardized tests to our children.  So, I have opted out of the free service available to us via our county school system.  I have grown more and more concerned about the emphasis put on standardized testing over the past 10 years.  With standardized tests, we hold all students accountable to the same standards along the same timeline.  A friend of mine was over visiting yesterday and she described to me how the students and parents act during testing week at her daughter's elementary school.  She described how stressed and pressured the kids and parents feel.  She was shocked when she saw it and I honestly was shocked to hear about it.  That is what I want to stay away from.  


But, there is some good that can come of taking standardized tests.  I did a little research and found these two pages that gave me some food for thought: 
http://www.thehomescholar.com/recent-articles/homeschool-standardized-tests.php
http://hslda.org/highschool/testing.asp
The truth is that our children will have to take all sorts of standardized tests in the course of their lifetime.  If we help them learn to take them and not stress out about such tests, we will be giving them a valuable skill that they will need over and over.  Test taking is a part of life.  


As homeschoolers, we have the blessing of not having to put pressure on our kids about tests.  We can teach them that the goal of tests is not to show what you don't know--but what you do.  


But, that's just my two cents...

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Still Wired...sort of

It's been an interesting week.  I'm very thankful that I talked to friends about their experiences with prednisone.  At times, I'm just fine.  Other times, I feel like my blood sugar is low and eating something won't help.  Then, there are other times...like last night.  Those are the times my friend Karen warned me about thankfully.  It was after dinner and I could feel my body getting antsy.  I couldn't handle the kids asking for five more things for five more minutes.  I explained to my husband that I needed to go be by myself away from everyone.  I knew I needed to.  I sat at the computer working on various projects for an hour and then the jitteriness began to start ebbing a bit.  My hives had returned, though, from my allergic reaction to amocillin last week.  I took a benadryl and made my way to sleep before my body decided to act up any more on me.  


When I woke this morning, I felt fine.  But, the jitteriness comes unexpectedly.  8 more days to go...


This has been an interesting journey.  Sickness that isn't exactly "sickness" as my husband puts it.  It has felt like sickness.  I feel better today than I have in 2 weeks.  


Our pastor challenged us on Sunday to ask two questions amidst our times of troubles.  
1) What are our goals during this time?
2) What are we expecting of God?
The answers to these questions will tell us where our heart is centered--or where it isn't.  These questions are good ones for me to ask.


My goal for most of this illness has been to survive and get well.  Yesterday, my goal was to not snap at my children in response to my physical struggles.  When I asked question number 2, I realized that I didn't expect anything of God.  I hoped He would help me get through this...that he would help me endure.  I am thankful for his sustenance during these past 2 weeks, but I have realized that my eyes have often been on me the past two weeks and not--on Him.  




Amidst the heat wave we've been going through, this sunflower bloomed in my backyard.  I was struck by it's color--the orangish-brown hue.  It isn't bright yellow as sunflowers usually are.  This is by design, of course.  I chose a package of mixed sunflower seeds this spring to plant.  I have tried to bloom amidst this sickness and not snap at my family or others.  I hope I have been kind and patient most of the time.  I am thankful for the Lord's provision of medicine and learning that I'm allergic to Amoxicillin in a non-life threatening situation.  

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wired

It is 12:38 a.m. and I am wide awake.  This is unusual for me.  Actually, it's very unusual for me!  For the past few weeks, I've been struggling to stay awake come 8 p.m. each night.  Today I had my first dosage of prednasone.  I do need to take it so for the next 2 weeks I am going to probably be forgoing my morning cup of coffee and taking my dosage as early as I can in the morning--in the hope that the "wired" effect will wear off as much as possible by the time I need to go to sleep.


I've never done drugs, or taken no doze, or drank more than half a glass of wine, so the feeling that I have right now is pretty weird.  I have to take this for 2 weeks because of multiple exposures to poison ivy, sumac, or oak.  Blech!  Still this "wired" effect is much better than the alternative that I had dreaded--a visit to the hospital.


I thought I would share what happened because it's interesting to me to see how our health care system works today.  


We came home last week from a family visit to New York.  I had what I thought were large bug bits.  Silly me, I had scratched them.  Most of them were healing fine, but the spot on the back of my leg.  A few days after we returned home, I thought it would be wise to go to my primary care doctor because I suspected I had cellulitis.  I also had gotten a very painful wasp bite early in the week when I stubbornly walked in my garden barefoot.  My doctor prescribed an antibiotic and a mild steroid.  


The weekend came around and I worked in my garden.  I didn't do a good job of taking a shower immediately afterwards and found myself with a case of poison ivy and a new rash on my neck that burned and itched.  I was miserable!  I didn't feel like either of the medications were helping so I went to an urgent care clinic Sunday morning and was prescribed another antibiotic and a steroid cream.  She had no idea what the rash was, but felt it was a third thing altogether.  Both the PA at the urgent care and my primary care doc both thought I indeed had cellulitis.  When I filled the prescriptions, the pharmacist warned me of the common side effects of the antibiotic and I melted.  Yeast infections and diarrhea.  Ay ay ay!  On top of everything else, I had these things to look forward to!


In the meantime, whenever I told someone I had cellulitis--they told me a story of how they or someone they knew had ended up in the hospital with it.  After a full day of the new antibiotics, I definitely experienced the side effects.  The second day a new side effect appeared--hives!  So, now I found myself with cellulitis, poison ivy, rash of unknown origin, and hives!  I began to panic.  I had an appointment with my primary care doctor on Thursday, but called my dermatologist to see if I could get in to see someone in their office.  I could!  In fact, I could go the very next day, Wednesday!


Wednesday rolled around and I woke up feeling very sick.  Tuesday had not ended well for me.  I had stopped taking the antibiotics on the advice of the urgent care doctor, but they were still in my system.  I had to wait for my doctor's appointment.  I was worried I would be in the hospital by the end of the day.


I got everyone ready for the day and readied my kids to go to a friend's house while I went to the doctor.  My husband had taken the day off to go with me and didn't realize at first how sick I felt.  After taking the kids to swim and then dropping them off at our friend's house, we headed to the dermatologist.  I was surprised to be seen right away.  He was great!  He looked at everything and said that I did not have cellulitis.  I actually had been exposed multiple times to poison ivy/sumac/oak!  He explained that the hives would be a reaction to the Augmentin, the antibiotic I'd been prescribed.  With water and a little food in my system I was already starting to feel less lightheaded and more stable.  He prescribed prednasone for me and so here I am. Wired.  He did warn me about this effect and recommended that I take it early in the morning (except for yesterday) so that the emotional side effects could subside by the time I went to sleep.  But, this side effect is better than the side effects of the antibiotics.  My hives are still dissipating.  I had no idea that the side effects of a medicine could make you feel sicker than the sickness itself!


So, these are my notes to myself...  
1) We have an health plan that doesn't require referrals.  I am very thankful for this.  I was able to go straight to the dermatologist.  Next time something like this occurs with my skin... that's where I'm going to go first.  
2) I need to be more aware of what medicines/foods I'm allergic to.  I haven't thought that I am allergic to much, but I've realized that there are a few things.  Aloe vera, sulfites, and now the antibiotics I was prescribed.  
3) When I get prescribed a medicine I don't know or am using a topical cream, I need to make sure to read the list of side effects.  In this case, I really thought I was getting quite sick--and it was the medicine, not the sickness!


So this is the adventure I've been on the past two weeks with my health.  Our pastor preached on Sunday about refining through suffering.  I have to admit I didn't do very well through all of this.  I was often short with my kids.  But, it made me aware of my sin and that I need to reset how I view interruptions.  Interruptions by my children are what parenting is chock full of.  They are chances for me to show them that I love them--or that I love something else more.  I know there are times when it's okay to forgo interruptions, but I think my kids and I need to work out some guidelines about interruptions.  I need to make sure that they feel they can come to me anytime.  

Friday, July 15, 2011

Understanding Science as a Christian

I recently wrote of my desire to understand science from a Christian perspective.  I had read a nature book that bothered me because of how it portrayed evolutionary views.  I disagree with evolution, but it was how the authors spoke of evolutionists that bothered me.  I had the opportunity to read another book on a similar subject, Building Blocks in Life Science:  From Genes & Genesis to Science & Scripture by Gary Parker.


When I opened up the book and read this paragraph, I was intrigued...
            "All that changed in 1859.  Evolutionists used Darwin's popular new book, Origin of Species, as the basis for both attacking the Bible and reinterpreting the scientific evidence supporting the creationist model.  Variability within kind was replaced with change from one species to others; boundaries between kinds with missing links between species; ecological cooperation with competition; common plan with common ancestor; struggle and death as problems to overcome with struggle and death as pathways to progress.  Finally, evolutionists made Darwin's "war of nature" a substitute god, an alternate religion, and the authority of God's Word was replaced with the supremacy of human opinion." p.5


I really liked that quote and the first few lessons.  Today I was flipping through the book, though and found several statements that concerned me.
"evolutionary theory is worse than worthless as a basis for biological classification." p. 79
"Abortionists often talk about a mother's right over her own body, but the baby inside her (unlike a wart!) is not part of her body." p. 85


There is a lot of great information in this book--I just wish it wasn't marred by the author's tone that seems intent on insulting the opposite viewpoint.  What good does that do?  The author could have been constructive and simply explained life science from a creationist perspective.  It stands on its own.  I appreciated how detailed the first few lessons are about genes and the progression of the discussion through the book.  I also like the worksheet at the end of each lesson.  But, because of the underlying tone in the book, I don't plan on using it as part of our curriculum when my children are in middle school.


My search remains--to find a book that helps me understand science from a creationist perspective, believing in God--that does not insult people who believe differently.  It is one thing to say someone is wrong, it is another to be deprecating towards them and insult them.


Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book from New Leaf Publishing.

Not The Book I Was Looking For...

When I was a child, I had many faults that stood out.  One was that I didn't know how to make friends or be a friend.  I simply didn't have friends.  But, there were other things I did well.  So, even as a child I pursued what I could do in an attempt to please others and to feel better about myself.  I also had a parent who believed that less than perfect wasn't good enough.  I became a perfectionist.  In many ways, I still am one.  I try very hard to get everything right and do everything I need to get done.  I often find myself motivated by the fear of displeasing others.


I do know I need God's grace and I know that I need to show myself grace.  I understand and know God's love.  But, I still struggle.  Last year, I read several books by Cynthia Heald and Jerry Bridges that really encouraged me.  I loved Ms. Heald's Bible study series.  It took me to the Word each morning without reading into it or interpreting the Word for me.  Jerry Bridges' books explained fundamental truths about walking with God.  Trusting God and The Discipline of Grace deeply encouraged me.


I remember Paul talking about the thorn in his side that he wanted God to take away.  But, God didn't.  God uses thorns in our lives to compel us to turn to Him, trust Him, and lean on Him.  In our weaknesses, He is strong.  My weakness and my desire to do things right reminds me daily that I need God and that I can't do things without Him.  I'm also reminded that no one has ever been perfect since the Fall other than Jesus.  At the same time that I remember my failures, I remind myself of Christ and God's grace for me.  We need to preach the gospel to ourselves.  We need to remember and remind ourselves of the Truth...it is the best way to combat the lies that we are failures and worthless that Satan tries to plant in our heads when we fail to be perfect, but expect ourselves to be.


Because I'm such a book person, I often look for books to encourage me and help me to remind myself of the Truths I know in my heart.  This past month I've been reading through a book I thought might be encouraging.  It is titled Freedom From Performing:  Grace in an Applause-Driven World by Becky Harling.  I read a preview online and I liked the table of contents as well as the first few pages, so I had wanted to read it.  When I started reading the book, though, I found that it wasn't what I was looking for.  I didn't connect with the topics covered by the book.  I do know and understand God's grace, but I imperfectly  live out my life in that grace.  My struggle is not understanding and accepting God's love--it is getting past my people pleasing and for my motives to be right--for my actions to be aimed at glorifying God, not done out of the fear of man.


The first couple chapters I simply didn't connect with.  The chapters in the middle had some good ideas and thoughts in them, but they felt very wordy.  I liked most of the questions at the end of the chapters for Bible study.  But there was one part of each chapter that unsettled me.  It was the section near the end of each chapter and was titled "Message from the Grace Giver".   The author writes on pg. 19, "These are life-giving truths I drew from Scripture and then recast as if God were speaking them directly to you.  I pray they encourage you and help you live in grace."  Her words sound okay, but the idea of doing this concerned me.  I don't think it's wise to speak for God.  I know this is a literary device that many authors use, but I simply don't think it's wise.  The Bible is God's Word.  It speaks for itself.


There are many books that have been written about this topic and similar topics.  Some books resonate with some people, but not everyone.  Perhaps this is one of those books.  But, it isn't the one I'd recommend.  I'd actually recommend Becoming a Woman of Freedom by Cynthia Heald or Becoming a Woman of Grace. These are great Bible Studies that will take you to the Word.  If you want to read a more indepth book about grace I'd recommend The Discipline of Grace  and Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.


Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from NavPress.

Not The Book I Was Looking For...

When I was a child, I had many faults that stood out.  One was that I didn't know how to make friends or be a friend.  I simply didn't have friends.  But, there were other things I did well.  So, even as a child I pursued what I could do in an attempt to please others and to feel better about myself.  I also had a parent who believed that less than perfect wasn't good enough.  I became a perfectionist.  In many ways, I still am one.  I try very hard to get everything right and do everything I need to get done.  I often find myself motivated by the fear of displeasing others.

I do know I need God's grace and I know that I need to show myself grace.  I understand and know God's love.  But, I still struggle.  Last year, I read several books by Cynthia Heald and Jerry Bridges that really encouraged me.  I loved Ms. Heald's Bible study series.  It took me to the Word each morning without reading into it or interpreting the Word for me.  Jerry Bridges' books explained fundamental truths about walking with God.  Trusting God and The Discipline of Grace deeply encouraged me.

I remember Paul talking about the thorn in his side that he wanted God to take away.  But, God didn't.  God uses thorns in our lives to compel us to turn to Him, trust Him, and lean on Him.  In our weaknesses, He is strong.  My weakness and my desire to do things right reminds me daily that I need God and that I can't do things without Him.  I'm also reminded that no one has ever been perfect since the Fall other than Jesus.  At the same time that I remember my failures, I remind myself of Christ and God's grace for me.  We need to preach the gospel to ourselves.  We need to remember and remind ourselves of the Truth...it is the best way to combat the lies that we are failures and worthless that Satan tries to plant in our heads when we fail to be perfect, but expect ourselves to be.

Because I'm such a book person, I often look for books to encourage me and help me to remind myself of the Truths I know in my heart.  This past month I've been reading through a book I thought might be encouraging.  It is titled Freedom From Performing:  Grace in an Applause-Driven World by Becky Harling.  I read a preview online and I liked the table of contents as well as the first few pages, so I had wanted to read it.  When I started reading the book, though, I found that it wasn't what I was looking for.  I didn't connect with the topics covered by the book.  I do know and understand God's grace, but I imperfectly  live out my life in that grace.  My struggle is not understanding and accepting God's love--it is getting past my people pleasing and for my motives to be right--for my actions to be aimed at glorifying God, not done out of the fear of man.

The first couple chapters I simply didn't connect with.  The chapters in the middle had some good ideas and thoughts in them, but they felt very wordy.  I liked most of the questions at the end of the chapters for Bible study.  But there was one part of each chapter that unsettled me.  It was the section near the end of each chapter and was titled "Message from the Grace Giver".   The author writes on pg. 19, "These are life-giving truths I drew from Scripture and then recast as if God were speaking them directly to you.  I pray they encourage you and help you live in grace."  Her words sound okay, but the idea of doing this concerned me.  I don't think it's wise to speak for God.  I know this is a literary device that many authors use, but I simply don't think it's wise.  The Bible is God's Word.  It speaks for itself.

There are many books that have been written about this topic and similar topics.  Some books resonate with some people, but not everyone.  Perhaps this is one of those books.  But, it isn't the one I'd recommend.  I'd actually recommend Becoming a Woman of Freedom by Cynthia Heald or Becoming a Woman of Grace. These are great Bible Studies that will take you to the Word.  If you want to read a more indepth book about grace I'd recommend The Discipline of Grace  and Trusting God by Jerry Bridges.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from NavPress.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Writing Curriculum...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how I had begun to ponder writing curriculum and what I was going to use with my oldest daughter this year.  Well, it's been interesting since then.  I had ordered 2 new Evan Moor Books and 3 used Evan Moor books.  DON'T buy Evan-Moor books used!  This was what I learned.  Amazon has made a mistake.  They show the new copy with listings for the previous edition under the used listings.  I thought I was ordering the books I saw on the preview, but I wasn't.  When the 3 used books arrived, I was very disappointed.  Rather than saving money, I found myself in the thick of a lot of trouble!  Returning an item to Amazon directly was pretty easy, but I had to drop it off at a UPS drop box.  The second return was easy, the money was simply returned when I contacted them that I had received the wrong item. The third item, on the other hand, was a pain.  I had to make a claim to Amazon about it and the seller was not good about replying to my attempts at contacting them to resolve the matter.  It was frustrating.  Thankfully, it's all done now.  But, I'm going to try and not have to do that again!


As these books arrived and the ensuing frustration took hold, I pondered if this was the right avenue to pursue.  It was a legitimate and good plan.  For some reason, I decided to look at a book I had ordered for Autumn for 2nd grade-- Write Away, published by Great Source.  I looked for a Program Guide online and found one.  It was $25 and for some reason I felt it was what I should get.  I had used the K level from the series and loved it, but knew with that level that I needed the Program Guide to make it work as a curriculum.  I had the 1st grade books from the series, but hadn't used them because I felt overwhelmed by the planning needs of the teacher's guide I had.  Still I felt I should order the second grade book, so I did.  It arrived and I loved it!  It laid out a 36 week curriculum for the year.  When I looked at the individual weeks, it was also laid out by week in daily lessons.  I realize now that when I was about to use the 1st grade level of this series, it was the lack of daily lessons that overwhelmed me.  I didn't understand the program and how to make it work for my family.  I also don't think I understood the overall writing process and how children learn how to write.  So, when we went on our vacation, I took the Grade 1 guide with me and wrote out daily lessons so that they will be done ahead of time for me for this year with Sami.


I've realized a lot of things about writing over the past month.
1) Teaching writing is daunting!  It is an enormous process to teach.  Helping your children develop strong writing skills is a challenging task.
2) Having an overall understanding of what needs to be taught at different levels and where your children are headed helps.
3) Writing requires parent/teacher involvement.  (It requires me to be more involved than I have been!) Students need feedback on their writing and instruction.
4) Find a curriculum you like and your children like--it may not be what everyone else likes or is using.  It needs to "sit with you".  You need to want to use it.  Even if everyone else likes it, you'll procrastinate and put those lessons off if you don't like the materials or if they seem overwhelming to you.


As I was pondering what curriculum to do and thinking about using the Evan Moor books, I took my writing questions to my friends.  One is 3 years ahead of me in this journey and one is 7 years ahead of me.  I found that they both agreed on points 2-4.  Point #1 is mine.  :)  They both had different approaches to teaching writing and recognized that teaching writing is a complex task.


One of my friends, who is also a former school teacher, has appreciated our church's co-op class for teaching writing.  She agreed with me that it is a complex task to teach writing.  The other friend uses the basic outline of how to teach writing from that co-op class and the curriculum is uses to continue on and teach writing to her children.  She is a natural writing teacher.  I realized she has a scope and sequence in her head of what she wants to teach them each year in writing.  I admired her ability to do this.  But, I know I'm not at that point yet, so I look to a scope and sequences to help me understand what children need to learn about writing year by year and then use that to help give me a guiding vision of where my children are heading with their writing.


I found this site that I liked:  http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/homeschool-writing-curriculum.html  At the very end of the page, it talks about years 1-9.  I think that is literally meaning the child's age, not grade.  By ages, what she says is very appropriate, I think.  On this page that I've linked to, you'll find a list of the types of writing, and the very end of the page is what I also think is very helpful.


After all of my thinking, I've concluded that these are the foundational ideas about how a child's writing develops:




Creative Writing   >    Writing    <  Expository Writing





Writing =   Sentences  >   Paragraphs  >  Essays and Stories




Children begin with writing sentences in Kindergarten and First Grade.  They write phonetically at first.  They realize that letters make words and words make sentences.  Grammar is introduced in First Grade: the idea of what a sentence needs--a capital letter at the beginning and punctuation at the end.
In Second Grade, sentences are developed and more describing words are added.  Punctuation is explained more in depth as is grammar.  Sentences are linked together and structure for a paragraph is introduced.  In Second/Third grades, the idea of a topic sentence and details are introduced.  Paragraphs are developed in Third and Fourth Grades.  These paragraphs linked together become essays or stories.  An essay is simply paragraphs linked together with the first paragraph being like a topic sentence and the body paragraphs are the details.  


Expository Writing
Connecting to Text  >  Taking Notes  >  Paragraphs  >  Research Paper


When children are in Kindergarten through second grade, they are taught how to connect to the text they are reading.  These connections are either connections to themselves and their own experiences, connections to the world and what they know about the world, or connections to another text--something they've read or seen before.  These connections help them remember and understand what they are learning about.  In Third grade, these connections become the foundation for students making predictions and identifying main ideas and details.  This is the stuffing of 2 column notes.  Those 2 column notes can then be turned into simple paragraphs. These paragraphs become the stuffing of simple and later more complex reports as children grow older.  A third grade report would simply be a one paragraph summary, while a fourth and fifth grade report may have 3 or more paragraphs.
In Fourth Grade, these connections to what they've read and seen are built upon and students learn how to identify story elements and details.  This is also the stuffing of 2 column notes that can be used to write book reports.


Taking Notes  >  Notecards /  Highlighting  >  Research Paper


In grades 4-6+, taking notes is developed further and written on notecards.  Highlighting is taught.  The main ideas are developed into the paragraphs which become essays/research papers.  In Fourth grade, of course this is on a very simple level.  More detailed research material is used and more notes are taken as students get older and grow.


The middle school and high school years develop these skills to write a variety of forms of essays and papers.  The site I linked to earlier gives a good listing of these various types.


Creative Writing
Poetry   --------   Stories

Creative Writing includes different types of stories, free writing, journal writing, and stories.  The simplest way I can understand it is to break it down into poetry and stories.  In kindergarten children draw pictures of a story's beginning, middle, and end.  They may give a verbal narration that an adult records. In first grade, they begin by writing three or more sentences telling a story's beginning, middle, and end.  As students get older, their stories become more complex each year as their sentences become more complex.  

Poetry is another form of creative writing.  Poetry can begin in first grade with simple acrostic poems, couplets, and cinquains.  Evan-Moor's Poetry With Children identifies 6 types of poems and gives a form for 3 levels (I, II, and III) that increase with difficulty.  Their second book Poetry Patterns and Themes lists more types of poetry for grades 3-6+.

Here is another way of breaking down the writing process:  
* Basically, children begin in PK and K to attempt to write.  Spelling is not an issue.  Children simply need to attempt at writing words.  As they go into first grade, they will have been fine motor skills and will begin learning to spell.  Sentences are the main focus for first grade.  Children can use words and pictures to express what they think.  But, the point is simply for them to write.  The parts of stories are introduced: beginning, middle, and end.  Simple poetry, like acrostic poems (name or alphabet poems), is also introduced.
* Second grade delves into more work in sentences and more developed sentences.  Unstructured paragraphs and stories begin to be developed.  The writing process (Plan, Write, Edit, Revise, and Publish) is introduced at a basic level.  This process can also be introduced in first grade.  Stories continue to be written and become longer.  Poetry is again introduced, but different types--like cinquains.
* In third grade, sentences are combined and become more complex.  The five sentence paragraph can be introduced:  Topic sentence, 3 details, and a conclusion.  Stories and creative writing also become more complex with added detail and description.
* Fourth grade finds students writing book reports and sometimes multiple paragraphs.  Paragraphs are developed further.  The paragraphs become essays, stories, and reports.
* From Fifth grade on students continue to develop these fundamentals.


As for curriculum, 
This is the post I wrote a few weeks ago about writing:  http://lovetopaint.blogspot.com/2011/06/venturing-into-new-territory.html  I reread what I wrote and though I'm going to use Write Away this year with Autumn, the Evan Moor books I ordered are still needed.  I can see how God has orchestrated all of this.  The two areas that are weak in Sami's Grade 1 curriculum for Write One  are the 2 Evan Moor books I ordered new:  Stories and Poetry.  (The teacher's guide for Write One that I have happens to have a few pages missing, which was unbeknownst to me until I started writing the plans on our trip.)


One of the difficulties with the curriculums I use is that I buy them used.  So, I can't fully recommend them, because they are often not available or still in print or available to homeschoolers directly.  I've also come to believe that I gravitate to them because I taught in a classroom before I homeschooled.  Great Source's writing curriculum is one of those things.  I think it could be a great homeschool curriculum, but I read a review on Homeschool Reviews.com which mentioned that Great Source is not open to working with homeschoolers.  I don't know if this is currently the case or not, but their new curriculum is not packaged in a way that is affordable to homeschooling families.  I have bought it used and so it has been affordable for us so far.  I keep my eyes open and shop for it bit by bit.


I did come across several writing curriculums available to homeschoolers that I liked and would consider if I weren't able to use the Write Source Program.


One program is Write Shop.  You can only buy it through the website here:  http://www.writeshop.com/
There are samples online so you can see a preview of the lesson plans and books.  For Grades K-2, the cost is about $30-$40 per year.  For Middle/High School, there is an initial investment of $55 for the teacher's guide and $45 each for the middle and high school student books.  So, a total cost of $145 for grades 6-12.


Another program I found that I like is Diana Hanbury King's Writing Skills series published by EPS Books.  She wrote a teacher's manual that is about $20 that explains all the concepts children need to learn in writing.  The student books cover 2-3 grade and are $15 each.  It is also a very affordable curriculum.  It integrates grammar and writing instruction.  


Writing Skills is complemented by the Just Write Program for Creative Writing, also published by EPS Books.  Together these two programs (Just Write and Writing Skills) plus Evan-Moor's poetry book would cover a full year's writing curriculum.


Many homeschoolers use Institutes for Excellence in Writing and Writing Strands.  I was overwhelmed by the IEW lesson preparation.  I was told that IEW is stronger and easier to use for older grades, not the early elementary years.  Writing Strands is very popular among homeschoolers but it falls in my category of not being appealing to me.  I have picked it up several times over the years at the homeschool book store, but have always set it down.  Much of that may have been because I needed an understanding of the process of teaching writing though.  I just looked up the books to take a gander and remember my thoughts.  Primarily, I think it was the formatting of the books, in addition to my need for an understanding of the process of developing a child's ability to write.  Formatting is a very personal matter but I find that some books are easier for me to read and others harder simply due to the font that is chosen and the way bold type, underlining, and color are used.


So, those are my thoughts and what I've been learning about teaching my children to write.  I am excited for this year and though teaching writing is going to require more from me from now on, I know that it is needed!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

So many things on my mind...

Last week, we went on vacation so that is why I haven't posted on this blog since June!  It was a busy trip.  We worked a lot on my mother in law's home and I did a lot of painting.  I scraped, primed, and painted two window frames; scraped a garage door, primed and put 2 coats of paint on it; and primed and painted a mailbox and its post.  I also showed two of my brother in laws how to paint.  I realize that I haven't posted about how I paint on here before so here's a few things I told them...


Paint matters.  Buy good paint that won't run.  Otherwise you constantly have to make sure you aren't dragging paint with you from the can to the surface you're painting.  Thinner paints are more dangerous this way (especially Glidden!).  Behr from home depot has been the best for me.  I can get away with 1 coat at times (with touch up) while I have had to do 2 coats with Valspar, Olympic, and Glidden.


A 2" angled brush is my favorite.  It gives more coverage than smaller brushes, but you can still control it and do edges with it.


Brushes are more practical than rollers than when you have little kids and only have short periods (an hour or less) to paint at a time.  With a brush, you just wipe the extra paint on the can edge and then put it in a plastic bag in the fridge.  Wrap the plastic bag (grocery bag) around the brush tip so that there isn't air around it.  With a roller, you have to put the roller in a bag and then in the fridge.  Then, you have to brush the excess paint in the pan back into the can and then take care of the pan.  It's more work to clean up.


Prime first, then do 2 thin coats on top.  On the West Coast, you can get buy without mildew/mold resistant paint, but on the East Coast, I've found that I do everything in a Satin Mold/Mildew resistant paint (ie. Kitchen/Bath) because the humidity is higher and so are the problems with mold and mildew.  You don't have to use ceiling paint on a ceiling.  Use the mold/mildew resistant paint, but paint thin coats.  


Don't tint your white paint--if you don't, you can just go buy white paint and not worry about it matching the other white in the house.  It makes things simpler.


Paint the trim first, then the walls.  The other way around is much longer.  White is easier to cover up with color, but color is harder to cover up with white (it takes more coats).


Make sure you read the directions on the drying times.  I don't read directions often, but I do when it comes to paint!


So, those are my random thoughts about painting.  It was fun to see my brother in laws enjoy painting.  


The spray painting on the mail box was a new experience for me.  This is what I learned about that...


Start spraying before the area, move your hand over the area while spraying, and end after the end of it--this will make an even spray and prevent drips.


Hold a piece of cardboard behind or underneath the object to prevent the paint from getting on everything else.  I put plastic bags over the newpaper canisters that were mounted to the sides of the pole.  


Rustoleum makes a primer for lightly rusted objects and one for heavily rusted objects.  You spray it on right before putting the topcoat.  It was nice because I didn't have to wait for it to dry long!


So, that was part of my week!  I do love to paint--I love to feel like I've gotten something done when I see the space or object freshly painted!