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14 November 2009
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High School Biology options
You're probably familiar with ABeka, Bob Jones, Apologia, but have you considered these other options for high school biology? Julie Shepherd Knapp at the Homeschool Diner puts together this concise listing to get you thinking about all the options available to you.
If you are ready to think outside the box, considering online methods, separate books and lab manuals, piecing together a curriculum using college textbooks and AP courses, this is a great place to start. There are also a great many complete packages available to the homeschooler today. Start here to plan your biology curriculum for your high schooler next year. |
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12 November 2009
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Kim's Game
Ok, probably most homeschoolers are well familiar with this, but I just heard about it and am looking forward to using it with my little ones when they are old enough. Kim's Game is a critical thinking exercise, a memory game. The name of the game is from its use in Rudyard Kipling's 1901 novel, Kim, where the protagonist played the game while in training as a spy.
To play the game you simply collect a grouping of objects, more for older kids, fewer for younger ones. Let your child examine the objects for a period of time, then cover the objects with a towel, blanket, handkerchief, receiving blanket, etc! Let the child name all the objects he or she can remember, or for older children, have each make a list.
According to the Wikipedia entry on Kim's Game, Robert Baden Powell used it in his book Scouting, as a training exercise for Boy Scouts. What a great exercise for building thinking skills, expanding memory abilities, and training the budding scientist! (Or spy, I guess. :) |
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24 May 2009
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Activity of the Month: Measuring Rainfall
Ok, lets try out an experiment / activity of the month. This one is for young children, early elementary age. Let us know how your children enjoyed this activity!
Equipment Needed:
Narrow plastic bottle with flat bottom.
Coffee can, larger than the plastic bottle.
Waterproof pen, or masking tape.
Ruler.
Small rocks or gravel.
Procedure:
1. Cut the top off of the bottle. Turn the top upside down and rest it inside the bottom of the bottle. This will act as a funnel, though it isn't really necessary.
2. Make a scale in centimeters and one in inches on the masking tape using the ruler as a guide.
3. Place the rain gauge inside the coffee can. The coffee can will keep it from getting knocked over.
4. Put some rocks in the coffee can around the rain gauge to help weight the can down.
5. Place the can outside, away from trees or shrubs. You want to make sure that only rain can fall into your gauge.
6. After it rains, take the bottle out of the can and measure how much rain has fallen. |
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6 March 2009
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The Energetic Gifted Child
Gifted children often have high energy levels. Having a lot of energy is a great sounding characteristic, at least we all wish we had some, but to a mom with a young whirlwind, it can be discouraging. There are some techniques you can use with a bright, energetic child that could make all the difference in your homeschool.
What does a child with a high energy level look like? One child may have a behavior pattern that looks a lot like Attention Deficit Disorder; in fact, he may have even been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Another child may be able to go long hours working on a project without break. Still another needs to be "in on" everything happening around her. Usually, it is some time in baby hood when we first notice the problem. Your baby may "never" sleep, or at least it may seem that way. Have you ever prayed for just one more hour of rest? Your little one may follow you around on all fours, which doesn't sound so bad to this grandmother, but at the time you may get a little tired. Later on, this same child may always want your attention, or to be "entertained". These children are normal gifted youngsters and simply have high energy levels. The ability to juggle several things at once successfully is a wonderful ability, but that ability may need to be trained into your child. Teach him to make use of that energy for constructive purposes and you will have given him a gift.
Because the gifted child may look and act like the ADD/ADHD child, the experts tell us that many highly gifted children have been misdiagnosed ADD or ADHD because of this characteristic of high energy levels. Some are given drugs to compensate for a nonexistent condition, while others are placed into special classes for problem children.
Still, any child with lots of undirected energy is going to be a problem. If that child happens to be bored, as in a normal schooling situation, then the behavior is likely to be a significant problem. Many teachers see your gifted child who has a high energy level, compare him to the children in her experience and decide that the problem is with the energy level not the giftedness. They assume the problem is the child, not the academic schedule.
Homeschooling teachers may have a problem too, when they use a standard curriculum that has been designed for the normal child in a normal classroom. In a previous issue we have discussed the asynchrony of gifted child and have gone over some ideas about how to accelerate them, by compacting and testing. How to direct the energy? Just running to keep up with a toddler is not enough. We must be able to harness that energy so that we can keep up, so that the child actually learns something, and so that he isn't getting into trouble. All of these things sound like I wrote them for a three year old, but as any mother of gifted teens knows, it is true for them, too. Unfortunately, for teens, anger can also show up when energy is misdirected.
Here are some ways to direct the energy:
1. Get the child involved in the learning process. This is the number one thing you must do at home for your child. If you don’t know what he is interested in, ask. Is he interested in electronics (and you know nothing about that), and then let him investigate the field and just report back in to you what he is doing.
Become a facilitator instead of the teacher. My definition of a facilitator is the one who writes the checks and provides the wheels.
2. Look for similar materials for texts in higher levels. For example, a bright 5th grader may be able to use a low ability (or large print) high school level text. Later on, the same child will use an advanced placement text, but for now, merely high school level is great. In addition, this does two things, the child knows that you are serious about him being challenged, and the child has the feeling that it really is OK to be beyond the norm.
I have a student who is doing well in pre-algebra and who bought a college algebra text for the future. He let me know that he could not wait to get into that text, so we let him go. Algebra is the same whether you call it Algebra I or college algebra, but the format the instructions are a bit different as the college text is written for older students. Why not just go ahead into the higher-level text, nothing is lost, especially when you realize that the student is in 7th grade?
3. Remember that physical activity is very important for our young people. It does provide an outlet for excess energy and will help your student stay on task longer when he is doing academics. When my own were home, I would suddenly say, "Hop up and do 25 jumping jacks." Or " Do a quick 25 push-ups." This is good for refocusing, too, in those times after lunch when the words tend to blur and the mind gets off track.
What about the kid who has energy but still doesn't get his work done? Three hours on a math lesson, for example, is too much and is especially so for a child gifted in mathematics. Here are some old time teacher techniques for keeping a child on track
1. Remove everything from the desk except the piece he is working on.
2. Use a kitchen timer to keep him aware of time.
3. Study the same thing in the same place everyday (or every time you do that subject) Note: Don't use the bed for schoolwork.
4. Break up the assignment into manageable subtasks. (This works for us moms, too.)
5. Use an assignment list.
6. Have him be accountable to someone else for work done. Just a weekly check-up is fine.
7. Give him time to daydream, but not during Latin.
8. Use his distractibility for educational purposes: Ask him random questions requiring creative answers (not-memory). The creative thinking required will usually help keep him working at the other task, too. This is especially helpful if your child is able to process several things at once.
A gifted child may have very high energy levels, a level which can cause a problem in a normal classroom or in homeschool. In this article, we have gone over some techniques you can use which your energetic child. Please write or e-mail if you have other ideas that work. Always remember that energy is good, more energy is better, and, like other gifts, is a gift from God. |
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30 January 2009
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Teaching with Unit Studies
This article originally published in The Homeschool Link magazine.
If you have been around homeschooling for some time, then you probably already know what a unit study is and how you would incorporate it into your home school. But if you are new to homeschooling, or looking for a different approach to your curriculum, or maybe just looking for a break from your normal classroom routine, you should hear about unit studies and how they can help with your schooling.
What is a Unit Study?
A unit study is a topical study that encompasses a wide range of disciplines. Unit study is sometimes called a thematic, integrated, or cross-curriculum approach to learning. The idea is to take a topic and study it in depth, covering every element of the topic as it relates to science, mathematics, literature, history, geography, and other disciplines that may be more individually tailored to the unit being studied.
This style of learning has been around a long time- can we even quantify how long? Did Adam and Eve ever teach their sons and daughters about the world around them? Think about when you or your children have been very interested in a topic and have dived into it to learn everything possible about that topic. That’s a unit study! But lets see if we can spell it out in greater detail with an example.
An Example of Unit Study.
Your ten year old has gone on a fishing trip with Daddy and is suddenly fascinated with everything involving fishing! “Ah,..” you think, “I just read an article on this, this would be the perfect opportunity for a unit study!” What can an in-depth study of fishing uncover and how is it educational? Let’s look.
Science (biology, botany, life science, etymology, ecology)
• In what habitat does a fish live? How do humans interact with and affect that habitat? Sketch your local fishing hole in terms of an ecological habitat.
• What are the different types of fish? What is the largest fish? The smallest? What types of fish do you have locally? Identify them with a wildlife guide.
• What are the parts of a fish? For what purpose was each part designed?
• What do fish eat? Where do they fit in the food chain? (What is a food chain?)
• Do fish eat different things seasonally? Do different types of fish eat different things? Why do fly fishermen like to fish during “the hatch”?
• How do fish reproduce? Draw the life cycle of a fish.
History/Geography
• Historically, why have we humans fished at all?
• Which countries or regions would you expect to consume the most fish and why?
• Describe historical fishing methods (boat, spear, nets, hands, fishing rod) and when/ where they were used.
Literature/ English
• Read Moby Dick
• Read The Old Man and the Sea
• Read a book on the history of fly fishing, or an anthology of fishing stories.
• Write book reports on the books you have read. Discuss them in class.
• Write your own short story about fishing.
Physical Education
• Go on a field trip. Fish! Did you have to hike to the fishing spot? That was PE.
• How many calories does one consume while fishing? Does it depend on the style of fishing you are doing?
• Learn and try some different types of fishing. Pole fishing, wading, floating, fly fishing…
Socio-Political Studies
• What controversies are involved in fishing today?
• Explain the principles of catch-and-release. Why and when is this practice employed?
• Get a fishing license; review and discuss the rules and regulations.
How to Incorporate Unit Studies Into Your Homeschool.
Ok, so you just read the above example and it looks like a lot of work to put together something like that. It certainly can be a lot of work. But there are many resources available to help you wade the waters of a unit study. Think first about how you want to use unit studies within your home school.
One way to employ the unit study approach is by throwing out the textbooks and diving into unit studies completely to learn all your core curriculum requirements. This approach works best when homeschooling highly energetic children who need lots of hands-on practical application to stay engaged and to learn most effectively. One could argue that we all learn this way best! Remember, though, past about the junior high school level, if your goal is college prep for your children, there should be more rigorous coursework involved that will not be attainable through unit studies alone. If you are using unit studies exclusively, you will want to do some research into your topic areas and tailor it to your home school. Choose among available commercial products wisely to ensure you are hitting all the important subject areas for your children, and not simply having a great time… fishing, for instance.
Another way you can use unit studies is as a supplement to your normal coursework. This is a perfect way to engage and round out a student who has a definite interest in one area. Use your own activities and topic areas or purchase a unit study guide that addresses the area of interest. If your child is old enough, let them proceed at their own pace and dig deeper into areas where they want to focus. Make sure you incorporate some field trips and plenty of hands-on activities. Have fun with it- this flexibility is one reason you are homeschooling, right? Encourage your student. Remember, career aspirations start this way.
A third way to incorporate the unit study in your homeschool is to take a break from your normal routine. Take a few days, a week, or a month off of your typical class schedule to study one topic. Then, at the end of the study, resume your normal classwork refreshed and energized. You can choose a topic of interest to your student(s) or one that anticipates an upcoming event such as a family vacation. You might have done this before without realizing it. Did you ever incorporate some “school” into a family vacation? Every vacation I can think of (although a theme park vacation might be a stretch) has some educational opportunities built in. Gettysburg, Washington D.C., the Rocky Mountains, the Louis and Clark Trail, scuba diving in Cancun! Take the week prior to the vacation and study up! Incorporate science, math, history, literature, etc.
Benefits of using unit studies
Why would you use a unit study to teach your children? There are several benefits to employing this approach.
First, choosing a subject that is interesting to your students means that they stay engaged and eager to learn. When a unit study captures your child’s interest, they will want to dive in to all aspects of the topic. Your job becomes easy- they will absorb anything you can teach them.
Second, the unit study can be used for your entire homeschooling age range at the same time. By choosing age-appropriate activities for each child, you will allow each one to study the topic of interest at their own level. Once again, your task is made simpler with fewer subject areas to address for the duration of your unit study.
Third, the unit study is by nature practical application oriented. For your hands-on learners, a thematic study lends itself perfectly to maximize learning opportunities. By providing a mix of different applications in the different disciplines, the unit study helps to combat disinterest!
These are some of the benefits of the unit study in your homeschool. Whether you use it as a year-long approach or just to take a break from your usual routine, the unit study is a helpful tool for you to employ.
A Final Word
Whether you use a purchased unit study or one you have designed, have a plan in mind. Write it down. Tailor it to each of your children, if you are involving your entire home school class. If you are engaging in haphazard hands-on learning, you are still learning, but it is best to have a concrete knowledge of your objectives and whether or not you met them. Have fun! |
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