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Ok Ladies,

What was YOUR week Like?

You can post:

a- A picture
b- A blog Link
c- A written synopsis
d- Your favorite memory
e- Anything you want that shares your HOD excitement!

Important Note: If you are linking us to your blog, please make sure it's not just a general link, but to your specific post of HOD. That way if someone reads through these a year from now they can find your share without needing to hunt!

Preparing Hearts for His Glory
Unit 1

Emmett has made the transition to his PHFHG guide so well! All of that teaching and training we did in BHFHG has made the start to this year go smoothly. I always look at BHFHG as such an important year because it has excellent teaching of so many important skills – how to orally narrate well from various subject areas, how to use contextual clues from history resources to determine the definition of new vocabulary terms, how to use the dictionary to look up words, how to alphabetize, how to write cursive, how to learn basic multiplication and division, how to complete science labs, how to study and complete dictation passages well, how to follow directions to complete science and history notebooking assignments, how to make timeline entries, how to learn about genres/story elements/reading comprehension questions, how to understand basic parts of speech for grammar, how to study classical poetry, and so much more!

All of these skills that I taught in a partnering way in BHFHG last year are now assigned in greater difficulty in PHFHG, whether the upped level of learning is in regard to the level of independence being upped (i.e. in PHFHG science and a portion of history are assigned to be done independently), in regard to the amount of reading or difficulty of work assigned being upped (i.e. more reading in DITHOR and 3-5 vocabulary cards in PHFHG), in regard to the length of time required for an assignment being upped (i.e. notebooking has more steps and is more involved in PHFHG), etc. So, for those of you completing BHFHG this year, get ready for a huge celebration of all that you taught when you get to PHFHG! All the work both you and your child did in BHFHG will be 100% worth the time and effort it took to carefully and consistently complete each part of BHFHG together! For those of you who didn’t complete BHFHG moving into PHFHG this year, you may need to plan to help your student in a more partnering way for the first part of PHFHG. That time will be worth it the entire rest of the year! Either way, Carrie’s instructions are so clear in her guides, that by simply following the plans, your child should do wonderfully well given time to “learn the ropes” of his/her guide!

Now for the fun part – pictures! I am taking on a big project this year that may or may not come to fruition. I’d like to try to take pictures of each portion of the plans each week. I may miss a few each week, but overall, I am hoping to take pictures of each part of the plans each week to show growth over the year. This is as much for me as for my children and for any of you who may enjoy this! I find in this 14th year of homeschooling I need to focus on the growth over the year that I see in my children, as opposed to expecting each day to be ‘perfect’. Plainly put, ‘seeing’ growth in pictures brings me great joy! So, sorry if it appears I am going overboard in taking and sharing pictures here! It will probably look like I’ve gone a little nuts with the camera. Bear with me! It is for a good purpose, and I encourage you to try to snap some pics throughout the year too – it is a wonderful way to ‘see’ growth in your children, as well as ‘see’ what the Lord is doing through YOU! Your child’s best teacher!!! Here goes…

Reading about History… Creation to Noah: Emmett’s first written narration for Grandpa’s Box…


Storytime… Emmett answered listening comprehension questions and shared connections with this beautiful book The True Story of Noah’s Ark. He poured over these breath-taking pictures! So did I! So much more captivating than textbooks…


History Project… Emmett’s shield with his coat of arms showing our faith in Jesus is our shield against Satan…


Rotating History… 3 Vocabulary cards using Grandpa’s Box and a dictionary as resources; alphabetizing the cards…


Independent History Study… Drawing and coloring plants and trees to represent the Garden of Eden, and practicing cursive copywork to explain his drawing…

Drawing and coloring a dinosaur to show when sin entered the world, death did too…


Poetry… Creative Writing activity…


Language Arts…
Dictation:


Drawn into the Heart of Reading-Emmett is reading Scripture Sleuth and learning about the genre mystery and the story elements prediction an inference…


Bible Study… The first page of Emmett’s special Common Place Book, in which he will be copying memorable Scriptures and quotes throughout the year (this was supposed to be done in cursive, which both he and I missed in the directions)…


Math Exploration… Learning to multiply single digits times double and triple digits…


Science Exploration… Answering 5 comprehension questions about arctic animals’ adaptations and camouflage abilities using Arctic Tundra as a resource…

Science Lab showing how arctic animals’ layers help trap body heat to keep them warm through freezing temperatures…


In Christ,
Julie

Missions to Modern Marvels - Unit 1

Much like I found Emmett’s transition from BHFHG to PHFHG to go smoothly, Riley’s transition to MTMM went smoothly as well! Hooray! Many of the skills from Revival to Revolution that were taught in a more teacher-directed or semi-independent way have now moved on to be assigned more independently or to have another level of difficulty added. For example, now Riley orally narrates trying to include certain words and vocabulary for history, now his history projects have more intricate steps and require more skills to complete, now his independent history study includes the use of multiple resources to mesh information, now grammar is completed daily, now science has multiple choice quizzes, now Bible Quiet Time includes more in-depth lessons utilizing an inductive Bible study format along with the ACTS model of prayer journal entries/hymn study/Scripture memory work, etc. Completely new skills/subject areas of interest have been added as well, which we love, as each year has a familiarity to it but also has new fresh additions that are special to each guide.

The Presidents’ Study is a new addition this year, and what a perfect year to be studying the Presidents, as it is an election year! The State Study specific to our state of South Dakota is another new addition to this year. Nature Journal and Poetry is a Charlotte Mason inspired subject added to the guide this year, and as Riley is the artist of the family, it should prove to be great fun! The bookmark prompts in response to Storytime readings are another new fun idea in this guide! I love that Riley gets some choice in which responses to choose each day, and I also love that the assignment doesn’t get between ‘him and the book’, as CM would say. He still can’t wait to read! That is a priority of mine – loving reading still. Textbooks sure wouldn’t accomplish that!

The Socratic Discussion planned alongside the reading of primary source documents within the Worthy Words portion of the plans is yet another exciting part of the plans! Riley is learning to read difficult primary source documents, write notes in response to specific questions, and participate in a Socratic discussion with me. The HOD plans have me read the primary source document out loud, which I love because it gives me a chance to prepare for my part of the Socratic discussion right during us doing school, as opposed to giving me ‘homework’ which I truly don’t have time to do. The directions for how to conduct the Socratic Discussion are clear and right in the daily plans. I am so thankful for these new and exciting skills my son is learning, and I am even more thankful for the easy to follow open and go plans that make it possible for me to truly accomplish all of this easily within a very reasonable amount of time! No prepping and planning on my part… just opening the guide and enjoying my teaching… ahhhhhhhh, now that’s the way I want to homeschool!

So, as I mentioned with Emmett’s previous post about PHFHG, a goal of mine for each of my children is to snap pics each week of each (or most) part of the plans. I want to see progress and celebrate it! So, I am sorry if the number of pictures seem too much! I find I need new ways to celebrate success as I enter my 14th year of homeschooling (actually 21st year of teaching; as I taught other children before my own in public school for 7 years Yes, I am THAT old ladies. ). This is the ‘celebration’ idea this year!

Reading about History… History Notebooking Assignments… including Independent History Study…


Storytime… Bookmark Prompts…


History Project… The little guy on the left is the ‘dictator’ this week in Riley’s MTMM plans! Oh my, did they have fun with this! Emmett, as the shortest in our family, got to be the ‘dictator’ choosing Riley’s music to listen to, and clothes to wear…


President Study/State Study… Researching John Adams and George Washington with the combined media resources of The Big Book of Presidents and The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents DVD…


Rotating History… Map Trek map activities for World Empires 1900…

Worthy Words Socratic Discussion notes for primary source document about Dom Pedro II’s document about Brazil…


Nature Journal/Biblical Self-Image… Riley’s first nature journal entry…


Bible Quiet Time… Faith at Work inductive Bible Study…


Language Arts… The kickoff for DITHOR’s Mystery Genre – a mystery lunch! Even dad got to participate in this one on a rare day he happened to be home! What fun!...

Mystery genre reading selection from Boy Interest 7/8 Package, Sparrows in the Scullery DITHOR 6/7/8 Student Notebook entry…

Dictation Level 6 – these are getting hard!

Grammar Level 6…

Write with the Best writing assignment in response to a magazine article – Riley chose an article about labs, as we own 3!




Math Exploration… Principles of Mathematics Book 2…


Science Exploration… CHEM C500 Kit time! Here’s my little chemist ready for his first experiment – he is beyond excited!

Chemistry reading and quiz…


In Christ,
Julie

United States 1 High School
Unit 17

Well, of my 3 children, this guide was actually the easiest ‘transition’ of all at the start of this school year! That is because Wyatt began this guide the last half of last school year. Returning to a guide is oh so wonderful, I must say! Wyatt is ahead in his guides and always has been, as he’s been on the youngest side of the target age range. This has given us some wiggle room in completing his high school guides that we have absolutely loved! The plan is to stretch out his last 3 high school guides, so he can focus on working to earn money for college, focus on enjoying his time with his little brothers, focus on enjoying hunting/fishing trips with his dad, and one day each week focus on helping me with homeschooling his brothers (his idea – which I have so appreciated). What a blessing this has been!

A focus of mine at the start of this school year has been to plan time in my school schedule to correct Wyatt’s work. Independent work that is assigned in high school for students does not mean it is independent of teacher responsibility! Correcting, editing, discussing, and monitoring daily work is my responsibility, and last year I fell down in certain areas. So, this year, I had the revolutionary idea of actually adding time in my schedule to correct work right after it is completed. I do not know WHY I have never done this before, but I haven’t. I’ve always just used the suggested time allotments for each of the boxes of plans to set up my school schedule. Well, it turns out piles of correcting don’t work well for me. So, this year, I put time in to correct each child’s work each time I meet with them. This has been so helpful!!! To be honest, my oldest son in high school doesn’t love this revolutionary idea of mine. He liked flying under the radar, I guess. However, I am skipping through the tulips! Gone is the feeling like I am never quite sure how certain facets of school are going. Gone is the feeling like I can’t every quite say ‘done’ in regard to my correcting/editing. Gone is the feeling like I’m shirking my full responsibility as a teacher. I am LOVING this approach to correcting/editing/monitoring! When the ‘school bell rings’ that school is done for my kids, it is done for ME too! Love that.

Well, as I mentioned, I’m going to try to snap pics for each subject area for each of my kids this year, in the hopes of celebrating progress. So, here goes!

U.S. History… Summary Narration of The Book of Heroes history reading. I starred the right notebook entries as I heard each one being mentioned as he read his written narration aloud to me…

Talking Points Oral Narration about Noah Webster…


History Activities… Mapping activity about the Expansion of the U.S. to 1833…


Living Library… Double-entry journal entry about The Adventures of Lewis and Clark…


Government… no pics this time

Foreign Language… no pics this time

Constitutional Literacy/Devotional Bible Study rotating subjects… Response to given bulleted topic for Constitutional Literacy…


Bible… Review of Acts in The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Study: New Testament…


Science with Lab… Chemistry Experiment with Bunsen Burner…


American Literature… Literature Journal entry from Up from Slavery…


Composition/Grammar… In Their Sandals story that Wyatt wrote and typed…


Math – Algebra II…


In Christ,
Julie