I broke down and bought the 2nd edition of Latin Centered Curriculum (LCC). I am glad I did. I appreciate the simple (yet deep) outline that he includes in the last section of the book. It makes homeschooling seem do-able. As you read through his curriculum you need to remember that he expects good music to be listened to in the home, art to be appreciated and books to be read aloud as a part of life (not curricula). Parents should model and include their children in these aspects of their life. If you are like me and have neglected these things (except for reading) for quite a while I might suggest using Amblesides' rotation of art and music to help make sure you cover the basics.
I am still a little torn between Charlotte Masons' laying a banquet with many varied readings and the LCC idea of "multum non multa"- a few deep readings. So I am trying to strike a balance - as usual.
After thinking about all the different types of reading to be accomplished I decided that maybe I should create categories. Simply Convivial's idea about having a listening hour (and my son's addiction to legos and listening to stories) has been part of my inspiration. I also want to figure out how I should "rate" books as I come across them. Are they a "must have" because they will be used as a core book later or a "nice to have" because one kid might read it at some point. Remembering that my oldest just turned 6 - so this is all theory - I think we will try this arrangement for history and literature (and maybe some science).
Study books - these are the key books that will be core texts - we will spend a lot of time with them. Most of the suggestions for these will be taken from LCC and Memoria Press
Read Aloud Books - these are the kinds that Andrew Campbell just expects to happen - but will require more planning than that on my part. So, this is where we will probably bring in Ambleside's literature suggestions, books of honor from Ordo-Amoris (or here) and others that I want to really discuss with the boys.
Audio Books - There are some books that I think are just better if someone else reads them aloud (Shakespeare, Pilgrim's Progress, etc.) Other books are also worth listening to but I don't think they need to be a focal point of our study. Right now, Our Island Story and Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World or M.B. Synge's world history will probably fit in here. Fortunately, librivox can help cover a lot of these needs. As I consider it, there will be some "required" listening (aka Simply Convivial style) and some "free" listening selections. Some stories that we have read aloud once might be made available for free time listening as well.
Free Reading - Obviously, it will not be totally free since I will be suggesting books worth reading. I know that popular opinion says that you should just be glad kids are reading. However, I wasted many a summer reading Babysitter's club books and their ilk. Now I wish I had read something with a little more substance.
So, I think that cover most of the reading that goes on in our house. I think that this might give us a good balance and give me some guidance in what is worth purchasing and when we might need it. I have not gotten to the point of actually going year by year to outline what might fall into these different categories. That is still floating around in my head. However, I now have a better idea of how we might tackle all that I'd like to read. I am a little concerned that we will have to force the free reading around here because the oldest can read but prefers not to do so. He is 6 so I am trying to be patient.
Anyway, if you have any additional thoughts I am open to them!
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Something to write about
I was a little shocked to realize that I haven't posted since August. Time flies! I spent a good portion of these past few months focusing on getting school going and working on our eating habits. We are tending towards paleo now (but we haven't given up dairy - yet) and have been trying to figure out how to further reduce our bread based carbohydrates (not the technical term). I think it has been going well - but veggies take a while to prepare. Fortunately, one of my kids LOVES his veggies so that makes it easy. The other one has decided it is better to eat what I serve than starve (although I think he counts down to when he can visit grandma's house).
Last weekend I was privileged to attend CIRCE's conference in Austin. It was GREAT! So many things to think about. I am so glad that I am early on in the homeschooling game and getting such great input. Actually, what stunned me as I walked away was how much Mr. Kern's description of Mimetic teaching helped me to better understand how Montessori works (or could easily be adapted to work). Montessori is all about naming the environment - very specifically. You don't just learn "triangle" you learn "obtuse isoceles triangle". This naming is crucial in helping kids understand their world - and they can deal with big names. She also constantly uses what Kern would call "types of the logos". Her whole program is basically helping kids build from one truth to the next in incremental steps. However, she doesn't clearly point to the Logos in her teaching (which is one reason I struggle with her appraoch). Understanding that she is basically using types to teach math and grammar has given me new inspiration for using them in our coop class (which uses Montessori materials).
This conference also helped me name my difficulties with Montessori (we discussed the power of naming a lot at the conference). Mr. Kern talked about the three types of learning - facts, skills and ideas. Montessori stays in the level of facts and skills which is what makes it so universal. However, I believe that education is about equipping kids to deal with ideas, relationships and ultimately cultivating virtue. Although you can (and will) bring these into Montessori - she seems to intentionally try to exclude them from the learning process. Montessori was against telling young children fairy tales and fantasy stories - which is the exact opposite of what Classical educators advocate. They believe that these stories help cultivate a child's moral imagination (the author of this article was actually doing a conference in Dallas the same weekend). As we discussed last weekend, she is preparing students to think analytically - but we are created first and ultimately to think analogically (through analogy/ story). Montessori does bring story into the early elementary classroom - but the teacher can weave her own story - it is not necessarily tied to a specific faith tradition. And honestly, most kids attend Montessori for preschool and then head off to a "normal" school so they miss the story.
So those are some of my initial thoughts. I have started studying Latin - using the Memoria Press study guide for Henle (I am on lesson 2). I still look at Visual Latin about once a week - maybe I will get it eventually. I have also found this Latin tutorial site to be very helpful so that I can hear what it should sound like.
Additionally, I am tackling English grammar. I realize that learning Latin will improve my English grammar - but I need a direct infusion. I am using Jensen's Grammar. I learned something new in lesson 2 - this is how sad my grammar education is. So maybe I will figure out how to apply some of this new knowledge.
Finally, I am intending to blog through Mind of the Maker with Cindy Rollins at Ordo Amoris. I picked the book up for a buck at a local thrift store - SCORE.
Last weekend I was privileged to attend CIRCE's conference in Austin. It was GREAT! So many things to think about. I am so glad that I am early on in the homeschooling game and getting such great input. Actually, what stunned me as I walked away was how much Mr. Kern's description of Mimetic teaching helped me to better understand how Montessori works (or could easily be adapted to work). Montessori is all about naming the environment - very specifically. You don't just learn "triangle" you learn "obtuse isoceles triangle". This naming is crucial in helping kids understand their world - and they can deal with big names. She also constantly uses what Kern would call "types of the logos". Her whole program is basically helping kids build from one truth to the next in incremental steps. However, she doesn't clearly point to the Logos in her teaching (which is one reason I struggle with her appraoch). Understanding that she is basically using types to teach math and grammar has given me new inspiration for using them in our coop class (which uses Montessori materials).
This conference also helped me name my difficulties with Montessori (we discussed the power of naming a lot at the conference). Mr. Kern talked about the three types of learning - facts, skills and ideas. Montessori stays in the level of facts and skills which is what makes it so universal. However, I believe that education is about equipping kids to deal with ideas, relationships and ultimately cultivating virtue. Although you can (and will) bring these into Montessori - she seems to intentionally try to exclude them from the learning process. Montessori was against telling young children fairy tales and fantasy stories - which is the exact opposite of what Classical educators advocate. They believe that these stories help cultivate a child's moral imagination (the author of this article was actually doing a conference in Dallas the same weekend). As we discussed last weekend, she is preparing students to think analytically - but we are created first and ultimately to think analogically (through analogy/ story). Montessori does bring story into the early elementary classroom - but the teacher can weave her own story - it is not necessarily tied to a specific faith tradition. And honestly, most kids attend Montessori for preschool and then head off to a "normal" school so they miss the story.
So those are some of my initial thoughts. I have started studying Latin - using the Memoria Press study guide for Henle (I am on lesson 2). I still look at Visual Latin about once a week - maybe I will get it eventually. I have also found this Latin tutorial site to be very helpful so that I can hear what it should sound like.
Additionally, I am tackling English grammar. I realize that learning Latin will improve my English grammar - but I need a direct infusion. I am using Jensen's Grammar. I learned something new in lesson 2 - this is how sad my grammar education is. So maybe I will figure out how to apply some of this new knowledge.
Finally, I am intending to blog through Mind of the Maker with Cindy Rollins at Ordo Amoris. I picked the book up for a buck at a local thrift store - SCORE.
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