history Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Jul 24 2012

Shopping guide for social studies & history

Elementary students call it Social Studies. In the upper grades, it’s History. Sometimes it includes Geography, but not always. On transcripts, it may fall into a category called Social Sciences.

The American Historical Association explains that history should be studied because, “…it is essential to individuals and to society, and because it harbors beauty. ” Learning history is important not only to gain identity and understand our past, but also for developing good citizenship and analyzing the examples of the past for making good decisions in the future. Plus, it can be fascinating to glimpse into the past, read about the lives and times of our ancestors, and imagine what the world must have been like during times of great transformation and world-changing events.

There are many ways that homeschoolers may study history. These lessons may come from textbooks, but may also come from reading biographies, watching educational television, visiting history and science museums and from many other places, too. History can be studied as a subject all by itself, but may also be combined with other academic areas as well (see HERE).

The list of history products in today’s homeschool marketplace is vast and growing every year. Some products have a different take on history than others, too, making it possible to teach from almost every individual point of view. Not every product is suitable for every learner, but you can be sure — with a list this long – you’ll find exactly what you need for your student!

Begin by checking out these resources and by doing additional research on your own, too. Remember that this list represents just a small subset of the resources available and that homeschoolers may bring history to life any way they like.

America: The Story of US

Switched-On Schoolhouse

The Mystery of History

Diana Waring

Usborne Book of World History

The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

Childhood of Famous Americans Series

American Girl Books & Learning Guides

Related articles:

The best homeschool curriculum

Complete curriculum packages

Better curriculum fit = better experience

Every school needs a globe

Jan 03 2012

Try It Tuesday: ELECTIONS

Every few years something neat happens. Our nation prepares to elect a new leader, and Americans respond with a heightened level of curiosity and a renewed interest about the process. This opportunity isn’t lost on homeschooling parents and other teachers, who like to seize the chance to explain it all to their students. Plus, historic events like these tend to pique the interest of book writers, curriculum developers and publishers, too, spawning a whole new crop of educational resources that families can use as they make their way through another exciting election year.

No matter what age your child(ren), and whether you’re homeschooling or not, election years contain many opportunities for talking to kids and teaching about our nation’s system of government. To get the ball rolling, some parents like to locate resources on store shelves and sites on the Internet that their kids can use. Other families prefer to develop classes or unit studies about elections all on their own. But no matter how it’s done, it isn’t very hard, and the rewards are really worth it!

As an example, some years ago, I taught a small group of elementary and middle schoolers about elections. I began with a little research, gathered some books and web sites, and then sat down to think about how to appeal to the mixed age group and have some fun with it, too. We all ended up having a blast, starting with short readings and Q&A to gain some background, followed by a project that allowed the students to get really creative on their own (or in pairs). Using drawings, creating slogans and developing print and television ads, each student created a character and then promoted his or her own candidate — happily learning all along the campaign trail.

This all leads to today’s question: What are you planning to do this election year?

Have you discovered any web sites you really like? Resources you can share with others?

Readers are interested in what you have to say and share. That’s why today’s Try It Tuesday (our first!) is all about ELECTIONS.

Today, and for the next 7 days, use the COMMENT area to post your tips and thoughts (and even questions) about teaching and projects related to the elections. You can also use the LINKY to add your articles and blog posts, too!

Feel free to include this button in your posts to identify the project and help spread the word —

(Note: This is our first linky post so we’re crossing our fingers that it all works out!)

And don’t forget to check back or subscribe because next month’s Try It Tuesday’s topic is TEACHING WRITING.

Sep 28 2011

Teaching through literature

Using literature when teaching at home is an excellent way for students to learn while reading great books. Since books exist on just about every subject, just about any subject can be taught using existing written material.

Some curriculum products are based on good literature. When using these kinds of systems, families are required to purchase (or borrow from the library) a selection of books. Then, they follow a study to guide which tells students what to read, and which assignments relate to those readings. Usually, daily lessons are based directly upon what was learned within the readings. As a bonus, all manner of other things (such as identifying good writing and learning parts of grammar) can also be taught using passages taken directly from the literature, too. The Learning Language Arts Through Literature and Beautiful Feet History Through Literature are just two examples of homeschooling curriculum based on literature, but there are others, too.

Parents themselves can also make their own homeschool curriculum using books. After identifying the topics they want to teach, parents simply locate age-appropriate books for students to read about those topics. Students can create their own units, too, either by listing ideas they’d like to study and finding books, or by finding related books and launching a study about some common theme. The series, A History of US is an excellent example of using books to study different time periods of American history. Groups of books like the Childhood of Famous Americans series can also be used alone, or in combination with other books outside of the series.

The benefits to learning through literature are many. In addition to learning what each book is about (comprehension), students benefit by seeing what writing looks like, too. By reading different authors, they experience vocabulary and sentence variety they might not have encountered yet. By reading several books about related places or connected events, students begin reading critically, asking questions and forming connections. When choosing books by different authors, students notice what they like best (or least) about writers and notice differences in the treatment of topics. Ultimately, these readings lead to questions, the formation of opinions and sometimes further research.

Speaking with other homeschoolers and reading homeschooling blogs are great ways to find ways to use literature for homeschooling. Just a few key-clicks should yield studies based on Little House on the Prairie, American Girls, and many others.

Keep in mind that literature can be used for all, or just a part of the homeschooling curriculum. But remember, if using good books is just a way to satisfy a reading requirement, that’s great, too. Literature can always be enjoyed with or without any strings attached.

Aug 15 2011

Teaching Character Education

When deciding whether to formally teach a particular subject in homeschool, parents often ask themselves two questions:

1. Do the homeschooling laws of my state require it?

2. Am I already meeting this requirement some other way?

When it comes to teaching Character Education, the answers to these two questions can be somewhat significant.

That’s because, although many families teach character ed at home with no formal curriculum and little or no effort, some places actually require them to do so in an accountable way. This creates a situation where a lifestyle of learning combined with the simple act of modeling and reinforcing good behavior at home must actually be included in the homeschool teaching program.

Character Education needn’t be a difficult requirement to meet, and there are multiple ways besides books and curriculum materials to help document character ed requirements. But some families like to have these products on hand, as they offer activities and exercises, stories and scenarios, and a variety of different viewpoints to look at when discussing these topics. Ultimately, though, it boils down to the family homeschooling philosophy and what the words “good character” mean to them.

For those who choose to go the book or curriculum route, options exist from most homeschool suppliers and online booksellers. Some examples are linked below. This is not an exhaustive list of ways to teach Character Education, just a sampling of some of the products one might find on the shelves. Start with these, and then find others on your own:

Frank Schaffer’s Character Education (pictured)

10-Minute Life Lessons for Kids

Noah Webster’s Advice to the Young

Good Manners for Today’s Kids

Lessons in Manners Copywork in Charlotte Mason Style

George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior

Note that some states also list the teaching of Good Citizenship or Patriotism. And while these are clearly different ideas altogether (often viewed as a part of Civics or History), they can certainly be woven into Character Education, if a family feels they fit well there, too .

Jul 30 2011

Course placement — where your child should begin

What grade is my child operating at?

Which level of the program should I buy?

How do I know if a homeschool book is too easy or too hard for my homeschooler?

These are just some of the many questions that parents ask when trying to determine which homeschooling products to use. Particularly when a family hasn’t used a certain publisher or product before, it can be difficult to gauge exactly where the child should “drop in” to the program. When starting a new set of books, a packaged all-in-one curriculum product, or even just choosing books off the shelf at the local retailer, how do parents know which ones to buy?

Fortunately for modern homeschoolers, there are many placement tools now available. Some come in the form of general testing. Better still, others come from the makers of the products themselves.

In a nutshell, the word “placement” refers to figuring out at which level a child should begin. That is, which grade, what step, which level or even what book, depending on the product, is most appropriate — for a particular child, given that child’s readiness to do the work.

Placement is different for different products. Not all speak the same language.

Sometimes, products are developed with grade levels in mind. Grade 4 students would typically use the 4th grade book. Students in 11th grade would use the 11th grade book. And so on.

Other products are offered in levels (think: stages or tiers). For instance, after a child completes the first level, he or she simply moves on to the next. And then the next. Until the program has been completed. The publisher may make a recommendation about the range of ages that might fit within a particular level. Other times, no age or grade is ever mentioned, leaving it up to the parent.

Still other products are advertised for any age. In fact, you’ll sometimes find a resource labeled, “All ages” or “Ages 10 to adult”. Some general electives, foreign language systems and online learning options are written this way.

So how should parents decide which ones to use? There are basically two ways that parents can go. The first is using intuition combined with trial-and-error. With this method, parents (or students, if old enough to help) use good judgement to select materials and then give them a try. If they work, great. If not, it’s back to the drawing board. Though trial-and-error may not always be the most efficient or least expensive solution, it works. That is, it works as long as parents aren’t stubborn about getting their money’s worth and using the materials anyhow. Or, if parents simply don’t notice the clues from their children, allowing a bad situation to continue.

The other way is placement testing. And lest anyone worry about the word “testing”, be aware that placement testing is easy and painless, and nobody but parents ever need to know the results. With placement tests, students and parents work together to choose the right resource. Either the parent reviews a set of benchmarks, or the child completes a series of questions, and then a recommendation as to the correct level immediately becomes apparent.

Placement tests from product makers come in many shapes and sizes. To get an idea of what one might look like, just a couple of these are linked below. Note these do not comprise an exhaustive list of placement tests. These are merely offered to show an example of the kinds of placement offered by the makers of different homeschool materials:

Placement Center from Calvert School

Saxon Mathematics placement tests

Math U See competency exams

Thinkwell Math placement tests

Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL) placement tests

Connect the Thoughts reading placement for Lower School

Alpha Omega placement tests

Singapore Math placement tests

There are many others that can be found by calling manufacturers or visiting product web sites.

Placement testing can also come from testing agencies. Tests offered by these groups are designed to place children, no matter what curriculum products are being considered. It is beyond the scope of this post to list them all and comment upon the practicality of using tests for this purpose; however, visiting either one of these pages:

Test Prep Review

Internet4Classrooms

will offer a quick glimpse of just a few of the kinds of tests (placement and other kinds) that are available for free download or purchase.

Keep in mind that no placement test is ever fool-proof. Many things come into play when children are being tested for course placement, some having nothing to do with the subject being tested at all. However, when taken correctly, in an ideal setting, these tools should offer at least a general result that parents can then take a look at, seeing if the placement sounds right to them. And there is never any harm to taking additional placement tests, either at a level above or below from the same publisher, or from another developer altogether, just to be sure. Or not taking a placement test at all, and just using judgement and observation, as described earlier.

For more about this topic, watch for future posts about testing and placement. You are also invited the search this site to see what else has been written so far.