Radical

I'm thinking about doing something totally radical and see how it works out.

Next week I'm going LCC: multa non multum, all the way.

Why?  Because I feel we are not being efficient with our curriculum or time.  I'm not satisfied.  This is a flaw of mine and I may never be satisfied.  I go back and forth on curriculum constantly, trying to find the perfect fit.  At least my kids aren't behind on any subject.  Yet.

I'm dropping R&S Spelling, MP's Grammar Recitations, R&S English, and Classical Composition.  *faint*

I added Classical Writing - Aesop (it streamlines spelling, grammar, and composition, plus adds in literature analysis).  A lot of people use an additional grammar and spelling program, but I am going to try to refrain from doing so.  I think between CW and Latin, it is enough.  We will have to pick up R&S English eventually in the higher grades, or another grammar curriculum, but for now an additional grammar is not needed.  It is all in CW-Aesop.  (Well.. maybe we'll keep English.. I don't know)

So here is my plan so far (I have until Monday to change it all around a million times):

Daily:
Scripture Study
Latin
Classical Writing
Math Mammoth / xtramath.com
Geography or Science or Classical Studies
Read literature for 1 hour
Piano
Poetry Recitations
I read aloud at night, they narrate: History, Bible, Homer, and Shakespeare.


What I like about Classical Writing is that the different components of language arts are all drawn from one weekly model.  That is something that I have always wanted to have.  Their recommended literature is the small collection of great books I have been looking for.  It just seems to fit my goals and educational philosophy, and seems to be exactly what I've been looking for.  We'll see.

So what is LCC?  It is a book called The Latin-Centered Curriculum.  He talks about multa non multum, which is Latin for "much, but not many."  The three main principles of multa non multum are:
1.  "The number of subjects must be limited to the truly academic."
2. "Whenever possible, subjects are taught in relation to one another and in the context of broader intellectual concerns." And, "in all subjects, students should be led to ask big questions: What is Man? What is the Good Life?  How then should we live?"
3. "Readings in Literature and History consist of a very few representative masterpieces that the student reads slowly and studies in depth." - Andrew A. Campbell

He gives a 12-year overview of recommended subjects and curriculum, most of which I am following with this plan, substituting a few things.

A few changes

We are at the end of week 20 today.  Week 21 brings some new changes in our little school.  I have felt we were becoming too schoolish in our work and not enough enjoyment or meaningful learning was happening.  After reading and thinking and planning for the last two weeks, I have decided to drop a few a few things and add a few things.  Mostly, I'm steering the ship back towards Charlotte Mason... again.

I love and recommend Rod & Staff English 3, Climbing to Good English 2, and Spell to Write and Read.  Great and fabulous programs!!!  I may use them again in the future.  As for now, I decided to drop them and pursue a rigorous CM language arts routine consisting of daily copywork, daily narration (oral & written), dictation, oral reading practice, more read-alouds, poetry, and nature journaling. 

The kids are getting plenty of grammar from their Latin curriculum, which is why I dropped our wonderful English program.  I feel that Latin is serving them very well.  Memoria Press made a grammar book to use along with their Latin programs, which I will be using too.  Grammar will be learned in the context of latin and applied in an informal way to their everyday work.

The children will have copywork every day.  They will also have composition every day, in the form of either dictation, written narration, or freewriting.

The McGuffey readers will be used for copywork, dictation, and oral reading practice.  These readers are valuable for their moral lessons and literary merit.  It progresses from the Primer, perfect for a new reader, to Book 6, appropriate for high school work.  Savannah and Charlotte will both begin in separate lessons in Book 3.  Madelynn, when she is ready, will soon begin the Primer to learn reading, spelling, and handwriting. 

From the McGuffey readers, one lesson will be assigned for the entire week.  Day 1- copy assigned passage of two to three sentences, Day 2- dictate same passage, Day 3- copy a new assigned passage, Day 4- dictate same passage.  So there will be two separate passages in a lesson to be used for copywork and dictation for a week.  Twice during the week, they will read the same assigned lesson aloud to me, practicing elocution and pronunciation.  Spending a full week on one lesson helps their learning become relevant and impressed upon their minds, which was what was lacking in a regular English textbook or spelling list.

Two days will be spent copying a part of their McGuffey lesson, but the other three days of the week will also have copywork.  One day will be sent copying a number of sentences from literature of their choice, one day copying a scripture of their choice, and one day copying a poem of their choice.  Poetry copywork will occur after we have poetry teatime.  Poetry teatime is when we all grab a book of poetry, go outside with a blanket and snacks, and take turns reading poems to each other.  Kids love it.  The kids also already copy their Latin vocabulary every day, two times each, in cursive.  They will continue to copy their Latin daily.

Since two of our days will be spent doing dictation, the other three days of the week will also include some sort of composition not including copywork.  Two days will include written narrations of our science reading that day.  The fifth day is spent doing a 10-min freewrite.  A freewrite is when we (including myself) write for 10 minutes.  That is the only rule.  We write on any topic.  Grammar, spelling, and neatness are inconsequential for this one assignment we will have each week.  This helps the girls overcome any fears of writing and gets the creative juices flowing.  The girls read me what they wrote, or not, and then file it away.  When we have done this for about 8 to 10 weeks, I will begin teaching them how to edit their own writing.  We tried it for the first time today and it went wonderful!  Savannah and Charlotte both continued to write after the timer went off.  Both wrote over a page worth of writing and both wrote a story they made up, but using the characters from Narnia.  I've never seen Charlotte write that much in her life!!  I am very pleased.

Read-alouds and narrations occur two to three times a day.  I read to them while they are eating breakfast from a scripture reader or other book that has to do with the gospel.  Right now we are reading Book of Mormon Stories for Young Latter-Day Saints.  Twice a week we read from our science book, Exploring Creation.  They write their narrations from science and illustrate what they are learning about in a notebook.  I read to them a tale before quiet time in the afternoon, but don't require a narration at that time.  Then at night I read to them after they are in bed, either a novel or from our history books, and do require an oral narration.

Hopefully this made sense.  I'm excited about the changes made.  I love the idea of a CM language arts, but could never figure out how to make it all work together well in a schedule.  I enjoy the fact that a large portion of it is coming from the McGuffey readers to give their learning relevance and meaning.

Oh, kids just asked if they could go write another story... awesome!  Happy teacher here!

Reading Aloud ramblings

I just heard about The Read-Aloud Handbook.  I looked it up on Amazon and read a few pages of it from that site.  Then I ordered it; it will be here tomorrow.  It basically talks about the effects reading to your children has on them, when to begin reading to them, when to stop, and what to read.  It is highly motivating and has, once again, changed my ideas about homeschooling and how to educate my kiddos.  Reading that book in light of studying Charlotte Mason, Charlotte Mason is beginning to make a little more sense.  Or rather, I'm seeing the value of educating FULLY Charlotte Mason style.  I really like Ambleside Online, for example.  But over and over again on that site the creators say not to treat this like another booklist, but to implement it the way Charlotte Mason prescribes.  I've been treating it like a booklist :)  A booklist that is difficult to make time for. 

Our homeschoool day is full.  First the kids do Xtra Math, then a page out of their math books.  By the time we do those two things, in addition to getting everyone dressed, feeding everyone, cleaning up the mess, and reading out of the scriptures, the morning is over.  I let the kids go out to play for a while as a break, then bring them back in at lunch, clean up, do a quick devotional (sing, recite a scripture, listen/read a scripture story or Friend article).  Baby and Zach go down for naps and the rest of us go outside and do some sort of outdoor chore with Isaac.  Babies wake, need diapers, everyone needs fed, kitchen needs cleaned again.  Then I start phonics/spelling/grammar/reading/writing/lit. individually with Savannah and Charlotte.  You know, the beast known as Language Arts.  I also try to get them to do their piano during the day; they are both taking piano lessons now.  I break up fights, clean up the constant huge messes made by Destructo Boy, clean out poopy panties, spray down poopy bums in the shower, clean more messes by D.B., do more dishes, make more food, give hugs, loves, and spankin's, and try not to lose my mind.  I'm just a little busy.  I try to squeeze in a read-aloud when they are in bed, but more often than not I'm too tired.  This is NOT a Charlotte Mason education.  : (  

Can I just say right here and now: I'm OK with just one boy.  That's all we need.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, read-alouds.  So reading aloud, aparently, is SO important, SO foundational to a good education and character, that I really can't afford to miss them.  In fact, read-alouds should become the CORE of what we do during the day.  Which means I need to reorganize our day and our priorities and our approach to education... again.  It is too much of a check list.  Math done.. check!  Phonics Road done... Check!  Scripture reading done.. check! 

It's not meaning anything to the kids and the kids do not love learning : (  But they do like books and they like to listen to stories : ) 

If I took that amazing "book list" called Ambleside Online and made that more important than, say... the Beast, commonly known as Language Arts... and diligently read aloud and required the kids to read widely and often, narrating as we go, copying down the great ideas we read... I think that the Beast can appropriately be slain.  Which hurts.  I'm not sure I have the guts to put Phonics Road to the side.  I'll have to ponder that a little longer.

A Charlotte Mason education is putting a feast of ideas (nature, science, artist, composers, math, geography, biographies, myths, fairy tales, character sketches) in front of the child through worthy books.  The books have to use literary language and be uplifting (think: virtuous, lovly, of good report and praiseworthy).  It is letting the child read, ponder, and then express through narrating or art, so that the ideas become digested and become theirs.  Charlotte Mason education inspires a love of learning.  A Charlotte Mason education is also a life style; it is having the Spirit in our home, being together as a happy family, working in the garden together, taking TIME together.  Reading, walking, talking, singing, laughing together.  JOY.  For instance, DB is currently climbing in my lap trying to turn off the computer screen so that I will sing him itsy bitsy spider.  That means I'm done typing for now.

Later.

McGuffey Readers

I love these books and so do my children.  I use the Primer, First, and Second readers for daily reading practice.  These first three readers contain simple stories with pretty pictures.  They just love them.

Readers 3-6 contain such a beautiful collection of stories and poetry that I just don't want them to miss out.  Yet, I don't want to do a lesson/day like we do with the beginning readers because they increase in difficulty very quickly, for example, the third reader should last a few years.  I also want to spend more time on one lesson so that it becomes more ingrained on their minds. 

I've been looking for a way to bring them more into Savannah's daily schedule lately, as well as incorporate more Charlotte Mason ideas, and I think I have come up with a plan.  We'll try it for the next few weeks to see how it goes.

With Savannah I'm going to start in the Third reader and work on one lesson a week for oral reading, copywork, and dictation.

ORAL READING:  This is to help her learn to pronounce words clearly and correctly, as well as to speak in front of other people.  On day 1 & 2, she reads the lesson out loud to me.  We work on saying the words clearly.  Day 3 & 4 she reads it standing up as if reading to an audience.  This time, in addtion to speaking clearly, she needs to speak loudly and with correct intonation.  Hopefully on day 4 or sometime over the weekend I can provide her with an audience.  Maybe during Family Home Evening.

COPYWORK:  I will choose part of the lesson for her to copy on day 1, and a different part of the lesson to copy on day 3.  She will mark the words phonetically as we do in Phonics Road.

DICTATION: I will dictate her copywork to her on day 2 & 4.  No phonetic marks this time.  Dictation is one of the most effective ways to learn spelling.

I think this is a good plan.  We'll see!