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Syncletica
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Joined: June 11 2007
Location: Canada
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Posts: 450
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| Posted: June 04 2009 at 12:08am | IP Logged
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I'm hoping someone can help me in choosing (hopefully) living books that help out with the following learning outcomes: (I am also going to ask those who are familiar with planning curriculum for advice on just how to plan. I've been 'winging' it for the last 3-4 years. Mostly workbooks. I want to lean more towards a living book education. My homeschool facilitator says that every classroom teacher who gets the following "at-a-glance" outcomes, prepares completely different curriculum from the next teacher. I would like to know just how to actually plan such a thing. ie. I would like ideas to help me along. Some things may not be books at all, in which case I'd like to know what I can consider doing and how to implement it.)
Gr. 2
Science:
Small crawling and flying animals
Exploring liquids
Buoyancy and Boats
Magnetism
Hot and Cold Temperature
Health and Life Skills:
Relationship Choices (develop strategies to show respect for others; show interest, offer support)
Life Learning Choices(recognize that each individual has many roles in life)
Wellness Choices (describe and apply communication safety behaviours)
Social:
Canada's dynamic communities
A Community in the past
Gr. 4
Science:
Plant Growth and Changes
Waste and Our World
Wheels and Levers
Light and Shadows
Building devices and Vehicles that move
Health and Life Skills:
Relationship Choices (identify and use short-term strategies for managing feelings)
Life Learning Choices (develop and apply skills for personal organization/study)
Wellness Choices (understand links between physical activity, emotional wellness, social wellness)
Social:
Alberta: a Sense of the Land (yes, I realize some things are completely Canadian - any Canadians with advice?  )
The Stories, Histories and People of Alberta
Alberta, Celebrations and Challenges (any Albertans willing to give any ideas?)
I hope someone's willing to help me come up with a plan....
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KerryK
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| Posted: June 04 2009 at 8:16am | IP Logged
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I don't have much time right now, but wanted to say that the Sonlight catalog is a great resource for finding living book titles. You can probably find a lot of ideas in there. Also, the NOEO science website lists all of the books their curriculum uses, these are living books. We used NOEO this year and didn't love the curriculum, but did like the book choices.
I start with lists of books when deciding on curriculum, and fill in from there. But I'm pretty "loose" about things, and not the best for really nailing down a plan!
__________________
Kerry
Mom to
Matthew (10)
Mary (6)
New baby Samuel 2/26/07!
and 9 angels in heaven
The Eyes of My Heart
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Mackfam
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Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: June 04 2009 at 8:44am | IP Logged
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Syncletica,
I don't have the time or ability to help you come up with a plan specifically tailored to the subjects you have listed. I do have a couple of ideas you might consider...
Consider combining 2nd and 4th grade science to cover the same topics. Choose a broad topic like Botany or Zoology or Forces and stick within that topic for the year - or maybe 1/2 your school year. OR choose a topic or theme and run with it for a month. So, if you chose to work with forces, you could spend a month reading about magnetism, inertia, basic physics, etc. Or, you could start a little botany adventure studying seeds, plants, how plants grow, start a little garden, those sorts of things. My point is that it is easiest for me to plan science around themes that we spend a block of time studying. I find books that build that theme and then...we read.
Choosing living books...
:: Get some good catalogs to help you start..Winterpromise, Sonlight, Emmanuel Books, CHC, etc. Grab some catalogs and start building reading lists.
:: Amazon. Do a search in children's books. Find one book that looks like it suits your theme. Then, scroll down on the page to that very helpful section that says "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" and start clicking through books. Look at reviews. Add book titles to your library list as you go.
::You might also consider following along with some of the great science based themes in the Serendipity baskets. They are treasures! Look in the right hand side bar. The baskets that are published are there. Many, many great books all themed and ready to help you build science themes.
:: Another great source is right here in Picture Book Discoveries and Living Literature. Search the archives here. Sometimes, I see that someone has posted a great book recommendation here...I check it out and that leads to another great book...and another. Soon, a whole block of study is opening up to me.
:: The internet can sometimes be a very useful tool for learning. It's not really a living book, but particularly in your studies of Alberta it could be really helpful. Google it. Click through a few links. You may find some great resources you never knew anything about. You might find some books to read, people to meet and contact, places to tour, ideas to explore that would make the city open up to you and your children in a way that you never could have imagined possible.
Make lists. Make lists of lists. Start working through your lists making booklists.  Add in field trip possiblities, cooking ideas, art projects, building projects that seem naturally suited to the theme you're planning. Make lists of supplies you might need. Gather your lists - you now have some plans.
Get your books and live your plans with an eye towards flexibility. Be ready for a rabbit trail to come along. Be ready for life to come along - interruptions happen. Keep reading, but don't be afraid to redirect your course if you need to. This doesn't mean you've failed to live your plans or failed to adequately plan. It just means that a new season of life is here and you might have to tweak your plans a little. Deep breath and adjust your lists.
Good luck and have fun planning.
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Help needed for living books
