Showing posts sorted by relevance for query history. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query history. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday 20 January 2014

Social Studies & Science Resource Lists {Virtual Curriculum Fair}

Welcome to week three of the 2014 Virtual Curriculum Fair.  Today I'm sharing on Social Studies {History & Geography} and Science, both what we do and some of the curriculum that is available in the homeschool market to help you in these areas in your homeschool.

My personal passion is teaching/learning history chronologically. My reasons for this are: dates help us to anchor our learning and every single subject you learn happened somewhere in history.  The stories of history are my personal favourite and I have shared more thoughts on this  here: Teaching History Revisited

Over the years I have found that geography is one area that is mournfully neglected in the home school community.   There are a few ways of teaching this interesting subject after all everything that has ever happened in history happened somewhere in our amazing world!

I have also come to appreciate the value of hands on science learning and as a result I am purposing to do more experiential learning with Sir N. I have shared more thoughts on this in these two posts: Science in the Junior Years and Science in High School.

Our Year Ahead
In our homeschool we are following an eclectic approach this year incorporating a Charlotte Mason approach along with Delight Directed education and Sonlight

History / Geography

Science

Resources
There are many many resources available to homeschool families in these areas.  If I started to add the lists here we will be reading for many years.  In order to make it easier I have compiled lists covering history, geography and Science.  Click on a subject graphic to access more information. 
You can find full internet linked lists covering Pinterest, Curriculum Choices, on the www, and freebies for the following subjects (click on the graphic to see the post)



Blessings

Chareen



Take some time this week to visit some of the other 2014 Virtual Curriculum Fair participants.

Some of these links will not be live until tomorrow due to time zone differences as these bloggers are from across the globe.

What are you using for Math and Logic this school year? Susan has invited you all to share what you are using and add your link to the linky

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Wednesday 2 July 2014

Veritas Press - Self Paced Hisory {Review}

I have had a love affair with history since high school.  As much as I enjoyed history in high school I really did not grasp the full scope of history as we learned it in a disjointed manner.  One of the things I have really loved about our home education journey has been discovering the joy of learning history chronologically.  Oh my did history come alive once we started learning history as it happened.  Recently Veritas Press blessed Sir N and I with a year long access to the Self-Paced History: Old Testament and Ancient Egypt. Every day he begs me to do Veritas history. It's become our all time favourite resource. Today he begged me to do a lesson before bed time!

Grab a cuppa and let us take you on a tour of this excellent resource for your homeschool.

What we received


How we used it
Once we were signed up Veritas sent us a detailed welcome letter along with an excellent set up tutorial with step by step instructions. I have a teachers log in and Sir N has his own log in.


Teacher log in features
  •  As the teacher I can log in and see a summary of what my students have been doing. The log in page shows the student, his course and over all grade for the year. Once I select a student it takes me to the above page.
  • The top has a bar shows the overall progress my student has made on the course.  The green indicates the correct answers and the yellow indicates questions he has missed. 
  • A completed lesson is indicated in blue highlight along with a tick. I can click on any completed lesson and view the complete lesson without it altering his progress.
  • Upcoming lessons remain locked until the student completes the current class.
  • The center column is a record of his assignments.  There are two types of assignments: worksheets and tests. 
    Once a concept has been taught in a lesson (s) there is a Worksheet which is a test of the subject matter.  Once the test has been submitted you can not go back and retake in order to change your grade.  The worksheet marks however do not alter your overall grade for the year.
    Every fifth lesson is a test.  This test is also a once off.  Once it is submitted your grade is recorded and contributes to the over all grade for the year as indicated by the progress bar at the top of the page.
  • The third column contains four documents. (Supply list, Card samples, Level 1 and Level 2 recommended reading)
Student page
This page is almost identical to the parent page.  Once logged in the student can choose to resume their lesson or click into their course and choose wether to repeat a lesson, resume a partially completed lesson or start on their next lesson.  They can see when the next worksheet will be coming up as indicated in the center colum.  They can see their over all progress and current grade in the top bar.

Each days lesson launches in it's own window.  This week we are on lesson 32.  Lessons are presented in a slide format.
This window contains a number of features
  • Top left - name of the course OTAE (Old Testament Ancient Egypt) and the lesson number.
  • Top right - table of contents and any available downloads for that lesson are in the attachments.
  • Bottom left - Slide number indicator.  Here you can see the total number of slides in the lesson and the progression numbers.
  • Center bottom - here you can see the slide loading and the progress player.
  • Bottom right - standard rewind, play or jump to next buttons.
There is a full tutorial on how to drive the program when the students first log in and they can not access their class work until that is completed.  The tutor fully explains each aspect of how the program is presented and what is required of the students in order to progress.  It is completely interactive and a lot of fun.

Lessons contain

  • So far we have had three main teachers.  Hadassah, the Great Sphinx and Simeon.  
  • Every day the students practice the memory song which helps them to remember the chronological order of things.
  • Teaching is done interactively.  Sometimes the next slide auto loads and sometimes the student needs to do an activity to show that they have grasped the concept in order to unlock the next slide.  At other times they might need to click next in order to access the following slide.
  • There are games each day with revision questions for the days lesson.
  • Some of the games cover all the main time line information covered.
  • No two games are the same.  The graphics are excellent.
  • Some of the games are time sensitive and I had to help with reading the answers available and helping Sir N click on the ones he wanted in order to beat the clock.  A couple of times I had to retake the game a couple of times as I did not succeed.
  • The purpose of every game is revision of what has been taught in order to bring about mastery.
Sometimes the answers in the multiple choice questions are really funny.  At other times they keep you on your toes and you need to carefully read them as they are so similarly worded you might get them wrong if you don't take your time.


Even today's colour and print slide had questions pop up in order to continue and colour in the next portion of the graphic.


  • Once a topic is completed a medallion is placed on a map indicating completion of the topic. 
  • There is a fully interactive time line containing the graphics identical to the memory cards on it.
  • A time line card is added to the time line upon completion of that specific cards lesson.  
Testing




  • Every fifth lesson is a test.  If you choose to do one lesson a day the test would be taken every Friday. 
  • As a parent I was required to agree to supervising this as a closed book test.  No notes or time line cards are to be used in order to take this test. 
  • All tests are done via multiple choice.
  • Upon submission the test is immediately marked and the score is given.
  • You are then given the option of looking over the test and printing it.
  • Once you close a test it can not be retrieved in order to look over and is not available for the parent to look over in the teachers section. This is the only thing I would love to see changed in the program.  It would be really good to be able to go in on the parent log in and look over a test to see how my student  responded to each question and helpful to me as I would know what they needed to review for future lessons and tests.
  • If a student answers a question incorrectly it is highlighted in red.
  • The middle column shows the correct answers for each question and the right hand column shows you the student submitted answers. 
Exploring history with the flash cards.

Flashcards
  • There are a total of 32 flashcards in the pack
  • They are printed in colour on card stock and plastic coated.
  • Each card measures 12.5 cm x 20 cm (5" x 8") 
  • They are in chronological order. Each card has a number on the reverse so you know where in the deck the card goes as well as where in time order the event took place.
  • Each card is marked with a line at the top in order for you to know which one is biblical history (purple) and which one is general history.  Each series is represented by a different colour.
  • Each card is illustrated with a famous painting a picture relating to the specific time period in history. There is a reference note below each picture.
  • On the front you will find the title of the event. When applicable a scriptural reference is also added. 
  • On the reverse of the card you will find the name and reference refered to on the card and a summary of the event 
  • The bottom square contains a list of resources to expand your students learning opportunity of the event. (Bible, Greenleaf Guide, Children's Illustrated bible, Child's story bible, Journey Through the bible, Streams of Civilization, Time Traveler and Kingfisher History Encyclopedia to name a few) 
  • They are excellent for review.
  • A good hands on time line tool.

Cost**
  • Old Testament and Ancient Egypt Self Paced History $199.00 for the first student. This fee gives you one year of access to the program.
  • Veritas Press is currently offering a sibling discount of $100.00
  • Old Testament & Ancient Egypt Flashcards $19.95
  • MP3 Old Testament & Ancient Egypt Memory Song $6.95 (view a sample)
** Prices are current at time of review and can change at any given time at discretion of the company.  Please double check the price before placing your purchase.
There are a total of 5 streams in the Self Paced History classes
  1. Old Testament and Ancient Egypt
  2. New Testament, Greece and Rome
  3. Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation
  4. Explorers to1815
  5. 1815-Present 
 Hardware and Software Requirements
  • Web browser (Mozilla, IE 10 Chrome or Safari)
  • It runs on Windows Vista, XP, 7 or 8
  • For a Mac you need the following OS 10.6 or 10.7.4 or  10.8
  • Adobe Flash 10.3 or higher
  • Good internet connection. 
Recommended Age Range
  • Veritas recommend a minimum age of seven on the first day of class. The course has been designed with 2nd - 6th graders in mind.
Find out more

Connect with Veritas Press 

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What we thought
I don't know who is enjoying history more this year Sir N or myself!  We are both learning so much together. Although this is my third time through history chronologically I have learned so much more with Veritas that I am looking forward to doing the next four years of Self Paced history classes with them.
Every now and then Sir N will say "Oh I didn't know that !"  

This program has superseded my every expectation and has been the highlight of our homeschool year!


Blessings
Chareen

Restoring Our Culture for Christ ... 
One young heart and mind at a time! 

Click to read Crew Reviews
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Wednesday 26 August 2015

Math, Science, Biology and History in the High School Years

Welcome to the third edition of this years Homeschool High School Blog Hop. This months topic covers a wide variety of subjects.

We will be looking at Math, Science, Biology and History. I have shared in depth on these topics here over the years so I will be sharing a short introduction to each subject area and linking to my other posts where you will be able to read more about my in depth thoughts on the particular topic at hand.

I will also share some links to FREE curriculum you can access from around the web and links to my posts introducing curriculum from around the web to get you started on your research.

One of the things I realise now in retrospect is that you do not need to change the way you teach when you reach the high school years.  I was under the impression that I needed to change a whole heap of things because my students were now home schoolers and this in turn caused my children stress as well as myself.  Enjoy the journey and allow your students to set the pace for the change.  As they grow and change so will your methods and requirements slowly change along with your relationship.  It is far easier on you and your student to allow this change to naturally occur.

Things to consider before the high school years
  • Research your options while they are in the primary school years so that you have a clear pathway before you.  The high school years arrive far quicker than you realise.  Use the first four to five years of homeschool to research your options and plan ahead.  Without a plan you will end up floundering.
  • Be clear on your expectations. This is imperative for both you and your student. It's important to know what you want completed in order to graduate from high school at home.
  • Have an understanding of the level of maths required to tackle different areas in the high school sciences.
  • Research and save for more expensive items such as a microscope.  Do you have to have a microscope ?  No but it is a great hands on learning tool that makes the sciences come alive in your home.
  • Find out where to purchase the items you need to do the practical labs.
  • Consider the scope and sequence before changing curriculum or you might end up repeating what you have already done.
  • Get to know your student and what their long term study goals are and work towards those. Make it a priority to achieve what they need to accomplish their tertiary goals in the science arena. 
  • Research your State/Country requirement for graduating High School.
 


Math in High School

One of the things I insisted on my children completing was math up to the level of Algebra 1 and Geometry. Needless to say this was one of their biggest complaints!  Why do we have to do that Mom? was a question often heard in our home during the high school years. Math is a subject that is imperative in helping our students develop higher order thinking. 

Math seems to be one of those topics within the homeschool environment that often comes up in conversation. As homeschooling parents we need to be-careful that we do not transmit our personal negative experience of math at school onto our children.  During our high school years I came to realize this with my first two children that as long as we moved at their pace they were able to easily learn what I found to be difficult at school.

In our home I chose to use  Teaching Textbooks during the high school years. It's like having a personal tutor on call 24/7! We would work through the lesson in the book. Answer the questions. Pop in the disk and watch the tutor teach the specific sums we got wrong. I like the fact that they don't assume you know the steps. The tutor breaks down the sum into step by step and explains each step as they go through the complete sum.  

 Before we transitioned to TT we used to call on a friend who was a high school math teacher to help us with any sums we became stuck with.

Here on the blog I've shared

For me one of the defining moments of understanding teaching math came after I read the article History and Research on the Teaching of Math I highly recommend you read this article before you make a decision on your math curriculum.

Scope and Sequence
When looking at changing math programs remember to take  scope and sequence into account.

  • Scope refers to the content.  In other words these are the topics covered (A to Z)
  • Sequence is the order in which the scope is taught (IE the order in which things are covered within the program)
It is important to know this about your math product or you might end up redoing math your child is already familiar with or you might end up skipping a whole lot of important content that your child needs in order to succeed at math.


Resources
Please go to my Math Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.

Pinterest


Science & Biology in High School

"Can I teach high school science?  NO. As your student gets older, your role changes from teacher to fellow learner." Dr. Jay L. Wile
Define: Science

  • The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge especially knowledge based on reproducible data.
  • Science is the systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. 
From this definition we can see that science is not solely about science labs and microscopes, formulas and chemicals it's all about the world around us. The sciences need not fill you with fear the high school years can be a wonderful time of learning alongside your students and discovering amazing things together.

  Here on the blog I've shared
Resources
Please go to my Science Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.



History in High School

The story of life is one of my passions.  I loved history in high school and I've grown to love it even more especially after studying it for two years chronologically with Timothy and Jane in junior high.  In fact I loved the experience so much I am doing it for a second time with Nathaniel now and am planning a third trip through with more of a Charlotte Mason focus when he is in High School.

his·to·ry noun \ˈhis-t(É™-)rÄ“\

  1. tale, story 
  2. a : a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes
    b : a treatise presenting systematically related natural phenomena
    c : an account of a patient's medical background
    d : an established record  
  3. a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events
Studying history in the high school years is an adventure in itself.  Students ask interesting questions and it's a time for deeper understanding.  It's a marvelous time for digging deeper and comparing notes and seeing the cause and effect more clearly of the different things that are happening concurrently in the world.

There is no need to change the method you use to teach history.  Keep using whatever is working well for you.  Once again watch for the scope and sequence if you want to change curriculum.  The source texts become a little more complex but generally speaking history is an adventure in discovery!


Here on the blog I've shared
Resources
Please go to my History Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.

Home School High School Hosts Share this Month:

Home School High School Topics

Over the next seven months we will be sharing some insights into the following aspects of home educating through the high school years
  • Planning for High School {How and When,ways to/how we're planning to earn college credit while still in high school, Meeting High School Requirements, how to assign credit when there aren't tests, What records do you keep? How do you present them? What influences your method, your emphasis in certain areas?}
  • Electives in the High School Years {Following Passions, following interests, fitting a job in with school, and Being intentional in Preparing for what comes after high school, Life skills.}
  • Math, Science, Biology, History {What do you use ? Why do you use ... ? What influences your choices/selection? }
  • 30 September - Language Arts {Poetry, Literature, Composition, writing, What influenced your choices/selection?}
  • 28 October - "How am I going to teach High School ...?" {Addressing the fear factor of teaching subjects we struggle with or know nothing about, How to achieve credit in subjects your student *hates*}
  • 25 November - How do you fit it all in ? {homeschooling high school alongside homeschooling the others, Fostering Independence, Do you generalise or specialise? Schedules,}
  • 30 December - Graduation { Fostering Independence, How do you know when they are done ?}
Until next month.  Happy blog hopping
Blessings
Chareen

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Tuesday 15 March 2016

Week 3 Social Studies a Science of Relations {2016 Virtual Curriculum Fair}


Welcome to week three of the 2016 Virtual Curriculum Fair.  This year I am co-hosting with  Kristen over at Sunrise to Sunset and Laura over at Day by Day in our World. I'm on a mission this year to read the original works of Charlotte Mason and to implement her philosophies in our homeschool.  One of the things she often talks about is that education is a science of relations.  This idea really resonates with me because nothing in life truly stands in isolation.  EVERYTHING is interwoven and affected by everything else. Over the years I've grown to understand and see the benefit of immersion in education and the deep impact it has on the student.

In week one we looked at language arts and in week two we covered math, science and logic.  This week we will take a look at things like history and geography.

My personal passion is teaching/learning history chronologically. My reasons for this are: dates help us to anchor our learning and every single subject happened somewhere in history.

The stories of history are my personal favourite and I have shared more thoughts on this  here: Teaching History Revisited

Over the years I have found that geography is one area that is mournfully neglected in the home school community.   There are a few ways of teaching this interesting subject after all everything that has ever happened in history happened somewhere in our amazing world!

On This Blog

You can find full internet linked lists covering Pinterest, Curriculum Choices, on the www, and freebies for the following subjects (click on the graphic to see the post)



From the last Curriculum Fair
What others have to say on Exploring Our World

Yvie @ Gypsy Road - Bringing It to Life! History, Geography, & Science 
 Jen Altman @ Chestnut Grove Academy - Virtual Curriculum Fair 2016: Exploring Our World, How We Do Social Studies and Life/Earth Science 
 Laura @ Day by Day in Our World - Learning About the World Around Us 
 Lisa @ GoldenGrasses - Exploring & Discovering Around the World 
 Annette @ A Net In Time - Science and Culture Around the World and at Home
 Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break -  Exploring History and Geography 
 Laura @ Four Little Penguins  - Going Around the World at Our Kitchen Table
 Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory - Our Tackling of the Social Studies and Science
 Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset - Encouraging Curiosity about the World

It's YOUR Turn
What are your thoughts on Exploring Our World.  If you have a blog post on any of the subjects at hand add them below and if not then please leave me a comment and lets chat.

Blessings
Chareen




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Saturday 21 June 2014

Diana and Friends Experience History Through Music Giveaway $700+ Value!

As some of you know I'm a huge fan of Diana Waring's curriculum and resources. I have had the wonderful privileged of attending three of her seminars over the years and have read two of her home school Mom's books (What We Wish We had Known and Beyond Survival) In fact both these books live on my office table and they are a part of my top 4 recommended books for new and veteran homeschool Mothers.

When I heard that Diana was releasing an Experience History Though Music set of books I couldn't wait to see them. I have had the amazing privilege of joining a group of home school mothers who have been using these three excellent book and CD sets and will be reviewing them at the end of the month.

They could not have come at a better time. Sir N and I have just finished listening to the audio book Little House in the Big Woods and have been listening to Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Diana Waring


To celebrate the release of Experience History Through Music, I am joining members of the Diana Waring Launch Team for an amazing giveaway. Friends of Diana have joined in and as you can see, someone's homeschool is going to be greatly blessed!

Here's what you could win!

From Diana Waring Presents

american history -- never this fun
Experience History Through Music – set of 3 books with CDs ($50/set) Diana Waring Presents is about to bring back into print the BEST folk music you have ever heard, combined with the fascinating stories they represent in American history!   The Experience Music Through Historyseries includes: America - Heart of a New Nation, Westward Ho! - Heart of the Old West  and Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The musicians are amazing, every instrument is real, lots of great vocalists, and more toe-tapping music than you can imagine! The books tell the stories behind the songs.  Together, they bring American history to life through it’s music!!With fascinating history books and toe-tapping folk music CDs, American history has NEVER been this fun!

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Encouragement for Homeschool Moms Collection ($25) Every mom needs that word of encouragement from someone who has been there, who has grownup children and can speak with assurance about the journey. Homeschool moms have an extra portion of the journey to navigate, and often wish for an extra voice that will offer direction but without nagging or prodding. Diana Waring has that voice.

From A Journey Through Learning

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$50 Gift Certificate $50 to spend in the A Journey Through Learning store, applicable toward any digital download purchase.

From Homeschool Legacy

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Westward Ho! Part I ($19.95) Load up your wagon! Discover the extraordinary times of adventurous frontiersmen and brave pioneers as you travel cross-country along the Erie Canal,  Oregon Trail, and even “remember the Alamo” in Westward Ho Part I.

Westward Ho! Part II ($19.95) Continue the exciting saga begun in Westward Ho! Part I as you journey with the forty-niners, ride the rails of the Transcontinental Railroad, experience life on the prairie, and discover the exciting era of cowboys and cattle drives in Westward Ho! Part II.

From Knowledge Quest Maps

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Map Trek: Atlas and Outline Maps of World History ($55) Map Trek is a historical atlas plus outline maps that allow you to teach geography alongside history. This is a resource that any homeschool parent can use with brilliant success, even if you don’t remember a thing from your history or geography classes in public school.

From Home School Adventure Co. 

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Philosophy Adventure™ Digital Download ($39.95) Philosophy Adventure™ is designed to help students 6th-12th grade cultivate and defend a biblical worldview by teaching them how to write skillfully, think critically, and speak articulately as they explore the history of ideas.

From Heidi St. John (The Busy Mom and Real Life Press)

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Firmly Planted Family Devotional Digital Volume 3 ($39) The Firmly Planted Family Series is divided into ten-week studies and is your key to making sense of the Bible—even if you’re learning right along with your children. Each lesson provides a core idea, a simple narrative, memory verses and discussion questions for children of all ages. And the companion student workbook is filled with age-appropriate, full-color, reproducible activities for children of any age!

From Raising Real Men

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Free Registration to Boyhood Boot Camp or Boot Camp 9-12 LIVE webinar series (winner’s choice) plus Mom & Dad Special Raising Real Men (Book for Mom to read in the bathroom + AudioBook for Dad to listen to on the commute) ($62-69)

My-Beloved-and-My-Friend-Cover-Border-201x300
  Free Registration for Marriage Retreat Online plus His & Hers Special of My Beloved and My Friend: How To Be Married To Your Best Friend Without Changing Spouses (book + audiobook), ($65)

From Institute for Excellence in Writing

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$50 Gift Certificate $50 to spend in the IEW store, applicable toward any purchase.

From The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

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  SchoolhouseTeachers.com ($139) A one year membership to the curriculum arm of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Nearly 100 classes for Pre-K to High School, taught by expert teachers, and lots of extras including the Schoolhouse Planners, Schoolhouse Expos, monthly free ebook downloads and more.

Big-Book-14-Cover-113013-e1392516063206
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine 2014 Print Book ($15) Be encouraged, enlightened, and educated with the all new 2014 Annual Print Book published by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.You’ll get a year’s worth of homeschool support in almost 300 pages in this full color one-of-a-kind print magazine for homeschoolers, by homeschoolers. This is a magazine you’ll refer to again and again.

From Writing with Sharon Watson

the-power-in-your-hands-front-cover 69276_1454187188126914_157492202_n

The Power in Your Hands ($53.96) With The Power in Your Hands: Writing Nonfiction in High School, they’ll learn what they need to know for high school and will be prepared for college writing.

Writing Fiction [in High School] ($35) Are you raising the next C. S. Lewis or Jane Austen? Help your students develop their fiction-writing talents with Writing Fiction [In High School]: Bringing Your Stories to Life .


---oOo--- 

To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter below. Residents of the U.S., age 18 and older only. Other Terms and Conditions can be found in the Rafflecopter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
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