| Author | |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 6:44am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I'm going to pull the particulars of book substitutions and additions and suggestions from the more general Sonlight in high school conversation and gather them here for a conversation limited to adapting Core 7.
Bookswithtea wrote:
Elizabeth and I chatted awhile yesterday about modifying cores. We decided that core 200 is going to take more modifying than we are in the mood to do.  Its certainly doable, but it would require rewriting the manual, basically, and neither of us want to do that this spring.
We started discussing core 7 for 9th grade, looking for a core where it would be easy to hand the manual to a child with a few modifications (read this book instead of that one) and have them work independently. Later I'll post some of my thoughts on the books I have pre-read in this core, and the books I think need to be pre-read still or skipped altogether. Anyone else interested in this core for 9th grade credit, or possibly a strong 8th grader given credit for high school level? Core 7 is World History Part II, from about 1650 through the modern era (1990's). |
|
|
LisaR wrote:
we are studying this time period next year (8th, 5,th, 2nd grades)
I had thought about just getting the IG for Core 7 for ds who will be 8th grade- we already own many of the books.
it might just be me and the ways in which I am lacking as a teacher, but I am feeling quite strongly that pure math and English grammar/writing need to really be beefed up for my kids.
I was considering (don't laugh) doing 75% of our time on just these two subjects, and/or giving it a huge time block, such as 90-120 min per day on each subject.
now that we have entered the "real" school world, and standardized tests coming at us fast and furious as well, ds has repeatedly mentioned that he would have read loads of books on his own anyway (and he does do this now, at 6:30 am before he leaves for school!) and he wishes I had given him lots more structured, formal Writing and Math.
I think someone else on this thread mentioned an emphasis on this as well.
but I just love love love literature, and history!!!!
sigh....
I find it interesting that so many homeschool curriculas tend to emphasize Literature, History, and or unit studies, thinking Winter Promise, Konos, Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, even MODG, and so on.
Is it because this is something really lacking in box schools, and so is empahsized in the homeschooling arena, or because (like for me) it is so appealing?
I was thinking of laura, askign about schools (college) that are Catholic and rich in Sciences.
Do any of you know of a homeschooling program rich in the sciences? |
|
|
Bookswithtea wrote:
OK, I have my catalogue in front of me and most of core 7 (a version a few years old) within reach.
If I do this, I will definitely do SOTW III and IV on audiocd, as dd really enjoys this format. I may add in the quizzes available through www.peachillpress.com. If you have only seen SOTW I and II, do not assume III and IV are at the same reading level. They aren't. III and IV are geared for 4th-8th, similar to Old World and America.
I am in ch. 20ish right now of pre-reading volume III. So far, I only saw one chapter that needs to be entirely replaced (I think it was regarding Phillip II/William of Orange). Mostly, its fine. I have not pre-read vol. IV at all yet, and I think its essential that someone read it ahead of time to give us all a head's up. These are mostly decent texts, but occasionally devolve, not really into anti Catholic sentiment, but more into common mythology about Catholic figures in history. It needs to be addressed. I think Story of the Church is a decent resource to cover the chapters of history that SOTW does not do correctly. Anne Carroll's texts for high school history would also work...maybe better at this age, now that I think about it. If someone wanted to figure out which chapters of Christ the King Lord of History go along with the time periods studied in the manual, that might be useful. It might even be a decent replacement for SOTW if someone didn't want to use that at all, but my dd loves SOTW so I would have to add for her rather than replace.
I've seen reviews of George Washington's World and Abraham Lincoln's World here that have given me the impression these books are fine, so I am assuming the best about them and probably won't pre-read. I think the Foster books are meaty and difficult, and add that "high school level" to the SOTW books that some feel are too easy.
Since we are looking at 8th/9th grade here, I will have my child do all the reading of both the readers and read alouds on her own.
Re: A few of the Read Alouds:
Arrow over the Door--this is really an easy book, more late elem. level. I think it was included because of content.
The Dark Frigate is unpopular on the discussion forums as long, tedious and boring. My ds *loved* it. I wonder if it may be a book that appeals to boys more than girls?
Escape Across the Wide Sea is a book we may want to consider replacing. If I remember correctly, its from the Hugenot viewpoint with the "King's Religion" being Catholicism. Suggestions?
God's Smuggler, A Heart Strangely Warmed, and Mary Jones and her Bible are all protestant stories that need to be replaced. Elizabeth mentioned possibly using Kolbe's Jr. High Lit saint section and picking saints appropriate to the time periods. I think this is a great idea. Someone want to pick the titles???
Re some of the Readers:
I Am David is in the Kolbe Lit. resource.
O'Dell's The King's Fifth I haven't read, but it sounds like a pretty negative representation of the conquistadors. Anyone want to pre-read it for us?
Madeline Takes Command: I am guessing everyone has used this already in the Elem. years. Maybe we can replace it with something from Kolbe's Lit?
In Search of Honor takes place during the French Revolution and probably merits a pre-reading. Any takers?
I have not preread all the other read alouds/readers in this core. Not even close. Some of them I read as a child (like the Endless Steppe and Escape from Warsaw), two of them are on Seton's list (the Singing Tree and the Good Master) for 8th grade so I am not worried about those, and some sound harmless enough, but I cannot say with a surety that they are going to be ok. If you look at the catalogue and are concerned with any of the titles, please post. Maybe someone else has read it already and can review it for us?
We can skip the bible portion easily enough. SL usually also includes daily bible readings and scripture memory work in their manuals (with no commentary...just for the child to read.memorize on their own). I like to use these, and it would be easy enough to incorporate a schedule for any of the Didache series books that you might want to use. If anyone is interested in an alternative to the Didache's scripture book, Peter Kreeft's You Can Understand the Bible is very good. I used it with a 9th grader along with copywork and was very happy with it.
Re: LA...we are doing Grammar Ace now, and will probably use Easy Grammar Plus in place of that. I do not consider Grammar Ace to be high school level. I may consider Analogies 1 and Wordly Wise 8 (which are used in core 100) alongside the language arts already scheduled in the manual. Spelling is left up to you to schedule (or not). There is a writing assignment every week as well as one or two larger research papers (with instructions on how to do this included in IG).
If you've never seen a SL IG before, you can see a pdf sample at www.sonlight.com.
That's all I can think of right now...
|
|
|
stellamaris wrote:
| I think Genevieve Foster's book about George Washington is great! We did it as a read-aloud several years ago, and I think I learned as much as the kids (and I'm already pretty strong in history). She does a wonderful job of integrating world history and American history, and of explaining events leading up to the Revolution. She really makes historical figures, such as George III, come alive. Haven't read the one about Abraham Lincoln, but would also recommend Augustus' World for those doing the Roman era. |
|
|
stellamaris wrote:
| One interesting book that deals with the early colonial period and the difficulties and discriminations against Catholics isA Priest on Horseback. If you study the American Southwest, you might want to consider Father Kino: Priest to the Pimas, which is out-of-print but maybe you could locate a copy. Another fascinating book written by a faithful Catholic isThe Far Side of the Sea. I read this more for myself, so you might want to preview it for a younger reader (there was a rather gruesome description of Apache tortures). It's not extremely well-written, but does bring that time alive, and is kind of a mystery (it is based on the true story of the discovery of Kino's grave). It truly gives a picture of what these faithful priests suffered to spread the Gospel. Instead of Madeleine in Command, if your student is a good reader you might consider Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather. It is the story of a young French girl in Montreal in the 1600's and the effort of the people to carve out some kind of civilization in the remote wilderness. Again, this is one I read for myself, so you should definitely preview it; I don't remember anything terrible in it, but I wasn't reading it with a view to the children and it's been a few years since I read it. It does give a sense of the time, but maybe is more high school level. |
|
|
Natalia wrote:
Books,
Our library has The King's Fifth. I will pre-read and report. OK? |
|
|
Natalia wrote:
I am looking at the list of Readers from Core 7. These are the ones I read last year:
The Endless Steppe
Escape from Warsaw (I read it with a different title The Silver Sword)
The Sherwood Ring
The Singing Tree
Angel in the Square
The Breadwinner
The Good Master
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn
I am David
Number the Stars
Of all these my favorites were I am David and The Breadwinner (I liked it because it is a topic I am not familiar with and it really brought it to life. The book has a sequel which I also read)
The Good Master and the Singing Tree are good but slow. I don't think my boy would like it but I think a girl might like them better.
Oh I also read The Year of Impossible Goodbyes and really liked it too.
I don't think any of this books are high school level books though. Which brings me to a question (and I might have asked this before), what makes a book high school reading for you? is it the topic, the level of difficulty or what?
|
|
|
Bookswithtea wrote:
Natalia wrote:
Books,
Our library has The King's Fifth. I will pre-read and report. OK? |
|
|
Thank you! And thank you for the list of books you've read, too. Very helpful to me.
I am musing on your question about high school literature. My first thought was the same as yours...that this definitely isn't what I'd consider classic literature. But I started thinking some more about it, and I think 9th grade English is not usually lit. based. In fact, a lot of these kinds of books were actually on my "book report" lists of options for 9th and 10th (honors English). Maybe that's changed now, as that was the mid-late 80's  . I took honors English as a junior and then AP English as a senior. We still didn't read the number of novels and plays that my ds read in the 9th grade alone! Even Seton doesn't use a lot of literature in the 9th grade. The focus is more on writing/mastering grammar and I think this program has plenty of that.
That said, I am inclined to replace books that need replacing with books from the Kolbe list that are more high school level. And when we do 100 the year after that, I want to replace a lot more. I used the high school level books from Kolbe Jr. High exclusively for 9th grade. We did the poetry unit, the short story unit, and several other novels to complete 36 weeks (Shakespeare, Dickens, Twain, etc). I just avoided books that seemed more jr. high-ish. While I love Kolbe's Jr. high lit program, In hindsight, I think I kind of regret pushing ds in the 9th grade as much as I did. I was very nervous about hsing for high school and wanted to make sure that everything was scholarly, but in a non textbooky kind of way. This year ds (15) read David Copperfield with Seton's English 10.  I won't repeat that book choice. He handled other Dickens just fine but that one was *hard* and he really just didn't get it. It was his choice, but I don't think I'd allow another child to choose that one.
Now I am thinking more like stellamaris mentioned above...its about how to think, and in a way, you can cut your teeth on all sorts of different things. It might just be ok to wait for heavy literature until 11th and 12th grade (one for British, one for American)?
This is all very stream of consciousness for me. I don't have well formed thoughts on all of this, and I think its shows... |
|
|
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 7:13am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm on my way out for the morning. My plan is to look at the Kolbe Saints' biographies when I get back (or in the waiting room?) and pull the ones that fit this time period. If someone gets to it before I can, feel free to post those too. We can use those to substitute for some of the Sonlight-suggested books that won't work for us.
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 8:09am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I am completely blown away by how helpful Caroline's post is on the older thread, so I'm requoting it here. I consider it very pertinent to our choice of books:
Quote:
1. You want to persuade or influence your child to adopt a certain point of view, e.g., you assign a book on modest dressing to your teenage daughter. This has nothing to do with academics, but does promote interesting discussion and, of course, moral formation. I kept such books to a minimum (1-2 per semester at the most).
2. You want to enrich the child's understanding of a certain time period or place and engage them with a story that will "stick" and help them remember important people, place, or events in history. Here any level of book is useful, from picture books to advanced novels. I think this is the use SL has in mind for most of their selections. Sometimes an easier book has a little more impact because the student doesn't have to struggle to comprehend it. Per semester, I'd say about 1/2 or a little more of our reading time was spent on such books.
3. You want to expose your student to great literature, the Great Conversation, and the skills of literary analysis. Here is where you need to select "classical" works and really delve into them. You only need about 4 or fewer per semester, but the key is to discuss, analyze, and dissect the work. One problem with this type of literature, especially for the 9th and 10th grade levels, is that a more developed understanding of the human condition and life is usually necessary to "get" what the author is trying to convey, so you will have to point out key concepts frequently. For example, we read Beowulf with our 8th and 9th grade students and discussed some of the Christian symbolism, contrasting it with some of the remnant pagan ideas in that work. The children needed help to see both of these elements. We spent several weeks on this work. For the teacher, this type of literature is the most time-consuming to teach (you HAVE to read it yourself, make notes, be prepared to discuss key points, etc.), but it has the greatest pay-back in terms of mental development. It also is the richest source for writing assignments.A Cliff Notes Guide or other study guide can really help here. I noted when we used Kolbe that most of their selections were of this type, and it was a little overwhelming for some of my students. I personally prefer to limit these more intensive literature works to a few a semester, as I think it is the analysis, discussion, and critical writing that is important, not getting through a huge reading list...they can't read it all in high school and hopefully will have a long lifetime to pursue classical literature.
In summary, I would say to think about what you are wanting to accomplish with each type of literature. For the more advanced material, I stuck with "Great Books" writers (Homer, Virgil,Shakespeare, Augustine, Dante, etc.) and 19th and 20th century writers of note, keeping the really anti-religious works until the later high school years and adding in some of the writings of the saints (Story of a Soul, Divine Mercy in My Soul, The Dialogues of Saint Catherine, The Interior Castle). Remember to include some poetry, too! |
|
|
In musing most of the weekend on this discussion, I decided that I regret pushing ds a bit too much with the heavy literature in the 9th-10th. He could "handle it all" as a strong reader, but the depth of understanding just wasn't there. I read Jane Austen (all of them) at 13-14. While I enjoyed the story, I didn't really get the depth of literary study until I re-read them years later. Merely enjoying the story is the equivalent to me of just seeing the movies. I want the deeper understanding Caroline mentioned above for the 9th grade.
I will come back later today (I really need to get some school done first Sigh...planning for a year ahead is always more fun than finishing the current year).
I should say that its a priority for me to be able to just cross off a book title and replace with a Kolbe one without adjusting the SL schedule too much. When I have to tweak an SL schedule a lot, then it loses its benefit to me quickly.
I am going to look more closely at core 7's poetry to determine if its rich as written or if I want to use Kolbe's poetry unit instead, and how that would look, scheduling wise, on the manual. I did the poetry unit exactly as written with my 9th grader and was very happy with it.
I wanted to add that I have a hs mom friend who was previously a professor of medieval literature in a private Christian college in San Diego. I asked her opinion of the poetry unit, the short story unit, and the novels I had selected for 9th grade via Kolbe's Jr. High Lit. and got the thumbs up from her as not being lightweight at all for high school level (honestly, she is more aggressive with literature than I am so I felt safe with her assessment).
I'm also going to look at what Kolbe Lit. novels might be good replacement choices for some of the books and if that could be scheduled in easily on the manual.
I'm looking forward to Elizabeth perusing the saint stories and coming back with suggestions for replacements. I'm not as adept in that subject.
I'm willing to continue pre-reading the SOTW III and IV, but I won't have them done in the next few weeks. It'll likely be a bit longer than that before I'm finished, but I'll make sure to finish at least in the early summer and come back and post my thoughts.
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stellamaris
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 26 2009
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2732
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 8:44am | IP Logged
|
|
|
One thought for a saint story in this time period isSet All Afire by Louis Wohl. His books are wonderful. St. Ignatius was so influential in the Counter-Reformation. The Jesuits' influence in this time period throughout the world was significant. I also thought of two great movies that could be enjoyed by the entire family when you get to WWII- The Assisi Underground and The Scarlet and the Black with Gregory Peck. Both recount the efforts of Catholics to save the lives of persecuted Jews under the Nazi regime.
__________________
In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stellamaris
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 26 2009
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2732
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 8:57am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Books, the Kolbe list looks very nice. I'd pick 3-4 books to "dig" into, maybe.....
** Tale of Two Cities,
** Fellowship of the Rings,
** Merchant of Venice (we always did our Shakespeare aloud-reading it in parts and discussing it),
** and perhaps Old Man and the Sea (which neither I nor my children have ever liked, but it seems to be on some sort of "required" reading list somewhere!).
Regarding poetry, I always did it as a separate unit. You can focus on specific authors, or on specific poetic devises (alliteration, metaphor, meter, rhyme, etc.) I prefer to do the latter in the upper grades because they need to learn and remember all these terms. Seeing the use of these techniques in several different poems tends to reinforce their knowledge.
__________________
In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MarilynW
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 28 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4275
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 9:06am | IP Logged
|
|
|
stellamaris wrote:
Books, the Kolbe list looks very nice. I'd pick 3-4 books to "dig" into, maybe.....
** Tale of Two Cities,
** Fellowship of the Rings,
** Merchant of Venice (we always did our Shakespeare aloud-reading it in parts and discussing it),
** and perhaps Old Man and the Sea (which neither I nor my children have ever liked, but it seems to be on some sort of "required" reading list somewhere!).
Regarding poetry, I always did it as a separate unit. You can focus on specific authors, or on specific poetic devises (alliteration, metaphor, meter, rhyme, etc.) I prefer to do the latter in the upper grades because they need to learn and remember all these terms. Seeing the use of these techniques in several different poems tends to reinforce their knowledge. |
|
|
We have been doing the Kolbe Junior High Lit guides. I love them and so does my dd. We are just about to start the poetry unit - she loves poems but is not showing great enthusiasm for analysing poetry - I hope this unit will help.
__________________
Marilyn
Blessed with 6 gifts from God
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 6:38pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
stellamaris wrote:
Regarding poetry, I always did it as a separate unit. You can focus on specific authors, or on specific poetic devises (alliteration, metaphor, meter, rhyme, etc.) I prefer to do the latter in the upper grades because they need to learn and remember all these terms. Seeing the use of these techniques in several different poems tends to reinforce their knowledge. |
|
|
When you say "upper grades" what grade levels are you thinking about?
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 6:40pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Not backing out, but I need to slow down. I didn't come anywhere near what I wanted to accomplish today.
I'm reading along with you all, and looking forward to your suggestions.
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 7:43pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I'm half awake and not very coherent here tonight. I still want to do this and my rising ninth grader is enthused (Let's all stop a moment and acknowledge a miracle: he's enthused  )
Caroline, are you discouraging using Sonlight, in favor of putting together something similar but more Catholic, using lit guides from various sources? What would that look like, in your opinion? I'm curious about balancing the amount of reading, "weight" of the books, and analysis vs. just reading. Is it better to start with Sonlight's reading schedule and then strip away certain books or to start with scratch and come up with a unique plan here?
In general, is there a "core" list of books for this time period that are must reads?
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stellamaris
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 26 2009
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2732
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 7:58pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thinking on that...Get back in a day or two!Congratulations on your miracle ! I'm not discouraging SL, but we did put together our own various curriculum using some Seton, some Sonlight books, and some Kolbe...sounds random! I'll give more detail after pondering and attempting to remember (even though it was recently, my mind is going  ).
__________________
In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stellamaris
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 26 2009
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2732
|
| Posted: March 30 2009 at 8:30pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Books, by upper level I am referring to 11th and 12th grade, as opposed to 9th and 10th. I'd do the poetic devices study in 11th to prep for the SAT. I used Seton English Grade 11 (I think!) as a sort of spine, but if Kolbe has a poetry unit that's probably going to be more cost effective. I also used an old high school text of mine which was fabulous for poetry but is out-of-print, of course! For the earlier high school years, I just sort of incorporated actual poems for fun and interest as the spirit struck me, because I love poetry and I'd like my children to love it, too. So whenever I encountered some topic that brought a poem to mind, I'd pull out that poem and usually several by the same author and we would just enjoy them. Those who are unfamiliar with poetry themselves might just choose a few famous poets and study several works from each (kind of like a picture study in words). My kids all still love poetry!
__________________
In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stellamaris
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 26 2009
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2732
|
| Posted: March 31 2009 at 5:37am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Here's some thoughts for what it's worth:
1. I did different things with different kids, but generally speaking I put together a chronologically based program through high school. That means, I started with Ancient History, then did Medieval to about 1500, then Modern, and finally US. I think you need to consider the entire flow of the high school years at the beginning. Kolbe has (or used to have) a pamphlet entitled "Parent as Counselor" which I would strongly recommend you get and use before beginning high school. It helps you lay out the entire curriculum, gives suggestions about ACT/SAT timing, lists college entrance requirements. Another useful reference isReading Lists for College Bound Students. (I'm assuming throughout this discussion you are wanting to put together a college prep type program.) It has a list of the 100 Most Recommended Books, as well as specific lists from specific colleges. If your student has any idea what university they might like to attend, you can get their specific requirements as well by calling the admissions department of the university.
2. In addition to history/literature, you'll have to have foreign language (we did Latin outside the home, and Rosetta Stone for modern language at home), mathematics at least through Algebra 2 and preferably further, at least three years of science with two labs at some point. Here we did a Biology lab and we had the children take Chemistry and Chem Lab at the local community college dual enrollment as Seniors. With one student, we did do chemistry lab at home but I was a wreck the whole time worrying that the little ones would drink acid or something. So when the others came along, I insisted that they do Chem outside the house! You'll want to have some Religion study (we used the Didache series plus some saint biographies and some direct periods of Scripture reading). Then you'll need a few electives to fill in the credits.
3. Looking specifically at history, I always started with a timetable, identified key events, people, and ideas I wanted to include. I used Christ the King, Lord of Historyas a basic spine for the 1000 A.D.+ time period. I think it's helpful to have a general weekly schedule and then sort of "fill" it in with your specifics. So in history, that was reading a section in the textbook 3 days a week and answering short questions (which I know goes against the CM thinking,but it is a skill they need on tests in college). With these short essay questions I made sure they knew to re-state the question in their answer, to back up with examples their main points, and to tell everything they knew as succinctly as possible. I also used these papers for my own information to determine areas of mechanics that needed correction/review. Two other days were for the reading of books (not really literature) that brought that period to life. This is the point I looked at the SL/Kolbe/Seton programs and selected books I thought would compliment my time period and also be as interesting as possible to my student. Here also I would include books by Louis Wohl or other stories of the saints. Finally, there would be a longer essay question each week based usually on whatever they read in the textbook, sometimes requiring research. Once or twice a year, we chose a topic of interest to develop into a longer paper (5-10 pages). This gave me an opportunity to teach them the technical details of researching and writing a longer paper. While we worked on this paper, we would not be writing the weekly essay. I really didn't do much direct discussion of history, because with littler children at home as well you can only do so much.
4. Basing my literature on the historical time frame we were studying, I would select about one book every 4 weeks to really analyze. So for 1600-1850 (your fall semester) I would certainly choose a play or two from Shakespeare, The Tale of Two Cities,perhaps Don Quixote (depending on my reader), and take a close look at the Declaration of Independence and the literary use of propaganda in something like Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Another important book from this time period is Paradise Lost by John Milton, which will get you into some apologetics as well. If Catholic study guides weren't available, I used Cliff Notes which are very helpful when you don't have time to read the whole book yourself! Literature was more discussion based. I also required one or two essay type papers per work (for example, a character study or a comparison/contrast of the work with another work they had recently read). Most of the essay questions I just took out of the study guide I was using. So,regarding your question about balancing, I sort of did that by thinking of history and literature as connected but separate "baskets". In the history basket, I put the lighter reading and didn't spend a lot of time focusing on it, and in the literature basket I put the heavier materials, fewer selections, and focused on discussion/analysis.
5. We did use Seton for American literature and history, and also used their English 11. Some of this was dry, but overall it was good and really helped us make sure we were covering essential concepts in literature analysis, poetry, and understanding of themes. I wish I knew of a good book to recommend that covered these concepts clearly and would help a home instructor know the terms and ideas they ought to be teaching (that's rambling, but it's 5:30 a.m.!), but I haven't found one yet. A book waiting to be written!
6. Overall, high school was a lot more work and generally a lot less fun than the earlier grades, but there really is lot of material to cover and if you want to prep them for college you do have to get through a substantial portion of it. Unfortunately, it can leave one feeling as if they are careening through history and literature at a break-neck speed, barely taking it in, but I never figured out how to get around this unless you just completely abandon traditional academics and focus less on an overview and more on specific topics. I console myself by thinking that I am providing them with historical and literary pegs on which the learning of a lifetime can eventually be hung.
7. So to summarize, I didn't begin with SL or any other program. I did my own planning and plugged in SL/Kolbe/Seton material where it made sense to me. It was different each time I did it, because I was learning, too, because the available material kept changing, and because each student was different in terms of interests, needs, and abilities. Sometimes we did everything planned and then some, and other times we didn't even get through all I had hoped. So I guess I don't just have a turn-key plan for this level! As far as whether I am discouraging SL in favor of putting together a more Catholic program, I guess I would have to say that I didn't use SL as a base because I had some serious differences of opinion with them and,yes, I preferred to put together a more Catholic program. However, I think SL can be used successfully by Catholics with a substantial amount of tweaking. If I'm going to go to all that trouble, though, I'd rather just start from scratch.
Hope something in this lengthy post is helpful!
__________________
In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: March 31 2009 at 9:47am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Sigh...I've got that same problem Cactus Mouse mentioned a few days ago. Every time I look at something, it all looks sooooooooooo good I can't decide what to use!
I think I am going to have to think some more...
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Kristie 4
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 20 2006
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1508
|
| Posted: March 31 2009 at 1:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Thank you Caroline. That was very helpful....(and freeing )
Kristie
__________________
Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Cay Gibson
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 16 2005
Location: Louisiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5193
|
| Posted: April 01 2009 at 8:26pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I did this one a few years ago (or was it just last year  ?) w/ my oldest dd.
stellamaris wrote:
| ** Fellowship of the Rings, |
|
|
Second ds already read this so it's nice to know we have one covered. 
stellamaris wrote:
** and perhaps Old Man and the Sea (which neither I nor my children have ever liked, but it seems to be on some sort of "required" reading list somewhere!).
|
|
|
I had my oldest ds read this his junior (or senior ?) year because he loves to fish and all things outdoorsy. And he discussed it at the coffee table w/ Opa in the mornings.
I thought it'd be a good classic for him to read. He didn't like it and I've heard from and he's spoken to several people who were required to read it in school and didn't like it.
I won't use it for ds #2.
Poor Hemingway. Perhaps its better to read and study his life than his work?
__________________
Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: April 01 2009 at 8:36pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Try as I might, I couldn't persuade myself that Core 7 is for high schoolers. I took a big deep breath and ordered Core 300 for Patrick.I already have the books and I could upgrade to the new IG for half price since I ordered an Instructor's Guide way back when it was Core 10 (9?) and I was 9 years younger:-). BTW, Sonlight has very impressive records and their computer will even tell you if you already have a book even if you ordered that book ten years ago!
Core 400 looks good and I already have it (the older version), but Patrick isn't ready for it and Christian couldn't handle the workload/reading. So, for Christian I'm going to go with Econ and Civics taken from the St.George bookstore suggestions and then the Kolbe Jr. High lit list in its entirety. I think that's just fine for a high schooler with special needs (and maybe any highschooler).
I am pleased with these decisions. We'll start our new school year after we take our annual "Bluebell Break" and we'll go year 'round with inevitable interruptions for life.
With the big boys planned, and reading lists for everyone else set through the summer, now I can plan the next year or two for Mary Beth--kind of like the Transitions Trails I wrote for Michael, only for young ladies. I'm really looking forward to thinking my way through this one
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Elizabeth
Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5595
|
| Posted: April 01 2009 at 8:38pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Oh, and I have the old Basic 6, which is from before they split the core into two years of World History. To upgrade to the new Instructor's Guide, I could only get the half price deal on Core 6, not Core 7. I just saw it as an affirmation to go with Core 300 for Patrick. I'll use Core 6 with Stephen in a year.
__________________
Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MarilynW
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 28 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4275
|
| Posted: April 01 2009 at 9:03pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Core 300 is my favorite Sonlight Core! If Abby ever does this ( in a couple of years) I will do Core 6 with the twins and Core 1 with Matt.
__________________
Marilyn
Blessed with 6 gifts from God
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MarilynW
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 28 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4275
|
| Posted: April 01 2009 at 9:07pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Wasn't sure whether to post on this or the other thread - but I got some really really good advice this morning from a local friend who has a lovely young lady graduating this year - using a mixture of Kolbe/Sonlight/MODG. She really sang the praises of a couple of the MODG Classes - their Ancient History/Lit and their Medieval Lit. She also said that that the Sonlight British Lit (530) core was the favorite thing ever. I am going to take a look at the MODG courses.
__________________
Marilyn
Blessed with 6 gifts from God
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Natalia
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Louisiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1343
|
| Posted: April 01 2009 at 10:43pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Elizabeth wrote:
| the St.George bookstore suggestions |
|
|
What is the St.George bookstore suggestions?
Quote:
| I am pleased with these decisions. |
|
|
Congratulations! Don't you love the feeling of having made a decision?
__________________
Natalia
http://pannuestrodecadadia.blogspot.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: Adapting Sonlight Core 7
