Jan. 20, 2009 - Tapestry of Grace
This week we are gearing up for our Renaissance and Reformation Night to celebrate the end of Unit 2 of Year 2 Tapestry of Grace. I have learned SO much this year. How I wish I had heard of Tapestry a long time ago!
Some of the things we are planning to do on R&R Night:
- Sing a Martin Luther Hymn
- Feast on Renaissance Food...think Leonardo's Soup, Crusty Rolls, Aztec Hot Chocolate, Salai's Cookies....
- Do a Renaissance dance, to Renaissance music...think of the dance in A Knights Tale
- Show off our maps, reports, display boards and art work
- Have fun and be together!
I have truly enjoyed this unit and am so excited about the upcoming unit on the New World, Captain John Smith and a well known Native American Gal...
A friend recently asked me a million questions about Tapestry...Here are a few answers I would like to share with everyone.
First of all, I have to say that I LOVE Tapestry of Grace, ok, now that I have that out of the way...
- My children LOVE TOG
- It is very challenging, but the beauty of it is you can do as many or as few of the assignments as you want! It's up to you!
- It CAN be overwhelming...the first 3-4 weeks are the hardest. Once you have looked over the materials and decided what you want to do and just finally dive in ready or not, and start doing it you will feel better. The key is to Just Do It.... don't be intimidated by all the materials. Just start with one or two things the first week and add a couple of assignments each week until you are doing as much as you want...
- Prep work. Yes. There is prep work. But the time spent doing it is worth it. Right now here is what I do. On Monday I read "next week's lesson plan" (about 5 pages), I look up and reserve books online via library website. On Thursday I go to the library and pick up books, then that same afternoon, I write out the assignment charts, what pages are to be read, etc. Simple. On Monday we go over the new assignment chart for that week.
- The Plan I follow is Monday and Tuesday are heavy reading days. Wednesday is a map making day, vocabulary words and timelines. We take off Thursday from school for our Nana. Friday we finish up any reading assignments, have discussions, look at writing projects and work on those, getting the final drafts ready. Saturday is the Hands On day... we do all the craft work, art assignments, field trips, etc. on that day. It gives us something to look forward to.
- Getting the books. At the beginning of the unit, I purchase maybe 2-5 books, only the ones that will be used for the entire unit. I maybe spend $25 at Alibris or something like that (used.) The rest I find at the library. I live in a small town, so this is my thorn in the flesh, our library has very little to choose from, but I usually find what I am looking for. I also travel about 45 minutes to a different library and get books there. I never suffer for the lack of books :o)
- I would highly recommend the MapAids CD...it is essential if you want to do the geography assignments. And I would really like to do the overlay style next year, but this year we are just using paper to print them on.
- I like the writing assignments but I honestly haven't been doing them this year, because of the new baby, but definitely worth doing.
- I have the "Classic" version of Year 2 and I like it right well. I am searching for the redesigned version of Year 1 and Year 3. Now they are selling it Digitally, something I have not wrapped my mind around yet.
- The books are engaging and we all (my husband included) love to be together to read some of them aloud. However, when we can not do the read alouds, I'm ok with that, too. I just read the "teachers notes" and I'm fine.
- I like that I can be very involved or only a little involved. It is flexible. I can be flexible. I like that.
- The cost of the actual curriculum is worth every penny...even when you are pinching them :o)
- Oh, and I like that you can teach four levels (lower grammar, upper grammar, junior high, and high school) out of the same book and they are each challenged to their level. Not like some when you have to choose assignments that are below some children's level and above others. I have a 17, 13, 11, 9 all doing the same curriculum...now how's that for saving money? We do get different library books, but that is ok.
- AND you can use the same four years, over and over because after four years your child will be moving into the next level. For example Child A is doing Lower Grammar for Year 1 in 2009, so in 2012 they will be in Upper Grammar for Year 1 which is all new assignments, but out of the same curriculum. Hard to grasp, but it's true. You could actually purchase Four Years curriculum and use it for your entire schooling K-12 for every child....
Ok, maybe more later...I do recommend it, but if you are an All or Nothing type (like me) just tell yourself that you do NOT have to complete every assignment available. (Even the designer admits you couldn't do them all.) Hope this helps someone!
Comments
Mar. 24, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Eunice
Where are you? No entries.....waiting.... :O)
