Getting ready for the World Geography Guide

I am a planner and I like to get everything ready as early as possible so I can relax and know that I am ready for the school year. I also tend to print as much ahead of time as possible.   It seems helpful to show a visual guide of all I do to get ready for the school year, so that is what I plan to do in this post.  I do some things a little differently due to adapting things to N. and his difficulty with handwriting.  I will mark those with an *.

World Geography: First I prepared the Expedition Journal and I went ahead and printed off from the Mapping the World With Art CD any pages/activities/games that were needed for the first 15 weeks.  Some of these go on cardstock and some on calligraphy paper.  It was pretty time consuming which is why I just did 15 weeks.

I then gathered almost all of the supplies that he will need for Mapping the World With Art.  This list is in the front of that book.  I still need a few colors of acrylic paints.

Next I prepared his Book of Centuries and printed out all the timeline figures.

For the Living Library he fills out a summary sheet after most of the readings.  Typically those are copied.
* For him I made a word document on his laptop so he can just type in his summaries.

World Religions and Cultures:  I prepared his notebook.  *These pages have lots of graphic organizers of odd shapes so it isn't going to work for N. to just type and then cut it to size so I went through each page and made a blank template of sorts so that he can type and then cut it out.  They aren't exactly the same shape but they should work.  Below is an example of what I am talking about.  There are also pages of questions for several of the books so I typed out the questions in Word and made it where it should fit in the notebook page. 

They won't be on white paper.  I found a good deal on ivory paper, so I bought that specifically for this notebook and any others we decide to use it for.

There are bookmarks in the back that need copied. *However for N. I scan them into the computer and load them on his Ipad in an app called PDFexpert so he can type on the bookmarks.  This worked well last year.

For Bible I purchased a leather bound prayer journal. I also copied and laminated Preparing Your Heart for Prayer sheet  * The adaptation for Bible is that for the scripture memorization he is supposed to use some techiniques where he does things like re-write the verse leaving off certain words or cut out phrases and put them back together etc.  It is a lot of extra writing which just won't work so I used bible gateway to copy each verse 3-4 times on paper and then he can use white out to mark out words or he can cut it up or highlight in different colors etc.

Logic: I photocopied the tests from the Art of Argument Teachers guide.

 Spanish: the only thing I did was download the audio files from the website and put them in a folder on his laptop desktop.

English:  He uses one notebook divided into sections for dictation, grammar, writing and literature.  He also files his bookmarks from the living library in here. He also has the same common place book from last year. I didn't buy the student book for the Essentials in Writing so I had to print that. * I photocopy the dictation passages and that way he marks them up if he misses them and just checks them off when he is done and I have a record of the ones he has done for the year.

Science:  He has his lab clothes from this year.  He doesn't need a science notebook since everything is done in the lab manual or the activity booklets.  I made a list of what extra materials he will need each week and usually I just look at that the weekend before a lab and make sure he has what he needs.  The one thing I do still need to get is graph paper.

I think that is about it.  Hopefully this helps others as they get ready for the World Geography guide.  I have to say the more time I spend reading the books and looking at the assignments the more excited I get for him to do this guide.

Final update for MTMM

Today we finished MTMM (with the exception of a science experiment that N. has to still do with his dad).  I have to say this may be my favorite guide next to Preparing, but it seems I say that every year.  I was worried about studying modern history that it would be too depressing, but this guide is a nice blend of the realism of man's sin and depravity and God's hope and promises.  This update will cover highlights from the last few weeks.

Our last storytime book was about Mother Theresa.  It was a very good book and offered opportunity for some good discussion about reaching out to who the world sees as the "least of these". 

In history we covered some of the events that I remember very clearly such as the Challenger disaster and 9/11.  As we watched videos from 9/11 I could see for the first time it really click with N. what actually occurred on that day.  He was visibly disturbed by it, but what I love is that today he watched a speech by Billy Graham that he gave in response to 9/11.  In it Billy talked about yes there is evil in the world, but God is still in control.  Always a good reminder to hear.

In science the genetic study couldn't have come at a better time as N. just had some genetic testing done, so he has heard lots about DNA and chromosomes.  He built this model of DNA.

He says his favorite science book that he has done in all 5 years of HOD has been "Evolution the Grand Experiment".  He feels like he has learned so much and can actually pose a good argument against evolution.

One thing he has loved this year is the hymn study and I love hearing him sing hymns first thing in the morning.
Here he is on the last day of school, still waking up, but singing his hymn for the week.

His last drawing in his nature study was a very cool pen and ink drawing of the view out our window.  Looking back through his journal I am very impressed with everything he drew.

He finished up the state study and did well on his final test.  This study was a nice easier part of the day, but yet we discussed some topics that I am not sure we had discussed before.

Overall it has been a successful year.  He still has to finish up his Algebra 1 so we will work on that through the summer and start Geometry at some point next year.  He will be required to do some free reading or listen to an audio book each day of the summer and we are going to use Word Build by Dynamic Literacy for some short sweet vocabulary lessons.  I have found with him that it is important to keep his brain engaged as well as he has to keep writing a little bit during the summer or he really has a tough time in the fall. 

Week in review 4/7/2014

Once again I haven't done an update in awhile.  Part of that is due to sickness that swept through the family and we had several days where school wasn't done.  That is highly unusual for us.  As a result we are in the middle of week 31 right now.  Definitely heading into the home stretch.

In science N. is really enjoying "Evolution the Grand Experiment".  He finds it fascinating to see the lack of fossil evidence for any intermediate forms.  It does a good job of presenting what evolution believes and then countering it with what creationist believe and letting him draw some conclusions on his own.  It ties in very well with the Genetics experiment kit.  This week he made a model of a cell and then had to tell me all the parts of the cell. He chose to make it out of playdough since that is what we had around the house.

He drew insects for his nature journal this week.  His journaling is pretty short and to the point and that is one area I have chosen to not battle.  I wouldn't want anyone critiquing my personal journaling so I don't critique his.

In history he has been studying the USSR and the cold war.  He learned how the USSR took over Czechoslovakia. This has tied in well with some things that are currently going on in the world.  His history project was to make Czechoslovakian cookies.  They were good.

In storytime we are finishing up Children of the Storm which is an autobiography of a Christian girl living in Communist Russia.  We have had some pretty good conversations that were sparked by this book.

In English he is finishing up the BJU grade 8 lit book or at least as much as I have assigned and he will start reading Salt in His Blood which is off the Drawn Into the Heart of Reading list.  He is also coming to the end of Rod and Staff 6. 

Overall I am feeling more confident in his ability to do the World Geography guide next year, but I know there are going to be some areas that will really challenge him.  I am already praying that God will prepare his heart and mind for the new challenges and that he won't become too frustrated with all the work and reading.

Week in Review for 3/10/13

We just finished week 27 in MTMM.  This year has gone by quickly.  As with all years I have seen N. grow in some areas and there are a few things we will be working on right up to the last week and then probably start out next year emphasizing those same things. 

This is the first time we have studied history that I actually know something about.  We are now heading into the portion of history where I was alive.  He is up to Lyndon B. Johnson in the president study.  He enjoyed learning about JFK and did a nice written narration on him.  We finished the book Freedom Walkers in story time and are now reading Team Moon.  It is written in a different style than what I am used to, but it is a very interesting book. 

In Science he is really enjoying Evolution: The Grand Experiment.  Since we have visited the Creation Museum and listened to Ken Ham debate Bill Nye this is a topic of interest right now.  The DVD combined with the book make things very easy to understand and give N. lots of food for thought.  This goes along very well with the Genetics experiment kit.  This week N. and his dad did an experiment where they separated the DNA of a tomato.  It started out a little rocky due to not quite enough liquid, but dh added a little water and then everything went great.  N. types up his labs on the ipad and this works pretty well.  We have a bluetooth keyboard, but he prefers to just use the virtual keyboard. I am not sure who found this experiment more fascinating dh or N.

 If you look closely you can see the DNA floating around.

I feel like this year's science is preparing him well for next years physical science class.

In literature he continues with the Bob Jones Grade 8 lit book and is reading an adaptation of Ben Hur.  He is enjoying the story and we have had some good talks about revenge and what the bible says about revenge.

In the state study he learned about our state, national and local government.  He knew more about this than I thought.  I guess just from all the history reading he has done. 

He also is doing well with his Economics study and is reading about starting your own business.  Since he says he would like to run a gym for kids with special needs some day this is a good introduction for him into the world of running your own business. 

All in all we continue to have good weeks. 

Week in review for 2/17/14

N. had a good week of school this week.  He buckled down and really focused after we talked a little bit more about expectations.  I find these talks are good for both of us.  It makes me put in words what I expect from him as far as quality of work and it allows him to hear it again and also to ask any questions about the expectations. 

His history project this week was drawing animals related to South America since he learned about Jim Elliot and Nate Saint as well as Mission Aviation Fellowship and Betty Greene.  We know some missionaries with this organization so he found it interesting to read about the founding of it.  I especially loved his Jaguar.  He spent lots of time getting it just right.  He has found that listening to music while he draws helps him to focus.

He was to draw a sunrise and sunset for his Nature Journal.  He copied one of them from a picture he had taken on his ipod and then one from the book. This picture is the one he copied from the book.

It amazes me that he enjoys drawing so much, especially if you watch his hands tremor.  He never would have attempted drawing if it weren't for HOD and he has found that it is actually relaxing for him.

His president's notebook is really looking impressive.  I admit I do watch the videos with him, just because I feel very lacking in my knowledge in this area. 

 

He is reading a book on Albert Einstein in science and is enjoying it.  I think it is great that he reads these biographies of famous scientists to complement the rest of the study.  As much as his memory can sometimes be an issue for him, when I least expect it he will come up with something during a conversation that I know he only knows because of something he read in one of his HOD books.

He is moving right along in Rod and Staff Grammar and this week was able to diagram some pretty complicated sentences.  I don't usually have him diagram every sentence just because his hand tires so easily.  Often we will pick around 2/3rds of them and he will talk me through the diagram as I draw it on the white board.  He has difficulty coming up with the correct words sometimes such as independent clause or subordinating conjunction,again I think this is due to his short term memory issues.  However, he can always tell me in the diagram what phrase is related to what other phrase and how.  This is the main reason we do the diagramming.  He is a visual perceptual kid and I think this helps him understand sentence structure in a way that just naming things never would.  He enjoys it also.  This week he noticed we were nearing the end of book 6 and he wanted to make sure there was another book after that one. 

Week in review for 2/10/2014

We finished week 23 in MTMM this week.  It is hard to believe.  N. had a good week of school.  He has realized that a negative attitude towards one or two subjects can affect his entire day so he has been praying about his attitude towards subjects like Math.  There were a few times this week as we were having our Biblical Worldview time together that it directly addressed some of the things he has been struggling with.  I don't know why I am always amazed when that happens.  I love how HOD continually draws N. back to God's word to see what the truth is about things. 

I made one change this week and this is where I hope others can learn from my mistakes.  I was waiting to grade his bible study workbook on Fridays.  He has been getting more and more wrong as the weeks go on and I realized that he needed me to grade it right after he does it so I can see if there is something he doesn't understand or if he is just not writing out a complete answer due to his dysgraphia. I discovered a little of both so even though it is an independent box we have a meeting time right after he does it just to make sure he understands what the point of the passage was.

In science he finished "Atoms in the Family".  He said in the end it was a good story, but he just struggled understanding it.  He is now reading Albert Einstein and I can tell that this one is much easier for him to comprehend.  He is still doing the science labs with his dad and they both are really enjoying the time together.

We have had a very snowy winter so doing nature study outside hasn't happened much.  Most of the time he picks a window to look out of and draw.  This week he decided to go out and draw.  I am sure the neighbors thought we had lost our minds.

In storytime we are reading "I Am David", and I have to say it is one of the most interesting books I have ever read.  The daily readings are longer than most at around 24 pages, but it doesn't seem like it because this book is so good.  N. is fascinated by it.  When I finish each day he says "read more". 

He continues to do fairly good narrations.  He tends to pick one section of the reading to narrate instead of getting the entire chapter.  I have allowed this due to his short term memory issues.  He spends a good hour reading and writing his narration and he is improving in his editing skills.  He does still gets some facts mixed up at times though so I have to skim read if something doesn't sound quite right.  Here is his notebook page for the week.  The map of Africa is a little messier than I care for, but he really does have a tough time coloring inside the lines.

Overall I am pleased with his progess this year and I can see where the skills he is fine tuning now will be utilized in the World Geography guide next year for high school. 

Update for week of 1/20/2014

This is a long overdue update.  As typical I have trouble getting back into blogging after Christmas.  We continue to move along with MTMM.  I think both of us have a bit of the winter blahs so our enthusiasm for school is a little lacking at times, but overall N. continues to keep a pretty good attitude.  It helps if I keep a positive attitude.

In history he has been studying WWII.  He is interested in this time period and yet he is such a sensitive boy that it also really bothers him.  In storytime we are reading "In the Shadow of His Hand".  This book is very good, but hard for a Mom to read out loud.  It is also the one book this year where he has begged me to continue reading so he can find out what happens. 

He is showing great progress with his written narrations and they have gotten to be very long.  This one pictured  I think was over 225 word and the one he wrote this week was around 325 words.

The oral narrations where I type them are slowly improving, but still an area of stress for him.  He still really wants to look back in the book to find the key words that he is supposed to include.  This is not a terrible thing, but then he ends up reading from the book as part of his oral narrations.  I think his short term memory issues really come in to play here.

We have made one minor change to the schedule and that is we have moved the science experiment to the weekend to do with Dad.  N. can't do them independently because of his tremors and his Dad really likes being involved in these and I am very happy to let him do these.

N. continues to enjoy the nature journaling although he struggles when he has to do things with markers.  He doesn't usually get the results he is looking for, but he keeps working at it.  This is one of his more enjoyable parts of his day.

Math is his other frustration each day.  He is doing Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 and he does great with it,, but he doesn't like that it takes an hour or more to do each day.  I did feel like it was weak in the area of word problems so 1 day a week we are doing a book from the Critical Thinking Company called Algebra 1 World problems.

Now something slightly off topic from HOD. Something I have found with N. is that he really needs a certain amount of exercise each day  in order to have a good attitude about things.  This is tough to do when it is as snowy and cold as this winter has been.  He and his Dad decided to build a vault that is now residing in our living room.  Yes you read that right, the living room.  I figure for N. it is physical therapy as well as helps him emotionally and with his school work, so it is worth giving up that room.