2012 – 2013 School Plan

If you’re interested in the background, see the next post on School Planning.  Otherwise, here’s ‘The List.’

Home School Plan 2012 – 2013

 Sarah, Summer                                                        Hannah, Summer

*Finish Traditional Logic II __                                                   *Traditional Logic I

*First Aid and CPR Class __                                                    *Gardening, Flowers,

*Dave Ramsey __                                                           Sewing Decorating,  Entertaining

*Economedes __                                                     *Sewing Project, Other Project

*Loving God with All Your Heart __

*Best Friends for Life  __

 FALL

 Family Learning

Creek Edge Press: Year 3 Recitation, Dictation, Memory and Copy Work (not yet available to others) __

Creek Edge Press Music Task Cards Year 2 __

Bible Stories for Daily Prayer and Catechism __

 Sarah, Grade 11

Theology of the Cross, The Lutheran Difference __

Tapestry of Grace Year 3, Rhetoric __

Chalkdust Trigonometry __

Apologia Physics __

French (On-Line, Grammar Exercises) __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots  __

Spelling Workout __

Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation  __

Writing Exercises (Various Handbooks) __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

SAT Prep. __

Material Logic __

~ Violin, Orchestra, Ballet

~ Summer Institutes

 

Hannah, Grade 9

You Ask About Faith and Life, Paulus and Lutheranism 101 __

Creek Edge Press High School History Year 3 (not yet available)  __

Excellence in Literature Year 3 Selections __

Chalkdust Algebra I __

Apologia Biology __

On-Line Spanish __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots  __

Spelling Workout __

Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. __

Writing exercises  __

TBD Writing Curriculum __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

~Cello, Orchestra, Symphony?, Seasonal Extras

 

Holly, Grade 6

Concordia Press Voyages 6 __

Creek Edge Press Early Modern Task Cards __

Rainbow Science Chemistry and Creek Edge Press Chemistry Task Cards __

Chalkdust Basic Math __

Spelling Workout F __

Rod and Staff English 6 __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots 6 __

Writing with Skill Level 1 (or other writing curriculum) __

Memoria Press Literature Guides Grade 6 __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

~Violin, Orchestra, Symphony, Seasonal Extras

 

Abby, Grade 4

Voyages 4 __

Calendar, Math Drill __

Creek Edge Press Early Modern Task Cards __

Calvert 4 __

Apologia Science __

Spelling D __

Rod and Staff 4 __

Vocabulary from Classical Roots 4 __

Memoria Press Literature Guides Grade 4 __

Music Theory __

Artistic Pursuits and Creek Edge Press Art Task Cards __

~Cello, Piano, Seasonal Extras

 

 

Beret Anna, Preschool 4

Reading: Jolly Phonics and Beginning Reading at Home Cards, Phonics Pathways, Beginning Readers

Hands on Math: Common Sense Press Math for Kindergarteners

Preschool Read Alouds (mainly from Sonlight)

Seatwork: Calendar, Number and Letter Printables, Tracing Name, Workbooks

Seasonal Projects, Unit Projects, Bible Projects with older sisters

Montessori Shelves

~ Music Class, Suzuki Group, Seasonal Extras?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

School Planning for Fall

I usually get the ‘bug’ in February. Planning has mostly been fun this year. Beret Anna will be in K-4 and the rest will be in grades 4, 6, 9, and 11. My planning is streamlined now that I’ve launched Creek Edge Press. Making things as easy as possible for others has lightened my own load considerably!

Sarah has been using Tapestry of Grace since the middle of her fifth grade year and will continue that work. It is a good fit for her. Hannah will be transitioning form Tapestry dialectic work to what will eventually be the Creek Edge Press high school history series. Year one and two are aleady mapped out and I’m planning to map out year three as I direct her work. Hannah is a bit of a perfectionist about school work and, while Tapestry has been fabulous for her dialectic level learning, I fear she will get lost in the rhetoric level of Tapestry without finding the point of her assignments. Abby and Holly will continue with the Creek Edge Press task card sets that were designed during Sarah and Hannah’s grammar stage. Holly will be using them at the dialectic level and Abby will be using them as an independent grammar stage student.

With the move away from Tapestry work, comes a need for direction with literature and writing. I have recently discovered Excellence in Literature and am excited for Hannah to begin using it and especially excited that someone else has already written my ideal high school literature program. Holly and Abby have been using Memoria Press Literature Guides this  year and we will certainly continue with those. They are a perfect fit for our family’s style and are the perfect gentle and clear introduction to focused reading and literary analysis. I am still in need of a writing curriculum for the middle three and am considering Writing With Skill Level 1 for Holly. I might also look at Writing Strands again for all of them. I enjoy tutoring them in their writing skills, but like them to have direction in their writing assignments.

Our high school students have full days, so it is necessary for them to complete some coursework and reading in the summer. We generally complete the Memoria Press Logic courses via video with note taking and summaries of the lectures as all of the exercises are a bit much for our summer pace. Family Learning is done four days a week during the school year. It provides an opportunity to come together and bend spirits that might otherwise be a bit overly independent. You might notice the extra art and the inclusion of music theory as well as a section of Beret Anna’s preschool that will be overseen by the older girls. I teach  music lessons during the afternoons and the older ones generally have the youngest for one hour each week during that time. Next year, they’ll be organizing and doing projects with her – each following themes they’ve chosen. The girls generally do art one afternoon each week while I’m teaching as well.

I find myself enjoying wrapping up this school year. It’s been one of our best and quite a blessing to be on track with little illness or interruption despite the surgeries and medical appointments we faced during the first semester. I’ve had a nice window of opportunity to embrace other things, mainly setting up Creek Edge Press and building my teaching studio again, as my older four have grown in independence and responsibility and my youngest isn’t quite school age. Next year, I’ll be easing myself into the busy K-2 years with Beret Anna and enjoying one of Sarah’s final years learning at home. I’m looking forward to it.

I know it’s ‘early,’ but I wouldn’t be myself if I wasn’t prepared. Detailed list and plans coming in the next post. Those of you who’ve followed my posts for a while know that they’ll be posted again in the fall. I tend to get rather excited by these things…

Tapestry of Grace – Narrations, Summaries, Outlines

Lower Grammar Narrations – This is something I add to what’s listed for LG Tapestry students.  I’ve previously shared about the workbox system I use to aid in independent Tapestry work at this level.  In addition to that time, I spend 20 to 30 minutes with my LG students twice a week.  Most of this Mom-time is spent with read alouds and narrations.  My LG students have an encyclopedia that is not included in Tapestry’s reading assignments and I read a two page spread from that and have them narrate back what they learned.  Usually, the encyclopedia covers one of the main Tapestry themes from the week.  We were in Ancient Mesopotamia last week and she did a narration on the birth of writing.  Other books that I read aloud to them might be an option for narration as well.  Some books are read for fun or exposure at this age.  I have no desire to take away from thatl.  Others might be read independenty.   Typically, the narration might be of a particular event (Tower of Babel, for instance) or of a major figure like Moses or Abram. 

I recently shared a few samples of my current 2nd grader’s narrations with a friend.  I was amazed at the difference in her ability when I compared the narrations she gave in week one to those given in week 3.  This is a middle of the road sample of Abby’s current narrations. 

Sumerian Daily Life

Sumerian Farmers worked hard.  They raised crops and tended canals.  Sumerians used a lot of pottery.  They invented the wheel.  Most lived in small, one story houses made of mud brick. 

Upper Grammar Narrations -  My Upper Grammar students follow a template for their Tapestry work each week.  We transition from oral narrations to written summaries betwen 2nd and 3rd grade.  When their template asks for a biographical summary they write about one of the main figures from that week.  Last week it would have been Moses, but it might be Michaelangelo or President Roosevelt depending on the week.  They also write event summaries.  This would be a narrative on a war or other major event.  Literature summaries are done when I want them to summarize a book they’ve read.  I usually put a post it note on the book when I hand it to them to note that assigment.  As a clarification, we do use Writing Aids and it’s been a great program for us, but the assignments often move at a snail’s pace from week to week.  I want them in the habit of daily written response to their learning.  These summaries are corrected during their weekly Tapestry meeting time with me and are revised as needed. 

A recent summary from Holly’s folder:

Moses

Moses was born in Egypt when Pharaoh sent out the order that all Hebrew newborn boys would be thrown into the Nile.  His Mom made a basket for him and put him in it.  Then she put him in the river.  She sent her daughter, Miriam, to watch over him.  The Pharaoh’s daughter was swimming in the Nile and found the basket.  She raised Moses as an Egyptian prince.  When he was older he killed an Egyptian and fled from Egypt.  Then God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. 

I find that summaries at this age vary greatly by topic and mood of the student.  Sometimes they flourish and other times they’re somewhat stiff.  This one is a bit stiff, but that’s okay.  She clearly understands the flow of events and can write about them from memory in a cohesive enough manner. 

Dialectic Level Outlines – We’ve used many recommendations from The Well Trained Mind through the years and I’m quite sure this sequence comes from SWB, but sometimes it is a help to see it fleshed out in someone else’s home and with a different curricula.  I also have a Montessori background and have a strong inclination to have my children research and respond.  My LG, UG, and D students have grade level encyclopedias that they use for this research.  I mentioned that my LG narrates from hers after read aloud time with me.  My UG student uses hers for summaries and my Dialectic students use them for outlining.  We use Rod and Staff for English, so teaching them how to do this has never been a problem.  I believe The Well Trained Mind breaks it down further, but we’ve rarely needed to do that.  We do start with main points from articles first and then we move into supporting points and multi-paragraph articles/outlines. 

My kids need to write – a lot.  They’d breeze through Tapestry’s one writing assignment per week way too quickly if we didn’t add this to their week.  I think (or hope) that it’s given them meaningful work to do around meaningful material and that it’s providing vocabulary enrichment, mental training in remembering or finding key points, and ease with writing.  We’ll see if they learn to write well by the end of high school…

Scheduling Four Levels of Tapestry of Grace

I’ve had a stream of questions recently.  Dan is out of town, the little one is sleeping, and the big ones are too deep in history reading to watch a movie with me so I’m all yours. 

This question was about discussion times and whether I ever combine my dialectic and rhetoric students?  I haven’t.  Usually, the LG or UG is piping in with the answer if my older girls aren’t quite on their toes. 

Let me show you how discussion fits into our week.  Our Tapestry schedule varies by the day.  Here’s a review of it for context:

• Fridays – We stagger.  Sarah and Hannah start their evaluation right away while I give an introduction to the other girls, prepare reading assignments, oversee Holly hand out mapwork and SAPs, and help Abby empty and refill her workboxes.  When that’s done I correct their evaluations and reserve new library books while books are taken up to bedrooms for the weekend. 
• Mondays – I spend 20 minutes or so with my LG student reading aloud and taking down narrations during her afternoon school block.  The rest work independently.
• Tuesdays – I have a meeting with my UG student.  We go through her revisions of summaries, check her SAPs, and go over her new Writing Aids assignment.  This takes roughly 15 minutes per week.
• Wednesdays – I meet with my Dialectic student in the same manner, but we add discussion.  I’ll share more about how I do discussion in a bit.  This takes about (approximate!) 30 minutes each week.  I also have another block with my LG in the afternoon. 
• Thursdays – I meet with my Rhetoric student in the same manner as Dialectic with the addition of Philosophy.  This takes close to an hour. 

I purposefully take Monday mornings off from Tapestry meetings as, well, Mondays are Mondays.  I start with my UG on Tuesday because she’s likely to be done with her reading by then and if she isn’t it won’t affect her time with me.  I give my Rhetoric student the most time to complete reading and written assignments because she needs it the most. 

As you can see, we don’t get close to the one to two hour (or more?!?!?!?) discussions Tapestry outlines in the Teacher’s pages.  This is an overview of a Dialectic or Rhetoric week including discussion.  When I hand out their SAPs on Friday I highlight the geography section, cross out the fine arts section (almost always), mark something they should read, note a research chart or literature sheet that should go with a particular book, and take a quick peak at their TQs and AQs (and Church History, Philosophy, and Government Questions if they have them).  I expect brief answers to all of these, but I circle one to three that I want them to highlight in their studies and response.  That means I expect a list or paragraph on that item.  When I have their meeting I am handed a stack of papers – Writing Aids graphic organizers or rough drafts, TQ, AQ, Church History, Government, etc… answers, literature responses, and charts.  I usually start with their charts.  I note if more specificity was needed or if they were specific when a theme was needed (sometimes it’s hard to know ahead of time and I’m trying to help them find those clues).  Then, I go over their responses to all of those question sets.  I do this with their papers and the discussion outline side by side on my lap.  I choose one or two areas to discuss aloud (only!).  We are two people.  We are not a classroom.  They’ve already done the work in written form and, while I want to be sure they can express themselves verbally, it feels pointless to have them say everything they spent the week writing!  I do try to be thorough, but thorough is relative with this curriculum.  Be thorough in one or two areas of discussion and be sure their written work is to a high standard and move along…   I usually hit the big compare and contrast points or the big defining characteristics.  I also spend a good deal of time on literature.  After that, we discuss the philosophy pageant that she reads on her own.  Then we move on to choosing the next writing assignment and finding the correct graphic organizer. 

It took me a couple of weeks to fall into a routine with my Rhetoric student and it took her another week or two to settle into the pace, but I’m very happy with our Rhetoric plan now.  I’ve also found that our current staggered meeting system combined with templates for the middle grades and workboxes for my youngest has allowed all of them to do their thing at their level without putting me anywhere near the need to pull out my hair. 

I’d love to hear how other Tapestry moms are using all levels of the curriculum.

Workboxes and Tapestry Lower Grammar Work

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I started using a workbox type system for Abby’s extras last year.  It worked well and I’ve decided to continue with them this year.  Abby is in 2nd grade and we’re using these mostly for daily independent work and Tapestry of Grace work.  My older three had no problems using a simple list for this and I’m sure she could as well, but somehow this system appeals to both of us.

Workbox #1 is her daily box.  It’s a plastic shirt box that I purchased in the closet section at Target.  I used my label maker to make her a list of tasks for this box.  She starts this when I do dictation with the older three as she’s not yet ready for group dictation.  She does calendar, a weather graph, handwriting, copy work, and math drill directly from this box.  Then, she’s directed to read a “focus book,” which just means she’s supposed to spend a few minutes reading something from a shelf that has science books on it.  I correct her work at the start of our school time together.

Workboxes #2 – 5 are used almost exclusively for her Tapestry work.  I do Tapestry with her in the afternoons, but prefer to spend our time together reading aloud above her reading level, so most of her written work in history is done independently of me.  I used my label maker on these workboxes as well.  Workbox #2 is Monday’s box.  It is primarily for geography using Tapestry’s Map Aids.  I usually have a book she can read to herself to add to that box as well.  Tuesday she does copy work from Workbox #3.  I found a neat Montessori time line website that had pictures with labels she can cut and paste using the label as her model for copywork.  She’ll also eventually use extra pictures from Tapestry Student Activity Pages for cut and paste projects or additions to her oral narrations or written summaries later in the year.  The last two workboxes are a mix and might include a story tape, video, book with interesting pictures to enjoy while listening to her i-pod, or a craft.  It only takes a minute to empty them into her file folder and refill them weekly when I’m handing out reading assignments.

Tapestry of Grace Plan for 2010-2011

  Fall 2010 Year One Tapestry Plan

 Abby, Grade One, Lower Grammar:

 F – Introduction

M – *Mom Day during afternoon history time: Mapwork, Read Aloud (RA), Narration from main text (later Summary)

Daily – Do Workbox Activities in Workboxes #2-5

Thursday – Read Aloud, Narration from literature

 Holly, Grade Four, Upper Grammar:

F – Introduction, Hand in Assignments, Start Independent Reading (weekend)

M – Mapwork, Timeline, Research and Summarize and Encyclopedia Article

T – *Mom Day: Pre-Writing, Revisions, Check and File all work

W – Biographical Summary, Student Activity Pages

Th – Book Summary, Possible Project

 Hannah, Grade Seven, Dialectic

 F – Introduction, Evaluation, Hand in Assignments, Start Independent Reading (weekend)

M – Mapwork, Research and Outline

T – Timeline Sheet, Accountability Questions and/or Student Activity Pages

W – *Mom Day – Discussion, Pre-Writing, Revision Work, Check and File All Tapestry Work

Th – Summary of main text or ___________

 Sarah, Grade Nine, Rhetoric

 F – Evaluations, Hand in Assignments, *Philosophy Pageant

Weekend – Reading (Core History and Literature followed by Fine Arts)

M – Mapwork, Brief answers to AQ and TQ

T – History Charts, Vocabulary

W – Literature SAPs and Analysis

Th – *Mom Day : Discussion, Vocabulary Oral Quiz, Pre-Writing,

Daily – Century Chart

More Gleaning and Thoughts

History, using Tapestry as our spine… 

I love the idea of making a history chart – a grid of 100 squares is a complete century with each square marking a year.  Symbols are invented to indicate major events like war or famine.  Thus, a century at a glance is formed. 

Timelines are something we’ve found success with this year.  Using an on-line program our Dialectic student plugged in dates and events.  These were printed on card stock for all and were decorated by each individual student (using timeline figures I print for them).  We bound them together at the end of each unit.  We’ve also kept a wall timeline going – done by our Lower Grammar daughter, but I haven’t found it a worthwhile activity in the last century of study as it’s become crammed. 

I’d like to put together a Book of the Centuries for each of our girls for the next four year cycle.  I think it’s something they would enjoy and it meshes well with my read and respond style.  Levison’s plan is realistic – a 3 ring binder with blank pages labelled by century.  These pages will house notations, illustrations, timeline figures (for my crew) and dates, sketches that provide a glimpse of the period, photographs or clippings from newspapers (at times), and any other response the girls have to their reading.  Perhaps their other history notebooks will be reserved for mapwork and compositions.

Tapestry Plan for All Levels

I’ll have students in all four levels of Tapestry next year and I’ll have a Rhetoric student for the first time.  There will be a few changes.  I’ve decided that Sarah would do her evaluation while the rest of us do the introduction and reading assignments.  Then, while I’m doing philosophy with her, Hannah can do her evaluation.  I’m assigned to work with each student individually throughout the week – one student per day.  LG will have her turn on Monday to allow her to be oriented to our studies.  UG is up next, allowing the D and R girls more time for reading and preparation for discussion. 

Fall 2010 Year One Tapestry Plan

 Abby, Grade One, Lower Grammar:

F – Introduction

M – *Mom Day: Mapwork, RA, Narration (later Summary)

T – Cut and Paste (on own, add to narration)

W – Copywork (on own), Continue RA with Mom

Th – Possible Project

Holly, Grade Four, Upper Grammar:

F – Introduction, Hand in Assignments, Start Independent Reading (weekend)

M – Mapwork, Research and Summarize

T – *Mom Day: Wall Timeline, Writing, Biographical Summary

W – SAPs, Pre-Writing

Th – Revisions, Possible Project

Hannah, Grade Seven, Dialectic

F – Introduction, Evaluation, Hand in Assignments, Start Independent Reading (weekend)

M – Mapwork, Research and Outline

T – Timeline Sheet, Accountability Questions and/or SAPs

W – *Mom Day – Discussion, Book Summary, Writing

Th – Revisions

Sarah, Grade Nine, Rhetoric

F – Evaluations, Hand in Assignments, Philosophy Pageant

W – Reading (Core History and Literature followed by Art and Music)

Th – *Mom Day : Writing and Discussion

Weekly Expectations:

• Brief answers to history accountability questions
• Mapwork
• Literature SAPs or Analysis Sheets
• History Charts
• Writing Aid Assignments

Welcome to the Museum!

I love these spontaneous projects!

This child was rescued from a bombed out building in London. 

On the Markerboard

We’re making our way through the 20th Century with Tapestry of Grace.   We’ve left WWI and WWII behind and have completed weeks on Israel, India, China, and Korea.  We’ve moved into the Eisenhower years and the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement this week. 

Lower and Upper Grammar Books

Enjoying coloring time

Joining big girls at the table during Bible study

Long, winter afternoons are project time.