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I've been hearing and reading a lot about homeschoolers who ask "Am I doing enough?" and "What about Art?" etc. Here are my thoughts (for what they are worth) on how I Keep Subjects Simple. First the 3 R's or should I say 4? This is what I find funny about the 3 R's (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic). You never hear homeschoolers freaking about Art, Music or Drama or even Phys Ed - their biggest concerns are always "My son isn't reading yet or all he ever reads is ______" or "My kid is having such a hard time with the multiplication tables" or "I can't get my kids to write anything!". You've heard them all huh? Every year everyone always tries to do what I call the basics (reading, writing and math) but here's the "thing" usually there is never a "break through" in all 3 in any one year. Usually how it happens is there is usually a break through in one of these subjects sometimes it's not even the one that you are intently focusing on. Just know that if your kid isn't "getting" math this year that it will come - maybe not this year - or even the next - but one year they will "get it" just keep trying and learning how they learn and eventually they will get it which ever subject it is. So how to keep reading simple - well usually you are in one of the following "phases"; a) you read aloud - all the time because you have non-readers b) you are teaching them how to read - involves the alphabet and phonics teaching c) they are just learning how to read so they read aloud to you and you guide and direct and if you note a "problem" you make a concerted effort in that area d) they are reading - reading has become a habit and they have no problem reading for other subject areas, this is when Reading no longer needs to be it's own subject, rather reading is done "cross curriculuar" and for pleasure of course! By the way the above does not have to happen at certain ages - some kids are early readers, some are late and usually when the break through happens they take off and you will notice that they seem to always be reading something. Also once they are readers you should never stop phase "a" - read alouds. The great thing about read alouds is they show that you value reading and also value sharing that reading with others and you can bring your kids along to "higher level" reading than they are currently capable of. It's a great way to spend time with your kids and create discussion topics - kids are never too old for that! So onto wRiting - Again I'm going to say that your kids are probably in one of the following "phases" or writing; a) you write for them - all the time because you have non-writers I call this my Jot it Down phase and it shows kids that writing is a valuable skill b) you are teaching them how to write - involves the alphabet and proper formation of letters and pencil grip and can also help in phonics teaching as they need to hear, say and write what they are learning c) they are just learning how to write so they write to you (in a notebook for example) and you guide and direct and if you note a "problem" you make a concerted effort in that area. Copywork is great tool for this time especially if you can make what they are copying interest based (something they are excited about) d) they are writing - writing has become a habit and they have no problem writing for other subject areas, this is when writing no longer needs to be it's own subject, rather writing is done "cross curriculuar", you may note mistakes and may choose to do a lesson (for example on capitalization) but you don't need a full blown spelling or grammar curriculum to achieve this. Of course we love when we have a child who loves to write for pleasure or is a "creative writer" but please realize not all kids were born to be creative writers and those that do love to write won't need prodding or conjoling to do it! Either way encouragement for both types of kids is the best curriculum there is for writing! Then there is Math - math is one of those subjects that people flock to curriculum for and there is a place for that. Math curriculum has great "guidelines" as to what topics to cover and when. My problem is that it usually segments subjects and teaches the same topic over a number of years. I prefer a unit study type method of Math - especially if you have a kid that struggles with Math or "gets" math - they'll really like the repetition of learning one skill and the "how far can I go in this subject". For example adding: why just teach kids single digit addition when it takes the same skill for double digit addition, triple digit addition etc. Just keep going! Now your child knows how to add and add well ANY number. Let's take another example: Fractions - assuming your child knows the basic math functunions (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing) when teaching fractions as a unit study you can go as far as you want in teaching fractions - instead of segmenting it each year. Some additional resources I love for math is the www.livingmath.net website that lists books to make math real for kids. Math should always be "applied" in order to show it's value. If your kids are saying "why do I have to know this" you should be able to show them how it applies to real life. Baking or building something is one of my favorite ways of showing my kids how math applies to real life. So that is the 3 R's but there is another that I think is as important and will go a long way in other subject areas as well and that is Research! As soon as possible you should teach kids how to find the answer to their questions (instead of you doing it for them). Research can begin by having good reference books such as a dictionary, an encyclepedia set, a globe or atlas and some good science reference books such as books on the universe, the ocean and planet earth. If a question can't be answered it's a great time to have them write their question in a notebook and bring it along on your next library trip where the librarian can demonstrate how to find the question in the library. This subject is another one that doesn't need to be a subject on it's own but rather once a few skills are learned (like looking up words in a dictionary) the child can use that skill in other subject areas. Well this entry is long ..... I'll write another one on Science and Social (Geography and History) next time. I also have some thoughts for other subjects as well. I hope it has given you some ideas on how to keep Subjects Simple. |
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Posted by Molytail