Most days have about the same feel to them for JBug, with some small variations here and there. I’ll describe what JBug did on wednesday, which is a fairly typical day:

• Phonics: due to JBug’s dyslexia, we have a LOT more phonics-type work to do than the typical 3rd grader might have. We begin with a warm-up of her reading aloud from lists of simple short-vowel words: cat, bat, pan,tin, lid, pig, ten, fed, men, mud, sun, bug, etc, (pink level work if you are a Montessorian). Then we move on to our blend (blue level) and  our long vowel (green level) word cards, and some sight word cards. Next we read and discuss our phonics lesson of the day from Alphaphonics.  And finally she reads to me from a phonics reader (right now we are using the Now I’m Reading series).  This may seem like a lot, but believe me, JBug needs this constant review. Really it takes only 30-40 minutes or so in the morning and these daily reminders make a world of difference to the flow of the rest of her day.

(Meanwhile Superboy is reading his religion materials and will come narrate to me when he finishes. I will pause JBug’s phonics lessons if necessary to listen to his quick narration. Side benefit: JBug hears and learns from Superboy’s narration.)

• English: a quick lesson from English for the Thoughtful Child. This day’s lesson was on what makes a complete sentence. We did this lesson entirely orally. 10-15 minutes tops.

• History: since it is wednesday, JBug has listened to her audiobook chapter the day before, so today she makes a poster for her wall timeline. Today it is ancient Egypt, her favorite, so she happily works on her drawing of pyramids, a sphinx, and the temple at Abu Simbel, adding plenty of detail and coloring it carefully, chattering all the while. I give her a line of copywork to add to her poster:       ” Egypt was a mighty kingdom on the Nile river.“ ( “mighty” relates to the  her phonics lesson for the day, the–igh– long I sound ). This she copies in her best handwriting. (total time, maybe 45 minutes).

(Meanwhile, Superboy is reading his history. When finished he comes and narrates to me and we discuss some of the more interesting aspects of Minoan culture.)

Snack time! Some yogurt and fruit and we are recharged!

• Nature study: I read aloud to JBug a chapter from our current nature read: Wild Life in Woods and Fields. Today the topic is early  spring flowers. She listens, narrates, and then does a lovely notebook page on daffodils for her nature notebook.  Her copywork, ” The daffodil stores food in its bulb under ground”. She draws and labels a daffodil, making special note of the round, onion-like bulb.( maybe 30 minutes)
  

(meanwhile Superboy is reviewing his formulas and equations from his chapter of Caveman Chemistry, noting them in his lab book. He has a couple of questions on the combustion reaction of cellulose so while JBug draws and labels her daffodil, Superboy and I discuss that.)

• Math: Today’s lesson is simple fractions. She blasts through it in no time. (10 minutes) This gives her plenty of free time before lunch. She heads outside to play “Iron Chef” with seaweed and mud on the rocks of the jetty.

(Superboy is ahead of schedule too, so he takes advantage to get some free reading done. A Percy Jackson book, I believe).

Lunch time! Sandwich for Superboy, leftover chicken and rice for JBug and me. Then it’s back at it again!

• Religion: Wednesdays we read a saint story and JBug narrates. Today was one of our family favorites, St Francis of Assisi, a life story which JBug knows well.  I read from Loyola Kids Book of Saints, and JBug gives a lively narration, acting out scenes in quite a dramatic way. She always giggles and turns red at the point where Francis drops his clothing in the town square. Tomorrow she will do a notebook page on this beloved saint in her faith notebook, but today, it is all about the drama! (maybe 20 minutes, with all the drama).

( Meanwhile Superboy whizzes through his math lesson, and moves on to literature. He reads ~50 pages from Hittite Warrior and then comes to give me a brief review.)

• Art study: This week’s artist is Gustav Klimt, so we spend a few minutes reviewing his paintings on the computer slide-show I’ve made. She needs an extra day to finish up her coloring page of The Kiss from yesterday, so that’s what she does. She is happy she has an excuse to use the fancy gold Prismacolor pencil. There’s lots of gold in Klimt! (~30 minutes)

• Computer work: Last thing of the day is for JBug to spend some time with Explode the Code Online. She happily works through a dozen lessons,(~30 minutes) then is rewarded for her efforts with some time on her favorite site: Lego Games.

I use this quiet time to tend to my own education, and catch a quick read of some Plutarch. Good stuff!

(Meanwhile Superboy has been reading from his nature study book: Fruitless Fall. He comes to narrate to me , cup of tea with honey in hand,very enthusiastic about the book. We have a nice discussion about the importance of honey bees and the book’s unfolding mystery of colony collapse syndrome. )

And then…we are all done for the day!!!  Superboy is off to swimming practice, JBug goes back to her “Kitchen Stadium” in the rough, and I catch up on blogs and message boards before it is time to prepare dinner.

And that, my friends, sums up our Charlotte Mason day!

I’d LOVE to hear about YOUR  CM day, especially how you coordinate varying levels within your home!

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Keep in mind this is a reflection of MY interpretation of CM methods and in no way should be interpreted as the “right” way to do CM in high school. Like most folks, I am figuring it out as I go.

But mainly I wanted to share because despite the fact that at first glance a true CM education seems complicated to the point of impossibility, I feel strongly that is worth wading through the confusion to get to the core of what is actually a profoundly *simple* way of  teaching and learning, based on excellent living books, and the magic of narration. And that is pretty much all there is to it! Really! CM does NOT have to be complicated.

Lets take a look at what Superboy’s CM-inspired 10th grade entails:

First I’ll share an overview of his week, then I’ll give you a look at the materials he is currently using.

His week is pretty straightforward. He has 7 subjects, 5 of which he does daily. These are: religion, history, chemistry, math, and literature.

Two days a week (M, T) he does grammar/composition, and three days (W,Th, F) he does natural history.

So, a total of six subjects per day. Simple!

Most of his core subjects involve reading a chapter or so daily from an excellent living book, and narrating orally. The exceptions being  mainly math and chemistry (somewhat). Writing is addressed within his literature and history studies, as is art appreciation. Again, simple!

Lets look at what he is  currently working on, this being week 1:

• Math: Math U See–finishing up Algebra II and moving into geometry in a few weeks. He does one lesson per week.
• Religion: He has a couple of different books he is reading from Mon-thursdays. He reads a chapter, then narrates. Fridays he listens to a podcast which discusses next Sunday’s Mass readings.  ( I will soon write another post listing  all his religion selections for the year.)
• History: (read this post for a detailed explanation) this week’s  independent research topic is the Minoan civilization. He researches for about 30 minutes daily, then narrates. On thursday he fills out his notebook page, on friday he writes his essay. He is also reading chapter 1 of The Greek Way, narrating as he goes.
• Literature: Current read is Hittite Warrior. He is speeding through that easily– about 50 pages per day.
• Chemistry: Caveman Chemistry, one chapter per week. Monday and tuesday are reading and narration, weds he notes in his lab book any formulas or equations he needs to learn, thursday does his lab, friday he writes his lab report.
• Grammar/composition: This is monday-tuesday. Currently he is finishing up Excavating English, which is a neat little unit on the origins of the English language that he began last year and wanted to finish up this year. When he does, it will be replaced with additional grammar materials, to be determined. I am strongly considering Spelling Wisdom, a book of dictation passages from Simply Charlotte Mason.
• Natural History/Nature Study: This is weds-thurs-fridays. Currently reading Fruitless Fall, a chapter a day, more or less, and narrating.(read more details on his nature study here).
• Art: not really a separate subject, art is addressed within his history studies. As part of his study of each culture, he also looks at their representative art. This week: Minoan bull-leaping murals. Very cool.

So, LOTS of reading (from living books), and narration, a little writing and grammar, a science lab, and some math. I think it is the very *picture* of simplicity.

(To further illustrate the simplicity of this method, notice the things that are NOT included: spelling tests, vocabulary lists, math tests, comprehension questions, lectures, note-taking, end-of-chapter review, quizzes, workbooks, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, true-false, or any other kind of  busy-work.)

It’s simple.

• He reads.
• He tells me what he read.
• He reads some more.

And… he learns.

What do I do?  I listen.  And I let the books do the talking for me.

© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 18 comments

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So what do you do when you have a high-school-aged student to whom nature journaling, species identification, collecting and labeling, etc are all just second nature? How do you challenge him to take nature study to the next level?

Well, for one thing, I won’t be requiring any nature journaling from him any more. He has moved beyond the need for guidance from me in that area. From now on, his nature journal is his own, and he can journal (or not) as he pleases.

Instead, our time together will be spent looking beyond our own backyard and exploring some of the many larger issues involving nature: the history, the intrigue, the problems and solutions, and the people for whom nature study is more than just a family pastime.

To set us off on that journey, Superboy has quite a fascinating line-up of fascinating nature-related reading material this year, and I’d love to share it with you. In choosing these books I tried to keep a balance between plant and animal related books on a variety of themes. Some natural history, some environmental issues, some just interesting fact-filled explorations. But above all, these books are all highly engaging and thought-provoking literature.

We are kicking it off with Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart. Oh, my, if this isn’t a plant guide that appeals to a teenage boy’s heart, I don’t know what is! Plants that kill, maim, and irritate, this book has got them all from A to Z. Throw in some nifty historical tidbits and you’ve got a book that will draw you in like the sweet scent of oleander.

After that comes Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis by Rowan Jacobsen. What happens when one quarter of all honey bees throughout the northern hemisphere suddenly disappear? This instant classic takes a look at colony collapse syndrome and what it could mean for food production, and plant life in general, in the future.

Next we take little meander into the very basics of nature–the elements, with The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Readable chemistry? You better believe it!

Then it’s back to the animal kingdom with Animal Investigators: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species Like a CSI of the animal world, this book explores cases of wildlife trafficking and the methods being used to stop it. This book caught my eye in particular because the first case involves illegal slaughter of walrus in Alaska, an issue with local ramifications.

Then plants steal the show again with Flora Mirabilis: How Plants Have Shaped World Knowledge, Health, Wealth, and Beauty (National Geographic) The pages of this gorgeous book are practically overflowing with stunning illustrations as the text traces the history of botanical knowledge, exploration and discovery  through the ages. Superboy may just have to pry this one from my fingers in order to read it himself. Just gorgeous.

And next up is Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky (author of the popular Salt: A World History). Who knew the humble Codfish had such an enormous impact throughout history? This book has been making the rounds here amongst the fishermen of Sitka to rave reviews. We have got to see what all the fuss is about, so this book earns a spot on our list.

Last but certainly not least is The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer. I’m telling you, this one has it all. As the back cover states, this book is a ” true tale of beauty and obsession, smugglers and scientists, and nature’s most enigmatic creature.”

And that is all I have planned for now. We may end up adding more to the list, but for now I think it is a great set of books and should provide much food for thought.

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Anyway, today I share my plans for Superboy’s history studies for this coming year. He chose to study Greek and Roman history (excellent choice I must say), and I have spent many a long hour sifting and sorting through ginormous piles of history narratives. I really dug deep, reading and reading anything I could get my hands on (and some that I couldn’t), trying to find just the right thing.

(btw: an excellent source for viewing the full text of MANY older history texts is this one:Heritage History. Truly a treasure trove! Dig in!)

My requirements: The chosen book should be narrative in nature (story-like and readable), living, thought-provoking, and at the right reading level to challenge without defeating.  Not so much to ask, is it?

Apparently it is, because I never did find that *just right* thing. Everything was either too dry, too easy, too thick and tedious, or just plain boring.

I did come close, however, and have decided upon a few books as his anchor texts:

For the Greeks, he will read a combination of the sophisticated (but excellent) The Greek Way, by Edith Hamilton, and the easier reading Famous Men of Greece by Haaren and Poland (Memoria Press Edition).

Both of these books score high for narrative quality. The problem lies in reading level. Famous Men is a bit on the low side (too easy), and The Greek Way tips the scales on the higher side and will challenge Superboy’s reading skills mightily. But I find what Ms. Hamilton has to say about the Greeks to be beautiful and highly thought-provoking, and so I chose it for him even if I need to help him through a bit of it. It’ll definitely be worth the effort.

For the Romans, his anchor texts will be Famous Men of Rome (again, a bit on the easy side) and Historical Tales Vol 11: Roman by Charles Morris, which seems to actually be spot on as far as the level of difficulty I am looking for.(read it here for free) Plus, it’s such a good read!

Here is an excerpt of Historical Tales so you’ll see what I mean:

While Tarquin the Proud was king a strange thing happened at Rome. One day an unknown woman came to the king, bearing in her arms nine books, which she offered to sell to him at a certain price. She told him that they contained the prophecies of the Sibyl of Cumæ, and that from them might be learned the destiny of Rome and the way to carry out this destiny.

But the price she asked for her books seemed to the king exorbitant, and he refused to buy them, whereupon the woman went away from the palace and burned three of the volumes. She then returned with six only and offered them to the king, but demanded the same price for the six as she had before done for the nine. King Tarquin heard this demand with laughter and mockery, and again refused to buy. The woman once more left the palace, and burned three more of the books.

To the king’s astonishment his strange visitor soon returned, bearing the three books that remained. On being asked their price, she named the same sum as she had demanded for the six and the nine. This was ceasing to be matter for mockery. There might be some important mystery concealed behind this strange demand. The king sent for the augurs of the court, told them what had happened, and asked what he should do. They told him that he had done very wrong. In refusing the books he had refused a gift of the gods. By all means he must buy the books that were left. He bought them, therefore, at the Sibyl’s price. As for the woman, she was never seen again…

Makes you want to read on, right? That’s what I’m looking for! (and unfortunately I am still looking for an actual paper copy of this book. I hate reading online!) ETA: thanks to helpful comment by Brittney, I was able to have the book printed up by the Harvard book store  Book Machine ! Neat! Thanks Brittney!

Ah, but that most certainly isn’t all of it. The boy is going to be steeped in the classical world. For literature this year will be largely (but not entirely) tied into his history studies. There’s a wide variety here. Some selections are easier, some are much more challenging.

Here is his literature list:

• Hittite Warrior-Joanne Williamson
• Epic of Gilgamesh
• Black Ships Before Troy-Rosemary Sutcliff
• The Odyssey-Homer
• The Glorious Adventure-Richard Halliburton
• Socrates’ death speech
• A  Young Macedonian-Church
• Orestian trilogy-Aeschylus
• Oedipus Rex-Sophocles
• The Trojan Women-Euripides
• Julius Caesar-Shakespeare
• The Living Wood: St Helena and the Emperor Constantine-Lewis DeWohl
• The Restless Flame: A novel about St Augustine-DeWohl
• Kon Tiki-Thor Heyerdahl (just for fun!)

And he will also go on a little jaunt through some CS Lewis. He has long ago read the Narnia books, so we move on to:

• Till we Have Faces
• Out of the Silent Planet
• Perelandra
• That Hideous Strength
• Screwtape Letters

And where/if we have time (particularly later in the year, the Roman selections are pretty sparse) we will add in a few other things I have in mind for him (perhaps some of Augustine’s Confessions?)

Lots of excellent reading! And in true Charlotte Mason style, all of his reading will be narrated orally, with weekly written narrations as well.

By way of keeping track of the flow of history, he will record his independent research in various reference books using the high school-level History Scholar notebooking pages from History Scribe, which includes such interesting topics as Greek and Roman architecture, Greek theater, the Peloponnesian Wars, the Fall of Rome, and many more-enough for a topic a week.

So, in summary, assigned reading will include his 4 anchor texts and his literature selections, all to be narrated orally, and his independent research to be recorded in his notebooking pages, plus narrated orally and in weekly essay form.  I think that should do it!

And now, like the classical world, this post is history!

Oh yes, I crack myself up…

© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2010. | Permalink | 26 comments

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We have SO MANY good things lined up, we really can’t wait!

Today on a whim we attended the local “World of Work”  job and career fair here in Sitka and I am so glad we did! It was a really cool event for high school students to connect with folks in various fields of study and employment. JBug had a blast chatting up the Park Ranger and trying on her nifty park service hat. Superboy made some really great contacts and though he is still too young for many of the paid internship programs available, as soon as folks found out he is homeschooled he had people falling all over him to offer him opportunities to learn while volunteering!

He already has appointments to work with:

• biologists at the local fish hatchery
• archeologists and interpreters at the National Historical Park
• job shadowing with docs at the hospital, and
• working with naturalists and veterinarians at the Raptor Rehabilitation center.

In fact, we all 4 went and oriented as volunteers at the Raptor Center today, and they want us to start right away! Even JBug will have work to do!  So,  I’m sure I’ll have some exciting stuff to share after our first day volunteering with the Raptor Rehab Center tomorrow!

Stay tuned!

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Well, that rolling turned out to be quite a process!

He had to cook the rice…

chop the veggies…

slice the tuna and crab…

spread the rice on the nori…

spice it up with a little wasabi paste…

layer the meats and veggies…

roll it up…

slice it up…

step back to admire those pretty little circles of deliciousness…

serve it (place setting for two, please) with pickled ginger, soy sauce, and a bit of wasabi…

grab some chopsticks and enjoy!!!!

Homework never tasted quite so good!

© lapazfarm for LaPaz Home Learning, 2009. | Permalink | 20 comments

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Let me just start off by saying I kind of resent that someone, somewhere got to arbitrarily decide a start/end point for when school is suddenly “Official” and “Important.” That here, now, at this randomly appointed time I have to keep a “Transcript” to prove that my child is learning exactly what all of the other kids are learning. Or he won’t get into college. And his life will be ruined. And just about everyone else sort of collectively goes along with it. But most of all I resent that I am feeling pressure (mostly internal) to go along with it, too.

Why?

I’ll tell you. Better yet, I’ll show you. Have a listen to my internal conversation. It sounds something like this:

Me: There should not be a randomly designated deadline after which all learning is vitally important and before which none of it is. That is just wacky.

Me: But the world we live in is wacky, isn’t it?

Me: Yes, but that’s no reason for me to buy into the wackiness. My son should be able to keep learning just as he always has. If it’s working so far, why should we change now?

Me: Because of college. He needs to be able to get into college. Even if he doesn’t end up going, he needs to at least have that option available. He needs a transcript with 4 years of English, 4 years math, 2 years foreign language, etc, etc, etc. How can you do that unschooling? You can’t.

Me: That’s just your fear talking. You know what you are doing here is right and good. There is no reason why he should have to learn exactly the same thing at the same time as every other kid his age. You can free him from mediocrity, from the pressure to conform. Let him choose his own path. You can do this!

Me: It’ll be too hard! (insert whiny voice here) It would be so much easier to just sign him up for online classes, or enroll him in a school-at-home school with lesson plans all written out for you.There are some really nice ones out there, aren’t there?

Me: Like what?

Me: You know, the Classical Academies, the Great Books courses. Those types of things. Rigorous, solid, respected.

Me:  He will hate it. I’ll hate it. He will hate me.

Me: Well, life can’t always be fun and games. He needs to learn how to study, how to achieve goals.He needs to buckle down.

Me: But he does study! His interests. He does achieve goals. His goals. Wait…Buckle down???!!!  Did you just say that? Is this really me saying that??? Ok, hold on!!! Who ARE you???

Me: …

Me: That’s what I thought. I would never cave in to such thinking! I would never give up my dearly-held principles simply due to fear of the unknown! I know what we are doing works. I trust my child and his natural capacity for learning. I trust myself to guide and support him in his endeavors. Now get out of here you impostor and don’t ever come back!

Me: Ok…but… what if you ruin his life???

Me:…*sigh* …

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