Review: Getting Started With Latin

We have a language gap around here. I’m not a natural at foreign languages, and my one year of high school French, while not harmful to my GPA, hardly enamored me with the work involved in learning them. My older son’s learning challenges made learning a foreign language close to impossible. We tried home-based and online-based programs for Latin and Spanish, but we had no success. He’s moved on to American Sign Language courses at the university, a kinesthetic language that works well with his strengths and avoids his weakness, such as rote memory and attention to spelling.

So as my younger son approaches middle school age, I’ve panicked a bit. I don’t have the brain space to deeply learn a foreign language with him: general awareness is my only hope. My French was never terribly useful, and nearly 30 years later is nearly nonexistant. My younger had mentioned learning German, but I knew no way at this point of his life to make that successful and could provide no assistance. So I gently mentioned Latin. He’s a fan of Michael Clay Thompson, with his stem-based vocabulary, and he’s a master at grammar and memorization, and he appreciated my concerns about finding an appropriate setting for him to learn German. So Latin it was.

Getting Started with Latin (Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age), by William E. Linney has been our starting place. Linney approaches Latin gradually and, over 132 single page lessons, introduces the learner to basic Latin grammar. It’s not a full year of Latin, but it’s a fine grounding.  I’m using this book with my younger son, now eleven, who will start formal Latin study with Karen Karpinnen through Lone Pine Classical School, an online school based in Colorado dedicated to high school level Latin study for homeschoolers. Our purpose is to build comfort with the language, especially the ideas of declension rather than sentence order driving meaning and gender in language.

With only one new idea per lesson, this is a gentle approach to a complicated language. Linney covers the first and second declension, two conjugations of present tense verbs, the concept of gender, and a handful of adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, and conjunctions. The vocabulary is relatively small – farmers, sailors, beasts, and women build, sail, swim, and plow in a variety of combinations, but this decreased vocabulary allows the learner to focus on learning the grammar itself rather than on memorizing voluminous vocabulary lists. I’m decent at the former but not so strong in the latter, and with almost no study, I’m keeping up with the poets who carry writing tablets (but never desire to swim to the island) and the farmer’s stories, told often to the girls. That’s miraculous.

It may not be the most scintillating material to translate, but this sound beginner’s text is entirely nonthreatening, an essential feature for this foreign language-phobic mom. It’s also easy to teach. A motivated student could move through the 132 lessons solo, translating from Latin to English the 10 sentences at the end of each lesson, but we’re doing this together, sitting on the couch and reviewing the lessons together. He does keep a notebook of vocabulary, with each noun written in its ten forms and each verb conjugated (first person). While we’ve not been chanting the conjugations and declensions together, he’s figured out that that step helps and does it on his own. (Did I mention he’s my self-motivated and highly driven child?)  If we’re stuck, the answers are in the back of the book, but so far, we’re rarely stuck.

The lessons are never longer than a single page, and the black-and-white pages with plenty of white space keep attention from drifting while making it easy to see the lesson at hand and only that lesson. Some lessons are reminders about English grammar, which we skip, since five levels of Michael Clay Thompson have given him firm grounding in that area. A learner who was less certain about subjects, direct objects, indirect objects, possession, and English verb conjugations might want to spend more time on those sections, although I’d not advise starting Latin without those ideas firmly in place in one’s native tongue. In addition to the 132 lessons are 18 notes about commonly used Latin phrases, such as ad hoc, summa cum laude, and caveat emptor. It’s a nice addition, reminding the user that Latin is in use today, beyond its role in naming genus and species and providing many of roots of English words.

Linney’s website provides files for pronunciation, both classical and ecclesiastical. Occasionally, pronunciation is covered in the book itself, but the website contains far more. We’ve not been using that resource regularly, I’ll admit, but it was initially helpful. We’re also not exactly speaking Latin to each other (what with the poet, sailors, and beasts not much applies to our daily life), but I have had my son compose sentences in Latin, which he also translates. It’s up to me to figure out if he’s correct, and this is only possibly because I’m learning along with him.  Like I said, I’m keeping up, a testament to how clear this book is.  I’m not giving tests, but given the material is cumulative, I can tell from his translation during lessons how he’s doing. If testing is desired, Linney recommends taking sentences from past lessons for translation or having the student translate from the recordings on the website.

We’re working through three lessons four days a week, a pace determined by our start date and desire to be done by mid-May.  We complete more chapters if one is an idea alone with no translations or an English grammar language, with the limit being three chapters requiring translation. Any fewer and I doubt we’d immerse enough to learn much. More and we’d likely retain less. My son then puts new vocabulary into his notebook and, if needed, later reviews that vocabulary.

At  twenty dollars for a nonconsumable text that is easy to use and effective in teaching Latin basics, Getting Started with Latin is one of the best homeschooling bargains around. My only complaint is that it is his only Latin text. Linney has a series of audio lectures based on The First Year of Latin, an 1902 text by Gunnison and Harley covering, at this writing, half the text. That’s a far less user-friendly text, however, and lectures have been slow to come out. But it is a free offering and, if reviews are any indication, well done. I’ll know better how well prepared my young son is for formal Latin study come fall when he starts high school level instruction. But given the breadth of material covered so cleanly and clearly and the rate of retention my son and I have demonstrated, I’m betting it’s done what I needed it to do.

Reading the Classics…Sometimes

I’m not as well-read as I wish I was.  I’m a once-English major who’s avoided a host of mandatory classics that my Engineering-major friends read for pleasure. I’ve not read through all of Dickens, Austen, Hemingway, Steinbeck, and countless others, and, frankly, I only want to want to. Sure, I’ve read a good amount of standard fare, enjoying much of it and merely surviving some. Faulkner eluded me, or more likely bored me to the point of poor comprehension. I started Anna Karenina several times, starting at age twelve, and never made it past the first chapter.

I read, voraciously when time allows. The problem is that time rarely allows. Sure, you make time for what matters, but parenting and homeschooling two boys while also wearing the hats of writing instructor, Physician Assistant, church volunteer, foster caregiver for cats, physics instructor, and single homeowner doesn’t leave much time for long afternoons curled up with a book. And by the time I make it to bed, I’m spent. If I make it through a chapter of one of the many books and magazines that live on the empty side of the bed, it’s a miracle. I’m midway through The Radioactive Boy Scout (Ken Silverstein), Japan: True Stories of Life on the Road (ed. Donald George and Amy Carlson), Rosy is My Relative (Gerald Durrell), How to Write a Sentence (Stanley Fish), the latest copies of Scientific American Mind and Brain, Child, and a knitting pattern book. At a chapter or article a night, I’m accumulating more reading material faster than I have a chance of reading it. And I’m not reading the classics.

And neither are my kids. Oh, they’ve read plenty of them as the years have passed, almost always assigned by me or by an online literature instructor. Both boys are willing readers, my younger with a heap of Horrible Histories on the floor near his bed and more in the car, by his seat at the kitchen table, and on the end tables near our couches and chairs. Oh, a book about zombies is in the mix, too. He’s enjoyed the classics he’s read or that I’ve read to him, but he doesn’t seek them out. Well, he plowed through a copy of Beowulf a few years back, and his copy of Lord of the Rings is battered and well-travelled, but he’s not picking up the Hemingway or Dickens on his own.

My older reads, too, although less prolifically and almost always nonfiction. His nose is either in Popular Science or one of his growing number of computer repair books, although some Bill Bryson or other lighter fare will appear at points. He did manage a list of fantasy and science fiction books this last summer, all required by a Coursera class. Some he liked; some he didn’t. None inspired him to explore the genre more. And he’s frank about it — the classics just don’t appeal to him. And for my older, not appealing is a fast track to not retaining. I sympathize.

Like with most subjects, our literature studies have been eclectic. I’ve avoided studies based around comprehension questions and other bottom-of-the-Bloom’s-Taxonomy pyramid activities. As one who struggles with remembering names and the favorite drink of the antagonist in chapter 7, I’ve always hated those questions. And without exception, every literature class I took, from junior high through college, relied heavily on comprehension questions. I stunk at them, losing the joy of the story while trying to guess what the quiz questions would be. It spoiled a fair amount of literature for me, blunting my thirst for more since most of what I associated with classic literature was the tedium tinged with panic as I read for quizzes rather then for story and joy. Thus as a homeschooling parent, I’ve avoided this method of teaching literature.

My younger eagerly laps up literature in his Online G3 classes, where discussion fills class time and meaty, high-on-the-pyramid questions dominate the homework assignments. He talks about reading more on his own, but despite my strewing them in his path, he gravitates to the familiar Horrible Histories or whatever the comfort reading of the season is. He’s a habit-driven child who finds it hard to break routine, even in his reading. I’m comforted that he’s generally interested in literature but not certain how to encourage him to try more on his own.

I’ve had some success wooing a child to read a book himself by reading the first several chapters aloud. Since my younger was born, I’d read to my children, either books in entirety or parts designed to pull them in and launch them on their own. This has slowed down as their bedtimes have moved later and our days have been busier. Classics filled most of our read-aloud selections, but plenty of popular fiction and nonfiction worked their way in. Just this last fall, I read Peter Pan to my younger (somehow I’d even missed that one), following up with the Michael Clay Thompson’s  Literature series, Alice, Peter, and Mole. (Review to follow when we make it through more.) This is one of four in a series available through Royal Fireworks Press with a focus on discussion rather than regurgitation.  Now, he actually doesn’t mind comprehension questions, but I don’t see the point in spending time on them. I’d rather discuss the book and literary techniques, noting connections between it and other books read. Most of all, I want to keep the focus on the discovery about our past, our selves, and the universe available through reading.

I hope that’s happening. I hope the balance we hit by my negligence interrupting my diligence gives them what they need to continue to be lovers of the written word, the sort to never leave the house without access to reading material. I hope they find some classics that speak to them, informing their writing and pushing their standard for what they read just a bit higher. But most of all, I hope they learn to read to learn and continue to feel a deep need to read long works requiring sustained attention. I’ll continue my job — gentle exposure focused on the bigger messages of a book rather than the little details. And maybe I’ll try some of what turned me off so long ago just one more time. After I finish what’s sitting on the empty side of the bed. 

Nearing The Half: Curriculum Keepers and Changes

We’re closing in on the end of the semester. My older has finals for two of his courses in two weeks, with the rest of the term ending in three. While we caught a breath at Thanksgiving break, it was not the idyllic week of rest I envisioned. How could it be, with classes going through Tuesday night, past when company arrived? The following five days were a flurry of cooking and eating followed by a few too-short days of respite from a semester that started at the end of July.

Yes, I’m tired. Tired, with a to-do list that grows by the minute, urgency growing on numerous items. I’m longing for more evenings where no one needs to go anywhere and just a few weekends where, “What do you have for homework?” doesn’t escape my lips. Fortunately, a break is coming, and the second semester is set. Here’s what we’ll be doing for Winter 2012

A.D. (15)

Classes at a local university are going well — astonishingly well, given my doubt three months back. My son doesn’t seem as surprised, but he is pleased. Despite a few hiccups and a resulting rapid revision of study habits, he’s pulling good grades in both his Sign Language class (our answer to a foreign language, and the first of four semesters) and Calculus I. He’ll move on to the next in both come January, with more of the series the following semester. I do like predictability and pattern.

He’ll add a third college-level class, PC Troubleshooting and Repair, come January. After building his own computer with a neighbor and fiddling with it endlessly on his own, he’s itching to know more about the innards of those machines. Now, I get antsy at the suggestion of even opening the case of any computer, sure that my mere presence will frighten the workings of the thing into an eternal black screen of death. I’m limited outside the box as well, having a few quick fixes at my fingertips but quickly phoning a more capable friend (or more recently my son) when something goes awry on the screen. While this isn’t a class with credits likely to transfer to a university some day, it could lead to the ability to perform some helpful work around this house and the homes of others. I’m enthused, as is he.

Personal Finance (Dave Ramsey), taken with a handful of friends, continues until early spring. Initially, he was certain this course had nothing to offer him, a sure sign to me that he very much did need some financial education. A few months in, he’s enjoying himself and appreciating the information. (Since I’ve not been watching the lectures, I can’t give a full review of the curriculum. Ramsey is entertaining to watch although overly optimistic about saving rates and investment returns. Watch this series with a post-2007 reality check from a well-grounded adult.)

Piano continues, albeit with a new instructor. I’ve shared our piano woes here before (Piano Lessons), and we’ve learned a good deal about the importance of chemistry between music teacher and student as well as the necessity of teens to set their own musical course. I’m optimistic, as is he. (A full post on music education will follow).

Physics, taught by me to my son and his friend, continues as well. We’ve finished our tour of mechanics and have moved on to sound. Next semester takes us to light, magnetism, electronics, fluids, heat, and quantum physics. I have quite a bit to learn. Our original goal was the SAT Physics Subject Test, but I’ve not looked at where we are on that road in some time. Add that to my very long list.

Ironic as it may be, I’m farming out writing instruction to a tutor. It seems teaching writing to one’s own teen isn’t always effective or desirable. Now, as a source of some of my income, I rely on that fact, but it took me until now to act on it at home. So my older is looking forward to ten assignments spread over 20 weeks, all lead by someone who is Not Mom. I’m smiling, too.

A.B. (11 years old)

My younger son will enter his fifth semester with Online G3, lead by the brave and nearly saintly Jamie Smith. With an assortment of gifted kids in the 8 (or younger) to 13 (or older) age group, he’ll take three classes. Magic Lens/Word Within the Word 2B continues his trip through Michael Clay Thompson’s books by the same name. Aside from adding weekly vocabulary quizzes and reviewing the new stems and words with him, he’s independent in this class. American Literature will round out his Language Arts study, carrying him through Huck Finn, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Red Badge of Courage, and Call of the Wild. The accompanying text is from Lightening Literature, a series with which we’re familiar. Finally, he’ll take Government. He’s been prepping for months, if one considers his immersion into the election and regular (guided) watching of The West Wing. Jamie, beware.

Math will continue as before, with the goal of finishing Discovering Mathematics 1A and 1B (or 7A and 7B, as the new editions are labelled). Well, unless we’re distracted by other math. An interest of trigonometry will return us to Challenge Math after our current chapter in Discovering Mathematics. I’m in favor of side roads on this journey.

Physical Science (CPO Middle School series) continues, and we’re adding a third young person to our studies come January. Overall, the book is serving us well, and we’re progressing through at a reasonable rate with rather impressive retention. I’ll review this more thoroughly a bit later.

New to the schedule will be Latin with The Pericles Group. This is Latin via video game  (practomime), and he’s enthused. I’m interested to see how much he actually learns. It’s recommended for ages 12 and up and requires a good amount motivation and initiative to be worthwhile, says the creator and Latin teacher. My younger son doesn’t lack either, so I’m betting he’ll be fine. When we know more, I’ll report it here.

His Coursera World History class is winding down, and he’s done a fine job keeping up with 750-word essays, challenging readings, and over two hours of lectures a week. We’ve just started a Coursera class on argumentation, and while I’m not sure we’ll take all the quizzes or make it through all the assignments (which walk right through the two weeks when  I don’t want to discuss homework), so far the lectures are interesting and even amusing. The wisdom of placing a naturally argumentative child and his mother into an argumentation class is not open for debate.

Piano and fencing round out his schedule. He’s happy with his piano teacher of the last four years, and he steadily progresses.  He’s also quite satisfied with his with his fencing coach and venue, feeling accepted and challenged. He’s started to enter local tournaments, fencing foil at the  under 12 level. He loves it, and he’s gradually gaining skill.

Those are the plans. We’ll see what really happens. My older son thrives on the greater challenge and demands from his college-level coursework. My younger continues to do well whether I’m in charge or someone else is, although his schedule is heavy on outside courses this semester. Everyone, myself included, is learning. And perhaps just as important, everyone is feeling successful and happy. Sounds like a fine start to second semester.

Writing Lessons: Write What You Like

Writing Lessons is an occasional series about teaching writing. 

I’ve been teaching/coaching/tutoring writing for the past three months. I have five students in my charge, ranging from age 9 to age 15 and from 3 to 3,000 miles away. We communicate via Google Hangout and email. All my students could be characterized as reluctant writers, or at least not the enthusiastic type who loves to spend hours at the computer turning ideas into words on the page. But all are writing, and some are surprised to find out they enjoy it. I’m learning as I go, and I couldn’t be more pleased.

I know I’ve learned this: when possible, let them choose the topic. Let them write about what they like. While this seems obvious for the youngest writers, it’s easy to assume that the older writer should be writing about whatever topic is presented. Certainly that’s a skill necessary for academic and, often, professional success. I’ve never been asked at work if I wanted to write a note on a patient I’ve just seen or if I’d rather pick another subject. It’s not an option — for some reason, the family practice that employs me prefers me write about the medical encounter and not home schooling, Unitarian Universalism, or matters of the heart, all preferable topics. College was no different. The subject was given or was at least constrained.

But for young writers, especially the reluctant ones, let them write about what they like. I’ve received paragraphs about cats, essays about Minecraft, and stories about monsters. Each student’s first assignment was to introduce himself or herself, which provided me with both a writing sample, and per my instructions, a list of topics one would find not too painful writing fodder. Armed with lists including pets, video games, space, nanotechnology,the hate of writing, and more, I began to give assignments. Within days, my inbox contained with pieces about cats. A few weeks later, it was Minecraft. While I share an affection for felines, I’m not so enamored with Minecraft, a game my children talk about at length. But no matter. The kids were writing, and writing fairly well.

Cats and video games lend themselves to a variety of formal and informal writing. Cats can be described in appearance (descriptive writing).  They can be given a voice (point of view). A pair of cats lend themselves to comparison and contrast. One can even give directions about how play with a cat. And while research is not yet on everyone’s assignment lists, I’m sure cats will serve well there, too. I can easily see persuasive essays about cat ownership or declawing. Creative writers can write about cats, too: I’ve read more than one student-produced cat-centered story, and my younger son is deeply writing his second cat novel. Cats, for some kids, work as interesting, comfortable writing material.

Minecraft (and any video game would work) lends itself to the same treatment. Writers can describe the creatures within the game and give instructions on dealing with those creatures without getting killed. A recent young writer drafted a fine essay extolling the virtues of relying on player-created videos to improve one’s game play. While it’s not a topic I’d have ever chosen as a writer or a teacher, it interested him. The writing technique we were honing was unity, and this could be accomplished with any subject. Doing it with one within his comfort zone made that a bit more enjoyable.

Writing about one’s own interests has a few benefits. First, it’s easier to pay attention to what interests one. Personally, I’d rather write about homeschooling or twice-exceptional education than about fluctuating corn prices or how to roast a pig. Just like me, when students choose their writing topics, they stay engaged and are often more eager to write (or less heavily resistant, which is on the spectrum of eager, right?). A reduction in the pain factor is always a plus.

Writing about what interests one can make a long assignment more bearable. When team-teaching a group of high-schoolers through a research paper, my teaching partner and I encouraged them to pick a topic with care since they’d be living intimately with it for a couple of months. Liking it makes that a more pleasant time. While most of the kids were thoroughly tired of the writing process by the end of six weeks, they were still generally interested in their topics.

Additionally, writing is a fine process for organizing previously learned information in new ways. Writing about a passion is far from just a recitation of what’s previously been learned. It’s a chance to categorize and recategorize what’s already been learned. New relationships are revealed, which can make one consider one’s cat or video game in a different light. A martial art studied for years becomes more sharply defined when held against a different martial art — what was taken for granted is somehow now new and different. These higher-order thinking skills can blossom through writing about the utterly familiar and ordinary.

Finally, when the subject is familiar and comfortable, the focus can be on the writing process rather than wrestling with new information about a subject. In the comfort of a student’s knowledge of his two cats, he or she can focus on the structure of a comparison and contrast essay about those beloved creatures. With the subject matter previously internalized, what to say is not as problematic, and the attention can go into how to say it. Experimenting with metaphorical language is easier when the objects for comparison are familiar, and learning to write an instructive piece is easier if the process being written about is familiar to the writer.

There will be plenty of times when a young writer doesn’t have a choice about the writing topic, but especially for young writers and resistant writers, turning over topic selection to the writer can make the project easier and more enjoyable for both learner and teacher. As many a homeschooling parent knows, writing can be hard enough to teach as it is. Give yourself a break. Whatever the next writing skill on the learning list is, try turning the topic selection entirely over to your child while focusing on teaching the techniques the child needs to know. If that turns into short stories about fairies, expository essays about black holes, or persuasive pieces about the benefits of video gaming for kids, so be it.  You might even catch your young writer smiling.

Review: Discovering Mathematics (Singapore Math, Secondary Level)

Note: Since beginning Discovering Mathematics, Singapore Math has released a new edition, Discovering Mathematics Common Core. The order of lessons vary a bit, and new topics have been included. At this writing, only levels 7A and 7B are available, with 8A and 8B to be released at the end of 2012. The others should follow soon, I’ve been told. Yes, movement between the old and new programs are doable, and a switch from  the old level 1 to the new level 8 works well, I’m told by their forum guru. Worrier that I am, I have 7B and 1A just to be certain we won’t miss anything. In all regards, including, rigor, the new books are quite similar to the old, with additions and a bit of rearranging being the main differences. 

Providing a challenging mathematics education was one of the key reasons we started homeschooling. Deeply disappointed by the depth of the math provided by two schools, my older son, then seven, assumed he was the problem.

“I don’t think I’ve very smart, Mom,” he told me.

“Why not?” I inquired.

“Because they don’t give me anything hard to do,” came his sad reply.

Math (and science) were his loves at age 4 and 5 in Montessori and while at home. He was appropriately challenged in the first at school and free to explore the second at home. First grade ended all that, where math became repetition of previously mastered lessons. Second grade, at our local gifted and talented public school, it was nonexistent  which was because, we were informed, he knew all the material for that year already.

So once home, math took a starring role. Singapore Math quickly became our preferred curriculum (reviewed here) for the elementary sequence. Even doing the Challenging Word Problem books, we burned through it quickly. Almost 10, my older insisted on Algebra, so we started the standard sequence, happily making our way through a fine text, Jacobs’ Algebra. (reviewed here).

When my younger finished 6B, I wondered if there was another way. We vamped for much of last year, working through a variety of books while choosing our next course of action. After much consideration, we decided to stay with Singapore, specifically, their Discovering Mathematics series. This four-year series is designed to cover some prealgebra, algebra (I and II), geometry, and a smattering of other topics, like probability and counting. Unlike most American programs, these topics are interwoven throughout the years, with chapters on algebra followed by chapters on geometry with a side trip to data handling. It’s challenging, with plenty of problems, tests with answers, and teacher’s support books if needed.

But I hesitated. Accustomed to the four-year math sequence I’d known as a child and that my older son had followed, I was hesitant to commit to a different path. What if we didn’t like it after a year? What then? (Answer: Start a traditional Algebra program and compact or test out of what has already been covered. Ditto the next year with Geometry.) I presented my younger son, then 10, with the options. Singapore, Jacobs, or Art of Problem Solving? He looked at samples of all online and liked the familiarity of the Singapore. Thus, we reached a decision.

We’ve not been disappointed. We started Discovering Mathematics 1A soon after it arrived and found that while it certainly felt like the Singapore Math we’d enjoyed the previous years, it was a step up in challenge and pace. He’s enjoying it, but we don’t whip through the pages as we did at the elementary level. Concepts aren’t broken down in such small parts, and even the sample problems (Try This!) are fairly challenging. Fortunately, this increase in challenge has resulted in an increase of effort. As a result, he’s feeling rather accomplished while learning large amounts.

At the minimum, the user will need to purchase two textbooks for the year. These paperbacks are affordable and reusable, in keeping with Singapore Math’s reputation for affordability.   Each of the four levels requires two textbooks, each generally over 200 pages long. The year is broken up into 11 to 17 chapters, roughly evenly divided between the two books. (The fourth level is shorter, with a significant proportion of 4B dedicated to review tests, similar to the elementary level 6B.)

The chapters are broken up into shorter sections, some amenable to a single lesson or day of work, others requiring multiple days, given the depth of the lessons. Each section ends with problems in four categories: Basic Practice (the easiest problems), Further Practice (definitely a bit more work), Maths@Work (word problems just as challenging as the aptly named Challenging Word Problems of the elementary series), and Brainworks (sometimes too hard for Mom but worth trying if no one is crying). The so-called Revision Exercise (test) at the end of each chapter is at the level of the Further Practice and Maths@Work level. Aside from the Brainworks problems, all the answers for the problems are in the back of the book. If you desire worked solutions (and so far, I’m good without), there are Teacher’s Guides available, which include other teaching assistance, activities, and a breakdown of lessons and timing.

An additional workbook is available for each level, providing some extra practice as well as more problems at the more challenging level. Unlike the traditional workbook, these don’t provide a place to do the problems, making them more of a reusable problem bank. I assign some of these at the end of each chapter, before the revision (test). The number I assign depends on how well he’s handling the material — some sections just require more practice than others. Generally, these workbook problems are more challenging than the textbook ones. They are broken down into sections called Basic Practice, Further Practice (both a bit more involved than the same-named section in the text, it seems), Challenging Practice (and it generally lives up to its name), and Enrichment (excellent problems that we don’t get to most of the time). As with the text, answers are in the back, but solutions require the Teacher’s Edition of the workbook. I’d strongly suggest the workbook to supplement all learners, with the Teacher’s Edition on the shelf if a parent is a bit math wary and wants guidance on the trickier problems.

The strengths of the elementary level of Singapore Math continue at the secondary level. The pace is swift, which is excellent for the mathematically talented child but could be overwhelming for others. The problems in the text at the secondary level are far more challenging that what is in the workbooks for the elementary level, but on par with the Challenging Word Problems books. (I’ve not used the Intensive Practice books at the elementary level, which are designed to increase the challenge at their respective levels.) The depth we’ve encountered thus far is also impressive. Math is not taught via algorithm but by deep understanding, which, in my opinion, is by far the superior method. It is applied, not simply in one-step word problems, but across the sciences and into the work world. Math lives in these books, with all its complexity and beauty there for the learning.

The downside to the Discovering Mathematics series? If one isn’t math-comfortable, these could be a challenge to teach. That said, for the math-uncomfortable, these are an excellent way to build a new relationship with math. I know that throughout teaching even the elementary level of Singapore Math to my boys, this math-comfortable mom moved from number capable to number savvy. I’ve said before that I believe that math is best taught rather than learned solo. Discussion is part of the process, and many times, I’ve had a child teach me and correct me, thus delighting the child and enlightening me. (For more on thoughts about strong mathematics programs, read my post, Math Matters.)

We’re early in our exploration of this four-level series, and I’ll post again as we move through the program. I’m hoping we continue to enjoy Discovering Mathematics over the next several years, allowing us continuity with a strong mathematics educational program.

As always, I only review what we’ve used, and I never accept compensation of materials or money for my reviews. 

Experience/Review: Coursera

We’ve wading into new territory this semester. We’re hardly alone. With over 75,000 learners from around the globe and spanning many decades, my younger son is exploring connections in world history. My older is finishing a science fiction and fantasy literature course while starting a class in beginning Python programming. We’ve sampled just a touch of what this mode of learning offers. At this writing, Coursera lists 198 MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), ranging from neuroscience to economics to physics. The preponderance of courses are in mathematics, computers, and science, with a smattering of business and liberal arts offerings making up the rest. All are free and, as the name suggests, all have massive attendance.

Unlike many previous free offerings from universities, these aren’t self-paced, self- evaluated classes. These run at the pace of a college course, albeit generally shorter. Coursera’s offerings run from three to twelve weeks in length with start times scattered throughout the calendar, so just about any time during the year, a class is beginning. While the format differs somewhat for each course, the basic set-up is the same. About two hours of lectures are released weekly, each broken up into shorter segments. Sometimes, an informal quiz falls at the end of the lecture, allowing the learner to check on his or her knowledge. Assessments vary, with objective quizzes dotting the schedules of some and peer-graded papers dominating in others. Some even have final exams.  All have deadlines.

I love that last part.

There is the potential for an interactive experience in Coursera. There are discussion forums for each class, with separate lists for a variety of topics. In part, these are designed to foster conversation about the material or address questions students have. My older has participated a bit, and while I’ve had my younger son check in on them, he has no interest in participating. Meet-up groups are also listed, with people gathering live in small communities to discuss class material. We’ve not explored this option yet, keeping discussion at home for now. These courses would be fine material for a group of homeschoolers to explore together, possibly meeting to discuss assignments or the lectures. If the courses we’ve experienced are any indication, there would be no need to add more material to what’s offered. These are time-intensive offerings — full courses unto themselves, but a live setting for discussion would make the experience richer.

Make no mistake. These courses are not geared toward the under-18 audience. While that’s not likely to matter for most of the classes, my older son’s Fantasy and Science Fiction literature class had numerous (appropriate) references to sex and sexual symbolism. As a previous English major, I wasn’t surprised by these. As a mom, I took them as a learning opportunity about literary analysis. My son survived, although he stuck to choosing essay topics about other literary elements. I’d have been less sanguine about my younger son, 11 years, had he been in the course, but between the reading list and the nature of literary analysis courses, I knew better than to enroll him.  The history course he’s taken has made brief references to the spread of sexually transmitted infections by sailors leaving the Americas and to rape within the context of historical events, both appropriate to the topic at hand. Again, my approach has been to use these times to inform and discuss.  History is full of difficult topics, and I expected some challenges; these topics have been manageable for our household, but some families may want to stick to more technical courses that have less likelihood of wandering into these territories.

The experiences of firm deadlines and peer review are perhaps the two most likely to challenge the homeschooling student. While my sons have had a moderate amount of exposure to deadlines for other online classes and real-life classes, they’ve little experience with the perils of missing a deadline, which, for the courses we’ve experienced so far, can mean receiving a zero for an assignment. I’m grateful for this reality check, and as most of us homeschooling parents know, having that reality come from outside of us makes it all the more, well, real. So far, both boys are on target with these dates, and we’ve taken to artificially advancing the time and date due to avoid last-minute rushes or the inevitable technology crash occurring at the wrong moment. My older son has translated this well to his university courses, and I can see healthy habits beginning.

Kids in school today generally have a fair amount of experience with peer review, an experience I was largely spared as a child. Coursera’s version, at least in our experience so far, relies on a rubric (a scale of 1 to 3, in our experience) with accompanying comments from the student readers. For one class, if you did not submit your reviews, you received no grade on your writing, thus impacting your final grade. My older son found these doing reviews and grading difficult initially. With no experience writing literary analysis, he had little to on which to base his judgement of others work. Initially, we worked together. But in a few weeks, he took on the task himself, seeking me out if there was a theme in an essay that didn’t make sense to him (often due to lack of his experience and knowledge, not due to a fellow student’s lack of clarity). His grades each week were an average of the responses of four readers, thus blunting the most optimistic and pessimistic reviewers while still allowing him to see what everyone’s ratings and comments.

Reviewing the work of others, he found, strengthened his own writing. He saw that grammatical errors and poorly proofread work were laborious to read. I’d told him that for years, but it all became obvious when reading four other essays a week for ten weeks. He learned economy of words, since he had only 320 words with which to express himself. As a sometimes wordy writer, this was invaluable. Both through the process of reviewing others and being reviewed, he found his writing improve. We were both delighted.

While we’ve only sampled a bit of what Coursera has to offer, I can say I’m impressed by the quality of the lectures, the intentionality of the assignments, and the organization of the courses themselves. Like a live course, some professors will appeal to some learners more than others. Some classes will be more demanding than others. Some assignments are clearer than others. Overall, there is plenty here for homeschoolers working at the high school level and beyond to appreciate. There is plenty to challenge young, bright learners who either aren’t ready for the college classroom (my younger son) or want a more convenient  affordable way to access college-level content.

Here are a few additional considerations for those considering Coursera for the homeschooled student:

• Read course descriptions carefully. Some classes are clearly for beginners while others, despite benign titles, are designed for those with far more experience.
• Pay attention to the time requirement mentioned and the syllabus (if available) before signing up. Sure, gifted learners may require less time to master material, but the hours of lecture, readings, and assignments add up.
• Consider having your child just sit in for the lectures if that’s more appropriate for your learner. No one comes after you if you don’t do the work, and for some students, just the lectures may be what they’re after. The work however, is what differentiates these classes from Teaching Company classes.
• Be prepared to support the younger learner, especially at the start of a class. For the child newer to online learning at a rapid pace, organizational assistance may be in order. For peer review work, some advising and supervision initially can ensure that the critique heading out is respectful and useful to the reader.

MOOCs are part of the future of higher education. Udacity and edX also offer similar experiences with a focus on math, computers, and the sciences. More opportunities for university-level learning for no or minimal cost can benefit a range of learners, including the homeschooled student ready for higher-level studies. While I’d not want all my children’s content to come through the internet, it’s a fine way to bring high-quality content home.

Composition Choices: Michael Clay Thompson

Previously, I’ve reviewed MCT’s first three levels of language arts materials (General, Grammar and Poetics, Vocabulary and Composition)  and the first composition book for the fourth level (Advanced Academic Writing I). While the grammar, vocabulary, and poetics books at each level work well together, the corresponding composition books tend to be beyond the reach of many young, gifted kids. As I’ve begun to tutor young writers, discussing what level of MCT composition is appropriate has come up more than once. Here are some thoughts on making a selection. 

Michael Clay Thompson breathes life into language arts instruction. With six levels of materials covering grammar, vocabulary, composition, poetics, and literature, he seamlessly integrates those elements of the English language in a manner that assumes his readers are intelligent, active learners. These are not workbooks for self-study — they are texts best explored with a teacher or guide. While the composition books could be used without the rest of the books in the corresponding level, the learner would need a strong grasp of grammar to truly take advantage of what they have to offer and an understanding of MCT’s four-level approach to grammar. (Take home message — if you’re using a composition book, purchase that level of grammar or higher to use with it.)

All his books within a level are integrated, each rooted heavily in the corresponding grammar book and somewhat less on the vocabulary book.  For many young gifted learners this presents a dilemma — what a level child is able to manage in grammar, vocabulary and poetics reaches a level or often more above what works for composition for the child. Therefore, it’s not uncommon for a child to be ready for the fourth level of grammar and vocabulary but still be working on the second level of composition. No need to worry, however, as that difference works quite well.

Sentence Island: This is a fine start for the beginning young writer. While the content is applicable to writers of all levels, it has a young feel, which would likely be off-putting to the upper elementary or older learner (over age 10, perhaps, depending on the child). This book teaches writing beyond the sentence and demands understanding of the grammar taught in the corresponding level. For my younger son, it was too demanding (unless I scribed for him) until he was about nine, at which point, he was finishing the Voyage (third) level of everything else. This worked well for my (then) reluctant writer, and I was glad we waited. (Only the Teacher Manual is necessary when using this at home.)

Paragraph Town: The second writing book of the MCT series takes the writer through the story of two ducks, Fishmeal and Queequack, as Fishmeal seeks knowledge about the paragraph. The story nature of the book makes it better suited for younger users, but the material is so worthwhile, I’d encourage the reluctant but somewhat older writer to read through the story and work through the exercises (which are fine for any age). Even experienced writers can benefit from the thorough treatment of the paragraph in this fine text. There’s quite a bit here. Resist the urge to fly through, and take time to assure the lessons are absorbed and sufficient practice occurs. (Again, only the Teacher Manual is necessary for home use.)

Essay Voyage: This text makes a big leap from Paragraph Town in style and content. Gone is the story form of teaching. Instead, MCT breaks essay writing tasks into ten chapters, covering such topics as structure, formality,  content, conclusion, and even correct citations and use of quotations. Each element of writing is clearly taught, complete with examples. Most chapters offer a list of options including research and reflections on readings. Gradually, essays are included in the options, and by the end, essays with quotations are expected. It’s a steep set of expectations that, if met, would lead to developing quite strong writing skills that certainly would prepare a learner for high school and exceed what many can do before heading to college.

The essay examples range from the lighthearted to the quite difficult, including a selection from the Federalist Papers and the Narrative of Frederick Douglass, just to name two. This represents a challenge when using the book with a younger learner who just may not related to the content of the essays for examination. For the younger child, moving directly from Paragraph Town, with its more gentle approach and easy reading material, to Essay Voyage may not be advisable. If in doubt, wait, working longer with the earlier book or supplementing with other materials. (As with the other books at this level, only the TM is necessary.)
Advanced Academic Writing I: The fourth book (reviewed here) continues where the third left off, using literature as a starting point for writing with quotations and, new to this level, paraphrasing with citations. While sound in content, the tone is harsh. Yes, writers should be held to high standards in form and content, but this volume is a bit punishing for my taste, at least on the grading front. in my opinion, his focus on grading interferes with the material taught. One could certainly soften that approach and ignore the rubric MCT presents, but a large portion of the book is based on meeting this demands.
This is not a tome for the younger gifted writer, and it is a leap beyond the previous level, Essay Voyage. The first assignment requires writing about literature,  a difficult task for any writer (and the gifted child may be at this fourth level at 10 or even earlier). While there is fine writing advice given here, I’ve chosen other paths to teaching this level of composition. (This book is best used with both the student text and TM. MCT offers a second and third level of Advanced Academic Writing, which I’ve yet to explore.)

Michael Clay Thompson offers a fine introduction to essay writing, starting at the level of the sentence. The young writer will likely need a slower progression through the writing portion of the MCT books, and the guide above may help one find the right pace to start. Remember, MCT’s composition books are targeted toward academic essays and papers, not fiction or other genre. While I’m of the thought that teaching this more formal writing should be the first priority when teaching children to write, there is value in adding other creative components to a writing curriculum, especially for children craving that sort of writing outlet. Whatever type of writing a learner prefers, however, the material taught in his first three composition books will form a solid base of writing skills that would serve writers of any genre.

As with all my reviews, I’ve received no compensation in materials or otherwise for this review. 

Summer Break?

I’ve moved past the “Whew! It’s over!” stage that began Memorial Day weekend. The first few weeks of summer, I luxuriated in my new freedom from coaxing kids through assignments and planning lessons. Then I started to approach a few of those nagging projects: the doors that needed painting, the mounds of paperwork on my desk, and church committee work. Once the fun of all that wore off (yes, there are still more doors needing a coat of paint), I moved on to start preparations for fall. No, they aren’t complete. No, I don’t know exactly what each subject will look like for my kids (although here’s my guess for my older and my younger). Specifically, I have two new projects (and another hatching project) that keep me occupied and occasionally stressed during these hot and hazy days of summer.

As mentioned in my preliminary plans for my older son, I’m teaching Physics this fall. No one could be more surprised than I. Biology was my first foray into planning and executing a lab science course for more than just my own child, and I had fun. It is my domain, scientifically, and I thoroughly enjoy the exploration of the living science and sharing that exploration with others.

Chemistry was the logical next step, and I felt some trepidation planning that one. My last Chemistry class was two decades earlier, and while I understood the basics of the science, I didn’t have the same passion about it. But my son and his friend had an enormous amount of excitement about the course, which promised dangerous chemicals, controlled explosions, and liberal use of flames. Their excitement was contagious and made planning easier.

But after Chemistry, I swore I was done. No Physics, I told them and myself. And last year, my older took a year off from lab science, instead doing a Meteorology and Earth Science study while I focused my energy on subjects other than science.

But Physics was due. With nine other credits at a local University scheduled for my older son this fall, I knew college-level physics at the same institution would be overwhelming. I also knew we’d both fare better if his Physics study included someone other than just him. Science is collaborative, and bouncing ideas off of lab partners mirrors the intra-lab confabs that occur in professional science. Plus, I’m more consistently prepared when my audience extends beyond my offspring. (Call me a bad mom, but it’s true.)

So mid-August, I’ll begin an Algebra-based Physics course for four high schoolers, ranging from 14 to 17 years old. We’ll meet weekly for three hours or so, spending time on assignment review, lecture, and labs. Once a month, more or less, another dedicated homeschooling parent will make the class sing, encouraging experiment design and implementation with plenty of support and wisdom. With a true love for Physics, he’ll provide the heart for the science that I find a tad intimidating. I’m grateful beyond words.

As the lesson plans unfold, I’ll add them to a page on the top of this blog. This may not happen every week, so if you’re interested, visit Don’t Touch the Photons for the most up-to-date lesson and links. Keeping a webpage for a class keeps crucial information about assignments in the hands of students and forces me to plan ahead, which are both convincing reasons for me to make the effort.

My other summer endeavor falls well within my comfort zone. I’m offering writing coaching/tutoring to a handful of students. A few are local, but most are scattered around the country. While I’ll rely somewhat on Michael Clay Thompson’s Paragraph Town and Essay Voyage, I’ll likely create my own materials based on the needs the kids present. For some students, I’ll be planning a course and carrying it out, available via email and Google Hangout (a Skype-like setting where documents can be shared and marked up together). For others, I’m assisting on a project assigned by someone else. I’m quite excited as I start this journey, anticipating steep learning curve for me while hopefully delighting in the growth of young writers.

My own writing projects often takes a back seat, and this summer proves to be no exception. This is avoidance, of course, and a fear of starting without the whole picture in front of me. I have a few larger projects in mind (read: books that want out of my head), including one that would likely spring in one direction or another from my writing here. I see some holes in the books available for homeschooling families, and I’d like to try to fill one. If that sounds vague, it’s because it is still fuzzy to me. I’m not sure what I’m waiting to have happen — what moment of clarity I await  – but I seem to be in a holding pattern.

As I watch myself procrastinate, I understand my children a bit better. Their stalling and occasional downright opposition to assignments (often the writing sort) stems from a similar place. Both admit to fears about starting when the whole project isn’t clearly in mind. Both suffer the sort of perfectionism that makes task initiation difficult or even impossible. I’m open about my own “stuck” times, sharing what worries me when I can’t start and what, if anything, I find to help me along.  And that, perhaps, is a perpetual fourth project: better understanding my children. The stakes feel high, but the timeline is long.

There’s plenty to do this summer. Along with two definitive projects, one incubating work (with duct tape on the egg as a precautionary action to ward off failure), and a lifelong quest, there are vacations to take, friends to see, gardens to tend, books to read, and clouds to watch. And those other doors? They’re not looking that bad after all.

Review: Advanced Academic Writing, Volume I (Michael Clay Thompson)

I’m committed to raising strong writers. For parts of my boys’ lives, they’ve been committed to not writing. I managed to cultivate enough patience accommodate this reluctance, scribing until they could type well and exposing them to plenty of fine writing along the way. We tried a few writing programs, but they largely felt formulaic and focused heavily on creative writing, which did not please my older son, who eventually broke through the writing wall with an online course.

A year or so later, we started using Michael Clay Thompson’s Language Arts materials from Royal Fireworks Press. (I’ve reviewed the Elementary resources here:  MCT Overview, Grammar and Poetics, Vocabulary and Composition ) Both my sons moved quickly and happily through the grammar and vocabulary books. Given their writing reluctance, we always lagged behind on the writing portion of the series, generally working a level behind on the writing end of the curriculum. This is a common solution for many using the series with younger children. The output required for the writing books far outpaces what many young children can manage, so many families just adjust accordingly.

Advanced Academic Writing, Volume 1 (AAW 1) is the first of the MCT writing Middle/Secondary writing series. It’s a serious tome designed to teach a learner how to write an MLA-style academic essay or research paper. It’s designed to be used with Magic Lens 1 (grammar) and Word Within a Word 1(vocabulary), which are also far more serious and demanding books than their predecessors. Like with the elementary series, I’ve found that while that at this level, the grammar and vocabulary books are accessible to my kids, the writing program is a giant leap above them. Admittedly, I’m using the books early for my younger (WWW 1 and ML 1 for 5th grade), and the asynchrony of gifted children often results in a delay on the product end of the learning equation. But even as we approach the second level of the secondary grammar and vocabulary, I know he’s not nearly ready for Advanced Academic Writing I.

Like Essay Voyage, the third writing text in the elementary trio, AAW 1 focuses on formal diction and prose and third-person writing. Advanced Academic Writing continues where Essay Voyage, the last volume of the elementary series, leaves off. While the other portions of the MCT language arts curriculum have a spiral element built-in, allowing a learner to enter at about any level, the writing portion is far more linear.  While a high school student could begin the rest of the middle/secondary series and be able to work through the series successfully, AAW 1 relies heavily on the material from  Essay Voyage, where the principles of a well-crafted essay are explicitly taught. This isn’t a problem if a student is well-schooled in writing an academic essay, but many students simply aren’t.

Advanced Academic Writing 1 begins with a fifty-odd page writing guide that briefly covers the mechanics of writing an academic essay or short research paper. After covering standard proofreading marks, MLA rules regarding form and style, and quotations, Thompson gives an example of a paper fitting his criteria with a few proofreading marks thrown in as examples. The paper is heavy on long quotes for it’s three page length, but it’s point is to illustrate form, formality, and adherence to the thesis. The samples in the book are all short, as are the assignments. Thompson is looking for perfecting each part of smaller works — learning correct form. I agree with the philosophy of several shorter assignments with the aim of learning the form. It’s a more efficient and less overwhelming way to learn the intricate process of academic writing. (When I co-taught a research paper class, this point was driven home to me. We assigned a paper three to four times the length MCT suggests, and the students were rather overwhelmed. Lesson learned.)

The guide continues with word usage and punctuation guides along with a few examples of papers with errors. These lists are concise and easy to use, limited to a few pages each and accessible for the grammar-savvy user. What follows is less concise: nearly twenty pages of what he calls “core-element grading.” It’s at this where I disagree with MCT. His grading method starts with correct use of the English language, then moves to MLA format, correct essay structure, and, finally, the meaningfulness of the idea itself. In short, if the first item isn’t present (proper English) the paper can receive a grade no higher than a D with mastery (in order) of the following elements to achieve a C, B, or A. In short, a paper with an excellent thesis that is well-supported with excellent command of the English language can receive no more than a C if MLA formatting is incorrect. Form before function, I suppose.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a stickler about form and proper use of the English language. But I can’t agree with putting the quality and support of the thesis last. Kids develop their writing ability unevenly, and this one penalizes those who lag on the details but excel in content. Certainly the whole grading system could be dismissed. As homeschoolers, we regularly dismiss what does not fit our needs. However, the focus on errors in the first three categories continues throughout the book, and while the examples are helpful, I’d rather see far more focus on creating effective essays.

Four assignments make up the second half of the book, each with word lists from Word Within the Word 1, hints about word choice, a sentence from 4Practice 1, a sample paper with a few pages of comments (positive and negative) addressing the elements listed above, and, for two of the assignments, a writing lesson (organization and outlining; proper citation). Finally, the assignment is given. Thompson is painstakingly clear regarding expectations for each paper, although he leaves plenty of room for choice on the subject of each essay. His assignments each have a specific purpose, which he makes clear as well. Students are asked to write each of the following:

• An interpretation of fiction using a single source
• An essay citing multiple sources
• An essay on a revolutionary character
• An essay on an abstract concept

These choices leave plenty of room for a student to follow an interest or for a parent or teacher to shape into an assignment that intersects with other material being taught.

So how much did we use Advanced Academic Writing, Volume 1? Not much. The first few sections intimidated my older son, who was a ninth grader by age and still very reluctant to write. He can write quite well but tends to panic easily. The tone of this book was panic-inducing for him, and I quickly set it aside. He has written two fine research papers since then, both using many of the concepts Thompson teaches but with less demanding assignments. My younger is an astonishingly fine writer at ten would be unable to handle many of the assignments now. Interpretation of fiction is a task that flummoxes many an older teen, and his other assignments simply aren’t yet accessible to him. So for now, I rely on Essay Voyage and, for the most part, my own writing knowledge. It’s likely the homeschooler in me, but I’m far more intent on keeping writing from being hated and focusing on continuous improvement than letter-grading my kids’ work. I can see where this book would be a fine addition to an honors-level high school class, but it’s not for the reluctant writer or most younger children ready for the content he provides for grammar and vocabulary at this level.

So for now, Advanced Academic Writing, Volume 1, will continue to sit on my shelf. It may be a fine match for my younger son a few years from now. He’s a strong writer, and he’s less likely to be intimidated by the tone and content of this book. My older, however, needs a gentler, kinder path to mastering academic writing. What that is, I don’t quite know, but I’ll share our journey here when I work that out.

Preliminary Planning for 2012/13: My Older (10th grade)

A few weeks back, I posted preliminary plans for fall for my younger son, A.B. My older son’s plans still have some holes, but here’s what I have so far.  As always, plans are subject to change. For past plans for both boys, see the tab above, “What We Say We’re Doing.”

A.D. (15, 10th grade)

Math: This one is easy, at least for me. My older will be enrolled in a local homeschool-friendly university for Calculus I and II this year. Math is his strongest subject, and his biggest challenges will be showing his work and writing legibly. The math part should be no problem, especially since he’s spent the past month working through my college calculus text with the help of Khan Academy videos. Yes, he’s excited, albeit in that somewhat cool, detached way teenage boys often have.

Language Arts:  The goals for this year are to continually build his writing skills, with a focus on the essay and academic writing, and doing more formal literary study and analysis. For the writing, we’ll selectively work through Models for Writers: Short Essays for Composition, adding in a few research papers throughout the year.  He’ll also complete a Hewitt Lightning Literature course, likely American Mid to Late 19th Century, although that’s under debate.  I’d like to add some formal vocabulary study, since that fell by the wayside midway through Word Within the Word II. What we’ll use remains unknown (suggestions welcome).

History: This one’s a mystery. This summer, he’s watching and discussing The World Was Never the Same: Events that Changed History (Teaching Company) with a group of homeschoolers.  I’m adding some readings to round out the subjects as well. A friend is musing about creating a course on the history of the English language, but this is still in the maybe stage. Last year was American history, so this year won’t be. Beyond that, I’m uncertain (and again, open to suggestions).

Science: Ack! It’s physics time! Somehow, I found myself volunteering to teach (algebra-based) physics to a handful of local homeschoolers. Then, I promptly lost a night of sleep in sheer panic. I’ve found my ground and some good resources. We’ll likely be using Singapore’s Physics Matters for the text, with additions for the material it’s lacking (parabolic motion, centripetal and centrifugal force, and quantum physics, just to name a few). A friend’s husband, who will be doing labs for my younger son and his own son, volunteered to run labs for the high school kids one day a month. I’ll teach the material, likely working some smaller labs and demos during our weekly meeting, and turn over the true excitement to him. Lesson plans will appear on this blog as they develop.

Foreign Language: Latin didn’t work. Spanish with Rosetta Stone (assigned to give the flavor of the language only) yielded less than 20 vocabulary words, per my son’s estimate. So this fall, we’re trying something different. So this September, my older will start the American Sign Language  sequence at our local homeschooling-friendly university. A kinesthetic language for a kinesthetic learner seems appropriate. Will colleges accept it? Many do, and he understands the limits this choice may place on his options later.

The Rest:  He’ll continue with piano through the summer and next year. His negotiations with him piano teacher did yield a happier student and a generally satisfied teacher, and he’s pleased enough to stay put.  While he spent some time at tennis lessons this winter, he’s not interested in our local Y’s current configuration of classes (teens were moved from  classes with adults to classes for age 8 and up). He needs exercise, and finding what will work for him is one of our summer quests.

I’d like to teach a class using David White’s The Examined Life: Advanced Philosophy for Kids, although not first semester when I’m settling into physics. Both my boys enjoyed White’s Philosophy For Kids: 40 Questions That Help You Wonder About Everything, but I’d rather run this second one with a larger group than my own two children (and I think only my older is ready for this much more challenging tome).  I’m also waiting to hear from my older. It is, after all, his education.

Suggestions are always appreciated, as are links to your plans.