Homeschool Middle School

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August 20, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert 14 Comments

Middle school, or junior high, is a transition time – between elementary and childhood, high school and college prep.

It’s awkward and gawky and uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally. For the kids and for me!

I loved teaching 8th grade, many years ago now. It was so exciting to see the kids change from the first day to the last day. And I love seeing my students all grown up and starting their own families and teaching their own classes!

Homeschooling was a huge switch for me. I went from teaching teens and adults to teaching a 5 year old, then my babies. As they grew, I became more comfortable. I grew with them, learned with them. We all adapted.

Having my kids reach middle school is so much fun for me. I tease them: you’re in my world now. I know this. I got this. We’re gonna do this right.

The kids know I was totally out of my element teaching preschool and elementary. We laugh about it now. I learned to love it, but I absolutely adore teaching middle and high school.

I love having my tweens and teens home with me. I love discussing history and literature and science and art and music, and even math. I love seeing the connections and assimilation going on from all the topics and travels and years I’ve taught them. I love still reading aloud to them.

I love the sudden fierce hugs. I love watching their bodies grow full and strong, giving me a glimpse into the adults they will soon be. I giggle that they’re all becoming taller than I am! I love hearing about their sports events and art and what they found in the woods. I love that they still show me rocks and flowers and worms and cicada shells.

They’re still so much children but they’re becoming so responsible and big. I desperately want to protect them while realizing I must fall back little by little and let them learn their own path.

I was horrified by a conversation I had the other day where a lady described her son’s harsh transition into middle school. He was suddenly completely responsible each day for turning in his work in the correct tray, completed, on time. There were no reminders or anything. I gave multiple reminders to my kids, even my college students! This is just ridiculous and sets kids up for failure. Her son’s As and Bs turned to Ds and Fs. Without an IEP, there was no assistance from the teacher or support from administrators. This is not the real world!

A master teacher, rather than pushing pupils toward independence, supplies them instead with generous offerings of assistance. A master teacher wants her students to think for themselves but knows the students cannot get there if she resists their dependence or chastises them for lacking maturity. Her students are free to lean on her without any sense of shame for their neediness.
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté, MD

Middle school need not be a scary age to navigate or teach.

It’s important as parents, we understand the changes our kids go through at this age. We must be supportive and patient. We must remember what it was like for us at that age.

Adolescence is a critical time for brain growth. Thinking become less concrete and more abstract. Hormones and body changes are awkward. Critical thinking is more advanced. Short term memory may be compromised as everything tears down and redevelops.

I highly recommend the books by Louise Bates Ames. A good guide to follow is What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade Education by E.D. Hirsch, Jr.

I still read aloud every morning and evening. We go on lots of family hikes. We go out for ice cream and slushies a lot and this is a great time for conversation. We have dinner together at home as a family every night.

It becomes more and more difficult to find interesting and wholesome activities for older kids and teens in our society. It becomes narrower for homeschool kids. Even school kids mostly do sports.

Most states don’t allow paid employment until after age 14, and most of those jobs are pretty undesirable. We’ve found the minimum age for many volunteer opportunities is 15 or older.

The town library closes at 5 PM on Fridays and it’s a big joke in our family that there is nothing wholesome to do.

I constantly shift our priorities as interests change.

Our Middle School Curriculum

6th Grade

This is a huge transition year for most kids – in schools and with homeschooling. For us, dialectic work begins. There’s lots more writing, questions, critical thinking. My kids expand their interests: dug deeper and explored new things!

Singapore Math 6
Life of Fred Intermediate
Tapestry of Grace Year 2 – history, geography, literature
Notebooking
Latin
French or German
Spelling Workout G
Apologia General Science and lots of unit studies

7th Grade

This is one of my favorite years. My kids constantly surprised me with their interests, abilities, and minds. Their intelligent, thought-provoking questions encouraged me to be more honest and authentic. We all made lifestyle changes for improvement.

Singapore New Elementary Math
Life of Fred Pre-Algebra
Tapestry of Grace Year 3 – history, geography, literature
Notebooking
Latin
French or German
Spelling Workout H
Apologia Physical Science

8th Grade

My kids began to earn high school credits. We transition from dialectic level to rhetoric level work. It’s amazing to look back on the changes since 6th grade!

Videotext Algebra
Life of Fred Algebra
Tapestry of Grace Year 4 – history, geography, literature, government, philosophy
Notebooking
French or German
Latin, Greek, or Hebrew
Apologia Biology

These few years between elementary and high school are crucial to having a great relationship with my kids when they’re older teens and young adults.

You ought to give him a taste of freedom while he still thinks it’s yours to give. ~Outlander

I give them more space, freedom, privacy. I encourage discussion about academics, religion, sex and culture, current events, their interests, their lives.

I still remember them as rambunctious babies, toddlers, youngsters…and now they’re growing up into these wonderful young adults.

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Best Book Series for Middle Schoolers

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June 7, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 10 Comments

We read good literature in our family.

Sure, my kids like to read fluff once in a while, but they always come back to the good stuff and even complain about their choices of pop fiction with its poor writing, incorrect references to mythology, and predictable plots.

Of course, we all love Narnia, Tolkein, Anne of Green Gables, and The Little House series.

I discourage my kids from reading much of the popular fiction with its themes of dating drama, sexual situations, and occult references.

We go to the library weekly and we see the marketing displays of popular fiction for teens. The book covers make me want to guard their eyes. It’s almost as bad as Harlequin romance novels with those ripped bodices! Many of the plots involve vampires and witches. Almost none of it is worthwhile reading material.

My criteria for good books:

Is it stimulating to the mind and imagination? I want books that are engaging and require my kids to make connections or dream of possibilities.
Does it cultivate our values? I often encourage reading books that differ from our worldview. It’s thought-provoking and a great conversation starter!
Is it well-written? We don’t waste time on poorly written material.
Is it interesting or challenging? I want books that encourage my kids to think long after they close the book. How can we be kinder, help others, be servant leaders?
Does it encourage discussion? I love discussing books with my kids and hearing what they think about what they read!

We read world mythology and folk tales as part of our homeschool curriculum. And my kids love/hate the Percy Jackson series because it’s so “inaccurate,” lol!

I see the value in dystopian lit and we often read these books together and discuss them. I do love sci-fi and fantasy and encourage my kids to love it too.

After completing my homeschool reading assignments, my older teens are welcome to read the popular YA fiction to see for themselves. And so far, they agree with me.

This list goes a bit beyond the great classics that everyone should read.

5 of the Best Book Series for Middle Schoolers

5 Great Book Series for Middle Schoolers

My 8-year-old daughter is a very advanced and mature reader and has read all of these and approves them.

I have listed the recommended ages and grade levels, but always preview reading material for appropriateness for your child and family.

1. My Side of the Mountain and more by Jean Craighead George

Fun adventure books about nature and animals.

These living books teach about survival skills, respecting the environment, identifying plants and animals. They’re great for any nature lover!

Age Range: 10 and up

Grade Level: 5 and up

2. Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome

12 books about adventurous kids set between the two World Wars.

We love reading about these siblings and all their pretend play in a simpler time.

3. The Giver series by Lois Lowry

A great dystopian series about valuing all lives.

We love the lessons these books teach about society and relationships.

Age Range: 12 and up
Grade Level: 7 and up

4. Brian’s Saga series by Gary Paulsen

Survival and self-discovery.

Great books for boys and girls about survival skills, relationships, and learning about self.

Ages 11-13

5. Wonder series by R.J. Palacio

Lovely books about looking beyond physical appearances and being kind.

We’re currently reading these and loving them! I encourage kindness in our lives.

Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Grade Level: 3 – 7

I’m always on the lookout for great literature to add to our collection. We don’t shy away from tough topics. Literature is important for us to learn about the world we live in. I’m raising readers!

Do you have any great books or series to add to my list?

Literature Study (or Book Report) Notebooking Pages

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Civil Air Patrol as a High School Elective

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September 30, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

Civil Air Patrol is a useful high school elective for all students.

I am counting CAP as a 1-credit elective for each year of high school, so a total of 4 credits on a high school transcript. It could even be as much as 7 credits if you count CAP as early high school courses (because I know many students who take advanced courses in middle school/junior high – and those should count and be listed on the transcript!) or you could include the earlier participation years in the description.

For a course description, I make sure to explain all the major aspects CAP addresses – leadership, character development, aerospace, volunteering, and physical fitness.

Civil Air Patrol as a High School Elective

History:

Civil Air Patrol was founded one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Three primary mission areas were set forth at that time: aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services.

CAP is the civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force.

We took a little field trip to National Headquarters when we PCSed last year.

Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters Building

Liz was excited to see the office of the previous National CAP commander. He wasn’t in.

My daughter has been a CAP member since she was 12 years old.

High school electives are courses that are outside of the main academic subject areas of English, math, history, science, and foreign language. We more than fulfull the minimum academic requrements in our homeschool high school planning. My children are on schedule for 4-5 credits for each academic subject.

Electives offer so many possibilities for homeschoolers. We have so much freedom and no time constraints. While most school districts require only 3-4 credits of electives, my children will most likely surpass those requirements, again with 4-5 credits or more of electives in subjects they love.

The fine arts, Bible courses, technology, internships, sports and fitness, career prep courses, extra academic classes, and Civil Air Patrol are all avenues for electives that we hope to achieve in our homeschool.

We prefer real courses over video or virtual classes. I want my kids to experience life rather than watching it from the sidelines.

Civil Air Patrol offers many valuable life skills.

Why Civil Air Patrol?

Develop valuable leadership skills
Experience the thrill of flying
Test-fly potential careers
Earn rank and awards
Qualify for college scholarships
Solidify moral character traits
Make friends and have fun!

Civil Air Patrol’s core values of Integrity, Volunteer Service, Excellence, and Respect were first instituted in 1999. The CAP core values mirror the core values of the United States Air Force. These core values reflect how CAP chooses to act as an organization. It’s a statement of how CAP chooses to treat fellow members, customers, and the American public. They reflect the CAP organization’s institutional commitment – as well as CAP members’ personal commitment to public service.

Civil Air Patrol offers training in leadership, aerospace, character development, and physical fitness.

Leadership

Cadets advance at their own pace. Typically every two months, cadets are eligible to test for the next rank. Each Phase I and II rank earns an achievement ribbon.

Liz recently earned the rank of 2Lt and is working towards the rank of 1Lt.

To progress in rank, cadets must

participate actively
pass a leadership test
pass an aerospace test
pass a physical fitness test
participate in character development forums
demonstrate they have the maturity to accept increased responsibility

Four Phases of Leadership:

Each rank offers Achievements and greater responsibilities.

The Learning Phase I: C/Amn, C/A1C, C/SrA, C/SSgt

The Leadership Phase II: C/TSgt, C/MSgt, C/SMSgt, C/CMSgt, C/2d Lt

The Command Phase III C/2d Lt, C/1st Lt, C/Capt

The Executive Phase IV: C/Capt, C/Maj, C/Lt Col, C/Col

The awards and decorations of Civil Air Patrol are designed to recognize heroism, service, and program achievements.

Mitchell Cadets completing Phase II who choose to enlist in the Air Force or the Coast Guard are promoted to E-3 upon enlistment and completion of Basic Military Training (BMT), instead of E-1. Mitchell Cadets who enlist in the Marine Corps, Navy, or Army are promoted to E-2 upon completion of BMT.

View the Learn to Lead curriculum.

Explore other opportunities to grow and learn at Encampment, Leadership Schools, National Special Activities, and more.

My daughter has completed three Civil Air Patrol Encampments so far.

Of course, not all CAP cadets choose to join the military. The skills cadets learn can help them achieve any goals for college or career. It’s a great preparatory program for anyone.

Aerospace

Cadets experience flight firsthand through orientation flights in powered aircraft and gliders. CAP pilots are licensed by the FAA, follow a syllabus for each flight, and ensure the flight is conducted safely. Orientation flights are free to cadets.

My Airman Cadet participated in a Civil Air Patrol campout with astronomy and activities during her first year.

View the Aerospace curriculum.

Many cadets choose to earn a pilot’s license with the various scholarship opportunities for pilot programs.

Aerospace training is a great addition to science and technology studies, offers a step up for those choosing to enlist the military, and is just fun and interesting to many students.

Character Development

Civil Air Patrol provides a comprehensive character development program through Education, Training, and Outreach that:

Promotes a positive community service lifestyle.
Encourages youth to remain in school.
Focuses on drug abuse awareness, education, and prevention.
Provides positive activities as an alternative to drugs and gang violence.

Liz received the Air Force Sergeants Association Award for Cadet Leadership in April 2015!

View the Medal of Honor curriculum.

Character development is emphasized in Civil Air Patrol through leadership responsibilities, volunteering, classroom lectures, team-building activities, and guest speakers.

Volunteer Opportunities

Many squadrons participate in community outreach by assisting at military events, honor guard and color guard, partnering with charity organizations, and many other volunteer opportunities to help others.

Liz’s squadrons have assisted at a local aviation museum and ushering at the Officers’ Club and Tops in Blue events.

Achievement ribbons can be earned for acquiring individual volunteer hours outside of Civil Air Patrol.

I know many states require volunteer hours on transcripts and this always looks good on college applications!

Liz also has earned many, many volunteer hours as a Red Cross volunteer at our local hospital, working in the medical laboratory and maternity ward.

Physical Fitness

Cadets are expected to maintain physical fitness standards.

Cadets are measured each month in the following exercises:

The Sit and Reach tests flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings.
Curl Ups test abdominal strength and endurance.
Push Ups test upper body strength and endurance.
The Mile Run or Shuttle Run tests heart and lung endurance.

Monthly PT tests ensure cadets can make rank and be physically fit. See physical fitness requirements.

The time spent and learning achieved during monthly physical fitness training and testing combined with weekly drill along with personal fitness and health education can easily be translated into a PE credit on a high school transcript.

Today’s cadets are tomorrow’s aerospace leaders. Through its Cadet Program, Civil Air Patrol transforms youth aged 12 to 20 into responsible citizens.

What’s CAP like?

Liz describes what Civil Air Patrol is like:

We learn leadership. In the States, you can do Orientation flights with real airplanes. We get to shoot real guns or do simulator activities. I earned a sharpshooter badge from the NRA. At age 16, you can do real search and rescues. Before that, there are mock-ups for practice. We get to do drill: march and look professional. It’s great experience if you plan to join the military.

What’s the time commitment? What do the cadets have to do on their own time?

Squadron meetings are held weekly. Cadets are expected to study to take tests to achieve rank. Extra activities are encouraged, but optional. Encampment is required to become an officer.

More information about Civil Air Patrol:

Air Force “Blues” and camouflage “BDU” uniforms are usually provided by the squadron. Some accessories need to be purchased, like reflector belts and Camelbaks, undershirts and socks within regs, achievement ribbons and rank, and uniform accessories for officers.

Hair and fingernails must be within CAP regulations.

Cadets can excel and earn academic scholarships.

The online cadet resource library provides tips, tools, and information.

Annual membership dues vary by location. I think it’s a small price to pay for so many benefits! Some squadrons do fundraising for special events and encampment costs.

So many great opportunities for local, regional, national, and international activities. See all the special activities offered.

Find a Civil Air Patrol squadron near you! Find out how to join Civil Air Patrol. It’s not just for military kids. Most squadrons are near Air Force bases, but anyone can join. (Also, if your student decides to join CAP, message me for my daughter’s CAP ID number so she gets recruitment credit! Thanks!)

Other info:

Read about our Cadet Airman’s first month.

See how we Homeschool High School.

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How We Do Math

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September 3, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 5 Comments

Math is very important for productive members of society.

I think many homeschool parents are intimidated by teaching math, especially as kids get older and do more complicated work. I love learning along with my kids, filling in the gaps in my own education.

I got lost in math around 6th grade and never really caught up. I love learning along with my kids now!

Here’s how we do math in our homeschool – from preschool to high school.

Primary curriculum is Singapore workbooks, Life of Fred, and VideoText.

We do lots of supplemental math work with stories, games, manipulatives, and apps.

We love notebooking along with workbooks and occasional drill exercises to ensure our kids know their math facts and concepts well to move on to higher level math coursework.

We love keeping math journals. We do special math projects around seasons. We do fun math activities during the holidays like Valentine’s and Easter. I like to incorporate cross-curricular activities for further review. And we love playing with food. The kids like Montessori math games.

We love reading math stories all year long, no matter our age!

Preschool

Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers should play, play, play!

As soon as my kids showed interest, I would let them lead the way and provide opportunities for them to explore and learn about math.

We focus on counting and number recognition: cardinal and ordinal. We play and make math fun.

There is little writing at this age.

We draw, play with shapes, identify, play matching, games, sing songs, play apps.

Alex soon begged for a math workbook like his sisters.

Luckily, I found Singapore K was just right for him!

He would beg to do so many pages each day that he completed both workbooks in just a few months!

I don’t hold back or push my kids. I let them soar and rest as needed.

Elementary

I follow the natural transitions of my kids’ learning.

We’ve loved Singapore Primary Math for levels 1-6 since the beginning of our homeschool journey.

My children have been ready for the Book 1 Set by the time they were 5 years old.

A complete set of Singapore Primary Math for one grade level consists of two softcover textbooks and two consumable workbooks. There are also teacher manuals and homeschool schedule booklets that I never needed or used.

We love notebooking with Life of Fred math.

I read the books aloud and the girls complete the Your Turn at the end of each chapter together with printable themed notebooking pages.

The elementary set of Life of Fred math are 10 books with titles beginning with the alphabet A through J.

Life of Fred is fun reading: it’s a narrative following the character Fred through adventures that entertain as we learn math concepts.

The math concepts in Life of Fred are interspersed with fun stories, life skills, cross-curricular information. We all love it!

We reinforce math concepts with fun store bought, printable, or homemade manipulatives.

Place value, money, and fractions are easier to grasp with visuals.

The girls love learning math with music, doing special activities around the holidays and seasons, and playing math apps on their iPad minis.

Middle School

Singapore Math changes after Book 6.

My eldest jumped right into VideoText, but my younger kids needed a transition curriculum. Singapore has middle school texts that they do with their dad.

The Life of Fred Intermediate books are a great new addition to our math shelf. They weren’t around when Liz was at this level.

I find it funny their titles continue the alphabet with the alphabet: KLM.

These offer a great transition to pre-Algebra and higher math.

I love the Intermediate and “Before High School” sets of Life of Fred.

We completed Fractions, Decimals and Percents, Pre-Algebra 0 with Physics, Pre-Algebra I with Biology, and Pre-Algebra 2 with Economics in about two years.

Life of Fred Middle School and High School Books

Middle school is a rough time and we have to make sure all the basics are memorized and all the concepts are learned well. This is super important before moving on to high school math.

Unfortunately, most higher education options expect students to complete the SAT or ACT but these texts help with critical thinking.

I plan to enroll my younger three kids in test prep since my eldest didn’t quite get the score she hoped for on the SAT though she was accepted into Ohio College Credit Plus early admission and then to a local university. She might have to take a math placement test or remedial course.

High School

We love continuing Life of Fred math for high school.

I purchased the last of the series: Beginning and Advanced Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry.

I also purchased Calculus, which is listed as college-level, but it tells the story of Fred’s baby years and we wanna know! There are also books on Linear Algebra and Statistics.

We use VideoText Algebra and Geometry for our main college prep high school.

The VideoText Algebra program gives these credits: pre-algebra, algebra I, and algebra II.

The VideoText Geometry program gives these credits: geometry, trigonometry, and pre-calculus.

It was always highly recommended by homeschoolers I knew for high school math. The videos are a little dry, but the lessons cover all the material needed. Both Videotext algebra and geometry can be completed in two years if you rush it.

My eldest went through VideoText Algebra in a little over a year. She and her dad worked through one lesson each school day.

We’re lucky that I’m a history/language arts/biology person and my husband is a math/chemistry guru.

Liz completes her video lesson and notes during the day and then she works through the text with Dad before dinner each evening. There are also quizzes and tests.

We teach to mastery, reviewing and supplementing as needed.

Visit my Math Pinterest board:

Follow Jennifer’s board Math on Pinterest.

Resources:

Ideas, Activities and FREE Notebook Pages
Life of Fred Worksheets
Is Life of Fred enough?
Life of Fred; Apples, Chapter 5
Life of Fred; Apples, Chapter 1 Math Lesson
Free Printables for Life of Fred

What are your favorite math activities?

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Teaching a Gifted Middle Schooler

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August 17, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

When I taught public school language arts, I was also the gifted coordinator for the middle school.

I tested the children who were recommended for the gifted program and placed children in the gifted classes. I taught gifted eighth grade language arts.

Those students were my shining stars, and I still chat with several of them on Facebook today…and they’re now either in grad school or beginning their exciting lives, getting married and having babies, and some are teachers themselves!

My daughter, Elizabeth, reminds me so much of those students.

She’s in my territory now. Bwahahaha!

I was out of my comfort zone for so long teaching preschool and elementary, and now she’s twelve and learning almost at the level I used to teach when I worked in a school.

It’s a wakeup call for Liz, in a way. She doesn’t like to be told her work isn’t up to a standard.

Elizabeth has never been formally tested for IQ or gifted abilities. I don’t know if she would even test into the gifted program at a school since she doesn’t really have any experience with standardized testing, other than one required by the state we lived in three years ago. She scored exceptionally well on that one, except average in math. But that is neither here nor there. I know she has gifted tendencies. I know her abilities and potential. I saw it in many students and she compares well.

My expectations for her have shifted this school year. I now have a standard by which to judge her work, in a way. I certainly know what she’s capable of, academically. I remember the level of work my students did, and I am gradually shifting Liz more towards that level. I am changing the requirements little by little to fit. She deserves to be challenged. This is why we homeschool!

I evaluate and re-evaluate her school subjects and assignments often to make sure it’s not too much nor too little. It’s a constant worry to balance everything and make sure it’s not too challenging, yet challenging enough. She’s no longer in the grammar stage. She’s quite into the dialectic stage now, and I must constantly hold her to that higher standard.

Sometimes Liz flails about (literally and figuratively) during our weekly review conferences and “forgets” all she that memorized in the past. I have to pick the connections out of her like pulling teeth. Other times, she’s full of words and blowing me away with some of her insights.

I guess I could have worse problems than that all she wants to do is lie around and read…

She has no interest whatsoever in popular culture. I told my friend the other day that Liz was born an old woman. She’s so conservative that I might never have to worry about her wearing immodest clothing or reading, watching, or listening to something inappropriate.

We recently added a logic course and it’s challenging both Liz and me. I remember getting a C in this very class in my second semester of college. {collective gasp!} During our reading of Socrates’ Apology, Liz made this connection: “Socrates was smart. Dr. Sheldon Cooper is smart. I am smart. We should start a club for all the really smart people and no one else can join!” {Never mind that Socrates is quite dead and Sheldon is quite fictional…} It really cracked me up.

I’ve had to explain to Elizabeth that she won’t make any friends bragging about her knowledge of Shakespeare or Latin…

It’s often a challenge to me to provide appropriate yet interesting reading material for a young girl. Her lack of cultural and worldly experience make this somewhat difficult at times. Much of her being “sheltered” is by her own choice and interests, but I am glad to have a “little girl” as long as possible. She will grow up all too soon.

Gifted Characteristics:

Gifted students are often perfectionist and idealistic.
Gifted students may experience heightened sensitivity to their own expectations and those of others.
Gifted students are asynchronous.
Some gifted students are “mappers” (sequential learners), while others are “leapers” (spatial learners).
Gifted students may be so far ahead of their chronological age mates that they know half the curriculum before the school year begins!
Gifted children are problem solvers.
Gifted students often think abstractly and with such complexity that they may need help with concrete study and test-taking skills.
Gifted students who do well in school may define success as getting an “A” and failure as any grade less than an “A”.

Creative Thinking

Independent thinker

Exhibits original thinking in oral and written expression

Comes up with several solutions to a given problem

Possesses a sense of humor

Creates and invents

Challenged by creative tasks

Improvises often

Does not mind being different from the crowd

General Intellectual Ability

Formulates abstractions

Processes information in complex ways

Observant

Excited about new ideas

Enjoys hypothesizing

Learns rapidly

Uses a large vocabulary

Inquisitive

Self-starter

Specific Academic Ability

Good memorization ability

Advanced comprehension

Acquires basic skill knowledge quickly

Widely read in special interest area

High academic success in special interest area

Pursues special interest with enthusiasm and vigor

Leadership

Assumes responsibility

High expectations for self and others

Fluent, concise self expression

Foresees consequences and implications of decisions

Good judgment in decision making

Likes structure

Well-liked by peers

Self-confident

Organized

Psychomotor

Challenged by difficult athletic activities

Exhibits precision in movement

Enjoys participation in various athletic opportunities

Excels in motor skills

Well coordinated

Good manipulative skills

High energy level

Visual/ Performing Arts

Outstanding in sense of spatial relationships

Unusual ability in expressing self, feeling, moods, etc., through dance, drama, music, etc.

Good motor coordination

Exhibits creative expression

Desire for producing “own product” (not content with mere copying)

Observant

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General and Land Animal Science Annual Review

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May 22, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

General Science

Liz completed General Science this year. She has completed the entire elementary series. And now the girls are working through it! I love everything about it.

General science gives a great overview of all the sciences. Liz especially likes physics and can’t wait for that program {in a few more years}! We’re starting physical science after summer break.

I got the journal for Liz to keep all her work together. She has organization issues and there’s a handy little schedule in the front that she would just check off each assignment as she completed it.

Dad’s a scientist. He helped lots this year with Liz and her experiments. He extended some of them to further teach her the concepts well.

Liz liked the simple experiments. Even when they go wrong {or Mama doesn’t have the correct type of toilet bowl cleaner, sigh}

She was much more successful making this DNA strand model out of pipe cleaners.

We still have this baby taking over my kitchen windowsill, sprouting plenteous roots.

Liz enjoyed the anatomy lessons too. And reading sideways on the floor apparently.

Land Animals Science

The girls are still plugging along with Land Animals and we hope to finish over the summer. I focused more on math and language arts with them since they’re only just turned 6 and 7.

The girls absolutely LOVE these journals. It’s like notebooking and lapbooking all in a great spiral notebook.

We kicked off our school year in science by taking Tori and Kate to the zoo for a special primate event. We had lunch with staff and and special animal guests.

We even got to help the primate keeper with enrichment for the lemurs!

The lemurs get excited with drawings on the windows of their habitats.

Here’s the girls’ recent reaction to learning about rumination (chewing cud).

ew!

The girls really enjoyed our map work (learning where the animals live in the world) and learning the animals’ footprints at the end of each chapter.

We played games and completed most of the experiments or crafts.

Kate is rather obsessed with animals and I often find her reading an animal encyclopedia rather than doing what she’s supposed to be doing.

Since they’re studying Latin now, they’re fascinated by learning the proper taxonomy names.

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Middle School Art and Music

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May 7, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

Middle school is tough.

Art and music in middle school is really tough.

I like to teach art and music along with history from year 1 and we cycle through every 4 years, digging deeper each cycle.

This unit was our 3rd time through for my eldest.

How I teach art and music:

Listening
Fundamentals, Theory, Vocabulary
History
Practicing and/or Performing

We listened to Haydn’s Farewell Symphony.

It was part of our classical history studies with Tapestry of Grace Year 2 and the book was on the girls’ list of reading, but we read it together as a family and was delighted and then I found the whole symphony on YouTube. It is magnificent.

Liz finally broke out her acrylics and painted this as she listened:

She loves abstract art.

I love her representation of the musicians’ candles. She explained which parts of her painting meant which emotion from the symphony.

Brilliant.

We often create and complete notebooking pages with music and art.

Check out these great Haydn notebooking pages.

Famous Artists & Picture Study Notebooking Pages

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General Science

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January 29, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert 7 Comments

Elizabeth really likes the general overview of Apologia General Science. She’s breezing through it – even after having forgotten most of what she learned from the Apologia Exploring Creation series. This mama perhaps wasn’t as diligent as I should have been with taking advantage of all the fun experiments and learning experiences as I could have been. But I had three babies and we did what we could.

Liz is especially enjoying the anatomy modules – much to my chagrin since she really wasn’t on board when we studied it a couple years ago.

She’d been asking me to get her a more advanced book on body changes. Of course, at age 12, she knows the basics of human development. I certainly wouldn’t wait until she begins her first menses to let her know what’s happening! Not sure what she was wanting, I half-heartedly searched for an appropriate book online to no avail.

I’m not pleased with the secular emphasis in even so-called Christian books. They seem to skim over the implications of premarital sex and lust and not address important issues from a Biblical perspective.

When she asked about it again, I questioned her. I was frustrated because all the sex books I’ve found are blaringly inappropriate for her. She doesn’t need to understand the issues of abortion or homosexuality or teen pregnancy yet. She didn’t even know anything about those until very recently.

Alas, my little geeky girl wants a book that explains in detail the chemical changes in the body that cause the physical changes. What a relief!

I like that most of the experiments in General Science are simple enough that Liz can do them by herself. We’re all pretty fascinated by a branch of ivy that we are rooting.

Which brings to mind the verse:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
~John 15:5

Like we are branches on the vine of God, so are our children extensions of us. When I get frustrated with behavior or attitudes, I must remember that they are His children first and I cannot change their hearts. I can only pray for them to accept His teachings and internalize them in their own hearts. I pray that someday I can sit back in my rocking chair and see the faithful tendrils growing forth from my legacy.

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Middle School is Tough

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January 9, 2013 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Middle school is tough.

It isn’t all cute and craft-laden.

It’s lots more school work than what the littles do. And it doesn’t often make for fun pictures.

There seems to be a lot of stress – for her with the ups and downs of adolescence – and for me as a parent trying to break through to her.

The goal as a parent is to teach self-control and keep knocking down the barriers she puts up.

I encourage her through all those awkward feelings. I dig down deep to remember what it was like for me.

Being stuck in the middle is tough.

She’s outgrowing many childish things, but she’s not old or mature enough for many adult things. The adult world is a scary place and it’s my job to protect her even on the days (moments!) when she thinks she’s ready for it.

Responsibilities increase and hormones mess up everything.

It’s important to maintain rules and boundaries even when she pushes back.

We require attendance at meal times, church, and family read aloud time.

She may roll her eyes and scoff or cry, but it’s important. She needs to realize that growing up can be uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally, but we must model appropriate behavior in how we handle discomfort and inconvenience.

Is it easier to let her huff and hide and in her room? Absolutely. But it’s worth the family disruption to teach her self-control. And her siblings watch the ordeals and learn.

School time is often a battle, but sometimes it’s magic.

I encourage her to be more independent with her assignments.

She still wants Mama time: to be read to, to discuss the reading and assignments, and to stay up after her siblings go to bed and watch a movie.

We re-evaluate school work constantly for something that works well.

Liz loves notebooking with PowerPoint and Notebooking Publisher. yay for technology!

I snapped a pic of Liz’s completed pipe cleaner DNA strand.

She’s going through Apologia General Science. She does most of the experiments with Dad, so there aren’t usually any pictures since I’m not involved.

Liz is enjoying our history and literature studies with Tapestry of Grace. We’ll learn about her namesake Elizabeth I in history next week!

She continues to adore Life of Fred math. She is now on Elementary Physics, a pre-algebra book. She will begin Videotext Algebra next.

The middle school years are challenging and the rewards are few, but so worth the effort.

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Middle School Science

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July 14, 2012 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We’re all pretty excited about Apologia General Science.

They did the first experiment together and it was colorful and fun.

The water, oil, and corn syrup layered themselves and the rock sank and the grape floated. cool.

We’re following a great schedule and notebooking plan.

It’s been an eye opener for her. We explained the plan and showed her the plan and got her notebook organized and the schedule printed out.

Then she thought she could skim through like she always has.

Not so much. She got a 64 on her first test.

I warned her that 7th grade was going to be different, harder.

Now she knows.

Her uncle is visiting with his family this week and he teaches 7th grade science. This has been great for all of us. He told us that “she’s just like a 7th grader” (the good and the bad). And he’s been able to talk to her about her studies. It’s given her a new perspective. You know, moms and dads know nothing, but uncles can be cool.

So, she knows that she has to actually work at something.

A new concept. A first step toward maturity.

General and Physical science are reviews of elementary material, preparing for high school lab sciences.

We read many living books about scientific topics, watch documentaries, go on nature hikes, visit museums, and more.

Good Middle School Science Skills

Physical science

Brush up on the laws of motion, force, speed, and the transfer of energy. Students should understand the effect of friction on objects, as well as the difference between friction and inertia. Kids have the opportunity to learn about the properties of a range of materials, studying size, weight, and shape. They should conduct experiments, use tools to gather and organize data, and learn how to make graphs to present their findings.

Life science

The life sciences include everything from the human body to ecology. With so many topics, at any given time students in middle school might be immersed in studying a particular insect, or observing a terrarium or aquarium to learn about ecosystems. Junior life scientists also learn about plants, including the basic processes, like photosynthesis, that allow them to thrive.

Earth and space science

Middle school earth science lessons review how the earth was formed. Kids should review how the earth orbits around the sun as well as the moon orbits around the earth. Make connections between orbits and time. Understand that a year is the length of time it takes the earth to orbit the sun and a day is based on how long it takes for the earth to make one rotation on its axis.

Teachers may include a geology lesson that focuses on a single point of interest like the Grand Canyon. By studying the Grand Canyon, for example, students can follow in the footsteps of professional scientists, learning to read geologic lessons in the rock, and discern the effect erosion has on the earth’s natural features.

Science and technology

Many schools emphasize the relationship between science and technology. These technology-focused activities might include a study of bridge design or a discussion about robots’ value to society. Lessons should give special attention to the way science and technology can be used to solve human problems and meet human needs.

Scientific inquiry

While studying science, your child will also be learning about the process of scientific inquiry — how to ask incisive questions, design experiments, gather evidence, formulate answers, and communicate the results. It’s not uncommon for students’ ideas and misconceptions to be challenged or changed.

By contrasting and comparing, students hone their critical thinking skills, analyzing errors and making summaries of what they’ve learned. Many other soft skills should grow and develop while studying science. For example, students might begin to learn the importance of recording their observations or recognize the limitations their own memories.

Using math skills in science

Rock solid math skills are crucial to success in science. Whether students are being asked to create a new calendar for an imaginary world or calculating sea rise from an arctic ice melt-off, they’ll use a wide variety of math skills involving basic arithmetic, geometry, and pre-algebra.

Creating graphs and tables, measuring to scale, calculating ratios, determining weight, distance, and volume – all these are math skills needed for science. Source: Great Schools

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