Randy and I have had some major hiccups this winter. One of our sons was down with the flu for a week; then I got an even better case of it--I was down for two weeks. We had a wedding in the family and then the accidental death of the groom's sister the day after the wedding. Then 2 more deaths of close family members. We had a need to change churches (that can be and was a bit it a trama for everyone). And I have agreed to care for 4 more blessings in child form from our extended family.
One thing that has helped me was that as God knew this was going to happen, there were several articals in the January/February Homeschooling Today magazine that encouraged me with beginning again, and how much to focus on 'catching up'. If you find yourself in a similar situation with needing a restart for any reason, whether of your own making or not, this is a valuable issue to read. I was greatly encouraged and I urge you to get a copy.
I've had some concerns from others that I was not going to continue this blog, but we all have these bumps in our lives and the best thing we can do is keep the faith, keep our eyes on Jesus, and never give up, never, never, never.
There has been a lull in my writing, and I may not write as often until I get used to my new normal and get our school on a continuous track again. But I'm still here and you can still email me if you have a more specific question. Find me here or on the mentors page at http://www.face.net/.
Blessings to you and yours.
Michelle
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Answers to a Beginning Parent
I’ll hit your questions one at a time:
Yes, it is best started with very young children. You are instilling a method of thought. This is best done at an early age rather than raising them up in something that appears more simple, but has pagan thinking at its roots. I know that sounds harsh. I don’t mean to be. But according to Scripture (Pv 1:7) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. If knowledge begins in the fear and admonition of the Lord, then it should follow that we can teach every subject reasoning biblically. Just because a ‘good’ curriculum has a verse at the beginning of the page does not mean that it reasons with biblical principle throughout the body of the lesson. The problem that most run into as they begin studying in this manner is in seeing the value of it, they desire to swallow the whole thing at once, and that isn’t God’s plan either. God holds you responsible to the bits of knowledge he gives you and only that. Apply the Principle Approach where you know to apply it and keep learning and adding more as you go. You can use any curriculum that doesn’t deny Christ because the reasoning I was referring to is applied during the lesson. You can do that as the parent/teacher. At the kindergarten age I believe the best place to start is with the preschool studies in the Red Books. I love those and they will take a good portion of time. You may not get through them all in a year. However, if you want a curriculum, the Noah Plan Lessons have a kindergarten level and you could start with that. The benefit here is you can witness how a master teacher put together lessons for this age group for a whole year in various subjects.
In my experience most of the preparation for my lessons happened in the beginning of my experience with the Principle Approach. I had to learn and understand the method myself. I’ve had less pressure in that area since it’s under my belt a bit more. With that said, the Principle Approach recognizes the parent/teacher as a living textbook. I study with my children. But I do have to know where I’m going ahead of time. I honestly have no qualms teaching any subject—even the high school ones. Because I’ve already seen God guide me. Here’s the cool thing: I’ve worked as a classroom teacher. In that roll I depended highly on whatever curriculum the state gave me to teach. That curriculum held my hand and took me everywhere the state wanted me to go. It kept me on track. And I believe that anyone could teach like that. That’s one of the reasons people look at the Principle Approach and tend to think they couldn’t do it (teach without a set curriculum?! You’ve got to be out of your mind! How would I know what to do and where to go?!) With the Principle Approach God is my guide. He’s a better guide than any curriculum ever was for me. But to make certain that I travel in a good direction there are some curriculum materials that I use and FACE has syllabi for every subject and grade level. I consult all of those, but not before asking and responding to what God has for my boys. I do most of the work in the summer before starting school, and I begin thinking about things about now. I’m already processing things in my mind about next year, but it’s not taking much time because it’s just at the thought level right now. This holds true for any subject—even the ones that may seem rather complicated. But I do know where to go for help.
All subjects can be taught using the Noah Plan, but the Noah Plan is not imperative any more than any other curriculum is. The syllabi I use are part of the Noah Plan, but I’ve never used an entire lesson plan book—I refer to them when my thinking is stuck, but I don’t teach straight out of them. There’s nothing wrong with following the Noah Plan Lessons verbatim to get your bearings and then being ready to fly when you’ve gone all the way through them either, but when I started there were no Noah Plan Lesson books and everything worked just fine. I leaned heavily on the curriculum guides when I started and they are a reference to me now. I know some who only referred to the Red Books. It all depends on what you feel you need to get started. Understand that the Principle Approach is a method; the Noah Plan is a curriculum that fits the method.
Take care, and let me know if you have any more questions, or even questions about my questions. Have a blessed day.
Blessings,
Michelle
“May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”
Sunday, November 30, 2008
'Reader's Theater Activity'
Reader's Theater Activity is an activity in the Bible as Reader program. Either the teacher or the students can compose the play. There is an example in the Noah Plan Reading Curriculum Guide on page 146. I thought you might like to see another example we have done in our family (The spacing is off because I did this in Word, and it doesn't seem to be transferring well. I hope it helps anyway):
David’s Lament
Scene 1: The Amalekite informs David of the death of Saul and David then David laments the death of Saul and Jonathan.
David sits studying the Books of the Law. A man enters breathless.
David: What brings you here?
The Amalekite: I’ve just escaped from the camp of Israel.
David: (Anxiously) So what happened? What’s the news?
The Amalekite: The Israelites have fled the battlefield leaving a lot of their dead comrades
behind. And Saul and Jonathan are dead.
David: How do you know for sure that Saul and Jonathan are dead?
The Amalekite: I just happened by Mount Gilboa and came on Saul, badly wounded and leaning
on his spear, with enemy chariots and horsemen bearing down hard on him. He
looked behind him, saw me, and called me to him.
‘Yes sir,” I said, ‘at your service.’ He asked me who I was, and I told him,
‘I’m an Amalekite.’
‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and put me out of my misery, I’m nearly dead already my
life hangs on.’
So I did what he asked—I killed him. I knew he wouldn’t last much longer
anyway. I removed his royal headband and bracelet, and have brought them to
my master. Here they are. (He hands the royal headband and bracelet to David)
(In lament, David rips his clothes to ribbons. All the men with him do the same [except for the Amalekite])
David: (to the Amalekite) Who are you anyway?
The Amalekite: I’m from an immigrant family—an Amalekite.
David: Do you mean to say that you weren’t afraid to up and kill GOD’s anointed king?
(to a soldier) Strike him dead! (The soldier strikes him and the Amalekite falls
dead to the floor.)
You asked for it. You sealed your death sentence when you said you killed
GOD’s anointed king.
David: I order that everyone in the Land of Judah learn to use the bow as Jonathan did and the
song that I now sing I order that everyone in the land of Judah learn by heart:
Oh, oh Gazelles of Israel, struck down on your hills,
The might warriors—fallen, fallen!
Don’t announce it in the city of Gath,
Don’t post the news in the streets of Ashkelon.
Don’t give those coarse Philistine girls
One more excuse for a drunken party!
No more dew or rain for you, hills of Gilboa,
And not a drop from springs and wells,
For there the warriors’ shields were dragged through the mud.
Saul’s shield left there to rot.
Jonathan’s bow was bold—
The bigger they were the harder they fell.
Saul’s sword was fearless—
Once out of the scabbard, nothing could stop it.
Saul and Jonathan—beloved, beautiful!
Together in life, together in death.
Swifter than plummeting eagles,
Stronger than proud lions.
Women of Israel, weep for Saul.
He dressed you in finest cottons and silks,
Spared no expense in making you elegant.
The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen
In the middle of the fight!
Jonathan—struck down on your hills!
O my dear brother Jonathan,
I’m crushed by your death.
Your friendship was a miracle-wonder,
Love far exceeding anything I’ve known—
Or ever hope to know.
The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen.
And the arms of war broken to bits.
[Taken from: Peterson (2003), The message: Remix: The Bible in contemporary language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
Scene 1: The Amalekite informs David of the death of Saul and David then David laments the death of Saul and Jonathan.
David sits studying the Books of the Law. A man enters breathless.
David: What brings you here?
The Amalekite: I’ve just escaped from the camp of Israel.
David: (Anxiously) So what happened? What’s the news?
The Amalekite: The Israelites have fled the battlefield leaving a lot of their dead comrades
behind. And Saul and Jonathan are dead.
David: How do you know for sure that Saul and Jonathan are dead?
The Amalekite: I just happened by Mount Gilboa and came on Saul, badly wounded and leaning
on his spear, with enemy chariots and horsemen bearing down hard on him. He
looked behind him, saw me, and called me to him.
‘Yes sir,” I said, ‘at your service.’ He asked me who I was, and I told him,
‘I’m an Amalekite.’
‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and put me out of my misery, I’m nearly dead already my
life hangs on.’
So I did what he asked—I killed him. I knew he wouldn’t last much longer
anyway. I removed his royal headband and bracelet, and have brought them to
my master. Here they are. (He hands the royal headband and bracelet to David)
(In lament, David rips his clothes to ribbons. All the men with him do the same [except for the Amalekite])
David: (to the Amalekite) Who are you anyway?
The Amalekite: I’m from an immigrant family—an Amalekite.
David: Do you mean to say that you weren’t afraid to up and kill GOD’s anointed king?
(to a soldier) Strike him dead! (The soldier strikes him and the Amalekite falls
dead to the floor.)
You asked for it. You sealed your death sentence when you said you killed
GOD’s anointed king.
David: I order that everyone in the Land of Judah learn to use the bow as Jonathan did and the
song that I now sing I order that everyone in the land of Judah learn by heart:
Oh, oh Gazelles of Israel, struck down on your hills,
The might warriors—fallen, fallen!
Don’t announce it in the city of Gath,
Don’t post the news in the streets of Ashkelon.
Don’t give those coarse Philistine girls
One more excuse for a drunken party!
No more dew or rain for you, hills of Gilboa,
And not a drop from springs and wells,
For there the warriors’ shields were dragged through the mud.
Saul’s shield left there to rot.
Jonathan’s bow was bold—
The bigger they were the harder they fell.
Saul’s sword was fearless—
Once out of the scabbard, nothing could stop it.
Saul and Jonathan—beloved, beautiful!
Together in life, together in death.
Swifter than plummeting eagles,
Stronger than proud lions.
Women of Israel, weep for Saul.
He dressed you in finest cottons and silks,
Spared no expense in making you elegant.
The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen
In the middle of the fight!
Jonathan—struck down on your hills!
O my dear brother Jonathan,
I’m crushed by your death.
Your friendship was a miracle-wonder,
Love far exceeding anything I’ve known—
Or ever hope to know.
The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen.
And the arms of war broken to bits.
[Taken from: Peterson (2003), The message: Remix: The Bible in contemporary language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
Monday, September 1, 2008
General Answers to Some Questions
For science, I use the Apologia series. You can find them at www.apologiaonline.com. They have a very complete program and the author is intimately involved with helping the students. There are multiple avenues for them to reach him for help: online, email, telephone,… The program is written in such a way that the Principle Approach method is easy to incorporate. And they have a fine support website for parents and students.
I use the Spalding method for spelling. You can find out more about that at www.spalding.org. I do not purchase grammar or spelling programs. I use this method for spelling and I teach reading and grammar through the Bible and literature. You can get a peek at the Bible as Reader (BAR) method in the Noah Plan lesson books which were written as an example of the Principle Approach method.
What you teach your individual children both in mathematics and science depends upon their individual gifts and aptitudes. Different school districts in the US vary in what they think is important. Whatever they feel is the most important is the plan for most students; however, that is not the best philosophy—even though they can’t avoid it since they have to plan for so many. My two sons are very different. We don’t plan their programs exactly alike. Michael has a more defined music program because he is musically oriented. Gabe is very athletic, so he has a more defined physical program. They haven’t shown their complete colors in math and science, but when they do, we will follow the same path with that. For example, if Michael shows a gifting in physics, we will allow him further study in that area. Our purpose is to fertilize the gifts that God has already planted in them. We work very individually with them.
Both your homeschooling and method choice questions are answerable in the same story. We started homeschooling because of the Principle Approach method. This is a method that is not found even among most private Christian schools—and definitely not around here. I started my education career in public schools. When we had children, I stayed home with them. When our youngest was old enough to start school, I was invited to work at a school that was ‘dabbling’ in the Principle Approach. Randy and I were convicted that God wanted our boys to be educated in this way for all their subjects. The only option was to school them at home since no one was teaching all subjects in this way here. It was a challenge because my background was as a high school teacher and my children were very young. I had to learn to teach reading as well as other subjects (my specialties were history and English).
We have all learned along the way. It has been an excellent journey for the whole family.
I know this sounds a bit crazy, but don’t worry so much about your children’s progress. The most important thing for them to learn is Christian Character. With Christian Character everything else will follow. They will advance beyond your wildest imagination when you place their Christian development first in their education. The people at RightStart are very good at leveling children; I would trust their judgment. And as far as finishing early—I don’t recommend it. Gifted children should work deeper—not stop sooner [my opinion].
How do I structure my day?...That has been a subject developed over time. With my background as a classroom teacher, I first thought that we needed to have a schedule just like one at a traditional school. That didn’t work too well. Family situations arise. My husband needs me to help him occasionally. We have other activities, like the coop on Wednesdays, Michael’s piano lesson, Gabe’s football practice,… And some days—like today—we just don’t have great days. The boys were tired and not as attentive. Some may think that they wouldn’t get away with that in a traditional school—yes, they would. When children are not as sharp as usual, they get passed over more. When you have 25 – 30 children in a classroom, you have no choice as a teacher. You work with the ones who are ready to learn. It’s more accurate to say they don’t get off the hook when they are working one on one at home. They may work more slowly, but they still at least accomplish something if the parent/teacher doesn’t give up. So what I’ve done is I have a schedule, but I don’t beat myself up on the days we don’t get to stick with it. Balance is the key—not legalism.
I use the Spalding method for spelling. You can find out more about that at www.spalding.org. I do not purchase grammar or spelling programs. I use this method for spelling and I teach reading and grammar through the Bible and literature. You can get a peek at the Bible as Reader (BAR) method in the Noah Plan lesson books which were written as an example of the Principle Approach method.
What you teach your individual children both in mathematics and science depends upon their individual gifts and aptitudes. Different school districts in the US vary in what they think is important. Whatever they feel is the most important is the plan for most students; however, that is not the best philosophy—even though they can’t avoid it since they have to plan for so many. My two sons are very different. We don’t plan their programs exactly alike. Michael has a more defined music program because he is musically oriented. Gabe is very athletic, so he has a more defined physical program. They haven’t shown their complete colors in math and science, but when they do, we will follow the same path with that. For example, if Michael shows a gifting in physics, we will allow him further study in that area. Our purpose is to fertilize the gifts that God has already planted in them. We work very individually with them.
Both your homeschooling and method choice questions are answerable in the same story. We started homeschooling because of the Principle Approach method. This is a method that is not found even among most private Christian schools—and definitely not around here. I started my education career in public schools. When we had children, I stayed home with them. When our youngest was old enough to start school, I was invited to work at a school that was ‘dabbling’ in the Principle Approach. Randy and I were convicted that God wanted our boys to be educated in this way for all their subjects. The only option was to school them at home since no one was teaching all subjects in this way here. It was a challenge because my background was as a high school teacher and my children were very young. I had to learn to teach reading as well as other subjects (my specialties were history and English).
We have all learned along the way. It has been an excellent journey for the whole family.
I know this sounds a bit crazy, but don’t worry so much about your children’s progress. The most important thing for them to learn is Christian Character. With Christian Character everything else will follow. They will advance beyond your wildest imagination when you place their Christian development first in their education. The people at RightStart are very good at leveling children; I would trust their judgment. And as far as finishing early—I don’t recommend it. Gifted children should work deeper—not stop sooner [my opinion].
How do I structure my day?...That has been a subject developed over time. With my background as a classroom teacher, I first thought that we needed to have a schedule just like one at a traditional school. That didn’t work too well. Family situations arise. My husband needs me to help him occasionally. We have other activities, like the coop on Wednesdays, Michael’s piano lesson, Gabe’s football practice,… And some days—like today—we just don’t have great days. The boys were tired and not as attentive. Some may think that they wouldn’t get away with that in a traditional school—yes, they would. When children are not as sharp as usual, they get passed over more. When you have 25 – 30 children in a classroom, you have no choice as a teacher. You work with the ones who are ready to learn. It’s more accurate to say they don’t get off the hook when they are working one on one at home. They may work more slowly, but they still at least accomplish something if the parent/teacher doesn’t give up. So what I’ve done is I have a schedule, but I don’t beat myself up on the days we don’t get to stick with it. Balance is the key—not legalism.
Monday, August 25, 2008
What if I Don't Live in the United States
I recently received a letter from a family in Australia asking if Principle Approach would be an appropriate choice for their family. What follows is my first reply to them. I do hope we'll have an ongoing dialogue.
Wow…I’ve never received a letter from Australia! How exciting.
The Noah Plan Principle Approach Curriculum is a curriculum that was written in response to requests, mainly by homeschooling parents, for examples on how to teach the Principle Approach. The Principle Approach is a method of instruction that incorporates biblical reasoning into all subjects: math, science, reading, history,… For that reason I would say, ‘Yes, it would be suitable for children in Australia.’
The history emphasis is, however, on the westward movement of the gospel starting with the Macedonian call, then moving into the Reformation,… The ‘whole’ of history is taught with a bit of this emphasis as well. There are 10 key links on the American Christian History timeline: Creation, Moses and the Law, Jesus the Focal Point of History, Paul and the Christian Church, The Bible in English, Columbus, Christian Founding, American Christian Republic, Westward Expansion and Erosion, and Reformation/21st Century. As you can see, it does have a decidedly American focus. However, because of the method it is still beneficial, and I would even recommend it in other countries.
As it is important for children to understand their Christian heritage, the expansion of the gospel to Australia would be an important study and the history curriculum would need to be adjusted for that. The curriculum and method does come out of the United States, so it makes sense that the focus would be there. But with that said, it has been brought to my attention [recently as a matter of fact; maybe God was preparing me to share with you] that a study of this particular pathway of the gospel is useful for all Christians to study around the globe because God did something a bit unique here. The United States was founded on Biblical principle. The Bible was the political and governmental text for the writing of the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. Sadly, we seem to be struggling as much as everyone else these days, but to have a country whose founding documents established Federalism that came out of the dual governmental principle of the New Testament, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and the great commandment. And the second is like unto this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The principle of the dual nature of government is to love God and to love others. There is a much larger study on this, but I don’t want to belabor the point. If a family, not from America, was to choose to study the westward movement of the Gospel to the Americas it would be because of the unique aspect of its founding.
However, Australia has its way of receiving the gospel as well. In studying that you might want to tweek [is that an American expression? I mean ‘adjust’] the links a bit. You could use through say…”The Bible in English” and then make adjustments for its journey to Australia. It is important to teach Christian history from this perspective because of the very nature of history. History is God’s plan of redemption for us. It started in the Garden and will end with our presence with God. It is his rescue plan for us. So when an event in history is studied it is studied in relation to that plan which is represented on a timeline. My children have one page for each of those key links in their notebooks. When we study an event, we study it in relation to those links and then place it on the appropriate corresponding link page in the timeline section of their notebook for the appropriate subject. For example, we may be studying Martin Luther. He was one of the Reformers and even though his Bible was written in German we place him on The Bible in English page. In this way they can see that the smaller events are a part of God’s plan.
There is an Australian who currently lives in the United States as a missionary [thank you so much for sending him]. You may be familiar with him. His name is Ken Ham. He also has a timeline that could be used in this way. You can get more information at http://www.answersingenesis.org/. This is his timeline:
[This image could not be uploaded here. You can view it at: http://www.answersingenesis.org/museum/docs/7cs.asp]
It could be used in this way as well, but it does lack a few links between the cross and consummation. I don’t think it would be difficult to add them in though. I would have to know more about Australian Christian History to help you.
I spend so much time on this particular subject because if you have any problem with the method at all, it would be right here. In the beginning it does seem to be a method that forgets there are other parts of the world. But it must be remembered that it was a method developed in the United States and thereby focuses on United States history.
I would encourage you, though, not to give up on it because of this. For Randy and me, our decision really didn’t have that much to do with the way the history was approached. It had to do with the fact that when you teach children to see each individual subject through the eyes of God, they end up seeing everything through his eyes. That is what we wanted for our children.
The Dictionary you purchased will be a tremendous blessing to your family. Noah Webster wrote this dictionary from a biblical worldview and when you see how it defines the words: heart, marriage, education, … as compared with our modern dictionaries, know that this is the kind of thinking that will become a part of you your husband and your children through this method.
If you want to know more, let me know. I feel like I’ve dumped on you a bit and maybe you need some time to absorb this. I can give you more practical information if you would like to converse more. You can also take a look at my blog site: www.principleapproachplanning.blogspot.com.
Blessings to you and your family. I am at your service.
Wow…I’ve never received a letter from Australia! How exciting.
The Noah Plan Principle Approach Curriculum is a curriculum that was written in response to requests, mainly by homeschooling parents, for examples on how to teach the Principle Approach. The Principle Approach is a method of instruction that incorporates biblical reasoning into all subjects: math, science, reading, history,… For that reason I would say, ‘Yes, it would be suitable for children in Australia.’
The history emphasis is, however, on the westward movement of the gospel starting with the Macedonian call, then moving into the Reformation,… The ‘whole’ of history is taught with a bit of this emphasis as well. There are 10 key links on the American Christian History timeline: Creation, Moses and the Law, Jesus the Focal Point of History, Paul and the Christian Church, The Bible in English, Columbus, Christian Founding, American Christian Republic, Westward Expansion and Erosion, and Reformation/21st Century. As you can see, it does have a decidedly American focus. However, because of the method it is still beneficial, and I would even recommend it in other countries.
As it is important for children to understand their Christian heritage, the expansion of the gospel to Australia would be an important study and the history curriculum would need to be adjusted for that. The curriculum and method does come out of the United States, so it makes sense that the focus would be there. But with that said, it has been brought to my attention [recently as a matter of fact; maybe God was preparing me to share with you] that a study of this particular pathway of the gospel is useful for all Christians to study around the globe because God did something a bit unique here. The United States was founded on Biblical principle. The Bible was the political and governmental text for the writing of the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution. Sadly, we seem to be struggling as much as everyone else these days, but to have a country whose founding documents established Federalism that came out of the dual governmental principle of the New Testament, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and the great commandment. And the second is like unto this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The principle of the dual nature of government is to love God and to love others. There is a much larger study on this, but I don’t want to belabor the point. If a family, not from America, was to choose to study the westward movement of the Gospel to the Americas it would be because of the unique aspect of its founding.
However, Australia has its way of receiving the gospel as well. In studying that you might want to tweek [is that an American expression? I mean ‘adjust’] the links a bit. You could use through say…”The Bible in English” and then make adjustments for its journey to Australia. It is important to teach Christian history from this perspective because of the very nature of history. History is God’s plan of redemption for us. It started in the Garden and will end with our presence with God. It is his rescue plan for us. So when an event in history is studied it is studied in relation to that plan which is represented on a timeline. My children have one page for each of those key links in their notebooks. When we study an event, we study it in relation to those links and then place it on the appropriate corresponding link page in the timeline section of their notebook for the appropriate subject. For example, we may be studying Martin Luther. He was one of the Reformers and even though his Bible was written in German we place him on The Bible in English page. In this way they can see that the smaller events are a part of God’s plan.
There is an Australian who currently lives in the United States as a missionary [thank you so much for sending him]. You may be familiar with him. His name is Ken Ham. He also has a timeline that could be used in this way. You can get more information at http://www.answersingenesis.org/. This is his timeline:
[This image could not be uploaded here. You can view it at: http://www.answersingenesis.org/museum/docs/7cs.asp]
It could be used in this way as well, but it does lack a few links between the cross and consummation. I don’t think it would be difficult to add them in though. I would have to know more about Australian Christian History to help you.
I spend so much time on this particular subject because if you have any problem with the method at all, it would be right here. In the beginning it does seem to be a method that forgets there are other parts of the world. But it must be remembered that it was a method developed in the United States and thereby focuses on United States history.
I would encourage you, though, not to give up on it because of this. For Randy and me, our decision really didn’t have that much to do with the way the history was approached. It had to do with the fact that when you teach children to see each individual subject through the eyes of God, they end up seeing everything through his eyes. That is what we wanted for our children.
The Dictionary you purchased will be a tremendous blessing to your family. Noah Webster wrote this dictionary from a biblical worldview and when you see how it defines the words: heart, marriage, education, … as compared with our modern dictionaries, know that this is the kind of thinking that will become a part of you your husband and your children through this method.
If you want to know more, let me know. I feel like I’ve dumped on you a bit and maybe you need some time to absorb this. I can give you more practical information if you would like to converse more. You can also take a look at my blog site: www.principleapproachplanning.blogspot.com.
Blessings to you and your family. I am at your service.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Addition to the Recommended Web Sites
Focus on the Family's The Truth Project® . If you can attend a conference in your area, please do. Although Focus is not associated with FACE, the project goes right along with the philosophy of the Principle Approach. It is taught from an adult point of view. You will gain major insights concerning the reason why we do what we do. Check it out. The web address for this site is http://www.thetruthproject.org/, or click on the link to the left of your screen.
Time Lines Are a Key Part of the Principle Approach
Because we never teach the 'parts' without relating to the whole, Principle Approach methodology includes time line instruction. We talk about 'His-story of mathematics, science, languages, ... , and we focus our instruction of history around the westward movement of the gospel. The Foundation of American Christian Education (FACE) has developed a time line which involves ten key links for the westard movement of the gospel. You can purchase a template from www.facebookstore.net and let your children put it together as a school assignment. They should be creative. Although my family assembled in a fairly traditional manner, I know of one family who actually quilted theirs.
We built the timeline using the timeline templates from the Foundation a number of years ago. We used art paper that wouldn’t fade and the base is that foam board that is like poster board, but thick. We used three boards and placed them side by side on a high shelf. We just leave it there. Then when the boys need to place something on the timeline, we discuss on which link the event, document, or person would go, and then they record that on the timeline in their notebook.
We created the 10 different links each on a separate piece of paper for each subject and put those in our notebooks for the purpose of recording the information in our notebooks.
When I first began with PA, I wasn't certain how to integrate all the historical events with this more concise time line from the Foundation. A simple way to think of it would be to take an individual event like the signing of the Mayflower Compact. Have a conversation with your children while observing the big time line you have made together. Ask them where this even would fit into this time line. When you come up with "Christian Founding", tell them to record this on the timeline in their notebooks.
Another question along these lines that comes rather frequently is, "Why is it important to study the history of other subjects outside of history?" This, again, relates to the fact that the study of a subject as a whole--including its history--gives greater clarity to the subject. For example, in the study of the English language it helps students (and parents) to understand that English really is a logical language, even though most people claim that it is difficult because they claim it not to be logical. When you understand the history of how our language was formed, words are easier to spell (because of the logic that most of us have been taught isn't there). The curriculum guide for English that FACE publishes has a written history that is very helpful.
But to make this more clear right now, let me share just a little. The first people on the British island were the Britons. These people were invaded by the Romans who spoke Latin (which had been greatly influenced by the Greek). These two languages mixed with that of the Britons changing the language spoken there. When the Romans pulled out, the Saxons (a Germanic tribe) invaded, further influencing changes in the local language. After a few hundred years the Normans (a French tribe) invaded, changing the language still further. We have gained words from these major influences as well as a host of other influences. However, it is important to note that most if not all languages today are not languages that were spoken at the point of the Babel confusion. All languages have been externally influenced.
There are significant effects on our spelling. One example is the spelling of the 'f' sound. Most times we spell that sound with the letter 'f'. But if the word we are dealing with came from the Greek language, it is spelled with a 'ph' since that was the Greek spelling for that sound. Knowing which roots came from Greek (for the most part) and which did not gives a major leg up in spelling words correctly. We must never tell our children that our language doesn't have a logic to it. For one, that is a false statement, and secondly, it is discouraging. How can they ever learn their language if there is no rhyme or reason.
This is only one of many examples for incorporating the 'whole' of a subject by including its history, but I hope it is helpful to you.
We built the timeline using the timeline templates from the Foundation a number of years ago. We used art paper that wouldn’t fade and the base is that foam board that is like poster board, but thick. We used three boards and placed them side by side on a high shelf. We just leave it there. Then when the boys need to place something on the timeline, we discuss on which link the event, document, or person would go, and then they record that on the timeline in their notebook.
We created the 10 different links each on a separate piece of paper for each subject and put those in our notebooks for the purpose of recording the information in our notebooks.
When I first began with PA, I wasn't certain how to integrate all the historical events with this more concise time line from the Foundation. A simple way to think of it would be to take an individual event like the signing of the Mayflower Compact. Have a conversation with your children while observing the big time line you have made together. Ask them where this even would fit into this time line. When you come up with "Christian Founding", tell them to record this on the timeline in their notebooks.
Another question along these lines that comes rather frequently is, "Why is it important to study the history of other subjects outside of history?" This, again, relates to the fact that the study of a subject as a whole--including its history--gives greater clarity to the subject. For example, in the study of the English language it helps students (and parents) to understand that English really is a logical language, even though most people claim that it is difficult because they claim it not to be logical. When you understand the history of how our language was formed, words are easier to spell (because of the logic that most of us have been taught isn't there). The curriculum guide for English that FACE publishes has a written history that is very helpful.
But to make this more clear right now, let me share just a little. The first people on the British island were the Britons. These people were invaded by the Romans who spoke Latin (which had been greatly influenced by the Greek). These two languages mixed with that of the Britons changing the language spoken there. When the Romans pulled out, the Saxons (a Germanic tribe) invaded, further influencing changes in the local language. After a few hundred years the Normans (a French tribe) invaded, changing the language still further. We have gained words from these major influences as well as a host of other influences. However, it is important to note that most if not all languages today are not languages that were spoken at the point of the Babel confusion. All languages have been externally influenced.
There are significant effects on our spelling. One example is the spelling of the 'f' sound. Most times we spell that sound with the letter 'f'. But if the word we are dealing with came from the Greek language, it is spelled with a 'ph' since that was the Greek spelling for that sound. Knowing which roots came from Greek (for the most part) and which did not gives a major leg up in spelling words correctly. We must never tell our children that our language doesn't have a logic to it. For one, that is a false statement, and secondly, it is discouraging. How can they ever learn their language if there is no rhyme or reason.
This is only one of many examples for incorporating the 'whole' of a subject by including its history, but I hope it is helpful to you.
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