Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: Apologia, apologia biology, biology, General Science, High School Biology, high school science, Highschool Science, narration, narrations

This topic has 57 replies, 29 voices, and was last updated 6 years, 10 months ago by cvaessen.

Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 58 total)

← 1 2 3 4 →

Author
Posts
June 16, 2014 at 5:40 pm
retrofam
Participant
I agree with hard work being the answer, but there are other curricula besides Apologia. We use ACE for highschool science. My son did better with it after trying Apologia. He has trouble with foreign language and vocabulary.
My younger kids are going to use Science Roots before highschool science. I second the Latin recommendation.
June 16, 2014 at 5:56 pm
Alicia Hart
Participant
bookworm –
I am sorry to ask again….I just want to make sure I am understanding fully. By “tough material”, do you mean material that stretches them mentally, things that are not below thier reading level. This is seems fairly important.
I think that I get what you are saying but could you give an example or two?
June 17, 2014 at 1:15 am
Bookworm
Participant
Lishie, there is material that one will read that is more “beginning-middle-end” and is fairly easy to narrate. A story from The Storybook of Science, perhaps. Then there are descriptions of mitosis. This is not a STORY, which is easier to narrate. One has to think harder, process the information differently. You can leave out a few details in telling back a STORY. You might even be able to leave out an event in it. But scramble mitosis, and you just as well may not have bothered! You either comprehend and understand mitosis or you don’t.
June 17, 2014 at 3:55 am
bethanna
Participant
Thank you so much, ladies! This is so helpful.
June 17, 2014 at 5:39 pm
Alicia Hart
Participant
That makes sense – thanks.
June 17, 2014 at 6:37 pm
LindseyD
Participant
Bookworm, would you mind giving us some examples of books that require those tougher narrations or require the child to think beyond just the re-telling? Maybe give 4-5 examples of books for younger (ages 8-10), middle (11-14), and older children (15-18). I would like to see what types of books you’re referring to by having some example titles to go off of.
Thanks!
June 18, 2014 at 5:01 am
Claire
Participant
opps! I was just going to agree with bookworm’s take on the “story” versus ‘knowing” types of science books. i’ll be honest. We really have never used living science books here. My children found them very frustrating. They wanted to understand the science not hear a story with some science in it. They love texts, field journals from scientists, biographies of scientists, and even lower level fact type books. Things that help them understand and form the images for the science they are studying.
June 18, 2014 at 1:25 pm
mrsmccardell
Participant
Claire, I can understand what you are saying. My ds6.5 loves to read the living books but has 100 questions following the reading that it makes me wonder if he would benefit from more factual tidbits. But that goes against the whole CM idea??!
June 18, 2014 at 1:36 pm
anniepeter
Participant
I don’t think it does. The stories they enjoy and the things they observe in nature in their youngest years set them up well to be interested and able to put the facts into context, and we just try to choose sources that are not more “dry” than necessary…that’s my take on it. And the things Claire mentioned…straight from the minds of the scientists who were passionate about it…certainly fit CM’s definition of “living” materials!
June 18, 2014 at 1:50 pm
Bookworm
Participant
FACTS ARE NOT ANTI-CM! Nor is factual reading material. To say that children learn best with books of a literary nature is not to say that they can never read anything else. Otherwise we’d all be rather limited in our employment. I’m myself trying to learn for my work some more computer based things. I’d really be up a creek without a paddle if I could only read computer networking books that are in literary format!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 18, 2014 at 2:10 pm
mrsmccardell
Participant
Okay. That helps clarify but then leaves me to wonder what that looks like. For example, we tried Outdoor Secrets and Companion this past year but my son was not interested. He was 5.5 at the time but capable of processing the info which is why I did it at that age. You may tell me it’s still best to wait which is why I’m trying it again in Term 3 this year and he’ll be 7. But he shows a huge interest in experiments, animal facts, exploring, etc. How do I feed that hunger at this age? Sorry if this has gone off-topic from OP.
June 18, 2014 at 2:19 pm
kerby
Participant
So, let him explore, do experiments, and read books that are filled w/ the facts that he’s wanting. Just keep an eye out for being too focused. IOW, make sure he’s doing a few other things once in a while and not all the same concept/topic. Remember that it’s a “feast” of *many* things, not just all “meat” or “potatoes.”

K
June 18, 2014 at 2:25 pm
Bookworm
Participant
Let him do experiments, learn animal facts, and go exploring! Also encourage him to study what he sees and take observations. Share stories of scientists who had questions and did exactly what he is doing! Now, still read him literature and poetry and have him listen to music. I had a son who never did learn to love this stuff, but he was exposed. He also if we were studying wildflowers, tended to measure all the petals and record them in his notebook instead of drawing them. OK, then! He DID learn to identify them. He did study them, come to know them. He still preferred snakes and experiments (especially the kind that made a boom) LOL DO NOT under any circumstances squash that inquisitive nature and curiosity!!!!! Harness it. Feed it. Give him as many stories about or books by naturalists as he can manage at this age. Have fun!
July 17, 2015 at 3:01 pm
missceegee
Participant
Again, a post that is beneficial as we plan our coming year. Bump. 🙂
July 17, 2015 at 4:44 pm
homeschooltraveler
Participant
Thanks for bumping this! Reading it was very encouraging. Might have to read it once or twice more before school starts!!