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Martha
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Well I've commetted to finishing what I've bought for this year, although I plan to modify much of it.
For next year, I would like to condense. Severely.
I would like to have reading, writing, and math and THAT IS IT. I would like to incorporate all other subjects into those areas or vice versa.
For example, reading materials would be about science subjects and the writing assignment would be based on that. I would not have seperate materials for each kid, I would just require more of older than younger kids.
It is my understanding that this is very sonlight and winter promise -ish?
Does anyone here do this? What materials are friendly towards this goal without compromise in academics?
Opinions? thoughts? recommendations? links?
thank you!
Martha
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ElisabethGrace
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Martha,
We do this with The Well-Trained Mind. We all follow the same cycle for history & science study. The children just work at their own levels in the same subjects. We do however add in Latin. Art and music study are also incorporated into our history study cycle. Narrations, dictations and writing come from our history and science readings.
Hope this helps!
Angela
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Martha
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angela
so do you do this on your own as you go or do you follow a guide of sorts?
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Martha
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Erin
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Martha wrote:
I would like to have reading, writing, and math and THAT IS IT. I would like to incorporate all other subjects into those areas or vice versa.
For example, reading materials would be about science subjects and the writing assignment would be based on that. I would not have seperate materials for each kid, I would just require more of older than younger kids....
Does anyone here do this? .. |
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Martha
We do this. Exactly as you're hoping  It can be done.
Our mornings prior to morning tea are spent on 'seatwork', maths, copywork, dication, writing and reading for our beginners. After morning tea till lunch is when we focus on the subjects in the way you are considering. Lots of reading together with extra reading for the older ones. Notebooking records what they are learning.
One thing that works for us in regards to the other subjects is only working on one subject at a time. To further explain, you have science, nature study, history, religion, geography and for us Australian history. I divide the year into blocks of five weeks approxiamtely and rotate the subjects. So for example, the first focus may be nature study and we may spend five weeks doing Australian mammals, next we may spend five weeks focusing on the Mass, then the next block may be on the gold rush period(Australia) etc. so over the year we cover all the subjects and over many years a vast array of topics.
Elizabeth has a great blog entry on
The Beauty of Unit Study(scroll down)this is the best summation I have read.
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Martha
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ohhhhh I love that link.. how ever did I not come to it before now?!
Elizabeth...
I enjoy the preschool thread, but my major concern these days is my older children.
Can you explain how you work with them in this manner, if you do that, and how you keep them on track and focused on a the future of higher academics?
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Dawnie
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Martha wrote:
Well I've commetted to finishing what I've bought for this year, although I plan to modify much of it.
For next year, I would like to condense. Severely.
I would like to have reading, writing, and math and THAT IS IT. I would like to incorporate all other subjects into those areas or vice versa.
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Martha,
Have you looked into Latin-Centered Education? I'm afraid I can't give a glimpse of how this works in our home, b/c I'm not using it, but I am reading a lot about it in preparation for next year. I am very interested in condensing the number of subjects we study, too, and I'm only teaching one kid right now! Seeing how full my time is right now, though, I can see that something will need to change before the next 3 dc join our homeschool.
There was a thread not too long ago about Latin-Centered Education. That might be helpful for you to look at.
Dawn
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Courtney
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Erin, I really like your idea! Right now we're studying Canada and spiders. I feel split doing Canada one day and spiders the next. Maybe it would work best for us to focus on one major area at a time. While studying Canada, I could see us taking a rabbit trail into Canadian Geese, but not keeping our nature study totally separate from whatever else we're learning about. I need to allow myself to get out of the little box that says, "You must cover all subjects every day/week!"
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Willa
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Martha, once Leonie sent me a review of the Robinson Curriculum
We don't use the Robinson Curriculum in that I haven't bought their CD-set and I don't really know their book choices. However, the review describes a pared-down but still academically demanding type of course of studies mostly based on reading, writing and math. Our most successful years in the homeschool have generally been when we condense down to those core subjects and then, as you say, expand out from there. (Forming children in Religion is part of my duties as a mom so I think of it in different and broader terms than a normal school subject -- just mentioning that so that you know I'm not bypassing it).
For the actual book choices I use the 4reallearning booklist and Mater Amabilis as a starting point. For the older kids I use something like this but tailored to the individual interests and abilities of the kids.
It has not compromised our academics. It seems to prepare them well. I wish I could do the unit studies and fun projects but I function better at helping them, the kids, design their own research projects and hands-on activities rather than originating them myself  The pared down approach gives me more time for that facilitating and for the discussions which I increasingly value as a mode of learning and discipling.
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Willa
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Also, Valerie Bendts How to Create your Own Unit Study sounds quite a bit like what you are describing. Her unit studies are mostly based on reading and writing, with math done separately and daily. She gives examples of how she integrates children of varying ages (I think she has 4) into her planning and implementation. She uses methods like copywork, dictation and narration so it is quite RealLearning friendly.
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Willa
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: a plan, a theory, a hope for next year
