Heart of Dakota USI Week 26 and RevtoRev Week 25

Need some encouragement? Check out my devotional for homeschool moms here...
God's Hand in Life's Little Moments devotional

Hi ladies!

I loved posting weekly check-ins for many years, and then photobucket crashed! I missed posting pictures, and alas, my weekly check-in posts faded away.  Well, Photobucket has apparently had some revisions, and I believe it is now working again.  I snapped some pictures this week and thought I'd test drive sharing pics via Photobucket again here in the weekly check-in!

USI:

Riley is working on Unit 26 this week. He's been learning about The Compromise of 1850, Statehood for CA, and the Fugitive Slave Law. Here he is with his work in his USI Notebook...

I especially enjoy hearing his talking points narrations from America: The Last Best Hope!  I like how the USI guide's plans help him prepare for these narrations by providing suggested headings for him to jot on an index card. He lists his headings, and then under each heading he lists words, phrases, and brief sentences to reference as he narrates. He also must always plan to share a visual aid that is noted in the plans. Such amazing oral narrations come from this simple prep! It reminds me of when I taught speech class in college. A small index or note card was allowed, and a visual aid was expected to be used as well. Such great prep for future speech-type situations!  In a similar way, the USI Notebooking pages help Riley organize his thoughts on topics by having him choose from a bulleted list of topic suggestions. Then, he writes his thoughts for each topic, each in their own box in his notebook...

I also enjoy the neat Map Trek maps Riley is making as he journeys through USI...

Revival to Revolution:

Emmett is working on Unit 25 this week. He's been learning about Arctic Expansion, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Japanese Trade. It is interesting that Emmett is often learning about the same things Riley is in USI!  Only on a much younger level. They have had some interesting talks about it!  I was thrilled this week that Emmett did his Carpenter's Wheel history project 100% solo! He followed all the directions on his own, and it turned out so neat!...

I also asked him to try to focus on writing neatly and in straight lines for his written narration in his RevtoRev notebook. What an improvement!  We had a 'case of the messies' for awhile, and this narration was so much neater!...

I am just so happy, in general, with how much Emmett's work has improved this year. Week 25 is a great place to be!  Here he is with his notebook...

Finally, I love having my 3 sons home to hang out together and be each other's best friends!  Homeschooling is such a privilege, and online college is too...

You can check out my blog post about raising my sons to be best friends here...

Raising Siblings to Be Best Friends

If you need some encouragement, my devotional for homeschool moms is now available here...

God's Hand in Life's Little Moments devotional

Hope you had a wonderful week, ladies!

In Christ,

Julie

Need some encouragement? Check out my devotional for homeschool moms!

Need some encouragement? Check out my devotional written especially to encourage homeschool moms, now available on ebay! I've reprinted this, and as only items directly written into Heart of Dakota guides are carried by HOD, I've made my devotional available on ebay!  

God's Hand in Life's Little Moments 

Click here to go to ebay!

Be encouraged as a Christian Woman, as a Wife, 

as a Mother, and as a Teacher! 

 Each chapter has a theme and includes devotions encouraging you as a Christian Woman, a Wife, a Mother, and a Teacher!

Days 1 through 4 include an inspirational quote, a personal story, a Bible Connection, a Personal Connection, and a Welcome Retreat prayer.

A Sneak Peek at a Week...

 If you have 10 minutes a day, you have time for God's Hand in Life's Little Moments!

Be encouraged, so you can then go and be an encouragement to others!

In Christ,
Julie

How A Little Oral Review Helps a Lot in Singapore Math

How a Little Oral Review Helps in English

My son, Emmett, is in RevtoRev this year. He does well with reading, writing, narrations, poetry, notebooking, projects, experiments - I am so happy with his progress this year as I see him maturing! However, Emmett's hardest subjects remain English and Math. One thing that really has helped him in English is first studying the oral review questions and answers. This kind of 'review' has seemed to help him better retain what he has learned and apply it to his lessons.

How Charlotte Mason Used a Little Oral Review in Narration

Charlotte Mason also advocated reminding oneself what was read yesterday, before continuing on with reading a living book. In fact, in HOD's How to Narrate: Student's List, this is the first reminder: If you are in the middle of a book, briefly remind yourself what was read last time. This has also been very effective with Emmett and his oral narration progress.

One Example of How to Use a Little Oral Review in Singapore Math

So, this past week of math lessons, I decided to give a quick oral recap of our last Singapore lesson. We are working on circumference and area of circles in 6B. So, I began by asking if he remembered how to find the circumference of a circle. He didn't. So, I just said, "Remember we first find the diameter of the circle or the line that goes all the way across. Then, we multiply the diameter times pi. Do you remember what pi is?" He thought it was close to 3. I said, "Yes! Pi is 3.14. So, to find the circumference or distance around a circle, we multiply the diameter by pi or 3.14."

We also learned pi was the same as 22/7. A shortcut is to check if 7 can go into the diameter evenly. If it can, it is much quicker to multiply the diameter by 22/7 than by 3.14. Over the next few days, at the start of our math lessons, I asked him a few quick questions again. This time, he happily answered that to find the circumference of a circle, which was just the outside not the inside of the circle, he would just take pi times the diameter. He'd try 22/7 first if he could use it, but if not, he'd have to multiply it by 3.14.

How a Little Oral Review Helps a Lot!

WOW! I was so encouraged by this! We have now gone on to find the area of a circle is pi times radius times radius. He needed help remembering the difference between radius and diameter, but now he has down both formulas for a circle's circumference and area! If he can't remember things when I ask him, I just say them briefly and clearly as I jot them on a marker board or point to the formula/picture from a past lesson. I don't do this in an "I can't believe you don't remember this" way. Rather, just as a super quick review to help him. When we start a new section, I'm not planning on reviewing the previous section anymore. Just thought I'd share this less-than-a-minute tip that has helped so much in math for Emmett!

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. Need some encouragement? Check out my devotional written especially to encourage homeschool moms, now available on ebay! I've reprinted this, and as only items directly written into Heart of Dakota guides are carried by HOD, I've made my devotional available on ebay!  

Meet Charlotte Mason

Let us take a moment to meet Charlotte Mason, and in doing so, gain inspiration and direction for homeschooling our own precious children! Charlotte Mason was born in England in 1842 on New Year’s Day. Her father was a Liverpool merchant, a simple but refined man who was very fond of books.  Both of Charlotte's parents loved to educate her. As only children themselves, teaching  Charlotte, their only daughter, was a special joy.  Unfortunately, Charlotte's mother died when Charlotte was just 16. Her grief-stricken father died the following year. Suddenly alone in the world, Charlotte lived with friends until at 18, she moved to London. She enrolled in the only training college available to teachers in England at the time.  From these difficult beginnings, Charlotte rose to become an advocate of parents as educators for their children.

Heart of Dakota - Inspired by Charlotte Mason

Heart of Dakota is inspired by Charlotte Mason, and it is our family's hope that you will be too!  So many  educational cornerstones of Charlotte Mason's approach to education form the foundation of Heart of Dakota's approach to learning.  It is no surprise to me that an orphaned young daughter would grasp the importance of the education parents could give their children and long for it herself.  We believe this too.  Through Charlotte Mason's approach to learning, we find we as parents can hopefully give something Charlotte's parents could not - an education provided by loving parents that carries our children to adulthood. 

Education is an atmosphere!

“By the saying, 'education is an atmosphere,' it is not meant that a child should be isolated in what may be called a ‘child environment,’ especially adapted and prepared; but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions.  (Mason 1923: preface).
I think Charlotte longed for her childhood days of her parents lovingly creating a home atmosphere for education.  It was powerful to her, because she once had it and lost it.  She spent her life trying to help parents create this atmosphere of education within the home setting - perhaps because she longed for it herself.  We long for this ourselves as parents, and we also long for it for you, as fellow homeschool parents.  Hence, Heart of Dakota.

A dream dreamed, from an orphaned child, coming to fruition through you!

I believe Charlotte Mason was a strong woman whose difficulties in life brought about a newfound respect for the once well-respected old adage that parents are the best teachers for their children.  Parents love their children as no others could. They are invested in their future, and there is no 'passing on' of the children to a new teacher. The parent is the teacher. She knows her children well, and she has a heart full of love and hope and fortitude to see them through to be the best they can be.
I like to think we as homeschool parents have the love and hope and fortitude for our children Charlotte's parents surely had for her.  Only, Lord willing, perhaps we will be blessed enough to journey on this home education road a little longer.  I believe this was an orphaned child's dream, and it can come to fruition through you. Over the next few weeks, I'll be introducing Charlotte Mason to you as she makes her presence known in Heart of Dakota. I hope you take as much inspiration in meeting her this way as I have.

In Christ,
Julie