The beauty of letters

Recently, a friend of mine moved back to Chicago. I've only known her a few years, but I was immediately drawn to her because she is an extreme extrovert (I am not). I am drawn to honesty, and she laid everything out there from the start. 

I met her in a running group, and found her sobbing in a parking lot after a run one Saturday. She was sad and missing Chicago, but had felt compelled to move to North Carolina. I admired the bravery it took to put behind a life that was comfortable and move to a location where you knew no one. (Again, a quality I was drawn to because it is so different than my qualities.) God created variety, and we are drawn to it, even though it's scary. 

Her moving back hit me harder than I expected. Keeping in touch via e-mail or Facebook  just didn't feel like enough, and I hate to talk on the phone. So, I suggested we write letters. Her first letter arrived in a burst of colors: she had cut out strips from 4 different colored papers and written on each one. One had an update, and others included Bible verses and even lyrics from a Pink Floyd song (again, variety).  It took me over a week to write her back, and when I did, I was taken aback by how difficult it felt. I didn't know what to say, and in a world when a meal is worthy of a status update, much of what I had to say felt trite and boring (mainly because it was). However, it felt like a gift to get a real letter in the mail, and seeing her handwriting felt like really seeing and hearing from HER, the real her. I wanted to continue.

I created a list (somewhat based on the idea of the Homeschool Mother's Journal) to guide me when writing letters. Maybe some of you will decide to bring back letter writing, one letter at a time.

Letter Writing Prompts

(choose a few to answer each letter)

What's been happening lately...

Some advice or a tip I've heard or would like to pass on...

I've learned...

Where I've been....

People I've seen....

My favorite thing lately....

I'm working on this...

A great recipe or meal I've had lately...

I am thankful for...

I want...

A quote or joke to share....

I'm currently reading...

Something I read lately....

This news story has been on my mind...

I'm enjoying watching _____ on TV because....

I'm concerned/anxious/nervous about....

I've been distracted lately by....

A pet peeve of mine...

A small thing that happened lately...

A big think that happened lately...

I wish....

I need to....

I want to....

I am frustrated about....

A Bible verse that spoke to me....

I'm doing well at....

I need to work on...

Something you don't know about me....

A question I'd like answered in general...

A question I'd like answered about you...

Tell me about...

A childhood memory....

My unfinished projects....

I have a block/ have been putting off....

My favorite Bible verse/ story/ lesson....

How I've seen God at work in my life in the past/ now.....

My favorite place(s)....

My family....

Have you seen?

Something I don't like to remember...

An embarrassing moment from the past/ recently.... 

In our homeschool this week… We had a productive first week! We started school on time each day (which for us is 10 AM so I can get things done in the morning before school). Our morning work went well; I love having the routine in A-B-C order (see previous post on morning work) to help me get it all in. It's also given us a predictable routine. The longest it's taken (and this is with them completing their literature reading for the day!) is 1.5 hrs. 

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share… Keep a bin with all the things you need for morning work (or together work) in a bin organized with hanging file folders. Wal-Mart has a bunch right now in different colors (pink for me!) for only $3. 

My favorite thing this week was… getting to teach more in the mornings rather than just read-alouds. Confession: I hate reading aloud non-fiction books. With our curriculum last year, there were so so many. None this year!

My kiddos favorite thing this week was… Though they won't admit it, I think they are glad to be back to a routine. They are loving the drawing/ writing part of our morning.

Things I’m working on… shutting my brain off. I am in plan mode and that's all I can think about.

I’m cooking… all my dinners were plan-approved Trim Healthy Mama meals! We had turkey wraps and tomato/cucumber salad, pasta with bacon and spinach, Greek yogurt chicken, and quiche! Tonight, I am making Cheeseburger Pie (recipe in the book).



I’m grateful for… the chance to teach my own children and use my organization skills.

 I’m praying for…our homeschool to be pleasing to God.

 I rewarded my kids this week by… not having them do every single subject every day; we will jump in next week! 

 Something I am ogling or have my eye on… more clipboards. I love organizing with them. I think I saw some at Dollar Tree last time I was there; going back and stocking up!

10th grade curriculum choices for 2013-14 school year

HISTORY/ BIBLE
He will be using Notgrass curriculum: (http://www.notgrass.com/notgrass/home.php).
 (sorry picture quality isn't good)
He will be participating in a once-a-week class where they will discuss the reading AND take and grade the quizzes that go along with the curriculum (in the quiz and exam pack). He will complete the Bible study questions posted each day for a full credit of Bible as well. 

LITERATURE/ WRITING
Luckily, the Notgrass curriculum also includes writing assignments and novels to coincide with the lessons! A goal of mine is to be diligent with grading the writing assignments each week and providing immediate feedback. I can address any issues I see in private lessons with him. He has a lot of novels to read!


Here's a link to all the titles: http://www.notgrass.com/notgrass/Exploring-World-History-Literature-Package.html

VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power (finish volume 1 and then move to volume 2)


MATH
Teaching Textbooks~ since we started Geometry half-way through last year, he will  have to finish that up before moving into Algebra 2. I have done a lot of research on this curriculum, and I know there is a lot of criticism of the high-school levels. I just can't switch from this because it solved our number one problem in homeschooling: math. I was still undecided about this when I went to a homeschool convention in May. Somehow, I ended up in conversation with a lady on a bench beside me, and she happened to mention how her now-in-college son had used TT all through homeschooling and was doing great in college. It was a random comment and I chose to see that as a sign. When my son reaches his senior year (if TT doesn't come out with another year), I will make sure he takes a class (either at a local college or through a homeschool high school program right near us) to better prepare him for college.


PE
Family Time Fitness High School Fitness Foundational Strength
http://www.familytimefitness.com/fitness4homeschool/Fitness4HomeSchoolHighSchool.php
They frequently offer $15 off or other sales. He will combine this with treadmill a few times a week. This has him keep a training record, etc. and teaches basic strength training.

SCIENCE
Apologia Exploring Creation with Chemistry


SPANISH
Rosetta Stone Spanish Homeschool Edition (continuing from last two years)


He will continue with learning computer programming, etc. on his own time. For now, I don't have other electives planned.  I hope some others share their high school curriculum; this is scary because it's so important! 

6th Grade Curriculum choices for 2013-14 school year

HISTORY:
Mystery of History Volume 2 and Story of the World Vol. 1 (a few chapters) and then Vol. 2

 

LITERATURE:
Books to correspond with history. Titles include The Door in the Wall, Pompeii, Augustine came to Kent, Castle, King Arthur, Beowulf, Arabian Nights, The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow, Greenland Mummies, Eric the Red, Queen Eleanor, Robin Hood, Trumpeter of Krakow, a few Canterbury Tales, and the biographies from What Really Happened During the Middle Ages. I purchased all new or used from Amazon, with the exception of the last book (see link below the picture below).
http://www.knowledgequestmaps.com/What-Really-Happened-During-the-Middle-Ages.html

WRITING
http://www.essentialsinwriting.com/
Essentials in Writing/ Grade 6. I am very excited about this curriculum. It is only $40, and includes a video teaching session for each lesson (similar to Math-U-See). It also came with a 200 page book of handouts (I printed it out, but I think it's only $20 to get a copy sent to you). Looking through the handouts, it is very similar to the way I taught my 6th graders to write back in the day when I taught in public school. 

SPELLING
Spelling Workout- he will need to finish level E. For 5th grade, we did several weeks of All About Spelling, and then moved to this book. After he finishes E, I will probably use some spelling curriculum I already have from when I taught. 



MATH
Teaching Textbooks. Math has always been the most challenging subject for us. It has caused more tears and doubts than any other thing about homeschooling. I had a break-down half-way through last year, let them quit their then-curriculum, and bought Teaching Textbooks. Things have been much, much better. Unfortunately, they are behind because both boys will have to finish last year's curriculum before moving on, but I think we stand a chance due to the shorter length of this curriculum. 


SCIENCE
Apologia Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology

Both boys love Apologia. We will also use the notebook they publish in conjunction with this. My son is not looking forward to this year, and is calling it the year of "Butts and guts, tongues and lungs." Spoken in true 11-year-old boy fashion. 

VOCABULARY
When Scholastic holds their $1 e-book sale, I purchase vocabulary curriculum! This year, he will complete both of these books: (website: http://shop.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreView?storeId=10751&catalogId=10051&langId=-1)


 

PE
He will be going through the Couch to 5K plan again in co-op this year. He will need to do a workout on the treadmill twice a week. 

SCRIPTURE/ BIBLE/ CURSIVE
In addition to our morning work, he will also be doing a personal Bible study called The Dig. He'll go through the book of Luke through two volumes of this study. Here is the website:
http://thedigforkids.com/

He will also do scripture copywork to continue improving his cursive. I am using the advanced cursive version of this book in the Handwriting without Tears format: (website: http://characterwritingworksheets.com/)


We also plan to add some typing and some electives as the year goes on. Here's praying for a great 6th grade year!!

And, just in case, I am issuing another invitation to join this photo-a-day challenge (this begins my 11th month, website =http://fatmumslim.com.au/ ):

Planning and Workboxes for the 2013/14 School Year

I did a lot of planning towards the end of last school year so that I wouldn't have to spend my summer doing it. The hardest part was choosing the novels for my rising 6th grader to read (since I decided not to use a pre-planned curriculum with him). I had to try to schedule each novel I selected at least in the general vicinity of when he was reading about the events. (I will go through his complete curriculum later, but his history spine is Mystery of History V. II, or MOH).  This made my brain hurt. I just kept a running chart on my computer, and as the novels came in that I'd selected (often using input from the suggestions in the back of MOH), I'd try to fill them in. Since I already had planned his daily readings from MOH, I knew which days he would be studying what. I then filled in the gaps with additional readings. Most are novels, but some are short biographies or non-fiction books, so there is some variety. Here is  a page from that completed chart (day #, book, page #s or chapter(s) to read):

Here is one page from the long chart where I planned out his history assignments. I planned for 150 days of lessons. We go to a co-op once a week for most of the year, so we have a lot of 4-day weeks as a result, so I don't plan a full 180 days. (Our state doesn't require that anyway, but I do like for them to do schooling/ co-op for at least 180 days, though we were well over this year. Shhh.... don't tell them). My 6th grader loved Story of the World last year, so I am using a few chapters from Volume 1 and then many from Volume 2 to supplement his MOH. This was a chore to figure out, but I did get help from this wonderful chart (I love the Internet!):  http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/sotw2moh2.htm

I also went through and planned out 150 days of his science, making sure (as in the other charts) to have one column that lists what I need to put in his box for him to complete each day's assignment. I have everything in binders and made a "Planning Box" so that all the resources I need to plan/ fill boxes are in one place (see photo on right below). 

Another new thing I did this year: had the spines cut off the big history books (like MOH) and had them 3-hole punched. I am removing each week's reading from my big binder (see them in my box), and placing it in a small 1/2 inch binder, so I don't have to fit huge books in their box. I think it's less intimidating for the boys as well. And, I will go ahead and admit the accountability will be good for me as well. If I don't go through their boxes and give them the new week's reading, they won't be able to do it. I need incentive to do my job sometimes.

Yet another new thing: I am using Scholaric (http://scholaric.com/ )! It is an inexpensive online program to plan weekly assignments for each subject AND keep track of grades. I was very nervous because I LOVE paper planners, but it is very intuitive and I had no problem entering in our first week's assignments. (I mainly just had to transfer info from my charts to the program.) Here is what one page of the Scholaric plan looks like printed out (the week continues on another page):

I am printing out a copy for my plan book, and then printing another copy and cutting it into strips to give to the boys in their boxes. Each strip has one subject on it (cut horizontally) with a week's assignments. I have always hand-written assignment cards (see previous post on planning), so this is new. I had to figure out how to give the boys the strips without them getting lost or damaged, which brings me to the description of the workboxes! I will start with my oldest, who will be entering 10th grade. I am using a folder/ clip board system with him. Here is the inside of one of his folders (one per subject):

On the right, I've stapled a section of a clear page protector to serve as a pocket for the assignment strip I talked about. Each week, I can just slide the old one out and slide the new one in. Any paper or handouts he needs will also be in that pocket. Once something is completed and ready for me to grade, he moves it to the left side. Below left is a better picture of the assignment strip and the pocket, and below right are the boxes he will have in his room with supplemental books only; all assignments and directions will be in the folders.


This is how his folder/ clip board system will look:

  He will have to bring it downstairs each day so I can do a quick check to make sure the work is completed. 

He has a clipboard for subjects that entail writing because I've noticed that even though he has a desk in his room, he often works sitting up in his bed. I've used lap desks before, but think the clip boards might be better. We will see! So, he has a folder for each subject, and some subjects also come with a clipboard. 

Now for the 6th grader. We are still using the IKEA Trofast system, as we did last year. I replaced velcro labels (which always fell off ) with labels printed on a label maker. (Hard to see, but they are at the bottom right side of each box).

Here is the inside of one of his boxes. I used command strips to adhere a clear clip (they used to carry them at IKEA) to hold the strip on the right-side of each box. He can probably read it without even taking it out, but if he does take it out, I will need to reinforce that he needs to be it back! Let's hope he complies. 

I am glad I didn't wait until this weekend to get ready. Hope you enjoyed this peek into my planning system and our workboxes. 

Plans for next year.... our morning work!!

We are getting ready to begin our new school year the first full week in August, which means only one more full week off : (. I have finalized curriculum choices and how we will apply workboxes, but I will post that later. I wanted to share the alphabetical order (A-I) that I will use to help us remember the parts of our morning work, which we do together, as well as some of the resources we will be using. (My oldest will be in 10th, and my younger in 6th. I can't believe I am teaching 6th grade again; I taught 6th for 4 years in public schools before having my first son)!

So here it is, A-I of our morning homeschool group time:

A= attendance. I keep forgetting to take attendance, and then have to go back and figure out which days we held school to finalize my records. I am marking my state-required chart as we go this year! (She types hopefully).

B= Bible. We are going to start the Bible Road Trip free online curriculum (http://bibleroadtrip.org/). We will begin with Year One, Week One, the dialectic level. This is a 3-year curriculum, complete with free printables. It is short and sweet. We will also memorize a Bible verse each week. I am using this form to plan and keep track of what we will memorize: http://www.mamaslearningcorner.com/memorize-scripture-record/
I also will use the Charlotte Mason Scripture Memory system:  http://simplycharlottemason.com/timesavers/memorysys/
 I've already printed out all the information from this site and set up our index card system. Additionally, I got this book for free for my Kindle (it is currently $3):

http://www.amazon.com/Bible-Verses-Everyone-Should-ebook/dp/B004HIM2X4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374798884&sr=1-1&keywords=100+bible+verses+everyone+should+know+by+heart
This has been a terrific read and I can't recommend it enough. It has suggested verses (100 of course) at the end, which I will use when we run out of ones I've already picked as being relevant to us. 

C= Current Events- maybe CNN Student News or Channel One News. I haven't used CNN, and it's been awhile since we've done Channel One, but I think we need to do more current events. We also may just look at some online headlines and discuss them. Links to the news programs mentioned:  http://www.cnn.com/studentnews/
http://www.channelone.com/

D= Drawing. We will do a quick draw each morning. I got this Kindle book when it was free:
http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Collection-Pages-Collections-ebook/dp/B00C7RPT2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374799218&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+draw+1-12

We will do one drawing from this (me on the white board and the boys in a blank book), or draw something related to what we are studying (a free-style, on your own drawing). I also got this book that correlates with our history curriculum, which we will do as the topics come up in their studies: http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Write-Through-History-Renaissance/dp/097785972X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374799296&sr=1-1&keywords=draw+and+write+through+history


E= Encouragement. We will sometimes just discuss how things are going in our homeschool, or read the day's devotional from Jesus Calling.

F= Five-minute writing. (Can you tell I'm trying to get more right-brained activities into our school day?) I will pick a random topic from this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Things-Journal-Francisco-Writers-Grotto/dp/1452105448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374799599&sr=8-1&keywords=642+things+to+write+about
We will each write about the topic and then share. 

G=Geography and Grammar. I really enjoyed teaching geography when I taught in public schools, and I think my boys need more of it. I will use resources I used in the classroom, as well as follow this curriculum:
http://www.home-school-curriculum.com/product/trail-guide-to-world-geography

I also downloaded the notebooking resources that go along with it, and purchased the purple classroom atlas. We are doing the middle level (it includes 3 levels). 

For grammar, I am using Easy Grammar for both boys (each at their own level). I will have the boys complete it on their own, and then check it and give feedback immediately. 

H= History Novels. I like when we are all together, reading. The boys will read from the novel they are currently assigned (I use novels that correspond to their history), and I will read whatever I want!! Yippee! Maybe I'll actually read some of those Kindle books!! 

I= Independent Work. This is when the boys finish our group time and begin their boxes. Morning work should only take 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. Since we start at 10 AM, they should be able to finish a few boxes before taking their lunch break at noon. 

I dream, and plan, big. I hope I can maintain this schedule, which came about after some soul-searching about what was really important to me in our homeschool.