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• English/Language Arts in Homeschool High School

  13 May 2012 / Curricula, News / 0 Comment

  

  Each goofy kid has different strengths in ELA

  First off, let me start right out by saying this: There is no: ONE RIGHT way to homeschool.

  OK, now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about English/Language Arts in high school at home.

  ELA is a huge course in high school. It requires the following:

  -Reading real books and/or literature textbooks

  -Writing lots of papers of many sorts

  -Vocabulary

  -Grammar

  -Language Mechanics

  -Public Speaking

  

  Writing all those papers was good college prep for Hannah

  The actual numbers of books and papers varies from family to family (and/or diploma program to diploma program). The amount and level of vocabulary, grammar, mechanics, and public speaking follows the same idea- it varies from family to family.

  Let me give you an idea of what we do at the homeschool umbrella school that all the 7 Sisters joined.

  -Reading of real books

  Each year in homeschool high school, our kids read between 15-50 books (according to the grade and course level of each student). This includes at least 3 classics and can count 10 books of the Bible (yep, we count each one as a book), a few audiobooks, other books of interest.

  OR they can choose to combine literature textbooks and real books.

  We have found that using study guides for 9-14 of the real books is a BIG help to our kids- as long as the study guides inspire and enhance (not kill the joy of the book with busy work). Here's the link to our many study guides that we use with our kids.

  -Writing lots of papers of many sorts

  Each year in high school, our kids write (according to grade and course level) 2-8 five-paragraph essays, 4-8 short papers (including genres such as short stories, poetry, reports), plus a 5-page paper (some of these must be research papers in MLA and APA formats).

  -Vocabulary

  Determined by family’s goals. College bound kids concentrate on texts that will prepare them for SATs and ACTs.

  

  Kym's son likes to write about his missions trips

  -Grammar and Language Mechanics

  Again, determined by the family. College bound kids especially need to work hard on editing skills for college entrance exams.

  -Public Speaking

  Format determined by the family, but an absolute necessity.

  The difficulty levels of the books read, papers written, and other areas are heavily influenced by students’ capabilities. For instance, many 9^th graders will need to read less complex books than can be enjoyed by 12^th graders. Students with dyslexia will need to read literature from adapted sources.

  What are some important books you've had your homeschooler read?

  Our 7 Sister's literature study guides are affordable, useful, and inspirational- and don't kill homeschoolers with busywork. Starting with Sara, Plain and Tall for younger students and including Christian classics like God's Smuggler and The Hiding Place; then onto great classics like The Hobbit, Antigone, Animal Farm, and many more- your students will be blessed.

  ======================

  Here's my son, Ezra's "interview" with Ralph Waldo Emerson to get you started on great literature:

   

• Homeschool Mom, Dogs, and Skunks

  09 May 2012 / News, Stories / 1 Comment

  

  Kym and Doug-not chasing dogs at the moment

  Homeschoolers don't have boring lives, in case you haven't noticed! Our 7 Sister, Kym is always getting into some adventure. The other night she had me in stitches with a running stream of txts about her dog-rescue adventure. We pasted the txts together for you, thinking it might help someone else feel more normal (or something)...

  Took a lovely walk with my hubby and dog after a long day of homeschool lessons.  We were all enjoying the peace and the breeze. Not far from home we heard a commotion. Knowing that our Stewie the Wonderdog has a few complexes and can be fearful of people, noises, and others dogs when he's on a leash, we crossed the street.  As we got closer, we realized it was our neighbors attempting to capture their runaway dog.

  Stewie suppressed his hang-ups and helped us join in the chase. 45 minutes later, we were still trying to corral the runaway dog, when along comes our neighbors’ SUV being driven by their 10-year-old!

  His explanation: He wanted to find them but was afraid to walk or ride his bike for fear of getting mugged.

  

  Kym's twins, who missed most of the excitement

  (Most folks don’t get mugged in our neighborhood.)

  Meanwhile the chase continues as I follow dog 15 houses around our circular neighborhood where he finally goes in the back of the houses and proceeds to give himself a roll-around bath in skunk juice.

  Finally, our neighbor employs the infamous SUV where she seats herself in the open tailgate of wagging hot dogs at the skunky dog. She finally dives at him and catches his front paws. Voila!

  We headed home, grateful Stewie wasn't skunked only to realize that I had been in close enough contact with the runaway to catch a faint scent.

  

  Kym with daughter of superpower of Super Smell

  I took off my homeschool-group hoodie and headed straight for the sink to scrub my hands.

   

  Eldest daughter, who if she were a superhero would have Super Smell as her super power, enters the kitchen practically gagging. She begs me to go outside and asks that whatever I do, I don't go upstairs or down.

  I banish myself to the back porch with my cell phone and kindle while my dear hubby heads out to get me peroxide (to go with the dish soap and baking soda).  He is gone...I'm in the dark with my electronics and it starts to rain. I toss my kindle fire and  my "dumb phone" in the door onto the sofa. It's getting colder and starts to pour. I head around to the front porch which at least has a little cover.

  

  Kym's son, who missed all but the smell!

  So my knight in shining van (with the peroxide) pulls in the drive at the same time as my dear son returns with his sisters.
  They hold their noses as they run by and into the house.

  Dear hubby turns off the porch light and I peel off as many layers as I can without risking arrest or embarrassment and scoot up to the shower and my bath of green slime. The next day, I ran into 7 Sister, Vicki, and she assured me that I didn’t smell too skunky then. Whew!

  If your life gets to feeling that nutty, maybe you'd enjoy doing our 7 Sisters Psychology from a Christian Worldview. Fun for anyone, but especially useful for teens needing to develop a good high school transcript.

  And the silliness continues... Here's Sabrina telling the story of Rindercella.

   

• Homeschoolers, Psychology is:

  08 May 2012 / College, High School, News / 1 Comment

  I am a 24-year veteran of homeschooling and also work as a counselor at a Christian practice.

  I'd like to tell my homeschool friends about psychology. Psychology is:

  Perception 

  Optical illusions are tricks our eyes and brains play on us. Our perception of things is affected by what we expect to see. This is psychology.

  Learning

  How we learn and what we learn is controlled by the brain, among other things. Understanding how we learn: this is psychology.

  Communication

  Understanding effective ways to speak and listen: this is psychology.

  Genetics

  Why does our body affect our moods and our moods affect our body? This is psychology.

  Needs and Motivation

  What do we need to thrive emotionally and why do we want what we want? This is psychology.

  Personality

  Who are you and what are you like? What do you like? This is psychology.

  Sleep and Dreams

  Alpha waves and REM are part of the brain's work in sleeping. This is psychology.                                     

  Helping Others

  This is my job. I love it. I love to be used by God to ease another person's pain. This is psychology.

  Help your teen discover God's handiwork in creating human brains and souls. That is the purpose of our 7 Sisters Psychology from a Christian Worldview. This 1/2 credit course help students meet transcript requirements while gaining some useful-for-life information.

  =================================================================

  Here's my talk for seniors who are getting ready to go off to college.

   

   

  
  

   

• Intro to Psychology from a Christian Perspective by Vicki Tillman

  07 May 2012 / Curricula, High School, Homeschool Information, News, Teaching / 0 Comment

  I know, I know: usually homeschoolers don't review the books THEY wrote!

  I'm going to tell you why I'm writing about Introduction to Psychology from a Christian Perspective:

  The world is often a sad and broken place. People get hurt.

  Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and set the captives free. In my career as a counselor, I feel like I get to carry on his work in his name:

   ¹The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. -Isaiah 61:1 KJV biblegateway.com

  When my oldest kids were in high school, I wanted to give them the tools to understand themselves, their fearfully- and wonderfully-made brains, the people around them, and how to be a compassionate person toward a friend in need. BUT there were NO high school-level Christian textbooks. So based on my training and work, I wrote a fun/accessible text with a theocentric perspective. We have used it consistently in co-op and umbrella school for years, now.

  Here are the important things it covers:

  -The brain and how it works                                                                                    

  

  Kym's oldest is in college studying Human Services. She got her feet wet in high school with this text.

  
  

  -Perception

  -Genetics

  -Learning

  -History of psychology: from ancient Egypt to today

  -Communication

  -Needs and motivation

  -Personality

  -Sleep and dreams

  -Abnormal psychology

  

  My #3 son is studying education in college. His courses on understanding children are good follow-ups to high school psych.

  -Christian counseling

  -Careers in psychology

  -How to help a friend in crisis
  

  It is a 1/2 credit college-prep course OR a 1 credit average high school course.

  The text contains enrichment activities for fun (or advanced-level credit), questions, tests, and answer keys. You can get a glimpse of some activities and questions here.

  I firmly believe that every homeschooled teen could benefit from learning the basics of psychology and helping. Click over to our bookstore and take a look. Your teen (or even you) will have a blast with this as a second-semester course!

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  A great go-along with Psychology is our FREE article Carry Each Others' Burdens by Marilyn. Marilyn shares a study we did on what REALLY helps when someone is in crisis through telling her own story. Download it today!

  Here's Sabrina's talk about Juggling Jello:

• Updates for Homeschoolers on Graduation Requirements

  06 May 2012 / High School, News, Teaching, Transcripts / 0 Comment

  

  Homeschool graduate, Hannah, is at UD now

  Homeschoolers must keep a wary eye on the rapid changes in the educational community. While state regulations for homeschoolers remain fairly stable (see Homeschool Legal Defense Association for that information), colleges frequently change what they are looking for in their incoming freshmen.

  Here are the latest updates from our nearest university (University of Delaware). Each college will look for slightly different things, check around to various colleges in your area to compare.

  English 4 years at college prep level or above

  Mathematics 4 years at college prep or above (drawn from algebra 1 and 2, geometry, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, statistics, probability)

  Science 4 years at college prep or above (3 of the 4 years must include lab and be drawn from chemistry, biology, physics)

  History 2 years at college prep or above (including one world history)

  

  Homeschool grad, Bekah, is at Towson U

  Social Studies 2 years at college prep or above (drawn from psychology, political science, government, geography, economics, or sociology)

  Foreign Language 3 years of the same language at college prep and all 3 years completed during high school

  Elective 1 year at least college prep

  5 of these courses must be completed senior year. At least 2 of the courses must be at levels higher than college prep.

  The changes in the social studies subject area are attention-grabbing. This university is looking for psychology among other things. If our kids need to take psychology in high school, it is important to have a good, Christian psychology text. I wrote our 7 Sisters text based on my work as a counselor for my own homeschooled kids and their homeschooled friends so that they could see the wonders of the brain from a Godly perspective.

  Anything unusual YOUR local colleges are looking for on a high school transcript?

  Here's Sabrina sharing about one of our favorite paper-writing projects for this year: Oral History Report.

• Our Top 10 Homeschool Parents' Reads for 2011-12

  04 May 2012 / Healthy Living, Literature, News / 0 Comment

  

  We read this as a group

  Each year our homeschool umbrella school staff takes a retreat for prayer and planning. One of our favorite things to do is make a list of our favorite books of the year. Here's our list for 2011-12:

  Building Below the Waterline- Gordon MacDonald                                                     

  Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership- Ruth Haley Barton

  The Reason for God- Timothy Keller

  Sit, Walk, Stand- Watchman Nee

  Just Say, “Thanks”- RT Kendall

  Traveling Mercies- Anne Lamott                                                 

  Emotionally Healthy Spirituality- Peter Scazzero

  Daily Office: Remembering God's Presence Throughout the Day- Peter Scazzero
  

  

  Seth and James (with friend, Penny) vote for God's Smuggler and The Hiding Place

  The Great Divorce- C. S. Lewis

  Mere Christianity- C. S. Lewis

  Of course, our homeschoolers have been doing some great reading this year, too. In Sabrina's group class, the teen have been studying Great Christian Writers. It has been one of the best courses my son, Seth, has ever done. Here are the study guides she created for the kids to help them understand the books (but not overwork the kids so that they hate the books).

  What are YOUR personal favorite books for this year?

  Here are some tips for your homeschool high school transcript (from my experience as an advisor and homeschool mom of 5):

   

   

• God's Smuggler- Homeschool Teen Tells Why He Likes It

  02 May 2012 / Bios, High School, Literature, News / 0 Comment

  Ever have one of those homeschool moments when you found out you were doing something right?

  I asked my homeschooler (15-year-old Seth), "What is your favorite book so far this year?"

  He answered, "that's easy: God's Smuggler!"

  Funny how that worked out. 7 Sister Sabrina just finished a study guide on that very book. (Oh, maybe that's because she's the one teaching Seth's homeschool Great Christian Writers group class:)

  SO, I asked Sabrina to publish the study guide and I asked Seth to write a very short review of the book.

  Seth's review of God's Smuggler:

  God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew

  

  Seth (right) with sister, brother, brother-in-law (all homeschooled, btw)

  God’s Smuggler is an inspiring true story filled with adventure, suspense and faith. It is the autobiography of Brother Andrew. During the Cold War, Brother Andrew smuggled Bibles into countries behind the Iron Curtain.

  The book is also the story of his conversion to Christianity. Brother Andrew went from rebellious boy, to reckless young man, to great man of God.

  God's Smuggler really showed me how much God cares for His children. He kept Andrew safe through many dangers. Every time he  passed through a border he would pray what he called “the Prayer of God’s Smuggler”:

  “Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture that I want to take to Your children across the border. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.”

  Because of Brother Andrew, many people behind the Iron Curtain received Bibles and were shown that God cared about them. You will not want to put God’s Smuggler down.

  --------

  Sabrina's 16-page study guide for God's Smuggler helps inspire your homeschooler as well as helps him understand the culture and context of the Cold War. The study guide includes vocabulary and terms to know. While it helps solidify student comprehension, it does not deflate his enjoyment of this powerful book.

  Give your teen a chance to study Seth's favorite book of the year.  Download God's Smuggler Study Guide today $3.99.

   

  Open Doors

  Brother Andrew founded Open Doors in 1955 by smuggling his first group of Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. It has been a powerful and effective ministry since that early trip.

  Mission Statement of Open Doors
  
  Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide; We are an organization aimed at strengthening persecuted believers worldwide through community development, Bible & literature distribution, leadership training & education and ministries of prayer and advocacy.

  You can download the story of Brother Andrew's conversion from the book God's Smuggler at http://www.opendoorsusa.org

  Here's Sabrina's talk on character building curriculum options:

• God's Smuggler- Homeschool Teen Tells Why He Likes It

  01 May 2012 / Bios, High School, Literature, News / 0 Comment

  Ever have one of those homeschool moments when you found out you were doing something right?

  I asked my homeschooler (15-year-old Seth), "What is your favorite book so far this year?"

  He answered, "that's easy: God's Smuggler!"

  Funny how that worked out. 7 Sister Sabrina just finished a study guide on that very book. (Oh, maybe that's because she's the one teaching Seth's homeschool Great Christian Writers group class:)

  SO, I asked Sabrina to publish the study guide and I asked Seth to write a very short review of the book.

  Seth's review of God's Smuggler:

  God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew

  

  Seth (right) with sister, brother, brother-in-law (all homeschooled, btw)

  God’s Smuggler is an inspiring true story filled with adventure, suspense and faith. It is the autobiography of Brother Andrew. During the Cold War, Brother Andrew smuggled Bibles into countries behind the Iron Curtain.

  The book is also the story of his conversion to Christianity. Brother Andrew went from rebellious boy, to reckless young man, to great man of God.

  God's Smuggler really showed me how much God cares for His children. He kept Andrew safe through many dangers. Every time he  passed through a border he would pray what he called “the Prayer of God’s Smuggler”:

  “Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture that I want to take to Your children across the border. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.”

  Because of Brother Andrew, many people behind the Iron Curtain received Bibles and were shown that God cared about them. You will not want to put God’s Smuggler down.

  --------

  Sabrina's 16-page study guide for God's Smuggler helps inspire your homeschooler as well as helps him understand the culture and context of the Cold War. The study guide includes vocabulary and terms to know. While it helps solidify student comprehension, it does not deflate his enjoyment of this powerful book.

  Give your teen a chance to study Seth's favorite book of the year.  Download God's Smuggler Study Guide today $3.99.

   

  Open Doors

  Brother Andrew founded Open Doors in 1955 by smuggling his first group of Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. It has been a powerful and effective ministry since that early trip.

  Mission Statement of Open Doors
  
  Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide; We are an organization aimed at strengthening persecuted believers worldwide through community development, Bible & literature distribution, leadership training & education and ministries of prayer and advocacy.

  You can download the story of Brother Andrew's conversion from the book God's Smuggler at http://www.opendoorsusa.org

  Here's Sabrina's talk on character building curriculum options:

   

• Whole-Person Development Captured on the Homeschool Transcript

  30 April 2012 / Curricula, High School, Homeschool Information, News, Transcripts / 0 Comment

  

  Nathan teaches at DelTech

  Homeschooling high school is the perfect choice for my family. It gives me four intentional years to invest in my teen's:

  1) Quality, individualized education

  2) Gifts and talents

  3) Interests

  4) AND especially character development

  Four of my (homeschooled) kids are adults now. The oldest has a PhD and is teaching philosophy atCatholic University and other schools, one has an MA and teaches Reading/Writing English to international students at Delaware Technical Community College, the next one works at a photography studio and teaches art/photography/literature at our homeschool umbrella, and kid #4 is working on Middle School Education at Lancaster Bible College.

  Can you guess what is important to us as a family?

  1) Faith

  2) Education                                                           

  

  Joanna photographs/edits weddings and teaches homeschool group classes

  3) Thinking and creativity
  

  God has directed each of my kids’ paths in His ways. However, because as parents we were stewards while our children were growing, I worked on molding these values in them. And because all of life is education- it showed up on their transcripts.

  Through high school, I taught philosophy, critical thinking, and hermeneutics classes in our co-op and umbrella school. I also had them take logic with Marilyn (who can figure out that kind of stuff).

  Philosophy and those other courses are not traditional “Core Curriculum” classes. Colleges are not checking to see if they abide on my kids’ transcripts. (However, colleges are usually PLEASED to see the breadth of their curriculum.)

  But what these courses did was develop the kind of student/human I wanted my kids to become. Out-of-the-box courses became some of the tools for transformation in my kids’ lives.

  

  Micah at his brother-in-law's studio- he also brings the guitar to philosophy class

  When each kid graduated, they could spot a logical fallacy in a college class teaching or debate. They could parse through Scripture to test if professors were speaking with wisdom or not. They could question and reflect and find resources to help them grow spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and socially.

  Now, kid #5 is homeschooling high school. This year he is learning the from great Christian writers like Brother Andrew, Brother Lawrence, and John Bunyan. He is learning to think about the ideologies of the past and present in our Modern History course. He is expanding mind and spirit. He is earning high school credit while he does so.

  His education is a tool for whole-person development. This development, in my opinion, is as important as a college-attractive transcript (well, more important).                    

  

  My youngest also enriches transcript and soul by learning to lead worship.

  
  

  How do you use your transcript to help transform your homeschoolers’ lives?

  ===============================================

  Sabrina's Great Christian Writers' series of study guides allow your teen to understand the book, study some vocab, and think some great ideas without busywork or the overkill that makes a kid hate reading. Give them a try:

  God's Smuggler- Brother Andrew

  The Hiding Place- Corrie ten Boom

  The Practice of the Presence of God- Brother Lawrence

  Pilgrim's Progress- John Bunyan

  Joni: An Unforgettable Story- Joni Eareckson Tada

  Here's Sabrina with ideas for choosing lit books:

   

• My Top Ten Post from the 2:1 Conference

  30 April 2012 / News / 20 Comments

  I cannot thank enough the organizers, sponsors and volunteers who made the 2:1 Christian Homeschool Blogger Conference so fantastic!
  Here's my quick Top Ten Post (I'll be blogging more about some specifics from the conference in the near future):

  

  1. Acceptance.

  We heard it from the speakers; we saw it among the attendees.  No one was labeled, judged or excluded.  Linking arms is the way to be!  By this all people will know that we are His disciples, if we love one another.

  2. Laughter.

  Sitting around tables with total strangers I ended up laughing so hard I almost fell off my chair.  Admitting the ridiculous things we say to our children ("You know WHY I pull the martyr routine, son?  'Cause you're KILLING ME!"), admitting that we felt kind of like we were in middle school all over again when we walked in to the first gathering and didn't know anyone, admitting that there's scented lotion in our hair because it really, really LOOKED like conditioner.  Yeah, lots of honest laughter!

  3. Challenge.

  The speakers were....courageous and bold and passionate and a whole list of other wonderful adjectives.  We were not told to be careful and hard-working and wait to see if we have something of meaning to share on our blogs.  We were empowered to receive the voice God has given each of us and to remember the mission field before us.

  4. Education.

  I went to 2:1 in spite of my fears of undirected socialization because I am desperate for education about how to do the very thing I've been trying to do here at 7 Sisters for a year and a half.  I was hoping to glean some knowledge from women who have more tech-savvy, more experience, and more brain-power than I do.  I was blown away by how much I was taught, and by how accessible all the speakers made themselves to my questions after sessions.  I feel like I took a long drink of water after being close to dehydration!  It's taking me a few days to synthesize it all into notes to share with the other sisters here, and I am delighted that it is such a huge stack of notes to study.

  As a side note, I was sponsored by some anonymous wonderful person, and I had all sorts of plans for "paying it forward" since I couldn't pay it back.  I wanted to get there early, register and ask to be put to work right away.  On arrival at the hotel, I got a phone call from a friend in crisis.  An hour and a half later, I made my way to the registration table just in time for the opening session.  The rest of the weekend I kept asking if anything needed doing that I could help with, but there never seemed to be a good way to do much.  I'm asking God to give me the chance to sponsor someone else next year...and I hope that whoever anonymously sponsored me this time will know that I was immeasurably blessed and grateful, and that I can't wait to share that chance with some other blogger next year!

  5. Worship.

  Sunday morning was life-changing for me.  Jezamama has already heard from me, tears rolling down my face even as I typed.  God was in the house (hotel?), and He was pouring His power into me through the worship.

  6. Meals.

  Yes, the food was great, and I enjoyed not having to prepare it or clean up from it....but that's not really the point!  The meal time provided such great opportunities to get to know the other attendees and share ideas and encouragement and real life.

  7. Resources.

  Beyond the information in the sessions, there were so many great printed and digital resources made available to us.  I will be working through all of my take-aways for quite some time!

  8. Authenticity.

  Words that don't usually get said at homeschool events blessed me deeply.  Moms who admitted that they don't always love homeschooling, that they are sometimes hurt by their churches, that they get frustrated with the energy it takes to be married, that they resist the humility that God is working in their hearts, that they have messy houses in spite of the best intentions.

  9. Humility.

  The next step beyond authenticity, I guess.  By being real about the weak areas, people were then able to humbly share from their strengths.  I was excited to hear humble confidence over and over again all weekend.

  10. Unity.

  Isn't that already on my list?  Only sort of.  And it was such a biggie that it deserves another mention here.  What matters to me more than anything else - that I would be following passionately after Jesus - automatically means that I am not alone because Jesus designed us to run with linked arms.  It is the very focus on Him as an individual that makes me able to run next to you.  It is your individual focus (that may manifest itself very differently in the details of life) that makes you able to run next to me.  Whatever flavor of worshiper you are, whatever type of blogger, whatever educational style your homeschool...we are stronger because we are standing with arms linked and lifted in praise to Him.