Okay so I am trying to go back to CM style of schooling. (which I never fully left but definately a lot less in the last 2 years)
With 9 children ages 13.5 and under it is a challenge to say the least and I will have a lot questions in the next bit to cement the thoughts that are whirling in my head and keeping my in too much thought. My head and chest hurts. I tend to be a very passionate person in things and want to get it to work. I deep think.
Anyway for the highschool science - using ,apologia, the highschool stuff. Now I know it is written in conversational style to the students but lets face it -- the questions and tons of them are not CM style. Honestly does anyone else think it is way to overwhelming for the students.
I mean I did all three sciences in school and I remember all the questions and hated doing them. And yes I passed everything for the tests but could not tell you much afterward.
My oldest started general last year and started out doing the reading - the own your own question - then the chapters end questions(in which I bought premade lap books from a site - so they did not have to write out each question again, just cut out the fancy little books and fill in the answer) Wow, how does he actually think they should write out the question and the answer for everyone. Then they did the fill in the blanks at the back, the labs and then the test. This lasted all of 4 modules. And this is for my child that is very knowledge based and picks up on detail easily. He began to not like it and that was even with the fun lap book and on your own questions written for you.
He found himself just reading lightly for the 1st through because he knew he would have to go through again for the questions and was taking sosooooso long to do. No way are you getting through the program in 1 year, let alone the other sciences and any of his extra ones before graduating.
So I got him just to read, then do the labs and the on your own and said that was good.
So now start a new year and this is my thought on how to do it CM style. Does anyone else? Do we honestly have to subject our children to all the questions and tests, how does this fit living and narration. Charlotte was not about all these questions. SO my thought is have them read through the text while listening to it on the audio. Therefore they see if on the paper but get to also hear it, especially for my second son who is joinging my first son this year and those big words will loose him. Then so far still doing the on your own questions but some just answering orally. Then what I plan to do is have them watch the course that they have just read, on the live DVD video you can get now(mine is still in the mail on its way). Now they are seeing it visually and they can now relate and say yes I remember reading that. And supposedly there is suppose to be notes to take with the video all laid out for you. I of course have not seen them but thought I would get them to do the study notes with the video. And then do any labs.
So in summary
1st read text following along with audio - doing the own your own questions as they come unless the study note taking covers that as well then skip the on your own.
2nd watch the DVD course taught and take the study notes that come with if they are good and not overwhelming.
Do labs as they come.
Lastly have them give a short narration from their notes back. Using one of those devices that they talk into and changes their works to printed material. Put these narrations in their notebook. With 9 little ones and more to come I just can not listen to everyones narration and look very intereted each time for the 9th or more time in the day and still keep the rest of the house going. So I think a program like this would be a life saver plus they see their oral work become written work and might encourage them to narrate with more detail and life and it would be a keepsake. They then every once in a while could use some of this as copy work. Also every once in a while once they are older I would ask some to be written narration but my boys are not ready for that yet.
Maybe after some practice with "The Write Course" ;O)
So your thoughts if you stuck with me this long. But this is such a serious subject but I want it to be fun and worth learning not a drag. Honestly who remembers all the vocabs and details but endless questions.
thoughts thanks.
