Aug. 12, 2008 - A Mother's Back to School Prayer

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Nov. 30, 2007 - Reluctant Reader Remedies & Bookworm Brainstorms

Although I have six children, no two have the same aptitude for reading. So, after twenty-one years of trial and error and try again, I have some tidbits of reading wisdom I will gladly share. 

 

For the struggling early reader: No big surprise here. Read aloud to the child daily, multiple times a day, if possible. Choose books that interest him and have him follow along with his eyes on the books that are appropriate for his level.   Be sure to also read aloud books that are above his reading level but not beyond his comprehension level.  

 

For the child that skims the tough words: Continue reading aloud as above. Also take time to have the child read to you everyday. Choose books that are at his reading level, but still offer plenty of new vocabulary. If the child tends to skim over difficult words without sounding them out, try this strategy: Use an index-card to reveal each line as he is reading aloud. If he skims a word, don’t say anything, but tap your finger under the word to remind him to go back and sound it out. Often, a new form of a familiar word will stump him, such as “reward” now becomes “rewarded.” If he still struggles sounding the word out, try covering up part of the word with your finger to break it down into smaller pieces. Be careful not to just say the word and keep going. If the child can’t get it, pronounce it for him, but have him say it and read it himself afterwards and then continue on. Be sure to discuss the meaning of new vocabulary words as they are encountered. I have used this strategy with great success, but it takes time and patience.

 

For the child that struggles with comprehension: Choose high-interest chapter books that are at the right reading level.   Have him read aloud to you and pause after each page at the end of the sentence. Have him look up from the book and retell the gist of the story from that page. If he struggles, you can have him stop more frequently or you can have him reread the page while he focuses on the material and then retell it to you again. You can ask questions, but the goal here is to get him to think without your prompting, so limit your questions to a minimum.   I highly recommend using a notebook to jot brief notes from each page onto. Usually, the notes for an entire chapter end up taking about one page. Don’t ask the child to take the notes though, since this is reading, not writing. You want him to want to enjoy reading, so don’t make it a “task.” Ideally, read one or two chapters a day this way. Then, on the next day, reread the notes from the previous chapter aloud to help him recall exactly where he left off in the story. For my learning disabled child this has made an amazing difference. He loves to read this way!   He recently wrote a little list of his life goals which included “Read like David” who is my novel-a-day reader.

 

For the older reader that is interested but can’t make it past the first chapter: When my eighth-grader came to me and told me he just didn’t get “Treasure Island” and wanted to give up I suggested that I read a chapter aloud to him and then we’d make a decision. After I read a chapter to him he said he completely understood everything and the book was exciting and he really wanted to read it but he couldn’t understand why he didn’t get it on his own.   I know you’ll be thankful that I am NOT going to tell you to read aloud to him! Instead, I checked out the audio book on CD and told him to read every word visually as he listened to the audio. Oh my goodness. The rest is history. Just this week when he was too sick to get out of bed, he laid in there with Paolini’s book “Eldest” and read half of it in one day while he listened to the audio. Audio books have turned my reluctant, slow reader into a voracious reader. When he finished the book he immediately picked his next read and asked for me to check out Brian Jacques “Redwall” in book and audio form and he began it today. I asked him just the other day, “Do you believe that listening to the audio while you read along has made you a better reader?” 

 

His answer, “Absolutely!”

 

For now, I am content for him to continue with this method. In fact, audio books are so plentiful; I will just let him keep going as long as he wants. I will let him decide when he wants to try a challenging book on his own, without the audio. I am just thrilled that he has finally discovered reading!

 

For the Girl who doesn’t want to read anything but Nancy Drew: I have a tried and true idea for your single-minded child also. Let her continue to read her Nancy Drew books, but, insist that you pick every other book to broaden her horizon. So, she reads one of her favorite mysteries, and then you pick a book from another genre, such as historical fiction, a biography, a classic, poetry, etc…. She’ll get used to the idea quick enough and she’s always got the next Nancy whodunit waiting in the wings. Gradually, she’ll pick some new titles herself when she recognizes some of the great reads you keep finding for her. I’ve got my little Hayley diligently reading and analyzing Robert Frost poems now, and though she hasn’t truly come to love them yet, I know she will, it is only a matter of time. 

 

For the kid that only wants to read and doesn’t want to do other subjects: Mothers all over the world wish they had this kid. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. With math being one of the few exceptions, you can create a literature-based approach to almost any subject. When I wanted David to study history I provided great books written by passionate authors (notice I didn’t say “textbooks”). He welcomed my suggestions for his next great read since I had hit it out of the park so many times with prior suggestions. These were biographies, historical fiction, compelling stories, and classic literature, whatever I could find on the topic. He devoured them.  For science, I gave him Apologia texts that were extraordinarily well written by, here’s that word again, passionate, authors. He didn’t mess around with the experiments and I was fine with that. He read and retained the books. For Constitutional Law, I gave him Michael Farris’s Constitutional Law course. Again, he devoured it.   Because he was such a voracious reader, writing came naturally and effortlessly though we did spend a year learning stylistic techniques and structure models using the “Institute for Excellence in Writing” curriculum. He told me today that he has gotten an “A” on every written paper so far in college. 

The best reading teacher of all.  Read a lot yourself.  Let them see you reading to learn, reading to be entertained, and reading to grow. 

 

I hope you found some useful ideas here. Let me know how it goes!

 

© Sallie H., 2007. All rights reserved.

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Nov. 28, 2007 - Cross-Dressing Day Sparks School Exodus in Des Moines, Iowa

Cross-Dressing Day Sparks School Exodus in Des Moines, Iowa

Click here to read the article published November 28 by World Net Daily

http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58914

Additional comments from Iowa Homeschooler, Barb Heki, who was quoted in the article:

This "mass exodus" from Des Moines schools occurred in early October and somehow has escaped the attention of the media until now. I just learned about it myself.

Unfortunately, because of the church's bad media experiences in the past, members of this church who took their kids out of the Des Moines schools are not talking. I spoke with the same individual as the WorldNet Daily reporter, so I don't have any further information that could be helpful. And she will no longer talk with any media or others about the situation.

But -- this is very significant and historic, that this would even occur. I don't know of any mass exodus of the public schools like this, anywhere. You might say these families are courageous, and they are, but in their eyes they are merely obeying God. It would be a blessing to see other Christian families and entire congregations follow suit. The government schools have become the test labs and training camps of homosexual activists, and Christian parents are willingly giving their children over to them, to do with as they wish. 

I hope this article is helpful to you.

Barb Heki

It is reports like this that make my blood curdle.  Bless these families that have taken a stance against perversion with decisive action.  May God bless them and strengthen them.

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Nov. 21, 2007 - Effective and Inspiring Homeschooling

Effective and Inspiring Homeschooling

Question from a Reader:

"We're in our second year of homeschooling, so I'm still sorting many things out.  We have hit a page in my daughter's  history that announces this is the point where she is to do a unit of state history.  Since this is not provided, I am stuck.  What have you used for state history?  

Second, I'm wondering what little add-ons you have discovered for any subject.  Have you found a web site or a book that supplements your main curriculum with short, interesting lessons or worksheets, for any subject? 

One of the reasons we decided to homeschool was to be able to feed our children's nearly boundless curiousity and I don't feel like I have achieved that as well as I would like to.  At the same time, I don't have the time or courage to tackle big supplements that require a lot of prep and assembly time."

Terri

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Dear Terri,

I remember my early days of homeschooling.  Some of the curriculum that I had chosen curriculum for the kids, frankly, didn't work for them.  But that didn't stop me from pushing and nagging for them to keep trudging forward, because if they couldn't or wouldn't do it, then that meant that I was a failure.  

My children had a variety of aptitudes and a wide variety of ages.  Gradually, over time though, I have learned to really tailor each child's education to their aptitude and interests.   Whether a certain subject is an area of strength or weakness, I try to find a creative way to challenge, but not frustrate, the child where he or she is at. 

I believe one of the keys to an effective and inspiring education is creativity.  For example, in our home, I teach history to all of the children together by reading aloud from biographies, and historical fiction.  The four at home now range in age over 7 years, but each grasps the material at his or her level.   Because the readings are so interesting they look forward to history everyday.  I also try to incorporate special age-appropriate projects to supplement from various resources that I find on whatever subject we are studying. 

To directly answer your question about Iowa history, I would search out famous Iowan biographies and historical fiction that takes place in Iowa.  It's an unconventional approach, but I believe it truly engages their minds and makes history exciting.  Because, after all, history is about real people.  Then, as I am moving forward, I would sprinkle in little things about Iowa that I find along the way.  An Iowa coloring book for the little ones, a trip to Living History Farms in the spring, perhaps some other field trips in the state that we discover through our reading.

I believe that the only drawback to this method is that you absolutely can't run through it.  The children really enjoy exploring an era (and you will too).  It is not hard to plan, because you just pick the topic and do a library search.  Once you choose a topic, and go looking, you will be amazed how many resources are available.  The hard part is deciding which resources you won't have time to include.  In my home, you won't find any history "textbooks" written by someone who is not absolutely passionate about the subject.  No dry and uninspiring textbooks allowed!

Another idea I have incorporated into our homeschool, is "specials."  Each year, each child picks a particular subject that he or she is interested in, and I go searching for age-appropriate resources for them to delve into it independently, if possible.  For example, Taylor (14) chose web programming this year, Hayley (11) chose Animal Science,  and Josh (12) and Jessica (9) both chose Art.  These are all great subjects and the children love that they picked them themselves.  Taylor and Hayley have been working independently and I recruited my artist Mother to teach a weekly art class to Josh and Jessica.  David graduated last year, but he really delved into Greek and Roman history last year.  Now he's at Drake on a Presidential Scholarship and majoring in Law, Politics and Society.  Dustin graduated in 2005, but he spent months making videos before graduation and is now a Junior at Oklahoma Baptist University majoring in Digital Media Production.  As a homeschool mom, I view my job to find their "bent" and develop it to the max. 

There is a lot of trial and error, and I always spend a sizable amount of time in the summer months praying, planning and preparing for the following year.  Each year we get a little closer to our goals, and each year we look for new, creative ways to achieve our goals. 

To wrap this all up, I recommend a school prayer journal.  I have a little notebook I jot ideas and prayers in just for school.  Sometimes I go for long periods without using it, but other times, particularly during the planning phase in the summer, I use it often.  It's very haphazard, but I get inspired when I read back over my notes and see how God has answered my prayers. 

Although this is just the beginning to achieving an effective and inspiring education for your children, you are asking the right questions.  Asking the right questions will take you where you want to be.

May God bless your homeschool.

Hugs,

Sallie

© Sallie H., 2007. All rights reserved.

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Oct. 19, 2007 - NEA Attacks Homeschooling!

NEA Attacks Homeschooling!

I received this frightening e-mail this morning from Andrew Pudewa (IEW Founder) through a yahoo group I belong to......... I quickly checked HSLDA's website, but nothing on it yet.   If it's true, I'm sure we'll be hearing more about it ASAP!!!!! I sent an e-mail to HSLDA right away- and I'll let you know what I hear back from them.

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NEA takes stand against homeschooling -Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:28 am (PST)

The National Educational Association in their 2007-2008 Resolutions has taken a stand against homeschooling.

It reads "The National Education Association believes that home schooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience. When home schooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricular requirements, including the taking and passing of assessments to ensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limited to the children of the immediate family, with all expenses being borne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons who are licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency, and a curriculum approved by the state department of education should be used.

The Association also believes that home-schooled students should not participate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.

The Association further believes that local public school systems should have the authority to determine grade placement and/or credits earned toward graduation for students entering or re- entering the public school setting from a home school setting."

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Hopefully there will be positive action that we can take against this right away.  One thing I know- we need to pray for parental rights and homeschooler's rights without ceasing!

God Bless,

Sallie

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Sep. 6, 2007 - How far is the nearest star?

How far is the nearest star?

Here's a fun little factoid that we had fun with today in science class.  On a sheet of paper, draw a circle to represent the sun.  Then measure from the center of the circle nine inches away and draw a smaller circle around that point to represent Earth.  Using a key of 1 inch = 10 million miles, then you know that the Sun is 90 million miles from the Earth.  But here's the fun.....   ask the kids how far you'd have to go (using the same scale of 1 in= 10 million miles) to draw the next star, Alpha Centauri, and see what they guess.  Then tell them they will need to get some bigger paper, because the using the same scale, the next star would be 40 miles away.  This "picture is worth a thousand words" idea came from "It Couldn't Just Happen," an absolutely wonderful creation science book that every Christian home should have and read.  Our elementary science curriculum "The Scientist's Apprentice" came with a suggested reading list which included this book and I am very thankful to have found it.

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