Ok, as a follow up to my review of the MBTP High School 1 English curriculum, I asked my daughter to answer a few simple questions to get her insights on how the program went for her. She took this as a freshman and I gave her a B in the class (only because she had some missing and late assignments).
Here are her comments:
Best thing?
The easy-to-follow, intuitive, and manageable way the class was organized. I liked that the lessons were short and concise. I also enjoyed the reading material.
Worst thing?
How expensive the workbooks are, and sometimes I felt like it was a bit juvenile.
What did you think of the reading selections?
I thought they were interesting, though I was somewhat surprised that they required some books that were very graphic.
What did you think of the assignments?
I liked that the assignments were concise and had a purpose. It didn't feel like just busywork.
Did it change the way you think in any way?
I would say that it taught me to think more deeply about things instead of just accepting the first answer that came.
What was the greatest (if any) benefit?
Exploring and studying the great reading material and discovering more about modern day social movements.
Do you feel prepared for 10th grade English?
Yes. I know more about grammar and how to critically think about a work of literature. The homework and assignments were challenging enough that I felt like I was improving my academic abilities.
Would you recommend it or not and why?
I would recommend it because it is interesting, somewhat fun, and not very stressful. If you keep up with the assignments and readings its an enjoyable class.
Parent note: I found her comment about the cost of the program interesting ;)
For me, the most difficult part of the program was the intense and laborious grading process. Even though she worked independently, grading her work each week was a real chore!
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
The School Room 2018-2019
It's amazing to me, how much our homeschool changes from year to year. Looking back over the years from where we started, to where we are now - it's very surreal.
I'm about to begin our 11th year of homeschool. It will be a very different year for me. For the first time I will have children enrolled in public school. yes. It's true. My oldest is a sophomore and my 3rd child will be a new middle schooler. This certainly is not my ideal outcome, and if I had a magic wand I would change this situation. But I don't. And I can't. Not right now anyway. So we move forward.
This year I'm homeschooling my rising 8th (or 7th? Long story...) grader and my rising 3rd grader. Don't forget my littles: Pre K and Pre, Pre, Pre K. Yeah. They're tiny still. They keep things interesting.
One thing that always changes from year to year is our physical school room. The space changes with our evolving needs. Every time I think I have it just perfect something changes and subsequently our room changes as well. But isn't that life? Constant change. So here's a look at what our school room is doing as of today.
This is my favorite feature of our school room in our new house. The curriculum closet!! A place for all the books and materials I've collected over the last 10 years. Unbelievable, I know. I keep hanging on to everything because I know I'll need it again!
This is our art closet where we stash an ever waning and waxing supply of art stuff.
That's the kid computer. We use it for math, typing, and a host of other things. But of course their favorite thing to do here is ROBLOX.
That white board is made from a huge piece of melamine that I picked up at a hardware store. I cut it in half and I use the other piece for displaying art work.
A larger view of this side of the room. You can see my newest student doing her work on the rug. She spends a lot of time hanging out there. :) We do our read alouds on the couch there.Its a craigs list find as are many of the items in the room. I love that we have a back set of stairs behind that couch leading to the kitchen. Makes it easier to get snacks during the day. :)
This is our group table where we start each day and work on things like science, art, history, geography, etc. Lots of good times here. It's also where I do 1-1 work with the kids as needed.
This is probably the biggest change this year. DESKS! After 10 years of homeschooling, Everyone has a desk. YAHOO. No more folding tables and wobbly chairs. That small table is for my preschooler. She colors there.
Last but not least, this is my little nook. Many hours of prep and contemplation happen here. my own little control center where to all comes together.
We are prepped and ready to rumble! school starts 8-27!
I'm about to begin our 11th year of homeschool. It will be a very different year for me. For the first time I will have children enrolled in public school. yes. It's true. My oldest is a sophomore and my 3rd child will be a new middle schooler. This certainly is not my ideal outcome, and if I had a magic wand I would change this situation. But I don't. And I can't. Not right now anyway. So we move forward.
This year I'm homeschooling my rising 8th (or 7th? Long story...) grader and my rising 3rd grader. Don't forget my littles: Pre K and Pre, Pre, Pre K. Yeah. They're tiny still. They keep things interesting.
One thing that always changes from year to year is our physical school room. The space changes with our evolving needs. Every time I think I have it just perfect something changes and subsequently our room changes as well. But isn't that life? Constant change. So here's a look at what our school room is doing as of today.
This is my favorite feature of our school room in our new house. The curriculum closet!! A place for all the books and materials I've collected over the last 10 years. Unbelievable, I know. I keep hanging on to everything because I know I'll need it again!
This is our art closet where we stash an ever waning and waxing supply of art stuff.
That's the kid computer. We use it for math, typing, and a host of other things. But of course their favorite thing to do here is ROBLOX.
That white board is made from a huge piece of melamine that I picked up at a hardware store. I cut it in half and I use the other piece for displaying art work.
A larger view of this side of the room. You can see my newest student doing her work on the rug. She spends a lot of time hanging out there. :) We do our read alouds on the couch there.Its a craigs list find as are many of the items in the room. I love that we have a back set of stairs behind that couch leading to the kitchen. Makes it easier to get snacks during the day. :)
This is our group table where we start each day and work on things like science, art, history, geography, etc. Lots of good times here. It's also where I do 1-1 work with the kids as needed.
This is probably the biggest change this year. DESKS! After 10 years of homeschooling, Everyone has a desk. YAHOO. No more folding tables and wobbly chairs. That small table is for my preschooler. She colors there.
Last but not least, this is my little nook. Many hours of prep and contemplation happen here. my own little control center where to all comes together.
We are prepped and ready to rumble! school starts 8-27!
Friday, August 10, 2018
This Kid Loves Science: Calorimeters
I don't know about your 5th grade boy(s), but mine wasn't really feelin' the whole school scene this past year.
Reading comprehension: "Huh? I can't remember."
Math: "Ugh! That's what I meant to say!"
History: (He's not even in the room....)
Geography: "What country are we doing again?"
But when it comes to science, he's *generally* all in. There's no struggle to get him to do the work or even engage in the reading materials. He loves the hands-on nature of science and seems to genuinely love the subject. So I'm always happy when it's time to do a science unit with him. I know that it will be smooth sailing at least for this one subject and look forward to seeing him thrive in his element.
My son finished the green level* of Moving Beyond the Page this past spring (FINALLY!!) and moved on to the blue level. We had great success and learned a lot from the Energy Unit, especially from making the calorimeter together. I never got around to posting anything about it at the time, but I found these great pics of him today while scrolling through our recently-downloaded cell phone photos and thought I'd post them for posterity's sake. :)
Anything that involves a flame is fun, right? We burned different food samples and watched how they raised the water temperature to determine how many calories were in the various food samples.
It was really cool to actually understand what a calorie is and what it represents. Gives a whole new meaning to the nutrition labels he's always studying. Don't mind the messes....just keepin' it real.
*I do not own all the units of every level in the MBTP curriculum. But I've slowly gathered and added to my library of their materials. When I say we "finished" the green level, I don't mean we did every unit. We did all the units in the level that served us and our learning goals.
Reading comprehension: "Huh? I can't remember."
Math: "Ugh! That's what I meant to say!"
History: (He's not even in the room....)
Geography: "What country are we doing again?"
But when it comes to science, he's *generally* all in. There's no struggle to get him to do the work or even engage in the reading materials. He loves the hands-on nature of science and seems to genuinely love the subject. So I'm always happy when it's time to do a science unit with him. I know that it will be smooth sailing at least for this one subject and look forward to seeing him thrive in his element.
My son finished the green level* of Moving Beyond the Page this past spring (FINALLY!!) and moved on to the blue level. We had great success and learned a lot from the Energy Unit, especially from making the calorimeter together. I never got around to posting anything about it at the time, but I found these great pics of him today while scrolling through our recently-downloaded cell phone photos and thought I'd post them for posterity's sake. :)
Anything that involves a flame is fun, right? We burned different food samples and watched how they raised the water temperature to determine how many calories were in the various food samples.
It was really cool to actually understand what a calorie is and what it represents. Gives a whole new meaning to the nutrition labels he's always studying. Don't mind the messes....just keepin' it real.
*I do not own all the units of every level in the MBTP curriculum. But I've slowly gathered and added to my library of their materials. When I say we "finished" the green level, I don't mean we did every unit. We did all the units in the level that served us and our learning goals.
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