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Martha
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| Posted: Feb 07 2012 at 10:44pm | IP Logged
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Thank you, ladies.
I think I'm going to go ahead and buy the Gamma Level and see how it goes for the 2012/2013 year. 
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Martha
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Donna Marie
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| Posted: Feb 08 2012 at 11:19am | IP Logged
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Hi Martha!
I am using Gamma this year. What I have noticed:
I have the TM, maps, and cd's
Yes the quality is very good. I have this out with my planner at the start to every day. I like how visually clear it is. It helps me with...you know...  distractions. 
I think I should have sprung for the student book just to keep it more handy for the kids instead of them using my copy, but it isn't necessary. I mark the pages with post-it tabs so they know where we are.
The kids love the geography maps. I keep them hung on cup hooks and hang them using those large metal clips so they can see them all of the time...
I love the history they have to memorize. It helps them feel "intelligent" and I keep reminding them of passages they have already memorized when we cover a new character from that period of time...it helps.
The science has helped me be creative within my comfort zone because it breaks things down in manageable chunks. Truth be told, I was a too much or nothing gal in the past and it was getting too hard to keep up now that we are doing so many ages for "school". I like to have a line of "living books" on the school shelf for them to read as we cover the material.
Sure, the religion part and the poetry or great words part could be done without this book. But it is nice to have it all there at your fingertips. I make the kids memorize more than what is in the book, but this is the minimum (in the area of the Balt Cat. at least) that I have them memorize and as a natural consequence, the 3yo even knows it just by being in the room (however his understanding of it is hilarious)
And as a big surprise, lol, I don't do it exactly as written, but it is my "spine" of sorts for the year.
I wish I had gotten the cards. It is on my wishlist of things we will be purchasing in the near future for school.
The CDs don't work well for us. I am sure that others might find them helpful but we only tried it once and they said they would rather just do it with me.
Anyone want to purchase Beta and Gamma CD's from me in brand new condition at a good price? 
FWIW...HTH!
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Martha
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| Posted: Feb 08 2012 at 11:41am | IP Logged
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Donna,
Yes, actually, I would love a discounted CD!
What have you tweaked about it?
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Martha
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jawgee
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| Posted: April 26 2012 at 4:00pm | IP Logged
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Any more reviews on CCM? I'm considering it for next year, but really can't decide. I have a full curriculum already...can this supplement what we are doing?
How does everyone like the timeline cards? Can they be used separately? I had considered buying the Veritas timeline cards second-hand because Classical Conversations isn't using the Veritas ones anymore so there are a lot available second-hand.
Decisions, decisions....
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Monica
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KC in TX
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| Posted: April 30 2012 at 1:49pm | IP Logged
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Darn! I really wish I had seen this earlier. They were at the Houston conference and I didn't look very closely at it. It sounds intriguing. I'll have to go to their website. Thank you everyone for your opinions.
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KC,
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Connections
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| Posted: May 01 2012 at 8:48pm | IP Logged
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Wow! I had not seen this before!
I have a question similar to one that has been asked but, as far as I can see, not yet answered.
Can anyone comment on whether we could use the timeline cards without the rest if the program?
I am looking for something to help DS memorize important dates. The entire program looks intriguing but I am not sure that I need the entire thing right now (and money, as with many of us, is a concern). DS already has a lot of knowledge about history but he really glosses over the information about dates. I am thinking that I could have him memorize the timeline and that that would provide the pegs for specific dates.
Of course, I could do this any number of ways but I love the ease of this and the fact that it includes Catholics and Catholic content!
However, I want to make sure that the cards include the dates. On the website, the timeline description includes the following: "15 essential dates are included on certain critical events in the timeline. The cards are clearly labeled in numerical order."
Frankly, I have no idea what that means!
Also, it looks like Ignatius Press will be carrying it beginning June 1, 2012 and they seem to be offering it for under $25. Here's the link
Anyone?
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 02 2012 at 7:00am | IP Logged
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The cards do include dates, but they are often on the back of the card within the paragraph of information about the event. If you want to hang these as a timeline so your child can see the dates, that probably wont work. As a flash card they would work fine. In that case I would even highlight the date so it can be seen quickly.
The cards all have a small number on the back that is useful when hanging them as a timeline. This is the way we use it right now. I want my kids to know the order of things (like the Revolutionary War happened before the Civil War) so this works great. I do have them memorize some of the dates to sort of use as pegs, but since we don't memorize them all this works for us. When I introduce the cards I simply note the dates of the ones that need to be memorized.
Not to add confusion but some of the cards do have a date on the front. This date usually refers to the picture though. For example, the "Last Supper" has a date but it is for when the picture was painted. Another example is the card for Rosa Parks. The date on the front refers to when the picture was taken. The back of the card has the dates for her life and the dates for the civil rights movement, all within the paragraph of information.
Clear as mud? ;)
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Becky
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Connections
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| Posted: May 02 2012 at 11:00am | IP Logged
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Thanks, Becky. You made that very clear.
I appreciate you taking the time so that I have the info to make a decision!
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loveandlaughter
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| Posted: May 03 2012 at 8:58pm | IP Logged
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I'm wondering if this program will work for my 1st grader next year? Is the program really ok for all grades?
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Martha
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| Posted: May 03 2012 at 9:09pm | IP Logged
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I think it would be fine for a first grader. Keep in mind it is Written as an 18 week course wi the understanding that many parents will want to take 2 weeks for each 1 week memory session. If you spread it out over 2 weeks, I think the average 1st grader old handle it without too much stress.
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Martha
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AmandaV
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| Posted: May 21 2012 at 11:37am | IP Logged
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Well, CCM had a table at our homeschool conference this weekend, so I was able to look over all the materials in person (with my husband!) and we went ahead and bought alpha year including maps and timeline. It is an investment but so far, I'd say the quality is totally worth it. I'm debating whether to start right away -next week,probably, or wait until the fall. I really don't see any reason to wait unless a few of us start a co-op. Those of you who are using CCM, do you like it with/without a co-op? Do you wish you had a few families to do it with, or do you like the independence of using it at home. I ask as the manual mentions the co-op a lot since the creator developed the materials for her local co-op originally. I'm really looking forward to using this with my kids. Oh, and the author said the best way to present was in the two hour chunk once every two weeks, and continue to review 20 min a day, plus listening to the cd. Those of you who are using, do you do a 2 hr chunk or break it up? I'm not sure I can do two hours at once with my 10 month old and twin boys...
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Becky Parker
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| Posted: May 21 2012 at 12:03pm | IP Logged
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I use it with my kids alone, but I think doing it in a coop setting would be great! Now, with my owm kids, I mostly stick to the basics of memory work. In a coop situation I think I would use the other resources to flesh it out more (like in science!) and I would feel like I'm getting more out of it. That's not to say I'm not satisfied with it now. I am so glad I purchsed it last year. Something about the way it is layed out really helps us to do our memory work each day. So, just for that reason, I feel it is worth it. I just think I would get even more from it in a coop situation.
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Becky
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Martha
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| Posted: May 21 2012 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Coops can be fun, but I would never count on them for much more than that. If I want serious academics, I stick to home. Sorry, but experience has taught me some hard lessons. I just cannot handle the drama and time suck of coops anymore.
However, I have been doing this for 12 years now and am fairly confident about what I'm doing with my younger ones. And I have 10 kids, 7 of which are being formally home schooled - as far as I am concerned we ARE a coop already these days. :)
When I was 12 years younger? Or even 6 years younger? I would have jumped at doing this in a coop setting if I could afford it and it fit our schedule. The older me would like to go back in time and tell younger me to just enjoy staying home with them while they are little while she can because when middle school and high school hit, she will feel like she hits the floor running from sun up to past sun down 6 days a week.
So there is my mixed bag of opinion. :)
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AmandaV
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| Posted: May 24 2012 at 1:25am | IP Logged
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Thanks for your input, ladies! Still processing the instructions. We'll probably start on our own until my friends decide whether to purchase.
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Amanda
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AmandaV
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| Posted: May 24 2012 at 1:29am | IP Logged
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Okay, question for all who use it and are CM-inpired..
Where does CCM fit in with a CM philosophy? For me, it is wanting the children to learn poetry, Catechism, a basic timeline and map locations. And CM did encourage scripture memorization, correct? I definitely want my kids to learn catechism, and I like that this is broken into manageable chunks.
The other info is less important to me but I'm happy to have it. And I am not a CM purist though I could see myself becoming one. I've bought it so I'll use it, but what are your thoughts on where it fits on the CM spectrum?
And one more... how much time do you review every day after your initial presentation? Author suggests 20-30 minutes. Thanks!
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Amanda
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MamaFence
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| Posted: May 24 2012 at 9:00am | IP Logged
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Very interested in this discussion. CCM has been on my radar for awhile, and I just haven't decided yet if we will be using it.
Did someone already answer if it is good to use with other curriculum?
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Willa
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AmandaV wrote:
Where does CCM fit in with a CM philosophy? For me, it is wanting the children to learn poetry, Catechism, a basic timeline and map locations. And CM did encourage scripture memorization, correct? I definitely want my kids to learn catechism, and I like that this is broken into manageable chunks.
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Hi Amanda,
It seems to me it would be compatible -- Charlotte Mason's method included both recitation (speaking poetry and scripture aloud fluently) and memory work.
Recitation: Charlotte Mason Help
Charlotte Mason believed that in order to make learning permanent, you want to have:
1. Undivided attention to the thing to be learned.
2. Not simply "verbal" memory but real understanding.
3. Associations with other related things, building a sort of "chain" of memories
Charlotte Mason on Attentiveness
Quote:
| Now, the questions arise, Under what conditions is such an imprint of fact or event made upon the substance of the brain? Is the record permanent? And is the brain capable of receiving an indefinite number of such impressions? It appears, both from common experience and from an infinite number of examples quoted by psychologists, that any object or idea which is regarded with attention makes the sort of impression on the brain which is said to fix it in the memory. |
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Quote:
| ––But it is not enough to have a recollection flash across one incidentally; we want to have the power of recalling at will: ... and for this you must not only fix his attention upon each new lesson, but each must be so linked into the last that it is impossible for him to recall one without the other following in its train. .. This is to make a practical use of that law of association of ideas of which one would not willingly become the sport; and it is the neglect of this law which invalidates much good teaching. The teacher is content to produce a solitary impression which is only recalled as it is acted upon by a chance suggestion; whereas he should forge the links of a chain to draw his bucket out of the well. |
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Quote:
| ––Let every lesson gain the child's entire attention, and let each new lesson be so interlaced with the last that the one must recall the other; that again, recalls the one before it, and so on to the beginning. |
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Quote:
| .––But the 'lightly come, lightly go' of a mere verbal memory follows no such rules. The child gets his exercise 'by heart,' says it off like a parrot, and behold, it is gone; there is no record of it upon the brain at all. To secure such a record, there must be time; time for that full gaze of the mind we call attention, and for the growth of the brain tissue to the new idea. |
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Quote:
| ––To acquire any knowledge or power whatsoever, and then to leave it to grow rusty in a neglected corner of the brain, is practically useless. Where there is no chain of association to draw the bucket out of the well, it is all the same as if there were no water there. As to how to form these links, every subject will suggest a suitable method. |
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I found this thread because I just bought Classically Catholic Memory: Beta. I only bought the teacher's manual, because buying everything is quite expensive, and I wanted to get an idea of whether it would work for us before investing more.
I think the relatively small amount of material to memorize, and the way it goes in logical sequence, makes it easy for the mom or teacher to bring in context for the memory work so it sticks better in the mind. I can't remember who said it in an earlier post, but it looks like it could be a nice spine and base.
I bought it because I'm one of those who likes the idea of memory work but get all tied up in choices, so I am guessing this will be really helpful to us. Thanks everyone for the opinions; they helped me decide! 
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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
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SeaStar
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| Posted: April 29 2013 at 3:16pm | IP Logged
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Bumping this thread up as well.
Everyone still happy with CCM?
I was looking at it specifically for the science memory work.
What is that like? I can't find any sample pages that feature the science work. No one is usually it locally that I know of, so I can't get a look that way, either.
I would like to add in some science memory work to our school next year, but I am a bit stumped how to go about this.
We already do poetry and scripture/religion memorization. That's fairly easy to rustle up on my own. The thought of digging up science stuff, though, somehow wears me out before I even get started.
Would it be worth buying the teacher's manual just for that?
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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Martha
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| Posted: April 29 2013 at 3:31pm | IP Logged
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I really like CCM. We are wrapping up Gamma and I've already bought Delta.
I wouldn't buy it ONLY for the science. That's paying $30 for only the teacher guide, presuming thats all you buy bc all you want is the science, questions and answers and some activity ideas. That's basicly paying $1.60 per science question!
But I do like the science sections. Well done IMO and they are presented in an order that makes sense. At least to me they do.
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Martha
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SeaStar
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| Posted: April 29 2013 at 3:34pm | IP Logged
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Thanks, Martha-
Are the science questions mostly factual, or are their quotes from scientists, things like that?
I think I did see one sample with questions about rocks- but I've looked at so many things lately on line my head is spinning
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Classically Catholic Memory?
