J. will be moving "up" to the next stage of the Trivium during his 2009-2010 school year.
Yes, I know that's quite a bit down the road, but I recently experienced a sudden new drive to plow through the Logic Stage Section of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and I'm realizing how much there is for me to think about! TWTM was the second book on home-schooling that I ever read and even though I haven't followed it exactly since then, it has always been the framework within which I have operated... as far as what I hope to accomplish with my children and what I eventually hope for them to accomplish for themselves. After reading TWTM (and re-reading it), I went on to read other titles for Classical Educators. I think I learned something useful from all of them; but TWTM became my standard reference, and the "place" from which I made decisions that pertained to the program here at Fish Fell Academy.
It's a Really Big Deal that J. is moving up the Trivium! Honestly, I think he was born on the cusp of the Logic Stage and I'm already getting so many "why" questions that I'm often tempted to hide from him. He has never been an argumentative child in the sense of being rebellious or troublesome but he has always had a lot of questions! For a long time, he has displayed a strong ability to interact with information, to process it in relation to other things that he knows, and to wonder. Yes, that's it... he's always been quite a wonderer. I have certainly seen a steady progression in his ability to analyze and think through material. I am forever saying, "Uh... hold that thought... that's a great question. Let's see if Daddy can help you with that." Almost everyday I'm reminded of how lacking my own education is... never mind that I have student loan payments (like, for the rest of my life) to prove that I've read a book or two myself... hmpf! I certainly expect him to far surpass my own academic accomplishments.
I'm reviewing the progress that he (we!) has made during the Grammar Stage. My hope is that all that we have sown over the last few years will produce good fruit as he moves into this next stage of learning. I'm beginning to gather my thoughts for next year. I figure it's time to begin to prepare myself and consider what changes I will make in his curriculum and/or the methods that I use as I continue to teach him. It's also to D.J.'s benefit that I do this as he is just now entering into his formal lessons. I can say that though there are a few things I will do differently with D.J., for the most part, I'm comfortable with the decisions that I made for J. and I certainly have no great regrets. But, I will be considering what I may do differently with D.J.
Yes, I know that's quite a bit down the road, but I recently experienced a sudden new drive to plow through the Logic Stage Section of The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer and I'm realizing how much there is for me to think about! TWTM was the second book on home-schooling that I ever read and even though I haven't followed it exactly since then, it has always been the framework within which I have operated... as far as what I hope to accomplish with my children and what I eventually hope for them to accomplish for themselves. After reading TWTM (and re-reading it), I went on to read other titles for Classical Educators. I think I learned something useful from all of them; but TWTM became my standard reference, and the "place" from which I made decisions that pertained to the program here at Fish Fell Academy.
It's a Really Big Deal that J. is moving up the Trivium! Honestly, I think he was born on the cusp of the Logic Stage and I'm already getting so many "why" questions that I'm often tempted to hide from him. He has never been an argumentative child in the sense of being rebellious or troublesome but he has always had a lot of questions! For a long time, he has displayed a strong ability to interact with information, to process it in relation to other things that he knows, and to wonder. Yes, that's it... he's always been quite a wonderer. I have certainly seen a steady progression in his ability to analyze and think through material. I am forever saying, "Uh... hold that thought... that's a great question. Let's see if Daddy can help you with that." Almost everyday I'm reminded of how lacking my own education is... never mind that I have student loan payments (like, for the rest of my life) to prove that I've read a book or two myself... hmpf! I certainly expect him to far surpass my own academic accomplishments.
I'm reviewing the progress that he (we!) has made during the Grammar Stage. My hope is that all that we have sown over the last few years will produce good fruit as he moves into this next stage of learning. I'm beginning to gather my thoughts for next year. I figure it's time to begin to prepare myself and consider what changes I will make in his curriculum and/or the methods that I use as I continue to teach him. It's also to D.J.'s benefit that I do this as he is just now entering into his formal lessons. I can say that though there are a few things I will do differently with D.J., for the most part, I'm comfortable with the decisions that I made for J. and I certainly have no great regrets. But, I will be considering what I may do differently with D.J.
Reviewing TWTM Suggestions for Fifth Grade (1st Year of the Logic Stage)
in Light of Our Love for the Methods of Charlotte Mason
Logic: A Fifth Grader does not really study formal Logic, but Susan recommends the use of Logic puzzles three times a week for an hour a session... approximately three hours a week. This area of Critical Thinking is one in which I've intentionally held off on introducing formal (as in prepared) materials (other than games like Blokus or whatever). It just wasn't a priority for us during the Grammar Stage (certainly not in accord with our CM way of doing things) and I am all about priority. I find priority very motivating... give me optional, and no, it does not get done. I've looked at all the various critical thinking materials that are available and I just never felt that their use warranted the time it would take from the other things we were doing nor the expense. But, I'm no fun like that. This will be something new for J. and I think he will find it a fresh addition to his school schedule.
Both of the following Critical Thinking Press products are recommended for Fifth Grade:
Mind Benders: Warm-Up - all beginning logic students begin at this level.
A Case of Red Herrings: Solving Mysteries through Critical Questioning - Book A1
Out of Print - Okey dokey, that's why I'm doing this now.
Math: We are on track just fine and will definitely stick with MathUSee. We love MathUSee and I know that Susan wouldn't recommend it at all if it weren't a good choice. J. should already be in Delta when he begins Fifth Grade. He will be ready to begin Pre-Algebra by mid-7th to beginning 8th grade. He'll continue Singapore's Challenging Word Problems for supplementation.
History and Geography: A Fifth Grader should continue compiling a History Notebook but he will now be required to do more sorting and classifying of the material. J. has been doing narrations (mostly oral but some written) for History since First Grade. These have been simple re-tellings of the material that he heard or read during his lesson. He has also been keeping a Notebook and a Book of Time. During the Logic Stage, History study should incorporate four elements: creating a timeline, outlining, using and evaluating primary sources, and organizing this information using the history notebook. During Fifth Grade, I will begin teaching him how to outline (he is doing this a good bit already, but again, not formally) and I will begin to introduce more primary materials.
I'm leaning towards having him continue with The Story of the World (with the Activity Guide) for Volume 3. He will be studying the Early Modern Period (1600-1850) which seems a great time to begin using more primary documents. We will continue to incorporate Sonlight Curriculum and will use books from Core 3 (early American History) - if not the whole Core. He will use the readers from Core 3. I think this is going to be the best option for him. D.J. will be studying the same time period though I haven't decided if he'll be working through Adventures in My Father's World (most likely - used it with J. and really liked it) or American Story 1 from WinterPromise Curriculum. Regardless, we already have a large personal library of books from this time period so we will not be lacking titles to cover.
One Option I'm Considering:
History Odyssey Modern History, Level 1 - can serve as a bridge between Level 1 (Grammar Stage) and Level 2 (Logic Stage) courses. Suitable for a Fifth Grader even though it's Level 1. It schedules SOTW 3, the Usborne Internet-Linked History Encyclopedia (that we love already) and CHOW. Sounds like an ideal framework in which to plug in our Sonlight and other books.
Remedia Publications Outlining Workbook is one recommended resource for teaching outlining:
(post is incomplete... to be continued)
UPDATE: I've gotten side-tracked on a new book, Crazy for God by Frank Schaeffer. But, I WILL finish this post! Just have to get through the next section of TWTM - Language Arts.
ANOTHER UPDATE: At this point, I'm growing weary of both TWTM and Crazy for God.
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